Meet Carmen & Ryan – Engaged!

Posted by Kelly Simants

‘Tis the season of engagements, so I thought we’d feature one of our engaged couples on the blog and show you where they’re at in the planning process!  Carmen and Ryan are truly a joy to work with – from the instant I met them, they were so super laid back and just wanted to have a good time planning their wedding.  Love that!  They chose our “Month-Of” package, and Carmen has done such a fabulous job of selecting vendors, staying organized, and keeping calm.  Their excellent Photographer, Jennifer Yarbro, captured these fun images of the couple during their engagement session.  Carmen and Ryan’s big day is coming up on March 6, 2010 so they are getting close! Be sure to read on past the pics to see a few Q&A’s from Carmen herself about the planning process.  Enjoy!

      

I asked Carmen a few questions about her wedding planning process so far…

Q. What has been the most fun aspect about planning your wedding so far?

A. All of it! Just seeing everything come together has been fun. Choosing the flowers was great just because I did that with my mom and I liked that she took part in the decisions.

Q. Have there been any surprises along the way that you had to deal with? If so, how did you work through these challenges?

Not really surprises. I just did not realize how many options were out there and that can get overwhelming. Having a planner that can narrow down those options to what fits best for me was VERY important for my sanity! :)

Q. What is one piece of advice you would share with brides who are just starting to plan their weddings?

A. Start planning early. Don't wait! And be very organized. For me, having things done early & all the information in order kept me from getting too stressed out.

Q. What are you most looking forward to about your wedding day?

Sharing the day with family. I have lots of family in Chile and some of them are coming for the wedding. It is a huge honor that they would come for our special day and I could not be more excited.

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Here are the fab vendors Carmen and Ryan have selected so far:

• Venue:  Arts District Banquet Facility
• Photographer: Jennifer Yarbro
• Florist:  Di Fiori
• Invitations: The Event Messenger
• DJ: i-Entertainment
• String Quartet:  Serenata Strings
• Cake:  Delicious Cakes

Thanks again to Jennifer Yarbro for providing these awesome images! Here is her cute headshot so you can put the name with the face! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carmen and Ryan, I am so honored to be part of your day and can’t wait for your big day! Cheers!

Resource Guide for New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball!

Posted by Kelly Simants; Resource Guide by Katherine Dunnie

Wow…2010 is just around the corner!  If you still don’t have plans, why not throw a party at your place?  I bet you have a ton of other friends who still don’t have plans yet and would love to be invited to a New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball!  Katherine put together some super fun ideas below to give you a little inspiration and a jump-start!

Happy planning! :)

Row 1: Masquerade Masks from Mardi Gras Party Supply (via Mardi Gras Party Supply website), Masquerade Tablescape by Karen Tran Florals (via Karen Tran blog), Beads from Party City (via Party City website)

Row 2: Clock Decorations by Martha Stewart (via Martha Stewart website), Gold Metallic Clutch from Forever 21 (via Forever 21 website), Purple One-Shoulder Dress by BCBG (via BCBG website)

Row 3: Champagne with Frozen Grapes by Martha Stewart (via Martha Stewart website), New Year’s Eve Masquerade Invitation by Invitation Consultants (via Invitation Consultants website), Gold Metallic Shoes from Forever 21 (via Forever 21 website)

Another “Thursday Therapy Success” for Dallas Wedding Pros!

Posted by Kelly Simants

This month Photographer extraordinaire, Jared Rey, captured images for us from “Thursday Therapy” (thank you SO much Jared)!  For the last few months now, Dallas Wedding Professionals have been getting together for a casual Happy Hour – to talk shop, meet new colleagues, and find ways to collaborate!  I just love the energy that is coming from this group – everyone is so friendly and welcoming, and share one common goal – collaboration!  I have been so inspired to see how people are teaming up and offering to help each other out (which in my opinion is critical for being a successful entrepreneur)!  If you’re a Dallas Wedding Pro, be sure to let us know if you’d like to be on our distribution list for future invites – we’d love to meet you! See you in January! :)

 

 

Row 1: (from left to right) – Celina Gomez of Captivating Simplicity and Catie Ronquillo of Catie Ronquillo Photographer; Erik Clausen of Poser:Image and Josh Littrell of Littrell Photography

Row 2: Deanie Yuska of Deanie Michelle Events, Katherine Dunnie of Sweet Pea Events, and Catie Ronquillo

Row 3:  Melissa Baker of Make-up by Melissa, Michelle Holland of Fret Knot Events, Kelly Simants of Sweet Pea Events; Jason Anderson of JA2 Photography and Ashley Gatta

Row 4:  Bradley Walter; Catie Ronquillo, Tanya Perez of Perez Photography and Celina Gomez;

Row 5:  Stacy Reeves of Stacy Reeves Photography

Row 6:  Jason Anderson and Jeremy Gilliam

“Cans for Comments” Results!

