Royal weddings don’t happen that often, so there was no question that we’d have our alarms set early on the morning of Saturday, May 19th for the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. We gathered at the best place we knew to watch this major event—The White Dress by the Shore. Thanks to the help of some incredible vendors, we put on a Royal Wedding viewing party that was worth waking up for! Guests skipped their pajamas and donned their best English garden party attire, complete with tiaras and fascinators. A Thyme to Cook provided a proper tea service that featured champagne cocktails, lemon butter tea sandwiches and almond scones.

The main event was replayed at 8am for an excited crowd of White Dress brides and our favorite vendor friends. We were big fans of everything that day—from Meghan’s simple fashion and beauty statements to the much less simpler floral arraignments that were installed in St. George’s Church. But most of all, we loved the statement of love that was expressed that morning. After all, that’s what it’s all about.

Blush Floral Design and Coral Pheasant Stationery helped us design a Royal Wedding sweetheart table overflowing with blush and berry blooms (inspired by the fresh berries A Thyme To Cook served.) Our vignette also featured china fit for royalty from Borrowed Blu and linens from Nuage Designs.

Read on for all the images Maggie Conley captured of the morning, and for more fashion details be sure to visit Beth Chapman’s recap on The White Dress by the Shore blog.

Thank you to our event vendors:

Host: The White Dress by the Shore

Photography: Maggie Conley Photography

Floral: Blush Floral Design

Invitations: Coral Pheasant

Bites: A Thyme to Cook

Linens: Nuage designs

Table: BorrowedBLU

VENDOR REEL

Design + Planning: Diana, Jubilee Events
Venue: Washington Club
Catering: Hill Country BBQ
Photography: Carla Ten Eyck Photography
Florist: Blush Floral Design
Rentals: Party Rental Ltd. through Jubilee Events

• Black and White Contrasting Stripes: We love this linen we used, but if you don’t have a black and white linen, try making black and white striped menu cards or searching for some black and white striped napkins.
• Bright Yellow Charger: One of our favorite details! This charger plate works because it’s a bright color and ties in the yellow from our centerpiece. Don’t have (or can’t find) yellow chargers? Pick up some inexpensive yellow bread plates and/or dessert plates and layer your dishes. You can also pick up some yellow paper at your local craft store and cut it into large circles, which will act like a placemat under each placesetting.
• Confetti Crackers: These are so easy to make! Save those empty toilet paper rolls and head over to this website for a simple tutorial.
• Sequin (obvi!): There are plenty of ways to get a little sparkle into your tablescape. Don’t have sequin chair covers (if you do– props!)? Use sequin ribbon on your chairs, around your napkin, or wrapped around your centerpieces.

VENDOR REEL

Design: Jubilee Events
Photography: Carla Ten Eyck
Paper: Coral Pheasant
Floral Design: Tony Palmieri
Linens: La Tavola Linen
Rentals: Party Rental Ltd.

Is there anything more fun than a themed party? Well, maybe planning one! We recently had the opportunity to design a gem-themed bash for the latest issue of Bliss Celebrations. Picking a theme was the easy part—I spotted a bright, multi-colored Kate Spade statement necklace that was quite literally calling my name. From there I looked to the places guests would have the most interaction with at the party—from tangible things like food and paper items to bold visual installations that catch the eye. Remember, no detail is too small to be overlooked when it comes to designing. Read on for four thoughtful ways you can bring your theme to life.

Photography by Carla Ten Eyck

1. The Menu. Food and drink is one of the most important elements of any party, so naturally it’s a perfect place to include your theme. Cakes are the perfect blank canvas and ours, designed by Erica OBrien, became an edible version of the Kate Spade necklace we so lusted after. Consider signature cocktails, too! We spotlighted the Diamond Fizz, the Ruby Cooler and the Topaz Twist to really let guests drink it all in!

