I know many of my blog readers are in the wedding industry or thinking about getting into it, if you are definitely check out the site below.

http://www.engagingconcepts.com/index.html

I believe it is the first of its kind, a business to business consulting for the wedding industry on a global scale. They say it best so I am going to steal their quote

“Quite simply – no one understands the "ins and outs" of this lucrative but constantly changing and super competitive market better than we do.”
Which is absolutely the truth; just take a look at who the founder is! Rebecca Grinnals! That woman is a genius!

“Prior to creating Engaging Concepts, Rebecca co-founded Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons for The Walt Disney Company, and spent ten years developing the concept into an unprecedented success. She directed the complete branding strategy, development and implementation of the program, building it into almost a $100 million per year business for Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and the Disney Cruise Line. These efforts resulted in over 18,000 weddings and the coveted status for Disney as the # 1 Domestic Honeymoon Destination. “

Rebecca has set up her first B2B conference which I am thrilled to be a part of along with Rebecca and other experts. Check out the details on http://www.engage08.com/

Hope to see you there. I guarantee it will be worth your time.
I am really so impressed by Rebecca and her goldmine of knowledge and willingness to share to with others, where was she when I first started!

Recent Travels

Hello everyone! Sorry it has been so long since my last post- I have been traveling for work which I am excited to tell you about

First destination Jakarta, Indonesia.
This was my first time to Jakarta and it is amazing! The people are so incredibly nice, the food is out of this world and the ladies are extremely fashionable not to mention drop dead gorgeous.

My team and I stayed at the Dharmawangsa Hotel which is an absolute luxury. The smell of fresh jasmine lingers through the entire hotel becasue they have it everywhere - below is an image of the jasmine in my room. As you can see the jasmine they have there is completely different than what we usually get in the states.




They also have these vibrant fruits int the hotel - my team and I had never seen them before but loved the way the looked.

My room was fabulous I wanted to magically pack it up and take it home with me. This boutique hotel is a must if you are ever in Indonesia and want to be treated like royalty. We actually stayed a day longer then scheduled because none of us wanted to leave.
http://www.the-dharmawangsa.com/


I went to Jakarta for 2 reasons one to launch Preston Bailey Asia and secondly an opportunity came up where I was able to collaborate with my new favorite designer
BIYAN! You must all check him out his collections are pieces of art!
http://www.biyan.com/


It is Biyan’s 25th anniversary in the business and to celebrate this milestone we threw the fashion show of a lifetime. It was Marie Antoinette inspired as you can see. The models actually walked down a wedding cake onto the runway which was an extravagant dinner table.

anbout 1,500 people came to the show and you could hear their gasps as each wedding dress came down the runway.

what did I tell you they are stunning gowns!

Here I am with Biyan on the left and the fabulous Editor-In-Chief of Harper's Bazaar Indonesia, like I said so chic!




After Jakarta it was off to London for the Covent Garden Spring Renaissance Launch.
As I am sure you all know Covent Garden is one of the most famous flower markets, understandably I was very excited about this opportunity.

I decided a good way to represent Spring would be through a living sculpture and of something that represents renewal and beauty, which to us is peacocks.

I do floral sculptures all the time for my clients and they are always a hit so I thought it would so fun to do a public sculpture, but make it out of all potted plants so it was living and would last and grow for a month.

Here I am checking on my birds!

Here is a close up of the potted flowers, I cant wait to see what they look like in a month!




I loved watching people interact with the sculptures- especially this little guy

I am very excited about the doing more public installations in the future I will keep you all posted.

In London we stayed in the Covent Garden Hotel – another beautiful boutique hotel with customer service like I have never seen and a wonderful tea service.
http://www.firmdale.com/index.php?page_id=9

WELCOME TO MY WORLD!

As some of you may know, I participate in the Macy’s Flower Show every year. This year the theme was “A Wonder of the World.”




I love participating in this event because it gives me an opportunity to create floral sculptures that are more conceptually and visually “out of the box.” To anchor Macy’s theme, I thought I’d give you “the world,” which I think is a wonder of its own.




To construct this whimsical globe we started with 2 sculpted metal “hemispheres” as a base. We then covered our hemispheres with oasis and then put chicken wire over the oasis to prevent any “continental drift.” We traced and cut out the continental shapes on freezer paper to use as our “floral appliqué patterns,” placed them on our globe, and finally filled the nations with flowers. It was a long process!

As you can see, I heeded a bit of my own advice and took a risk by giving the world lavender oceans as an unexpected twist.

And here is my fabulous team who created " My World" in a day!

Garden Party on the 16th Floor

Last Sunday I had very small intimate Easter dinner. For my party I kept it simple and casual, I wanted my guests to feel at home in their surrounding and linger for long hours of laughter.





I planted hyacinth bulbs in moss covered oasis for my window decor, I like that these have a different aesthetic than regular ceramic pots.

I have a fabulous New York City view so I did not want to put anything too large that would block it.

I covered the rest of my flat in white and blue hydrangea, to create that feeling of a garden party.



A gracious guest brought over these adorable Easter cookies for everyone, which I quickly snatched up made them into my napkin décor. Don't be afraid to be spontaneous it ususally works out to your benefit, as it did here for me.

