If you are planning to have your wedding on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, we think these flip flops from Ipanema are the perfect bridesmaid gift! Great for them to wear at the reception once the dancing has begun – and long after the wedding is over as well, they will be a great remembrance of the time they spent with you at your wedding at Notre Dame. Featuring a navy blue foot bed, gold straps with kelly green and a blue crystal embellishment, these flip flops are coveted for their comfort, and affordability. Priced at only $20.00, they are a gift that can fit into anyone’s budget.  Available at our sister company – Girly Girl Gifts & Accessories, contact us today to order!

Its official! Not only is the holiday season upon us, so is wedding engagement season! More brides and grooms get engaged during the holiday season than any other time of the year!

Could this tiny white ceramic bowl with the words ‘Will You Marry Me?’ be a more perfect way of proposing? We love its pure simplicity, allowing the engagement ring to take center stage. What a lovely keepsake, one that can be used over and over, as a resting place for not only your engagement ring, but your wedding ring as well. Brought to you by the same folks at Paloma’s Nest who created the Ringbearer Bowl, you can embellish the edges with either gold or silver leaf (for an additional fee), or leave it as is. Does it get any sweeter than this? Girly Girl Gifts has it for sale.

Congratulations to all the newly couples who get engaged over the holidays. Don’t forget Celebrated Events can help you every step of the way with your wedding planning!

Wedding in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, surrounded by the love of family and friends, was the perfect way for Molly and Mark to begin their married life. The reception that followed, at the Palais Royale in downtown South Bend, IN held delightful surprises as well as thoughtful details.  As I began the wedding planning process with Molly and her mother Kathleen, I knew I was in for something special – as it turns out, so were all of the guests who attended this magical celebration.

Much of the event’s design direction was lifted directly from the custom invitation’s colors and patterns.  We used the design motif from the patterned paper throughout the event, see if you can spot the various elements we used it on!

Molly and Mark chose to see each other before the ceremony, and where else would they meet, other than the Grotto, where they paused to light a candle together.

Spring flowers perfumed the aisle! These pew markers were later transferred to the Palais Royale and used on the back of the bridal party’s chairs – see a photo of this application below!

Guest tables were named for places that were significant landmarks around the Notre Dame campus – where it all began for them!!

In lieu of a favor, a charitable donation was made to the Center of Social Concerns, at the University of Notre Dame. We love the presentation! The guest napkin was fashioned into a rosette, with the  message printed on ‘leaves’.

This shelving unit served multiple purposes! It helped divide the cocktail space from the dining area, and held images of their parents, grandparents and great grandparents on their wedding days! On each side are the gowns that Molly and Marks mothers wore when they wed – I love this image of the bride and groom – Molly in her wedding gown, standing next to her mother’s wedding gown.

Re-purposed pew markers! Can’t you just smell the hyacinth? Nothing says spring like the scent of hyacinths!

At the end of the First Dance, the centerpieces exploded with fireworks, a surprise and tribute to the brides father, who, every fourth of July wonders why he isn’t arrested for the excessive fireworks display he puts on!

Guests were treated to a dessert buffet that tasted as delicious as it looked!!

Can you believe the amazing work on this cake? Taken directly from the paper used in the custom wedding invitation! Gorgeous!

Happily ever after starts now!!

Cyndi – XO

Our Vendors:

Ceremony – Basilica of the Sacred Heart, University of Notre Dame

Reception – Palais Royale

Rehearsal Dinner – Club Namoli, University of Notre Dame

Wedding Planning & Design – Cynthia Basker, Celebrated Events

Floral & Decor - MichaelAngelos

Photography – Peter Thurin, Peter Thurin Photography

Cake & Dessert Buffet – Cakewalk

Papery – Cloud Nine Invitation Design, Emily Dionne Events and Nuptials

Ceremony music – Notre Dame Folk Choir

Reception music – Dennis Keith Band

Hair – Emerald Salon and Spa

Makeup – GabGlam

Photo Booth - Fun Zone Photo Booths

Transportation – Cardinal Buses

Farewell brunch – Hilton Garden Inn

Host hotels – Inn at Saint Mary’s, Hilton Garden Inn

On a perfect summer day in August, Mary and Michael, together with their family and friends, became Mr. & Mrs. at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the Campus of Notre Dame! Throughout the planning process, for this Notre Dame Wedding, the mantra was ‘soft, summery and romantic’, and I think we most decidedly accomplished that feel. The day, in South Bend, was full of meaningful details and family traditions. Among them, the soup course at dinner:  Italian Wedding Soup – made from a family recipe, handed down from mother to daughter on the bride’s side. The Groom’s aunts lovingly made and brought with them, traditional Italian cookies, which the guests enjoyed after dinner. The day was so joyful – can’t you see it on their faces?

