Happy New Year 2010! Now, .....BEGIN!

Photo by: Tracey Kumer-Moore

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010! Now….BEGIN

This is a picture Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge took of a very special gift I received at the Engage ’09 Encore Luxury Wedding Symposium in Las Vegas.

All attendees received one of several different hand-stamped custom created eggs with different messages from Caroline Colom Vasquez, owner of Paloma’s Nest who creates Handcrafted Modern Heirlooms™ like the “Original Ring Bearer Bowl™”.

Although the egg I received didn’t really have my own name on it, I believe that this egg really was meant for me (I’m sure every other attendee feels similar thoughts about theirs as well). And although I appreciated the message then, it is today, on the dawn of a new year and decade, as I look at it sitting on my desk, that the message resounds LOUD & CLEAR.

What I see today in this gift of this egg with its simple word, “Begin” is…

POTENTIAL and POSSIBILITIES

All of the great potential I hold, you hold, this new year (and decade) holds to create new ideas, new weddings, new celebrations, new life and new POSSIBILITIES…

To make my life (and yours and this worlds’) happier, healthier, more loving, more fun, more organized, more successful, richer, more inspired and more of whatever you and me and we all wish for it to be.

So, let’s BEGIN, shall we:)? To continue the egg metaphor, let's crack this new year open and "hatch" all of it!!

Here is wishing all the very best to my family, my friends, my colleagues (who are also friends), my extended friends around the “Twitter-verse” and you, my wonderful “Diary” Readers...

A very Happy, Healthy & Wonderful 2010.

Celebrate it and every coming day with LOVE, LIFE & STYLE!

Tracey

To buy these custom eggs and all of the custom designed, inspired work from Caroline, visit her website at Paloma’s Nest.com and the Paloma's Nest Etsy Store as well.

Fabulous Rental Furniture Can Make Your Wedding a "Fete Accomplie"

(c) 2009 Your Wedding Day.com, Cheriefoto

(c) 2009 Your Wedding Day.com, Cheriefoto

Rental furniture for weddings to create intimate lounge environments that help make your guests feel comfortable, relaxed and add an extra layer of wow to your event is no longer a "trend", it's definitely here to stay. That is "a good thing" as Ms. Martha would say. 

Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge could not agree more. And one of my absolute favorite companies in the event furnishing rental business these days is Fete Accomplie Events based in the Los Angeles, CA area. 

Fete Accomplie's line of luxury furnishings created just for events encompasses so many adjectives with all the different styles of furniture and accessories they offer it would be a very long list, but sophisticated, opulent, glamorous, sexy, stylish (you knew I was going to say that) are just some of the ones that come to mind. 

Add some of these pieces to your wedding and you will definitely make a statement. The images above are from the fabulous Spring 2009 Your Wedding Day Magazine wedding showcase at the Ebell Club, Los Angeles that I attended recently. 

These two rooms, that I spent the most time in, were furnished with furniture from Fete Accomplie Events.

The phenomenal Marie Antoinette Gone Modern dining room, designed and coordinated by my good friend Jeannie Ward, the Wedding Jeannie, really utilized their "High Style" furniture collection. It was absolutely the most stunningly beautiful space to walk into and I am so proud of my friend! I also got to meet 

For a different look, the "Deco Square Banquettes" provided modern touch of Hollywood Glamour in the Disco Room where everyone partied the night away. 

Furniture is an excellent investment in your wedding reception budget and not as costly as you think. A few well placed pieces will make any room feel like you are welcoming your guests into "your place for a special moment in time". 

You must check out the entire 3 part review of this amazing wedding industry event on the Ebell, LA's blog written by the fabulous Catering Director, Melissa Allen (who is a Vegas native by the way) AND I invite you to visit the Fete Accomplie website to see their amazing Product Showcase (I want it ALL...for my house) and Event Gallery that I know will inspire you. 

It certainly has inspired me and I think I want to live in their warehouse! It is truly a Tracey "Happy Place"!

Beautiful Wedding in Gold & Red at Four Seasons, Las Vegas 4.17.09

Wedding was held at the beautiful Four Seasons, Las Vegas Resort

Bouquet of deep red roses, flame cala lilly wrapped in bronze & accented with some sparkle!

Decor was inspired by Bride's bronze gown & wedding song "Lady in Red"

The beautiful ceremony site also featured a red high gloss dance floor for the aisle

Stunning Custom Staircase Decor for some fabulous photo ops

Gorgeous Belly Dancers in the wedding colors were just 1 part of the amazing entertainment

All images provided by Ray Iavasile, Ray Anthony Photography

To see more "Sneak Peek Images of this event, visit Ray's Blog

Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge had the pleasure of planning this gorgeous wedding celebration that took place at one of my favorite venues, The Four Seasons, Las Vegas Resort, on April 17, 2009 in 28 days! Yes, JUST 4 WEEKS! 

