The Notebook

A "Somewhat" Final Farewell....

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:04:00 +0000

It's time that I make this official. As Creative Director and Founder of Faire La Fete Productions, I have decided to no longer accept any other projects under this company name. To all of my colleagues and clients, I couldn't thank you enough! You are the VERY reason that I have been able to share my God-given talent with the rest of the world. To my staff, whom I refer to as "the kids', uhm....what else can I say? We've share the best of times, and the worst of times. You've kept this machine running babies! Marion Marshall...you have been my heart for so long. Even when I was young and dumb in this industry, you always knew how to keep it real with me when no one else would. For that, I love you dearly!! Last, but not least...to all of our fans (readers). Without you, we'd be NOTHING!

Shaunta and Phillip are getting married on Friday, October 9th. I am so thrilled to be working with this amazing couple. It's almost as if I have known them for years! We could have not made this possible without the talented ladies of Paisley Quill, Annette Taylor, Marion Marshall, and talented Lauren Kitchens who recently competed in a Food Network challenge (GO LAUREN!!!).

It's only fair that we'd go out with a bang for you. This is just a sneak peak of our last and final wedding as Faire La Fete Productions. We are not finished - this is just the beginning. Stay tuned for more fabulous photos of this event, and more NEW and EXCITING things to come. Toodles (for now)!

Glam and Bold!

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:25:00 +0000

Just in case you didn't know, purple is the IT color for summer. Check out this tablescape created by JL Designs for Ceremony Magazine. The usage of texture and color is to die for! My favorite piece has to be the frame that she bought from IKEA and hot-glued dendrobium orchids on the face of it. How cool is that? This is exactly what client's love in a floral designer - the innate ability to create beautiful works of art. To see more of her recent work, check out her blog.

StudioWed Atlanta Luxury Giveaway!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:53:00 +0000

I have heard and seen some amazing contests, but this one is the mother of all giveaways!

StudioWed Atlanta, along with CBS Atlanta and AtlantaOccasions.com, have come together to giveaway the wedding of a lifetime to one deserving couple! To enter, couples will submit in 500 words or less why they deserve to win a free wedding along with a photo. The winning couple will receive a wedding valued at over $70,000 to include everything from the venue, catering, photography, and more! The wedding will take place at Atlanta Botanical Gardens on either Sunday, January 10th or Sunday, January 24th, 2010. Deadline to enter is April 1st. For contest details and to register, please visit: www.cbsatlanta.com/weddinggiveaway.

Hurry girls to enter for your chance to win a wedding of a lifetime!

Memoirs of the Matron of Honor

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:00:00 +0000

As funny as it may seem, I never thought that I would be coordinating one of the most anticipated weddings of the season....my sister's. Yep - you read correctly. Playing two roles (Coordinator and Matron of Honor), can be a daunting task! You'd think this would be easy for me because this is my profession and what I do on a day-to-day basis, but that's not the case. My sister is the love of my life. My best friend and confidant. She has been here for me all of my life - and the thought of handing this baby over to someone else on the day-of just tears me up! Don't get me wrong, I know my staff will do the best job possible, but it's more than that. It's more on a personal level that has consumed me up inside ten fold. It's almost as if I am re-living my own wedding planning days all over again.

I'd love to hear from the rest of you. Have you ever been down this road before? How did you handle it and what was the outcome?

FLF Real Weddings :: Elizabeth and Maxwell

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:48:00 +0000

As promised, here are a few pictures from Elizabeth and Maxwell's wedding. Elizabeth decided to go with a very unique color pallet of black and white damask, green, and hot pink. In order to steamline this look, we used hot pink as a "pop" color (or accent color), and it turned out beautifully! To bring in a bit of warmth and texture, we used a ton of candles and crystal accents.

There were over 250 guests in attendance as they witnessed them exchange their vows in a gorgeous historical landmark that was built in the 1930's. Special thanks goes to Annette Taylor of Avery Bliss for giving us a few to share with you all. Stay tuned for part two and more details.

Who? Little Ole' Us?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:09:00 +0000

{Photo courtesy of Chandra Michaels}

This year has began off with a bang, and we are loving every minute of it. I want to thank all of our clients, colleagues, and readers for supporting our little project and being patient with us every step of the way. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!

On another note: We have been graciously awarded a blogger award from several of our peers. I'd like to take the time to thank (and hug if, I could) Lisa of Elite Affairs, Nicole Scott-Tate of Your Champagne Wishes Events, LLC, Stacey Strickler of Affairs to Remember, and Michelle Mospens of My Personal Artists for choosing us for being a blog that posesses GREAT ATTITUDE + GRATITUDE! We are so humbled by this wonderful recognition, and thank you from the bottom of our little southern hearts!

One of the stiputlations were to nominate 10 blogs to recieve this award, but I have a very hard time just choosing a "handful of awesomeness" out of the bunch. With that said, I nominate each and every one of you because you are fantastic! It takes hard work and dedication to nuture a blog and I feel that it shouldn't go unnoticed. We appreciate all of you like you wouldn't believe. Stay true, stay positive, and most of all stay you....FABULOUS!!

