Rebecca's Blog

Country Club Affair

2008-09-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

Over the last year I had the pleasure of working with Kelley & Marc Hinen putting together their beautiful ceremony and reception at Woodstock Country Club. The weather cooperated with us and we had beautiful sunny skies for their outdoor ceremony and poolside reception. The ceremony took place underneath the club's portico. Then the guests moved in side for cocktails and gathered around as Kelley and Marc cut the beautiful wedding cake. As you can tell by the gorgeous photos by Nathaniel Edmunds Photography, we used a stunning toile linen in coral and celedon. Paper lanterns lit the sundae bar and dance floor as guests danced into the evening. It was a picture perfect evening for my wonderful clients. Kelley and Marc are a wonderful care free couple and their love for each other radiates when they are together. I wish them the best! Cheers!

And the winner is.....

2008-08-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Last year Amanda was the fortunate enough to enter a contest, hosted by the Knot, for the wedding vendor of her choice. Well lo and behold she chose a wedding planner and the Knot asked me to be of service on her wedding day in July. It was such a pleasure to be able to help Amanda put together a beautiful wedding. Even though rain in the area forced us to make some changes and move the ceremony in doors it was still a beautiful event. It was my first time working with Bobbi and Mike, photographers from Indianapolis, and they are a blast to work with! Her are some images from the event for your enjoyment!

Aloha!

2008-07-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a client comes along and planning their event is more of a gift than a job. Well, The Parker's Vow Renewal in Maui was that event. This was a week long celebration that included a Snorkeling Trip, Welcome Dinner, Lual, Renewal and Reception. With the help of Kate Berglund of KB Design, Nathaniel Edmunds Photography and the amazing Grand Wailea ,the Parkers, their guests and I enjoyed a trip of a life time. Mahalo!

Who said I do just weddings!

2008-07-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

I feel terrible because it's been such a long time since I've written anything in my blog!!! But, this summer has been so busy that I just haven't had the time. I wanted to include some photos of a graduation party I put together for a client in May for their youngest daughter Abbie. It was a beautiful weekend and everyone had a great time! Classic Cakes of carmel provided the beautiful cake, A Classic Party Rental of Indianapolis provided the tent and Rue de Fleur the darling centerpieces. Hoaglin Catering did a great job serving casual fare of Hot Wings, crudite and yummy grilled chicken. Here are some snapshots of Abbie's party! Congratulations!

PACE Awards

2008-05-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

For those of you that aren't familiar with ISES, it is a prestigious organization of the best in the events industry worldwide. Indianpolis has its own chapter that holds an awards ceremony every year for the best events in the city. This year I entered a wedding that we planned last Summer for a wonderful client in Crawfordsville. I am thrilled to say that Event Fantastic won the award for Best Social Event with a budget of $100,001 +. It was a huge honor, considering this is the first time we have entered an event. Thank you so much to all the vendors that helped put this event together!!!
www.isesindiana.com

Wonderful Way to Begin the Season

2008-05-22T05:37:00.000-07:00

Last month I had the pleasure of seeing a years worth of planning come to fruition. Tiffany Creamer and Jordan Caito had a beautiful wedding and reception at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. Tiffany has impeccable taste and wanted a colorful, elegant yet rockin' wedding ceremony and reception. With the help of Rue de Fleur, Thomas Caterers, Markey's Audio Visual, the band Zannado, Heavenly Sweets and of course the Scottish Rite Cathedral I was able to give Tiffany and Jordan the wedding of their dreams. The ceremony took place in the Theatre of the Cathedral and Father Roger Fesher performed a beautiful ceremony. Afterwards the guests enjoyed several courses, including my personal favorite a trio of desserts; a mini root beer float, miniature creme brulee and two tiny chocolate truffles. Yummy! The tablescape was beautiful! Rich orange linens covered the tables and stunning centerpieces of roses, calla lilies, lavender, and hydrangea pulled the look together. Guests enjoyed a candy bar full of delicious treats as a take home gift from the bride and groom. It was a wonderful event for a beautiful, gracious couple.

How many hats can one wear in a day?

