Elegant Events by Laura's Blog

First Birthday (behind the scenes) – Gus

eleganteventsbylaura — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 20:16:36 +0000

A lot of work went into the prep of Gus’s Mickey Mouse Party here are some of the pictures from behind the scenes:

The tools:

The Mickey Mouse Cookies:

Step 1:

Progress:

Finished and waiting to dry:

The ones that cracked and broke in process: (Don’t worry we ate them too – the husband is always helpful for things like that.)

The Mickey Mouse Rice Krispie Treats:

The extra Rice Krispie Treats (the edges left after cutting out the Mickey Mouse shapes):

Many Many Favors:

First Birthday Desserts – Gus

eleganteventsbylaura — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 12:34:15 +0000

Our team took on the task of making the desserts for Gus’s First Birthday. Since it was a Mickey Mouse Birthday Party you will notice a theme….

A couple of overview shots:

Now all of the components that went into it.

Mickey Oreo Cookies:

Mickey Shaped Rice Krispie Treats:

The Mickey Mouse Cupakes:

(Chocolate Cake)

(Vanilla Cake)

The Obligatory Sheet Cake:

And the Mickey Mouse Cake for the Birthday Boy AKA The Smash Cake:

The Cookie Favors:

Don’t worry there was real food too: (under the tin foil covers)

First Birthday Details – Gus

eleganteventsbylaura — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:16:08 +0000

Well Gus’s first birthday was a huge success and he had a great time, but now its time to check out some of the details that the Elegant Events team did.

Invites – Front:

Invites – Back:

The Happy 1st Birthday Gustavo sign:

The Gift Area (he’s a VERY loved little boy with many people who like to shop)

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post….THE DESSERTS (yes they get their own post)

First Birthday – Gus

eleganteventsbylaura — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:08:31 +0000

Happy First Birthday Gus!!

Today is Gus’s actual first birthday so in honor of that its time to post some pics of his Mickey Mouse Birthday Party!

The Birthday Boy in his Mickey T-Shirt:

An outfit change into something more formal for some pics w/ grandma:

…and the official singing of Happy Birthday:

He wasn’t thrilled with the fire….then everyone started singing…

He wasn’t thrilled with that either (he’s in the WRONG family if thats the case)

Then it was time for the family photos and there were lots of them! He has a big family. He did his best with all of the distractions though, and my team and I even got in on the action.

(From the Left) Patrice – Made the cake, Kelly (my assistant) – Made the Favor Cookies, Kate – Helped w/ the Mickey Cookies and Rice Krispies, Gus being held by his mom Eileen, and Me!

He had another outfit change (it was like he was hosting the Oscars) and got into his onsie for the cake smash:

(taken post smash)

He wasn’t too sure at first but he started to get into it a little then he sat on the cake. He thought that was hysterical!

Back in the Mickey Outfit:

Everyone’s favorite Mouseketeer:

and a picture of me with the birthday boy

NYC Music Bar Mitzvah

eleganteventsbylaura — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:50:27 +0000

This Saturday night we were lucky enough to be in NYC for a Bar Mitzvah for a very talented young man.

When I originally met with his family he told me he wanted no flowers, and liked silver/grey/white/black. So with that to go on we decided to go with a great lounge set-up for the kids in white and black.

He did agree that his mom could have some candles on the adult tables so we decided to highlight his love of Bon Jovi.

For the sign in “board” we decided to go with a Guitar. It’s real and it can be played, but I think this may have a special spot on his wall.

It was a fantastic event, the highlight being a performance by the birthday boy and his band! I have no doubt we’ll be seeing him on stage someday!

Some more pictures of the table settings and the escort card and kippot table.

This was a fantastic family and we were so happy to be a part of their day!!

First Birthday Preview – Gus

eleganteventsbylaura — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:05:01 +0000

For his first birthday Gus decided he wanted a Mickey Mouse Birthday. Well ok his mom and dad did but I’m sure if he could talk he would have agreed! This was particularly special since 1 month before his birthday Gus took his first trip to Disney World.

(Waiting for dinner in the Magic Kingdom – those are his mom’s Minnie ears)

He loved Disney, and yes he always looks that happy!!

Off to the party!!

A Sapphire Engagement Ring

eleganteventsbylaura — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 01:32:27 +0000

Here is a close-up of the amazing ring that Prince William handed down to his bride to be Kate. The 18 carat sapphire ring is surrounded by 14 diamonds. It cost 30,000 pounds in 1981 but is now considered to be priceless due to its history.

Critics have been a bit harsh when discussing his choice to propose with his mother ring but critics or not this ring has been very talked about and replicas are already appearing. It looks like the new trend is taking off rather quickly especially in this holiday season known for proposals. Plus as a September baby I’m happy to see my birthstone recognized!

