Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Les & Kristen,

Happy Birthday

Thoughts, December 14th is my birthday. I am blessed and thankful to see another year. Some of my friends called and wanted to know what I was planning for my special day. Well .....nothing that I can really think of. Actually today, I am feeling rather drained and I am fighting a cold or something that one minute I feel ok and the next well..... yuk or yukkie IS that a real word?. You see I just moved back into the house that burned approximately a year ago. Everything is not 100% but for the most part the house was ready enough to get a CO. Packing up two houses is never really a joy but somehow it happened. Many times during the whole process, I tried to think of this whole rebuilding process as planning an event ( you know we think of something that is fun) when we really don't want to do something or would rather be doing something else. Well the fun lasted for a short period and then it became a pain in the u know what. Now I hope I don't sound too blah.....but I am blogging at some unreal time because I took a nap earlier after having some medicine so .... I am wide awake. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me and to all my Saggie Friends. I look forward to next weekend celebrating my good friend's birthday HAPPY Birthday Isis of Posh of Events and to all my other friends and family HAPPY BIRTHDAY Reggie, Nicole, Montez, Wanda, Donna, and LeRoy!!! I know that I forgot someone but HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL THE DECEMBER BABIES! AS of TODAY.....there are only 11 more days to Christmas. So I will celebrate today and for the rest of the holiday season!!! As soon as I get rid of this cold.. ...Gonna Party LIKE IT"S !1999

It's So Pink!

While I was thinking of pink, these are some designs from a recent wedding, in which the bride's favorite color was ......... YOU GUESSED IT........ PINK! Design Tips: Custom Asile Runner- Measure the length and width of the asile. In this case, I only did the center asile for effect. The circle which was placed in the center, was removed later which will be framed as a memory from the wedding. WOW! Low Budget Floral- I do love florals but many times, the budget does not allow for extensive florals. For this wedding various vases were filled with deco beads, led lights were added for more effect. Candles were placed on each table with the various height vases. The room looked wonderful. Hope to share more pictures soon from so pretty in pink.

Brides Who Make A Difference.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This blog is dedicated to my friends/sisters who are breast cancer survivors. I recall a prayer chain when we found out that one of my dear friends had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Today, she is healthy and still going strong. And then there was another friend, and another. Breast Cancer affects the lives of one in eight women. Although women are at a higher risk, men too can be affected by breast cancer. The focus of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to increase awareness, share information and provide screening services to individuals. It is estimated nearly 200,000 women will be diagnosed this year with breast cancer. Many of these women will be between the ages of 15-54 years old.

In going through my October folder, I found a pamphlet Making Memories. The Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation is a non-profit organization which 1. which aids terminally ill breast cancer patients with a memory making wish; 2 increase awareness and educate the public about breast cancer awareness. Some of the various events listed are Brides Against Breast Cancer, Diamonds for Dreams, Pink Envelope Project and Nationwide Quilt Contest. You can find Making Memories on line at http://www.makingmemories.org/. Early breast cancer usually does not cause symptoms. Stay informed, get a mammogram screening every year for all women age 40, and older and every 1-2 years for women under 40.

Time Goes By

I'm back!!!! I cann't believe that it's been so long since I last posted. When my 11 year old said to me, the summer goes by too quickly, I thought it isn't just me thinking that Time Goes By TOO QUICKLY. Well, I am going to try to catch up and in the next few posts let you hear about some of the happenings from the summer. When I started this blog, I initially told you about my house that burned on 11/7/07. To date, I am still not back in the house but hope to move back in a few weeks. I do not watch alot of TV, but recently watched the show "SAY YES TO THE DRESS" If you have not seen it, it's about BRIDES who cann't make up their mind about which wedding dress to pick. The one particular episode that I watched ,the dress the bride picked out from her picture was totally not her style, and the other was way over budget. Well, I kinda compared myself to picking things out for the house to this show. Now, I can plan parties, custom designs, weddings and so forth for other folks...........but felt pretty much like a bride in picking cabinets, countertops, mirrors, paints, flooring and so forth. SO I have my notebook, just like a Bride, put my top priorities in order and pretty much picked a neutral color scheme for the whole house. My daughter initially wanted four different colors for her room, and my son who is a big Phillies FAN!! wanted.....of COURSE a Phillies Room. Cann't wait to take pictures to let you see how it turns out. My daughter settled for two shades of pink, and my son is happy with the painters adding a RED stripe around the room. The next few weeks will probably be very busy, but my TO DO LIST includes keeping up with my posts.

