Jubilee Events is proud to be taking part in a SPRING themed Inspiration to Reality shoot for Style Me Pretty! We’ll be working with Carla Ten Eyck, The White Dress by the Shore, Datura: A Modern Garden, and Dana Bartone along with MANY other amazing wedding professionals from Connecticut to put together a Photoshoot inspired by YOU!

All you need to do is create a user account at StyleMePretty.com. As a member of their “style circle”, you the ability to create amazing inspiration boards using their inventory of images.

Create a SPRING inspired inspiration board and save it with the title, “Spring Inspiration Board Challenge.”

Tune into our blogs on February 15th as we choose the winner, whose board will be interpreted for an upcoming Photoshoot that will be featured on Style Me Pretty.

I’m so excited to be partaking in an amazing bridal show at The Society Room of Hartford on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.. I would LOVE to meet some of our readers and show you some sneak peeks in what we’ve been working on. Be sure to stop by our booth! Here are the deets, straight from the powers that be:

photography by Carla Ten Eyck

THE SOCIETY ROOM OF HARTFORD

2ND ANNUAL BRIDAL SHOWCASE
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28TH 2010
11:00AM TO 3:00PM

ADMISSION $5.00 PER GUEST

Are you dreaming of finding that one-of-a-kind reception location? Hoping for the most unique and elegant floral bouquet to fit your wedding theme and season? Or that cutting edge photographer to capture all of the right moments and details?

Join us as we fill our historic and ornate event space with a spectacular display of wedding goods and services! Photographers, Bands, DJs, Musicians, Videographers, Bridal Boutiques, Florists, Event Planners and more will all be on site to lend their expert advice to New England brides, and grooms too, as they plan for their special day!

THE SOCIETY ROOM OF HARTFORD
WHERE ELEGANCE MEETS EXCELLENCE
31 PRATT STREET * HARTFORD, CT 06103 * 860.524.0796
WWW.HARTFORDSOCIETYROOM.COM

So, what goes into a photoshoot you ask?

• 634 emails
• 5 months of planning
• 1 design board
• 4 flights
• 3 photographers
• 3 bridal gowns
• 6 pairs of shoes
• 13 vendors from the state of Connecticut and one from Texas
• 4 models
• 2 meetings over drinks for “research”
• 1 couture headpiece from Twig and Honey that might need its own plane ticket
• a 5 piece New Orleans Jazz band
• and one big enormous love fest of truly talented vendors who, without, this wouldn’t be possible!!!

As we speak, I’m boarding a plane with our January shoot crew — headed to New Orleans!!! The land of Dixie, Pohboys, Fat Tuesday, Drive Through Bars, Voodoo and and Harry Connick Jr. (who also lives in Westport, but seriously, who cares!). I’ve been to the Big Easy twice so far (I’m lucky) and I can’t wait to return. I’ll be tweeting our adventures on our twitter stream, so be sure to follow us! Also follow @carlateneyck, @thewhitedress, and @jenniefresa. Be on the look out for some pictures and commentary… until then, Laissez le Bon temp rouler!

Can we get a big group hug for the dream team? The Cornstalk Hotel, Carla Ten Eyck & Co., The White Dress by the Shore, Datura: A Modern Garden, Jennie Fresa & The Beauty Library, Tom Morlock, Dr. Jazz and the New Orleans Sounds, Sucre, Perlis, MADELiNE Shoes, Poetic License Shoes, Posh Paperie, Twig and Honey, Karen Lindler Designs, Sarah Drake Design, Elizabeth Porcher Jones Calligraphy, Orange & Blossom, Bella Umbrella, Nachtmann, Riedel, and Pommery Gold POP Champagne.

Seriously? We are among creative genius!
xoxox

Super clients Allison and Jacob had a fun engagement session with the ultra amazing Amanda Herzberger of Orchard Cove Photography this past weekend and I couldn’t help but share! They are getting married May 1st at the Old State House (my most favorite place in the entire universe….!), followed by an incredible reception at The Hartford Club.

Allie and Jacob went to Elizabeth Park in Hartford, Connecticut followed up by their home in West Hartford. Here are some of my favorites…

You can see all the rest here on Amanda’s blog! Can’t wait for your big day A&J!

xxooo

Event Ingrediants

Planning & Coordination: Jubilee Events
Photography: Carrie Draghi
Ceremony & Reception Location: Hilton, Stamford Connecticut
Florist: DesiFloral
Mandap & Decor: Mandaps by Dhoom
Invitations, Table Numbers and Escort Cards: Lilah Paper
Cake: Sabina Jahic
Caterer: Coromandel
DJ/Entertainment: All Digital Mobile Music

Rich and Veena were married on June 27th, 2009 at the Hilton in Stamford, Connecticut. They were surrounded by 250 of their closest friends and family as they celebrated two ceremonies and an amazing reception! Their amazing day was photographed and documented by Carrie Draghi Photography and we had the incredible honor of coordinating and planning their wedding.