2008-01-23T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well, the answer for me is 4. Sister, Maid of Honor, Wedding Planner and mother of the Flower Girl. My sister was married on December 29 in Jax Florida and we had a blast!! It took me several days to recover from the event...but about January 6 I felt normal again. As you can seem Merideth choose several different colors for her color palette with black as an accent color. I wasn't real sure how we were going to pull it off when it came to the reception but I have to say the room looked amazing!!! We chose the black and white lamour floral silhouette from BBJ with coordinating table runners in all her colors. We alternated black lanterns with calla lilies and floating candles centerpieces. I thought the finishing touch that made the tables unique was a, orange paper flower on each wine glass. It was so elegant!!!!!! I think sometimes stay away from patterned linens, but it really makes a room unique. Merideth wanted a candy table as the guests favor and it was a hit. I purchased candy from Sweet Things in Indianapolis in all the wedding colors and the guests couldn't get enough. It was a beautiful wedding and I am so happy that my little sister allowed me to be a huge part of her day!

ATL Here we come!!!

2007-12-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

Erica and I just registered for the Special Event Conference in Atlanta in January! It's going to be a one week event-a-pa-looza. There are education courses all day on various business and event planning topics as well as events in the evening for socializing and networking. We are so excited about the conference and know that we will come back full of knowledge and pumped up for the new year!!!

I'm famous!

2007-12-06T08:57:00.001-08:00

Current in Carmel asked me to write a little piece on party planning for last weeks issue and I was happy to submit my thoughts on planning the perfect holiday party. For thos interested here's the link!
http://www.currentincarmel.com/Archive.aspx

Another Favorite!!

2007-12-06T08:12:00.001-08:00

Nathaniel Edmunds is one of our favorite photographers in town!! They recently shot one of clients, Tiffany and Jordan, and we wanted to share some of our favorite shots. Tiffany and Jordan are getting married at the Scottish Rite Cathedral downtown this spring.

If you have a chance check out Nathan's website and be sure to watch the outtake of their video. Hilarious stuff! www.nathanieledmunds.com

Happy Halloween!

2007-12-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

Being a mom is the best thing that has ever happened to me! Watching Reagan blosson into a sweet little girl is one of the great joys of my life. Trick o Treating was so much this year! She had absolutely no fear! So, dressed as a little kitty with her friend Simon we went skipping from house to house gathering so much candy she is still eating it!

Props to Kevin

2007-12-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

Tis the season for engagement photos! We have so many new clients getting their engagement photos done and I wanted to share a link so not only can you see some beautiful work but meet some of our new clients. Rejni and David are getting married in downtown Indy and will have there reception at Union Station next fall. Rejni has such a bubbly personality and great taste that the entire event will be beautiful!! The colors she has chosen are a rich, deep eggplant and godiva's orange. We can't wait for next fall to see her dreams come true.
http://www.kevinswan.com/clients/welch

Sushi & Saki Shower!

2007-12-06T06:45:00.000-08:00

As many of you know I am the maid of honor and planner for my sister who is getting married on December 29 in Jacksonville Florida. So it was my honor to plan a shower for her this October. Her favorite food (and mine) is sushi so what better way to honor her than to serve up her favorite food. Since the tent was up for my daughters birthday party we used it again the next weekend for Merideth's shower. I lined the inside of tent with multi colored paper parasols and chinese lanterns. The tables were draped in black linens with a lime green runners. The mahogoney chivaris were tied with black chair ties and accented with a sprig of purple orchid. Each centerpiece was a different using glass, candles, and asian accents. I placed an asian screen in the corner of the tent behind the buffett table and draped it with black fabric embrodiered with white and green orchids. I created a huge centerpiece for the bar with willow, palm branches and orchids. I served an array of chinese foods, sushi of course, fried rice, egg rolls, egg drop soup, chinese chicken salad, edamame and to top it off...chocolate chip cheese cake (a request of the groom, pictured above in the white jacket). It was a great night and a most importantly my sister and Joe had a wonderful time!

SpongeBob Celebration!

