Beautiful Ice Cream

Everyone loves ice cream but instead of servicing the old fashion scoop with toppings at your wedding, why not serve art! Introducing St. Clair Ice Cream!! St. Clair makes hand molded ice cream and sorbet in beautiful shapes. You can choose flowers, hearts, fruits, swans and wedding bells. They also have many flavors to choose from like classic vanilla or strawberry as well as exotic flavors like peach, mango and pink peppermint. This is a great way to add something unique and special to your wedding. You can order right on line for your convenience. You can place your order as far in advance as you would like. They will ship it to you within 48 hours of your wedding to ensure that your order is fresh. This is perfect for a reception with off premise catering or for your bridal shower. Here are pictures of their wonderful work of dessert art!!

Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Couture Events by D
Designed by me, Just for you
http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/
718.938.4713

Bridal Events

Kleinfeld is having there famous blowout sale on Tuesday, April 28th from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. You don't want to miss the opportunity to get a designer gown at a great price! Check out Kleinfeld's blog for their blowout sale survival guide!

Need some assistance selecting your china? Well help is on the way with this fabulous event at Bloomingdales on Thursday, April 30th at 6:00pm. Join industry professionals for advice, cake tasting by Ron Ben Israel and appetizers by Great Performances. Have fun brides!!

Join celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss at Victoria secrets for an afternoon of Hor d'oeuvres and champagne. There will be personal shoppers, plus make-up and fragrance specialists.

Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Couture Events by D
Designed by me, Just for you
http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/
718.938.4713

Something Blue Inspiration Board

Is your something blue your color palette? Here is a blue inspiration board just for you. Blue is a great color for spring, summer and winter weddings. It can also be great in the fall with the right shade and contrast colors. Since spring is here and summer is coming, I went with the spring/summer feeling. I'll be sure to create an icy blue inspiration board for my winter brides and something for my fall brides as well. I hope you enjoy my something blue!!

(photo credits from right to left: 1-5) theknot.com, 6) projectweddings.com)

Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Couture Events by D
Designed by me, Just for you
http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/
718.938.4713

J Crew Trunk Show

Are you considering J.Crew for your wedding dress? Well here is your chance to preview their collection. On Saturday April 25th from 11:00am to 8:00pm or Sunday April 26th 11:00am to 7:00om at the Rockefeller Center store in NYC.




Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Couture Events by D
Designed by me, Just for you
http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/
718.938.4713

Vendor Profile - LuxSugar

LuxSugar specializes in making homemade desserts that are not only beautiful but delicious!! They have an array of flavors and goodies to choose from. There are cupcakes, specialty cakes, cookies, bars, cheesecake, biscotti’s and even candy apples. The cake and cupcake flavors are to die for and they have the cutest names. You can have Marilyn Monroe Red Velvet, Kanye West Chocolate cake with chocolate mousse, Samantha Lemon cake with vodka frosting and Shakira Pineapple & Coconut cake with pina colada flavors & vanilla glaze. Is your mouth not watering?!



I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely ladies of LuxSugar and they rolled out the red carpet for me. I couldn’t get enough and I should have stopped at cookie number 2 but it was too good to resist, being the chocolate chip cookie lover that I am. These were some of the best chocolate cookies I ever had. Their heart shaped cookies come in a box favor box which they call love bits!! These are perfect favor for your bridal shower or wedding. Then came the cupcakes which are so moist and tasty. My favorite of the day was the baileys cupcake with baileys Irish cream icing. It was so good!! All the flavors were perfect but red velvet is my favorite kind of cake so when I bite into it I was in heaven.





LuxSugar desserts are the perfect treats for your guest at any occasion. They specialize in custom orders so if you have a favorite cake that’s not on their long list of flavors, feel free to ask. They will recreate your mother’s recipe for you. They make great cupcake towers and they are customized to fit the theme of your event. Everything is customized the way you want it with their delicious flavors in every bite!! The best part of LuxSugar is the love!! These three ladies (Peggy, Shari and Heidi) love what they do and the love is their desserts. They pride themselves on top notch customer service and a quality (unbelievable scrumptious) product. You can’t ask for anything more in a vendor!!



To place an order, you can set up a tasting and consultation. All of their desserts a made fresh and are delivered. If you have a large order, you should place your order at least 4 days before your event. For more on pricing and how you can have some LuxSugar for your event visit their website @ http://www.lux-sugar.com/ .

Thank you to Peggy, Shari and Heidi for your hospitality and the goodie bag of treats!!

Lemon and Lime Inspiration Board

Yellow and celadon was the knot’s pick for 2009 colors. I agree but I love lemon and lime!! This combination is great for spring and summer weddings. Yellow reminds us of the sun shining on a beautiful summer day while we sip cold lemonade. Green symbolizes the well manicured lawns and all the beautiful blooms that blossom in warm weather. This is sure to bring the feeling of good times and great weather to your wedding. You can add small details of lemon and lime like the yellow signature cocktail, the white invitation with lemon and lime writing or a touch of color for your shoes. If you want to really emphasize your lemon and lime theme, adding lemons or limes to your floral arrangements will do the trick. Enjoy the lemon and lime inspiration!!

