Ali Phillips Presents at Weddings with Wow in Indianapolis

On Wednesday, January 20th, I was asked to be the Speaker for ISES/ABC Weddings with Wow Luncheon in Indianapolis. I felt so welcomed by my host, Lee Johnson of Chair Covers. Inc. The luncheon was so gorgeous I really did say WOW! when I walked into the room. Different designers and florists designed tabletops which were so impressive. I did a presentation on the Top Weddings Trends for 2009, supported by many pictures of past events I have done. It was a lively discussion and people had some great questions following my presentation. Below are some pictures from that event. I have to remember next time to have someone snap a picture of me when I am presenting.

Lee Johnson of Chair Covers, Inc.
Gorgeous table done by Gene Huddleson at Details and Design








Here was a nice note about my presentation from Gloria Boyden, the Association of Bridal Consultants State Coordinator in Indiana.
"Today we had the joint ISES/ABC wedding Wow lunch and it was a Wow. Besides beautiful tables designed by planners, caterers and florists, we had a fabulous meal. Then the piece de resistance was the wonderful presentation by Ali Phillips. Her presentation was timely (some photos from Jan. 20), she was engaging and so enthusiastic, and had great command of her subject matter." Gloria Boyden.

Ali Phillips Speaking today at ISES/ABC Weddings That Wow! in Indianapolis

I am in Indianapolis today to speak at the Weddings That Wow International Special Events Society and Association of Bridal Consultants luncheon. I will be sharing some GREAT Chicago weddings I have done and the new trends for weddings in 2009.

I look forward to sharing my insight with my fellow colleagues and thank Lee Johnson, Monika Richard and Dee Haddad for inviting me to speak today.

White Chicago Offering 10% off Veils

Still looking for the perfect veil for your wedding day? White Chicago is offering 10% off veils in the month of January!

Located at 222 West Huron in Chicago, White Chicago offers wedding dresses at 30%-70% off retail costs by offering new, sample and once wed designer wedding gowns.

Call Ursula or Stacy today to set up an appointment, 312-397-1571.

Engage 09!

If you remember back in October, I attended the amazing Engage!08 The Encore in Orlando; a high-impact wedding symposium for the best of the best in the wedding industry. I am so excited that the women of Engaging Concepts have announced the date and website for their Engage!09, Something Blue, at the Ritz-Carlton in Grand Cayman from June 21st-June 24th. This will be a conference I would NOT miss and am so excited to see my old friends I made and meet new friends as well.

Featuring an A-List of wedding professional as speakers, attendees will be "engaged" for three amazing days of education, networking and well, FUN!

Check out the amazing website to read more about this incredible event.

Bridal Events in Chicago This Week

It is not too late to get your ticket to the Ritz-Carlton Chicago's Bridal Luncheon! It will be held Sunday, January 18th from 12pm-2pm and will feature a three-course luncheon. All brides to be will have the opportunity to win a five night honeymoon at the Four Season's Resort Lanai'i Manele Bay. Tickets can be purchased for $40 so grab your Mom or your Maid of Honor and call today to book your ticket, 312-573-5180.

Bride Wars Debuts Today

I don't know about you, but I love a "wedding movie". ANY movie related to weddings I always want to run out and see right away. I already have the time and movie theater picked out for tonight. (Have bribed my husband with going out for ribs after the movie). Looks like a fun movie and I can't wait to see it tonight.

Check your theater listings today at Fandango.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I just want to say thank you for being a client, a reader, a vendor or a friend!! Enjoy your day with your family and friends and stop to remember what you have to be thankful for.

I just got an email from Chicago Social Bride (What a great magazine! Look for an Ali Phillips feature in the new issue that will be in the newstands soon), and Ultimate Bride will be having a sample sale tomorrow, Friday, November 28th from 12pm-6pm. They are offering great reductions on dresses from Monique Lhullier, and many others!

They are located at 106 East Oak Street in Chicago. I would recommend to call in the morning to get an appointment. Phone is 312-337-6300. Read more here on Ultimate Bride's Website.

The Business of Brides-Part 1

The Assocation of Bridal Consultants Annual conference held in Newport Beach, California was one of the highlights of the fall! I had a great time connecting with old friends and making some new friends. The Fairmont Hotel was the site for the event and they did a fabulous job keeping everyone well fed and happy.

Sunday was a day for Sandals training, the trade show and a party that evening complete with a photo booth!



Sandals Trade Show Booth


Here I am with my Coordinators Corner Friends, a website just for wedding consultants to chat and share ideas!

Monday started off with the Assocation Business and a breakfast with my friends Mark Kingsdorf of Queen of Hearts Weddings in Philadelphiaand Joanne and John Woodward of Schwartz and Woodward, in Houston, Texas.





