Celebrating Life on Jewish Holidays-Closed 9/9-9/12

Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge wants to wish all my family, friends and colleagues near and far, my very best wishes for the Jewish New Year on this eve of Rosh Hashana (aka "Head of the Year", aka "Birthday of the World"-5771 years actually).

I will be closed for the holidays starting at 6:00 PM Pacific Time and back on Monday September 12th. I will not be checking regularly for voice and email messages and not returning messages until the 12th.

As a Wedding Planner, one of the most wonderful things I have to look forward to this coming year is the blessing to be involved in helping to create wonderful wedding celebrations of Love and Life for some wonderful brides and grooms. Thank you for the gift of trust you have given me to be a part of your lives and that of your families and friends to help you on this wonderful journey that we will all take together:)

May the coming year bring you and your loved ones happiness, health, good fortune (in whatever way it materializes) and sweetness.

Shana Tova (Happy New Year) and...

Celebrate Today and Every Day with Love, Life & Style!!
Tracey

I am Thankful

As 2009 is coming to a close and today is Thanksgiving, it's always a time to reflect on what and who we are thankful and grateful for this year.

2009 has been an interesting year for me and for Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge, filled with every emotion in the book, highs and lows, progress, setbacks, achievements, revelations and so much more. I am Thankful for all these things.

I had some truly wonderful couples that I collaborated with this year that gave me such joy over the time we planned and celebrated their weddings and were a constant reminder of why I love my career!! I am Thankful for all of you.

For the opportunity to help me see with a fresh perspective, what it is that I love to do and why, I am thankful.

I had the opportunity to work with some of my favorite local Las Vegas wedding professionals this year. Truly dedicated, talented and passionate people who always make me look good. I can't do what I do without a great group of people like you. I am Thankful to all of you for making the magic happen.

I had the opportunity this year to take a leadership role in an exciting new professional organization for Wedding Planners and Professionals and be part of creating a higher standard for the wedding profession I love. For the opportunity to have inspired some along the way and be inspired and supported by some amazing people I look up to, I am Thankful.

To my friends whom I have known forever and those I have met recently that already feel like lifelong friends; for being there not only to shake my hand, but to offer your shoulder on good days and not so great days. I am SO THANKFUL (and now I'm getting all "ferklempt")!

For the opportunity to live another year, sing another song, dance another dance, G-d and for the health of all those I love to live, sing and dance with, I am Thankful.

To have two wonderful countries like Canada (where I was born & raised) and the USA to call "home" is a blessing & I am Thankful to all those that so bravely protect my right to enjoy them. To live in a totally cool, fabulous city like Las Vegas is pretty nice too.

And finally, and most importantly, to my husband, my parents, my brother, my "girls"(the nieces, "daughters", my grand dogs), you are my light, my strength, my support system, my cheerleaders, my everything and to CELEBRATE MY LIFE AND MY LOVE with you, I am so Thankful.

To my readers, for reading, being patient and sticking with me, I am Thankful!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday where ever you may be and Celebrate your Thanksgiving with LOVE, LIFE & STYLE!

Featured Wedding-Andy & Elizabeth | Four Seasons 5.17.09

All Images by Altf.com Photography

Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge had the great pleasure of planning & directing the absolutely beautiful (if I do say so myself) wedding of Andy & Elizabeth at the always elegant Four Seasons Resort, Las Vegas this past May 17th. 

It has been one of my absolute favorite weddings this year for so many reasons beginning of course with a couple who I have come to know & love over the past 15 months. 

The wedding locations took some twists and turns from when we first started out but, I'm a firm believer in "beshert" (Hebrew for "destined to be") & the celebration could not have been more perfect than in the gorgeous Fountain Terrace of the Four Seasons thanks to the fantastic Asst. Director of Catering, Dennis Silknitter. 

Andy & Elizabeth incorporated not only the beautiful green color but also as many "Green" elements they could into their wedding. From cutting down on paper & having an elegant seating chart/menu combination to bio-fueled luxury transportation for guests and environmentally, socially responsible wedding bands, the affair reflected this couples wish to celebrate in style & with respect for the environment. 