There are replicas like this one from Etsy Seller Laurie Sarah Designs

or like these similar rings from a more mainstream seller like Blue Nile.

They even have a link on the main page of their engagement ring section linking you to sapphire rings so if this isn’t your style or you love the idea of a sapphire ring but don’t want something so literal there are many more options.

In the past sapphires have been popular to accent the diamond center stone like this from Blue Nile.

However there are other ways to use a sapphire as the center stone.

However if the traditional diamond ring is more your style you can always bring in the sapphire into your wedding band.

And hey this takes care of your something blue!

What do you think about sapphires in your wedding jewelery?

Candy Buffets

eleganteventsbylaura — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 23:20:16 +0000

Remember how much fun it was when you got the chance to pick out one type of candy as a special treat? How about letting your guests have this same experience at your wedding.

Candy buffets have been increasing in popularity lately. They are relatively easy to do and can easily go with the theme of your wedding. You can do an old school candy buffet that includes favorite sweets from your childhood, or you can do something to match the theme of your wedding.

One important thing to figure out is how much candy you need for your event. First think about where you can place this candy buffet. One good place is to use the same table that your escort cards were on as it is likely on the way back out of the venue so guests will pass it on the way home. If you want you can also place it in the room so that guests may have access to it during dessert and the later part of the evening.

As for the amount Some say 1/4 LB per guest, others say 1/2 LB per guest. Others recommend 7-10 (or more, depending on budget) types of candies. Buy 15-20 pounds of each variety. I also think its important to take into account what types of candy you have. Chances are guests won’t take more then one lollipop each however they will take a handful of chocolate kisses and maybe two handfuls of jelly beans. Once you know how much you are going to get based on your guest count and the space that you have there are many online retailers who sell bulk candy. Two of our favorites are Candy Warehouse and A Candy Store. If you want to stick with tradition and get some Jordan Almonds Superior Nut Store is a great vendor!

One of the next important steps is to get the vessels and scoops that you need. As a general rule if the candy is wrapped you don’t need a scoop. For scoops we like Lions Deal. Take into account the look you want to have for your candy buffet. You can use closed jars or opens ones. I often feel that lids while they look fantastic can sometimes cause trouble for those holding the lid, and trying to scoop the candy into the bag or box. So to make it easier for guests I prefer open containers. Below are some of the containers used for a recent wedding. There were about 6 others not pictured. These came from Ikea, Michaels, and some were just sitting around the house of the bride. Different shapes, sizes, and levels create interest and assure that your guests will be able to see all of their choices.

Making sure your guests have someplace to put the candy is important. I like to use chinese take-out boxes but bags and other boxes work nicely as well. Papermart has a lot of great possibilities.

The next step is to make sure you have someone to set it up on the night of your wedding and to make labels and decorations.

Here is the finished product of a wedding in April. Their theme was just to follow the colors of the wedding using Green, Purple, White, and Silver. The candy was placed on the escort card table where the cherry blossom arrangement that once had the escort cards hanging off it now served as a nice centerpiece for the candy buffet. (photos all thanks to John Arcara Photography)

The whole set-up

Rock Candy

Spearmint Gummie Leaves

(front) Watermelon Salt Water Taffy – this was NJ after all!
(back) Gummie Frogs

Candy Coated Hearts

(left) Caramel Filled Milk Chocolate Hearts
(right) Spearmint Candies

Lime Fruit Gummie Slices

The candy bar was a huge hit at this wedding and the guests left with a little snack for the ride home!

An Heirloom Engagement Ring

eleganteventsbylaura — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:05:35 +0000

Now that the engagement is official lots has been said about the ring that William proposed with. He proposed with the engagement ring that his father had given his mother nearly 30 years ago. William gave it to Kate to keep a part of his mom with them as they go through the wedding process.

There are many critics of his choice to give her this ring but as someone who wears her mother-in-law’s engagement ring I think the sentiment is really special. For us my mother-in-law gave her ring to my husband to give to me, however we did pick out my wedding band as something new. It was special because his father who is no longer with us picked it out for her so many years ago and it was nice to be able to have that be a part of our day.

The ring is a classic and timeless shape which I think also applies to Kate’s ring.

What do you think about heirloom engagement rings?

Prince William ENGAGED!

eleganteventsbylaura — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 20:47:05 +0000

It was a sad day for all the girls who are about 22-35. Price William is officially off the market. They announced their engagement on November 16th, 2010 however they had been engaged for a few weeks at that point.

I think their wedding planning process will be quite different then what most of us are used to but I’m sure it will be beautiful!