Something Blue

UM...UM... GOOD!

Whether you are celebrating the Fourth or planning that very special life celebration. Here's something BLUE!

Spectular Wedding Show

What an EVENT! It was one of those evenings, and I was not at all sure that I was going but I am so glad that I did. The Wedding Salon at The Palace at Somerset Park impressed me from the beginning to the finale. From the spectacular entrance, the grand terraces and exquisite ballrooms. It boasts of being the only venue of it's kind in New Jersey. The space is able to accommodate groups of up to 1,000. But if your event is smaller the Palace is still able to accommodate your guests. What a finale!! A Bridal Fashion Show by The Exclusive Vera Wang. I could not wait to share some of these wonderful pictures with you. Enjoy!

A Splash of Color Was Everywhere!

Tablescapes with the WOW Effect!

B DAZ'zle Gives Back

Lindenwold Mayor Kicks Off Luncheon

I could not be in the position that I am in today without being thankful and giving back. I belongto many professional organizations. But one in particular the women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority believe in community service and giving back to those whose shoulders we stand on.Recently the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the Lindenwold Municipal Alliance hosted a luncheon for the seniors of the Lindenwold Community Center. This is the second annual luncheon in which the seniors look forward to each year. Last year's theme was "Welcome Summer" in which B DAZ'zled Events and Weddings provided the decor and the members of the sorority provided a luncheon. This year's theme "You Are A Star" provided a Hollywood Backdrop with all of the seniors entering on a Red Carpet. The Mayor of Lindenwold NJ along with many other dignitaries were present. A discussion of Safety Precautions for Seniors was provided by the Municipal Alliance. Thank you DST and the Lindenwold Senior Citizen's Group. Each senior member of the group took home many goodies provided by the Alliance and a single red rose.

Wedding Flowers

Flowers can range from $300 to $5,000 or more. Most weddings use flowers for the ceremony, brides bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets, corsages (mother's grandmother's aunts, special people in your life), boutonnieres, flower girl, reception flowers. So when planning your budget, the floral budget should be close in the top ten category. In today's economy with the high cost of gas- what's a bride to do. First try using some of your ceremony flowers at your reception. Downsize your bridal party. Instead of each bridesmaid carrying a full bouquet try using one stem, which can be very elegant. Find flowers that are in season which can cut your costs significantly. Find pictures of flowers that you would like to use. How would you like to utilize flowers at the ceremony and the reception. Pictures...pictures.... pictures please! Browse the internet, magazines or better yet go and visit a florist. And although I love flowers "think outside the box." Many times you can have a wonderful effect with using fewer flowers or providing your florist or event designer with ideas for unique bouquets or centerpieces with fewer flowers.

Tablescape By Bev./ Inspired by France

These are the pictures that I promised in an earlier blog.

The Eiffel Tower draped with a boa.

Good-bye Guy

Well, the last few weeks have been a whirl-wind and I have been MIA for a few a days with blogging. It's the end of the school year for my kids which means parties, more parties, dance recitals , weddings, and such. It also means graduations, baby showers, wedding showers, proms, and even a celebration of life. A Celebration of Life you say- is that an Event? Why of course it is. This past week, I joined with several friends in saying Good-bye to our dear friend and accountant Guy Wallace. Guy was an intelligent wonderful individual who loved life and people. No matter what the day of the week, he could always make you laugh- with one of those deep belly laughs. He will be missed not only by his lovely wife of fifteen years, but also by the many lives that he touched along the way. We will remember his laugh, his love for good food, friends and for doing our taxes for so many years. Even during his Celebration of Life Service, we laughed through tears with fond memories of Guy.

