
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
PAPERPALOOZA!

Posted by
sweetpeaevents
at
11:25 AM
Stylish Organizational Products!
Posted by Kelly Simants
I am in the midst of organizing my new office and have been running across some fabulous finds to help you stay organized...all in a fashionable way! Forget your basic yellow post-it notes and white boards, and check out one of my all time favorite websites for organizational style - See Jane Work. Here are several fabulous products I just ran across that I just had to share!
Love this Rococo chalkboard - it's actually a wall decal, so can be easily removed and is completely reusable. This would not only make for a perfect addition to any office, but would also be a great way to display a menu for a bridal shower luncheon, rehearsal dinner, etc.
Instead of having cluttered post-it notes all over the place, consider this Ceramic Memo Board!
If you have stacks of magazines like I do...Martha Stewart Weddings, In Style Weddings, D Weddings, Seattle Bride, etc. then you will love these stylish magazine holders!
I use file folders for everything I do, and can't imagine life or my business without them! Here are some super cute vintage inspired, colorful file folders that are a refreshing change from the blah manila folders you might be used to!
This is one of my all time favorite things I've purchased from See Jane Work - the Bella Leather Portfolio. It's a perfect portfolio for you to take notes while you're meeting with vendors, jot down your wedding ideas, etc. I have it in the lime green color and love it!
Happy Organizing!
Posted by
sweetpeaevents
at
5:00 AM
Labels: Fun Ideas 0 comments
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Wedding Planner Workshop in Dallas!
We are excited to announce that the Dallas Office of Sweet Pea Events is offering another intensive one-day workshop called “Sweet Success!” - how to build a successful wedding planning business. This workshop is intended for people interested in learning more about the wedding industry and inside scoop on becoming a Wedding Planner!
Here are high-level details about the workshop:
When: Saturday, August 22, 2009 – 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Where: The Cascades Events Center at The Colony (near Plano/Frisco off of Highway 121) is generously hosting the space for this workshop. This venue is located at 5909 Stone Creek Drive, The Colony, TX 75056. For more information about this beautiful new venue, please visit http://www.cascadeseventscenter.com/
Why: There are some excellent wedding planner certification programs and networking groups available. However, we have found that there are very few options for people interested in simply attending a workshop to learn more about the wedding industry and what is involved with becoming a Wedding Planner. Our goal is to offer an affordable solution where you can be inspired, soak in a ton of valuable information and great take-aways which will help you to determine if wedding planning is the right career path for you. With my 8 years of experience as a Planner, I’m excited to share my history with aspiring Wedding Planners and help give you a jump start into this wonderful industry! I also have a passion for developing others, as I was in Human Resources prior to the wedding industry and thoroughly enjoy providing training and development opportunities!
What: We will cover a variety of topics which will include: Wedding Industry Statistics and Trends, Basics of Owning a Wedding Planning Business, Day in the Life of a Wedding Planner, Marketing Tips, Establishing Vendor Relationships, Pricing & Sales, Next Steps You Can Pursue, and More!
How: To reserve your space in this workshop, please contact Kelly at kelly@sweetpeaevents.net to request a registration form no later than Friday, August 14, 2009. The total cost of this workshop is $200 which will include lunch. If you bring a friend, the cost for each of you will only be $150! Registration will close on Friday, August 14, 2009, so please ensure your registration form and payment are submitted by then. Note: Class size will be limited to 15 participants and is based on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Looking forward to your participation and meeting you in person!
Posted by
sweetpeaevents
at
10:23 AM
Labels: Wedding Planning Workshop 0 comments
Friday, May 22, 2009
Dallas Vendor Spotlight - Soulbox Productions
One of my favorite aspects of being a Wedding Planner is that I'm able to meet with some incredibly talented and fun vendors. I recently had the chance to meet up with Dave and Corbin Baxter of Soulbox Productions (pictured above), a husband and wife videography team in Dallas. I love it when I meet with people and have an instant connection - that's how I felt with Dave and Corbin! We sat and talked about the wedding industry, our businesses, and got to know each other and before we knew it 2 hours had passed! They are both super down to earth, and are extremely passionate about what they do. Not to mention, their film making capabilities are unparalleled - they are one of the few to offer Super 8 film to create that unique vintage look. I had an opportunity to ask them the following questions about their business so you could get to know them a little bit better - enjoy!
1. How did you get started in the Videography business, and specifically with weddings?
Corbin and I started capturing weddings after filming and producing our first feature length film, Beyond Doors, in 2001. We quit our “corporate jobs” and started filming weddings fulltime in 2004.