(photo credits: left to right: 1,4,6,7,9) theknot.com, 2) J Crew, 3,5,8) projectwedding.com)

Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Couture Events by D
Designed by me, Just for you
http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/
718.938.4713

A Goody Jar!!

When it comes to favors, I always advise my brides to choose something edible or usable. These mini monogrammed jars are the perfect way to package a sweet treat for your guest. They bring back wonderful childhood memories of grandmother’s cookie jar.

(Click on the picture to go directly to http://www.favorstudio.com/ )

Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Couture Events by D
Designed by me, Just for you
http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/
718.938.4713

Summer Solutions

If you are having an outdoor ceremony during the summer months, keep the comfort of your guest in mind. While you are exchanging vows, keep your guest cool with fans and parasols. Your guest will thank you for thinking of this small yet thoughtful detail.

You can keep it simple with fans and parasols in your wedding colors. Here are some inexpensive options I found @ http://www.lunarbazaar.com/ .




Or you can step up the décor notch and have personalized parasols and fans that double as programs. I Do Originals have amazing customized wedding accessories. The parasols are my favorite!!

Program fans are great because they serve two purposes. I love anything that helps save money. Here are some fab finds!

http://www.weddingthings.com/

http://www.beau-coup.com/

Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Couture Events by D
Designed by me, Just for you
http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/
718.938.4713

Purple Passion Inspiration Board

I hardly ever think about what I would do if I was getting married. I would go crazy if I did because there are so many fabulous options for weddings. But one thing I know for sure, if I ever get married, purple would be my color palette. So if any of my girlfriends are reading this, you’ve been warned!! I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite color but something about purple just always grabs my attention. If you have purple passion than this inspiration board is for you. Purple comes in many shades from lovely lavendar lavender to elegant eggplant. It’s also one of those colors that can be used during any season. From summer to winter, you can find the right shade and/or accent colors for your wedding.

Espresso and Lavender is one of the hottest new color combos for this year. Perfect for fall or winter weddings.

(photo credits: theknot.com)

Purple and Yellow is a great combination for spring or summer weddings.

(photo credits: projectwedding.com)

Here is my purple passion inspiration board. Enjoy!

(photo credits from left to right: 1) projectweddings.com 2) Bridescafe.com 3,4,5) theknot.com , 6 & 7) projectweddings.com)

Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Couture Events by D
Designed by me, Just for you
http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/
718.938.4713

Personal & Delicious Wedding Favors

Last week I came across this cute & delicious favor idea on http://www.weddingbeepro.com/ courtesy of Kimberly of Blue Ribbon Designs. My favorite wedding favors are edible ones!! These cookie favors are a great favor and best of all they are personal. The couple included their family recipe for the cookies and of course the colors of the packaging matched their color palette of chartreuse and brown. This is a great DIY favor that is pretty simple to assemble. All you need is clear cellophane bags, customized labels and print the recipe on matching paper. Don’t forget to bake the cookies of course. Presto, you have wedding favors!!

Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Couture Events by D
Designed by me, Just for you
http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/
718.938.4713

We Have A Winner!!

We Have A Winner!!!!!!!

Now I couldn’t wait until the April 15th to pick a winner so this weekend I rounded up the staff and we made a decision. And now the winner of the first annual Holiday Proposal Contest is. . .

The Happy Couple is Sarah & Stephen!!

Congratulations to the happy couple. We loved the proposal and your love story. Thank you to everyone that participated in the contest. Your stories made it very difficult to choose a winner. Unfortunately there can only be one winner but all is not lost. Each contestant will receive $200 off of any planning package of their choice. Feel free to contact us at any time to set up a free consultation!! Email me @ DJoseph@coutureeventsbyd.com or call at 718.938.4713. We would love to help you plan your wedding!!

Here is the love story of the winning couple!!

Love story: My fiancé and I met at an Asian speed dating event in July of 2007. In our 5 minute chat, we talked mostly about our international travels. We got "matched" after we both picked each other and exchanged emails to set up our first date. We went out on a first date at Otaisho, a Japanese restaurant on St. Marks Place. After our second date, I decided that I didn't like him because he was a germ-phobe and I thought he might be gay from his high intonational speech patterns (I'm a speech language pathologist). After the second date, he invited me out to a Korean movie festival via email and I responded back saying that I couldn't reciprocate his interest, but we could continue on as activity partners if he wanted. He wrote back an email saying that he thought that watching movies is an activity and he really wasn't interested in being more than friends. I didn't bother responding to his email because I thought his bitchy attitude didn't deserve a response. A few months passed and we met again at the same speed dating event in December 2007. We were assigned to the same group again, which was a coincidence since he lied down about his age the first time and I lied up about my age the second time round. We caught up with each other during our speed "date" and had a fun and pleasant conversation. We even talked about going ice skating (as friends). I invited him out to eat after speed dating with a group of my friends and we all had a good time. A little over a week later, both of us played hooky from work to try to use the last of our vacation days for the year. We went ice skating in Bryant Park with my other guy friend. We became friends and about 1 month later the friendship turned into romance on New Year's 2008 (my birthday). Together we have explored Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, New Jersey, Connecticut, Montreal, Maryland, Virginia, DC, Vermont, and Egypt. We look forward to a lifetime of roadtrips, foreign lands, and strong stomachs. We hope to incorporate some travel themes (tables by country, mypublisher.com guestbook of our travel pictures) into our wedding celebration since we both love to travel.

