Brand New Wedding Dress for Sale

Forgive me for using this blog for a personal post. If any of you (or those you may know) are interested, I'm selling a brand new, never-been-worn wedding dress. I bought this one in June and have been carefully storing it since. I fell in love with another dress last weekend, and thus have to find this one a new home!

I bought it as a sample, yet it had never even been used as a sample. It is in perfect condition, no need to have it cleaned. It is a Watters Bridal dress, style 9052B. Ivory silk shantung with a trumpet skirt (very light and easy for dancing :-). It has a sweetheart top and beautiful pleating throughout the bodice. I have more pictures that I can send you.

If you are interested, please email momentsbymorgan@yahoo.com for details. If you live in the New York area, I'll even show you the dress before purchasing if you are interested.

New from Party Rental for Fall 2008

Seen above and below are some of my favorite new looks for the Fall 2008 season from Party Rental Ltd. (see web information below). Most of the items featured on the tabletops can be rented from Party Rental (available in the Northeast Region).

The Theory Rouge linen above is one of my favorite looks for this fall season (I'm actually using it for a large corporate event later this year). I will be honest and say that this picture makes it look much more orange than it is. The true base color is closer to rust and is a beautiful fall pattern. The embroidered mosaic is simply gorgeous! I'm not crazy about the red flowers shown here - I suggest pairing it with orange and terra cotta colors with accents of red (mokara orchids or coffee break roses work beautifully). Showcased on this table are the following: chocolate church napkin with a gold rose filagree napkin ring, gold square pebble charger (which matches the mosaic on this linen perfectly), square glass woven dinner plate, freeform four plate, freeform cup, black goblet, elan red and white wine glasses, black handled flatware and square frosted votive candle holders.

This Remington Gray linen (print premium) is a great twist on a standard look. It reminds me of pinktuck (you will see basic taffeta linens in a variety of colors that are sewn into a diamond-shaped pattern). The diamond pattern and medallions in the center all add texture to linens. I love when linens feel nice as well as look nice! The flowers here are a bit more classic in a gold urn. Featured on this table is baby blue church linen napkin with a silver oval napkin ring, a brown metallic circle charger, imperial dinner plate, medici soup bowl, carnegie hill flatware, gold rim bell water and wine glasses, and roly poly candle holders in frosted gold and silver glass. This look is great in a country club or historic hotel ballroom.

The Lexus brown and green (print premium) linen can be matched with a variety of patterns and textures in the same color palette. You can make this look a bit more modern (as seen with the sleek silver metal container) or a bit more traditional (by pairing it with a damask print). The flowers are calla lilies, green cymbidium orchids, bells of ireland and more for a sleek look with a touch of color. It is shown here with chocolate church linen napkin with a square lucite napkin ring, gold venetian glass charger, glass dinner plate with gold beads, origami gold rim lunch plate (interesting square edges with circluar inset), kings palace flatware, paloma water and wine glasses, gold beaded votive candle holder, and a plain glass votive candle holder.

Edgewater Purple linen has a whimsical bubble and squiggle line pattern. The darker purple color gives it more elegance while still being fun. The flowers that you put on the table will define whether it is a fun daytime spring table or a more sophisticated evening wedding. It is showcased here with lavender church linen napkins with ecru not napkin rings, violet pebble glass charger(the one on the bottom), glass dinner plate with silver beads, deco dot lunch plate, black handled flatware, amethyst flute tinted glassware (I love tinted glassware, it really adds something different to the table), platinum rim bell wine and water glasses, eggplant crack votive candle hodlers and lilac magnolia votives (the marbelized ones).

More information about the products above can be obtained from www.partyrentalltd.com. Party Rental Ltd. has locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Fall Flower Inspiration

I recently went to the Party Rental Ltd. Fall Open House (see more on the new items available later). They had the best fall arrangements there - and I'm not sure who the florist is - arrangements that you really just want to take a bite out of.

The arrangement featured above featured burgundy and wine red dahlias in a rustic pot. I love dahlias, though they can be hard to work with since they aren't always consistent looking.

