Getting to know your vendors: Elle Designs

I've always had a bit of a thing for paper. I think it comes from mom being an English teacher and how much I love the smell of books and completely losing myself in the words written on their pages. There is just something so real about paper and words and the many different forms they can come in. If you choose to send real mail these days, it truly says something about you and the paper you send it on, says something too. You might want to spend some time thinking about your stationery suite before saying "it doesn't matter" or "it just gets thrown away." It says something :)

Stationer and graphic designer Cairrell (pronounced Care - re - el) has such pretty and personal designs you do not want to "just throw them away." She's the owner and very awesome designer for Elle Designs. Cairrell creates everything from programs and invitations to your kiddos birthday invitations. She's truly awesome at what she does.

I met Cairrell through a former client and immediately loved her work. After the wedding we got together on a photoshoot and now I'm sharing with y'all how awesome she is :) I asked Cairrell to send me some samples and tell me a bit about them and this is the lovely result! There are save-the-dates, invitations, RSVPs, and more! Keep reading to see all of this loveliness!!!

The first piece of mail you're likely to send out regarding your big day is the Save the Dates. You can have so much fun with these! Cairrell described several of her designs for us:

I love using magnets for Save the Dates. Guest are more likely to keep your picture on their refrigerator forever smile emoticon This particular bride couldn't decide which engagement picture she liked best so I used more than one. Save the Date Magnets are a great way to show off your beautiful engagement photos.

Save the Date Post Card is a great inexpensive option. I love that I was able to come up with a design that please but the bride and groom on this piece. The Bride loved the modern, simplistic typography style but the Groom wanted to incorporate more New Orleans flare with the lamp post. They were both so excited with they saw how both of their styles came together.

Floral Save the Date Card - This style is a great option for couples who do not wish to use a photograph on their save the date. I love the soft floral colors and the use of the calendar. This is a very visual way to remind your guest to save the date!

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Belly bands, Blush and Gold!!! You cannot go wrong with it!! 

Blush and Gold has really been a HUGE hit in the South this season and Cairrell loves this combo!! That pink is oh so soft but then you add in the gold and it is truly the perfect touch of glam to set it off! Adding to the soft and flowy style, Cairrell hand painted with watercolor the flowers on the invitation. She's clearly setting the tone with this set!

Then to glam up the invite, she added the gold glitter as the envelope liner. I love the way it really "glams" up this invitation set. Finishing off the design she added the Belly Band which might be her favorite piece. She says she "loves how it adds that extra dimension to a couples wedding invitation. The belly band really "dresses up" a traditional invitation." 

Another invitation set Cairrell sent started very traditional, but as the client and Cairrell worked through the process, there was also glam and glitz! In fact, in the end, the bride cried. It was a reflection of her and what they wanted their guests to experience on her and her fiance's special day! 

Who doesn't love silver, and who doesn't love a great belt??!!! Cairrell used silver for the envelope, belly band and for the ink. Then, without wanting to overtake the silver, she added the small touch of pewter glitter on the belly band to finish off suite.

It was by far one of the biggest compliments Cairrell received when the bride told her "she didn't even cry when she said yes to the dress."





One of my absolute favorite things about this set is the TEXTURE!!! 
It's something your guests can truly FEEL!

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Inner/Outer Envelope Invitation - This piece is more simple and traditional than the others but Cairrell loves the elegance of the gray and ivory. And the Cream Puff sock! It's absolutely amazing in both color and texture! The inner and outer envelope is a very formal and traditional touch and I often recommend the use of the inner envelope for clients who have a very specific guest list. The inner envelope allows you to specially acknowledge the guest who are invited to your wedding day.

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Large Invitation with Metallic Sand Backing - Cairrell loves that this invitation follows the format of a traditional wedding invitation but the font style for the Bride and Groom's name make it much more customized for the couples style. It's a very free and fun script feels which both Cairrell and I both love!

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HINT: When Buying Postage

1. Don't buy your postage just yet. Wait till you have all of your pieces to the stationery suite and you are able to put together a full package. That way you are sure to buy and then buy the postage. And don't forget the postage for the return postcard or envelope. 
2. Buy pretty postage. You don't want your gorgeous first impression messed up by an ugly stamp on the outside. And if possible, either have the addresses printed professionally or use a calligrapher. It really is just that much prettier :) 

We love working with great vendors and Ms. Cairrell of Elle Designs is definitely a great vendor!!! To find out more about how you can get your custom stationery contact Elle Designs at cairrell@yahoo.com or call Cairrell at 985.519.1538. 