Posted by Kelly Simants

We have tabulated the results from our “Cans for Comments” drive, and we received 40 comments from our readers – THANK YOU to everyone who participated!  Since we have two offices, we’re donating 40 cans for Dallas and 40 cans for Seattle.  I will be taking the above cans to the North Texas Food Bank and Holly-Kate is making her donation to Northwest Harvest in Seattle.  Thanks for joining us in this effort to fight hunger!

Holiday Glitz and Glamour – AND – Our New Intern!!!

By Kelly Simants….AND…Katherine Dunnie

Please join me in welcoming Katherine Dunnie to the Sweet Pea Events team as our new Event Planning Associate/Intern!  Besides learning the ins and outs of Wedding and Event Planning, she will be helping us with a variety of special projects…one of which is to create fun “Resource Guides” for our readers!  If you’re a Wedding Professional, you’ll also note that Katherine is also helping us with Sage Wedding Pros, so you’ll see her in both places from time to time! :)  She is located in Dallas, so if you’re a Dallas Wedding Pro, you’ll also see her around town with us at various networking events including “Thursday Therapy” – so be sure to introduce yourself if you haven’t already!

Without further ado, here is Katherine’s first Resource Guide - “Holiday Glitz and Glamour”!  With the holidays literally right around the corner, you may be like me and you’re looking for that last-minute holiday dress or cute pair of new shoes!  Here are a few ideas to help give you a jump-start so you look your best for that party!

Be sure to check back soon for Katherine’s Resource Guide for a “New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball”!

And finally…be sure to leave a comment for our “Cans for Comments” drive!  We have extended the deadline until Saturday, 12/19!  For each comment you leave on our blog, we’ll donate a can of food to help fight hunger!

Row 1:  Red Dress by J. Crew (via J. Crew), Bow Earrings by Betsey Johnson (via Nordstrom), Silver Dress by Forever 21 (via Forever 21)

Row 2: Black Sequin Clutch from Steve Madden (via Steve Madden), Dark Silver Leather Shoe by Nine West (via Nine West), Pearl Necklace by Ralph Lauren (via Dillard’s)

Row 3: One-Shoulder Applique Green Dress from BCBG (via BCBG), Gold Bow Ring by Banana Republic (via Banana Republic, Crushed Glitter Magic Wallet by J Crew (via J. Crew)

Row 4: Wool Double Breasted Coat by White House Black Market (via White House Black Market), Black Fluffy Shoe by Nine West (via Nine West), Green Sequin Pouch by Coach (via Coach)

Enjoy!

Early-Bird Rate for “Sweet Success” Workshop Ends 12/12!

Posted by Kelly Simants

If you are an aspiring Wedding Planner or know someone who is, check out our “Sweet Success” workshop!  It’s a one-day intensive that is packed full of information that you need in order to set your Wedding Planning business up for success. Visit www.sweetsuccess.eventbrite.com for more info and to register! Last day for our early-bird pricing ends tomorrow, 12/12! Hope to see you there!

 

‘Tis the Season to Be Giving!

Posted by Kelly Simants

Attention Dallas Wedding Pros!  I wanted to make sure you knew about a great opportunity this holiday season to give back.  The Dallas Chapter of ISES is throwing a holiday party benefiting Children’s Medical Center on Monday, December 14^th, from 6-9 pm at The Ryan Manor.  The event is both a wonderful holiday party, and an opportunity to positively impact a hospitalized child with a toy donation.  Their goal is to collect over 250 toys, and they are asking everyone to bring an unwrapped children’s gift (requested items include bouncy seats, crib aquariums, crib mobiles, portable CD players, Video games for Wii, Gamecube, XBOX 360, Playstation 2, Nintendo DS and gifts for teens). 

Click here to RSVP. Hope to see you there!

