Thursday, July 28, 2011

Orange you glad you came? Creative Place Card holder In Special Events

KNOW YOUR PLACE CARD: CREATIVE PLACE CARDS FOR SPECIAL EVENTS


Orange you glad you came? 
An orange serves as place card holder thanks toNancy Swiezy Events.

From
http://specialevents.com/photogallery/know-your-place-creative-place-cards-for-special-events/index17.html



Wednesday, July 27, 2011

BASTILLE Day In Times Square!



I was down in NYC Last weekend for 
The French Culture Nights organizing the BASTILLE FESTIVAL  at the Novotel Hotel's fantastic terrace, overlooking  Time Square .
Marie Antoinette was on hand with her
Lavender Skies  hair of course!
Lavender Skies Showcased their many lavender products. All the guests were able to take home some fresh cut lavender from the Virgina Farm.



Many Thanks to Caroline Haddad  at  
The French Culture Nights www.frenchculturenights.com 
Maryann Cusimano  www,lavenderskiesva.com
Nancy Swiezy Events www.nancyswiezyevents.com



Monday, July 25, 2011

A HOT Wedding At The Bronx ZOO!



Many thanks to Georgia ans Scott for including me "Day Of" on their wedding.

It was a steamy night, but all had a great time. Cocktails with lemmas and some spirited Greek dancing in The Schiff Family Great Hall.

I so enjoyed working with the gracious Bronx Zoo catering team. The food was delicious and the service was terrific .
Theirs nothing like working with a "Can Do" event team!

www.wcs.org


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

5 Wedding Guest Complaints

Bad Timing – Long pauses between the ceremony and reception are generally a bummer. If you cannot book the ballroom immediately following the ceremony, arrange for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at an adjacent space.

Cash Bars – Sorry, a cash bar even part time closed bars is never an acceptable money-saving solution. Swallow that expensive pill by thinking about this: You would never ask guests to pay for a cocktail in your own home; your wedding should be the same. Consider simply serving wine, beer, and a signature cocktail to cut costs. If you’re on a budget, a full bar isn’t necessary.

Stranded Guests – If your wedding reception and ceremony locations are far apart or far from accommodations, you should provide guest transportation. Besides the obvious safety concerns of drinking and driving, your guests should remember what a lovely time they had at your wedding – not what a pain it was to get there.

Unaccommodating Accommodations – Failing to provide information for convenient and affordable accommodations for long distance guests never goes over well. Don’t force guests to be their own travel agents, Offer many of Hotel options in various Price ranges.

Ungracious Hosts – Failing to acknowledge any gift or thoughtful gesture with handwritten, personalized thank-you notes is always an etiquette faux pas and never a breech that goes unnoticed. These useful thank-you note examples will help you get started.
Do send thank you notes to all your venders as well!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Destination Newport Weddings



Destination weddings, meaning weddings held in a vacation location away from the couple's home town, have gained in popularity in recent years. Today, this hip alternative allows a couple to combine the best of an adventurous honeymoon with a more traditional ceremony, and sometimes save money in the process.

Some destination weddings just involve the eloping couple, others include a few close friends and family, and still others are full blowout affairs with multiple parties over a long wedding weekend.
So is a destination wedding right for you? Here are the pros and cons:

Pro: A Complete Package
Resorts and tourism organizations have seen the dollar signs behind this trend and so work hard to keep a destination wedding stress-free and simpler. As part of a package deal, many offer the complimentary services of their on-site wedding consultant who will help you coordinate all of the ceremony essentials (marriage license, cake, officiant, etc.) All you have to do is show up! Also talk to your wedding coordinator about organizing activities for your guests such as sightseeing, SCUBA or snorkeling excursions, sports, or shopping. If your resort has a spa onsite, give your guests gift certificates for spa services to help them really enjoy their stays.

Con: Planning a Wedding Long Distance and Legal Red Tape
For those of you not getting married at a resort, you'll have to juggle all those details yourself long distance. If your destination wedding is in a foreign country or even another state, you might run into complications when trying to get a marriage license. Consider hiring a coordinator who specializes in destination weddings to help you over these speed bumps. You'll want to know how to get a marriage license in that location. You can also consult the marriage site at about.com for laws in popular destinations. And, check with those tourist boards, who may have literature available to help you find local florists, photographers, and venues.

