Splendid Fare Bridal Show

I got a chance to meet the staff and taste the food of Splendid Fare tonight as they hosted a bridal fare at DAR. I also got to catch up with some of my favorite event professionals. Here is a quick recap.

Well who do we have here but Laura from Soiree Special Events giving her pitch to prospective bride and groom!


As always, beautiful arrangements from Petals Edge.


Rentals were supplied by Select Event Rentals and Elegant Decor. What I really liked was the presentation of the food, as seen in the left photo of the dessert buffet. I also enjoyed the creativeness of the dishes Splendid Fare served.


Left: A brown & pink tablescape. Right: A peacock blue linen w/ feathers of similar color in the centerpiece.

Party bus by Prime Transportation

Makeup artist Tamara Robertson brought her tools and did instant makeovers. [contact Event Accomplished for Tamara's contact info]


Debbie of Cakes by Design brought along some sample of her delicious cakes. She meets with clients in Alexandria.

Love Life Images (the fabulous Jennifer Domenick), Everything Entertainment, Perfect Honeymoons

My Glass Slipper status

My Glass Slipper in Old Town Alexandria is a favorite for buying shoes for your big day. However, it appears to be closed. Here is what its website says about the status of the store.

The My Glass Slipper store located in Old Town Alexandria is relocating and is currently closed. The store is expected to re-open in our new location in the Fall. Check back here for updates on the grand re-opening.

Haute Papier - Custom Invitation to reflect your style!

I met Sarah Meyer of Haute Papier at a WeddingWire event and boy am I excited we were introduced. Soon after we met, I had the perfect client for Sarah. My client is having a garden themed wedding with a range of colors from the orange family. Sarah had great ideas on how to deliver the maximum impact within our budget and the results were amazing. Your invitations set the tone to your event and this invitation conveyed our theme of garden, romantic and whimsical! We used a lily of the valley motif along with an orange color ink and papaya colored envelopes for the wedding and rehearsal dinner invitations.

By the way, Sarah and her fiance Hockley are getting married this weekend. Congratulations!

Wedding Gown Sample Sale at Hitched Salon

Until June 30. Click here for more info.

Never Use Brooke Rentals!

Post-Event Addition - More Fuel to the Fire ...
When I had made the reservations, the guy said I could pay by credit card to the delivery guy. When the delivery was made (I was not present), they delivery people told the receptionist they only accepted checks. When I finally arrived, I looked at the delivery receipt and there was clearly a place on the form for credit card information. Hello?! Also, of the 7 tablecloths I rented, 3 of them were stained.

Boy am I pissed!
I'm doing a graduation party this Sunday and rented tables, chairs and tablecloths with Brooke Rental in Arlington. I decided to go with Brooke because the person that planned the party last year had ordered through them and they are a local business. Why not?

So I reserved everything through their website and called 48 hours in advance to confirm as I was required to do. So I called today and they said they don't deliver on Sundays! What?? So they have to deliver on Saturday. What?? Nowhere on their website nor on the order confirmation does it say that they do not delivery on Sundays. What kind of rental company doesn't deliver on Sunday? Saturday is very inconvenient and I would not be able to be there to receive and pay. I told the guy who answered the phone that perhaps they should put that information out there. He had nothing to say - like I was speaking Chinese. He said they have never delivered on Sundays. Well how is someone who has never used them before suppose to know that? Am I suppose to just know that?? I asked him what he could do to help me out. Could I pay extra to have the stuff delivered Friday or early Saturday at a specific time? No. He was extremely busy with all these parties. Fine. Every answer was NO. NO. No. no. OK - I realize that we were a small order but what kind of customer service is that. I threated to cancel my order and it didn't even bother him at all.

Fine. Don't piss off an event planner. I'm never using them again and neither should you.

Not quiting my day job!

So back in January, I had attended one of the classes conducted by Petals Edge, hoping that I can learn a trick or two. We had blast and I learned how to make an emergency boutonniere! (Ironically, I had to make one the following week at a wedding).

Rebecca showing us the way.

Mine is the one in the square vase in the lower left side of the photo. See how lame it is :)

Pretty Paper

I love meeting new entrepreneurs! It's so interesting to hear everybody's stories of how they got to be an entrepreneur.

Check out Haute Papier, a new custom invitation (and other paper products) company in the area! I met Sarah Meyer, the owner, at a WeddingWire party recently and met with her to see some of her samples. She is very creative and does quality work.

Photo courtesy of Haute Papier (www.hautepapier.com)

This is an invitation that is on her homepage. I saw it in person and the photo just doesn't do it justice. It's a really creative twist on the beach theme and the backing paper she used is just exquisite. Check it out!

DIY Brides - Floral Lesson

Looking to arrange your own floral centerpieces but not sure how to do it? The designers at Petals Edge Floral Design are offering a how-to class on January 11 at 6:30pm at their studio. Click here to find out more information.