Keep an eye out this week as we follow up this blog with information on addressing envelopes and your stationery timeline. For help planning or designing your special day, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

Getting to know your vendors: Catherine Guidry Photography

I first met Cat Guidry working Amanda and Chris's lovely wedding in Houma. At first sight some people might say she is tiny. But I never noticed how tiny she was because her personality is shining and her work ethic abounds! There is nothing tiny about this woman. 

She was fun, energetic, outgoing and oh so flexible. See, my emails were going to her junk mail and therefore she didn't the wedding timelines (lesson learned, call the vendors if they're not responding). She quickly picked up and kept going and working with everything!

But Catherine didn't always know she wanted to be a photographer. In school Catherine, or Cat, first started out studying architecture (which can significantly help photographers see lines and how objects in a photo work together. For Cat, it allowed her to create images that are unique and modern.). But she quickly developed an interest in photographing weddings. She shot her first wedding in November 2008 and by the time she finished her masters in Architecture she knew she found her passion in life. She's been doing it full time ever since!

Cat fell in love with life. She fell in love with capturing love and the small moments that exist in life. She's able to use her creativity to stop time and capture the emotions and memories behind it. These moments will be cherished for a lifetime!

She has chosen to focus her business around weddings. They are filled with love and sometimes sorrow and memories of those who have passed. Being a photographer allows her to see people in all stages of life...allows her to see their vulnerable side. Being a photographer allows Cat to do something special for someone else on one of the most important days of his/her life. It is because of this dedication and time and effort and emotion that Cat only takes on 25 weddings per year. She wants to make sure to give each client the attention they deserve. She goes the extra mile!

When you're hot, she'll fan you. Photo by Amelia. 

Cat's business has grown and she is proud of this (and rightfully so). She says, "I am most proud of the progress my business has made. I feel thankful to have a permanent second shooter and friend, Amelia Marcell. I am blessed to have such wonderful clients, and I am thankful to be able to enjoy work day in and day out…as each day brings something new." And while she's very happy with where she is and how far she's come, Cat is excited for what the future will bring!

While Cat is extremely easy to work with and outgoing, she says the number one thing you can do to help your photographer is to talk to them. Communication is key (again). Ask questions and voice your concerns ahead of time so on your day you are both on the same page. Cat wants you to have fun and enjoy the day and be stress free so anything you can do ahead of time really helps!

Catherine Guidry Photography starts at $3500 and is based on the number of clients she works with, quality of the images and experience she provides. The best way to contact Cat is through her website www.catherineguidry.com. 

Both Cat and I thank you for getting this far in the blog and we both love connecting with others. You can also find Catherine Guidry on Facebook: www.facebook.com/catherineguidrypage. 

Getting to know your vendors - Galvez Restaurant

I'm going to preface this by saying, I'm not a food critique. I am just me, and these are my opinions and thoughts on a nice visit I had getting to know one NOLA Vendor. 

Most people don't realize or know that Louisiana has a short but very strong Spanish history. People focus so much on our French and Creole background that our Spanish background gets lost. I mean, come on we have Spanish moss (is that Spanish?). But you can also see our Spanish heritage throughout the Quarter which has many buildings from Spanish era construction. And you can find, down Dutch Alley (where they have the bronze statues I love so much) a restaurant which touches on our Spanish heritage - Galvez Restaurant.

Galvez Restaurant on the river not only captures Louisiana's Spanish, French, and Creole heritage in the food it produces, but it also showcases great views of the river and city. 

Chef Laura Cedillo and Events Coordinator Tara Cartner welcomed me with open arms and a LOT of food. Originally from Ecuador, Chef Laura hails from NY restaurants. She buys all her food fresh and LOCAL. These two make a great pair!

Now, be prepared, I'm going to admit something here...Born and raised in NOLA and I'm a picky eater. I have never eaten ANY of these things before, including paella. But when the chef is cooking for YOU and you're an event coordinator who is supposed to be able to tell others about real experiences, I had to do it. And I have to say I liked it all. I ate muscles and scallops and shrimp and paella....and it was good. Nothing was overpowering or too spicy. It was all good and I savored all of it. And Chef Laura assures me they are very flexible and can do many more dishes including traditional NOLA dishes.

Just a little about the food:

Gambas al Ajillo- Gulf shrimp with toasted and roasted garlic, Spanish Chorizo cooked in white wine, chicken stock and oregano

Almejas o Mejillones a la Mariner - mussels and clams. Mussels are the Mejillones, and the clams are the Almejas. Cooked in white wine, sofrito, choriozo with fresh oregano

I wanted to take the bread and soup up all of the sauce!

