HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Carnivale Chicago

Where can you go for a great rehearsal dinner in Chicago? Look no further than Carnivale. Here you can spice up your party by renting one of their private rooms for you and your guest. They have rooms for all kinds of party sizes. Their authentic soulful cuisine will put you in paradise. Here you can pick from Puerto Rican, Mexican, Colombian, Brazilian, and many more Latin American foods. Not only is the food amazing but also the colors featured throughout the restaurant are perfect for a fun get together! This restaurant would be a great place to eat, chat, and share a few of their famous mojito’s before the big day. The thing that I love most about the restaurant (other than the food and colors), is the SPACE! All the rooms are large enough to accommodate at least a party of 40 guests, if not more. The live music after dinner will get you and your party dancing in no time. Carnivale is a top location to take your guests for a wonderful celebration.

Also, if you don’t want to have the traditional church wedding, think about having the ceremony and reception here! In the past Carnivale has hosted gorgeous weddings and receptions. All you need to bring are good friends to go along with the great atmosphere.

Alyssa and Jeff's Chicago Wedding

Alyssa and Jeff tied the knot at The Newberry Library. It was a gorgeous day in October for pictures around Chicago, which they did before the ceremony with their wedding party. The ceremony at 6pm was officiated by Jim Rehnberg and the guests laughed and cried when he talked about the amazing relationship of this bride and groom. Having met in a bookstore, their tables were all named after their favorite books.

And HOW ABOUT THOSE SHOES? Yes, the shoes from the SITC movie. And Alyssa worked it even better than Carrie could!

The night was a blast! Levy Catering catered the event and guests were treated to three different stations; Thai and Asian food, Italian food and a traditional carving station. Craig from Fun Times DJ kept the dance floor packed! The gorgeous flowers were done by Gretchen at Flora Chicago. She has an adorable shop on Southport, you must check it out!

The ever fabulous Glen Abog was the photographer with his assistant, Veronica.

Click Here to see the amazing pictures

Bouquet Monday

I picked this bouquet because it says fall!! I really like how couples decide to use flowers that are in season. It not only goes along with a seasonal wedding but it is more affordable. The texture of this bouquet really makes it look a bit on the wild side. This bouquet consists of cymbidium orchids, pin cushion protea, green and red hypericum berries, viburnum berries, and black and orange calla lilies. Since the flowers are natural it would go so well with a plum or chocolate brown bridesmaid dress.

Trunk Shows This Week

Happy Sunday Brides. I just wanted to keep you posted on the trunk shows this week!

Kenneth Pool Trunk Show
October 30 – November 1
At Saks Fifth Avenue, 700 N Michigan Avenue, Chicago 312-799-5205

Having gained recognition and praise for his sophisticated and striking designs on Bravo's first season of Project Runway, Austin Scarlett now wields his creative talent as the designer and creative director at the helm of KENNETH POOL.


Reverie by Melissa Sweet Trunk Show
October 30 – November 3
At Priscilla of Boston, 17 West 170 22nd Steet, Oakbrook Terrace, 630-833-5000

Alyssa and Ali

I adored my bride Alyssa last Saturday. She and Jeff got married at Newberry Library. Stay tuned for pictures of their amazing wedding which I will post next week. You HAVE to see her bridal shoes. (Think Carrie in Sex in the City Movie).

Alyssa dragged me into the photo booth before the end of the night which was so much fun!

For Your Party

Check this great website out! For Your Party.

I can not even remember where I saw this website online but I just adore this site for things like placecards, table numbers, gift bags and pretty much anything paper that can really add to the style of your wedding. And who does not want stir sticks or little wooden skewers with your new intials on them?

Here are some of their cute products below. Go there NOW and enjoy shopping for all the great things you can customize to fit your wedding style and colors!

