Isenia's Bridal Shower

A few posts ago I raved about Isenia's gorgeous bridal shower invitations. I must say she is one of the most creative and detail oriented clients I have ever had which I love. Her fiancee Brian frequently jokes about us being separated at birth since we are equally in love with weddings and design.
Isenia wanted floral that was fun but incorporated her invitation and love for pink. I designed something that was unique and was inspired by her pink invitation that was accented with a feather.

Please click images to enlarge.










-Just Say Yes Events!

There is no other wedding day shoe!

Personally I love Christian Louboutins and must say they are my guilty pleasure. Christian Loubtoutins were only available at reputable retailers like Bloomingdales & Barney's but I am happy to announce they have launched an online store. There is nothing better than purchasing straight from the designer and eliminating any chance of fakes.
They have always had gorgeous shoes and now have a collection geared towards "BRIDES"...How exciting!
The inside of the shoes is lined in blue which makes them even more amazing than before as they can double as your something blue.
In addition to launching the site they have added features that I find FANTASTIC. I am always weary about where I take my shoes to repair as they over very expensive. They have added a section on reputable shoe repair that they recommend. I can't tell you how this makes me feel, seriously. My first pair of CL are looking rather tired and need their front soles and back heels replaced.
I too have worn the famous red soles on my wedding day and there is a wonderful story behind them. My fiancee & I were taking dance lesson every week with Fred Astaire dance studio here in Downtown Chicago. It was our very last dance lesson and I was feeling exhausted from all the wedding hoopla and forgot to bring my dancing heels to our lesson. I was very upset about this since I was wearing flip flops and I was worried our dance instructor Vince would kill me!! My fiancee dropped me off at the studio and told me he was going to park the car and that he would meet me upstairs. Unknowingly I just went upstairs sat down and waited for our session to begin. In walks Daniel with a brown shoes box in his hands.....I KNOW THAT BOX BY THE WAY!! At that very moment I could not believe my eyes. He walked up and said "Now how could let you dance without the perfect shoes".....I DIED! I started screaming and hugged the box for what felt like forever until Vince said "Well put them on" and you better believe I did. We had the most amazing last session and Vince dimmed the lights and put the disco ball on for us. It was definitely a night to remember and something I will keep forever. Daniel being his always so smart self opted for black so that I could wear them again and they just wouldn't be the sacred shoes in the box! They fit in the wedding just perfectly since our color scheme was black tie affair with touches of white.

Here are a few images from the bridal collection, as-well as one of me on my wedding day!

If you would like to purchase any of these directly from Christian Louboutin please click HERE




This is one of my favorite shots from our wedding day! I love how there are layers and layers of tulle & dupioni silk framing the bright red sole! These were one of my wedding day gifts from my now husband Daniel.


Very Prive 120mm Available at http://us.christianlouboutin.com


Fifi 100mm Available at http://us.christianlouboutin.com


Tsarouchi 100mm Available at http://us.christianlouboutin.com

All shoe photos by: http://us.christianlouboutin.com
Photo of me by: Studio This Is Photography

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..

Pure Indulgence for your senses.

I am always searching for new things to recommend to my brides for their wedding day. On a trip to Bloomingdales I found a perfume that is absolutely intoxicating. Its is strong enough to endure your wedding day without reapplying yet soft.
I must be honest I have over 25 bottles of perfume everything from citrus scents to powdery and this one has taken the #1 spot!
It is quite pricey at just 1.7 ounces for 98.00 and 3.4 ounces for 150.00. They also have a body lotion & bath gel to complete the collection. I highly recommend starting with the body lotion and adding just a spray of the perfume, it will last much longer!

Enjoy!
Just Say Yes Events.

Click here to go to Bvlgari

Meet the planner!

Hello everyone! I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to those who do not already know me. My name is Barbara Medina and I am the owner & creative director for Just Say Yes Events based in Chicago. Ever since I was a little girl I was planning parties & gatherings. From very early on I loved the whole planning, setting up & hosting of parties. I have many fond memories as a child helping my parents with my birthday parties. My father would give me a budget and I would divide up the money making sure to cover all bases: Food, decor & misc such as invitations, favors etc. One party that stands out to me was my 12th birthday, a wonderful sleep over that I will remember forever! My birthday is February 11th so I tend to lean towards the colors of Valentines day for decor. I created a menu and my parents cooked, I bought decor and decorated our home & even made sure to have enough money for a fantastic birthday cake.
Unfortunately, I didn't realize that "HELLO" this is what I should be doing. I finished school and became a business manager for a few different businesses everything from Pharmacy to retail management. I was never 100% happy with what I was doing and was just not fulfilled. After being in the whole business management industry I left to travel and promote companies all over the United States. I worked with all sorts of companies everything from auto industry, medical industry, restaurant industry and more! I was basically in sales at a trade show level. Once again....Not fulfilled!
One day while driving in the car I had like Oprah says an "AHA" moment. I knew all along what I should be doing and what my passion was and it had been right in front of me this whole time! The next step was to become certified, select a business name, build a website and much much more!! I was up for the challenge and ready to take on the event planning and design world. Just Say Yes Events was then born and took off like wild fire. In three short years I made a name for myself and learned from the best of the best. Just Say Yes is now a luxury event planning & design firm specializing in weddings. It has been so exciting seeing my business grow and become everything I had ever dreamed of.
We are now on the road to becoming even bigger and looking forward to being part of the most important day in a couples life. we take pride in our work and strive to make every wedding different and treat them as if they were our own.