It was a wonderful evening and truly a celebration of love, family & friends enjoying a beautiful environment, a fabulous Las Vegas night, delectable food & drink (Donut Bar & Eskimo Pies included) & live entertainment all night long. It wasn't just a wedding, it was a PARTY!!

Thank you to the unbelievable, talented team of Wedding Professionals who made this event such a success. It's a pleasure & honor to work alongside you. You make me look GREAT & you all ROCK!

Weddings like this & couples like Elizabeth & Andy are why I truly love my job!

• Tifany of Gourmet Invitations for the amazing custom "linen inspired" invitations & reception pieces. 
  
• Randi of Naakiti Floral & Sit on This Chair for the gorgeous florals, decor, linens & chairs who is just a joy to work with & always goes above & beyond my expectations.
  
• The uber-talented John Michael & Dalisa Cooper of Alt F Photography. It took 6 years to work with you FINALLY, & it was worth the wait:)-I'm going to make sure it won't take that long again. 
  
• Lori White who is one of my absolute favorite hair & makeup stylists to work with. 
  
• SWANK A/V for those super cool light balloons.
  
• The Steve Beyer Band for keeping us rockin' all night long.
  
• Vegas Photo Booths for all the photo fun. What WAS going on inside that cabana?;)!!
  
• Pat Harris & the awesome Sight N' Sound Events Video Team
  
• Nicole from Earth Limos for the Eco-Luxury Rehearsal Dinner Transportation
  

And Thank YOU Andy & Elizabeth for allowing me to be a part of your lives this past year & help you bring your vision of your wedding to life. It was truly an honor & pleasure! Mazal Tov you two & may you have a long life (120 years or so) full of good fortune, good health, lots of laughs and of course, much love all ways and for always! X0

T.

Merry Christmas from Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM FABULOUS LAS VEGAS, NEVADA!!

Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge would like to extend to all my friends, clients and colleagues my very best wishes for a very merry and bright Christmas. 

I hope your holidays are filled with love, good cheer, lots of family and friends, laughter, all the gifts you hoped for and a little extra room in your clothes for all those great holiday treats:)

May this season bring you peace and joy, love and hope for a brighter year ahead. 

This has been a wonderful year and I feel so blessed to have made wonderful friends, planned some beautiful and memorable weddings for some very special couples, learned so much from mentors old and new and realized, yet again, that I am blessed to love what I do and do what I love in life.

I am truly blessed that my parents, my brother and beautiful nieces are healthy and happy, my husband and I are still madly in love on our way to 8 years of marriage and I have two very special young women in my life who I love dearly as not only my "daughters" but as my friends.

This year, for Chanukah & Christmas I will be remembering my late Uncle Chester who passed away this December at 82 and who was "larger than life" and my cousin Carrie Gold who left this world much too young at 40; losing his valiant battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease.  You are always in my thoughts and I love you.

With much gratitude and affection,

Tracey

Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving

Characters by Charles Schulz

Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge can't believe that another year is almost over as Thanksgiving heralds the official countdown to the end of the year and we look to 2009. 

Growing up in Canada, we celebrated Thanksgiving (and still do) on the 2nd Monday of October where the tradition focuses on giving thanks for the successful harvest which comes earlier due to the country being America's northern neighbor. I think I vaguely remember my 2nd grade teacher telling us this in class but the excitement of Halloween was much more important. Anyway, after all these years I finally looked it up on Wikipedia. I DO love the internet!

Either way, the meaning of Thanksgiving is about giving thanks (and saying it too) so here goes...

• I'm thankful that my family is happy and healthy; my husband, step-daughters, parents, brother, nieces and thank them for their love and support no matter what.
  
• I'm thankful for the good and happy life my husband and I have worked hard to build together and for the wonderful personal and professional successes we and he have achieved this year.
  