This is a close up of baby watermelons that the florist wrapped, still on the vine, around the rustic container. I LOVE this - probably one of my favorite floral finds so far this season.

Another angle that showcases the other flowers incorporated.

The second fall arrangement incorporates a variety of seed pods. This has a more elegant weed feel, but would mesh very well with a rustic farm, barn or ranch wedding. The different color berries add some fall colors. You can easily incorporate a few seed pods into your arrangements or bouquets from any season - they really lend something different and interesting to your florals.

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Customize Your Wedding Organization

Are you tired of the one-size-fits all wedding organizers or the boring white binders from Staples with clear plastic sheets? Do you want to jazz up your wedding organization? Check out these *free* templates from Russel+Hazel to help with all of your wedding organization needs. Pair it with one of their fab binders (like the ones pictures below) or with your own amazing binder.


Go to http://www.russellandhazel.com/ideas_weddingtemplates.html for amazing templates that you can save to your desktop, pass along to your friends, or print out to customize your organizer. Templates include the standard wedding timeline checklist, budget worksheets, fashion worksheets for you and your bridesmaids, floorplans, music worksheets, photo shots and so much more.

While your visiting their website, check our personalized embossers, adorably cute rubber bands, or even a groom's workbook :-)

For more info visit www.russellandhazel.com

Fall-Inspired Vases

Fall is a great season for weddings. The darker color palette instantly separates it from a summer or spring wedding. Why not use Mother Nature's vases to help bring the season to your reception tables.




These gourd vases are straight from the pages of Better Homes and Gardens. Each has a different texture (and each gourd is different from the next!) and mixes well with elegant or casual flowers.

This is something to embrace if you really want to bring the fall season into your decor. Pair it with loose leaves in bright fall oranges or reds, or use branches with fall leaves to accent your escort card tables or behind bars. Add in berries to the arrangements or use them as accents on napkins. Pair with brown, orange or copper table linens. Incorporate heartier spices into your menu like cinnamon or nutmeg.

Adorable Garters

Fantastic custom garters from Julianne Smith. Her store is located in Washington DC but you can order over the internet. You can also get a gift certificate for upcoming bridal showers! Each purchase comes with a free toss garter. Classic to sexy & modern styles are available (like this zebra grosgrain with hot pink accent above). See some below that I thought you might like:

Ivory satin with leopard print

Brown and turquoise polka dot

Blue grosgrain with white satin ribbon

Black and white polka dot with white grosgrain and hot pink accents

Find out more at www.juliannesmith.com

Mouthwatering Dessert Displays

Amy Atlas (of Amy Atlas Events) is known for her signature dessert tables. Here are some pictures that can help inspire you. Aside from the bride, the wedding cake is usually a focal point of the reception. So you have to make sure that your dessert table is not only appealing to the stomach, but appealing to the eye. Tables like the one above (Mod Dessert Table design) have many ideas that you can pull from for your own wedding. The use of bold graphics above, in the wallpaper and the cake, really pop and catch the eye of your guests. Golden Gerbera daisies are a whimsical and less-expensive flower option. Adding the black glassware creates a very sophisticated design.

This Seasonal Dessert Table is dressed for Halloween, but with a few quick changes, it can accommodate your fall wedding. Inexpensive paper fans are hung together to create a sculptural look. You can create the same style with any type of paper lantern. Check www.pearlriver.com to find a variety of styles straight from NYC's Chinatown. The dark iron urn could easily be holding willow branches in copper or silver to create a more seasonal (and not Halloween) feel. You might even want to incorporate this into your escort card table. Replace the sweets with favors, or give guests a pre-dinner snack!