2. What is your typical day like as a Wedding Videographer on the day of the wedding, and also on a non-wedding day?
On a wedding day, our coverage is typically 8 hours, which includes 2 hours of pre ceremony, ceremony and up to a 4 hour reception. We film every wedding, whether it’s a Super 8mm Full Film or Digital Coverage with two cinematographers, which allows Corbin and me to work together the majority of the time. We are extremely lucky that the majority of our clients have Professional Wedding Planners, which makes our day so much easier. A non-wedding day we’re in front of our computers editing and replying to inquiries. Corbin and I pride ourselves on the quality of our wedding films (the real magic happens in post production, which is anywhere from 40-60 hours) and our customer service. We reply to all our inquiries within 24 hours.
3. What would you say makes your style or personality unique from other Videographers?
We offer Super 8mm as a highlight or a Full Film wedding. Capturing a wedding in super 8 is incredibly freeing creatively, and it also provides our brides with a completely unique Wedding Film. We also provide Bonus Features (add-ons) that know one else offers. The most popular is the Honeymoon Highlight. We provide the bride and groom with a one-time use, portable video camera to take on their honeymoon. We then create a Honeymoon Highlight by also incorporating their photos, which allows our brides and grooms to have their honeymoon conveniently on their Wedding DVD.
4. What are some of your favorite video highlights from your portfolio?
One of our favorites is our most recent Highlight from Christina and Clay’s Full Film Wedding:
http://www.soulboxproductions.com/blog/?page_id=41
5. Favorite tips or advice for the bride and grooms to be?
Hire a Professional Wedding Planner! Corbin and I got married 10 years ago, we were the first of our friends to get married and I so wish we would’ve had a wedding planner. Not only do they make everything easier on you and your friends and family (and vendors) day of, but you learn etiquette, budget planning and they are a wonderful resource for vendors beforehand.
And then hire a Professional Wedding Filmmaker. It’s astonishing to us that over 60% of weddings don’t have professional filmmakers as a part of the day. Your friend or Uncle Bob will not provide you near the quality of work: they won’t have a wireless mic to capture your vows, the knowledge of what to capture or how to work with your vendors. We have actually had clients that didn’t book us, contact us upset that they didn’t have a way to remember their wedding. Along with photography, your wedding film is the only way to relive your day.
We also tell our potential clients, if everything else is equal, always select the vendors that you connect with the best.
6. When you aren’t working, what are some of your favorite things to do?
Watch movies, listen to music, travel and work on our side-projects. We are currently developing board games. We have two working prototypes:
I Quit! – Beat Corporate America At It’s Own Game
I Know Why… The craziest, wackiest card game ever (which is a children’s card game that allows them to use their imagination while learning fun facts)
We are also developing a wedding/honeymoon card game, which is currently titled It Takes 2!
7. What are some of your favorite venues in the DFW area, and why?
* Royal Lane Baptist Church. They allow one of our cameras to be in the front without being seen. (Being unobtrusive is one of our main goals of the day.)
* United Methodist of Dallas is an extremely ornate and beautiful church.
* Arlington Hall is a wonderful location for both a ceremony and reception (we find that same location weddings make it so much easier for everyone).
* Hickory Street Annex is a recently new location for both ceremony and reception that has an amazing urban chic feel.
We also love destination weddings, which allow us to be inspired by locations we’ve never experienced before. Destination weddings also fit perfectly with the Super 8mm Full Film Coverage!
Thanks so much Dave and Corbin - looking forward to working with you!!
Posted by
sweetpeaevents
at
7:27 AM
Labels: Vendor Spotlight - Dallas 1 comments
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Elegant Travel Themed Wedding
Posted by Kelly Simants
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Linnea and Paul are one of the most well traveled and cultured couples I have worked with…they have been to India, Belgium, Monaco, Prague, Australia, Japan, Switzerland, and the list goes on and on! Not only have they traveled to many, many countries together, but they have also lived in China. In fact, much of their wedding planning was done long-distance while they were in Hong Kong, so we worked together remotely to plan their big day. So, it was only natural that they wanted to incorporate their love for travel into their wedding elements! The Arctic Club was the perfect venue for them since it is a historical site which was established by adventurers who found their fortune in the Gold Rush…so the hotel’s décor even incorporates design elements like maps, frescos, and the stunning stained glass ceiling in the Dome Room which is reminiscent of the Northern Lights.
You’ll notice in these fabulous images from Azzura Photography how we incorporated travel elements into the reception décor. Escort cards were “passports” and table names were countries the couple had traveled to together – all designed by the super talented Whitney and Jonathan from Brown Sugar Design. Linnea really wanted her guests to feel like they could mingle and not be stuck at their tables all evening, so she also wanted guests to use the passports and go table to table and get their passport stamped. This was such a fun idea and fostered an environment of great conversation between guests and gave them a fun activity to do at the reception! Also, instead of the traditional guest book, Brown Sugar Design also created postcards for guests to write their well wishes to Linnea and Paul!