2007-12-06T06:19:00.000-08:00

My daughter Reagan turned 6 in October and of course I couldn't just have a normal party with cake and presents I had go Spongebob Crazy! Once again I relied on A Classic to provide the perfect tent to create Bikini Bottom. We filled blue and green balloons with helium to cover the top of the tent. Each table had a shell and pineapple centerpiece. I painted foam board cut outs of Spongebob's friends, Patrick, Gary, Mr. Krabbs and Squidward and placed them all over the tent. My daughter and I colored fish out of construction paper and I tied them from the frame of the tent with beaded wire. They looked just like little bubbles coming up from the fishies! We served Krabby Patties, hot dogs, and goldfish. We even brought in a popcorn machine! It was so hot that day that we turned the sprinkler on and let the kids run through the water. We also played a game of Spongebob, Goose, a little twist on duck duck goose. The kids left the party with a Chum Bucket full of chocolates and a bottle of bubbles.

Reagan had a great day!!! Thanks to all the parents and kids who came to the party!!

Pretty in Pink

2007-09-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Team work, team work, team work. Never has the necessity of team work been more evident to me than when Event Fantastic planned the Parker/Templman wedding this summer. I can't than our partners enough for the beautiful job they did, especially A Classic Party Rental. If you ever have the opportunity to work with Mike Wiggins you are a lucky person. His dedication to the perfection of the tent used for this event was remarkable. Rue de Fleur did the most beautiful job creating centerpieces that were to die for. 6,000 roses are hard to come by, but by golly Brenda with Rue de Fleur did it! Thank you so much to all the professionals who made this wedding one for the history books! Hoaglin Fine Catering, KB Design, TLW Entertainment, The Flying Toasters, Dippin Dots, Chair Covers and Linens, Sweet Things, Rue de Fleur, A Classic Party Rental, The Village Trio and Andretti Valet.

Little Toot!

2007-06-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me you also know who lil' toot is. For those of you that don't, lil' toot is my daughter Reagan. Reagan just graduated from pre-school this May and will be going to Kindergarden next year. How time flies! Reagan has had many different nick names and I thought I would humor you with some of them. "Toot" is the most popular and has many different forms. There is toot-magroot, tooter and toot-magroot-mascoot. My favorite nickname is "little" this not only applies to Reagan but Erica as well. "Mommy mo' precious" is one I like to use when we are snuggling or I am trying to irritate her. There is also a variation of this name and that is mommy mo pecky.

I can't really explain the origins of these names. They don't have a background story. But what I love is that she knows when I call her toot it is with all the love in the world. She is my lil toot and I am so proud of her.

2007-06-15T09:56:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I know it's June...but cut me some slack we have so busy that I am finally getting around to posting our photos from the track. I haven't always lived in Indianapolis and to be honest I don't ever remember caring about the Indy 500 before I lived here. However that all changed when I made Indy my home. Who new I would become a race fan? There is something about the brew-ha-ha that surrounds the race that is so exciting. If you have never been to the track I highly recommend it. However, before you endure the heat, the crowd, the rain delays and the noise you have to prepare yourself. Before my first race I was schooled on the history of the track, the field and the rules of the race. It was a little boring but once I was at the track I was glad I knew what the heck was going on. There is more to it than cars going around in a circle. The only thing depressing about June is that May is over and it will be another 12 months before I hear the roar of the race cars. Boo hoo.
draft
by

2007-06-15T09:53:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Day, Beautiful Wedding

2007-06-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago I had the pleasure of working with Michelle Thomas on her wedding day at the First Baptist Church and the Marriott North. It was such a beautiful day and they are such a great couple that the honor was all mine. Nathaniel Edmunds was the photographer of the event and as usual we had a great time together. Here are some great shots that he has graciously allowed me to use. At the reception Michelle had place little cameras on each table in hopes that guests would take candid shots. Well...as the evening moved along and guests were enjoying the DJ Krista Lee, Nathan and I went around to the tables and as I took candid shots with Michelle's cameras he came in behind me and snapped some great shots. We had alot of fun!!

Minnie Me

2007-05-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

We are back!! After a lengthy visit in Fort Myers and Orlando Florida we have returned. This was one, if not THE best vacation I've ever had. We went to the beach, played putt-putt, went to the beach, ate ice cream, went to the beach, went boating, went to the beach, went to Disney World and went to the beach one more time.

If you have never been to Disney World you must go!! Right now. As a mom and a person in the service/hospitatlity business it is a sight to see. The hotels are amazing, the food is incredible, the entertainment is over the top and the grounds are beautiful. I have been several times as a youngster and twice as an adult. And right after spring break my friends is the time to go. No lines for rides, small lines for food and room to breathe while walking around. Here are my tips for a vaca in Disney

1. Wear good shoes. Don't go for style go for comfort no matter what. You will stand and walk more than you ever thought possible. And bring bandaids 'cause no matter how comfy they are you will still get blisters.