This design was created for a birthday, but can easily take on many different wedding colors. The whimsical boards are easy to create. Buy a standard bulletin board and cover it with your favorite fabric or wrapping paper. Straight pins hold pre-assembled bags of candy (these could be escort cards), while more bags can be available to encourage guests to create their own assortment. I love the "Take a Sweet" message created with sugar cookies. What better way to let your guests know they are invited to partake than with cookies! Just be careful that the ring bearer doesn't steal a letter before the reception begins :-)

For more information on Amy Atlas Events, or to see more examples of her beautiful dessert table designs, go to www.amyatlas.com.

iPhone Obsessed: Here's a Download for You

For just .99 cents you can download ANDESigned's Wedding Day Countdown. The next time someone asks how long it is until your wedding, tell them in up-to-the-second accuracy (or tell them they should have saved the save-the-date). Customize it with 10 different background colors. Best feature: after the big day, it keeps track of how long you you been married, to the second....

www.andesigned.net

Sensual by Design

Want a little something special for your wedding night (or honeymoon), head to Washington DC where you can visit Dascha in Georgetown. Choose from their selection of the finest fabrics to create your own custom corset. They might have some other items there that would spice up the honeymoon too....

www.daschaboudoirboutique.com

Our Wedding Venue

We are getting married on November 7, 2009 at the Don Room at the El Cortez in San Diego, CA. My fiance is from San Diego originally, and we want to share our love of the city with our friends and family. Kathi Skillman, Director Sales, Marketing & Events for the Don Room is amazing to work with and really helped me since I live across the country! We looked at 16 venues in 4 days during a vacation to San Diego in July, but when we moved towards a contract we decided that we still hadn't found the right venue. I called and spoke with Kathi and in only a few weeks I felt comfortable enough with her and the beautiful venue to sign a contract without ever having seen the venue (something that, as a planner, makes me inherently nervous).

The El Cortez opened as a hotel in 1927 and has been one of San Diego's finest landmarks ever since. At its opening, it was the first high rise in the city. The hotel was known for its Sky Room and the "Starlight Express" he chic exterior glass elevator that transported guests to the top of the building. The ballroom is octagonal and has a 24 karat gold ceiling. It was so amazing that it hosted the weddings of San Diego's most prominent families and dinners for visiting dignitaries.

We love it because of its originality. I love the octagonal shape of the room with a dance floor in the center - it makes the entire reception feel more intimate. The 10,000 square foot terrace will be where we have our ceremony. There is plenty of space for the ceremony and to transition into cocktail hour and a lounge after dinner. They have a fountain and a big fire place to add to the ambiance.

Learn more about the Don Room at the El Cortez at www.donroom.com

Back with Bling!

Hello Readers!

So where have I been? I apologize to those of you who have wanted to read, but haven't seen anything new. I know, it has been a long time since I have posted. Let me fill you in on the details.

Last May I was lucky enough to be on-site producing my first incentive program. Aside from putting together amazing events for our client's guests (see pictures below), I had to be away from home for 23 days. On day 18, after a long day setting up an event, ending in humidity and pouring rain, I went back to my hotel office. A security guard knocked on my door, and told me that a guest wanted to see me in the lobby bar. I thought this was highly unlikely, but because my birthday was a few days away, I suspected that something was going on. Little did I know what was going to happen.

The security guard led me to the corner of the bar where I saw a glass of wine and a note. The note said "Happy Birthday Love, look in the corner." Sitting in the dark corner was my boyfriend! He had conspired with my boss and flown all the way to Bermuda to surprise me. I was caught WAY off guard and hadn't even begun to realize that he was really sitting in front of me, when we jumped out of his chair and got down on one knee!

He had shown up over 8 hours before, and due to the weather had had to hide in the lobby bar. (Note: the hotel is very small and I had walked by the bar at least 50 times that day setting up my event.) He had wanted to propose to me on the beach, but thought that the second I saw him in Bermuda I would know what he was going to do (Note: I had no idea, as I thought we were at least a year away from being engaged). I was so flabbergasted that I couldn't even go to the dinner reservations he had made. I made him order room service with me in my hotel room. He left less than 24 hours after he had arrived, and I continued on with my work for the last five days with a HUGE smile on my face the entire time.

So here I am, hoping to recommit myself to showing you new and innovative products, designs and ideas for your wedding and for our wedding. I hope that you continue to enjoy what you read.

See upcoming posts on details from our wedding planning. Please share details from yours and we will feature you on the blog.

