Celebrated Events

Post Event Feedback

2008-07-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

We love to hear 'job well done!' by our clients, but hearing it from our vendors is icing on the cake! The following are notes we received from the bandleaders of The Dennis Keith Experience of Chicago, IL, and First Impressions of Indianapolis, IN following the Reilly/Frey and Sandrea/Fahy Weddings, both on July 19, 2008.

Dear Cyndi,
Thank you so much for referring us for this event. It was unique, elegant and a lot of fun. I love working with you – you are so creative!
Cherryl Fonfara
DENNIS KEITH EXPERIENCE

----------------------------

Hey Cyndi,
Great to see and work with you again Saturday! The place looked stunning; and Liz was great to work with.
Best,
Jeff
First Impressions Band

Thanks Guys - Cyndi

Two Weddings and Some Pictures

2008-07-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

Above are a few images from the Sandrea/Fahy Wedding and the Reilly/Frey Wedding, both of which took place this past Saturday, July 19, 2008. As you can see, the date and the ceremony location (Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame campus)was the only thing these two weddings had in common. The top three images are from the Sandrea/Fahy wedding, which featured a timeless glamour, both elegant and chic. The color palette consisted of warm gold and champagnes, combined with celadon and touches of silver. The ceiling of the Marriott Grand Ballroom was draped in soft fabric that met in the center of the room, and from which crystals cascaded down at varying heights. Crystals also cascaded from the centerpieces that were elevated, and studded the center of the calla lilly's that were used in everything from the bride's bouquet, to the design on the wedding cake.

In contrast, the Reilly/Frey wedding was awash in bold colors, set against deep indigo blue. The reception took place in the Great Hall, at the Century Center, where alternating elevated and low centerpieces featured floral in hot pinks, tangerines, lime and buttercup yellow. The food stations each had printed menu's that were framed in fresh lemon leaves accented with a burst of floral color. Each guest napkin was topped with a gerbera daisy, in alternating hot pink or tangerine, giving the table a touch of whimsy. A 'conversation' area was created with overstuffed furniture accented with hot pink pillows, surrounded by lush foliage, that was washed in hot pick light.

While both ceremonies were at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart (11:00 am, 3:00 pm), and both were on the same day, each bride clearly expressed her vision for her perfect day - we were happy to help make it happen!

Recognized by Event Solutions Magazine!

2008-06-27T06:32:00.000-07:00

Check this out! A quote of mine was featured in the May, 2008 edition of Event Solutions Magazine! This trade publication is distributed to event professionals nationwide - and therefore, read by my colleagues and peers. I felt very honored to be asked!

Annelise & Thomas Raaf

2008-05-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

May 2, 2008 at the Norther Indiana Center for Hisory, Annelise & Thomas Raaf had their reception.

Accolades

2008-04-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

This clip takes a little time to load. Clip courtesy of River City Productions/Allure Films.

2008-04-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

I have been told by my webmaster that the subscribe function has now been fixed. So if you want you can now subscribe by atom to this blog!

Champagne Sorbet Intermezzo

2008-03-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

Here is an idea that I fully intend on using this wedding season! Traditionally, the intermezzo course consists of a refreshing fruit sorbet. One scoop of this icy delight, often incorporating the freshest seasonal fruit, is intended to cleanse the palate in anticipation of the main course. During a tasting at the Marriott Hotel, the chef presented this course in a delightful and unexpected way! Placed in front of me was a flute, filled with champagne, and upon closer inspection, the sorbet was in the base of the glass! The fizzy champagne combined with the sweet sorbet was an unexpected pleasure! Taking this idea one step further, if your wedding colors are, for example, tones of pink, use raspberry sorbet, to color the champagne a lovely blush to coordinate with your palette! Lime sorbet if you are using green in your palette or orange sorbet if using peach tones! Don't you love it?!

Invitations that compliment a Notre Dame wedding

2008-03-06T13:54:00.000-08:00

If you are in getting married at Notre Dame in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and want an invitation that is contemporary with a traditional flair, I've found one that is just perfect! It has the very popular 'pocket' design, where the response card/envelope and reception card are tucked into a 'pocket' on the invitation, rather than merely stacked on top of it. The colors are, of course, navy, ecru and kelly green - done very tastefully. It also employs the use of two different fonts, which are used to emphasize the couples names within the text. The invitation itself is sealed with a tab, that can either be printed with the intended guests name/s (Sarah and Jason Bartel) or the names of the engaged couple (Nicole and Patrick).

