Paris, je t'aime

Paris, je t'aime.....There is no place on earth quite like Paris. I had the opportunity of spending some time time there this past June 2009 and Paris won my heart over immediately. With that being said it was very easy when it came time to plan my bridal shower. My bridesmaids know how much I love Paris and one day chatting with my matron of honor about the shower my Parisian shower was born. I searched high and low for a Paris themed invitation and after many nights of google searching.....NOTHING! I was very sad because being an Event Designer I know just how important the invitation is. Not many people realize that it serves at your guests first glimpse into what they should expect from your event. I decided that I would take on the task of designing the invitation and so began my adventure in invitation design. I knew that I wanted the invitation itself to be "Pink"....It is my favorite color after all and I also wanted the shower to be very feminine. I have shared a few photos for you to see the process and finished project enjoy and I will post images from the shower as its coming up pretty soon on May 1st.



Photo By: Just Say Yes Events
Creative Direction: Barbara Medina
First run of the copy on the invitation. We tried different fonts but in the end decided to mix a modern font & Traditional one. This is also a test of the custom ribbon we designed for the invitation. I did not just want an Eiffel Tower because that what people associate most with paris. I wanted other details and words such as Merci, Bonjour etc


Photo By: Just Say Yes Events
Creative Direction: Barbara Medina
In this image you can see the entire invitation suite. The first piece the actual invitation came out wonderfully with the custom double faced satin ribbon and custom copy. The envelopes were also adorned with an Eiffel Tower & the words Paris, Merci & Bonjour. No detail was left out...We designed the RSVP to match the suite as-well adding one simple Eiffel Tower, simple yet sophisticated.


Photo By: Just Say Yes Events
Creative Direction: Barbara Medina


Photo By: Just Say Yes Events
Creative Direction: Barbara Medina
In this last photo you can see the detail of the custom ribbon. The ribbon was a labor of love taking over 3 days to complete.
It added the perfect touch to the invitations and we will be utilizing this technique for future events...Stay Tuned!!

Earth Day.

Today is earth day! Reduce, reduce, recycle....Just Say Yes Events is taking the opportunity to do so today. We are using recycled event linens to make custom pillows for a bridal shower. Its a super inexpensive and a lovely touch since this particular bridal shower is taking place in a chic lounge. We are also using recycled linens for the tables, reusing vases that we have in our design stockroom for events, using recycled paper goods and donating the flowers so that they can bring some cheer to someone else!!

Heres a quick pic of the pillows we are working on...Not too bad for 20 minutes of sewing =)


Photo By: Just Say Yes Events


Photo By: Just Say Yes Events

CS Bridal Event

We love bridal events!! It is a wonderful way to see multiple vendors and pre-view their work in one place. CS Brides always hosts the most wonderful events with luxury vendors & spectacular venues. This lavish bridal event was Hosted at Ditkas in Oak Brook and included Anthony Gowder Floral, Bloomingdales, Godiva, Tiffany & Co & more. It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon and be inspired and visit with our vendors. We love Anthony Gowder and he was charming & funny as always! I have added a few images of floral pieces that he put together for the event.....Can you say AMAZING! All the brides were given a fabulous goody bag filled with a pair of crystal flutes from Tiffany & Co, perfume from Agent Provocateur, chocolates from Godiva, Re-useable brown bag & Umbrella from Bloomingdales and so much more!! LUCKY.....Well technically Im getting married so I was given one of the awesome goody bags too. YAY!!


Photo By: Just Say Yes Events
Vendor: Anthony Gowder Floral


Photo By: Just Say Yes Events
Vendor: Anthony Gowder Floral


Photo By: Just Say Yes Events
Vendor: Anthony Gowder Floral


Photo By: Just Say Yes Events
Vendor: Tiffany & Co


Photo By: Just Say Yes Events
Vendor: Tiffany & C
These were the fabulous flutes graciously given by Tiffany & Co.

Inspiration for your engagement shoot.

I absolutely love reading blogs and blogging! One of my favorite types is photography blogs. I recently ran into Christine Changs photography website and blog. She is an amazing photographer based in LA and San Francisco. She not only shoots wedding but engagements shoots, fashion and families. I love what she does with engagement shoots, she captures moments in a special way that makes it real! She shows true emotion in her photos and its absolutely refreshing...Here is my favorite engagement shoot.

All photos c/o christine chang photo
.To view more click here..