Our Vendors:

Ceremony: Basilica of the Sacred Heart, University of Notre Dame

Reception: Great Hall, Century Center

Photography: Peter Thurin, Peter Thurin Photography

Band: Lynn Jordan and the Shivers

Floral/ Decor :MichaelAngelos

Cupcakes :Sweet Mandy B’s

Hair: Emerald Cut Salon & Spa

Makeup:  Camelia’s Cosmetics

Photo Booth: Fun Zone Photo Booths

Papery :Christina Duthie, Cloud Nine Invitation Design

Transportation: Cardinal Motor Coach, !st Class Limousine

Tina and James chose to marry  at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. They met in the fall of 2003 as freshman in Italian class, and seven years later, brought their relationship full circle, by tying the knot where it all began! Guests, for the wedding, came from as far away as Caracas, Venezuela, where the bride spent much of her childhood, so incorporating elements that reflected her background was important to her.  Chocolate bon bons, hand carried from Venezuela by her Mother, served as the guest favor. A Latin salsa band delighted and entertained guests during the reception, and the evening was topped off with a custom called ‘cotillion’. Guests were invited to don feathered masks, top hands, shake maracas, blow horns and join the conga line in this custom that feels like a combination of Mardi Gras, New Years Eve and a Masquerade Ball!

Tina’s clutch was embroidered with her new married name, and wedding date – what an amazing keepsake! I absolutely adored it!

This bench on campus was where Tina and James shared their first kiss! They spent a few quiet moments there before the ceremony.

Just before it was time to go to the Basilica to await the ceremony – the skies opened up!! James, with an assist from a couple of his groomsmen, made sure Tina got to the church safe and dry!

Tina, in her cotillion mask and…..

more cotillion shenanigans!!

Our vendors:

Ceremony site: Basilica of the Sacred Heart, University of Notre Dame

Reception site: Palais Royale Ballroom, South Bend, IN

Floral/Decor: MichaelAngelos

Photography: Adam Novak Photography

Videography: Blink of an Eye Productions

Event Design & Coordination, Specialty Rentals: Celebrated Events

Paperie: Cloud Nine Invitation Design

Wedding Cake: Rascia’s Creative Cakes

Hair: Emerald Cut Salon and Spa/ Bridal Hair Stylist: Eric Woolridge

Makeup: Gabrielle Thompson/ GabGlam

Reception Entertainment:Rica Obsesion

Favor: La Praline Chocolatier, Caracas, Venezuela

Nicole and Neil’s wedding, in Goshen, was full of meaningful details, beginning with where it all began, their families.  Beneath a ‘tree’ that dripped with orchids and crystals, were images of their parents, grandparents and great grandparents that comprised their family tree.

The next detail that inspired the ‘rustic glam’ feel of the wedding was the owl!  Whoooooo made appearances throughout the event! See if you can spot him!

The place card table was covered in a bed of moss, as was the bride and groom’s last initial, which hung above it.

Nicole’s Dad cut this tree slice, which served as the perfect cake stand! Love the touch of fiddle head fern on top of the cake, and in Nicole’s bouquet!

As guests left the reception, they were greeted on the street by a hot dog vendor, Franks for the Memories, who dished up  hot dogs, made to order!

Our Vendors:

Ceremony: Greene Road Church

Reception venue:  Spohn Ballroom

Caterer: Pumpernickles Catering

Floral: Poppies, Inc.

Photography: Amber Raeder Photography

Photo Booth: Fun Zone Photo Booths

Bakery: Adams Bake Shop

DJ: DJ Mayor Mike

Outdoor hot dog vendor: Franks for the Memories

This is a posting from Sasha Souza’s blog, Sparkliatti.  You know that old saying, ‘you get what you pay for’…..read on…

Let Me Clarify – You Can Always Get It Cheaper…

There’s one thing that I definitely know in life and that is you can always buy something cheaper – telephone service, flights, cars, office supplies, SEO optimization, wedding gowns, pharmaceuticals, wedding flowers, catering….wedding & event planners.  You name it and I’ll betcha there’s somebody out there that can give it to you cheaper…  I think that the question that people miss is:  But Will It Be What I Want?