 

Red Inspiration Board #2 - “Tomato Puree”

Posted by Kelly Simants

Yesterday we featured a red inspiration board that was more dramatic and romantic in nature, and today we’re featuring a board that is a bit more “punchy” and bright.  We’ve been hearing from our brides lately that they are loving fuchsia as a complimentary color, so I’ve used shades of fuchsia to pair with our “tomato puree” Pantone red.  What do you think?  Which is your favorite board so far out of the Pantone 2010 Spring Colors we’ve featured?

*  Please leave a comment on our blog and we’ll donate a can of food to our local food banks in Dallas and Seattle!*

Thanks SO much to the very talented Wedding Pros who submitted images for this post!

 

Featured Above (from Left to Right):  Julianne Smith of Julianne Smith Wedding Garters, Jeremy Gilliam of Jeremy Gilliam Photography, and our very own Holly-Kate Foss of Sweet Pea Events!

Row 1:  Wedding Planning by Sweet Pea Events – image of bride’s shoes by Kim Hayes Photography; image of bouquet by Vim Studio (bouquet designed by Botanical Art Design)

Row 2:  Just Married sign by Vim Studio and Wedding Planning by Sweet Pea Events; image of bride with red necklace by Jeremy Gilliam Photography

Row 3:  Image of fans by Jeremy Gilliam Photography; garter by Julianne Smith Wedding Garters

Row 4:  Wedding Planning by Sweet Pea Events: Floral arrangement image by John & Joseph Photography; image of personalized favor jars with espresso beans (yum!) by Cheri Pearl Photography

Red Inspiration Board #1- “Tomato Puree”

Posted by Kelly Simants

This week we’re featuring the Pantone 2010 Spring Color, “Tomato Puree”…and we have sooo many amazing images and finds to share with you, that this will be a two-part post! Today’s inspiration board has more of a romantic and dramatic mood, while tomorrow’s post will be more whimsical and “springy”.

Thanks to the following A-M-A-Z-I-N-G Photographers and Event Engineer (Saundra!) who submitted these photos for this post!

  

From Left to Right: Stacy Reeves of Stacy Reeves Photography, Saundra Hadley of planning…forever events, Amy Karp of Amy Karp Photography, and Shauna Benoit of K & S Photography

** Be sure to leave a comment on our blog for “Cans for Comments” to help us donate to our local food banks in Dallas and Seattle! Each blog comment = one can of food! **

Row 1:  Rings by Stacy Reeves Photography, Caramel Apples by Amy Karp Photography

Row 2:  Bouquet and clutch by K & S Photography, Tablescape by planning…forever events

Rows 3/4: Bride by Stacy Reeves Photography, Tablescape by Amy Karp Photography, and escort cards by K & S Photography

Enjoy!

Photography Workshops in Dallas

Posted by Kelly Simants

I am so blessed to be surrounded by incredibly talented Photographers in the Dallas area – two of them in particular are hosting workshops for Photographers that will help take your business to the next level. I am passionate about education in our wedding community, so am super excited that these Photographers are taking the time to share their knowledge and expertise with their industry peers!

First, Christina Quintanilla of ChrysQ Luxe Slipcovers and Ben Quintanilla of Ben Q Photography are hosting a “Winter Workshop” at Third Space Dallas on December 28, 2009.  Ben will be reviewing lighting set-up, recommended camera settings, and equipment used.  Christina will be staging her ChrysQ Winter 2010 Catalog in a “Winter Vintage” theme – you’ll have the opportunity to take photos at this shoot…and then those images will be included in the catalog and of course you’ll receive the credit. Very cool!  You’ll then head over to Forbeyon Studios for a post-production tutorial.

Next, Stacy Reeves of Stacy Reeves Photography is launching a workshop called “Mind Your Business” on January 24, 2010.  Stacy is one of the most business savvy Photographers I know, and she is passionate about educating her colleagues to understand the nuts and bolts of what it takes to be a successful business owner.  She is going to share her best practices with you on pricing and sales strategies, developing and maintaining client relationships, maximizing your return on investment related to marketing, advertising, and networking…and a whole lot more.  Check out her site for more info!

Also, be sure to leave a comment and we’ll donate a can of food to our local food banks in Dallas and Seattle!  Here is more info on our Cans for Comments drive - http://sweetpeaeventsllc.blogspot.com/2009/12/cans-for-comments.html