Honeymoon Wednesday-Maui, Hawaii

Paradise is the word that comes to mind when you think of Hawaii. The exotic tropical flowers give the breeze a wonderful scent as the banyan trees surround the area. The local food is fresh and wonderful. You can get everything you would want. Try fresh mahi-mahi with Hawaiian macadamia nuts. You really can’t go wrong here for a honeymoon.

Maui is both a beautiful and romantic spot for honeymooners. The Hotel Hana-Maui was voted #3 in World’s 50 Best Honeymoon August/September 2007 in Modern Bride. The resort is secluded and has the natural beauty of Hawaii. There are Sea Ranch Cottages available for newlyweds along with honeymoon packages as well. This resort gives you a chance to escape and a great way to start your new life as a married couple. Be sure to go see Hana Bay where the beach is made up of black and white sand, and also a major shipping port for the sugar companies in Hana. The bay also has the best snorkeling in the area. If you want to see even more, the resort offers great excursions which will allow you to see more of the island and its best sights. Check out the resort and the island of Maui at Visit Maui.

Engage 08

Last week I attended a High-Impact Wedding Symposium for Wedding Professionals in Orlando. Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce of Engaging Concepts put on, HANDS DOWN, the most spectacular, educational and FUN wedding industry events I have ever been to. I came home refreshed, energized and with a wealth of knowledge about marketing, "being brilliant" and staying on top of your game in the wedding industry.

Tuesday morning started off with a presentation by Rebecca Grinnals which offered a very insightful outlook on marketing to the Generation Y bride and groom and how to navigate this strange economy. I think I took about 4 pages of notes in just the first two hours!




The next presentation was from a very amazing man, Simon T. Bailey, who recently wrote and published "Release Your Brilliance", a book about the four steps in transforming your life and revealing your genius to the world. This was a great presentation and Simon offered EVERYONE at the conference 45 minutes of phone consulting following the conference. I have already scheduled mine with him; he is amazing and so inspiring.


The Ritz Carlton in Orlando hosted the conference and what a lovely and yummy lunch we had. (This property is truly wonderful. The service was perfect and the property is just beautiful). The gorgeous linens at the lunch were provided by a new company, La Tavola, in California and Emarie Chernivakas of La Tavola was there as an attendee. Their linens are just gorgeous, make sure to check out their website!


Following our lovely lunch, we saw Kim Bee, from wedding bee, Jill Meister from CBS's Morning Show and Eda Kalkay, a PR WHIZ from New York whose client, David Tutera, is one the most esteemed wedding consultants in the US. Also there were Carley Roney and David Liu from The Knot who offered a very candid take on the wedding industry and their website which changed the wedding industry as we know it.

The exciting afternoon started with a candid talk with Sean Low, the President of Preston Bailey Designs. He shared with us strategies on pricing and taking our businesses to the next level. THEN, the coups de grace was Slyvia Weinstock, Cake Baker Extrordinaire. She unveiled her new chocolate wedding favors (YUM) in conjunction with Godiva Chocolates.




I met many friends and had such a great time at this event. Oh and CHECK OUT the amazing swag bag we received. It truly was a TOP NOTCH event. Can't wait for Engage 09!




Here I am with my new friend Emilie Sommer who is an amazing photographer in New England. Make sure to check out her website and blog. Her work is genius!

Raj Tents

If you are looking for lavish tent décor look no further than Raj Tents. Raj tents are best known for their Moroccan and Indian themed tenting and décor. This is best for client that want an extravagant look. They offer a mix of fabulous fabrics that create memorable tents. Raj offers brilliant colors as well as soft sophisticated ivories for a beach theme. It is a world of wonder when you step into these heavenly tents. It is a different way to add beauty to the event and get your guests intrigued. If you you’re your wedding to stand out, be sure to check these striking tents. You can view them in many magazines such as Vogue, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and more. Make sure to check out the website.

Cortney and Anthony's CHIC Wedding

Cortney and Anthony's wedding was so chic! They said their "I Do's" at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the early afternoon. Their doggie even showed up for pictures following the ceremony in the garden.