Thank You
Just Say Yes events!
Barbara Medina
Creative Director


Photo by: Just Say Yes Events @ The Palmer House Hilton's "Taste, tea & tour" annual event.

Summer Inspiration

Just Say Yes Events recently designed a preview for a couple who have selected Cobalt blue & yellow for their summer 2011 wedding. This is a very eye catching combination that compliment each other. We selected a deep cobalt pintuck linen for texture and brought in the yellow with Forsythia a branch with tiny yellow flowers. The floral even though its just a branch have drama with its high and wonderful delicate flowers. As many of you know we have an obsession with napkins! For this particular pre-view we folded the napkin and added a premium satin bow detail for a whimsical and feminine touch. Since the floral is very tall we decided to have a few cylinders with floating candles and votives for some light at eye level and add interest with the different heights. We hope you love this eye catching and fresh summer design.


Enjoy!
Just Say Yes Events






All photos C/O Just Say Yes Events

Pastry Market

This past Saturday a large handful of top bakeries in Chicago all gathered to showcase and sell their goodies. The Pastry Market was held at Logan Square Kitchen, a facility that allows bakers to rent out time in their super professional workspace.
Not only is the kitchen wonderful but the dinning space as-well with reclined wood doors & trim, antique bar and all around cozy feel. I was lucky enough to have a special tour by Zina Murray, the owner of Logan Square Kitchen. Its clearly visible just how much love she has for LSK. During my private tour she explained how they had salvaged most of the wood used from places that were being demolished. The venue also has a wonderful lighting system that turns off certain lights when it senses enough sunlight, they are all on motion sensors as-well which leaves you to never have to turn a light on or off!
She also told me about these fabulous dramatic drapes they have dividing the kitchen from the dinning area, made by a local artist as-well. If you are looking for a smaller space that's 100% eco-friendly Logan Square Kitchen is it!
Onto the Pastry Market.......Oh how I love thee! I think I was in heaven surrounded by over 10 bakeries all selling delicious pastries. I was brought in by FLOUR Cake & Pastry in Oak Park to design their showcase. Nicole from Flour told me that they needed two tables designed one with a Valentines feel the other more wedding looking to showcase their gorgeous wedding cakes. Of course this immediately excited me because I love designing vendor showcases. I say this because a vendor has a split second to draw the client in. As I'm sure you know first impression is everything and your showcase should reflect your business and who you are.
The designs came rather quickly to me as I have designed an abundance of showcases. The wedding table was to be very delicate and dramatic at the same time. I used a iridescent taupe pintuck linen with a stunning hand beaded overlay bunched on top to give that delicate feel. Flour supplied three drop dead gorgeous cakes: one dramatic five tier cake with golden fondant work, Octagon cake with bead detail and fresh floral and last but not least their one of a kind offset cube winter theme cake with fondant and sugar to resemble snow! We placed each cake on ornate silver cake pedestals to give them that luxurious look. Also on this table was one of our mots popular centerpieces, the crystal tree! Now this particular tree has made more than a few appearances so we anted to be sure it was different. We achieved this by coming up with the idea that the tree would be interactive! Now your saying how on earth can that be possible?!?!? Nicole supplied us with a box of their wonderful square shaped business cards. We punched a hole in them, tied a pretty ribbon and hung them on the tree. We also created what I was calling business card crystals!! Basically they were my interpretation of hanging crystals utilizing business cards instead. All the business cards made the tree come to life as they took the place of leaves. The interactive aspect comes in with the guests being able to pluck their card off the tree. This was a huge hit as the guests love it!
We also surrounded the tree vase with additional cylinders filled with water and floating candles and white rose petals.
Now this is where things get super sweet! Our Valentines table design.... We used a pink lamour table cloth that matched the exact pink on Flour's logo. We thought how could we showcase their delicious goodies to feel almost like a candy shop???
We then made our own using apothecary jars, cake pedestals, and smaller vases.
We took each item and matched it with the appropriate vessel that would showcase them to their fullest. The amazing red velvet cup cakes were placed on two white cake pedestals, sugar cookies in tall jars, chocolate lollipops in a tall vase with glass beads to hold them in, tiny heart chocolates on a tall pedestal & more...oh lets not forget the Pièce de résistance was the three tier custom Valentine's Cake in the center.

If you are a vendor and would like more information on our booth design, please contact Barbara Medina at Barbara@JustSayYesEvents.com

Take a look at what we came up with!





All photos by Just Say Yes Events

Happy Valentine's Day!

