How the Cool Kids Rolled in the New Year

Some people roll in the New Year in true style and that hot ticket was found in Las Vegas at the new Cosmopolitan Hotel on New Year's Eve. I had a special interest in this event because I heard so much about the plans for it during my internship with the event's mastermind, Colin Cowie.

"Budget was not the chief concern, not at all" master party planner, Colin Cowie shares (via BizBash). "What Chelsea Clinton's wedding did for families, giving people permission to spend money [conspicuously] again, this event will do for corporate event marketers."

Well, with a statement like that, let's see what this party was all about!

The pinnacle of the 3 day celebration was New Year's Eve, with the evening beginning with a caviar and Dom Pérignon black tie reception. From there, guests moved to a sit down dinner. Below is a photo of Colin in front of his amazing design work!

Highlights of the dinner experience:

- Complete custom installation including custom re-carpeting, an elevated platform around the dining room and a round stage in the middle, where musicians such as Ben Folds performed.

- A mix of square and banquet tables, some with purple mirror, others in silver mirror.

- Deep purple flowers, such as peonies and dark purple calla lilies

- Lucite chairs

- Custom extravagant textured runners on the long tables

- Seating for over 1,300

All this took a mere few weeks to build out. Yowsa!

I remember Colin telling me (this past summer) that he designed the elevated perimeter of the dining room so that each person would have a great view of the stage and feel as much part of the event as the closest person to the stage.

I saw drawings of this exact space and design and sat through a meeting with the fantastic team of vendors who were going to make it happen. It's very cool to see how it came to life in these photos!

I love the custom railing in the photo below.

After dinner, the party really got started! Guests moved to a 40,000 foot "nightclub" that Colin and his team custom designed (naturally!) in the hotel's ballroom. Coldplay and Jay-Z head-lined the concert in solo and mash up performances (drool!) while Beyonce, Kanye West dropped in for surprise performances. I also read John Mayer was on hand, as well.

Oh yeah, Rhianna showed up later, too, at an after party in a night club in the hotel, as well as a slew of other amazing performers! Seriously, people, does this not sound pret-ty amazing?

Hope you enjoyed a sneak peek into this party half as much as I did! It's always inspiring to see -whether I'm there in person or reading it online- how the top in my field are staying ahead of the game, creating trends and making it happen. Thanks for keeping it interesting, Colin!

Read the full event recap as reported by BizBash here.

Photos: BizBash, Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com, Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com

Photo with Colin Cowie is from his fabulous weekly newsletter. Sign up to receive it here.

Our 2010 Favorite Things: Bridal Bouquets! *Cincinnati Wedding Planner*

Aww, the bridal bouquet! I love seeing what kind of bouquet a bride chooses to carry... it tells me so much about their personality. Is the bride classic? Traditional? Is she refined? Is she adventurous? A bouquet can communicate these things by the type of flowers, colors, and overall style.

In 2010, many of the brides we worked with chose an all white/ivory bouquet. This was a bit of a change from last year, when most of our clients carried bouquets with an array of color. But this past year's all white and ivory bouquets were still full of wonderful texture, which is a current trend and something I personally enjoy.

Here are some of my favorite 2010 bouquets, both white and colorful, which perfectly reflected the individuality of the brides who carried them.

Below is Nicole, carrying an all white and ivory bouquet.

Nicole was a beautiful, classic bride. I recall her telling me when we first spoke that she didn't want anything too contemporary for her wedding. Nicole has refined taste and also a generous heart with a fun-loving flair. Her textural bouquet of white peonies (classic) and white mini callas (refined), with peony buds wrapped in silver jewelry wire throughout, and a collar of white rooster feathers (fun flair!) really hit the mark on capturing her bridal essence. The stems were wrapped with a band of white satin ribbon that was pleated and pinned with rhinestones. And behind every gorgeous bouquet is a great designer - Neil Leeson (Cleveland), who designed Nicole's bouquet, is no exception!

For more photos of Nicole's platinum wedding, follow this link!

Images by Steve Lyons

Next is Amy, a stunning summer bride who was a bit more on the contemporary end of the spectrum but definitely had some classic elements (I'll be blogging this gorgeous wedding soon!)