The morning began with Veena getting ready for her first ceremony with her maid of honor and mom. Dana Bartone & Co. arrived in the early morning to work on hair and makeup. The bride wore the groom’s sister’s wedding gown and veil and her maid of honor wore a gorgeous purple gown. The groom and his best man wore classic black tuxedos. Their niece and nephew took on the extremely important role of flower girl and ring bearer.

Their “western” style ceremony took place in the Hilton’s gorgeous white tent, which has beautiful chandeliers and amazing white fabric ruching. They exchanged their vows in a room filled with an incredible amount of light. Once their ceremony was complete it was time to change and get prepared for the second event of the day, their Hindu ceremony.

In keeping with traditional Hindu customs, Veena had henna tattooed on her hands and feet — along with all the female friends and family close to her. The hotel suite where the women got ready was a flutter with jewels and gorgeous colorful saris. They helped one another to dress –including soaping up each others hands to get the teeny-tiny bracelets on. Veena was absolutely gorgeous in a red sari and her mother’s jewels.

The Hindu ceremony began with the Baraat, which is aptly named for the marriage processional. While Veena was tucked away in her suite, guests gathered from the farthest point of the Hilton with the groom and made their way inside. It was an extremely jubilant march that took about an hour to complete. There was a lot of drumming (which was AMAZING) and dancing. The history behind the Baraat is the groom being escorted by the bride’s parents and his parents into the bride’s village. I imagine in an era where this really occurred, it would have taken SEVERAL hours to reach the bride. The sweetest part to this story was that Veena watched the entire processional from her suite window.

Once the groom and his guests made their way inside the hotel and reached the meeting point, elders of both the families meet and welcome the groom with garlands and aarati. Then, the ceremony was to begin. The ceremony ballroom was transformed by Dhoom in rich reds and golds. Their mandap was absolutely spectacular, as was all the floral arrangements and special details placed throughout. Once the groom and his family were settled, the brides’ parents went to escort her in.

After their ceremony guests were invited back into the white tent, which was transformed for their reception. They had tall purple floral arrangements and beautiful white lid-top boxes filled with a gold dish and Indian candies at each place setting. Veena had a henna design inscribed on their beautiful white buttercream cake.

Veena changed into the MOST beautiful purple gown. It was so intricate and beatiful with a lot of bead detailing.

The maid of honor and best man gave very touching speeches, and the bride and groom enjoyed their first dance — ‘Til Kingdom Come by Coldplay. They danced ALL night long and had an amazing grand exit at the end of the evening where their guests showered them in rose petals. It was a great way to top off the night!

Many thanks to Rich and Veena for allowing me to be apart of their amazing wedding day. It was such a joy to be with you and your families!!

I’m really excited about our recent feature in BRIDES Connecticut and all 16 regional BRIDES magazines (Atlanta, Northern and Southern California, Washington D.C., Chicago, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, and Southern Jersey). The first feature is an interview and sneak peak into my own wedding, which you can read about in any BRIDES regional magazine.

The second feature is Marie Antoinette inspired photoshoot we did back in September, which has been featured in the newest issue of BRIDES Connecticut (Spring / Summer 2010), along with Carla Ten Eyck, The White Dress by the Shore, BLUSH Floral Studio, Dana Bartone, Flower Upon Flour and Jen’s Closet. Also, the incredible Tom Morlock of Vantage Point Films was on hand for this photoshoot and has put together a great behind-the-scenes snippet video of our shoot…! Check it out below!!!

As you know, I’ve been doing a lot of creative and editorial shoots, some of which were featured in BRIDES magazine and Style Me Pretty recently. Over the past 5 months I’ve had the opportunity to work with talented and incredible people. Since we can’t show you the images from our super top secret projects, I wanted to show you some behind-the-scenes images and talk about what we’ve been working on.

This past December we had the opportunity to shoot at an amazing location in the northern hills of Connecticut, The Mayflower Inn and Spa. The setting really inspired so many details of our shoot. In every story we’ve set out to create, the vendors come together and collaborate on almost each aspect. It is truly a team effort – I’m happy to say – with each mind bringing unique and amazing ideas to the table. I have to admit not only am I SO lucky to work with these folks but I have THE BEST time doing it!! On this recent winter inspired shoot, we collaborated with Beth Chapman of White Dress by the Shore, Carla Ten Eyck, Tony of Datura, Dana Bartone, Corine Dell’Orso of Lovely Lollies and the ladies behind Posh Paperie from San Diego.

After several weeks of planning, our day always starts out with the arrival and load-in of our vendors. Our models arrive for hair and makeup, done by the talented stylists at Dana Bartone. Today, Miss Catie Bane waved her magic wand and created a stunning look for our bride-to-be!