• I'm thankful I have a wonderful career as a Professional Wedding Consultant that I truly love and thank all my friends and colleagues in the business in Las Vegas and across the country that inspire me every day to do better.
  
• I am thankful for the wonderful brides and grooms that give me the great honor and privilege to assist them in planning their wedding day. I sincerely appreciate all your thanks but to be able to be part of seeing your day and the wonderful memories created for you and your families is truly a gift.
  
• I'm grateful for my friends; the ones I have known my entire life and the ones I just met who keep me laughing, kick my behind when I need a push and a shoulder when I really need one.
  
• And I'm thankful to have the opportunity to be able to write this blog now for over a year and enjoy a little taste of the journalism career I didn't pursue. But then again, everything always works out they way it is supposed to:).  
  
• And finally, I'm thankful and thank you for coming here to read my "Diary". I  hope that you have found something that helped you, inspired you or just made you smile and I'm thankful and looking forward for all the new and exciting topics I will write about in the future. 
  

Wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!

Wedding Concierge has reached "The Tipping Point"

I got a pleasant surprise today in my inbox from my friend Andy Ebon of the Wedding Marketing Blog to tell me that I "had been blogged" and sure enough, Andy has featured me on his blog again and I could not be more proud about the content of his post.

In a nutshell, Andy referred to me reaching "The Tipping Point" by making all the right moves when it comes to marketing my company by consistently using my personal brand of style through my new business cards, my blog, and my new website and backing all that up with good old fashioned networking and just taking pride in my work and doing a good job.

The Tipping Point,by Malcolm Gladwell (a book I must check into now-I admit that Andy's mention of it was the first time I had heard of it). Andy's "plain English" definition is about as succinct as you can get.

I consider Andy a mentor and someone who I look up to on both a professional and personal level and who has taught me so much about the wedding business and more. So it is especially meaningful when I not only get complimented on the steps I am taking to improve my business, but in addition I am commended for doing a great job and referred to on his blog as an example of what to do right.

Thank you so much Andy & I promise to keep up the good work!

Then again, it doesn't always seem like work when you do what you love and love what you do. And..."I Do"!

Have a Stylish Day!

The Bride Takes, um correction..."IS the Cake"!

I must admit, when I saw this picture & the additional pictures in the article on CNN Online, my mind was just swirling with every pithy post title & comment I could think of to write here. I'm sure you are thinking them too!

This is Mrs. Chidi Ogbuta from Allen,TX standing with her groom, Inocent at their September 2007 wedding.

The bride said she had a lifelong dream (almost-she actually wanted to be a "doll"), fulfilled by having her likeness created in a wedding cake & her new husband was all too happy to help her have this dream of a very unique & personlized wedding day come true.

As I am sure you can imagine, the cake caused "quite the scene" at the wedding reception.Don't you just know this bride, her cake & her groom are going to wind up on one of those crazy wedding clip shows?!!!

Talk about "personalizing your wedding"!!

I admit, as I said at the top, I was really taken aback by these pictures, but I was intrigued so I dug a bit deeper into the story to find out the bride is of Nigerian heritage & had also seen something like it at a wedding celebration in Nigeria when she was young. It was a beautiful image for her that represented happiness and plenty that stayed with her her entire life.

I had an opportunity to assist a wedding planner friend of mine with a wedding last year where the bride was of Nigerian descent & many guests came from the homeland dressed in traditional colorful headdresses, dresses and robes. It was different, gorgeous & over the top in it's elaborateness & I loved every minute of it.

When I first start working with a couple, we talk at great length about their wishes and desires for their wedding day. I ask them about their culture & customs, priorities & what means the most to them to incorporate into their celebration. It's my job to listen, understand & embrace these things & do all I can to help them bring those wishes & desires (yes, even lifelike wedding cakes that serve up to 600 & take a full 7 days to consume) to life so they can celebrate their wedding in "their style with Style", honoring their past while stepping into their future.