Amy is sweet, kind and soft spoken, yet she's a Texas girl who knows what she wants... and gets it. Her bouquet, designed by Kim Kenney of Timeless Fiori in Dallas, boasted cream hydrangea, white cymbidium orchids, stephanotis blooms with crystal accents, cream fringed tulips and double white freesia. Even though it was mostly whites and creams, it was full of gorgeous texture.

Wow, Amy really made this bouquet! I loved her lipstick! Her dark hair and lipstick were the perfect contrast to the soft hues of her skin.

Images by Kortnee Kate

Next is the sultry Veronica, whose look was stunning and nontraditional. I remember during the planning process, I had a weird dream about her wedding. I dreamed her bridesmaids' dresses were pink and her wedding decor was champagne and pink with roses everywhere. I have no idea why I had that dream - I know it's not her at all! But her response to my dream was, "you better not do that to my wedding!" :) And of course, we didn't!

Her hand tied bouquet, designed by Las Vegas Event Florals contained cymbidium orchids, Schwawarzwalder (black) calla lilies and black feathers. I loved how the deep colors of the perimeter faded into the white, delicate orchids in the center. It was striking, just as the bride herself.

Images by Adam Trujillo

I love it when a bouquet captures a bride's essence as the ones above did! I can't wait to see what our 2011 brides will carry. More beauty awaits!

Opening photo bouquet designed by Sprouts. Image by Alanna Photography

Our 2010 Favorite Things: Bridesmaid dresses! *Cincinnati Wedding Planner*

Bridesmaid dresses have come a long way, haven't they? I personally have 9 (or is it 10?) bridesmaid dresses scattered in boxes in my basement. How many of them have I actually worn again?... um... well...

Here are a few from our client's weddings that I would consider wearing again!

Below, Jacquie chose sophisticated full length silk gowns for her best gals. The neckline was gorgeous, plunging and the perfect dose of sexy. Ow!

The women had coordinating fur wraps to keep them warm from the brisk December chill... total cuteness!

Images by Steph Carson

One of our June brides, Hailey, also chose a long silk dress for her maids. The gowns were a beautiful shade of purple with each dress having a unique neckline: strapless, halter and v-neck. Pretty, pretty!

Image by Michael Bambino

My favorite short dress this year was one that our bride, Maggie, chose for her girls: an adorable "shadow" colored dress by the designer, Thread. The above the knee length dresses were duchess satin fabric.

The absolute best feature on this dress was the ruffled one shoulder neckline. So, so cute! Paired with Katie Elfer's bright and whimsical bouquets, it was a perfect dress for a hot July wedding day!

Images by Kortnee Kate

Can't wait to see the dress our 2011 bridesmaids will wear!

Our 2010 favorite things: Dresses! *Cincinnati Wedding Planner*

How is everyone's holidays going? I'm relaxing in 70 degree weather in Texas with family and friends!

Now, with just 2 days left in the year, we still have time to do "Our Favorite Things" review of our 2010 weddings!

Let's start with something I love, love, love... the bridal gown! Here are some of our favorite gown worn by our brides this past year.

First up is Lindsay in her gorgeous Vera Wang Aurora gown. The metallic duchess draped front empire gown had a beautiful jewel corsage on the bodice. I really loved the sheer trimming on just 1 side of the sweetheart neckline. It was the perfect detailed delicate touch.

The back of her gown featured a black grosgrain back tie. Pretty! Greatness can only be paired with greatness. Jimmy Choo anyone??

Lindsay looked simply beautiful in this gown! It really suited her personality perfectly!

Lindsay's photos courtesy of Neysa Ruhl

Next is Michelle who also wore a Vera Wang gown. The dress was featured in the first Sex and the City movie in the scene where the character Carrie was trying on several couture bridal gowns. I previously posted the clip here.

This dress was anything but simple! I love the contrast between the smooth bodice and the full & fluffy skirt. It was amazing!
Michelle added a jeweled belt to give the dress even more pop. She also added the long gloves to complete the sophisticated and highly stylish look! She was stunning in this gown.

Michelle paired her dress with these fantastic stilettos (I don't know the brand!). I love the fabric laced on the heel!

Images by Red Gallery

The next gown is Enzoani's Dulcina mermaid silhouette beauty worn by Veronica at her 10.10.10 Las Vegas wedding! (That's a 40 foot chandelier behind her and Santiago at the Red Rock Resort!)