Olives Bernardo- Named for our name sake, Bernardo de Galvez, these are Spanish green olives stuffed with Valdeon blue cheese wrapped in Serrano ham. One of my favorites

Vieras al Albariño- This was the scallops dish. 3 scallops seared and placed on top a garlic potato cake with asparagus, and topped with Albarino Buerre blanc, fried serrano ham, sauteed mushrooms and mint and pea pesto.

And the Paella Valenciana- Aborio rice flavored with saffron with chicken, fish, shrimp, mussels, Andouille sausage, Spanish Chorizo, green peas and hericot vers with roaste red peppers, served with house made jalepeno sauce.

Galvez Restaurant is located in the French Market. Dutch Alley and other areas of the French Market can be rented for events (which I am so excited to learn about!). Picture an event where you have rented out Dutch Ally with it's garden lights strung and Galvez Restaurant is catering. You can throw your bouquet from the balcony of Galvez and dance the night away with easy access to the Quarter and so much more. Tara has even been known to go down to Cafe du Monde to get beignets for passed desserts! I'm thinking I need to have an event in Dutch Alley with Galvez Restaurant!!!

This blog was done by It's Your Time Events in an effort to become more of a resource to brides and others looking to have events in New Orleans. If you are interested in having It's Your Time Events plan your big day (or any other event), please email erin@itsyourtimeevents.com or call us at 985-234-9757. 

Getting to know your vendors - Fat Cat Flowers

I first met Diane Mouton of Fat Cat Flowers when I was researching florists for my wedding. She made me feel so at ease and welcome into her shop and like I was her number one priority. 

Since then and after our interview, I believe I've grown to know Diane and her business fairly well. When describing her several words come to mind: personal, enthusiastic, engaged, professional yet completely free and owns her creativity.

Born and raised in Vermont, Diane came to New Orleans when she was 16 years old to attend Tulane. She fell in love with New Orleans! She describes it as, "the perfect blend of big and small and it has such a close knit and rich community....It's almost European." She never looked back.

While at Tulane, surprisingly Diane studied accounting which is the exact opposite of being a florist. But, like Diane says, to run a good business you have to make money. And you have to be able to pay good staff. And her business background has served her well (I know who I'm going to for business advice in the future).

Diane graduated and went to work in the hospitality industry in catering and at the Marriott and in restaurants which gave her the customer service foundation she believes is key to her success. And I have to agree. I think she has a great combination of professionalism, business experience, and customer service skills that truly sets her apart from others.

Yes, I wondered how she got from accounting and catering to being a full time florist. As most of you know, accounting can be stressful, so she needed a change. She thought about starting a restaurant, but that would involve a lot monetarily. So she looked herself and at what she really liked doing in life. Flowers. She loved flowers. She worked at several flower shops around the city to get a feel for how they functioned. In 2005 she started Fat Cat Flowers in her basement, and moved into her current studio several years later.

To ensure there is great design, great value, great reliability in every single event she does, Diane attends shows, uses the internet and goes to Market every year. She sees the trends before they get here and is able to show them to her clients. The trend right now is to be more eclectic but keep it cohesive. She wants it to be a true reflection of the client.

This is why when Diane begins the planning process, it's all about getting to know the client and pulling the entire picture together to ensure everything gels. She wants to know about your theme, your colors and yes, she wants to know about your dress because the bouquet is an accessory, and everything flows out from there. She wants you to use Pinterest to try to find your style so she can have a visual to pull from. And for some clients, the process is more detailed and involves more meetings, and for other clients, it's about Diane being creative. It's definitely a balance and a skill in adjusting. But Diane's main goal is that she genuinely wants people to come into the shop and know without a doubt she can recreate their dream and KNOW that she's going to show up on time. And that really is her mantra - be personal and be reliable and be creative.

Don't be afraid to talk about your budget with Diane! We know this can be a painful or sticky subject Be prepared to talk about what you want so she can work within it. In the end she wants you, the client, to be happy. (HINT: Using in-season flowers also costs less and makes a great show.)

Because of the need to keep things personal, Fat Cat Flowers does limit the amount of weddings they book each year. So book early! Diane recognizes you need to book the venue, band, and photographer first because they book fast in New Orleans, but if you want Fat Cat, you should book at least 6months in advance. Of course there are highly competitive months: for example, October books extremely fast, so book them at least a year in advance.

