Pomanders!

I'm seeing more and more interest in these flowery little balls! A pomander is the proper name for them, although I've been known to mistakenly call them pompadours.

I most often receive this photo (source unknown) from brides asking if this is something that can be created. And yes, it can be! We'll be doing a very similar set up for a wedding in October.



Here is how my brides have used them recently:

Carrie shipped down silk rose pomanders to be tied on the inside aisle of each chair. She was married at Sand Dollar Estates and we had the ceremony on the beach there.



Later, we moved the pomanders to cocktail hour and placed them on metal stands that were placed on hi boy tables.



A week later, we used them at Waterfront Bistro for Jen's wedding. The florist made up fresh flowers and we rented the candlesticks...three decorated the entry table:



And two decorated the cake table:



And if you haven't looked at the blog post below, check out how the moss pomanders were used to decorate one of the tables. This would also look very nice hanging on the chairs at the ceremony, maybe with one brightly colored floral bloom by the top where the ribbon would be (I think a gerbera daisy would work best).

Object: Splendor

Have I shared this site with you before? I love it, I think it's an awesome idea for brides. It's basically a website with some really cool ideas for table decor...and then you can buy elements of the table such as the votive, vases, sand dollars, etc. Or just copy the idea and buy them on your own. Not only do I think it's genius, their style is so fresh and modern. Check out some of their designs:








A lot of brides ask me if they have to purchase everything for the reception decor or if there are items to rent. The answer is always "yes and no". It really depends on what you have in mind. Between myself and the florist, we have a lot of elements for rent, but it's just impossible to own & store every single option out there. An upcoming bride of mine was the one that shared this website with me and she is planning to recreate the image with the blue planters. The florist nor myself own anything like those, but the bride was able to purchase very similar planters at her local craft store and will be sending them down. Another bride of mine wants a very similar look, so we have purchased them from the first bride and will reuse them for the 2nd bride and keep them on hand for anyone else that wants something similar. With limited resources on the island, I think it's fun for our brides to connect and share the different options!

A Norbu Wedding

I had the privilege last month to coordinate a wedding at villa Norbu. This is not a villa that can rented for a week long stay, but is specifically designed for wedding & events. And specifically designed it is! Every detail of this place is completely thought out and top notch. The owners, Alain & Soolan Brin, are also the owners of Blue Glass Photography. Having such an intimate relationship with the wedding business, having been to millions of receptions, they knew exactly what was needed for a reception venue and nailed it.

I of course brought my camera along to share with you!

A few fun details provided by the bride.I thought her place cards were a great idea - each color represented a different type of entree which guests had pre-selected. It's always a great idea to have a way for the waitstaff to know who ordered what because guests never remember that when a waiter asks them what they ordered.




Very popular this year has been customized drink stirrers - they really add some color to the bar.



Guests made their way down a long path of stone staircases to reach the stone patio with amazing ocean views.







Back upstairs, dinner was set up under a beautiful white tent (what bride doesn't love a little rain security?!).




Gorgeous chiavari chairs and linens. Each place setting also had a fun little shell napkin ring.






Dancing by the pool after dinner...



Guests just raved about what a beautiful venue it was - I love when the wedding & reception is the highlight of everyone's Virgin Islands experience!

August 1st already?!

I can't believe that the summer months are already almost over! I even went on eBay this morning to order my daughter's Halloween outfits (I'm a bit of a planner, what can I say?). I still have so much to blog and now that our traditional high season is behind me, I hope to do a lot more blog posts this month. I will be away for almost three weeks in September, so hopefully I can do a marathon blog session this month and get everything I've been meaning to blog out of the way before my trip!

The flowers from last Friday's wedding reminded me of fall...the warm tones and the reds...



Loved the look of this boutonniere:



And the start of some pretty cool centerpieces:



As always, I'll be adding these to our Shutterfly albums at www.islandblissweddings.shutterfly.com - can you believe it's had over 25,000 hits?!?!

