Another great wedding video

Lauren & Joe had a gorgeous wedding at LaPlaya in Naples late last summer. They shared their wedding day with family and friends from New York to Naples. You can really see the love between these newlyweds when they share their first dance; you'll notice that Lauren is singing word for word to her new husband.  I didn't see this that night, because I wasn't close enough to see.  So the video was like seeing it from an entirely new perspective and now I have even better memories.  I'm grateful for that.  Oh and if you only knew why Lauren & Joe were laughing at their ceremony.  Oh my gosh, it was great!

Lauren and Joe - Directors Cut Video, LaPlaya, Naples from Rob Epple on Vimeo.

The only thing I wish I could experience again that wasn't on video was Lauren's reaction when I brought her into the ballroom to preview it.  It made my day.  I loved that we got to use the shades of purple from lavender to eggplant. And could you just die over the wreath of flowers around the cake?

I love Martha Stewart Weddings

There is no denying it.  I have been a loyal fan for as long as the magazine has been in existence.  When they added the website and blog to the mix- as Rachael Zoe (my favorite celebrity stylist) would say, "I die".  What I love about Martha Stewart Weddings is the uncompromisable standard of quality and loyalty to the wedding world.  I adore that its always been about the joy, beauty, and fun of a wedding.

By the way TODAY is the last day this issue is on newsstands!

Well, the summer issue this year was hands down one of my favorites (yes, I say that every time, but its true).  I was ripping pages out left and right.















One of my favorite reasons I loved this issue was that there was a bit of a focus on my favorite wedding element- cake.  In my opinion, wedding cake is what takes a great dinner party to a wedding dinner.

Somehow classic and contemporary at the same time.  Don't you think?

This one, to me finds a way to be sophisticated and whimsical.

What will be on the newsstands tomorrow?  The fashion issue.
Yes, I am sure it will be one of my favorites ever as well.  Do you have a favorite issue?

Photographer Tastes the Cake

Today was a fun cake tasting.  Actually, I haven't been to a cake tasting that wasn't fun, but that's beside the point.  The hour at Ella's cakes today was with Photographer Bride & Groom. This is what I caught on twitter just after we sent them the message about their cake tasting at Ella's Cakes today:

and so, today he didn't photograph Daniella's beautiful cakes (as seen here and here).

Photographer Bride & Groom tasting the cake

Today the photographers ate the cake.  So how was is different than our typical bride & groom? It was funny to see "the professionals" struggle a bit with being the client they always wish to have.  The client that allows the professionals to do what they do best and trust that we as professionals always have our clients best interests in mind.  Photographer bride & groom did though, because they do know.  And because they are trusting- they'll have an amazing cake they love.

A Most Gorgeous Wedding: The Martha Paltrow SeriesThe After Glow

Once the amazing dinner was complete, and the formal dances were danced- the party really began.
Vox Blu brought down the house!


This is one of the few bands I recommend on a regular basis, and will fight over. Yes, they're that good.

The cake and cupcakes. Hello loves.
What a beautiful classic cake. This Kakes by Karen design tasted as exquisite as it appeared. Also on the dessert table there were Madelines, an assortment of candies, cookies and nuts, and my favorite Chocolate confections by the infamous Norman Love.




As a refresher, mid way through the after glow we sent around these sorbet scoops. and yes, the crowd went wild!

Tower of Flowers or Cakes or...

We take shopping seriously here at the studio. Can ya tell?Today I found this gem. Sitting empty it looks like a unique display piece, sure. Me, I don't see it like that.
I see an amazing focal point for a wedding.
What I love most about this piece for wedding design is that it isn't something you're going to stick in a corner or up against a wall. It's a showcase piece, and should be in the center of an area.
Honestly, walls and corners are my biggest pet peeve. I am forever seeing beautiful wedding cakes poorly placed where they can not be truly appreciated. Rather than "kind of" showing your cake, place it such a position that it can be viewed from different places in your room. Especially, especially, if your cake doesn't have a "back". Back to this piece...

