Brilliant Blog

A Brilliant Wedding: Ashley & Lee

January 26, 2012

It’s not every day that you move halfway across the country, only to meet and fall in love with someone who went to the same college!  Ashley & Lee did just that. These two wanted to combine their southern hospitality with their cosmopolitan life here in NYC so I designed their wedding in hues of purple with magenta and gold accents.  The ballroom at the brand new Eventi Hotel proved to be the ideal space with its expansive floor-to-ceiling windows and chic lounge furniture.

Their centerpieces from Starbright Floral reflected the young, fresh vibe of their wedding – three distinct arrangements, each with a different flower choice created a pop against the plum textured tablecloth.  A black lacquer dance floor and white calligraphy on their escort cards rounded out this beautiful May wedding.  Congratulations to this happy couple – I was so honored to be part of your big day!

Lovely photos courtesy of Moss Creation.

A Brilliant Wedding: Jacob & Dina

December 7, 2011

Jacob hails from Canada and his California bride, Dina, were brave souls selecting their wedding date in February! As luck would have it, the weather held out and it was a snowy, yet clear day.  Their beautiful wedding was held in the library at the New York Academy of Medicine and was the perfect mix of their shared intellectual flair, Jewish Orthodox faith, and their genuine warmth and love for each other, their families and friends.  It was a true pleasure to kick off our 2011 season with these two and an absolute honor to be a part of their big day!

Flowers by Blossom and Branch, Hair by Stacy Pitt, Makeup by Sally Duvall, Venue NYAM, Kosher Catering Esprit Events, Band Simcha All-Stars, Non-Kosher Catering Sterling Affair, Photos by Karin VonVoigtlander.

A Brilliant Wedding: Julie & Gary, The Reception

April 5, 2011

This autumn wedding needed a little twist of the theater for our Broadway-loving bride & groom. With stationery designed by Kayleigh Jankowski and the help of the DJ, we slipped it into the table names and to the dinner music without going overboard. The perfect combination for this perfect couple! To honor Gary’s mother who passed away from Lupus, the couple selected wristbands with specially-designed tags as a symbol of their donation to the Lupus Foundation.

At the end of the evening, after all of the groom’s Johnnie Walker had been consumed, the cake was cut and the candles blown out, we felt so privileged to have been a part of such an important day in their lives. Congratulations!

Thank you to Jenny Boyle of Jennifer Davis Photography for the amazing photos!

A Brilliant Wedding: Denise & Adam, the Reception

January 21, 2011

A gorgeous winery just outside of Manhattan was the idyllic setting for Denise & Adam’s reception. Laurita Winery was the perfect combination of rustic and elegant, built of reclaimed pieces from all over the Northeast. This lucky couple had their logo designed by a close friend of the groom’s – a play on their initials and the double helix of DNA, and Kayleigh Jankowski helped to incorporate it into their wedding day stationery.

The head table was a farm table with legs made from reclaimed church pews.

Using the logo as inspiration, and with florals from Rountree Flowers, we designed a tablescape featuring shades of purple with green accents.

An intimate moment in the vineyards.

Thank you, Denise & Adam, for letting us be part of your spectacular day. It was truly an honor!

All photos courtesy of the fantastic Jeff Tisman.

Chair Ties Done Right

December 28, 2010

I’ll admit it: I’m not a huge fan of chair ties. They seem to lend a scary 1980s look to event the most posh events (sort of like these napkin folds).  They also create a lot of visual noise without adding much interest. But, here are chair ties done right – vertically! Get creative and use pashminas that double as a guest favor, fabric swatches to pop against your table linens, or long silk scarves.

Left photo courtesy of The Knot, Right photo courtesy of Frost Me.

Printed to Perfection

December 7, 2010

Specialty table linens are a sure-fire way to create a truly unique look for an event, it’s the best and easiest way to remove the word “generic” from your guests’ vocabulary completely.  We’re big believers in table linens in general, and having a printed linen makes the visual impact even more of a statement.

Photo courtesy of Cloth Connection.

A National Brilliant Feature!

October 24, 2010

Our work from Lorraine & Dave’s spring soiree is featured alongside wedding industry great, David Tutera, on Cloth Connection‘s new website!  For the past 25 years, Cloth Connection has been providing gorgeous linens to the event industry from coast to coast. We’re honored to have our work recognized on a national level as the “best of the best.”

Photo courtesy of Jenny Boyle for Jennifer Davis Photography. Stationery by Kayleigh Jankowski. Florals by Rountree Flowers.

A Brilliant Wedding: Lorraine & Dave, Reception

May 7, 2010

Lorraine & Dave’s reception was a dramatic Spring Soiree filled with shades of salmon and green at the Millennium Broadway’s Hudson Theater.  The garden-inspired centerpieces from Rountree Flowers highlighted blush-colored peonies – an ideal bloom for this spring wedding design!  The escort cards were on a show-stopping bed of pave flowers – a mixture of spider mums, hydrangea and roses. Guests enjoyed a caramel apple favor for their “Big Apple” wedding symbolizing a donation to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering foundation made by the couple. The entire stationery suite was designed by the talented Kayleigh Jankowski and printed by Cards and Pockets and included a hand-drawn rendition of the cathedral and NYC skyline.

We still have one more set of amazing images from this special day, stay tuned!

Photos courtesy of Jenny Boyle for Jennifer Davis Photography.

A Brilliant Wedding: Sneak Peek!

March 23, 2010

Here’s a sneak peek of Lorraine & Dave’s upcoming tablescape featuring a spring-inspired color palette of coral & green!  Flowers by the talented Jessie from Rountree Flowers, linens by Cloth Connection.

Tool for DIY Designers

March 9, 2010

While searching for the perfect napkins for a client, I stumbled across this fun tool from BBJ Linens called the “Design Your Event Table” virtual tool.  It allows you to test out different tablecloths, napkins, chair types and chair accessories for your table design!  

Perfect for those doing DIY design for their event  and you just can’t decide on the pink tablecloth with the green napkins or the green tablecloth with the pink napkins.  Now, if they could just expand it to include flowers, chargers, silverware, glassware and menus!