Kismet, St. John

I had the opportunity to coordinate a wedding last month at Kismet on St. John. To say I was blown away by its beauty is a complete understatement. It was Ahhh-Maaazzing (channeling my inner Oprah).

My bride actually lucked into this villa. She had a different villa reserved for the wedding but unfortunately, there had been a fire a few months prior to the wedding and the owners of the villa did not think it would be ready in time for her event. I could tell she was disappointed but at the same time, the owners of her originally villa reached out to Kismet and they were able to secure this villa for her at the same price. I feel bad saying this, but that fire was the best thing that could happen to her! Not that her original villa wasn't great, but Kismet is just the most amazing venue, completely set up perfectly for a wedding. Check out the pictures!






It had this awesome look out tower (seen in picture above) that you could climb out of and walk around on the roof. This is their photographer out there grabbing some bird's eye photos.



If you're interested in having your wedding at Kismet, let me know! I have some insider information on how to grab a great deal on it (and no! it does NOT involve setting other villas on fire!).

Hola!

Yes, I am back from Mexico! I've been home for almost two weeks now. I'm always very slow to start blogging again after a vacation. It's a reminder that the vacation is over! Another delay was caused because the little diorama's that I purchased to share with you broke on the way home. My wonderful husband fixed them for me last night so I could finally blog them!

I'm a huge fan of Mexican art & culture. The little town we stayed in had THE MOST AMAZING GIFT SHOP EVER. I know I've told you all about my tendency to hoard things. But I'm not a trash hoarder, I'm a shopping hoarder. If I could buy everything in this store, I would have (and probably would have been served divorce papers upon my return home...shortly after covering my house with shelves to display everything). I'm not kidding, this shop was so cool, I even took a picture of it:

Doesn't it make you want to go inside??



And here are some of the things I just had to bring home to share with you. Love them!




The entire family gathered one night on the beach so we got a family photo of everyone together. Five "original" kids, five spouses and eight grandchildren, two very happy grandparents:



And there just so happened to be a wedding taking place at the end of the beach! After the ceremony, the couple took a walk with their wedding guests, serenaded by a mariachi band, that went right past us on the beach (I had actually bought my diorama's a few days earlier - who knew the exact same scenario would play out on the beach a few days later!):



And before you ask, no...we don't have mariachi bands in the Virgin Islands! I wish we did though!

It was pretty amazing that everywhere I looked, I could hardly get away from work. The stores with their brides & grooms...the wedding taking place on the beach...and get this, on a visit to the Maya Ruins with our girls, I turned around and saw THIS:



That's right, he's proposing!! I already had my camera out so I started snapping photos right away and then asked my husband if I had a business card on me. He laughed and called me an ambulance chaser but NO, that's not why I wanted a card. I told them to email me so I could send them the photos but sadly, they haven't yet. I didn't have a card on me and maybe they forgot my business name...so if you know anyone that recently got engaged in Mexico - let them know I have their photos for them!!

And one last photo because it's so darn cute...my girls, Marley and Maya, in front of the Mayan Ruins (and yes, we did partially name Maya after the Riviera Maya!).

We go to Mexico now!

My father-in-law is celebrating his 70th birthday this year and has invited all the family down to their condo in Akumal. I have never been but have been dying to go, ever since my first date with my husband when he told me his parents had a condo in Mexico! Finally, about 8.5 years after that first date, I finally get to go!



I bought my daughter Maya this dress from The Gap once we bought our tickets. I thought it was a perfect Mexico dress. I tried it on her when it came in the mail and she insisted on wearing it even though I begged and pleaded with her to take it off, as I wanted to keep it nice for Mexico. Of course, she won the battle and it has been a popular choice in her weekly wear. She has never forgotten my pleas though and every time I take it out of the closet to put her in it, she says, "we go to Mexico now??" - all excited to hop on that plane and go right now!

We'll be gone until the evening of the 10th but I will have my laptop with me. I just don't know how great the internet connection will be in Akumal. Please excuse any delays while I'm away! Enjoy your Fourth of July weekend and well....Adios!