Proposal: My fiance Stephen suggested that we head up to Vermont for some skiing before the end of winter. He organized a trip to Vermont on Valentine's/President's Day weekend. He researched where to stay and booked a room at the Belding House bed and breakfast in Moretown. This was a little out of the ordinary since I had planned all of our previous trips together. We went to a lovely Valentine's dinner at Mary’s at Baldwin Creek. In our absence, the innkeepers Clif and Larry (who were in on the surprise) had decorated the room with silk rose petals and chilled a special bottle of Dom Perignon champagne that we had been saving for a special occasion. My fiance proposed to me with a wedding invitation that he had specially prepared (via Vistaprint) inviting me to our wedding celebration. Then we drank the champagne (couldn't even finish the bottle!) and got red in the face because we're Asian and lack that enzyme that processes alcohol (thus no drinking on our wedding day until the fat lady sings!)

Stay tuned for the planning details for Sarah and Stephen. Their wedding is set for 8/29/09

Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Couture Events by D
Designed by me, Just for you
http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/
718.938.4713

Sunflower Power Inspiration Board

I was recently contacted by a bride who was having a sunflower wedding. She said she was a sunflower/hippy child!! I must admit, sunflowers are not my first choice but ever since that conversation I've been thinking of sunflowers. I guess the challenge of stepping out my box inspired me to create this sunflower inspiration board.

(photo credits from left to right 1,2,3) theknot.com, 4)projectwedding.com, 5,6,7,8) theknot.com)

Sunflowers are in season from mid-spring to late summer and it an inexpensive flower. You can mix them with other blooms or let them stand alone. Sunflowers make a statement of summer, fresh and fun!

Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Couture Events by D
Designed by me, Just for you
http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/
718.938.4713

You Don’t Need A Wedding Planner . . . . .

April Fools!! You should have known that was a joke being that I am a wedding planner!! I hear this all the time, “I can do it myself” or “My family can help me out” or “I can’t afford a wedding planner”. These are the biggest misconceptions brides have all the time. The truth is none of these statements are true and let me tell you why.

You cannot do it all yourself. If you have already started planning your wedding, you probably already realize how much goes into planning your wedding and how much time it takes. You may also realize how much you didn’t know about planning a wedding. The planning process is so much fun and if you are not having fun then you should rethink not having a planner. A professional wedding planner can advise you during the planning process. Your wedding planner will help you find the right vendors, help you chose a realistic budget, etiqutte advice and most importantly, put the fun back into planning your wedding. Another issue to think about is what is going to happen on your wedding day? You cannot be the bride and ensure everything is running according to plan. Do you really want to make phone calls to vendors while you do your makeup? I don’t think you do!! You and your fiancé should be relaxed and your only concern should be to focus on getting your ready for your wedding. So even if you want to plan your own wedding, you should consider investing in a planner for day of coordination services.

Your Aunt Susan throws great holiday parties but she is not a professional. We all have family members who are reliable and are great host/hostess but the truth is they are not wedding planners. They don’t know as much as you think they do. Planning a wedding takes much more than someone who casually host events for their friends and family. It takes a wedding professional to orchestrate the many details that go into planning a successful wedding. No offense to Aunt Susan but it takes a lot of know how to plan a wedding. When I first started out, it was because of my experience of planning parties for family and friends. However, I did a lot research and networking within the wedding industry before I started my company. I quickly realized there was a lot I needed to learn. Planning a wedding for 150 is not the same as planning a party for 50 of my closest friends and family. Also wouldn’t you like all of guest to feel like a guest? Let your family enjoy your wedding day because weddings are about your families too.

The cost of a wedding planner is feasible and worth every penny. Many couples still believe that hiring a wedding planner is a luxury, this is not true. Speaking from experience, I’ve worked with couples and their budgets ranged from 20k to 75k. In the end they all received the same quality of service. Of course there are wedding planners that you cannot afford but there are also many you can afford. Just like all your other vendors, shop around until you find the right one. Also most wedding planners have different packages to choose from and you can get the package that works best with your budget. Having a professional to oversee the most important day of your life is not a luxury but an investment.

Of course I may seem bias to the idea of hiring a wedding planner but this is not about me. It’s about me helping as many couples as I can even if you don’t choose me to be your wedding planner. When you hire a wedding planner, you are getting quality service, knowledge, professionalism, creativity, guidance, stress reliever, a personal assistant and a guarantee that someone has your best interest in mind at all times. I hope I have helped convince some of you that are on the fence and for those that weren’t even considering hiring a planner please reconsider!!


Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Couture Events by D
Designed by me, Just for you
http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/
718.938.4713