A little giveaway....

I thought you might be interested in a little giveaway by our friends over at The Bridal Party. Here what you could win:




Visit their blog for more details HERE

Vendor Spotlight: Through Crystal Eyes

Through Crystal Eyes is a family owned and operated business that came up with the brilliant idea to handcraft bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages from Swarovski Crystals. This husband and wife team (Sheila & Jay),will handcraft any of the above with crystals in the color of your choice. I had a chance to see their work and their designs are done with such meticulous detail.

Diamonds are a girls best friends, but with the cost of weddings, crystals are becoming a beautiful substitute at an affordbale price. For all my brides that are obsessed with the bling...you will like this option.

Bling Bouquets






Bling Corsage


Bling Boutonniere


For more information: Contact Sheila @ 718-978-3637 OR email Sheylahh@aol.com

Cigar Rollers or Cigar Servers?

Cigar rollers have become a hot trend at weddings, but did you know that you can also have a cigar server at your special event? Either experience leads to guest interaction and becomes another fun/memorable activity for your guests.

So, what is the difference?

Cigar Rollers
If you have a cigar roller, he/she would demonstrate how cigars are rolled while your guests look on. The guests are usually impressed at how they roll the tobacco in the leaves and cut to size.Whether your guests smoke or not, they usually find this very unique and take the cigars as a keepsake.

Cigar Servers
Your male guests may appreciate this even a little more. The cigar server (who is usually a sexily dressed female), would float around the room with cigars for approximately two hours. This is approach is reminiscent of the 1930's lounge setting and I think your guests would find the experience unique to your wedding.

For more information regarding cigar servers and rollers, check HERE. Image shown is also from HERE

Cocktail Napkins Anyone?

You can add yet another special touch to your cocktail hour or reception by getting personalized cocktail napkins for the bar. With you open bar, there are sure to be a few spills, so why not opt for this inexpensive but stylish approach.

You can order these in your colors, with your names and wedding date. They will make your event a little more memorable. Check out these sources for different ways to make these napkins unique to your personal style.

Damask is all the rave now


This one has pindot border


Grenadin


If you are into polkdadots...this one is for you


Images:
Napkin 1 is from HERE
Napkin 2 is from HERE
Nakins 3 & 4 is from HERE

Don't Forget! Queens Bridal Showcase Today

Queen's biggest Bridal Showcase will take place today, February 24, 2009. If you are still looking for some great vendors, or just want to stop by and say hello to us...here are the details:


Bosco Bridal Showcase
Antun's of Queens Village
96-43 Springfield Blvd
Queens Village, NY

Come out and meet trusted vendors, see a fashion show, eat some great tasting food and get great ideas for your wedding.

The Oscars-My pick for best dressed

If you tuned in to The Oscars, I am sure you had a pick for best dressed. My pick was Taraji Henson, her dress and necklace was just oh so fabulous. She wore it very well. If you are a trendy bride, maybe you would consider a replica of this dress for your wedding. Who was your pick for best dressed?





Images from HERE

Jen & John 2/20/09

This past Friday I had the pleasure of being day of coordinator for Jen & John's wedding. The couple got married at Westbury Manor. Jen and John knew each other for years and took their time to plan this magical wedding. One of their bridesmaids told me Jen picked out her dress from a magazine since 2001 (now that's amazing). Their colors were navy blue with an accent of gold. There was so much attention to detail and it showed on the day of the wedding; from her dress, to the menu, cigar server and even the appearance by Mr. Met. The couple are big Mets fans but I dont think their guests ever expected Mr. Met to make an appearance.Everyone had a great time and I must say, everything went smoothly.

Some of their pretty awesome vendors:

Venue:Westbury Manor
Photo/Video: Duet
Florist: Flowers by Burton
Limo: Royalty Limo
Band: Renegade
Hair/MU: Bridal Touch by Elena

The dress-I could tell you how fab this was, but you really had to see it.


The bride and her ladies


The first dance


Memorial Table & Cardbox


Table Number & Menu


Mr Met made an appearance


Me with the happy couple



I wish Jen and John a lifetime of happiness.