2. Be a good sport. Disney is built for kids. If you can't stand the sound of whining, sweaty kids...stay home.

3. Bring lots of money. You get thirsty, you get hungry, you want a Goofy t-shirt and a Minnie visor, you want an ice cream cone, you want a glass of wine, you want a Tinkerbell tattoo that says "spoiled." This all ='s $559.72. Plus admission into the park in order to purchase these items. Be prepared, bring plastic and think about it when you get home.

If you remember these little tips you will have a good time!

Here are some photos of my mini me, Torrey and me having some fun. Enjoy!!!

Busy, Busy Bee's

2007-04-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Erica and I are going to be busy busy bee's this summer. We have so many wedding and so many wonderful clients that we are so excited about the months ahead. Next, week I am off to Fort Myers Florida and then Disney World for a little R and R. And then....wow! We are doing some weddings in locations where we have never worked before(The Sanctuary) and some in familiar places (The Eitlejorg). Either way we are excited and ready.

Fortunately, we are having to move the store hours around a little bit. We are going to have to change some Saturdays to "by appointment only." We will post these dates on our website and change our voicemail to let you know. We have worked so hard to build our event planning business and now it is happening!! We have always tried to offer great service and really get to know our customers and by moving to an appointment only business we will be able to do this a little bit better.

So, here's to warm weather, beautiful weddings, Disney World and Sanjia being kicked off AIdol.

Oh yeah, that's Erica and me at the Pace Awards. We WILL be taking home an award next year. :)

Simply She

2007-03-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

The Simply She event was a couple of weeks ago at the Fountains Event Center in Carmel and did we have a good time designing and setting up for that event! We created the designs for the Smirnoff Martini Bar, the entrance and the cocktail tables. Our designs were a little out there but man did we get a good response!!!

We used hot pink and orange Gerbera daisies in giant Martini glasses. We surrounded the daisies in hot pink curly wire. At the bottom of the glass we placed lime green "ice" that glowed with the help of LED light. It was pretty cool. That event is so much fun.....it's a shame I missed it. I have never had pnemonia in my life and I hope I never get it again! Erica saved the day and was able to pull off the event all by her lonesome. :) If you have never been to this event be sure to catch it next year. It's two days of shopping, martini's and complimentary beauty services....is there anything better??

Last week I took Erica to the Justin Timberlake concert in Cincinnati for her Christmas/Graduation present and my oh my did we have good seats!!! Although, I have to say I was a tad let down by the show. I know, I know I couldn't believe it either. It was so long and he spent ALOT of time behind the piano!!! And I know one thing I went to the show to watch that boy dance..not play the piano. Timbaland came out in the middle and did a set and the show kinda lost momentum. The beginning and the end of the show were fantastic but if you go to the show don't worry there will be plenty of times during the show to stand in line for the bathroom. :)

Happy Valentines Day!

2007-02-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

Well so much for down time! This month started a little slow for us at the Wedding Gallery but it didn't last long! We have so many exciting things around the corner I don't know what to do first. As we slowly move into wedding season we are going to transform The Wedding Gallery once again..we are going to streamline the gift section of our store and focus more on offering the hotest design ideas, linens, stationery and wedding accessories around. We want people to be wowed when they walk in store and trust me they will be!

FOX 59 asked me to come on the morning show again :). I love it!!

Next up we are going to show our skills at Simple She..ladies if you have never been to this event GO!. It's so girly and fun and pink. We are going to do the table displays and we have planned some awesome stuff. Hope to see you there!!!!

On a personal level my sweet pea lost two teeth this month! She was afraid of the tooth fairy so we stuck the teeth in the kitchen drawer so the fairy wouldn't be wise to the loss. We also had fun last weekend creating a wedding collage for a friend of hers. (she's 5) We flipped through wedding magazines so she could choose the dress, flowers, cakes, etc. God help me the day she tells me she's engaged. For those of you have never been lucky enough to come into the shop when my daughter is there coloring or playing in the jewelry and Torrey (my significant other) is taking the trash out here is a little photo for you.

Hakuna Matata!!