Meanwhile, Tony and I are creating details for the shoot with the help of my staff. On this shoot we helped create three tablescapes and a confections table. It was a great opportunity for the new members of Jubilee Events (Ashley, Amanda and Diana) to get their feet wet in the creative process! We had a lot of beautiful pieces for our table and created several different looks at each tablescape. The details from the ladies at Posh Paperie looked amazing — from the escort cards, place cards, banner, pinwheels and pennant flags. We also styled up some incredible sweets created by Corine Dell’Orso of Lovely Lollies. Setting up all these details and tablescapes takes us several hours… we never have any down time!

The floral designer for our shoot was Tony of Datura – A Modern Garden. Tony is truly an artist and created almost all of our floral details right there. He is such a great person to collaborate with. He created a bunch of unique bouquets for our shoot using all different types of textures. He also created all the centerpieces and floral looks on the tables!! We had a lot of birch, some metal, and a variety of gorgeous flowers!!! We set out with a concept for our shoot and have definite ideas in place– but often create a lot of things on the spot that we didn’t intend or think of. Tony might be the best person I know at doing that! He’s so talented and creative.

Beth Chapman and Kelley of White Dress by the Shore always style our models. Beth brings a truck load of fashions and accessories and is constantly adjusting a necklace, bolero or fixing a wayward strand of hair. She also gets stuck holding all the accessories in the bitter cold!! Our shoots wouldn’t be anything with out these two–that’s for sure. They are fully responsible for making our models look incredible!!! I love to sit back and watch Carla shoot Beth looks– Beth, Kelley and I always get giddy at how gorgeous everything is!!

Once a shot is set up that’s where Carla Ten Eyck comes in. Seriously– without this girl, these shoots wouldn’t even be possible, and we wouldn’t have ANY fun. Once we get a shot ready Carla jumps in to shoot, direct, and make things happen. She’s the best at what she does! She also keeps us all laughing, excited, on our toes, and enjoying the hard work we’re putting into each project. She has some of the best ideas and is so fun to collaborate with.

In the end, we all work together on many details and are apart of each shot being set up. You can see us all pitching in to achieve the final outcome… which is always incredible!!

I hope to have more behind the scenes from some previous shoots we’ve done and most definitely New Orleans when we get back!!

xoxo

I had the great pleasure of working on a recent editorial project with Maria Cerff, Creative Director of Lela New York . She created an incredible art deco inspired invitation suite for us and I just had to share a bit more about her and her company to our readers! Lela New York is a luxury invitations and stationery studio specializing in creating one-of-a-kind works of art for the discerning client. Their work is sought after by distinct wedding planners, designers and savvy brides worldwide for their couture designs and awe-inspiring creations. Lela New York will help match your special event with a couture invitation equally as special. From hand-drawn illustrations and water color paintings to silk box invitations and unique embellishments every suite is designed to be truly unique. Lela New York is available by appointment for consultations serving clients in NYC and worldwide. Maria’s work has been featured in BRIDES Magazine, The Knot Magazine, Style Me Pretty, and the NY Post! Her portfolio is a variety of engaging pieces ranging from the most formal of social occasions to birth announcements and personal stationary. I love her luxe, opulent design style.

Be sure to visit her website to see an in depth look at her work. For a look into the hottest trends and what’s fabulous, be sure to visit her blog too!

Today is John and Corine’s wedding day! Corine and John were both in our wedding party back in August, and now we have the honor of being a part of theirs. I couldn’t be MORE happier for the two of them and I’m really looking forward to all the incredible festivities today. Many congratulations to you and ALL our love!

XOXOX

As many of our dear readers and followers know, we’ve been putting together some amazing photoshoots with our friend and photographer Carla Ten Eyck and the amazing Beth Chapman of The White Dress by the Shore. I know I haven’t blogged much about them since our first shoot so I wanted to give you a sneak peak at what we’re doing this month!

This month we’re inspired by the color pink, layers of fabric, a flair for high fashion and the undeniable style of Jackie O. Unlike some of our other shoots which have all been Connecticut based, this month we’re flying down to New Orleans!!! Our incredible list of vendors AMAZES me every time I look at it — seriously — I’m so honored and pumped that these creative talents are traveling with us! We’re working with these incredible vendors and many more to come…

Shoot / table styling, Jubilee Events, Photography by Carla Ten Eyck, Gowns & Model Styling by The White Dress by the Shore, Floral Decor by Datura — A Modern Garden, Jennie Fresa & The Beauty Library, Cinematography by Vantage Point Films, Paper loveliness by Posh Paperie, Music and Entertainment by Dr. Jazz and the New Orleans Sounds, accessories and jewels by Twigs and Honey and Karen Lindner Designs, and calligraphy by Elizabeth Porcher Jones.

SO MUCH MORE to come!!