This wedding invitation encorporates all of the current trends without looking 'trendy'. It also has a classic feel to it that would be appropriate for any wedding taking place in the Basilica on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. We are excited to offer this new invitation, here at Celebrated Events and Girly Girl Gifts.

Please note the computer scan of the invitations do not represent the richness of the colors or even their proper shade.

The Special Event 2008

2008-02-14T08:29:00.001-08:00

I had the honor last month of speaking with my colleague, Frank Andonoplas of Frank Event Design, at The Special Event 2008 conference. The conference, produced by The Special Events magazine and The International Society of Event Specialists was held in Atlanta, GA. This conference is attended by event specialists from all over the world! I attended one class that was sponsored by the Flower Council of Holland, the instructors were all from Holland, and spoke in heavy but charming dutch accents! They brought a european esthetic to their floral designs that I found very inspiring. The buzz on color trends for the coming year were combining black and white with yellow, metallics in bronze and copper (gold and silver have become a bit passe) and blues, specifically cerulean blue. On the trade show floor, I saw use of crystal in many applications. From diamond shaped acrylic or glass pieces used scattered on tabletops to chandelier beaded 'curtains' that can be hung vertically or hung from tent ceilings to mimic the elegant drape of the tent liner. The linen companies have taken their traditional damask, and done it in new funky color combinations, such as Fuschia/Tangerine or Aqua/Violet. Taffeta has also emerged with a 'crinkled' texture that is just beautiful. Chivari chairs are now available in clear acrylic, an alternative to using the clear acrylic Ghost Chair, which does not have the formal feel that the chivari has.

Below are a few photos of myself and Frank, one beside the signage for our class, the other at the speakers podium.

Kristine Miller and Jason Linster - October 27, 2007

2007-10-27T20:47:00.001-07:00

Kristine Miller and Jason Linster were married at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Their reception was held in downtown South Bend, at the Palais Royale Ballroom. Kristy and Jason wanted to evoke a fall feeling, and I feel they accomplished that beautifully through the use of rich jewel tones of burgundy and eggplant, accented with champagne and gold. Many of the reception details were done by Kristy, who spent countless hours, painstakingly creating each, among them, menu cards, table numbers, the hanging seating assignments and the ceremony programs. She did an awesome job!! Below are some candid images of the reception.]

Inside the pocket folded napkin we tucked the menu card and placed a traditional fall bloom, a mum, below the menu card.

I loved this idea!! Beside each table number, were photos of Kristy and Jason, when they were the age of the table number. For instance, at 5, there were images of the bride and groom, when they were both 5 years old. My favorite was table number 13!!

An overall view of the reception. Kristy chose garnet crushed linens, gold chivari chairs and a champagne-taupe linen color for her napkins. She also decided to feature an elevated centerpiece look, as well as a centerpiece that was closer to the table. This image shows the elevated piece which again, I feel reflects the season, with branches.

Kristy's Dad created these gold 'trees' from which were hung with each guests seating assignment. These did double duty as the color of the card corresponded to the entree the guest had chosen - clever! I especially loved the crystals that dropped from the bottom of each - illuminated by votive candles, they glittered on the trees.

This image shows the second centerpiece design - submerging floral and branches in water for a dramatic, yet simple effect.

Isn't this shot cool? My friend from Allure Films, Brian Peterson, took this overhead image of the cake. What a cool perspective, one that you rarely get of the cake!

The cake, taken from a more traditional perspective. Don't you just love the way the cake looks like it is dripping with chocolate?!

Our reception vendors were:
Palais Royale
MichaelAngelos
Rascia's Creative Cakes
Life On Prints
In Tune DJ
Wayne Harvey Wedding Productions

The Night The Lights Went Out In Culver

2007-10-24T20:00:00.001-07:00

You've read the article in Wedding Essentials, seen the story on Michiana Weddings, I'm here to give you the inside scoop on what really happened the night an F3 tornado ripped through my client's event site, in mid-production - and how we pulled off putting it all back together in little over 48 hours.

My rental company, Burns Rentals, and I began production on our August 18, 2007 wedding on the Monday (Aug. 13) before the event. It was to take place in a 90 x 150' tent, on the shore of Lake Maxinkuckee, on the campus of Culver Military Academy, in Culver, IN. Every day leading up to the wedding had been carefully mapped out in pre-production meetings. It would take us every bit of time we had that week to put together what promised, to be an absolutely amazing event. By Wednesday evening, we were just a little ahead of our production for that day. The tents (cocktail, dining and catering) were up, liners installed, tables and chivari chairs were almost set and the 8' hand strung crystal chandeliers were being finished up. We felt happy and optimistic that we might even have a little bit of extra time to make final adustments and tweak details before the event was to begin.