2. The Dress Code. Invite guests to dress the part! Make a playful suggestion on your invite. Something like “Sequins and Sparkles Encouraged,” is sure to inspire. Or consider providing a small accessory for partygoers upon arrival. Our gals, styled by Beth Chapman of The White Dress by the Shore, sported solid-colored cocktail dresses in bright gem tones from LulaKate, and our party host added the actual gems—in lieu of a favor everyone was invited to select a piece of jewelry from the Bauble Bar.

3. Invites. Your theme should be evident from the moment the invites arrive in mailboxes. Bring elements of your design onto the inner and outer portions of the envelope to let guests know what they can expect from your event as soon as they pick it up. I love how Nichole of Coral Pheasant Stationery added faceted envelope liners and custom ring stamps for the RSVP card. Selecting lavender envelopes also helped introduce our bright and girly color story from the get-go.

4. Custom Decor. If your budget allows, look into installing some eye-catching décor or lighting over your dinner table that echo the event’s theme. We turned to our friends at Ryan Designs for their help and they responded with five custom painted gem-colored chandeliers. After all, a party designed around a statement necklace deserves its own statement lighting!

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In August, we teamed up with Beth Chapman of The White Dress by the Shore to host a meet and greet for the talented designer Hayley Paige. Already huge fans of her dreamy collection, Beth only had to add that Hayley loved everything pink, glitter and unicorns to get us completely hooked!

With the help of some amazing vendors we styled a fun and lively cocktail party in the store’s garden. A selfie booth, complete with a giant doughnut inflatable and gold flowerfetti from The Confetti Bar, was the perfect place for brides to snap a quick pic with Hayley. Guests sipped pink champagne from glittery glasses and munched on the most delicious bites from Gourmet Galley. Perhaps our favorite detail of the night—pairs of pink flamingos decked out in suits and gowns all custom made by The White Dress’s seamstress.

Keep scrolling down to view all the fabulous photos captured by Jeremie Barlow Photography!

VENDOR REEL

Venue: The White Dress by the Shore
Photography: Jeremie Barlow Photography
Flowers: Hana Floral Design
Rentals: La Tavola Fine Linen
Taylor Rentals, Westbrook
Catering: Gourmet Galley Catering
Accessories: Haute Bride Designs
Flower-fetti: The Confetti Bar
Hair and Makeup: Catie and Amy
Sweets: Erica OBrien Cake Design
Invite: Coral Pheasant Stationery

As you know, we absolutely adore weddings but we also love to plan special events and parties for younger clients. Bar and Bat Mitzvahs can be some of the most exciting events for teens and their guests, so we recently decided to take on the challenge of creating an absolutely, over-the-top, party that would make any teen girl swoon. Naturally, we looked to her most coveted place for inspiration—her jewelry box. We brought to life an event that is youthful, fun and playful but is still sophisticated and grown up—after all this is the celebration of a girl’s coming of age. Big, bright, sparkly gemstones were the perfect way to celebrate this milestone achievement! After all, no girl—young or old—can resist precious gems!

The design for our story centers around a delicious, multi-colored Kate Spade necklace in brilliant shades of aquamarine, pink, bright lavender, yellow, ruby and emerald. I loved the colors right away because they were bright and youthful—a different take on traditional gem tones. We kept these colors consistent through the entire shoot by bringing them into fun details like the fashion, the lighting and custom bar panels.

We kept the décor witty and playful. A white sequin linen from La Tavola and over-sized floral gems created by Green Dahlia lent a fresh look to the table. Each placesetting was set with individual jewelry boxes that doubled as placecards and diamond-shaped menus designed by Coral Pheasant Stationery. Above the table, Ryan Designs hung five custom-painted chandeliers in eye-catching colors, inspired by the Kate Spade necklace, that helped make our dinner setting all the more fit for a group of girls.

Gem-inspired mocktails, like the Ruby Cooler and the Diamond Fizz, were served up at our Bauble Bar, which featured custom designed gem panels. In addition to refreshments, the girls were also invited to the bar to try on a little something sparkly to take home with them.