Sometimes I Shop!

I love craft stores, shoe stores, clothing stores, furniture stores, flea markets, and all kinds of stores. Yes, you can say that I love to shop or sometimes just browse the asiles of a store. Many times, but not often I don't buy a thing. Sometimes I am just gathering ideas or gathering my thoughts. Now you never know where you are going to get some inspiration! Last week, I was walking around Michael's Craft Store ( really, really love craft stores) and I picked up these wonderful idea cards. Of course, they were Martha Stewart: Crafts. Now if you are short on time, or you don't find it therapeutic as I do, then maybe Idea Cards might not be your thing. If an effort to go green in my house and not pick up too many papers or have too much clutter. I only picked up two of the Idea Cards. One was kid's party ideas and the other mix+match wedding themes. The kids party ideas mainly included crafting paper, food tissue paper, stamps and a craft knife- which if you are doing this as part of the activity for a children's party would need close supervision. Can you see it, a bunch of 10 or 11 year old boys using a craft knife like the joy stick on the Wii. Thoughts only a mother would have. Whew! now that I had that thought,I also thought that the cookie envelope was really cute and simple. This could be used as a craft and/or a favor to end a birthday or any children's party celebration. The paper cone shaped hats were also on this particular Idea Card. Just paper rolled into the shape of an ice cream cone with a few embellisments. Now of course my tween and teen would not be caught dead in a cone shaped hat, but would be more than happy to make and decorate them. The wedding themes caught my eye because I am working with a couple who will be celebrating twenty-five years of martial bliss and the silver and white Print It Yourself invitations seemed really pretty and classy. So there's my inspiration- I am thinking of throwing an end of the year party for my kids, and also have a new budget friendly idea to present to the anniversary couple. You see you never know where you are going to get alittle inspiration.

If you are a DIY take a look at http://www.michaels.com/ or www. marthastewartcrafts.com.

Top It Your Way

Ok, it's your Day- Your Way because you are the bride. But the cake also gets lots of attention. These custom cake toppers could easily be added to your wedding, anniversary, birthday or graduation party cake. You might even try just using them as part of the decor.

Too Cute

These napkin rings could make a great conversation piece at your next dinner party. You can do them yourself or have your kids do them. They are toilet tissue holders all dressed up. Too cute! If you are a little crafty- try this and other great ideas from www.make-stuff.com

How Sweet It Is

Mother's Day became an official holiday in 1914. I could not end this evening without giving special thanks for all the wonderful mothers in the world. My parents are deceased but it the foundation provided by my mother that made the person that I am today. I am thankful and I am sure that she continually watches over me. My children and family made this day so special for me. My day started with my daughter making her famous pancakes under the close supervision of her brother. I marveled at the fact they are both growing up so quickly, and had actually joined forces in having a day off from any kind of arguments. We spent time together in church and later enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared by my sister. After enjoying the evening, my oldest sister noticed a present which had not been opened. I opened the bag and removed a card which immediately sang " How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You. I smiled, laughed and moved to the beat of Sweet Love and Devotion. I am sure that everyone thinks that they have the most wonderful kids in the world- but I know that I do. So on this Mother's Day and Everyday- How Sweet It Is..... You saved the best for last! Who knows this might even be a wonderful wedding song.