We left the site around 7 pm that evening, leaving two gentlemen from the rental company to finish hand stringing the chandeliers. Later, at home that evening, while watching television, the local newschannel came on with news of high winds, and severe thunderstorms that were sweeping through our area. It started to get really scary when they were asking the viewers to take shelter due to tornado sightings.....and according to the doppler screen on TV, it was right where the event site was. I watched obsessively until around 11 pm, then made myself go to bed, trying to assure myself that surely, nothing would happen. Oh man how wrong I was.

Around 11:35 pm, an F3 tornado ripped across Lake Maxinkuckee, and you guessed it, right through the event site. Unbelievable! The rental guys left to finish the chandeliers were still there when the storm approached - they quickly got down off of the lift and ran for their vehicles. They called the rental company to let them know what was happening, and took off for some type of shelter. By 2:00 am, Burns had assembled a crew and were heading down to the site, with four box trucks and a bobcat, which had to be unloaded twice to move trees out of the roadway so they could continue to try and get to Culver. Once at the event site, using the headlights from their vehicles, we got our first look of what Mother Nature had left us. The site was in a complete shambles - the main dining tent (which is made to withstand 70 mph winds) had been lifted and moved 40-50' to the shore of the lake. The cocktail tent was upsidedown, on top of the dining tent, the metal structure of the chandeliers were sticking through the tent, the tent poles twisted like pipecleaners. The beautiful tent liners were ripped, muddy and twisted amongst bits of chivari chairs and broken tables. The crystal pieces from the chandeliers were strewn across the entire site, some pieces broken and now dangerously sharp. And the debris!! Trees, branches, leaves, mud, it looked like a war zone. I'm telling you it was a surreal moment, we all just stood there trying to take in what had happened.
We then looked at each other and said, now what???!!! A plan was devised, that I now like to call 'event disaster triage'. We began to pull the tents from the lake to access if they were destroyed, usable but in need of repair, or fine w/little damage. And so it went, with everything, chairs, tables, lighting, etc. Once everything was accessed, we then made lists of what inventory we needed to supplement what was destroyed and what needed to be repaired. The hitch here is that this is a wedding, in August, and by this point, rental items are going to be out from other rental companies, on other events.

More to come.....

Michiana Weddings also has the story of recreating everything after the tornado here.

Bella Bridal Event & Style Show

2007-10-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Bella - An Exceptional Event for Brides will be held on November 18, 2007, at the Palais Royale. The Bella Bridal Brunch will be held from 10:30 am - 12 noon, in The Morris Bistro. The brunch features a delicious champagne brunch and a preview of wedding must-have looks and trends for the season. Presented by Wedding Day Magazine, tickets are $30.00, in advance only. The Bridal Event and Style Show will begin at 12 noon, and offers everything you need for your special day, including style shows at 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm. Tickets are $5.00 in advance, $10.00 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at the Morris Box Office/ 574-235-9190.

Celebrated Events will be featured in the Girly Girl Gifts and Accessories booth, I will be happy to answer any questions you may have about how a wedding producer can help make your wedding day a fabulous dream! Don't be shy.....come by and say hi!!

Cynthia Basker
Celebrated Events
Let us produce your fabulous event!!

Speaking At The Special Event

2007-10-11T13:25:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to announce that I will be speaking at The Special Event Conference, in Atlanta, GA this coming January, 2008. I am honored to be speaking with my colleague, Frank Andonoplas of Frank Event Design, who is located in Chicago, Il. Our seminar will be featured in the Wedding Trends educational track. I look forward to this conference all year, every year! This is where I learn what the cutting edge trends in weddings and events are. The very best of the best are chosen to speak at this conference, and I come away inspired by the creativity and new ideas presented. I translate these new ideas into amazing events for my clients!

Holiday Open House, Girly Girl Gifts, Wedding Accessories

2007-10-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

My boutique, Girly Girl, is having our annual Holiday Open House, on November 9 & 10! We will be debuting several new lines, Big Buddha handbags, By Boe jewelry, [bump] babies among others!

Meg Lammers (pictured) of Meg Wedding Jewelry will also be here with her classic, contemporary designs. She will be showcasing her holiday collection, along with a special sneek preview of her 2008 spring/summer exclusive bridal collection! Check out her amazing creations at www.megweddingjewelry.com.

hugs and kisses -
Cyndi Basker