Check Out These Venues

It's been two months into the new year, and the ISES meetings keeps getting better and better. For those of you who might not be familiar with this organization, ISES (International Special Events Society) is an organization which educates and promotes the special events industry. The South Jersey Chapter of ISES kicked off the New Year with a fab. meeting at Mirabella Cafe. Joe Palombo and his staff were the perfect host. From the butlered hors d' oeuvre's, the wonderful food stations, this could be the perfect place for rehearsal dinner, shower, or even an intimate reception. Off Premise catering is also available. Mirabella's Cafe is well worth checking out www.mirabellacafe.com

February's meeting was held at the newly renovated Currents, at Adventure Aquarium. It boasts 3 rooms and has the capacity for 300 for a reception. For a dinner reception the capacity is 250. Valet parking is available for events. Although, both venues were excellent, I have a particular fondness for the Aquarium in that I had my own wedding reception there long before it's current renovation. The Adventure Aquarium where Philadelphia meets New Jersey. For more information visit www.currentsballroom.com.

Stationary Finds

I could spend hours doing crafts or walking through stores with paper and graphics. Now I send my friends, my brides, and my party people to one of my favorite print and graphic stores to do what else.... find beautiful paper and to stir the creative juices. So when I came across this website, I couldn't help but stop and was absolutely in love with all the choices of paper, diy projects, templates, and how to videos. The site is called the Paper Source:http://www.paper-source.com/. So for ladies who craft, brides wishing to save some money. Check out this site, and if you are in the Cherry Hill area, go by and visit Xpedx Paper and Graphics. Oh I am thinking save the date cards, invitations, favors and on and on and on... Have Fun!

Home Again

Pictures from the fire 11/11/07

Re-building

Hi Everybody,

I am going to try this year to blog with a little more consistency than last year. If you followed my blog, 2007-2008 was a year to remember. After 13 months, I finally moved back into my home. I was really worried about my kids moving back into a house that had burned, but actually they were ok. In the true spirit of an Event Planer's kid(s)...they were ready to plan a party even before we moved furniture into the house. Like normal kids, they packed things that we needed and things that we did not need. When packing became a chore, I think that got rid of somethings because it was more trouble to move everything. It hasn't been quite two months, and I am still looking for things. Who knows .. I may never find everything. 2009- Of Course it's going to be a better year! I was just cruising the net as I often do and ran across the saying " Great Events are built on Great Designs. Well that is exactly what I plan to do this year and thereafter- to implement Great Events, Great Designs, Great Themes. I think that I have done almost every kind of social event. In addition to weddings, last year I was hired to plan a funeral for a family that did not live in New Jersey. That was different, but still it was an event. I handled the budget, acquired the majority of the vendors, florist, church, caterer and made sure the set-up, and break down were completed per time line. 2008 also brought many opportunities to use my design skills, floral decor and something which I think is really fun styrofoam decor. Styrofoam decor makes really cool centerpieces. When I wasn't working a wedding of my own, I often worked with one of my fellow planners, because as we know in the Event World- we are all in this together. It takes a Team to make an event seem flawless. One of my most precious memories was the vow renewal ceremony for the couple celebrating 25 years of love. Oh my, because as we all know in the world of Love; that it's easy to fall in LOVE but staying in love through the thick and thin... WELL you know how it goes. I recall my early days of marriage, the planning of the wedding, the wonderful love. And there were other days, Time passes, and of course you are still in love. But then there were some days, that I would pull my wedding albumn out.........some days just to reflect about ummm how/why. But we love anyway.

I can't predict the future, but I am almost sure that we will continue to be B DAZ'zled as all of life's events lead to DAZ'zling Dreams and we will remember dazzling moments.