It's My Birthday!!

Tomorrow is my 30^th birthday and I am surprisingly excited about this "milestone".  For weeks my friends and family kept asking me what I am doing to celebrate and I really had no plans and I didn't feel like making any.  I'm not depressed or anything it's just when you plan for a living you don't feel like planning for yourself sometimes.  Not to mention I just returned from a great vacation so I'm pretty taped out right now.  So with no plans and nothing really special to do I decided I would give something on my birthday.  One lucky couple will receive 8 hours of planning hours from me!! 


During the planning process many brides need advice and not just any advice but professional advice.  So what do they do, the take the web for hours on to get the answer to one question.  I’ve decided to help one happy couple step away from the web and just ask the planner!!  I will be there to help you throughout your entire planning process. This will include vendor recommendations, budget tips, décor inspiration, etiquette advice and whatever you may need during the planning process.  Here is how you enter:

 In 500 words or less tell me about you, your proposal and your love story. Please be sure to include you and your fiancé’s first and last names, location, contact information, a picture and your tentative wedding date so I can ensure availability. The contest begins today and ends March 1^st. The winner will be announced on March 4^th. Your wedding must be taken place in New York City, Long Island or New Jersey areas during between June 2011 and April 2012. Email your entry to  info@weddedluxe.com.

Good Luck to all!!

Pantone's Color of the Year 2010

Last year, Pantone's color of the year was turquoise and it is still a popular choice for 2011 weddings. I've noticed many brides are searching for the web for turquoise inspiration. So by popular demand, here are the inspiration boards of Pantone's color of the year 2010.


Colors: Turquoise & White
Accent Colors: Gray

Photo Credits: 1) Vases TheKnot 2) Vintage Car StyleMePretty 3) Flower Girl Dress MyKateParkerWedding 4 ) Shoes Project Wedding 5) Cocktails TheKnot

Colors:  Turquoise & Orange

Accent Colors:  Ivory and Gold

Photo Credits: Top from left to right 1) Project Wedding, 2) The Knot, 3) Project Wedding, 4) Merriment Designs

Colors: Turquoise & Purple

Accent Colors: Blush, Mauve or Silver

Photo Credits Top from left to right 1) CeCi New York, All other from The Knot

Color: Turquoise & Yellow
Accent Colors: White or Ivory

Photo Credits Top from left to right 1) Project Wedding, 2) MelBarlow.com (snippet & ink) 3) The Knot, 4 & 5) Project Weddings

Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph
Wedded Luxe
http://www.weddedluxe.com/
718.938.4713

Unusual Wedding Venues - Tips on making it work!!

Photo Credits: New York Wedding Guide Central Park Zoo

Sometimes the venue that's for your wedding breaks all the rules but it's still the perfect setting for your nuptials. A museum, a farm, heck even an aquarium maybe the right place for your wedding.  These types of venues are more than welcomed in the world of weddings but your wedding will still need all the elements that make a great venue. You may need to add a kitchen or even bathroom to have your wedding at this unusual venue. You even have to build a reception space from scratch. As a wedding planner, I love these spaces but you should know all that goes into having your wedding there.

Photo Credits: Martha Stewart Weddings Tent Wedding 

Catering

Your caterer of choice will need to bring in a make shift kitchen for outdoor venues or venues without full kitchens. They will charge you for the rental of this equipment.

Bathrooms

Port a potties have come a long way so don’t be scared of the idea of renting one for your wedding.

Tables, chairs and linens, Oh my!

Renting all the tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware and flatware is very important. You have to have more than enough for everyone and you have to ensure you have everything you need. Consult with your caterer or wedding planner a list of must haves.

Photo Credits: My Wedding Binder

Dance Floors

An outdoor space will require you to rent a dance floor.  A rental company will be able to tell you exactly how big of a floor you will need.

The Elements

You have to keep your guests cool in the summer, warm in the winter and dry all year round.  Renting heaters, air conditioners and the right tenting are required when planning an outdoor soiree.  

Live.Laugh.Love….. Luxuriate!

Deniesha Joseph

DJoseph@weddedluxe.com
www.weddedluxe.com
718.938.4713

Real Cultural Wedding - Wendy G. Photography

A new feature on the blog is real cultural weddings from some of the country's best photographers.  Today's real wedding from one of my favorite NYC Wedding Photographers, Wendy G.  