Wedding Colors

I was looking through a wedding book as I often do and ran across this rhyme about wedding dresses of different colors. Married in white, you have chosen right. Married in green, ashamed to be seen. Married in red, you will wish yourself dead. Married in blue, you will always be true. Married in yellow, ashamed of your fellow. Married in black, you will wish yourself back. Married in pink, your spirits will sink. I married in silver and white- guess they didn't have a word to rhyme with that. What word rhymes with silver anyway??? This rhyme brings me to the thought.... How do you think people come up with the colors for their wedding or event? I remember doing one wedding that the bride's favorite color was green, now this was before Going Green became popular. Initially, I thought GREEN! Each time that I said ALL GREEN, she would respond, but yes that's my favorite color. After talking with her for a while I was able to get her to add some other colors- because I feared her pictures would not look great and years later, she would not appreciate the color choice or me as much for letting her pick only one shade of green. When all the green came together with her other colors, it was really a very pretty wedding. As I think back, I was probably just a pain in the u -know what - when I got married- I wanted everything Purple and Silver. One of my girlfriends later confessed that I was such a pain, because I was only seeing PURPLE. I don't know if purple was my favorite color, but at that time it seemed like such a royal color. It's just something about the Color Purple. Now, how did you actually pick your colors for your wedding or event? Did you have a favorite color or did you use the rhyme?

Tip: Need help finding the right color - Ask Sherwin Williams- Go to a hardware store and pick up some paint swatches. All of the shades are right there on one little card.

After Marriage

When you are planning a wedding and thinking about the future, children are generally part of the discussion. Sometimes, I think BK (before kids) and now I cann't think of any decision that does not involve my kids, including sharing many of my party planning ideas with them. So as I am writing this, I am thinking --Children are the most precious gift ever, or most times. Tonight my fifth grader is balking at his sister the eighth grader. It seems that their new thing is to start and finish their day with some kind of debate about anything. My solution: maybe they both need to go to bed earlier. I am not sure if it's the weather, or the past six months, but they both are like two grumpies rather than goofies. All things considered they have been wonderful so I guess it's ok for them to be grumpy/goofy. Now just when I thought, that I have some mommy time-out time--Oh no here comes my fourteen year old. One child always would go to bed without a fight and the other would go to bed like clock work. Oh what a night! school will be out soon, it's wedding season, and party time, graduations, proms, etc. Pretty soon, they will be fighting over which one is giving the best opinion for my next design or next event. Gotta Love them. They are precious and much too cute!

Party Planning

If this is how you are feeling or you look each time you plan an event, then you might consider hiring an Event Planner.

Scene I: Big Party

You have been thinking of planning a milestone party for your mother's birthday. Oh my! you think I have plenty of time two months before the party. After checking your calendar for a date to have the party, you notice their is a conflict with the date of your mother's party and a company party which is really necessary for you to attend. Also little Susie has a school function two days before your mother's birthday. Of course you promised to bring the snacks and Susie would never forgive you if you didn't bake her favorite cookies. Back to mom's party. You could call on family members to bring different items and host the event in your backyard. No.. No....that little voice in your head warns you, I really want something special for mom's birthday, to celebrate her 75 years of life. And then you think back, the last time you had a party- your cousin made an awful salad and even the dog refused to eat it. Your husband dropped the camera in the pool. The kids thought the entertainment was awesome with all the guys attempting to fish the camera out of the pool. The last big party was for your dad's Big Day, and you forgot some of his golf buddies; which by the way your mom and dad will never let you forget. I mean how could you forget them- you've known Uncle Jack and Uncle Josh since you were five. Alright... alright enough that little voice tells you in your head. And then another thought appears, you could always call your sister-in-law because she generally handles all the family events. But then you think if you call Mary, she will remind you for a year of all the work that she had to do to pull off the event And of course she will say, "I really did not get to enjoy the event myself." And anyway, the family should give her a medal of honor (which she never lets anyone forget) because she is so great at planning all the family events.

Iam sure you pretty much get the picture. So here are tips for planning any event whether it is a small informal party or a large gala affair.

Choose the date.

If you are using someplace other than your home- secure the venue. If it's wedding , prom or a special day, make sure you secure the date at least a year in advance.

Create a budget.

Create a guest list ( Invite the people that are really important- remember it's your party and your money).

Invitations- make them, evite or buy them already made. Send them out 3-4 weeks prior to your event. If it is a wedding at least 6 weeks or if people are traveling from out of town 8 weeks.

Choose your entertainment ( music, games, or something to help your guests interact with one another.

If you are using a the services of a caterer, or florist make sure they are booked well in advance

Make your menu or discuss options with your caterer

Decorations- can give your party or event that wow effect which leaves a fond memory with your guests for years to come.