Events produced by Fourth Wall Events www.fourthwallevents.com

Earthly Affairs Stationary

So I'm on a bit of an environmental kick - how can you not be with so many companies offering eco-conscious products and services. Below are invitations from Earthly Affair. Aside from being adorable, available in many designs (and various colors) and easy to order online. This company prints on 100% recycled paper, with earth-friendly printing methods, carbon free shipping (they purchase carbon offsets), and an eco-equipped studio.

Check out the adorable designs below or on their site:

Alcazar design in fuchsia. Variation in olive and light blue with dark gray writing.
This design is called Fresh and available in several different colors. The very graphic print is contemporary, but still feminine.

Repurpose Your Wedding

We are at the height of the eco-chic trend right now. I support recycling, repurposing and being as sustainable as possible. You create your perfect moment, but pieces of your moment can be distributed after the event to make so many others happy!

Sound great but don't know how: there are many ways that you can help spread the love with the leftovers from your wedding.

1) Talk with your vendors:
- Ask your florist if he/she works with a company or organization that can benefit from your arrangements. Can she deliver the arrangements to a hospital or nursing home instead of just throwing them away? (This may incur a slight charge for delivery, but is well worth the money in karma!) You may even want to ask a family friend or bridesmaid to collect the centerpieces and deliver them on your behalf.

- Talk with your caterer about donating left over food (not the food put out, but any over purchasing or food that was not served). Many caterers have partnerships with organizations that will package and collect the food for distribution to local homeless shelter and soup kitchens. If your caterer doesn't usually do this, ask if they would be willing to start (they may decide to incorporate this into all of their future events - karma bonus). If they are unwilling to do the organizing, you might be able to call an organization yourself and ask them to come and collect leftovers at the end of the night.

- Talk with your venue about recycling. If the environment is important to you, exercise your power when you are choosing your venue. Ask what policies are in place, and choose a venue that is environmentally conscious and follows a strict program. If you have to have a venue that isn't so eco-savvy, talk with the manager about ways you can reduce waste and energy. One way might be to purchase enough wind energy credits to power your wedding. (A service available in some areas now through your local power company. Though you aren't actually being powered by the wind, you are purchasing an equal amount of wind power to offset your electricity usage. While you are at it, switch your home bill over to wind power, as well. It doesn't cost an extra penny!)

- Resell or donate your decor items. You can look into sites like www.usedeventstuff.com or www.craigslist.com. You may even want to try ebay. Believe it or not, all of these sites are recycling! You may even recoup some of your wedding costs (which you might want to donate to the organization of your choice...)

Still lost at home to go about this? Contact Special E (www.thespeciale.com/works.html), who will send their Rescue Squad to collect leftovers from your event. They take the lot back to their collection site, sort through it repurpose flowers, direct food to a pantry or food waste to a composting center. They charge an administrative fee to organize this, and are available in many markets, including NYC, LA, Seattle, San Jose, San Diego, Portland, Boston, Las Vegas, Houston and a lot more!

Truli Wonderful Cakes

I found these fantastic designs at Truli Confectionary Arts (based in Philadelphia):

I love the pearlized blue and the wonderful large blue flower (looks so real!)

Complete with uber-elegant orchids and a grand gold bow, this cake is stunning and simple.

The dark brown base color is something unique, as is the pattern pressed delicately into the fondant. This base color can compliment a variety of wedding colors.

Highlighting the damask trend, this cake with an ivory base twists the trend by using red and an intricate gold ribbon pattern.

Here we see the same delicate imprint on the base of the cake. The yellow tone is beautiful and the delicate sugar parrot tulips hold sashes of white fondant (I have a thing for parrot tulips - and the sugar ones hold up much longer than the real ones!).

Learn more about Truli Confectionary Arts at www.truliconfectionaryarts.com

Fresh Florals

I saw this great display of fresh florals in a Pottery Barn eblast (you cxan get all of the containers from Pottery Barn!). The bright and fresh ideas include using a combination of containers in unique ways. Small circular container inside a larger one or a fluted bottle inside a glass cylinder. It also uses different elements in the same containers, highlighting the contrasts: limes topped with gerbera daisies.