I freely admit that I would have raised my eyebrows an inch or 4 had I been in that first meeting had I been hired as their wedding planner. But the beauty of being a wedding planner & one aspect of why I love my job is getting to learn about worldwide wedding traditions. The fact that Las Vegas plays host to the world & I have the opportunity to be a part of so many families' celebrations of love and in so many different cultures, faiths & unique customs is, well...here it goes, "the icing on the cake"! :)

So I wish Mr. & Mrs. Ogbuta a very sweet life & perhaps the 1st anniversary will be celebrated as they dig in to enjoy a delicious piece of "Mr. Ogbuta" & a glass of milk!

Have a Sweet & Stylish Day!

The Wedding Concierge's Parents Visit Las Vegas

My parents are visiting me from Toronto this week so while you are reading this, I have kind of cleared most of my schedule and am off playing Las Vegas Concierge/travel companion to spend as much time as possible with them (I only get to see them about every 4-6 months).

While I was getting ready for their arrival, I was thinking about them and how they raised me with all the good values and the right warnings about life of course, but also how the characteristics they each passed onto me has influenced my profession as a Wedding Consultant...what did I get from them that makes me love what I do so well to be Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge?

My Mother: My mother has an amazing sense of Style!! She has beautifully decorated two homes (the home I grew up in was featured in a local interior design article) that managed to feel like homes and not like museums. She has been the defacto wedding planner/designer for many of her friends children's Bar Mitzvah Parties and Weddings, their unofficial interior designer, etc.
She was a major part of co-producing an annual local two-day festival for women in the 80's that included fashion shows, a trade-show, celebrity chefs and lectueres (and even a visit from Brian Mulroney who was campagning for re-election as Prime Minister of Canada).

She is an uber-multi-tasker and manages to have a bunch of "balls in the air" and never gets phased if one drops temporarily. She has a truly loving heart and tells it like it is and always taught me to be gracious and send "lovely notes" to everyone that did something nice for me (gifts, stay-overs, etc.). These are just some of the things my mother gave to me.

My Father-One of the hardest working people I know who's career is so integral to his life. Yes, he kvetches (complains) but I know that he identifies so strongly with it, it's a part of him, like Wedding Planning is so much a part of me!

I must say, I am my father's daughter (my husband even jokingly calls me by my dad's name when I get in that zone), in the sense that we both have OCD when it comes to being punctual, being neat, organized, careful, staying on top of tasks to be done and thinking things to their logical conclusion and the consequences of not following through... I can hear him now asking me "did you take care of it..?" THAT most important aspect of what I do as a Wedding Consultant-timelines, layouts, figuring out the best way to put it all the puzzle pieces together (actually, it's my brother who is the puzzle wizard in our family). Following through and keeping my word as best as I possibly can and earning one's trust and being loyal..these are just some of the things my father gave to me.

When I became a Wedding Consultant 6 years ago, all the characteristics and all the life lessons and values I was instilled with from my parents finally found their place inside me to make me what I am today...Tracey Kumer-Moore, JWIC..Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge Wedding Consultant. I guess I call on my parents every day in some way every time I work with a couple to ensure their planning experience with me is a positive one and their wedding is a beautiful and memorable day...for all the right reasons!

I hope you are having a Stylish week and I will check in soon!

Leigh-Anne & Todd-"An Officer & A Gentleman"

As far as "photo finishes" go, this one could not be any finer than the beautiful images captured by Robert Valenca Photography (visit his blog to see more "sneak peek images)from my last wedding of 2007!!

Leigh-Anne & Todd are both officers in the United States Navy and wanted to have a fun Destination Las Vegas wedding with Las Vegas STYLE surrounded by their family and friends. They wanted to honor Todd's familie's Irish background & some of Leigh-Anne's Southern Style. That wasn't hard as Leigh-Anne's charm, graciousness and the warmth and hospitality of this couple was evident in every little detail they planned.

