We are so pleased to officially share that viva bella events was voted Best of Wedding Planners by brides on TheKnot.com!
If you are new to all things wedding, let me tell you a bit about The Knot. TheKnot.com is the number 1 wedding website in the United States. In fact, 80% of all online wedding traffic belongs to The Knot Wedding Network (theknot.com & weddingchannel.com), boasting 2,348,000 (!) monthly unique page views (to put in perspective, the 2nd most popular wedding website has just barely a quarter of this traffic). Another interesting factoid....The Knot tells me that 97% of their registered brides spend 20.4 hours a month on their website! Wow! (...I'm sure all wedding planning is done at home, away from work... ;) Right, brides?) What can I say? Brides love The Knot.
Here's how the voting works: A third party research firm, Harris Interactive, conducts the survey and compiles the results. Brides (who are registered on either of The Knot Wedding Network's sites, and who had a wedding date of Oct 1, 2007-June 2009) were sent an individual link inviting them to vote for their favorite wedding vendor. The bride's requirements to vote were simply 1) they hired at least 1 wedding vendor and 2) they had no family members or friends working in industry. That was it. We are so thankful to be a vendor that our brides listed as the best at what they do!
Again, we're thrilled about this! Thanks to all of our brides who voted for us! We LOVE what we do and are glad you love it, too!
As I mentioned in a previous post, one of our summer weddings from 2009 was featured in a four page spread of the current issue of Cincinnati Wedding Magazine.
Below are some of my favorite images from their wedding (thanks to Kortnee Kate), as well as the video trailer created by Andrew Tate of 28:20 Films.
Here is the dashing duo who have been a pair since 2002... fierce looks but big hearts! Antwan is an NFL linebacker and KC is a fitness guru, who keeps their family of 8 (!) in line.
The outdoor ceremony was at Ault Park on probably the hottest day of the summer! I was over 6 months pregnant at the time and was definitely feeling the heat... and the love! :)
KC wore her veil over her face, which felt really special. You don't see that much anymore, so it was very sweet when Antwan lifted the veil to kiss his new bride.
Look at these two, sneaking a kiss when no one is looking (except Kortnee!).
All of the wedding stationery, designed by Amy Owens of amo-ink, was beautiful... below are the programs Amy designed for the wedding. I love wedding stationery that coordinates perfectly with the invitations, programs, escort cards, table numbers, menus, all the way to the thank you notes. It's all in the details!
Following the ceremony was the beautiful (and FUN!) reception at the Phoenix.
The lighting on the dance floor (below) was the same pattern as was on the stationery. amo-ink provided the image to Goodwin Lighting and they were able to create an exact match.... just another way that small details add up to a make a dramatic look.
The decor of the reception was black, white, red and BLING. :) KCs beautiful ring set the tone.
Sparkle was everywhere you could see at the reception. Her bouquet (by Katie Elfers) boasted a rhinestone band around the stems and had small crystals in the flowers.
The table tops were scattered with big and small crystals, which really popped over the black crushed table linens that draped half the tables. The alternating tables had black and white patterned linens that also coordinated with the black and white damask design of the wedding stationery.
The cake knife and server were engraved with their wedding date, and the handles... well, they had bling, naturally!
And of course, the cake topper monogram was also aligned to the theme... a P created from rhinestones.
Pictured below is one of the beautiful centerpieces comprised of roses, James Story red orchids and fern curls. Notice how the damask black and white ribbon that Katie applied on the vase coordinates with the damask pattern on the tables numbers.
Everyone had a great time, especially the bride and the groom, pictured below on the dance floor. You know when DJ Toad is part of the team, it's going to be a great party and full dance floor.
What I loved about this wedding is that anyone who knows KC and Antwan walked away knowing that their wedding was uniquely them.... it not only reflected their personal style, but the evening just FELT like THEM... from the outdoor ceremony where KC wore the veil over her face, to the rhinestone studded cake topper and happening music selections on the dance floor.... it was all who they are. Anyone can have a pretty party, but a stand out party is when you can feel the couple's essence all around you.