Pro: Avoiding Stressful Family Situations
With a smaller invitation list, you can avoid feeling "forced" to invite the cousin you can't stand, or the in-law that everyone fights with. Just invite your very closest friends and family to the intimate ceremony and celebration, or keep it romantic and don't invite anyone. You can always send them pictures!

Con: Family Members and Friends You Love May Not Be There
Particularly for far-away locations, some guests may not be able to attend due to the expense, or the difficulty of getting time off of work. Older guests may not be able to travel so far away from home. Talk to those who are truly essential before you book tickets and send invitations. On the plus side, you'll have far more time to spend with the guests who come to a destination wedding than those who come to a more traditional wedding.

Pro: You'll Save Money By Not Having 200 People at a Reception
Spending a luxurious wedding weekend in a dramatic location can often cost less than a seated dinner at a nice location. Destination Wedding Etiquette calls for the bride and groom to pay for the hotel rooms, food and most of the guests' expenses. Guests pay for their own airfare. If money is an issue, look to domestic locations or countries with a favorable exchange rate, and consider keeping the guest list small.

Con: Some of your loved ones may not be able to afford to travel that far
Again, talk to those who are truly essential before you've made the final decision on your destination wedding location. Consider paying for some of your guests' airfare, and look into group discounts through travel agents.

Pro: By Combining Wedding and Honeymoon, You Can Afford to Go to that Dream Honeymoon Locale
Instead of spending your honeymoon at a Bread and Breakfast close to home, you can have the trip of a lifetime in an glamorous location. Best of all, you'll have an excuse to return there for a 5-, 10-, or 25-year anniversary.

Con: With Your Family Around, and a Wedding to Worry About, Will You Really Get a Honeymoon?
Of course, you'll be in a beautiful place, but will you have enough romantic alone time? To get around this, make sure you schedule it and insist on it. Arrive a few days before everyone else (you may need to do this anyway for marriage license requirements), or have a honeymoon nearby afterwards. If neither of these are possible, find interesting things your wedding party can do while you and your fiancé have couple time.
From http://weddings.about.com/

Now thats a BIG Wedding Cake...15,032 pounds!

The 15,032 pound wedding cake made by chefs in Uncasville, Conn., was displayed at their New England bridal showcase

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Flowers Of The Week! White Newport Sea Side Lavender

























Design www.NancySweizyEvents.com

SWEET MELISSA - the aroma of this plant is very sweet and fragrant,fantastic for culinary use. The delicate soft-lavender pink-white flowers are formed on a medium plant with bushy habit. Introduced by Andrew Van Hevelingen in Newburg, Oregon.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Flowers of The Week! Food And Wine


A  Catering Company asked me to design a table arrangements for a beverage distributor.

So for these food and wine aficionados, I used Hydrangea, birch bark, grapes, apples, pears, ornamental cabbage, garden snails,pods, roses ,orchids grapevine and a rustic pitcher was used as a finial.


Please Visit My New Blog For Floral Design... NEW YORK HORT COUTURE




NEW YORK "HORT" COUTURE!

WWW.NEWYORKHORTCOUTURE.BLOGSPOT.COM

My floral design work simply needed a voice of its own!

Many thanks to my wonderful clients and friends that have supported my with this creative process.

Special Thanks Martha Meire and Marcie Blum for the opportunity to work and learn my craft on their many weddings and events.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Happy 4th of July!

Princess Charlene's Armani Wedding Bouquet


The civil wedding bouquet

This bouquet was designed and assembled by the Garden Club of Monaco.

It is composed of pink protea flowers, which originate from South Africa and are the emblem of the country.


The religious wedding bouquet

The bouquet was designed by "Armani" and assembled by the gardeners of the Prince's Palace

It is composed in shades of white with freesias, dendrobium orchids and lilies of the valley. The cascade design fits perfectly with the smooth lines of the bride's gown and her slim silhouette. The lily of the valley is the favourite flower of H.S.H. Princess Charlene; it inspired the design of the floral ramage embroidery on her wedding dress.

Princess Charlene Wedding Dresses



Princess Charlene Wedding Cake