Imagine each opening filled with a gorgeous spring flower arrangement of Peonies, Roses, Lisianthus, and Tulips; or something as striking as Black Magic Rose Pomanders perhaps?

Have a room with ridiculously high ceilings? Place this tower atop a table (be sure to use a very special linen- nothing like what is on your dinner tables) and surround it with your escort cards.

I also imagined it filled with large tiers of wedding cakes, each tier mimicking the design of the frame. It's rather classic but a far departure from anything I've ever seen.

Beach Wedding Cake Stand perfection

Quite possibly the most perfect beach wedding cake stand ever. I think it belongs in my exclusive collection, don't you?

Here's to another great wedding! Kelly McWilliams www.WeddingsbySocialites.com Sent from my iPhone

An authentic Italian Wedding on Sanibel Island

Never have I ever seen so much food. The menus for NYbride's wedding were looooong and fabulous. From the pre ceremony cocktail hour with seared tuna, fresh fruit kabobs and sangria -to the post ceremony cocktail hour with carving stations, lamb chops, and antipasta (and this is just the short list)- Sundial beach resorts chef outdid himself. Then we headed over to Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa where we had a 4 course meal followed by a dessert room. That's right- not a table, an entire room: Chocolate fondue station, cake,cookie & cupcake display, Nutella display, a candy station, and finally a sundae station. I can't wait to see the video AMCvideo got when we opened the doors to the room. The Nutella- it was the biggest jar we could find: 11 POUNDS! Each guest received a spoon on their seat that said, "We're nuts for each other and you'll think we're NUts when we TELLA you what this is for!" Joe & Lisa surprised their guests by rolling the Nutella out on a cart into the reception with the theme song from Willy Wonka playing. Then they fed each other with massive spoons. It was so fun!
Here are some outstanding photos from Jason Angelini. I "borrowed" them from his blog, which is so cool by the way- its written from his little boys point of view. For sure you should check it out!


The cupcake tower and NY Rangers grooms cake are from the amazing as usual Karen of Kakes by Karen. And the beautiful tropical centerpieces are from Floral Artistry.

Here's to Another Great Wedding!Lucky Bride's Wedding at South Seas

All photos below this point were taken by me, so yeah, they aren't so good because I am not a photographer who knows everything about lighting, angles, speed and all that stuff I find unfathomable to remember all at one time. But you get the point. To see better photos- always check out the photographers websites & blogs!
Location: South Seas Island Resort, Captiva, Florida Hello - it's GORGEOUS
Photographer: Susan Stripling OMG, she's AMAZING
Cake: Kakes by Karen To die for.
Band: Clint Wiley with None Other Seriously, there is none other in comparison

Lucky bride. Why lucky? Because an unfortunate plan fell thru (having the wedding in the Keys), lead to her getting beyond lucky with top of the line locations, vendors, and weather ever. With just a few months to re-plan the entire event, we were able to pull together some out of this world amazing things for her wedding weekend.

Now, you know that I have encountered many happy brides who had fun at their weddings. Lucky bride though- she took having fun to an entirely different level. She and her darling Lucky groom danced the night away. It was one of those nights that I live for; nothing but pure fun to be had in a beautiful enviornment. Lucky bride has exquisite style and it showed. She had a constantly packed dance floor thanks to Clint's band (who she got by luck because another client cancelled). Click here to see and hear more of Clint's band:Clint Wiley Video

Lucky bride had a series of family wedding photos printed onto canvas and we displayed them on the mantle:



Guest entry room with signature plate, a photo backdrop and corresponding album, and the gift/envelope box:


We originally tried to set up the backdrop outside, but it was too breezy. So inside it went, and it actually turned out to be better because we had use of it the entire night.