The sweetheart neckline with ruched tulle bodice perfectly complimented her. I loved this dress on her! She wore is beautifully!

Images by Adam Trujillo

So, those are some of our favorite 2010 dresses our brides wore! Next up, our favorite bridesmaid dresses!

Oh, Christmas Tree

I've never had my own Christmas tree. I've avoided it, actually.

Growing up, we always had a tree, but after graduating from college or even after getting married and having our first baby, I never put one up.

I used to say it was because we would be leaving town for the holidays, so why put it up when we weren't here to enjoy it? But if I'm honest, the real reason why I've avoided it is because I'm intimated by decorating it! There, I said it. That's the truth. Decorating a tree seems daunting to me.

It's funny because I design many weddings and events for my job - and I LOVE doing it! It's one of my favorite parts of my job. So, what's the big deal about the Christmas Tree? I can do this, right?

When we decided to get a tree this year, I did what I normally do when I approach a "design" project - I get inspired! My first stop for inspiration was Colin Cowie's website. Of course, he has fabulous holiday decorating tips (such as, pick a color scheme and carry it all the way through, right down to the wrapping paper you use). His website also had photos of his personal tree and holiday decor in his home (pictured above in the opening image).

After looking at other amazingly decorated trees in design magazines and online sites, I settled on this: I want a pretty tree but more than that, I want our tree to be personal and tell a story; a story about our family and our growth together over the years. The design for our tree would be simple & sweet! And here it is:

A few of my favorite ornaments:

Top left: Joy as a newborn; Top right: me and my older sisters sometime in the 80s!

Bottom left: my newly formed family a year ago. Bottom right: A sweet ornament from my husband's 4th grade teacher.

Here is me and my Christmas JOY in front of our tree!

We actually have 2 trees in our house...

Last year someone in my family gave me a little tree with all Joy ornaments. I really love this little tree. It reminds me of God's goodness to finally answer our prayers over the years to give us our Joy. We put it in her nursery.

I've decided to take a picture of her with it each year... What a difference a year makes!

Here's a great "outtake" photo below when I was trying to catch the perfect shot of Joy by her tree! She was running out a patience with me...

I'm so glad I finally got over my tree intimidation! It's fun and fills our living room with warmth. Now ready for the holidays!

Come Together! |Cincinnati Event Planner|

Argentenian tango dancers accompanied by the world's best bandoneon player (he recorded with Shakira this year). A troupe of drummers circling an aerial acrobat. A rock show accompanied by a string quartet. Phenomenal hand balancing gymnasts. As I walked through the incredible video, the stunning lights, and the pumping rhythm, I felt privileged to be part of such an impressive show, let alone being part of producing it.

In September, we had an incredible chance to do a spectacular event for 800 people at Procter & Gamble: the North America Brand Building Awards. The celebration brought together 4 business functions and recognized the extraordinary work they accomplished together. Nine awards were given that night, and fabulous entertainment was intermixed throughout the evening.

The concept for the performances: a suite of acts revolving around the Beatles' "Come Together" (also the theme we chose for the event). They seemed incongruous when performed separately, but when combined, they became something entirely greater than the sum of those parts. It was a visual metaphor for what teamwork looks like in action, and it was inspiring! It was a gift to work with these talented artists. I'll let the photos speak for themselves!

Opening act to begin the show

Areialists and guitarists

The photo below is probably my favorite image. Such beauty and grace captured!

Amazing hand balancing gymnasts. I couldn't believe their strength.

My favorite act: the tango dancers. You could truly feel their passion.

The finale brought all acts performing together. The energy was amazing!

The entire event was inspiring! I loved seeing a company "come together" to recognize and celebrate teamwork... and having the opportunity to creatively express their message "strong individually, stronger together" was an honor!

Thanks for staging such a great event for P&G marketers on September 22. I was really impressed with the event – as usual, you think of all the details but bring it to life in a way that entertains and delights. I had a great time and wanted to make sure you knew how much we enjoyed it. Chris K. P&G

All images Kortnee Kate Photography

Artists: Aerial Experience

Original music & Creative: Steve Manuel

Musicians: Robbie Reider, Dave Eberhardt, Steve Manuel, Carl Larson string quartet

A/V Production & Lighting: Prestige, Steve Brock

Video: Ben Nicholson, Bill Poff, Patrick Buescher

Venue: Duke Energy Center