Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Have you heard the rumor?...Creme de al Creme ROCKED!


























It's true! Creme de la Creme A Bridal Rendezvous was a huge success!
Creme de la Creme was born out of my deep frustration with cheesy bridal shows! Gone were the days that I wanted to put up with another crowded show stuffed with unqualified wedding professionals, frustrated Brides and Grooms, white lattice backdrops for booths, special announcements being made about giveaways every three minutes, pumped up fashion shows, and poly cotton linens galore!

I demand a high level of quality and service in everything I do, and so I wanted to create a show that was more of an experience than a show. Creme de la Creme did just that with the help of many of my trusted friends and wedding professionals.

Set up went smoothly thanks to the help of some key team players like DJs Ron Grandia and Carl Mindling, they weren't even in the show, yet they volunteered their time to help us set up! They were heaven sent! Such team players! I like that!

As guests arrived my trusty staff managed the registration table checking them in quickly and giving them goodie bags donated by Brides.com, with magazines from Brides.com, custom made pistachio favors from Good Ingredients, and more goodies from my gal Stacie Tamakie at The Flirty Guide.
The courtyard, foyer and ballroom of chic boutique hotel, Toll House Hotel Los Gatos, were all filled to the brim with good things! In the courtyard I set up a mock up ceremony to show guests what it would look like if they had there ceremony at the hotel, with rental chairs from Classic Party Rentals, florals by Asiel Design, and a live string quartet by Sara Spieth.
Also in the courtyard were three tables I designed to give guests inspiration, with linens from Wildflower Linens, florals by Asiel Design, rentals by Classic Party Rentals, and paper goods by Marizette Paperie.

The courtyard also held two major main attractions: custom espresso by Travelin' Joe, and wine tasting by Mura Winery. So nice!
Our foyer was filled with cocktail tables so that guests could enjoy the passed champagne and hors d'oeuvres from Toll House Los Gatos. Every table in the entire show was covered in one-of-a-kind, custom-made linens from Wildflower Linens! Every table that had flowers on it was from Asiel Design. Every piece of stationery was from Marizette Paperie, including our beautiful custom programs.

In the foyer there were tours offered by the hotel of their facilities and rooms, an officiant Kim from Sky Ceremonies to help guide couples on what type of ceremony they might like, Stacie from The Flirty Guide was on hand to give couples inspiration and tips for their wedding planning, Blacey's Fine Jewelers was there so that couples could try out some bling!, Feet in the Sand Pedicures offered specials and lotion samples to couples in need of manis and pedis before the big day, Dave with A Video Reflection not only shot the show's footage, but showed off his beautiful work on a huge flat screen, Tanja Lippert of Tanja Lippert Photography set up a beautiful display of her work and brought albums to show as well, she also shot the show!, and we had a table full of magazines from all of our supporters at Your Wedding Day Magazine, Here Comes The Guide, The Knot, and Today's Bride.

Stepping into the ballroom was like stepping into luxury! Thanks to John and Megan of Enhanced Lighting and Sound, every inch of the walls were draped with fabric which were graced by up lights, the ceilings were washed with monarch butterfly patterns to go along with this year's Parisian theme for Creme de la Creme's web site, and each vendor booth was lit, along with the stage for models.

Also featured inside the ballroom was mwa! I had a cute little set up with comfy ottomans and a coffee table to sit at, Paul, Woody and Henry from Big Fun DJ provided the sound, Eli Thomas for Men provided the couture suits and tuxedos for our male models (thanks Jeremy, Matt and Iggy!), Gabi of Gabrielle's Bridal Boutique provided the couture bridal gowns for our female models (Thanks to the Heathers, and Molly), Bonnie with One World Designs provided the custom-made bridal jewelry for the female models, sweet and wonderful Patricia with A Perfect Look Makeup and Hair provided the hair and makeup for the female models, Wildflower Linen and Asiel Design both blew us away with their big, extravagant booth set ups! So lovely! See the photos of the white with red is Asiel, and the turquoise with pink is Wildflower, Jenny with Satura Cakes provided decadent cake samples, and Photoworks Interactive provided us with one of their fun photobooths and props to squeeze into all day long! It was awesome!
As the show started and I stood at my booth, it took all that was in me not to squeal with delight! I'm so happy that my good friends, my associates in the industry, all were there to support me in my endeavour of providing a higher level of service to Brides and Grooms! I strongly believe that couples should demand a high level of quality service from their wedding professionals, and I encourage each of them to seek out and find that special team of wedding professionals that will make their day perfect, make it their own! This show case allowed me to have couples walk into my virtual preferred wedding professionals database. I love what I do, and I love sharing what I do with my couples. I LOVED (for lack of better words) producing this show, and I'm so honored that I've gotten so much good feedback! I can't wait to pamper all of you next year! Don't miss out! Next year will be at a new site, and we'll have two of each wedding professional. We'll never grow larger than that because we want to be sure to keep Creme de la Creme digestible and intimate.

All good things in planning your wedding,

Nicole