Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Thursday, May 17th, 2012
Fun, gentle, warm. These are the characteristics of Ashley and Alec. I had the privilege to work with them on their eclectic and cultural wedding. Upon first meeting with Ashley and Alec, I noticed immediately how well they complimented each other. Alec, a chef at the amazing and gorgeous Fairmont Hotel in Seattle, and Ashley an accomplished pastry baker and employee of the Seattle Design Center, perfectly worked hand in hand to see their vision come to life.
The Seattle Design Center was the setting for their wedding and reception, and while this can be a massive undertaking to keep this venue feeling warm and intimate, Ashley did a beautiful job by bringing in draping and uplighting to set the mood.
As guests arrived, they were greeted into the room with little glimpses of the couples personalities and family history. Ashley is Japanese, and wanted to incorporate a bit of Japanese wedding tradition into the day, so all1,001 cranes were hung from posts overlooking the ceremony and reception space. Tables were pre-set with chef’s hats showing guests things to come.
With the ceremony, we took advantage of the Seattle Design Centers unique architecture and used the staircase behind the couple to line up the bridal party on, creating a really great look and ability for all guests to see what was going on.
The reception was fun, energetic and exciting as guests were treated to the island flavors of Marination Station’s food truck and catering. There were definitely some Hawaiian influences featuring Spam musubi, and Spam mac ‘n cheese inside, while kalua pig tacos, and pork sliders featured out in the food truck. I hadn’t had this type of food since I was a resident of Hawaii!! Definitely brought back some memories!
Guests were then encouraged to use those chef’s hats and the crayons on the table to draw on or share a special message to the newlyweds creating a fun, interactive way to personalize their wedding day.
Ashley, showcasing her amazing pastry skills, managed to pull off baking every single dessert for her guests and even the cake pop display! Alec was amazing by providing all the food for cocktail hour- talk about an over-achieving couple!
This was such a fun night with amazing families that were so warm and kind. Ashley and Alec, you are blessed to have such loving people surround you, and I was blessed to be a part of that day!
~Rebecca
Thanks to all the fabulous vendors who helped make this day a success:
Venue: Seattle Design Center
Planner: New Creations Weddings
Photographer: Cory Parris Photography
Videographer: Good Times Productions
Bartending Staff: Shake Bartending
Drapes/Uplighting: Prop Gallery
Catering: Marination Station
Officiant: Annemarie Juhlian
(Florist was their Aunt, DJ/Emcee was a family friend, linens, tables, chairs courtesy of the SDC)
Friday, May 4th, 2012
Ok, so am I the only planner who gets to work with amazingly gorgeous couples!? I swear, every couple I work with is beautiful on the inside and the out, and Kyla and Christian are no exception! One of the absolute sweetest couples you will ever meet, Kyla and Christian needed help planning their wedding on a budget. Kyla, a law school student, and Christian, a salesperson for Dexknows.com and a volunteer firefighter, wanted to have a wonderful party surrounded by friends and family. It was my job to help them find reasonably priced vendors and help their overall vision come to reality.
Through Kyla’s knowledge of Parsons Gardens, we were able to book the park at a steal of a price. Super intimate, private, and amazingly beautiful, their was no need for additional decor. Officiant Curtis Rhodes performed the ceremony, a friend of a friend of mine played her cello for their ceremony music, and family friends were their videographers. Surrounded by friends and family, including Kyla’s son Cole (who was the ring bearer), they exchanged their vows under the beautiful trees.
Moving from the ceremony to the reception, the couple took off to go take photos around seattle, including that famous Kerry Park lookout with a stunning view of Seattle. While they were out, I got a call saying the venue was on fire, yes, a fire and the whole building had to be evacuated. I instructed the catering staff to move the cocktails and appetizers outside so at least guests would have something to eat upon arrival. After further clarification, it turns out the restaurant below the Uptown Hideaway had a small electrical fire. After the firemen inspected, we got the all clear to move back inside- right before Kyla and Christian got there! Whew!
Flowers were kept inexpensive by using flowers from Costco floral, and I put the arrangements together the morning of. Ben with Pyramid Catering did an awesome job creating a delicious buffet meal while being respectful of the couples budget. The party was hopping all night thanks to one of Christians friends who also happened to be a DJ!
The reception highlight was the announcement that Kyla and Christian were expecting! What a great night for everyone! It was a great wedding to be a part of and am so proud of all the accomplishments of this couple!
Blessings! Rebecca
Photos courtesy of Rachelle Erickson Photography
Wednesday, April 25th, 2012
Mark it on your calendars! It’s that time again for another Pottery Barn in-store event! Join us for a Bridal Registry Party, Thursday, May 3rd from 6-8pm at the Bellevue Square location. Invite your friends and family to enjoy an evening of decorating and entertaining demonstrations, plus personalized assistance with creating your gift registry. Then head over to Williams-Sonoma for cooking and product demonstrations.