We also created a lounge area using beautiful iron daybeds from Ryan Designs and pink mylar letter balloons that spelled out the name of our guest of honor.

Finally, the sweet selection consisted of a stunning tiered cake from Erica O’Brien Cake Design, which featured handmade fondant gem and stud details, and divinely sinful gem shaped sugar cookies from Taste by Spellbound.

Credit Reel

Photography: Carla Ten Eyck, Carla Ten Eyck Photography
Creative Direction: Libby Basile, Jubilee Events
Floral Design: Cat Epright, Green Dahlia
Fashion Styling: Beth Chapman, The White Dress by the Shore
Paper: Nichole Michel, Coral Pheasant Stationery + Design
Cake: Erica O’Brien, Erica O’Brien Cake Design
Sweets: Miriam Hope, Taste by Spellbound
Beauty: dd Nickel
Hair: Jennie Kay Beauty
Rentals: La Tavola and Rentals Unlimited
Lighting, Bar and Day Beds: Ryan Designs
Location: Providence G Building, Providence, RI
Fashion Credits: Dresses: Lula Kate

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As one of our favorite publications, Bliss Celebrations Magazine, prepares to launch its 2015 issue this week, I thought we ought to blog our photoshoot for their 2014 cover! I know– how belated– right? Well the truth is, every time I sat down to blog all this gorgeousness I got overwhelmed by the vast number of beautiful images from Carla Ten Eyck and all the pretty details we put together with the best team. No, seriously. I tried and tried, but looking through these hundreds of pictures I couldn’t figure out where to start!

The concept for this photoshoot was from a white and gold t-shirt I bought at j.crew with pineapples on it. Then, I found myself flipping through InStyle Magazine and saw the most preciously branded cans of sangria. Don’t ask me how we managed to pull off such a fabulous photoshoot from those two sources of inspiration– but this will go down as one of my absolute favorite collaborations with a team of wedding creatives who pour every ounce of their energy into making something beautiful!

That is the best part about doing these editorial photoshoots– the creative team. I always find myself leaving, with my car bursting at the seems with props (which were neatly packed on the way there, but somehow, nothing seems to fit back the way you had it the first time!), feeling utterly fulfilled and down-right awestruck at the level of talent I’ve managed to find myself amongst. When I opened our company in 2007 I never thought for a million years our work would be featured, but even moreso, I never thought how a creative team such as this would bring such happiness into the soul of my career!

This shoot is filled with so much joyful prettiness, but there are some things I want to point out as my favorites. When I called Diane Guadett after showing her the inspiration and said, “what do you think of a floral table runner?”, she loved the idea. Never in my wildest dreams did I think she would bring the mother of all floral table runners, filed with hundreds of vibrantly colored flowers. When she walked in, I think Carla Ten Eyck almost had a brain aneurysm. It was so fantastically gorgeous and over the top, yet in these images, feels so natural and wondrous.

There is no denying how much our company loves working with Nichole Michel of Coral Pheasant. Every project we have the opportunity to work on with her, be it with clients or photoshoots, she always blows us away. Nichole thinks about every meticulous detail as it relates to what she’s going to produce– and has the ability to see beyond what the inspiration is and make it her own. For this photoshoot she literally took my breath away. And then she showed up with all these quirky bits and pieces from her vast collection of estate sale winnings (she has the stamina to find cool stuff everywhere– the side of the road, in the dumpster, at some tag sale in your neighborhood– I can never understand how she gets so lucky! I only find baby cribs with 5 year old spit-up and old thigh masters) like the bronze candelabras and that animal figurine, which I embarrassingly don’t know what type of animal it is. For this paper story, she was on hand to style every frame that Carla took, and spent hours on the floor perfectly tweaking each piece of paper until she was happy with it.