Pre-planning is important. Write down the details. And if you still need help HIRE a Professional Event Planner- not your sister-in-law who is the family event planner. A Professional Event Planner can take care of many of the details and responsibilities for your party.

Ooo LA LA!

Just the thought of Paris evokes feelings of romance. Ok, I am a romantic too. As one of my favorite poets Kahlil Gibran would say "Speak to us of Love.' 'When love beckons to you follow him." I am so excited, I just finished some research about Parisian Weddings. Oh Paris the city of love. Even the language sounds like love. I know I am rambling, no.. no.. I am blogging. Well, this is how it all came about. I was doing a tablescape and of course I needed to (1) either buy everything again or (2) go to the warehouse of some of my nearest and dearest friends. My dear collegue and friend Tuesdi of Soiree Events,Etc lent me her Eiffel Tower.She had recently done a super job with it in designing a "Girls Night Out Theme" in a tablescape for ISES ( International Special Events Society). I absouletly loved it. So I thought I will give it a new twist. I love boas. They are sooo soft and you can design so many things with them. So I wrapped the tower with ribbons and boas. Add some lights and some bling OH LA LA! Now I don't have a picture yet but as soon as I do, I will post it. Hopefully, you can picture this in your mind. Black table linnen with a silvergray runner with this Eiffel Tower which I believe was about 26 inches high. The lights were left on the tower with the boa and ribbon threaded through it. Always go for the bling. The lights reflected the ribbon and the boas. In the middle of the tower a few more lights were added with roses. The effect was unique and different. Now if you are solid in tradition, maybe this is not for you, and all roses would be a better bet. But if you are planning a Parisian Themed Wedding, why not the Eiffel Tower. Go for the bling! Ballard designs http://www.ballarddesigns.com/ carries some really cool mini Eiffel Towers which you could easily add to your tablescape or could be used as a favor.

But if you feeling very eclectic- try the black wedding gown or a black and white version. The little black dress took a whole new meaning and is reported as the wedding dress of choice by couture designers like Max Chaoul. I am so French inspired tonight ~ When planning your wedding or event, always let your personality shine with alittle dazzle, and alittle glam. Add a little tradition with a little glam. Oooo ..La La! http://www.dallasbrides.com/

Starting Over

It probably does not shock you that my website www.bdazzleevents.com is about planning events/party planning. I am starting this blog as the rebirth of B DAZ'zle. I hope to give my readers some insight about me, as well as information about event planning, and planning ideas for a simply wonderful event. First, let me tell you how I came up with the name B DAZ'zle. I believe that a really good party/event should spotlight your personality, awe your guests, and leave you and others with fond impressions for many, many days. The definition of dazzle is to (1). bewilder, amaze, or impress with a spectular display. (2) to inspire admiration or wonder. That's not my definition but Webster's II New College Dictionary. Therefore B (for me) DAZ'..zle. Then comes the question, "Why are you starting over?" Although, I have not lost a beat- many thanks to my wonderful friends and colleagues. You will hear lots about them in future blogs. I had a house fire on 11/7/07. Maybe it's my lucky number (Crazy Sag)! Anyway, the whole house burned from the basement to the attic. My home-based business, portfolios, event supplies, family history, my life (UP IN SMOKE)! I am so thankful, but I am so human. I cried for days and days, sometimes I still cry. My family was safe and so was I. The agony which results from a fire is like no other event in life. Talk about needing your faith, and ability to organize when you need to put everything back together again. My family and friends are my jewels. Each bejeweled in their own special way! I cannot even begin to tell you guys how much I Love You! Life goes on. Each Day Is The First Day of the Rest of Your Life! Celebrate Life! Live Your Dream! Sometimes we as event planners plan the most Awesome Events, sometimes Events just happen! Starting Over, If life is a party, Let's give B DAZ'zle to Life. I have plenty to say, about event/party planning; about life. Thank-you for spending sometime with me and welcome to my blog.