"Fall is the New June for Weddings"

Great article from today's NY Daily News about how fall is the new June for weddings! That comes as no surprise to anyone I know in the wedding industry as Sept-Oct-Nov have long been among the very busiest months for most. The article features tips from Preston and some stunning images of a recent fall wedding of his that topped $1 million:

Forget June weddings, fall is becoming the hottest time of year to get hitched.

"The weather is more agreeable, and people are really into those wonderful fall colors: yellows, oranges, apricots and corals," says events designer Preston Bailey, whose impressive client roster includes Donald Trump, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Uma Thurman and Donna Karan. "It's also a very sociable time of year, when people are back from their vacations and there's less chance of a diary clash."

Last month, Bailey, a 27-year veteran of the wedding design business, completed a $1 million fall-themed extravaganza on a farm in Virginia.

But you don't need a seven-figure bank account to create a stunning fall wedding. Here, Bailey shares his tips for a striking autumnal ambience on any budget. READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE >>

[Photos by John Labbe for Preston Bailey Designs]

Off to Cayman to shoot some TV!

The blog will probably be a bit quiet next week as Kathryn and I are headed first to Grand Cayman and then Little Cayman for a major TV shoot...cannot divulge too many details at this point but will certainly share as soon as we can! We are staying at 2 of my very favorite places in the Caribbean - The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman which just achieved AAA 5-Diamond status and then over to the very special, 'barefoot elegant' property the Southern Cross Club - just named one of the top 3 boutique hotels in the Caribbean by Caribbean Travel+Life Magazine on the remote but magical island of Little Cayman!

We will try and post along the way but otherwise promise a recap and details of this exciting client project as soon as we can!

"Worldwide Guide to Destination Weddings"

Hot off the press - the official announcement of a new special issue from the publishers of Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine entitled the "Worldwide Guide to Destination Weddings" to hit newsstands right in the middle of engagement season on January 29th, 2008!

This is an exciting opportunity to anyone looking to increase market share of the destination wedding market [and based on my discussions in the industry and the inquiries I receive on a daily basis - it seems as if EVERYONE is looking to get a piece of it!].

I have recommended that all of my current clients add this to their '08 schedule and many have already made the commitment! Here are some additional details:

"The issue will showcase resorts from all over the world that cater to marrying couples, and consult with industry experts — event coordinators, travel agents, florists, caterers and more — to provide the 101 top planning tips for couples planning to marry away.Add in a host of editor’s picks on everything from great travel gear and reception ideas to beauty must-haves, and consumers have an indispensable guide for every bride and groom who have ever dreamed of having her big day in an exotic locale, be it beach, city, vineyard or mountaintop."

SPACE CLOSE November 27, 2008
MATERIALS DUE November 29, 2008
ON SALE January 29, 2008

Contact:

Publisher Sue.Gilman@bonniercorp.com• 407-628-4802
Carol Johnson, Associate Publisher Carol.Johnson@bonniercorp.com • 908-221-9122
Allyson Archambault, Ntl. Accounts ManagerAllyson.Archambault@bonniercorp.com • 407-571-4706

Kudos to Bonnier for thinking of this - I am sure editor Susan Moynihan and her talented team will create a fabulous issue and I can't wait to see the final result!

Casting Call!

I received this email today from a producer and wanted to share it with you all...sounds like a great PR opportunity! Good Luck!! [image by: aaron delesie]

"Dear Rebecca -

I am currently casting brides and their bridal parties to be the subject of a pilot for a new reality series on [a major television entertainment network...] . I'm hoping you can recommend wedding planners, vendors or venues who may have clients that might be a good fit for the show. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Specifically, I am looking for fabulous brides-to-be who are planning an extravagant, over-the-top wedding for 2008 (spring-fall) anywhere in the US. She, along with her bridal party would be the subject of the show, which will document the excitement of planning the most luxurious, glamorous and exclusive weddings of 2008. We plan to follow the major events in the months leading up to the big day. The show is about friendship, rites of passage, love, family, shopping and one long, lavish farewell party as a group of girlfriends do everything they can to send their bride off in style (Laguna Beach all grown up).

This is a great way for brides to document all of the excitement leading up to the big day and should be a fun opportunity for the entire bridal party!

If you have any recommendations as to who I should contact or know of anyone who might be a good fit for this project, please have them get in touch with me, or pass along their contact information and I can reach out to them."