For more real weddings and awesome portraits, check out Wendy G's blog

Infusing Your Culture Through….. Hors d’oeuvres

Adding your favorite food to your cocktail hour is a great way to celebrate your culture on your wedding day.  Let your guests enjoy some of the culinary delights from your culture or both cultures if you’re blending two families together. No one will ever refuse an empanada!!

Planning Tip:
If your venue doesn’t provide what you are looking for, discuss if it can be done or if you are able to bring outside food in. If you are already bringing outside catering, talk to your caterer of choice about the foods you would like to have.  You should know their specialty before you hire them


Live.Laugh.Love….. Luxuriate!

Deniesha Joseph

DJoseph@weddedluxe.com
www.weddedluxe.com
718.938.4713

Wedding Venue - Room Transformation

Last week we discussed selecting the right venue and what makes it the right venue for you. Well sometimes the right venue is almost perfect but we need to make some changes to make absolutely perfect.  It fits everything you need for a great reception but the decor could use some tweaking , this is no reason to change your venue.  There are ways to fix this minor set back.

Chair covers or changing out the chairs will dramatically change the room. When you have 150 burgundy chairs in a room it’s a focal point.  Cover them with your matching colors or ivory chair covers to give a neutral look. Also consider changing out the chairs if your venue has space to store the other chairs.

Photo Credit: The Cloth Connection

Draping the room with a neutral color will create a whole new color palette to the room. This will cover any fixtures that can’t be removed from the room while providing you with a whole new look to play with.

Photo Credit: Elite Rental

Lighting can do wonders to plain room and hide what you don’t want your guests to see.  With the right lighting, you can highlight the pretty things and dim the lights on the not so pretty.  Also it can change the color of a room instantly. 

The Lighting Guy

Live.Laugh.Love….. Luxuriate!

Deniesha Joseph

DJoseph@weddedluxe.com
www.weddedluxe.com
718.938.4713

Guest Blogger - Brandy Gomez Duplessis

Today we have a special treat! Brandy Gomez Duplessis, celebrity makeup artist is sharing her great beauty tips with us.

Brandy Gomez-Duplessis is a Celebrity Makeup Artist who currently resides in New York and part time in New Orleans. Brandy is also a L'OREAL Paris Pro Makeup Artist. New York makeup artist has worked with celebrities like; Angela Bassett, Kerry Washington, Kim Kardashian, Jordin Sparks, Anika Noni Rose, Edie Falco, and Kathryn Erbe, to name a few. Brandy is also a high demand celebrity bridal makeup artist in New York, that brides usually book her makeup service 1 year in advance. You can also keep up with Brandy by reading her personal blog "Inside The Life of A Makeup Artist", her fashion blog "Black Tie Stiletto" or follow her glamxurious tweets on twitter.

Brandy take is away!!


One of the many questions that are asked by my brides during their bridal consultations is “How can all my bridesmaids have the same makeup look?”  There is no right or wrong answer about makeup looks for bridesmaids. Many traditional brides prefer their bridesmaids to have a uniform look from their dresses, hair, shoes and even makeup. More modern brides allow their bridesmaids to select their own makeup look for the wedding day.

If you’re a bride that opts for all of the bridesmaids to be uniform with their makeup and your bridal party is of different ethnicity's, this can be tricky. Consult with a professional in advance and this will save you a lot of stress and make for happy & glam bridesmaids. I find darker eye shadow colors like; golds, browns, blues, purples and grey’s to be great on all skin tones. Of course you will have to tweak some of the colors a little more as all these shades will compliment each of your bridesmaids from fair, medium, and dark skin uniquely.

My bride, Domini, wanted her girls to all wear grey eye shadow on the day of the wedding, so I selected one of my favorite shade in grey; L’OREAL HIP Cream Eye Shadow Paint in Steely. What I love about the cream shadow paint is that it’s long wearing, creamy, and bendable.  It does not crease, even on oily eye lids, and it’s an eye shadow color that can be worn on all skin tones.  I just lined the eyes with L’OREAL HIP cream black eyeliner and finished the lips with a nude lip color. Try the Cream Shadow Paints in different shades, either way you’ll be sure to have a stunning group of ladies that will help make your special day GLAMXURIOUS.

CREDITS:

Written by: Brandy Gomez-Duplessis

Photographer by Oscar Rajo

Makeup by New York Celebrity Bridal Makeup ArtistBrandy Gomez-Duplessis

Picture courtesy of L'OREAL Paris