2006-11-17T13:47:00.000-08:00

I have been planning weddings a long long time and there is one thing I have learned......sometimes things go wrong. It may seem elementary but it's a hard concept for some people to grasp.
As a wedding planner brides expect me to guarantee that on their wedding day there will be no mistakes....ahh touche! As a wedding planner it is my job to make sure that when mistakes or problems arise that they are solved and no one knows about them!
A wedding day is supposed to be the most important day in a young girls life. This is the day that she celebrates being in love and beginning her new life with the man of her dreams. This day is not supposed to contain unexpected situations, unexpected guests or least of all unexpected weather! But life isn't perfect and a wedding day is certainly part of life.

To illustrate my point I have a little story for you. This month Erica and I were working one of our larger weddings. We had worked for the last several months with this sweet couple and their gracious families. They were leaving It up to us to make sure everything was perfect! That afternoon Erica and I were running around in our usual manner making sure that every detail was in place. I was standing over the escort table making sure that everything was in place when the brides aunt rounded the corner with a look of panic and fear on her sweet face.
"The cake has a hole in it!", she said.
"Oky doky," I replied, "Let's go have a look."
As I opened the door to the conference room where the cake was in hiding I immediately noticed a perfectly rounded thumb size hole in the corner of this beautiful fondant covered cake.

Didn't notice the hole in the first picture? Neither did the bride.

You see as the planner of this event I made the executive decision to not tell the bride or the rest of the family and simply turn the cake away from the guests making the hole completely non-visible. Problem solved.

So for all you anxious brides out there..as you worry about the last minute details and whether or not Aunt Betty ordered Salmon or Prime Rib remember, roll with the punches, enjoy the day.

In the words of a wart hog...."It's our problem free, philosophy...Hakuna Matata! Hakuna. Matata. Hauna. Matata....

2006-10-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall! It is getting cold lately and I think Erica and I have been too busy to notice. It's been wedding show season around here and we have been packing and unpacking more than anything else. We started out at the Montage, then the Zionsville Bridal Stroll, then Simply She at the Fountains in Carmel and to wrap things up this weekend we are headed to Sophisticated Bride on Sunday. To prepare for these shows we have gotten in some really cool stuff!

I saw these Training Treats for husbands a couple of years and was just waiting for the perfect time to get them in and they are here. Hilarious!

We also are going to be carrying a new line of bath stuff with a scarcastic edge (imagine that). Here is a picture...you can't read the saying's too well but this line has quotes like, "boy's are great every girl should own one" and "the spa saved my marriage."

We also carry these little pleasure kits that are really fun. This line has massage oils, a massager, lotion and pleasure powder. hehehe. It's a great bachelorette gift.

On a more serious note we have the new carleen powell handbags, keychains, jewelry bags and wallets. It's hard for me to not walk out of the store with these items!! :)

Erica and I are also excited because we have the new Justin Timberlake and Scissor Sisters CD's. So we can bring sexy back or disco back whenever we want to......which is nice.

We are still getting inquiries like crazy about weddings next year and are looking forward to next summer already.

On a personal note I made an offer on a house this week and hope it pans out. Reagan and I could use a nice yard to build a snowman this winter.

Happy Halloween!!!

2006-08-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well it's been an exciting August! Erica and I have been busy busy busy with weddings. We have had some great clients this month and been able to put together some spectacular weddings.

This past weekend we were at the zoo with Sarah and Brian! Wow what a time we had. Her centerpieces were potted trees and oh my what a job that was lifting those pots on to 30 tables. I earned my wedding cake that night!
Sarah put so much work into her wedding and it all showed. I think it was the largest head table I have ever seen 39 people! We had a great time! The weather held and the wedding and reception were flawless!

I was able to take a little break this summer and take Reagan to Kings Island. This is a photo of her on her first roller coaster. Kinda funny. I'm not sure if she liked it. hehe

Right now Erica and I are preparing for all the fall wedding shows coming up and stocking our store for the big Zionsville bridal show. We hope to have lots of cool stuff in for all the show goers.

We have a little break for now but once mid September hits we are back at it! It looks like September is going to be just as crazy wonderful as last month.

Plus I turn 33 so that's something to look forward to.

Thanks to stacy and mary photography and the wonderful people at Kings Island for the photos!
Chow for now!