Sincerely,

Jessica Shweky
Killer Talent
weddingtvshow@gmail.com
917-532-5317

Creating the Win-Win-Win

'Partnering that pays' is a big part of most wedding-industry success stories. No matter the business you are in, you need each other. Think about the best business you have - most likely, it has come to you from referrals either from past clients or industry partners. Those that truly 'get it' in this industry spend dedicated time nurturing those invaluable relationships, networking, appreciating each other and designing creative ways to work together. Better yet, the really innovative actually marry the two together and work together while also providing added-value to their brides...creating the 'win-win-win.'

One such example of this is a round-up of popular venues with imagery by the Chicago-based photographers Life on Prints Photography in a dedicated section of their website entitled "Places We've Been and Places We'll Be." Simply Brilliant!

What I love in particular is that this is such a 'win-win-win' for all involved. One of the most critical but often overwhelming tasks that a bride and groom face is the "where" of the wedding. What this photographer has done is provide an image heavy review of all of the wedding venues where they have shot along with links to each. They place importance on it by including as a main navigation on their site under the category of "Wedding Research." There is not a photographer, floral designer or wedding planner out there who could not do something similar in their own way.

This is a 'win' for the photographer as it shows the scope of their work in a variety of different venues and how many weddings they have shot, a 'win' for the venues as it shows real weddings in their setting along with a description and link to their site and a 'win' for the bride and groom as it provides a one-stop overview of a wide variety of wedding venues showing them from the perspective of real weddings not just glossy marketing shots.

Kudos to this innovative photography company - I challenge you to figure out new and innovative ways to strengthen your relationships with key partners and create "win-win-win" situations in the process!

Perfect Client Gift - The Bridal Party!

I am all about appreciation! This is a fun and really inexpensive way to express some love for your brides - new from Philosophy - "the bridal party" gift set:

"For the bride-to-be comes bridal party, a collection of shower gels inspired by wedding traditions that are sure to pamper the beautiful bride before the big day. bridal party includes 6 oz. bottles of bridal bouquet, wedding cake, bubbly and comes complete with history behind these traditions right on the bottle."

Their cute tagline is "Marry yourself before you marry another!"

Just $30.00 - available at Sephora, Amazon, Beauty.com and other philosophy retailers.

How fun! Sure to put a smile on any bride-to-be's face...give one upon contract signing, send one upon learning of a particularly stressful situation that they are encountering during wedding planning, present it at the close of a planning session or send it out 'just because'!!!

It is the little things that make a difference - particularly in the wedding market - and this is one sure way to pamper your brides - trust me - they will love it!

Party In Antigua!

Just back from spending a long weekend in Antigua [well - someone had to do it! *wink!*] for the grand opening of Sandals Grande Antigua's Mediterranean Village Resort. What a weekend filled with the 'who's who' in bridal media, the travel industry and even some celebs!

Excitement was in the air from the get go - I flew in with Preston [and it was fun to be with him as strangers approached him for a photo or just to express their admiration for his fabulous work!] and we met up with Sylvia Weinstock and her husband Ben upon arrival. Despite some raindrops here and there everyone was ready to party! Among the celebs and media, Kimora Lee Simmons and her boyfriend Djimon Honsou were there as were Maria Menounos covering the event for Access Hollywood, Teri Polo from "Meet the Fockers," Brooke Burke and David Chrevat, Rumer Willis and more. Shaggy and Sean Paul performed two of the nights while DJ Splyce spinned tunes the last night to a spectacular fireworks display on the beach!

We hosted a bridal media breakfast to unveil a cutting edge new honeymoon and wedding brochure depicting the brand new look + feel of Sandals and share many of the recent successes achieved in continuing to raise the bar by being innovators in the market.

It was so great to spend 4 days with old friends Carley Roney and David Liu of TheKnot, Antonia Van der Meer editor in chief of Modern Bride and Elegant Bride and her husband Peter, Diane Forden editor-in-chief of Bridal Guide, Sherri Eisenberg Travel Editor of Brides Magazine, Holli and Robert Ehrlich of Wedding Podcast Network and also make some new friends along the way!

I will share some more pics as I get them but it was a great weekend at a beautiful new resort in an idyllic Caribbean setting!

Off to Antigua!

Things will be quiet on the blog for a few days - I have headed to Antigua for the media event to celebrate the opening of the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort's Mediterranean Village! It is sure to be a great, exciting weekend packed with celebrities, major media, many of the 'who's who' in bridal and so much more!