A Romantic Proposal Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:54:00 +0000

Hello all! The amazingly talented Aimee Labonte O'Boyle of Creative Montage is having a fantastic giveway contest for the most romantic proposal via her blog, Creative Odds n' Ends!

They are looking for the most romantic proposal stories from our readers. The winner will receive a $150 gift certificate to be redeemed on a custom invitation package and the runner-up will receive a $50 gift certificate to be redeemed on a custom invitation package.

How to enter:
Contestants must submit an custom invitation price quote.

Then, tell your romantic proposal story by emailing them at inquiries{at}creativemontage.com! The most romantic wedding proposal story voted on by our judges, Heather Minicucci of Simply Inviting Weddings and Kendall Brown of Eclatante Event Design, will be crowned the winner!

The winner(s) will be announced on Valentine's Day!

Good Luck!

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:10:00 +0000

Hello everyone. We will be taking a break from blogging until next week. Elizabeth and Maxwell will be getting married in Leonard, Texas this Saturday! Let's all give them well wishes for a wonderful life together, and many blessings in the future. We will feature this wedding as soon as we recieve the photos from our oh-so-amazing photographer, Annette Taylor of Avery Bliss Studios. Until then, have a great weekend.

Hidden Treasure

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:26:00 +0000

For those of you that are not aware of Ginger with Serendipity Beyond Design, you better catch on fast! Ginger is one of those vendors that I just can't get enough of. She's super sweet and very talented. What I find so amazing about her is that you can give her a piece of inspiration and she turns it into something magnificent.

We asked Ginger to re-create a vintage save-the-date postcard for a client of our's that is getting married in Mexico. We couldn't depict exactly what we wanted but when Ginger send over the proof, we were blown away! Here is the final result:

How cute are these?!? This is just the beginning. Stay tuned to see how this amazing event unfolds this year. To view more of Ginger's collection, you can visit her Etsy site here.

Adorable Cake Toppers

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 18:53:00 +0000

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday...I know I did. Check out these adorable, wood cake toppers from Etsy seller Goose Grease. Today, they were featured on Martha Stewart's "The Art of Wedding Cakes II" on Style Network, and I just had to see more because they are so cute! Whether it be matching the colors of your wedding wardrobe to your hair color, they can do it all. I think it is a fun and whimisical way to personalize your wedding. To see more of their work, visit their esty shop here.

Couture Seating Charts

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:20:00 +0000

If you are looking for a non-traditional way to spruce up escort cards, consider doing a couture seating chart designed by Laura Hooper. Laura's work is absolutely gorgeous and she never ceases to amaze me. What's really neat about this is that it could be framed and put in your home for later use. Now that's money worth spending! To see more of Laura's work, visit her website and blog.

Punam Bean Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:59:00 +0000

Wow! Check out these images from Punam Bean Photography. Her work is absolutely phenomenal. Her ability to incorporate nature into her work is so rich and inspiring. It was very hard to go through her blog and choose just a few favorites but I'll let you see for yourself.

All I Want For Christmas...

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0000

These shoes are the very reason why I love the holidays because it's so easy to come across some great steals and deals. Can you imagine wearing these little darlings with a fabulous little black dress and gold accessories? Talk about spreading some holiday cheer!

Thanksgiving Cheer

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:11:00 +0000

We will be taking a break from blogging until after the holiday. I wish you all a blessed and safe Thanksgiving...until then, eat as much fat as you possibly can and think about it later! We will see you all next week.

Gabrielle + The Faire La Fete Productions Staff

Lovely Delights

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:19:00 +0000

This past weekend, I came across these beauties on one of my favorite blogs and I could resist sharing them with all of you. I would have to agree that seeing traditional cupcakes at a wedding seems a little bit on the childish side but nonetheless, there is a viable solution that would work if you are straying away from the norm. Check out these lovely sweets designed by Bev Perry of SugarBloom Cupcakes. Her designs are gorgeous! What a beautiful and sexy way to spruce up a cupcake. You can check out her blog for more inspiration, but here are a few of my faves.

Fine Art Ketubahs

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:39:00 +0000

I always received emails regarding products and services from many talented vendors across the world, but yesterday I received word from the amazingly talented Daniel Sroka of Modern Ketubah, and I gasped in awe when I got a sneak peek of his work. Daniel creates fine art ketubahs for interfaith and Jewish weddings, based on his abstract photography of nature. Each piece is custom designed and printed on fine cotton-rag papers, with luminescent colors and a soft matte finish reminiscent of watercolors. The end result is absolutely gorgeous! As we all know, Ketubahs are illustrated wedding contracts that are a key part of the Jewish wedding tradition, but the wonderful part about his work is that they can be created for couples of all religions and traditions. What a beautiful way for any couple to express their love and commitment for each other. To view the full collection, visit his website. Here are just a few of my faves!

