Black and White

I got to be a part of a beautiful wedding this past weekend.  It took place at Benton's on the top floor of the Westin Crown Center.  With nearly a 360 degree of view of downtown Kansas City, it was absolutely breathtaking.  

  The flower arrangements were done by Hy-Vee in Leawood, and they looked stunning!  

 Loved the bride's dress, looked like whipped frosting.

 Ready to celebrate being Mr. and Mrs.!

 You can see how the view would be stunning from the top floor.  

May Vendor of the Month

For May's Vendor of the Month say hello to Chris Gharst Photography.  Chris says, "I have worked hard the past few years to provide my clients and my community with images that capture the essence of Love and Happiness."  His work really is an art, as you will see.

His style is "an unobtrusive, photo-journalistic approach to modern photography".  Each bride and groom that books with Chris will know that they have hired more than "just a guy taking photos."  Chris makes it a point to really know each client's personality, and incorporates that into shoots which really make the images real, emotional, and personal.

Contact information: info@chrisgharstphotography.com

Website: www.chrisgharstphotography.com

Style: Photo-journalistic

Sample Work:

"I Workout"

Planning a wedding takes a lot of work, and sometimes it's hard to remember to take care of yourself at the same time.  You may not have time to hit the gym, too busy to do meal planning, or in a rush and unable to find a healthy meal option on the go.  You want to look your best on that day, so here are some simple workouts you can do from home to tone those arms and get killer legs to be wedding dress (and honeymoon bikini) ready!

I find pinterest has great suggestions for workout ideas.  Check out my link to pinterest (at the top of the page) for other wedding inspirations!

Engagement Bling!

For those of you who are like me, you saw that celebrity couple "Brangelina" got engaged and immediately thought, "I wonder what the ring looks like?"  Well after scouting some photos, I came across the full scoop on the bling.  It's a $500,000 stunner in baguette diamonds that took Brad Pitt and Robert Procop a year to design and create.  Sounds like Brad has been thinking for a long time about popping the question, despite his claim in October 2006 and again in August 2009 that they will get married when "everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able."  Well, I guess he liked it, so he put a ring on it...

Here is a close up of the "simple" piece of jewelry:

Photo credit: E Online

I will say this piece suits her nicely! Of course I think it would suit any of us nicely to have a six carat stunner on our hand...and doubly good, have it be given by none other than Brad Pitt!

Giveaway Winner!

Our Nest Necklace Giveaway winner is Allison F.!  Congratulations, Allison!  If you will email me at alleneventdesigns@gmail.com with your address, I will get your prize in the mail this week!  Thank you to all those who entered, and I am sorry not everyone could be a winner.  Keep your eyes peeled for future giveaways!

Two days left!!!

Remember to enter into our giveaway for a free nest necklace!  See post below for contest details!

April Giveaway!

This month instead of a vendor of the month, we are having a giveaway!  This beautiful piece of jewelry was created by Jen at http://drawthelineat.blogspot.com/.  She was one of our January vendors, and in addition to being an great photographer, she is also a phenomenal artist.  She created this necklace (along with numerous other pieces) if you are interested in anything else she might create for you, get a hold of her here through her blog: http://drawthelineat.blogspot.com/p/crafty.html.

As for this particular piece, we are giving it away to one lucky winner.  It's called a Nest Necklace, due to the little pearl eggs nestled into the wire.  If you would like to see how she made it, here is another one she made previously in a bronze and red hue: Nest Necklace.  This one is silver colored wire with pale pink and light blue/green pearl beads.

It's the perfect piece to give as a gift or keep for yourself.  Since this is a bridal blog, I should point out that it would be a stunning piece for a wedding rehearsal, a gift for your maid-of-honor, or even a "something blue" on the wedding day.  However, this giveaway is open to anyone!

To enter this giveaway all you have to do is "like" and "share" Allen Event Designs facebook page on your wall.  You can find a link to the site here: Allen Event Designs.  That gets you one entry into the contest.

For additional entries you can follow this blog and/or follow Jen's blog http://drawthelineat.blogspot.com/.  Leave a comment on here with how many different ways you entered.  Each way counts as one entry.  A winner will be selected at random two weeks from today on April 16th, 2012.  The winner will have the necklace mailed to them, as long as they have an address in the continental U.S.

Best of Luck!

Things I'm In Love With Right Now

So right now, as the weather is getting nicer, these are some of the things I am in love with right now!

Right now the idea of a beach wedding is just magical.  Crisp white sand, bare feet, blue skies, and crystal water lapping along side the aisle.  What an ideal way to start the rest of your life together.  Perfection.  So with that little imagery, here are some things I would love to go with it:

Photo credit: HopeFaithInspire on Etsy ~ found here

Something sparkly to catch the light of that beach sunset...and better yet, it can be your something new and something blue!

Photo credit: halterneckwedding.onsugar.com ~ go here

I love the simple details of the top of the dress, the petite bows almost remind me of tiny starfish.  And the skirt seems to be made out of a very light linen, so beautiful!  It would go perfect with that starfish necklace!

Photo credit: Bella Beach Weddings

Photo Credit: Wedding Bee

Of course the groom has to be properly attired as well!  In the first photo I love the idea of a crisp khaki suit! Looks very complimentary with the beach setting.  It would get hot in the jacket though!  I would keep the pants and flip flops from the first photo and pair it with a linen shirt like the one in the second photo...except I would make it short sleeved. 