All registrants and one guest will receive 10% off purchases made at both stores! Call the Bellevue Square location today to reserve your spot! 425-451-0097
Guests who attend this event will also be treated to mouthwatering desserts presented by Carla of Honey Crumb Cake Studio, super talented wedding and boudoir session photographers Loren and Kim of Alante Photography, stunning floral arrangements by Anne of Floressence Floral Design, and of course, ME- New Creations Weddings- Pottery Barn Bellevue Square’s exclusively referred wedding planner who can help bring your vision for your wedding day to reality!
Can’t wait to see you there!
~Rebecca
Monday, September 5th, 2011
New Creations is proud to announce an exciting collaborative partnership with Blue Elephant!
As a full service wedding design boutique, Blue Elephant offers everything from paper goods to floral design. With this collaborative effort, New Creations is now able to offer in house stationary- from save-the-dates to invitations, menu’s, escort cards all the way to thank-you’s! If we can dream it, we can do it! The invitation is the opening of your wedding day. This is saying who you are- your style, your vision for the day, and what the overall theme will be.
Each wedding is one of a kind, and inspired by the client’s personal style and love story. No two wedding designed though Blue Elephant are ever the same, each one is truly unique!
Blue Elephant got it’s start and name in May of 2011, as an affiliate of Rock, Paper, Sketch Design Studio. Their creative director, Anne Alo, has a combined seven years of experience in wedding and event design, and has been featured on the Knot and has worked on many designer events with Nordstrom.
The name comes from the quirkiness, uniqueness and the fun that their team embodies! There is no real story behind it other than the fact that the name encompasses who they are as a design team.
Blue Elephants absolute favorite thing about designing for a couples wedding day is the creative process! They absolutely love drafting up a concept and bringing it to life! Seeing all that hard work and design come to life, and knowing that the couple loves it is absolutely the best thing about their job!
Within the collaboration between Blue Elephant and New Creations Weddings, rest assured, you will come away knowing that your vision for your wedding day has truly been articulated, your ideas have been listened to, and that you will have fun and enjoy being involved in the creative process. As a newly engaged couple, you have our word that you will be able to enjoy and celebrate your wedding day. No stress over small details, only joy for the momentous occasion with fun decorative frills to gush over!
As a wedding planner, I am so excited for this collaboration of working with very talented people who will help set your vision into reality!
Check out their site at Blue Elephant Weddings
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
I hope you can’t tell how nervous I was in these photos!! :) About a year ago, I was contacted by the regional director of Wedding Network USA, BreeAnn Gale, asking if I would be interested in being a speaker for an upcoming educational meeting. For those of you who don’t know what WNUSA is, it’s a nation-wide network of wedding professionals. Each state has a local chapter, and each chapter hosts either an educational or networking event every month for wedding vendors.
As the only Seattle area wedding planner who specializes in planning Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian and Samoan weddings; BreeAnn reached out to me to host one of these educational meetings on the traditions and customs of Filipino, Chinese and Japanese weddings. I was thrilled to be asked to share my expertise in Asian-Pacific wedding cultures, yet super nervous because I had never done anything like this before.
I could not have asked for a better event! The guests left feeling more informed about Asian wedding customs, and I left feeling like I had absolutely done my best- it was fun, interactive and educational- everything I wanted it to be. Of course I could not have done it without a collaboration of fellow wedding vendors who helped make this event amazing!
Many thanks to all the absolute wedding pro’s who helped me pull this off:
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
Thank you mom! As a wedding planner, you are always kind of nervous if people are going to refer you and where your next couple is going to come from. This one I have to credit to my mother. My mom works for the Seattle Public Schools school nurses department. In passing one day, one of the nurses told my mom that her son had just gotten engaged… so you can see where this is leading.
I had the absolute joy to be Meghan and Chris’ day-of wedding planner for their absolutely amazing wedding at Kiana Lodge in Poulsbo. There are very few families of couples that make ‘the help’ feel like they are truly appreciated and are so happy to have them there. Both Meghan and Chris’ families absolutely took me in, and I felt truly appreciated.
The wedding ceremony had everyone enraptured as their fathers took turns officiating the ceremony. Meghan’s brother played guitar and sang for the approximately 250 guests in attendance. The night moved onto a fabulous dinner provided by Kiana Lodge’s catering staff. Dinner was served family style and the decor added to the family feel with beautiful towering vases topped with greens and gerbra daises created by Vicky of Victoria Graceson Florals. Tunes were played all night by one of my absolute favorite DJ/Emcee’s Brandon Ghorley who kept the night lively and the party going well into the night.
The couple was truly represented throughout their wedding with little touches of themselves dotted throughout. Meghan is a henna tattoo artist during the summer, and you can see glimpses of that style not only on her hand, but carried throughout their invitations all the way to their wedding cake. Their getaway vehicle of course HAD to be the Bronco, as this is how they first met many years ago. Chris’ family moved onto the street where Meghan’s family was already living. Her breathe was taken away by the high school kid in the Bronco, and now they are husband and wife.