And boy, we did it ALL-A fabulous wedding at the exclusive House of Blues Foundation Room on the 43rd floor of Mandalay Bay Resort with one of the most phenomenal views of the Las Vegas strip; a military "Sword Arch" grand entrance for the bride and groom led by an Irish bagpiper; elegant strings for the ceremony; the largest "Red Velvet" Tower of Roses cake I have ever seen and...of course, ELVIS! Yes, you heard it, a Stylish & elegant wedding with Elvis or should I say "Elvii"(the real impersonator is in the white jumpsuit and the one in the black is the groom's friend) who rocked the wedding & had the ladies young & old swooning & put everyone in a party state of mind.

It was just a great day and just so much fun; full of laughs and smiles; they just soaked up all the love of their family and friends & thoroughly enjoyed every minute.That's the way it should be & it's a thrill to be a part of seeing two people that happy &helping make the day they envisioned come to life.

Leigh-Anne & Todd, it has been a pleasure and honor to know you and be part of your wedding and your lives. May your life together be blessed with good health, good luck, joy and MUCH LOVE ALWAYS!

Thank you to the fabulous wedding team that helped make Leigh-Anne & Todd's a beautiful day to remember...Venue: House of Blues Foundation Room, Floral & Decor: Floral 2000, Cake: Freed's Bakery, String Duo: Classical Entertainment, Bag Piper: Baskow & Associates, Elvis: Harry Shahoian as Elvis, Hair & Makeup Styling: Makeup in the 702, Videography: Document Event Videography, Transportation: Alan Waxler Group Chartered Services & Bell Trans Limousine.

Better Late (very late) than Never-The Wedding of Kelly & Andy

The video you are viewing is of a wedding I had the pleasure & honor of producing and directing in June of 2006. I realize I am a bit off in terms of timeliness but I finally figured out that I could copy the code and post it on my blog (who knew?)

Kelly & Andy are both deaf/hearing impaired and so were about 90% of their family and guests at this wedding.

Being a part of this couple's life and planning this event was one of the most rewarding experiences of both my professional career as a wedding consultant and as a human being. Every time I watch this, it reminds me of what a great couple they were to work with and how much love and care went into planning an event such as this and the multitude of things we had to consider from the height of flowers so that interpreters were not obstructed to note pads & pencils on the tables for drink orders and blinking lights to the interpreter learning all the songs Elvis sang in American Sign Language!

I believe I helped Kelly and Andy immensley with planning an event that accomodated their physical limitations and those of their guests, but did not limit their celebration of their style and love in any way whatsoever (as you can plainly see it was one great pary!!) What they gave to me though was immeasurable; a true understanding of the meaning of the word "communication" in every aspect of life, both professionally and personlly and that no matter how you say it, hear it or see it, the words "I Love You" and "I Do" are the most beautiful words in the world.

Thank you to the amazing Wedding Team that made this beautiful day possible...

Venue: Cili Restaurant & Bar at Bali Hai Golf Club, Floral & Decor: Naakiti Floral Design, Cake: Creations Bakery, Photography:Advanced Photography, Videography: Document Event Videography, Entertainment: Sight N' Sound Events & Harry Shahoian as Elvis, Luxury Limousine Coach Service: Alan Waxler Group Chartered Services. Hair & Makeup Styling: Glamsquad, Officiant: Reverend Linda Venniro

Thank You Las Vegas NACE- I am Honored!

It is very rewarding and fulfilling to do what you love and love what you do!!

To be able to share that passion with your industry colleagues in an association of highly respected wedding professionals such as my affiliation with the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) constantly keeps me invigorated and wanting to stay at the top of my game.

To be given an opportunity to channel that passion into a leadership role in my chapter of NACE by doing things I love to do such as writing the newsletter for my Las Vegas NACE Chapter and documenting our chapter's events (I'm very organized as you know!) and giving back to the organization I enjoy so much is extremely gratifying.