That was the first time, believe it or not, I had the opportunity to squeeze about 6-12 months of planning into less than a month and I must say for the record that it was a very busy 30 days and one of the most unexpected pleasurable planning experiences I have had to date. 

From the time I met the Bride & Groom (due to a privacy contract I signed with the couple, I am not at liberty to reveal their names or any images of them or guests), I quickly discovered this was going to be a fantastic and very memorable party for them and their guests. 

With the assistance of Asst. Catering Director Dennis Silknitter of the Four Seasons that served a sumptuous 6 course wedding meal, I began assembling a team of some of Las Vegas' top (and my favorite) wedding professionals to create this gorgeous, warm ambience set in tones of bronze, golds, reds and oranges to compliment the bride's gown & love of beautiful, bright and warm colors. 

The wedding party walked down a petal lined, high gloss red aisle to a collection of red & orange florals on pedestals. Guests dined under a fabric canopy accented with crystals and flowers, lounged on European style gold sofas & ottomans, at antique gold mirrored tables and a monogrammed bar. 

The beautiful decor was created by Andrea Sage, Marian Menezes and Nina Sauter of Destinations by Design.

The bride wanted to treat their guests to an after-dinner show and boy, DID WE PUT ON A SHOW. Thanks to Bruce Sampson of Steve Beyer Productions, we assembled a parade of entertainment to dazzle guests including belly dancers, a magician, "Cirque" performers, ballroom dancers and a magician, all orchestrated by a DJ & and "All Night Mike", a great MC who kept everyone happy, laughing and dancing on the red dance floor all night long (when they weren't enjoying the hot wedding trend Cold Stone Ice Cream and Hot Doughnut Stations)!!

The bride looked gorgeous thanks to my ace makeup artist Barbara Jo Batterman (THE BEST) and all the incredible images here were taken by the uber-talented Ray Iavasile of Ray Anthony Photography. I picked Ray to work with this couple as I knew this wedding was a great match for his style and I'm sure you will agree, I was right on!

The rest of the week long celebration included golf at Shadow Creek Golf Course, a Maverick Helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, a family dinner at Charlie Palmer Steak and welcome in-suite receptions & brunches.

The event was a fabulous success which proved to me that when the stars align and you get  amazing clients and wedding professionals to work with, planning a fabulous Las Vegas Wedding with great Style like this one in 28 days is a pleasure! THANK YOU!

 

Luck be an Irish Lady Tonight! Happy St. Paddy's Day!

The Herradura "Green Agave Cocktail"

Well, Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge doesn't have one lick of Irish in me that I am aware of , but hopefully I can enjoy some luck o' the Irish today as everyone gets to be green on St. Paddy's Day. Perhaps a good day to try some at the "Megabucks" machine later?:)

But, If this is your day, by birth, marriage, or by hook & crook...then hope you have a great one.

If you feel like starting off with something a bit more sophisticated before you hit the green draft, check out this very cool & festive cocktail I found in a post from Kori Ellis titled "More than just Green Beer" at She Knows.com (great living/lifestyle blog by the way!)

The cocktail, all decked out for the holiday, is called a "Herradura (that's a brand of Tequila) "Green Agave Cocktail" shaken with melon liqueur. Yummy! I love how how it's garnished with a lime carved to look like a lucky shamrock. How stylish is that? 

Not only a great idea for St. Paddy's day, but for a modern touch for an Irish wedding as well.

Recipe provided by Herradura.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Herradura Silver tequila
• 3/4 oz. melon liqueur
• lime
  

Directions:

1. Add tequila, melon liqueur and a squeeze of lime into a shaker with ice.
2. Shake for 15 seconds.
3. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass.
4. Garnish with shamrock carved lime and serve.

This same post also offers some recipes for spin-offs on the cocktail called "Emerald Isle" (naturally) & an "Irish Whip". 

So I'll raise me a fancy green cocktail & wish you all a happy day. Have fun and stay safe!

Las Vegas Welcomes CaterSource & Event Solutions 2009

What do you get when you combine thousands of people; chefs, catering professionals, event planners, designers, entertainers, decor suppliers and more and bring them to Las Vegas?

You get an amazing 4 day event filled with education, inspiration and fun called "CaterSource/Event Solutions 2009". It's sponsored by National Association of Catering Executives (NACE), of which I am a member, Event Solutions and Catersource Magazines.

Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge will be attending this conference this week. I'll be out of the office Sunday through Wednesday learning new ideas to better my business and planning, creative skills, getting inspired by professionals from all aspects of the catering and event planning business. On the trade show floor, I'll be seeing amazing new ideas in decor, tasting and experiencing great new food and beverage products and presentation ideas, checking out cool new event rentals, lighting and more and attending some cool events to see how it all amazingly comes together. 

Oh, and meeting tons of other incredibly talented, creative and dedicated wedding, food and catering & event professionals from around the country and beyond; sharing stories, ideas and more. 

Very lucky to have this opportunity on annual basis here in Las Vegas to attend for another year.  

So excited to bring back more great ideas for all of you. Have a great week!

Holy Cake Balls Santa Claus!

White Chocolate "Cake Balls": Image from Lovely Little Cakes

Dark Chocolate "Cake Balls": Images from Bakerella

Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge thinks these are just a fabulous and easy holiday treat that are so easy to make and just waaay too easy to pop my way into Mrs. Clause sized clothes.  But what a delectable journey. 

I was browsing the BluDomain Blog (they helped me create my website) and always love the great products and ideas they find and came across this yummy little morsel in one of their "Countdown to the Holidays" posts. 

So I clicked the link to a photographer's blog which eventually led me to the yummy Bakerella Blog (which I know is a favorite of my friend Juliet Douglas of Green Orchid Events) for the recipe. 

I have to thank the internet and TV for not yet developing "Smell-o-Vision" because sites like these would be too wonderfully unbearable.

These little "Cake Ball" treats would make a great addition to a holiday or holiday wedding sweet table served on a stick for a fun twist, as a take-away treat in a custom red velvet monogrammed to-go box with cups of fragrant cider or coffee.

Here is the recipe and it really is very easy and fun too (you get to mix cake and cream cheese frosting with your fingers).

The holidays are starting to look delicious already!

Delicious, Luxury Favors offer Clean, Calorie Free Fun for Guests!

"Le Viette" serves up the "Green Tea Swiss Slice" Gourmet Towel

Looks good enough to eat, doesn't it? Even better, it reminds me of a ring!

These 100% cotton confections are good clean fun and a total indulgent way to pamper your guests at wedding receptions, showers, brunches or bachelorettes. They also add to decor displays and a perfect choice for gracious gift-giving ideas, as hostess gifts and gifts for kids...of all ages. 

Kaitlyn Lee, the owner and creator of "Le Viette" ("le viette" is French for Serviette or napkin) takes hospitality to a whole new level by lovingly recreating sweet looking confections with these dessert towels. 

Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge loves these delightful and completely unique and personalized towels. This is a perfect way to pamper your guests and that is just what Kaitlyn thinks too. As a matter of fact, Le Viette's motto is "When indulgences are occasional, they should be exceptional". 

I could not agree more!

Take the personalization even further by selecting your plated dessert or customize your after-party dessert table to include treats and deserts that look like these.

Also check out the chocolate "French Thousand Layer Cake" and the strawberry chocolate "5" Fruit Frais Cake".

Have a Stylish weekend! 

Wedding Concierge Featured on Wedding Podcast Network-"Meet the Masters" series from NACE "Experience 2008".

Tracey Kumer-Moore, JWIC of  Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge is excited and honored to be included as one of the featured interviews from the NACE "Experience 2008" "Meet the Masters" series of wedding podcasts from the Wedding Podcast Network.

The NACE (National Association of Catering Excutives held their annual educational conference in Philadelphia, PA this past August called "Experience 2008: The Future of Catering and Event Design".

The conference showcased the best, most talented caterers, chefs, designers and planners in the business including celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss, the coolest and newest trends in food and decor and a lot of the exciting new ideas you will soon be seeing in magazines and on tabletops in 2009.

The Wedding Podcast Network travelled to Philadelphia to cover this event to bring all of the exciting ideas, trends and passion for the industry from the attendees (that would be all those fabulous catering managers, wedding planners, DJ's, event designers, etc. that you are hiring) to you directly to hear to draw inspiration from. This is why I love the "WPN" not only as a benefit to brides but for my own professional education as well!

This special podcast included interviews with Keynote Speaker Walter Scheib; former White House Chef to the Clintons & President George W. Bush, former National NACE president Chef Jerry Edwards,CPCE, The Glazier Group Director of Catering Cheryl Kahn Brocco (The Glazier Group owns Michael Jordon's Steakhouse, "Strip House" Steakhouse which has a Vegas location at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino). Also interviewed are my good friends and fellow Las Vegas NACE members Jodi & Patrick Harris of Sight and Sound Events and my good friend Andy Ebon from the Wedding Marketing Network Blog was also mentioned.

I think you are going to get a lot of great wedding planning information from this podcast so make sure to listen to it on your computer or download it onto your iPod or MP3 player.

Have a Stylish Day!