Grooms Gift

It is customary to send one another gifts on your wedding day. This gift does not have to be cuff links, tie or a watch. Think outside the box and find items that he wouldn't normally expect. As a planner it is my job to stay on top of trends and find the best items for my clients. Recently I was introduced to a men's spa...Yes, that's right men's spa. Halo has seven different locations all over the city of Chicago offering a wonderful array of men's spa services. Treat your groom to a spa day...Trust me he will enjoy it! They also have Groomsmen packages available.

Halo has created a few packages geared towards the groom & groomsmen that include:

"THE MAN" haircut, style, scalp massage, shampoo and conditioning treatment, paraffin hand wax, hand massage and hot towel with facial tone
"THE BUFF - 1" complete hand grooming
"THE BUFF - 2" complete foot grooming
"THE WAX" choice of neck or eyebrow
AND YOUR CHOICE OF EITHER
"THE RUBB" 30 minute choice of sports, neck-back-shoulders, or Swedish massage
OR
"THE SHAVE" 45 minute hot lather shave for your face or skull

-Enjoy
Just Say Yes Events!










Photos By: Halo

Spring Pastry Market

Spring is here and with it the Logan Square Kitchen Pastry Market. Everyone who knows me knows very well how much I love pastries. For every pastry market I work with Flour Cake & Pastries to design their table-scape. Nicole Chibnick & Janet Lee are absolutely wonderful to work with and amaze me at the what they come up with. For this market they had tons of new yummy treats such as miniature tarts in Key Lime, Pecan & Fruit, Chocolate covered pretzels, cookies, white chocolate bark, cupcakes, muffins, brownies and so much more! The pastry market features over a dozen vendors including B True Bakery, City Provisions, Fig Catering, Flour Cake and Pastry, Katherine Anne Confections, Rich Chocolates & Candies and Tinycakes.....
For this Pastry Market we decided to use Spring as out inspiration and make the table design very fresh and fun.
Here are a few images of what Just Say Yes Events designed for Flour Cake & Pastry.

-Enjoy!
Just Say Yes Events.


Gorgeous cake designed by Janet Lee of Flour Cake & Pastry.
Image By: Just Say Yes Events


Table design by creative director Barbara Medina of Just Say Yes Events!
Image By: Just Say Yes Events


Table design by creative director Barbara Medina. The design included clear cylinder vases turned upside down to create a mini pedestal for the pastries. We then added tulips inside the vase to create the illusion of a floral arrangement.....Who knew flowers looks so good under a vase!
Image By: Just Say Yes Events


Delicious fruit tartlets by Flour Cake & Pastry.
Image By: Just Say Yes Events


Little cupcake on a pretty little pedestal! We added small circles of chartreuse tissue cut into circle to create a pretty little pedestal for the treats to sit on.
Image By: Just Say Yes Events

Design By: Creative Director Barbara Medina
Vendor: Flour Cake & Pastry
Images By: Just Say Yes Events.

Alice In Wonderland.

This past weekend was my daughter Kayla's 9th birthday. For months we had been awaiting the release of the new movie Alice In Wonderland and immediately wanted utilize the movie as inspiration for her birthday. After many phone calls, emails and headaches I found a theatre in Skokie Illinois that not only had an event space but allowed us four hours in the room which was amazing! Skokie Village Crossing 18 is easily accessible just 5 minutes from highway 94 with ample free parking. They were very helpful with anything we needed and the entire staff was extremely friendly. I worked with Leslie Jones in planning the event and he was an absolute pleasure to work with. They allowed me to come in a few minutes early to set up which ....as a planner is very important! It was nice to watch the movie all together as they set aside an entire section for us...The best seats in the house of course =) After the movie we played games, ate pizza, opened presents and sang Happy Birthday!! It was a fantastic birthday and we hope Kayla remembers it for years to come!



Here's a few images from the party!!
Enjoy!

Kayla and her fantastic Alice in Wonderland birthday cake from Flour Cake & Pastry in Oak Park Illinois.


Kayla's pretty birthday cake table scape.


K A Y L A.....I purchased paper mache letters to spell out Kayla's name, we then had a mini craft party and the children helped me paint them in colors to match the decor.


The theatre does not allow balloons so I had to be creative to achieve that color in the room without using too many streamers.
I made tissue pompoms that hung from the ceiling in different colors. I actually loved this look and will try it again in the future.


Since the movie was just released the Disney store had tons of Alice in Wonderland themed items. I was able to find these wonderful plush toys that were about 15-18 inches tall. They have Alice, Rabbit & the Cheshire cat available.