Let me give you a scenario that happened to me last year.  I sent out a floral & decor proposal for an event that wasn’t huge and over the top.  It was for a nice party and right in line with the type of events we do.  Prior to sending it out, I had gone through and made a few things optional for the client so that they could add in some of the “nice to haves”.  Exactly what I told them I would do when they hired me.

Then, the phone rings….it’s the Mother of the Bride.  We’ll call her Carol.

Carol:  “Sasha…in this economy how can you, in good conscience, send me a floral proposal THIS high?”

Please know that I had been through the proposal backwards & forwards and it met all of the required components that the bride simply HAD to have.

ME:  “Thanks for your call, Carol, I sent it because I believe it fits the desires of Melanie (name of bride has been changed) and I did shave a lot off to try to meet your budget”

Carol:  “But Sasha, how in the world do you expect us to pay for this?  We have decided we don’t want to spend more than X”  {this would have been nice to know at the beginning, by the way}

ME:  “Please let me know what you would like to cut and we are happy to  make any changes you like.  We can switch from long tables to rounds & squares, change the design of the flowers…”{basically, I gave her 15 options to make changes}

Carol:  “But Sasha, Melanie wants all that and we expect that in this economy people are hungry for business and would be willing to make a little less profit for the job”

{quizzical look which garners the side note that in this economy, business owners are more likely going to want a higher profit from each job, not lower to compensate for fewer jobs overall – thereby providing the contracted & paid for services ONLY and not over and above the contracted services}

ME: “Carol, I’m not sure that’s the case, but let me just say that I’ve found out something in life and in business…you can always get something cheaper but it will not be the wedding your daughter wants, it will only be the price you like.” {if you use this in your business, feel free to say “well, Sasha Souza says…”}

Why have I told you this story? Because it’s true and the statement that I made at the end is an important one when educating couples and ourselves on weddings and what we get for our money. It’s easy to say you want a centerpiece to be smaller or “not over the top” or “simple”.  Let me give you a visual example.  We have seen this image from the legendary Preston Bailey in our office many, many times.  It’s gorgeous with hundreds of flowers in it and I’m sure the image does not do it justice to how grand it is in person:

Can every bride afford it?  No.  But those that value it will seek it & Preston out to design for them and will be thrilled with the results.  Here is how we used his inspiration for a bride who loved the look but couldn’t pay the price tag for the flowers:

Could the bride have gotten even this arrangement cheaper?  Yes!  Absolutely but the structure of the piece, the height, the design would have been vastly different.  More like this:

While still pretty, it doesn’t emanate the same feeling – BUT it IS CHEAPER!  So, if it’s cheaper that they are looking for then this would work out perfectly but the expectation can’t be for the gorgeous images above.

Another example…Is the peony any cheaper because of the economy?  No.  So, we offer alternatives and often we substitute with garden roses.  Is it the same?  No.  It’s just cheaper and different.  Some brides are OK with that and others REALLY want the peony and are not going to compromise for anything less.  The decision is only theirs to make.

Carol did go on to pay the bill for the flowers when she  understood that what she would get by going elsewhere wasn’t what Melanie would have wanted.  We were very willing to make changes to the event to get them closer to their described estimated expenditure but they were unwilling to make any changes whatsoever and simply wanted it to be cheaper.  period.  just. cheaper.

That isn’t how this works, people.  If you go to the gas station to fill up your car, you make a decision on the name brand station that you go to, how much you want to pay per gallon & the octane level of the gas you want. 

OR!

You can go down the street to the gas station without all the special additives.  Will your car run the same?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  My car happens to like Chevron Techron 89 Octane or better.  I put anything less in it and I’m bummed by the lack of power and performance that I get in my car.  I can’t go into the clerk and ask them if instead of $2.99 per gallon I can pay $1.49 per gallon and expect the exact same quality & product.  If you want me to shave $100 off an arrangement, you’re going to lose $100 worth of flowers & design time.