I found my fiancées gift a couple weeks ago and well was eager to blog about it but I was afraid he would visit the blog!
On one of my weekly trips to Paper Source I found a tiny little book that resembles a bachelors "Little black book"
The title of the book is; STUFF...Every man should know by Brett Cohen and is a steal at just $10.00. I absolutely fell in love with this tiny humorous book. Inside there are all kinds of interesting things, for example; How to purchase a diamond, how to last ten minutes on a dance floor, five pick up lines in five different languages....He will NOT be using those ;-) but most importantly, How to give a MASSAGE! The book is the perfect little gift for your son turning 21 or hubby that needs to be taught a few things he missed!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!
Barbara Medina

Tea Favor

Many brides have showers, luncheons, welcomes brunches etc. I have planned a few "Tea Parties" for my lovely brides and they are always a big hit. Favors are very important at these functions more so than the wedding in my opinion. I try to create unique fun little favors or trinkets for the guests that are affordable of course. There is so much you can do with a "Tea Party" its just one of those themes that can go in a few directions. Tea is made all over the world and each place has different traditions and ceremonies surrounding tea. For example, if you were having a garden wedding and wanted to host a tea party with a garden feel you could buy vintage tea cups at any thrift store, antique shop or online. The first thing you want to do is run them through the dish water of course to clean them up. You can use them in many ways, my two favorites are: Filling them with candies such as foil wrapped chocolates or candles. Candle kits are super easy to find at any craft store and are very affordable. All you have to do is melt the wax pour it in the tea cup and place the wick in...VOILA! Its a super cute favor and you can put scented oils into the wax such as rose, gardenia, lavender, berry etc. To add a finished look just wrap the tea cups & Saucers in clear cellophane or tulle with a simple tag.
Another "Tea Party" favor is well tea bags! Tea bags are extremely affordable no a days and the selection is massive.
I purchase tea from STASH tea company frequently. If you visit their website you can purchase different quantities ranging from 30 to 120. Their selection includes teas from India, China & Japan and so many more, a few of my favorites are the Chai flavors.
For a simple thank you/favor tie 6 bags of tea together with a ribbon, tie a tag with your name etc....Super easy and super cute!
You can add these little bundles to your OOT bags with flavors like chamomile to help your guests relax and sleep well.

I have added a few photos to give you an idea of what the little tea bundles look like & the supplies needed.





All photos C/O Just Say Yes Events

Wedding Day Massage=Priceless

Your wedding day is one of the most joyous and well stressful days of your life. Why not begin your big day with a soothing and relaxing massage. I have been a fan of Windy City Massage ever since they made me drool in relaxation! Honestly I've had many massages as I am a full believer in taking time for yourself to rejuvenate, yet none made me feel like WCM. They are a very reputable and have been in business over a decade. Windy City Massage has convenient locations all over the city and will come to your home or office as-well. Yes, you just read that last sentence correctly!! With only an hour's notice, they can bring any of their services to your space and help you create your own Personal Retreat. They also offer manicures, pedicures, facials, body scrubs and personal Yoga sessions.

Windy City Massage
Click to view website
Reservations:
9 a.m.- 10 p.m. seven days a week!!!
phone 312.946.3000
fax 312.946.4050
email reservations@windycitymassage.com


Photo C/O WCM Website

Fabulous drink accessories.

As you all know we are absolutely in love with the website Etsy. Everything they sell is handmade and of course unique. We love incorporating fun and different items into the wedding designs that make them memorable. Have you ever thought of dressing up your drinks? a wine glass becomes something special and a bottle of wine a keepsake!
JonNI Paper and Decorative Arts by Cuddlecreature has amazing drink tags that are perfect for any event. The little tags are inexpensive and unique, how awesome is that!

Click here to view all styles!











Enjoy!
-Just Say Yes Events

Metropolitan Club Bridal Show

We recently had the privilege of showcased at one of Chicago's premier venues, the Metropolitan Club in Willis Tower.
An entire group of Chicago's elite wedding vendors showcased their goods to lovely couples and their families. Among the vendors were Just Say Yes Events, Heffernan & Morgan, Kehoe, BBj Linen, Kenny Kim Lifestyle Weddings, Jen Shannon Photography, Green Diva Jewelry & many more. The event was a huge success and were looking forward to next years show!

If you didn't make it out, here's a few images from our friends at Jen Shannon Photography & Kenny Kim Lifestyle Weddings.






Images C/O Jen Shannon Photography & Kenny Kim Lifestyle Weddings

Enjoy!
-Just Say Yes Events

Fashionably warm

Are you getting married in the fall or winter possibly outdoors or in a tent?? I have the perfect item for you. On a recent trip to one of my favorite vendors, Classic Party Rental in LaGrange I found something special. We normally heat tents or outdoor weddings & events with space heaters that look like giant flying saucers. They get the job done, keep everyone warm and toasty while outdoors. Kindle has solved our design dilemma coming up with fabulous covers that resemble giant lamps!
We are completely obsessed with these covers..wait....wait it gets even better! Small LED lights are placed inside the covers changing the lamps to whatever color you desire. They are absolutely fabulous and we are so excited to share them with everyone!

If you would like additional information on these please contact:
Classic Party Rentals
www.classicpartyrentals.com
9480 W 55th Street
McCook Il 60525
P: 708.485.8709
F: 708.352.0909






Enjoy!
Just Say Yes Events!