Congratulations Jen & John!

Today we are doing our first wedding of the year and we are very excited. It will be at Westbury Manor. For those of you familiar with this venue, you know that it is referred to as the "Manor of Taste".
Westbury Manor features 6 beautifully appointed rooms to accommodate up to 450 people for your event. It is a one stop shop for ceremony, reception and beautiful grounds for pictures.

We are glad that we had the opportunity to be a part of this wedding. Congratulations Jen & John!Today is your day!

Cardboxes

It is a tradition to have a container used for the collection of cards and monetary gifts at your wedding. Instead of the normal birdcage, more brides are having a cardbox customized with their wedding colors and personal style. So if you want to look like a trendy bride and give your guests something to talk about, you should get a personalized cardbox.
Here are some cardboxes we love:


Source: Creative Custom Cardboxes


Source: Creative Custom Cardboxes


Source:FTMB


Source:FTMB Even more special because this one is for one our brides

Complimentary Tickets to Bridal Showcase

Queen's biggest Bridal Showcase will take place on February 24, 2009 and I have complimentary tickets for YOU...yes, YOU!

The details:
On February 24, 2009 6:30-9:30pm
Bosco Bridal Showcase
Antun's of Queens Village
96-43 Springfield Blvd
Queens Village, NY

Come out and meet trusted vendors, see a fashion show, eat some great tasting food and get great ideas for your wedding.

If you need tickets, leave me a comment or drop me an email for info on how to collect your ticket.

Bridal Registries

Brides are often confused about where to register and what to register for. There are many registries to choose from, shop around for the one that is appropriate for you.It is not a process that has to be rushed, so take your time to look through catalogs and get ideas.
Think about registering for the smallest to the biggest items. This gives everyone a range of gifts to choose from. Most registries provide free online and in-store support for brides and people using the registry.

Some things you might want to ask before you register:
How often would your registry be updated?
What is the return policy?
How long does my registry stay active? Some rgistries stay active for up to two years so guests can continue to purchase items for you (store policies vary).

I recommend you register at a couple of places, as it gives people a range of prices and location that might be convenient for them to shop.

Use a gift recording system so you can keep track of who has sent you a gift (so you can send them a thank you card)

Tell family and friends where you registered and have them spread the word

It is very important that you send thank you cards as soon as you receive gifts. Do not take anything for granted. Everyone that sent you a gift should receive a thank you card.

Wedding Flowers:: Carnations

Many may frown upon carnations as wedding flowers because of its common existence, but carnations are available all year round and are very affordable.

Today, there are more than three hundred species of carnations, in large, miniatures and single blooms. They are also grown in a wide variety of colors, the most popular being pink, red and of the burgundy family.

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to add fullness and color to your bouquets and other arrangements, these ruffled head flowers might be the perfect choice for you.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Today {and always},show someone special how much you love and appreciate them.

Wine & Chocolate Pairing

This past weekend, to celebrate a friend's birthday, a few of us girls got all dressed up for a wine and chocolate tasting/pairing.
Imagine the fun we had...chocolate + wine together= heaven.
It was an evening of using all our senses. We learned a lot about wines and chocolates by looking, tasting, smelling and touching.

How the evening started out:
We had 10 different wines and chocolates to taste. Each of us were given a sheet to record what we thought about the aroma, flavor, appearance and overall impression of the wines and chocolates. The table was set up with wines and chocolates (identity hidden), a glass for each of us, coffee beans to clear our noses,water to clean our mouths and glasses after each wine we tasted. At the end of the evening, after tasting each wine and chocolate individually or paired, we then had the big reveal. We had some interesting pairings...some not so great together, but an overall fabulous experience.
Do you like wine and chocolate? Consider this for a low key bachelorette party or just a regular girl's night out.

Table 1


Table 2


Where is the birthday girl?

Events Around Town...

I just wanted to let you know about some upcoming events in your area where we will be making an appearance.