Photo credit: Unique Beach Wedding

Photo credit: Wedding X

As for colors I'd go with either various shades of blue hues or the bright pinks and coral trend.  Although that first picture (to me) is a bit too busy, I do love the shades of blue they used.  I love the simple elegance of the second photo though, and the colors pop perfectly! 

Photo credit: Wedding Hairstyles Blog

Of course it is your wedding day, and many (many many) photos will be taken, but I love this one!  Such a perfect capture to the end of a perfect day.  P.S. - I love the groom's outfit here too!

Photo credit: My Wed Decorations

Lastly, I love this idea for the guests...have them take the time to write a love note, a hopeful message, a prayer, or just a well-wish for the new couple, and then toss it in to the ocean for someone, one day to find.  How romantic!

So those are just a few of the things I am in love with right now.  Hope about you?  Do you love those things? Are you loving something else right now?  Share it here!

March Vendor of the Month

For March's Vendor of the Month I am highlighting a great photographer by the name of Layne.  She focuses her talents on boudoir, bridal and babies.  She says, "It's fun, because if you think

about it one leads right into the other."  She also grabs as many senior sessions and fashion

sessions that she can.  A woman of many talents, as you will see in some of her sample shots!

Layne Haley Photography:

"I love taking photos that include bright colours and clean lines. My goal is to make

my clients feel like friends (and most of them become that!). There's no stress, and

a whole lot of fun.  Taking photographs is my passion. Seeing the love during a session, and the reactions to the photographs is what keeps me going. Giving people something that they can

remember for the rest of their life is such an exciting thing for me!  Life passes by so quickly; it's wonderful to be able to grab that moment in time!"

Contact information: layne@laynehaley.com

Website: http://laynehaley.com or http://laynehaley.wordpress.com/

Style: Modern, Journalistic

Sample Work:

Nashville

I recently took a trip to Nashville, and stumbled upon the cutest little paper and more store called Social Graces.  They specialize in wedding invitations, but can also offer so much more!

What drew me in was the beautiful wedding gown they had in the window.  I took pictures with my phone, so I'm sorry if the quality isn't great, but you can get the feel for the ornate details!

The style they had set up for was completely shabby chic, but they can accommodate so much more than that!  They had everything from monogrammed wedding invitations created to order, to simple color block stationary.

They also had these cute little coupon books for a bridesmaids to give to the bride and groom.  They had tear-out coupons for things like: dealing with problematic vendors or attending cake tastings...although I don't think that would be hard for a bride/groom to find volunteers to help with!

They also had a sample table set up, because when it comes to weddings there is more paper involved than just the invitations!  You have menus, programs, save-the-date cards, and (as pictured) table place cards!

It was a store I didn't want to leave, because there was just so much to look at!  And maybe you are already married, and just like reading this blog for the nostalgia; or not really looking to get married anywhere in the near future, but just like browsing the ideas/pictures...well they are more than just a wedding store.  They had things for babies, showers, journaling, travel, the home, stamps, or those who just love to write.  It was a little something for everyone.  So if you are ever traveling (or live in) Nashville, this is a great little paper boutique to check out!  If you aren't traveling there anytime soon though, you can always check them out online as well at: http://www.socialgracesonline.com/Social_Graces/Home.html

Happy Valentine's Day and a Vendor Profile!

First of all, Happy Valentine's Day to everyone out there!  I know there will be a plethora of new brides-to-be after today!  In fact, one of my friends just proposed today!  According to families.com and The Diamond Information Center approx. 10% of marriage proposals happen today.  So congratulations to all you newly engaged couples, and to those of you who tied the knot today!

Anyone wanting to share their plans for Valentine's Day?  I know my husband and I like to do a more low-key, at-home type celebration.  We've made fondue or other special dinners in years past.  This one we are following that tradition, and we are making lobster tails, crab cakes, twice baked potatoes, asparagus, and eclairs for dessert.  Getting hungry just thinking about it!

And speaking of food, February's Vendor Highlight is on a wonderful bakery by the name of Dolce Baking Company in Prairie Village.  They are a boutique scratch bakery, and have been in business since fall 2007.  Several brides that I've worked with have gone with them to do their wedding cakes, and from personal experience their cakes deserve rave reviews!  Not only are the beautifully decadent, but supremely delicious.  So if you are looking for a good bakery to make your cake, groom's cake, dessert bar, cupcake creation, etc. I think you should consider going with Dolce!

Website: http://dolcebakingcompany.com
Contact: 913-236-4411

Sample Work:

Photo credits: Dolce Baking Co.

Splash of Color!

So right now I am loving this color trend for weddings: red and aqua!  Gorgeous.  The great thing about it, is it works for a wedding any season of the year.  You can do a spring bash with emphasis on the aqua, a summer beach theme using red coral, or a fall/winter fete with heavy reds and a splash of the blue.  It is so versatile!

Check out these pictures for some great ideas on how to do these colors with your wedding.

Photo credit: Michael Norwood Photography and Wed Loft

Photo credit: Project Wedding

Photo credit: The Knot

Photo credit: It CAN be Arranged

Photo credit: Nikki B's Paper Boutique

Check out each of the photo links for additional aqua and red wedding ideas!