The amazing Barbara Wallace was our keynote speaker. She shared practical information about brides looking their best in their pictures on their wedding day. Stylist Annie Withers and fashion and wedding photographer, Lars Wanberg have written a book with Barbara, Camera Couture, A Beautiful Bride from Every Angle and they shared wonderful images from this book.


Me with my good friend and keynote speaker, Barbara Wallace

The luncheon was just gorgeous, here are some snaps on the design and decor. The ladies of Orange County who produced the luncheon did an excellent job!







Check back soon for Part II of this amazing conference

Association of Bridal Consultants Business of Brides

Can not wait to share my blog about my AMAZING time at the Association of Bridal Consultants Annual Conference that I attended from November 9th-12th. Check back on Tuesday for a full blog of my couple days at the amazing event!

Here is a little "teaser" which is me with the amazing wedding and lifestyle expert, Colin Cowie.

Trunk Show This Week

Carolina Herrera Trunk Show
November 21-22nd
at Nieman Marcus in Oak Brook, Illinois this week. Their address is 6 Oakbrook Center Mall, Bridal Salon on the Upper Level.

source

Off to California

I am off in California at the Assocation of Bridal Consultants convention in Newport Beach, California. I am so excited to see all my wedding consultant friends from all over the country and learn new things about weddings. And Colin Cowie, host extraordinaire and lifestyle expert to the stars will be there to talk to us about creating magical parties and signing his new book!

Here is a picture of the amazing sunset in Huntington Beach, California last night!


Check back next week for pictures and a review!

Rock the Vote

Happy Election Day! Get out and vote today and show how proud you are to be an American!

Fun "Red, White and Blue" ideas for weddings I found online!


Source

Trunk Shows and "Chicago This Week"

Boutique Sample Sale
November 5th
View the latest couture bridal fashions from top bridal designers and enjoy markdowns on all your favorite styles.

Elizabeth Fillmore Trunk Show
Meet bridal gown designer, Elizabeth Fillmore at a special cocktail event at Belle Vie Bridal Couture on Nov. 6 from 5:30-7pm. A full trunk show will also be featured Nov. 7, 11am-6pm; Nov. 8, 10am-5pm. Appointments requested.



November 6th-November 8th
At Belle Vie Bridal Couture, 34 E. Oak St. , 312-751-2222

Anniversary Party at James Ciccotti
November 9th
Join James Ciccotti, Chicago’s renowned bridal shoes and accessories designer, and celebrate the one-year anniversary at his salon location on Clark. Enjoy Spumante and sweets, receive a $25 gift certificate toward same-day purchases and enter a raffle to win a swarovski-studded clutch to complete your nuptial look. RSVP required.

At James Ciccotti Bridal Shoes & Accessories, 2545 N. Clark St., 773-525-4280

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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

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!

Happy 6th Anniversary Jon

Just a quick "shout out" to my husband Jon thanking him for six wonderful years of marriage today!!!!

Engagement Pictures

I just LOVE engagement pictures. Here is Lori and Todd's favorite they will use for their save the date card to their wedding guests.



Picture by Glen Abog

Click to Cure Photo Day

A good friend of mine and wonderful photographer Dennis Lee is having a day for doggies and caring.

Just wanted to post a quick reminder for the Click to Cure Photo Day for Cancer event.

May 3, 2008. 9:00AM - 7:00 PM Studio 415 at 415 W. Huron, Chicago. Come in to the studio and Dennis will shoot portraits for a minimum donation of $100 to the American Cancer Society. Bring your family, friends, dogs, cats, whatever. Hey if you've got something to sell on e-Bay and want it photographed, write a check for a minimum of $100 and Dennis will shoot it for you. This is a first come, first served event. There are no reservation times. Walk in, he'll spend a few moments taking photos and you'll leave with a disc of all the images.

Come and support a great cause! I know Jon, Grohe and I plan on stopping by!

To read more details,
visit his blog and see pictures
Dennis Lee Photography. 7311 N. Honore St. #3 Chicago, IL 60626

I LOVE engagement pictures

Kathy Coates and Tim Stafford recently went to one of my favorite places for their engagement pictures; Wrigley Field! Then, they headed down to the beach at the Alder Planetarium which I just love!

Click here to see the photo show:
http://www.glenabog.com/kathyandtim

I think engagement pictures are an important part of your photography for your wedding. It gives brides and grooms some time to get comfortable with the camera and also the photographer to learn more about the two of you as a couple. I recommend to all my clients they do an engagement picture with their photographer.


Thanks Glen Abog for such amazing pictures!
http://www.glenabog.com/