We invited Rick of Emily’s Catering to be part of this shoot not only because we love him to pieces, but because he is doing some wonderful things with our clients’ events. He was food styling his heart out and did a tremendous job! Tracking down mini bottles of Makers Mark (Carla’s second aneurysm of the day), mini bottles of St. Germain and Don Julio. I respect Rick because he is a chef first, and a caterer second, always wanting to wow and impress our clients on any event we recommend him for.

My fashion partner in crime, Beth Chapman, never disappoints. She can put together any kind of style, from boho to Jackie O and it works. As with me, this photoshoot was intrinsically Beth: lady-like bows, stripes, pearls, big hair buns and rose colored cheeks. There is no fashion stylist in the state of Connecticut who has the foresight, dedication, and genuine passion for what she does.

Our friends at Ryan Designs provided these fabulous bars (which they built originally for us!) with bronze sequin fronts, the custom sequin chandeliers and the gorgeous crystal chandeliers above Libby’s dessert display. To say we love the team at Ryan Designs is an understatement. They are the best in the business and add so much beauty to our events– and we couldn’t do what we do without them. Plus, they are the kindest most genuine people you will ever come across.

I hope you enjoy these gorgeous images from Carla Ten Eyck below. It goes without saying how much we love working with her! :)

CREDIT REEL

Photography: Carla Ten Eyck
Overall Shoot Design & Planning: Candice Coppola, Jubilee Events
Dessert Table Styling: Libby Basile, Jubilee Events
Bar Cart Styling: Diana Chouinard, Jubilee Events
Fashion Styling: Beth Chapman, The White Dress by the shore
Paper Story & Styling: Nichole Michel, Coral Pheasant
Makeup: Jennie Fresa
Hair: Catie Bane
Floral Design: Diane Guadett
Food Styling: Emily’s Catering
Bars & Chandeliers: Ryan Designs
Table, Chairs, Dessert Table, Book Shelf & Bar Backs: Luxe Event Rentals
Wedding Cake: Ana Parzych
Cookies & Cupcakes: Sweet Maria’s
French Macarons: Le Petit France
Linen: La Tavola Linen
Tableware: Party Rental Ltd.
Specialty Glassware: Juliska
Location: The Loading Dock, Stamford CT

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Carmen’s Birthday party was an absolute blast to work on! She is one of the happiest babies I’ve ever met and she will instantly put a smile on your face. I can easily say the same about her mom, Rebecca! She wanted a modern, bright and fun party that matched the personality of her daughter. We opted for a color palette of bold and sophisticated colors like turquoise, coral, yellow and blush pink; incorporated a fun chevron print and topped everything off with gold accents. Some of my favorite details were the gold mylar balloons that spelled out Carmen and the flirty flowers Just For You Floral Design “grew” in chevron frames to decorate the sweets table.

For desserts we brought the color story to life through bright frosted mini cupcakes, cream puffs and sugar cookies from Sweet Maria’s. We also set out large bags of colored icing and big bowls of candy for kids to decorate their own cupcakes. I mentioned above that Carmen’s family is creative, but that statement hardly does their talent justice. Her older sister, Ainsley baked and decorated the smash cake to beyond perfection. I absolutely loved that she took on the role of baking such an important cake for her little sister, and I loved watching Carmen get her first taste of frosting just as much!

One of the highlights of the afternoon was the wildly entertaining bubble artist! Everyone–adults included–loved being inside giant bubbles and learning different soapy tricks.

Everyone went home with fresh macarons in bright colors. We tied the boxes with bakers twine and a custom printed label that featured the birthday girl’s sweet thumb prints in the shape of a heart and her picture.

It truly was a special day and we were so honored to share in the joy and festivities. Have a peek at all the details, captured by the lovely and talented Julie Morawski.

Credit Reel:

Design and planning: Libby Basile, Jubilee Events

Photography: Julie Morawski Photography

Venue: Madison Surf Club

Desserts: Sweet Maria’s

Floral design: Just For You Floral Design Studio

Food: The Spicy Green Bean

Bubble artist: Keith Michael Johnson

Rentals: Party Rentals, LTD.

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