The wonderful photographer, Kurt Gerber, took the new Mr. and Mrs. with their wedding party and friends on a photo safari around Chicago.

The reception at the Chicago Illuminating Company was super chic and cool. Cortney and I brainstormed and picked a color palatte of black, white and magenta. Using different shaped tables with different linens and chairs really made the guests ooh and ahh as they entered the dinner. Pavel from Kehoe Designs is truly an artist when it comes to flowers and lighting and decor. The reception could not have been more fabulous!

Click here Click here to see Kurt Gerber's fun photo montage of the wedding!

Bouquet Monday

I love this bouquet! There is something about this bouquet that stands out more than the rest. The flowers almost speak to you. The roundness and softness of the delicate bouquet makes it look romantic. A peony bouquet would be perfect for a very elegant and sophisticated bride.

Picture from Sarah Alair

Eleni's Adorable Cookie Collection

I LOVE the cookies you can get on Eleni's website. Check out the cute cookies you could have on pretty silver trays on the table at your bridesmaid luncheon! Or what a cute gift for a hostess for your wedding shower! Click here to see the I Do! collection.

Honeymoon Wednesday-St Barth's

The Eden Rock Hotel in St. Barth’s is something you must look into. The hotel came about from an old private house built by local adventurer Remy De Heane, sixty years ago. St. Barths has a tropical climate year round with temperatures ranging from 72-90 degrees. The best season to visit St. Barth’s is the summer time. A lot of weddings are in summer anyways, so this would be a perfect honeymoon pick. The island has sandy white beaches and the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean. Feel free to take a boat out on the beautiful waters which is provided by the hotel. A great, great place for a honeymoon! Check out the website for more information.

And to read more information about St Barth's go to this website .

Bouquet Monday

I LOVE this bouquet that has three kinds of lilies—water, cobra and calla—form an alliance with dendrobium orchids, ink berries, coleus and white velvet leaves!

Seen on Modern Bride's website

Your Mom's Wedding Dress?

If you really wanted to try and wear that gorgeous wedding gown your mother wore on her day, but it doesn’t fit you right. Don’t worry, go dress shopping with your mom and get your own. After a perfect day trying on a ton of dresses ask her if it would be ok to take parts of her wedding dress to wrap your flowers in. This might seem as a shock to her, but tell her how honored you would be to have it be apart of your special day.

The idea came from a girl who’s mother passed away years before she got married and found that the dress was just taking up storage space and collecting dust. It meant more to her than any other accessory that day!

Different Idea for Guest Book

Do something different for your guest sign in table. Pick a signature platter at Say Anything Ceramics instead of a guest book for your guests to sign. How fun to add to your new kitchen collection and remember all those who celebrated with you for years to come when you pull out a platter with everyone's well wishes!

Honeymoon Wednesday-St Lucia

Whether you want to plan it yourself or have an all-inclusive stay at Sandals, St. Lucia is the place to go. There are so many things to do on this beautiful island. Begin your trip with a fabulous Caribbean Rum drink. St. Lucia is so beautiful and unique it appears to be created for the romantics. This gorgeous place is perfect to tour and there are lots of excursions to explore. St. Lucia is made up of lots of mountains, beautiful beaches, and tropical forest. There is always something to do at St. Lucia. It is fun to snorkel, but try and be adventurous and get certified to scuba. St. Lucia is known for its clear blue sea, perfect for exploring all the different fish undersea. Make sure to plan a tropical rainforest tour. Here you can see once in a lifetime things, such as the rare St. Lucia parrot. Also, you don’t have to go to Hawaii to spot whales, in St. Lucia you can spot up to 20 different species of whale. With the multi-colored flowers, soft sounds, and romantic sights it is easy to say that this place will never be forgotten. Don’t forget to check out all the different restaurants too, they are awesome!

Read up about St. Lucia and it's many wonderful offerings of resorts, restaurants and activities at the following St Lucia website.