For appetizers I served shrimp and more shrimp, fine hummus, and spicy guacamole.

The main course was lamb, chicken and mango glazed pork ribs, julienne carrots, fancy potatoes, string beans with almonds, and a variety of gourmet breads.

The star of the show was dessert of course!
We had cupcake spread consisting of cupcakes from 3 of my favorite places in the city ( yes 3), Billy’s, Magnolia, and Cupcake Bakery.

On top of that we also had banana pudding, truffles, chocolates and pralines oh my!


Here I am serving my guests a refreshing tropical smoothies with coconut milk, orange and lime juice. I always have fresh fruit smoothies at my dinner parties it is a great pick me up.

We also had 2 types of cider which were a total hit! They are definitely not traditional but trust me just as delicious!

Wassail
1/2 gallon apple cider
15 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups orange juice.

This is good without the pineapple juice and orange juice too. Put everything in a pot and bring to a simmer ( don't let it boil)

Spicy Cider
I am not crazy, this is good and definitely unexpected.
1/2 gallon apple cider
about 5 Serrano chilies

Put them in a pot and bring to a simmer. If you add a little lemon juice you will have Hot and Sour Cider.

Finally to set the right relaxed mood we listened to Madredeus and Jorge Drexler, perfect with our NYC backdrop.

InStyle Weddings

I know this is shameless but have to do it!

Pick up the new InStyle Weddings this month, it is beautiful like always- love love love them!

don't forget to stop on my page while you are flipping through all the other gorgeous ones.

They have also gussied up their website and you know who is on it....

Oh I am terrible. http://www.instyleweddings.com/weddings

CHICKS!

Easter is such a fun and colorful holiday to decorate for; it’s the big kickoff for spring. After weathering the winter doldrums, we are all more than ready for it!




This year my team came up with “Easter Chicks” for our theme. We made little, floral peeps using styrofoam eggs that we shaved into baby chick shapes, then we glue-gunned tiny silk flowers onto the basic shapes to resemble their fluffy feathers. Their adorable feet are made from shaped wire wrapped in raffia.

You can use these chicks for many different areas in your Easter décor. Put them in your children’s Easter baskets, in nests around the house, or use them as accents to your centerpiece.





This is a great and whimsical alternative to your standard “flowers in a vase.” For our centerpiece we created a lush, miniature landscape for our chicks. We used a basket as our base, lined it with plastic and filled it with pre-soaked oasis. Then, with our trusty glue gun, we embellished the outside of the basket with green silk leaves. We trimmed our basket with a plush fringe of cascading succulents which gives it a very organic appeal. Finally, we stocked our mini-garden with our favorite Spring flowers.


At this time of year the flower markets are teeming with delightful, fresh colors; they all scream, “Spring is coming! Spring is coming!” So, don’t be afraid to play with color and make a bold statement.

Oh, and these Easter Chicks make ideal pets for the kids; no food, no coop, and no messy clean-up. Easy!

Paris

I am so sorry I have been MIA for the last month! I have been traveling which I am going to tell you all about starting with my favorite city PARIS. I went to Paris to visit with a lovely Princess to discuss an upcoming event. Mum is the word on that for the moment.

I was lucky enough to be able to stay at the Ritz for the duration of my stay. They are in the process of a renovation and I cant wait to see the results. If you are lucky enough to visit this beautiful city be sure to check out the Ritz; it is the ultimate destination for luxury. I was really impressed with their extraordinary customer service. I arrived early my room was not ready, so they arranged a complimentary massage for me while I waited. How fantastic is that!

http://www.ritzparis.com/

While in Paris I attended The Swarovski Paris Bridal Event. http://www.swarovski.com/

The exhibit was breath taking and inspiring. For all you brides to be out there I have to tell you about one of my favorite pieces, as crystal-beaded bridal gown by Monique Lhuillier. http://www.moniquelhuillier.com/
I’ve always been a big fan of her work. She is a pure genius when it comes to tailoring to a woman’s body, her dresses are art!

While strolling through enchanting installations the funniest thing happened
A very lovely fan ran up to me screaming “ Colin Cowie, Colin Cowie! I have all your books I am such a huge fan!”
I almost fell over I was laughing so hard and to be honest I think some of my employees did!
She was a very sweet girl and it turned out she was a fan of mine as well as Colin’s. Needless to say, she was mortified, but I assured her I was flattered all the same and we all had a good laugh. Since I have returned home I have told this story to almost everyone and it has been a hit. Mistaken identity has its perks, though; this charming young lady sent me a wonderful surprise gift when I got back home.

Pret-a-Porter was also underway during my trip, and as I am sure you can imagine it doesn’t get better than Fashion Week in Paris. I love going to Couture shows; the art and glamour of fashion is awe inspiring. http://www.pretparis.com/

Paris is a city full of inspiration included are some of the photos I took while exploring the city. You can find inspiration everywhere you look. Here are a sample of some of my inspiration images.

Don't forget to check me out on one of my favorite websites for weddings! InStyle Weddings!
http://www.instyleweddings.com/weddings/gallery/0,,20168858_20385958,00.html