Pictures tell a thousand words, yet video further helps bring to life the emotion experienced. Enjoy Andrew Tate's great work but don't like it too much as 28:20 films is no longer booking weddings (to pursue greater passions).
KC & Antwan's wedding day was brought to life by the following amazing team:
Ault Park, The Phoenix, Kortnee Kate Photography, 28:20 films, Katie Elfers Inspired Floral Design, IncrEdible Endings, amo-ink custom stationary, Goodwin Lighting, DJ Toad and Chenese Bean Makeup Artistry (special thanks to Chenese for the scans of Cincinnati Magazine!)
We continue our 2009 review with one of my all-time favorite wedding elements.... the bridal bouquet!
Picking the right bouquet is important. It has to be uniquely YOU. There are so many choices to make... what type do I want (hand tied, cascade, arm/cradle, etc), what size and shape of flower work best for my wedding, and what colors will I use? The flowers should reflect you: Are you a classic bride? ...then an all-white rose bouquet might be your thing. Are you a more contemporary type? ...then a bouquet with several textures and flower types might be for you. The recipe for the perfect bouquet is a hard one to get right but, thankfully, some people really get it perfect.
Below are some of my favorite bouquets from the past year and the beautiful brides who made them sparkle!
The lovely bride below is Stacy at her January 2009 wedding....
Stacy carried a bouquet with white cymbidium orchids with a pink throat, purple mini calla lilies and green hypericum berries (bouquet designed by Tim Lieber of Timothy's). All the berries seemed perfect for a very winter wedding!
Our next beautiful bride is KC (her wedding just received a 4 page spread in the Winter 2010 issue of Cincinnati Wedding Magazine- I'll be sharing more on this wedding soon!).
This bouquet was perfect for KC... the colors and textures were so strong, and matched how striking KC is, herself.
The design by Katie Elfers featured Black Magic and Black Bacarra roses, Schwawarzwalder (black) calla lilies, Uhule fern curls and was accented with rhinestones. The black ribbon that tied it all together had a rhinestone band to give it extra pop. Beautiful!
Another June 2009 wedding I loved was Liz and Kevin's. Liz carried a summery garden bouquet with white and pink flowers (designed by Robin Wood Flowers).
This collection just feels so sweet to me and was perfectly suited for Liz. The arrangement consisted of white and pink peonies and garden roses, lilac stock, tulips and astrantia... Lovely!
This bold bouquet was carried by Kim for her August 2009 wedding. I love how the rich colors and interesting shapes contrasted against her skin.
The bouquet was designed by Courtenay Lambert Florals and consisted of Black magic red roses, Schwarzwalder (black) calla lilies, Burgundy dahlias, and was accented with Dahlia buds. It was hand tied with a majestic purple ribbon. To add a very personal touch, Kim laced over the ribbon an old family rosary belonging to her grandmother. The rosary carried great sentimental value to her and she was honored to be able to include it in her bouquet.
Lastly....
Through the magic of Facebook, I was able to connect with an old college friend, Cesar, from my days at Texas A&M University (Gig 'em! to all you Aggies out there... anyone?... at all...?), and view photos from his wedding to his adorable new wife, Jill.
I immediately loved her her whole look: the dress, shoes, bouquet, the flowers she wore in her hair....
Her bouquet, designed by Shelly Black (Clarksville, MD), boasts antique green hydrangeas, green cymbidium orchids, circus roses (yellow and orange mix), orange roses, red & hypericum green berries and yellow ranunculus (I just love that word... ranunculus). The arrangement's fullness of color and texture make it completely beautiful!
One of the best parts of the bouquet is the yellow ranunculus... the bouquet has just a hint of it, but it's the perfect amount to coordinate with her canary and gold shoes. In my mind, the bright heels and the ranunculus made this a stand out look!
Photography by Jill Gately in Baltimore, MD
(Thanks for sharing your photos, Cesar & Jill!)