To keep the uniqueness to this wedding, we had custom runners made in 2 different shades. It took us hours of searching at an indian import store to find the perfect fabrics, but it was totally worth it. They looked beautiful.
Above: Head table for 20. Below: Rather than standard round tables, we did rectangle tables for 12. They make for much better conversation, and take up less space so that you can fit more people into a room:
Lucky bride put her faith in me and let me design the escort card table pretty much as a surprise. What do you think?
Clint revving up the party:
The wedding party watching the sunset:
A beautiful ceremony in the round. I am forever a fan of ceremonies in the round because everyone is closer. It absolutely gives the ceremony a more intimate feel.
Although we didn't have a rabbi perform the cermony, we incorporated several jewish customs into the ceremony like the seven blessings and breaking of the glass. We also did one of my favorite ceremonies that includes the participation of the wedding party and parents, the captiva island shell toss.


Custom cake toppers by Nicole Clark. I blogged about these toppers a really long time ago. So glad to have one grace a cake at one our weddings!

Kakes by Karen. Or I should say the Greatest Kakes by Karen?

Wedding cake. I adore it. Seriously, its right up there with wedding books on my list of favorite things. I love to feature the cake at the weddings we design and of course I love to eat them if there's an extra slice.
I have been so fortunate to work with some very talented cake bakers over the years. There is one though who I absolutly have to "call out" right now because she went above and beyond for a client of ours recently and well, it's time she got a little spotlight!Not only has Karen of Kakes by Karen designed some of the most perfect cakes for my clients, but they taste out of this world. I'm not just saying this, nobody is paying me to say it, they're really that good. My favorite, anything with the Lemon Curd. Yum.
The other thing about Karen is her passion. You might walk into her kitchen and showroom to just pick out a cake, but you'll walk out ridiculously excited about your custom wedding cake. During your consultation you'll taste her amazing fillings and cake flavors and she'll give you the 101 on what goes into creating your masterpiece and then finally she'll do a custom design for you. Sweet is what I say!

A Beautiful Rainy Wedding Day at the Ritz Naples

Last month we had a stunning formal wedding weekend at the Ritz-Carlton, Naples Beach. I'm not going to say, "Unfortunately, it rained" because while the rain did come, it was still an amazing evening. There was nothing unfortunate about it! We had back up plans in place and had called for all the events to take place indoors several hours in advance (this is crucial!) so that everything would seem as it had been planned that way all along. The key is to make certain it does not appear to be a last minute move.
All photos on this post were taken by me, so yeah, they aren't so good because I am not a photographer who knows everything about lighting, angles, speed and all that stuff I find unfathomable to remember all at one time. But you get the point. To see better photos- always check out the photographers websites & blogs!
Location: Ritz Carlton Naples Beach
Photographer: Michelle Reed
Flowers: Ritz Carlton
Cake: Ritz Carlton
Band: Vox Blu
The band was unreal. We had Vox Blu at a wedding last year and I was immediately a fan. I was so excited when Kim picked them out for her wedding. They have the best Michael Jackson compilation of any band I have ever heard. There was not a single soul in a seat. Honestly, the dance floor was packed the entire night. Well, until the fire alarm went off. But that's another story. Anyway, the Hora was off the charts! Kim and Steve were up in the chairs many times until Steve was ultimately dropped. Oops. No worries though, he landed on both feet.

Happy Anniversary Boca Bride!

I got an email this morning from Boca Bride that made me cry. Good tears of course. She sent me a photo of her and Dr. Boca Bride slicing into their top tier. So sweet!Marguerite and Tripp had such a great wedding on Boca Grande last July. Let's go back down memory lane:the sunset we almost missed
R-O-M-A-N-T-I-C
Love this aisle from I Do originals We surprise gifted this aisle runner to Marguerite and Tripp when plans to appear on Whose Wedding is it Anyway fell through. Oy, that was craziness!
Beth from Floral Artistry came to the rescue on this wedding. They traveled from Sanibel Island to Boca Grande Island just for this wedding. Seriously, they rock!

Who thought white hearts could be so cute? LOVE THEM!
Okay, could there be a more perfect little island church? So classic.

Her getting ready zip up says sexy, but she's just the cutest little bride isn't she?

Photography by Julie Goodacre
I want to do it again. Want to get married on Boca Grande? Call me...I just happen to know all about it.