The stunning flowers were designed by Anne Bradfield of Floressence and delicious cake by Jen Nurse of Jen’s Desserts. The cake was chocolate chiffon with white, milk, & dark chocolate mousse fillings. Jen also made vanilla custard profiteroles drizzled with chocolate sauce…so beautiful, and just melted in your mouth. To die for! Ken from Azzura Photography was also incredible to work with - super upbeat personality, yet laid-back at the same time...perfect combination for a wedding professional. Not to mention, he and his wife Tania provide top-notch customer service and beautiful images - thanks Ken and Tania, for sharing these images with us!
The awesome Paperboys band!


Congratulations Linnea and Paul! It was a joy to work with you both, and we wish you all the best!
Fabulous Vendors Linnea and Paul Selected:
Ceremony Venue: Holy Names Academy
Reception Venue: The Arctic Club Hotel
Catering: The Arctic Club Hotel
Band: The Paperboys
DJ: Bamboo Beats
Gown: Luly Yang
Invitations: Brown Sugar Design
Florist: Floressence
Hair & Makeup: Salon Maison
Nails: Julep
Photographer: Azzura Photography
Transportation: British Motorcoach
Cake & Profiteroles: Jen’s Desserts
Specialty Linens: Choice Linens
Child Care: On Call Nanny
Posted by
sweetpeaevents
at
6:24 PM
Labels: Real Weddings 1 comments
Monday, April 20, 2009
Adorable Bridesmaids Gift Idea!
Posted by Kelly Simants
Are you looking for a unique bridesmaids gift idea, or a super fun clutch for you to use on your wedding day? Check out an incredible store called Cahoots Handbags, which offers custom, hand-sewn, and virtually one-of-a-kind handbags. These bags are all made from vintage fabrics and unique buttons, in tiny quantities, so it's rare you'll see more than 3 or 4 of the same edition. If you have a certain color or design in mind, they can create your very own handbag edition! This is especially great if you would like the handbags or clutches to compliment your bridesmaids dresses, your wedding gown, etc. You could also give each of your bridesmaids a totally different style or color that reflects their own personality! The other amazing thing about these bags is they are all made with love by only two people, store owners Marsha and Paige.
Here are a few examples of their exquisite handbags:
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Posted by
sweetpeaevents
at
5:52 PM
Labels: Fun Ideas, Vendor Spotlight - Dallas 5 comments
Monday, April 13, 2009
Seattle Cityscape Wedding on Alki!
Posted by Kelly Simants
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Jason and Nicole celebrated a beautiful outdoor wedding overlooking the Seattle skyline at Hamilton Viewpoint Park in Alki last summer. The view from the reception at Salty's on Alki was equally as stunning, and made for the perfect venue to showcase the beauty of Seattle for their many out-of-town guests.
They had so much fun on their wedding day, which you can see from these images as they were even dancing in the streets at Pike Place Market! :) These two really live life to the fullest, are super adventurous, and just very genuine people. We had a great time working together, and I was privileged to help them pull all of their beautiful details together for their big day! Congrats Jason and Nicole!!
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The talented and award winning photographer, Jim Garner, captured the photos from this romantic day and he is a blast to work with! The couple selected many other amazing vendors for their wedding including beautiful flowers from Willow & Bloom, exceptional makeup and hair services from Erin Skipley, and the super fun “Jerry and the Philbillies” band who kept the party going all night long! For a complete list of all of vendors , see the end of this blog posting.
The bride & groom enjoyed a tropical honeymoon in the Cook Islands to the small island of Aitutaki…after seeing their gorgeous pictures that is definitely on my list of places I MUST travel to soon! Enjoy!
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Fabulous Vendors Jason and Nicole Selected:
Ceremony Venue: Hamilton Viewpoint Park
Reception Venue and Catering: Salty’s on Alki
Band: Jerry & The Philbillys
Cake: Sugar Cake Studio
Florist: Willow & Bloom
Officiant: Reverend Ray
Hair: Erin Skipley of Bellatrix Studio
Photographer: J. Garner Photography
Bridal Gown: A Princess Bride
Transportation: Crystal Coach
Rentals: AA Party
Ceremony Trio: Seattle String Ensemble
Getting Ready Hotel & Bridal Suite: Inn at the Market
Honeymoon: Cook Islands
Posted by
sweetpeaevents
at
8:01 PM
Labels: Real Weddings 5 comments

