So, when you’re visiting with your vendors and you ask them to reduce their price please be sure that you are getting the same exact thing – because if you’re trying to compare apples to apples and one person says they can do that Preston arrangement for hundreds less than the other person – chances are  you’ll be left with arrangement #3 on your 72″ round seating 12

http://sparkliatti.com/

The Trend Report issue of Wedding Day Magazine (www.weddingday-online.com) is now available and features 45 pages of ideas! As contributing editor, one of the topics I covered was the use of lighting, and the trans-formative effect it can have on your wedding reception.  It is one of the most cost effective ways to add atmosphere and mood to your event! Through the use of LED technology, your event can take on any hue you can dream up, and can continue to change throughout your event.  For more on this topic, refer to my article on page 44!

wedding

For most people, March 1, 2010 will be an ordinary, back to work Monday. But for those brides, grooms and families who are hoping to secure a date for their 2011 Notre Dame wedding at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart,  it is so much more! Its been called things like ‘Basilica Monday’ and ‘Basilica Lottery Day’, but according to Amy Huber, who is the Wedding and Baptism Coordinator at the Basilica, it doesn’t have a name, it is simply the day the Basilica of the Sacred Heart opens their calendar  for brides to reserve their wedding dates for 2011. Amy will begin taking calls at 8:00 am, EST and stop at 4:30 pm, EST. When dialing the Basilica, you will not get put on hold, just keep dialing until you get through. If you hear a busy signal, hang up and try again, Amy is on the line with another caller. Can you plan a strategy to try and up your chances of getting the day and time you are hoping for? I think you can. These suggestions may not help you get through to Amy faster, but they will help you to be prepared to make a decision with confidence, once you do get through. The last thing you want to have happen, is to get through to the Basilica, but not be able to accept an available date. You’ll have to hang up, then go through the whole process all over again.

1.) First and foremost, have five to ten, dates and times chosen that would be acceptable choices. Discuss this in advance with all involved parties until you can all agree on a list of acceptable dates/times.
2.) Have multiple folks calling in on your behalf.
3.) If you are having multiple folks calling in, make SURE they have your list of acceptable dates and times, and that they are authorized to make a decision on your behalf.
4.) This may seem like it goes without saying, but remember that the calls are being taken on Eastern Standard Time – if you are on the west coast, that means calls will begin being taken at 5:00 am and end at 1:30 pm your time.
5.) Be patient, just keep dialing.

Good Luck Everybody!! Once you secure your 2011 date, give Celebrated Events a call! We will take all of your hopes and dreams for your Basilica wedding, and make them come true. If you can dream it, we can do it!

There is a brand new reception & event venue on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, for brides and grooms getting married at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart! Workmen were putting the finishing touches on Club Naimoli, located inside the Joyce Athletic and Convocation Center, when I was invited to tour through it yesterday. Amber, from Catering by Design led me through the event space, which can hold up to 350 guests, including a dance floor! Guests enter the Joyce Center through the newly renovated Gate 10, then ushered up to the event space via elevator. As you step off of the elevator, in front of you is a wall, covered in sapphire blues, with subtle, iconic images of Notre Dame. If need be, there is a coat check available. Walking into the main event space, I was first struck by the windows that overlook the campus, and the light that was streaming in from them. There is comfortable, overstuffed furniture that can be grouped together in various ways to create seating areas or a perhaps a ‘lounge’ area which made the room feel so inviting. State of the art flat panel television screens were mounted in various areas around the room. These can be used to run a slide show, video, or can be simply tuned into the television station of your choice. The space has custom ND themed tables and chairs (see photos), however, if you are planning to host your wedding reception there, this furniture can be removed, and replaced with tables that can host 8 guests, as well as banquet chairs. You can also bring in specialty rental chairs, i.e. chivari ballroom chairs, to compliment your event design.

There are two outside balcony areas, situated on either end of the space, that overlook the campus, providing views to the east, south and west. The space hosts hard wood floors, with gorgeous wood accents on the walls and around the bar area that give the room a warm feel. Another feature, on the wall/area opposite the windows, is the option to open up part of the wall, which then allows views into the arena – very cool!

If you are interested in this space, call Amber M. Pena, Sales Manager at Catering by Design – 574-631-7859. While the Club is not ‘officially’ open, Amber informed me that they have already booked two weddings! I’m so excited to have this new venue on campus! I see so many possibilities with regard to how the space might be used – Rehearsal Dinners, Wedding Receptions, Sunday After Brunches, Welcome Partys – to just name a few!! Isn’t it exciting?!!