Great Colors!

I just LOVE these colors together. I found this on the absolutely delightful website Once Wed. Such a great non-floral design. I think I may use this for my cinco de mayo party. (That I just decided to host now.... hey... who doesn't love a margarita!)

Definitely check out Once Wed, not only is it a place to buy a previously worn dress or sell your dress, its also full of gorgeous design inspiration!

Photo Credit: Frida Table Top on Once Wed

Shine a little light

A different and very inexpensive way to do your escort card table:

We used varying sizes of candelabras along with silver trays for the escort card table at a recent wedding we planned. The result was stunning (if we do say so ourselves)!

More Blog Love!

Another great, big, giant thank you to the ladies at Elizabeth Anne Designs for listing Clavin Kelly Events in their vendor library!

Elizabeth Anne is a great resource for brides-to-be and we especially LOVE their expert advice column on a Wedding Planner vs a Wedding Coordinator vs a Wedding Designer...... SO imporant to know. I kept shouting at my computer while I was reading it, "YES! EXACTLY! Why doesn't everybody know this! NEVER trust the in house coordinator!!!" Ah Hem... I got a little excited but it was very right on.

Blog Love!

A HUGE shout out and a GIANT thanks to Brittnye over at Brown Turtleneck Sweater for featuring the escort "cars" from one of our weddings!!

Check out her blog for some great design inspiration from the windy city!

Photo Credit: Todd Pellowe

A little taste . . . .

While we are waiting for the rest of the images from a recent wedding we planned in NYC, we wanted to give you a sneak peak at some of the GORGEOUS florals done by Todd at VSF.

He included some fabulous salmon colored "feather-ettes" for additional texture.

It is kind of hard to see here, but he used ROCK CANDY in these arrangements as well. He used peach for the smaller ones and clear for the larger ones. Such an amazing idea!

We can't wait to share the rest of the images from this beautiful wedding. Stay tuned!

A Great Cause!

Clavin Kelly Events is honored to be included in this year's Spring Fling. It is the annual fundraiser for Street Project, a non-for-profit organization that connects young professionals with worthy volunteer opportunities in New York.

We are going to help make their venue look fabulous and hopefully get a few other vendors to donate their time. If you are interested in donating an item or service for their silent auction, donating your services for the day of the event, or even just attending, shoot us an email and we will hook you up!

Check out Street Project's website here to learn a little more about this wonderful organization!

i heart peonies

And really... who doesn't?

Wishing I had some on my desk now....

hint, hint....

Photo Credits:

Image 1 Ariella Chezar

Image 2 Ariella Chezar

Image 3 Terry Michael Photography via Artfool via Black Eiffel

Frugal Fruit

For any event, whether it is a small dinner party or a large wedding, flowers often seem to be the most traditional centerpiece idea. And don't get me wrong, I am obsessed with flowers! I had to physically pull myself away from some gorgeous orange tulips I saw at the market yesterday. I buy way too many fresh flowers, but hey, they make me happy and luckily in New York they are not too terribly expensive at your local bodega. That said if I am trying to save some money or doing something a bit different for a dinner party, I often turn to my grocery store for some inspiration.

For my Thanksgiving this year in between springs of dried wheat in bud vases I had mounds of beautiful Satsuma mandarins piled high in big hurricanes. (More for Chinese New Year than Thanksgiving, I still felt they gave a "bountiful thanks" feel.... and sorry.. no pictures... I was too stressed cooking a 28lb turkey to take them!!) I know I am certainly not the first to think of using fruits (and vegetables) as centerpieces, but I do think it is something to keep in mind, particularly when planning a wedding. In these trying economic times with budgets being slashed right and left, it's time to get creative! I used artichokes and sprigs of rosemary on my own wedding tables and they saved me a ton of money, and got a lot more comments than a collection of flowers.

The citrus bowl below adds a gorgeous splash of color and looks so organic and natural.

The yellow lemons with the ribbons still looks very feminine and also somehow classic, but the color is so sunny. It just sings celebration.

I have always adored this shot from Martha Stewart of the apricot place card. Such a gorgeous touch. A very good idea if you are not completely sold on the full on fruit centerpiece. It's a small way to incorporate it.

Another idea if you still want to work with flowers on the table is to have cheese plates on the table adorned with fresh figs. Cut a few open to show off their gorgeous color. I try to buy fresh figs whenever I find them in the market... to eat or to use as decor.

Photo Credits:

Artichokes & Rosemary - Todd Pellowe Weddings

Citrus Bowl - Ariella Chezar via Snippet & Ink

Lemons - Rebecca Thuss for Martha Stewart Weddings

Apricots - Rebecca Thuss for Martha Stewart Weddings

Figs - Martha Stewart