On February 24, 2009 6:30-9:30pm
Bosco Bridal Showcase
Antun's of Queens Village
96-43 Springfield Blvd
Queens Village, NY
For more info and to purchase tickets go HERE

On March 9, 2009 6-10pm
Bridal Expo
Red Door Salon & Spa
1399 Franklin Avenue
Garden City, NY 11530
For more info and to purchase tickets call 516-747-7474

Come out and meet trusted wedding experts, see spectacular fashion shows, get ideas for your own wedding and eat some good tasting food all in one spot. Show your support by stopping by our booths at both events.

Tents

On your wedding day, the weather is the only thing you cannot control. If you are having an outdoor affair and want to be prepared for unexpected weather, opt for a tent.

Tents can be very expensive depending on the size, style or any other added accessory, this is, lights, heat or air conditioning.

First you must decide what type of tent you want to rent. If you are having a daytime wedding, you may want to get a canopy. Find out if the tent you are interested in comes with a tie-back, removable walls or skylights. It is nice to have the option to seal the tent during bad weather, but don't expect that a tent will save you in the event of a deluge.

Check your local vendors for pricing and information on various tent styles.

SOURCE


SOURCE


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The New Mr. & Mrs.

Looking for another cute way to add a personal touch to your wedding? You can choose to get a "Mr. & Mrs." label to be displayed at the reception. This may be in the form of a tabletop sign to be displayed on the sweetheart table or it may be in the form of a sash to we tied on the newlywed's chairs.

Here are a few that we like:

SOURCE


SOURCE


SOURCE

Oh So Unique Favors

We know how important it is to find favors that are oh-so unique. We are happy to announce that Elite Affairs will now be offering Kateaspen Favors for all occasions. You can shop for favors from the convenience of your home. Just view, point and click to check out.
Please take a minute to browse the website. Take advantage of the discounts.

Vendor Spotlight-Convey Weddings

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Cynthia from Convey Weddings. We had such a great time just chatting with each other and being ourselves. Cynthia is by far one of the most pleasant people I have ever met and all her clients have nothing but great things to say about her.
Cynthia has years of formal training and has shot dozens of weddings. She is not just a wedding photography, but available for any special occasion. She is based in NYC and is also available for travel.

Cynthia is having a free engagement shoot for couples that are still looking for a wedding photographer. To see details regarding the engagement shoot, GO HERE.

Here are just a few of my favorites from Cynthia (Yes, I love black and white pics):

ETSY:: Day of Jewelry {Bracelets}

Our series on "day of" jewelry continues today with bracelets. If you choose to wear a bracelet on the day of the wedding, the same rules apply. Wear similar gemstones so that you don't find your jewelry clashing.Here are some etsy favorites:

From etsy seller jinyana


From etsy seller handwired


From etsy seller bridalb


From etsy seller bellenouvelledesigns


From etsy seller SaharaAmaya


From etsy seller Tissage


ETSY has a wide variety of handmade products so stop by when you get a chance.

ETSY Main Site
ETSY Our Shop

2009 Bride's Choice Awards

Thanks to our clients....We are a recipient of WeddingWire's 2009 Bride Choice Awards. We appreciate it, its an honor!




WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that Elite Affairs, LLC, has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Awards™!

In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year’s recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire’s vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US. That means Elite Affairs, LLC is one of the very best Wedding Coordinators.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews.

“We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”

Elite Affairs, LLC would like to thank our past clients for speaking on our behalf and helping us win the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award!

ETSY:: Day of Jewelry {Necklaces}

Today we will continue with our love for ETSY by suggesting some necklaces you might consider for your "day of" jewelry.
Go for a necklace that complements the cut of your dress. Consider the gemstones in your dress or headpiece when choosing your jewelry. Pearls usually complement beading, whereas diamonds (or their lookalike) go well with crystals.

To personalize, you may also add a hint of color to your day of necklace. If you have a color sash for your dress, why not jazz it up by adding this same color to your jewelry.

From etsy seller designsbydanusia


From etsy seller designs by danusia


From etsy seller gloriousgirljewelry


From etsy seller virginiageigerjewels




From etsy seller juliestreasurechest


From etsy seller dorelabear


From etsy seller gbo400