I will report back in next week with a full recap and some inside scoop on everything new under the [Caribbean] sun! Until then - off to paradise!!!

Rebecca

Say Yes to the Dress!

Cannot WAIT for this new show filmed at Kleinfeld debuting on TLC on October 12th at 10pm:

New York’s Famed Kleinfeld Bridal Featured in New TLC Series

“Say Yes to the Dress”

Save the Date! 13-Episode Series Set to Walk Down the Aisle
Friday, October 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT


New York (October 2, 2007) - Heading to the bridal salon in search of the perfect gown ... it's the ultimate shopping trip that many women have been dreaming about since girlhood. For many, those dreams bring them directly to the New York doorstep of the famed Kleinfeld Bridal. Finding "the" dress is one of the top items on every bride-to-be's to-do list, and TLC's new series SAY YES TO THE DRESS shows that sometimes, saying "yes" to the marriage proposal is the easy part - it's finding a gown that matches your style, image and budget that can prove far more difficult.

The 13-part SAY YES TO THE DRESS premieres on Friday, October 12, with two back-to-back half-hour episodes airing from 10-11 PM ET/PT. Subsequent episodes will premiere Fridays at 10PM ET/PT.

Part bridal story, part fashion transformation and part family therapy, SAY YES TO THE DRESS is wrought with intense drama, as the Kleinfeld team guides each bride-to-be through the process of creating a flawless look for their big day. Each episode introduces three brides who have traveled to Kleinfeld from across the United States and Canada -- some arriving with a full entourage of parents, friends, and extended family.

It's up to their dedicated consultant to help find the perfect gown for each bride, but it's not always easy. Along the way, there are tears of frustration and tears of elation, and SAY YES TO THE DRESS shows how the Kleinfeld team -- from Elise, the no-nonsense director of sales who manages the consultants, to spunky, outspoken Keasha and know-it-all newbie Claudia -- mixes experience, intuition, hard work and grace under pressure to help every bride feel like a million bucks.

About Kleinfeld Bridal
Kleinfeld is a true New York institution. Founded in 1941, Kleinfeld is renowned for carrying the largest selection of exclusive designer wedding gowns anywhere. Owners Ronald Rothstein, Mara Urshel and Wayne Rogers moved the store from its roots in Brooklyn to a 35,000 square foot Manhattan salon that runs the length of a New York City block. Kleinfeld is filled with the world's most gorgeous wedding gowns and its impressive operation includes 250 bridal consultants, fitters, seamstresses, beading specialists and steam pressers who work to make each bride feel like a million bucks.

Three Years Ago Today...Billy Joel's Wedding!!

Happy Anniversary to Katie & Billy Joel...their incredible wedding was 3 years ago today at their home in Oyster Bay, Long Island and Kathryn and I still pinch ourselves that we were there assisting Marcy Blum and an extraordinary team of top professionals execute this incredible weekend wedding! There are SO many amazing moments to cherish. It was one of those life experiences that lives in your heart forever.

Here are just a few images to reflect back on one of the most extraordinary, unforgettable events ever. Just a few of the 'best in the biz' we had a chance to work side-by-side with: Eventiste extraordinaire Marcy Blum, pioneer wedding photojournalist Terry Gruber, Lighting Maestro Bentley Meeker, Floral Designer extraordinaire Jen Stone of StoneKelly, Cake Diva Sylvia Weinstock, Hair and Makeup Master Warren Tricomi and cutting edge Catering Guru Olivier Cheng. WOW - talk about the ultimate who's who of weddings!!!!!

Best of all were the delightful, down-to-earth bride and groom: Billy and Katie who could not have been more gracious, welcoming, fun and REAL. Thank you Marcy - it was pure *magic.*

[photo credits: Terry Gruber as seen on MarcyBlum.com]

Michelle Rago | Modern Bride

Enjoyed this latest issue of Modern Bride - and especially the 10-page feature styled by the fabulous Michelle Rago at one of my favorite spots on earth - Raffles Resort Canouan Island.

I am a huge fan of Michelle's amazing work - her website is filled with ideas and inspiration from recent real weddings she has designed. Her new book, Signature Weddings is also a 'must read.'

I had a chance to meet her in person at the BFF Bridal event at Henri Bendel in June and we recently re-connected on a number of fronts. She is so down-to-earth and fun and is a major talent with many new and exciting initiatives in the works. Look to hear more from her soon...especially her BLOG which is launching soon - I can't wait!