This ketubah is illustrated with a camellia flower that the artist found blooming in his garden. The colors of the flower were softened to evoke the gentle feel of a watercolor painting.

This ketubah is made from an abstract photograph of a gracefully curving tulip.

This dynamic ketubah is illustrated with a photograph of a leaf from a Japanese Maple tree at the height of its fall colors.

Meet the Clients :: Shaunta and Phillip

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:12:00 +0000

As I always say, we work with some of the hottest couples. Shaunta and Phillip are getting married at a swank and new facility called the Orion Ballroom. This venue is unbelieveable and headed up by the amazingly talented Doug Brown of Beyond the Box Catering. It's absolutely a bride's dream because everything you need is right under one roof! When I met with Shaunta and Phillip, the vision they had for their wedding had to be in a venue that reflected their wishes, and the Orion does just that! They are such a fun couple, and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds next October. Congrats you two!!

Notebook "Casting Call"

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Attention all fab readers! We are looking for vendors, brides, and grooms who would like to be guest bloggers here on The Notebook. Even if you currently have your own blog, that's ok! We will feature topics such as real wedding stories, fab finds, great deals and steals, unique venues from across the country, and much more! All you have to do is shoot me an email at gabrielle {at} flfproductions.com, and we will hash out the details. We look forward to hearing from you.

Uhm..

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:58:00 +0000

Hello Notebook readers! I wanted to give my deepest apologizes for the lack of posting lately. We are up to our ears with the 2009 wedding season, and I feel as if our little blog is suffering. I promise to resume posting next week with some great finds and also introduce you all to our newest Faire La Fete Brides! Have a wonderful weekend, and as always...happy planning!

Real Wedding :: Chris + Lynn Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:43:00 +0000

To make up for my blogging hiatus, I decided to do a two-part blogging series today.

Check out this beautiful wedding shot by Vancouver-based (award-winning) photographers, Chris + Lynn. Other than the fact that their work is phenomenal, their attention to detail is flawless! These photos are so sharp and rich. I couldn't get them all, but I just had to share some of my favorites with you all. Enjoy!

Couture Wedding Decor

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:08:00 +0000

The creators of Bouquet Jewels now offers beautiful floral vessels that coordinates with their line of rhinestone embellishments. Generally these pieces are offered to wholesalers only, but now they are available online to the public. This would be a great and cost effective alternative for the bride on a limited budget. My favorite is the Mosaic line, but check out their website to see the entire collection.

Just Breathe...

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:00:00 +0000

That's the intro that you hear once you visit the website of Asiel Designs - and I can see why! Asiel Designs has got to be the one of the most innovative floral designers in the country. You can't help but grasp for air because their floral arrangements are so sharp and sexy! Here is my favorite design (because I am partial to an all white wedding), but please...visit their website to see more for yourself.

Think Pink

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:00:00 +0000

L to R: Pink Laptop bag from Career Bags; Fancy by Jessica Simpson from Dillards; Pink Stilletos, Unknown Source; Chanel Set of Bracelets from Bag Borrow or Steal ; Kitten Shimmering Powder from Benefit Cosmetics.

For those of you that are not aware, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Each year, my staff and I participate with thousands of other women to help heighten the awarness and education of breast cancer. It is the largest fundraising event in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Here is our nod of showing support with these adorable pink products. You can find several retailers that sell pink ribbon products and donate a portion of their proceeds to help support the fight against breast cancer. For more information regarding events in your city, visit the national, Susan G. Komen website for more information. We can all help make a difference.

Creative Bouts :: Laurie Cinotto Art + Craft

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:39:00 +0000

I came across Laurie's blog yesterday, and to my surprise, she has some of the most elegant, handmade boutonnieres I have ever seen! I love how she uses simple textures in her collection. Of course, fall is my favorite season, so here are just a few of my faves.

I've Been Tagged!

noreply@blogger.com (Faire La Fete Productions) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:26:00 +0000

I love being tagged, because it gives all of you wonderful readers to learn a little bit more about me and my roots.

List 5 reasons you love your state:

1. Having been born and raised in Texas, there are so many cultures and diverse backgrounds that one could easily get immersed into.

2. Everything is bigger and better in Texas. This holds true - even with weddings. It's a celebration of life and brides are all about family and southern hospitality.

3. The shopping is insane! Our malls are packed with so many great stores it's unreal.

4. It's where I met my husband and my best friend (HEY V!!)

5. It has the #1 water park in the nation.

Now I have to tag 5 others:
People's St. Claire
Charlotte Brodt
Aimee Labonte O'Boyle
Wendy Kidd
Veronique Carter

(1) Link back to the meme creator: Caz
(2) Link to the person who tagged you: Events By Your Side
(3) Link back to the originator of the positive SA movement (as this is how this all started): Cheap Thrills
(4) List five reasons you love your state!
(5) Tag at least five people

There you have it! We will resume posting tomorrow. Until then, have a great day!