Back with New Design Ideas

I've taken a little bit a hiatus (really work has over-taken me), but now we are back with all of our new design updates. I've been saving them up for weeks, so this will start the deluge of great ideas. And what better time than now, when wedding season is in full swing, and all of you brides-to-be are buzzing with prep work!

I just loved the vivid color of this orchid display. It was used to highlight a sponsor (hence the bottle), but the point is that fantastic florals take center stage no matter what the container.

This floral design was used as a centerpiece for a fashion event. Not that I want you to put these on your tables, but it shows that truly gifted floral designers can create anything! Believe it or not, the traditionally under-appreciated carnation squishes and conforms to create fantastic shapes and designs!

I love thed modern and unique design of this floral arrangement. The event them was a modern Parisian cabaret, and I really love the look of the design!

Calla lilies and orchids join together on top of bamboo to create this delicate, yet modern, arrangement.

I love the look of this modern chandelier: a tray suspended from the ceiling, overflowing with florals! Great for a lounge or loft space.

Engagement Rings :-)

I escaped to New Jersey this weekend (for my grandmother's 80th birthday party) and what else is there to do but go shopping at the mall. I was walking around with my girlfriend and we inevitably ended up browsing in a few of the jewelry stores. It got me to thinking about engagement rings. These rings are straight from the pages of The Knot and you can search for them to find more details (and about a million more styles). But these caught my eye and I wanted to share them: This is my favorite, the one that I would walk around with on my hand! It is a Tacori design, with a round cut center stone and pave diamonds around the center stone and on the band.
Tacori platinum and diamond eternity engagement ring
Tacori ring that is modern yet classic: emerald cut center stone with Cadillac cut side stones. To me the center looks like it is shining like an icicle.
Tacori round brilliant cut center stone with pave diamond accents. I love that the setting for the center stone and the pave accents make this ring sort of look like a flower.

Ritani platinum carved, semi-mount ring. I love the fine detailing on this ring, it makes it classic but truly stand out.
Ritani platinum solitaire ring with princess center cut stone. The pave diamonds just below the setting make it look very modern. The coordinating wedding band has a very sleek appearance.
Ritani: round brilliant center stone. I love the crossed accents on this band. I think that I would look for a wedding band with accents that match a bit more. To me this just looks like it would match a sleek silhouette wedding dress with a cross around the bust in rhinestones!
Ritani with another round brilliant center cut stone. The pave accents on the band almost look like little flowers. I like the diamonds on the wedding band (what can I say, I like more bling). The pave diamonds around the base of the center stone make the ring stand out.
Ritani round cut center stone with baguette side stones. I think that the baguette cut really makes the hand look long and lean.

Hearts on Fire Lady Di solitaire ring. I love that this looks like something fit for a Princess of Wales. Though it loosely resembles a snowflake, I think that this is a cute you rarely see in an engagement ring.
Hearts on Fire truly bridal leaf dream cut center stone. From this angle it has a great graphic quality to it.
Kirk Kara designed this setting to have accents of round cut sapphires and pave diamonds. Including the sapphire stones in engagement rings is actually a tradition started in the Victorian era. This ring would certainly count for your something blue!
Mark Patterson round cut center stone with pear shaped side stones. I love the antique feel of this ring. It is good for someone with smaller hands who needs skinny band, but still wants the glamour of a larger center stone.

Mark Schneider Design: this unique band features 48 pave diamonds with a four-prong setting.

A. Jaffe round center cut diamonds with fancy bullet side diamonds. This thicker band gives it a little more of a modern look.
Mark Sepkus created this unique ring. The rose gold band holds round cut diamonds in a modern pattern. If you are the anti-bride looking for an engagement ring that doesn't look like an engagement ring, this is great option. You can also get the band in yellow or white gold.

Diamond Ideals asscher cut center with diamond ideals in the shank. I love the flatness of the band!
Diamond Ideals stardust engagement ring with asscher cut center placed in a box setting. This looks like an antique treasure box waiting to be opened.
Hearts on Fire 4-prong solitaire. This is a great classic and perfect to transcend any time, era or sense of style. The round brilliant cut diamond fits in at any party, with any outfit, on any hand. Widen the band to change the look if you desire.

Happy ring shopping!