What a true honor to be a part of their wedding day!
Vendor Shout Out:
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
The first outdoor wedding of the year at the Woodmark! Rida and Jeff were lucky enough to have their wedding as they had wanted- overlooking the water on the grass at the Woodmark. Their day turned out beautifully with ARIA Style creating the beautiful floral arrangements, and Alante Photography capturing the day in photos. More photos to come!
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
A behind the scenes look into the day of a life of a wedding planner; and a dog who is wondering, ‘when will wedding season end?’
I think the look on my poor dogs face says it all-we are in full swing of wedding season folks. Do you see his poor toy set by his feet in anticipation of someone walking by to pick it up? It’s gotten so bad that he’ll even pick it up and throw it himself. Poor dog. Won’t get to play again with ‘mom’ until probably October, then of course, it will be too nasty to take him to the dog park anyways.
Here is a rare glimpse into the unseen world of what wedding planners actually do. I met with my Sunday couple, Rida and Jeff yesterday to pick up all their wedding knickknacks to begin preparation on my end to make the set up as seamless as possible.
This is a sneak peak of their very cute and ever popular wedding trend- the candy buffet. Rida and Jeff’s wedding colors are various hues of pink, yellow, blue and greens. They have really put a lot of detail into their whimsical labels for the candy bags and the overall look of the wedding.
The tissue paper balls are going to be a very cute touch hanging above the candy buffet. Don’t you think the beginning stages of prep for them reminds you of making tissue paper butterflies in elementary school? Just add some pipe cleaner, and curl the ends for the antenna’s.
We’re holding our breathe that the weather will cooperate for their outdoor ceremony at the Woodmark Hotel this Sunday. Looking forward to sharing photos with you soon!
Monday, June 6th, 2011
I am so excited to let you all know about a wonderful opportunity for you to attend on June 29th.
Many months ago, I was approached by BreeAnn Gale of Pink Blossom Events- a fellow wedding planner, to be a featured key note speaker for this month’s Wedding Network USA meeting.
These meetings are typically for wedding professionals- however anyone can attend.
For the topic of the meeting, I will be featuring my knowledge of Asain-Pacific weddings and featuring three very distinct wedding styles of Filipino, Japanese and Chinese wedding traditions.
We will have 3 themed rooms, each featuring clothing, flowers, and food from each distinct culture. There will even be an interactive Chinese tea ceremony and a Chinese Lion Dance!
I would love for all who are interested to attend this wonderful event sure to be informative and fun!
Event information/sign-up is listed in link below:
http://ticketsoregon.com/event.php?event_id=963!
Monday, June 6th, 2011
Wow! What an event! That is all I have to say about an amazing opportunity I had.
I have to say that I typically never do event planning, however, I could not pass up this opportunity. Mrs. Susan Hayes of Distinctive Cuisine met with me many months ago to present an opportunity to plan a client appreciation meeting for her Edmonds based catering company.
Throughout the planning process, the integration of Sue’s contacts and my own wedding vendors could not have come together better. Hosting our event was Capitol Hill’s Pravda Studios. This ‘loft’ style space boasts large open areas with wood floors, floor to ceiling windows and exposed duct work. Perfect for anything from a modern Seattle wedding, to a great swanky party.
This was a great project to work on as Pravda is host to an array of available resources to make the space amazing. I worked with Rebecca Van Pelt to bring my vision of the space to reality. White floor to ceiling drapes flanked the large picture windows while yellow spot lights accented our yellow, green, white, and brown color palette. We further made use of the space with soft seating to create a great gathering/lounge feel for guests to relax. The rest of the space was dotted with cocktail tables and barstools topped with white linens tied with brown sashes.
The finishing touches of glass vases anchored with lemons and a single head of hydrangea and flickering candles finished off the look beautifully!
The evening got underway with an attendance of about 120 guests ranging from Microsoft executives to friends that Sue went to culinary school with at Seattle University. A delightful group to mingle with and enjoy the amazing cuisine of the evening.
Guests enjoyed the event well into the evening, and helped themselves to our custom designed SWAG bags on their way out. What a wonderful evening of amazing people celebrating delectable cuisine with great wine and an exciting venue.
Thank you to Sue and Melissa of Distinctive Cuisine for letting me plan this amazing event! What a success!
Vendor Shout Out:
Venue-Rebecca Van Pelt withPravda Studios
Rentals- Erin Colpitts with AA Party Rentals (Seattle)
Chocolate SWAG bag contributor- Sara Buchannan of Buchannan Chocolates
Florist- Rebecca Williams of Perpetual Posies
Photographer- Lacey Yantis of Visions of Romance
Custom Cupcake Wrappers- Carrie Middlemiss of Bella Cupcake Couture
Mini Cupcakes- Stephanie Buono of Frosted Cupcakes & Cakes
SWAG Bag Design- Michelle Weinberg of Design ONE!