In addition to doing weddings, Fat Cat also does corporate events for the following: Brennan's restaurants, August Catering, City Park, Pat O's. Fat Cat has solid relationships with many people. In addition, she continues relationships with clients, so she also does other personal events in their lives like births, anniversaries, and even funerals.

Wrapping things up, Diane would tell clients, she wants them to remember to slow down and enjoy the day. "Just relax."

This blog was done by It's Your Time Events in an effort to become more of a resource to brides and others looking to have events in New Orleans. If you are interested in having It's Your Time Events plan your big day (or any other event), please email erin@itsyourtimeevents.com or call us at 985-234-9757. 

Getting to Know Your Vendors - Makeup by Meggan LLC

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of working with Meggan Dupre Ory of Makeup by Meggan during the Roques-Robichaux wedding. All of the ladies from Amanda and Chris's big day were absolutely beautiful!  Meggan was also the first vendor to respond to my wanting to do these vendor spotlights. She was so friendly, beautiful inside and out, and the session was so relaxing!

We started the session talking about each other. I loved that Meggan wanted to get to know me too! Getting to know your vendors is so important. If you can't communicate with or work with one of them, it can definitely make the entire process more stressful than it needs to be. It is so good to know I can definitely work with Meggan!

She began working with makeup while studying psychology. She started working for MAC when she was only 19 years old and had absolutely no idea what she was doing. Clearly they saw something in her work because they hired her and she has worked off and on with them over the years. It is through MAC that she went through much of her training. And to better herself, Meggan also went through training at Aveda for Esthetics.

From MAC, Stacy Marks helped get her to where she is today. "With the help of Stacy Marks...the first bride I ever did make up on was one of his bride models. He invited me over, I did her make up, and that was the first time I'd ever done make up on a bride per say. And that's how I got started, and he was like, 'You should do it.'" He helped and inspired her to get where she is today. Nice job Stacy Marks for noticing this gem!

While she recognizes some items and products might be better than others, Meggan doesn't put all her eggs in one basket though. "As far as brands go, I don't believe one brand has it all. So I pull from whatever brand has the texture I'm looking for."

But, she does have some fav tools:

1. Inglot - Meggan describes this as the following: You know how if you have black eye liner on, a few hours later it can build up in the tear duct area? It can get really messy and nasty looking. Well on your wedding day you don't want that. Inglot looks like tar. And it's not sold anywhere in the US (to our knowledge). This product does not move. 
2. Eve Pearl - the mother of the bride often worries about wrinkles. A lot of times make up can accentuate those areas. Eve Pearl covers it all really well, is "emollient and moisturizing," and Meggan uses it on all her "mature" ladies.
3. Fast Response Eye Cream - Meggan puts this on everyone because this de-puffs the eye really well. 
4. Beauty blender - one of the best inventions ever for makeup! Meggan uses it to apply foundation. 

And if you opened her bag, you might be surprised to find one of her favorite items is a pallet, so she can mix colors! She's a true artist!

Being a true artist, Meggan knows technique is important. A lot of times when brides are looking for a makeup artist, they are looking for someone who can do a better job than they are able to do. To truly be better than the average person or makeup artists you need technique. It's so important to know what is popular for this season and to be able to adjust for who she is working with at the moment. MAC and Bare Essentials trained Meggan in the true techniques makeup artists use, which can set her apart from other makeup artists. And Meggan continues to better herself by following trends and continuing to work with MAC. Every fall, spring, summer and winter she goes through training and watches a lot of youtube and researches through magazines as well. 

And while Meggan doesn't give out much advice, because it's more about guiding and asking questions to discover what clients really want, Meggan does have one tip to give clients - take care of your skin.  She highly recommends, if you're going to have a major event, like getting married, go get a few facials to prep for your big day. Get your skin looking as healthy as possible because that is how much better your makeup will look in the end. 

Makeup By Meggan was real in January 2013! And since then she's been doing weddings, proms formals, ect. Her website will be up shortly but you can find her on facebook. Most recently Meggan's makeup was featured on the cover of and throughout nola wedding guide's Summer Issue. This is by far her proudest moment - having her make up on the cover of a magazine (which is pretty awesome!).

 

More than that, though, it's important to Meggan her clients feel more beautiful and more self confident when they look in the mirror. To do that, is truly a success in her book.  

Meggan has her set rates, seen below. 

This blog was done by It's Your Time Events in an effort to become more of a resource to brides and others looking to have events in New Orleans. If you are interested in having It's Your Time Events plan your big day (or any other event), please email erin@itsyourtimeevents.com or call us at 985-234-9757.