To be recognized with the "2007 Las Vegas Spirit of NACE Award" by your colleagues and peers for enjoying what you and for getting to be amongst people you are admire, respect and are inspired by is the ICING ON THE CAKE!!
I am incredibly honored and I am incredibly thrilled and look forward to another rewarding year of membership!
____________________________________
Las Vegas Spirit of NACE Award Description
"The spirit of NACE award is the only award that is a "presidential award" meaning this award is the only one I choose myself. The rest are from the board and/or the membership. This criteria was based on the overall contribution of a member to make a positive difference year-long for the betterment of our entire organization, locally and nationally. Tracey Kumer-Moore, JWIC exemplifies this in all she does every month with meeting attendance, providing meeting raffle prizes, consistently providing monthly chair reports. And if that wasn't enough she has revitalized the Las Vegas chapter newsletter into a work of art we all can be very proud of. And there's more or should I say Moore. She has attended two national conferences and participated as a voting delegate that used her critical thinking skills for informed decision making. Thank you Tracey for making our chapter better and better every day."
Lisa Lynn Backus CMP, CPCE, Senior Catering Manager, Caesar's Palace.

The Wedding Concierge & The "Design Star"!!

Yep, that's me and Scott Corridan himself, one of the featured designers on this years' version of HGTV's "Design Star" and owner of Corridan and Company in Santa Barbara CA. Scott was also part of the incredibly talented team featured on Extreme Makeover "Wedding Edition".

First of all, Scott really does have the most magnetic blue eyes and the greatest smile and, if you have watched the show, you know he just has the best laugh. He is a very genuine person indeed and he definately has a great design style and way he deals with his brides and clients that make you want to stay and hang out with him.

I had the pleasure of meeting Scott and being part of two presentations that he made at the NACE (National Association of Catering Executives) Educational Conference; last year in Phoenix, AZ and this year's conference in Houston, TX.

This year Scott was the feature for the Design & Decor session and his challenge was to create, in 24 hours no less, an entire ambience to showcase new ideas for "Seating Beyond the Bar" that was chosen by the conference attendees.

Oh, and did he "get it"!! Scott showcased spaces and ideas that were innovate yet so comfortable; like you were invited to his living room. And that really is what events should be about-having fun and making your space feel like an extension of yourselves and welcoming your guests to a place in time and space that is yours, even just for the night.

The showcase featured floral arrangements that you would see in homes, furniture and lamps from antique stores, and some really out there ideas (but personal to Scott who rides), Harley's used as seating...that's Hot!

I took away a great deal of inspiration on how to help you find that special look that will welcome your guests into "your place" and celebration of love and your style!

Check out some of the images from Scott's Decor & Design Session at NACE and you can surely see why he is a contender on the Design Star Show. Scott, we y'all loved you in Houston, TX and I am rooting for you!!

Have a Stylish Day!!

Making it Happen! It's What I Do-& I LOVE IT!

One of the most rewarding (of many) aspects of my job is when I can make something wonderful happen for my couples that will cause them to break out into "The Happy Dance"!

I'm a firm believer in being very conservative in the initial stages of planning so that you plan your budget, your venue and wedding element options based on how many people you are inviting (which always tends to be more than the actual number of guests that you are hoping will actually attend).

Doing this ensures you are basing your costs on elements & options that you know you can afford until you can be sure of the exact numbers. And then, when the final guest count comes in, is there the room to be flexible and start having some fun (and I love having fun as much as you, trust me!)

Today, as we gear up for an early September wedding, that patience paid off when I was able to re-think a space for a wedding that turned out to to be smaller than anticipated. We cut the ballroom space in half and therefore increased what we could do for my clients with their floral and decor budget (and most likely their food and beverage budget will benefit too if they so choose).

And their reward (and mine) is that they will be able to have 99.9% of everything they envisioned for their wedding for a very STYLISH celebration.

So I was able to make my bride, and groom too of course, do the "Happy Dance" today and I am doing it right along with them in spirit!:)

Making it Happen for my clients is what I can do for you as Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge & wedding planner and why I Love What I Do!

Have a wonderful and Stylish Weekend!