So, that's it for bridal bouquets... next up... wedding gowns! Picking just a few bouquets to feature was hard enough, but wait 'till you see the gorgeous dresses we've chosen....
Opening image photography courtesy of Steve Lyons; Bouquet design by Sprouts.
You know how Oprah has her "O List" of favorite things? Well, we have a few of our own favorites from this past wedding season (November 2008-November 2009).
My next few posts will detail the picks of the year. We'll start with our favorite bridesmaids' dresses!
First up is a fun and summery look from Caitlin and Joel's July 2009 wedding. Half of the bridesmaids wore summer bright green, while the other half modeled a fun tangerine floral pattern (both from David's Bridal). The two dresses coordinated perfectly. The emerald dresses were paired with tangerine shoes and vice versa. Except for the Maid of Honor, that is: her orange shoe/patterned frock ensemble made her stand out just the right amount. To tie the look all together, they all wore green sashes. Love it!
Photos courtesy of Shutter Think Photography
Another favorite from this past year is this beautiful Priscilla of Boston dress from Molly and Michael's October 2009 wedding. The dress is knee-length brocade with an empire waist and pleated bodice. Classic with a twist! The dresses were set off with strappy gold heels.
Each girl had a cute coordinating wrap to keep them warm in the chilly October weather.
Photo by Michael Bambino and Co
So, these were some of my favorite bridesmaid dresses from 2009.... next up are my favorite bridal bouquets. Stay tuned!
Well, I'm back from taking a way-too-long break from this page. It was a busy summer and fall -- full of events and excitement -- but that's no excuse for blog neglect! I am back now and, until the end of the year, will be featuring our favorite things about our weddings and events in 2009.
But first: one of the highlights of the fall was the addition of our newest team member. She joined the viva bella team on September 26. Prior to that date, she'd spent 9 months 'shadowing' me -- she never left my side... not even for a moment. She attended every consultation, vendor meeting and event with me, so she's full of first-hand experience! As a matter of fact, the day she joined us was the biggest event in viva bella's history!
I've been working hard on-boarding her over the last (nearly) 3 months -- it's been a time-intensive process, but I think she's worth the trouble. I can already tell she's going to be a great communicator, is going to really respond to my leadership, and is going to win over new clients in a heartbeat! (I also think I sense a real fashion sense developing!)
Everyone, please meet and welcome Miss Joy A. Manuel!
I was sent a link today from a friend on Facebook and, while I wouldn't usually post a YouTube video on my blog, this was just too good and fun to pass up. The couple featured in this video really understand that your wedding day is Your Day and it doesn't have to be like anything you've ever seen before! This couple wanted people to be loose and happy and CELEBRATORY on their wedding day, and they made sure everyone could see their incredible JOY in being married to one another. So here's to people truly thinking "outside the box" and dreaming up the perfect wedding for THEM! Enjoy this...
As I stated below, I was asked by Cincinnati Wedding Magazine to appear on a morning news segment on Channel 9 to talk about "Wow Weddings". It was a very fun experience: though I was tired (yes, those are bags under my eyes! I'd been out until 1 a.m. the night before at a wedding!), it really was a blast to see a live television broadcast--and then be a part of it as an expert! The talent and crew at Channel 9 were terrific... I hope they use me again!
Anyway, here's the snippet. We had to video this off Sara's DVR, so the sound's not great (but it looks surprisingly good!). Watch me try to think fast on five hours' sleep!
I live in Cincinnati, Ohio, in a 103-year-old house with a 37-year-old husband (Steven), the sweetest baby girl (Joy) and a business to look after. I'm an avid runner (5 marathons and counting!), shopper (BCBG!), and super-addicted fan of LOST! I love Mexican food (naturally!), travel-for-leisure, and having guests in my home. I also love style and beauty!
Look at these two, sneaking a kiss when no one is looking (except Kortnee!).
Each girl had a cute coordinating wrap to keep them warm in the chilly October weather.
