We spent the day at the Palace Hotel in NYC co-hosting the Wedding Party with the Wedding Library and it was such a great event. Thank you to all of those who attended, but for those of you who weren't able to we're bringing you photos and ideas from behind the scenes.
Starting the day off, the amazing Colin Cowie spoke in front of over 400 people and I always love hearing him speak. Even though he is a planner to the stars and has lots of celeb A-list clients -- his ideas are useful and inspiring for any wedding or party. He shared some behind-the-scenes of his extravaganza events- but still with takeaways for a bride on any budget
He reminds us that this is your wedding -- you should make it your own. A clever idea is naming drinks after each of your bridesmaids. You can also mix-and-match different looks for your table decor -- so the tables go together but not everything is exactly the same. Or try using multiple elements on each table instead of one big centerpiece -- mixing and matching your arrangements. Try naming tables after something personal like songs you like or places you've been. Colin also says that serving a super big bottle of champagne is fun. Pashmina wraps (in your color palette) placed on the backs of chairs for all the women guests are perfect and thoughtful for an outdoor wedding. Make sure to make everything the best quality -- your guests will appreciate it. Another great idea is having waiters serve tequila in test tubes (tequila is an alcohol that keeps you up -- perfect for a party like a reception). And finally, use rituals and different shades of a color for bridesmaids like different shades of lavenders and violets. Thats a little peak into his talk
After the great advice from Colin brides and guests alike were invited upstairs to peruse several rooms with bridal vendors from everything from photography, to cakes, to jewelry and more. MSW had an entire wing with some of our favorite vendors we've worked with throughout the years including Sylvia Weinstock, Matthew Robbins, Pingg.com, Sally Hershberger, One Girl Cookies, Sandals, and more. Check out our photo gallery below to see all of the great products we were featuring plus some behind the scenes shots in case you missed the event.
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2 Co-owners of the Wedding Library Claudia Hanlin and Jennifer Zabinski kick the event off by introducing myself and Colin Cowie, who was also a guest speaker today.
3 Me during my talk.
4 The amazing Colin Cowie.
5 The festive entrance to the Martha Stewart Weddings wing.
6 Musicians from Elan Artists.
7 Two beautiful cakes from Sylvia Weinstock.
8 The amazing Sylvia Weinstock pose for a picture with Anthony in our photo booth provided by the company Polite in Public.
9 Sari, owner of For Your Party.
10 Just a sampling of the customized napkins For Your Party offers.
11 Some of the ideas on display straight from MSW.
12 Some of the brides and guests who stopped by to get ideas and inspiration at the Wedding Party.
13 A couple of my scrap boxes on display. Don't forget, you can upload photos of your own scrap boxes at MarthaStewart.com. And these scrap boxes are from Dennis Daniels, which can be purchased here http://shop.marthastewart.com/
14 Matthew Robbins provided all of the beautiful floral arrangements and was on hand to talk to brides.
15 Matthew even brought beautiful pink posies for our guests to take home with them.
16 A grand and gorgeous arrangement from Matthew Robbins.
17 A sneak peek at our spring issue and a few of the adorable flower girl dresses.
18 Beautiful calligraphy from Bernard Maisner.
19 Just some of the Martha Stewart collection from Wedgewood on display at this beautiful table by Macy's.
20 A closer look at the pattern inspired by some of Martha's own personal antique dishes.
21 The cakes, cookies, and treats from One Girl Cookie...yum!
22 Delicious confections from One Girl Cookies.
23 Another look at the cakes, cookies, and candies from One Girl Cookies.
24 Martha Stewart Designs from Kodak and Crane's were also on display for brides to see.
25 Corrine from Handle & Sprout was making her beautiful fabric flowers...a great gift for flower girls or your bridesmaids.
26 Mark Ingram and I taping a video segment. Several beautiful dresses from his atelier were on display.
27 Some of the ideas from Sandals and invitations from Pingg.com were also on display for brides to look at.
28 The girls from Pingg.com.
29 Shu Uemura eyelashes were applied to guests who wanted to get glammed up.
30 Rubin from Sally Hershberger styles brides' hair for their big day (or Saturday as in this case).
31 The eyelashes from Shu Uemura and the hair styling of Sally Hershberger were very popular. Look at the line!
32 Confetti, pinatas, and ideas were on display from ConfettiSystem.
33 The crew from ConfettiSystem showing off their stuff.
34 Some of the confetti from ConfettiSystem.
35 Great earrings from Dana Michele make the perfect gift for your bridesmaids.
36 In another room, Ron Ben-Israel Cakes were on display. How beautiful is this design?
37 Outside the Palace in the courtyard the Wedding Library had trucks set up to serve snacks including this pizza truck.
38 A truck with sweet treats as you leave.
39 Le Gamin truck serving French snacks and food.
Sources:
Open Eye Media
Carlos Varella
Roey Yohai
Kodak Gallery
Crane & Co.
Sandals
Keri Glassman, Nutritionist
Mobile Libris on hand to sell our most popular books
Sylvia Weinstock
Shu Uemura
Matthew Robbins
One Girl Cookies
ConfettiSystem
Sally Hershberger
For Your Party
Handle & Spout
Pingg
Polite in Public, Photo booth
From: Jennifer | 2/21/10 at 7:02 am
I love those flower girl dresses. I loved the color and style.
From: Dognbird | 2/21/10 at 11:55 am
Darcy - thank you for this wonderful photo recap. Can't wait for the spring issue!
From: NYC Adventures – The Weekend In Review | The Sweetest Occasion | 2/22/10 at 8:03 am
[...] many more details about The Wedding Party, you can read Darcy’s post on The Bride’s Guide where she recapped the entire event in great detail. If you look closely at photo 37 in the [...]
From: Rowaida Flayhan | 2/23/10 at 8:23 am
Hi Darcie, this looks like an amazing event. Wish you always great success. I love the pattern inspired by Martha's own personal antique dishes in photo #20. Is it possible to give me the name of the brand for the antique dishes.
Thank you
From: Antoinette@wiseweddingstyles.com | 2/23/10 at 10:46 am
Thanks for sharing tips from Colin Cowie. While signature cocktails have been around for a while, I love the idea of naming drinks after your bridesmaids instead of making it just about the couple. It could be a fun surprise at any wedding!
From: Wedding Party by The Wedding Library | Dana Michele | 2/24/10 at 9:22 am
[...] of another spectacular Wedding Party by The Wedding Library. Vendors and celebrity speakers such as Darcy Miller of Martha Stewart Bride and Colin Cowie gathered at The Palace Hotel on Saturday, Feb 20th. Darcy loved Dana Michele [...]
From: Nancy | 7/8/10 at 5:53 pm
I have seen Colin's work on TV several times on TV. I agree with him about remembering that it is your day. I like all the personal touches he suggests making.