Black and White Party

We kicked of graduation season with a modern twist on black and white at one of our favorite places the National Constitution Center. The crisp white linens and the sharp NCC black chairs set the stage for each centerpiece to shine.


Sofia captured the details of the tables...all different vases each showcasing a different white flower. This particular design was the last of three I had included in the proposal - it was an idea that I had been wanting to do for awhile so I tossed it in right before I sent it. I'm so glad the client trusted my creative license - we were both excited about the final results! Here are just a few!



Reinventing the Philly Theme Party

This is an ever evolving personal challenge for me. So, lately I have had added a few new items to my decor list to spice up buffets. Here's a taste of a few of my latest accessories...big and small!

Chinatown


The Delaware


LOVE Park


South Philly/Italian Market

Networking at F.U.E.L.

I got a call from Sofia Negron (of Sofia Negron Photography) last week that I needed to get out networking again. "There's lot's of great stuff out there and your missing it," she said. Plus, there is usually free food involved with networking - so I jumped at the chance to check out F.U.E.L. with a fresh eye. It had been awhile since I was at 249 Arch Street - like when it was the "Real World" house. It seemed like a great idea to sell the venue in original TV condition, but a wee bit skeevy too.



The location has been revamped and is a cool event space and has been repainted white for a clean fresh blank canvas to work from, beautiful chandeliers and an open floor plan. But what makes it even better for me is the great artwork on display. F.U.E.L. is an acronym: Fostering Undergraduate Exposure on Location, and as a Tyler School of Art Grad myself I could have used a space like this! They are committed to cutting-edge arts and culture - so I can't wait to have a MODA client book this space. We'd be a perfect combination.

Anyway, back to networking...Sofia and I had a great time:


No, we really did behave ourselves and we met some great people, like Gabriel Fredericks from Philip Gabriel Photography whom we stalked for a better photo than the one we took above.


....And Joseph here from Miel Patisserie who helped us decorate our own chocolates as a take-a-way:

I pulled double duty at this one figuring one way or another great contacts could be made for both MODA and/or CS and I think we came out with a little something for everyone. The event was sponsored by Brides.com and was filled with lots of great event people making connections. Fleur de Lys Catering showcased great food, we chatted up Lindsay Martin and Alain Flambert from Feastivities Events and Carolyn Verdi was in the house too!

Please Touch Museum Open House

The Please Touch Museum opened in the Fall of 2008 & I love it! If you haven't been, grab a kid and get over there! The design is smart, the restoration to Memorial Hall is amazing - you are definitely going to want to have your next party here. The Please Touch Museum lead the rehabilitation of this national treasure from the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, and Max & Me Catering is proud to serve as the museum's exclusive culinary provider.

Max and Me Catering hosted an Open house for current and prospective clients. Campbell Studios was invited to do some table decor.


It gave us an opportunity to burst into spring with some color (finally!) and to help Max and Me Showcase their Great Hall for clients so they can get a feel for the room decked out. Michael Persico was kind enough to swing by & take these shots for us - Thank You!




I loved these vases they were so bright and I was so ready for spring. Inspired by this beautiful linen that the Total Table let me borrow I filled them with Lily of the Valley, Ladies Mantel, Viburnum and a few other bright green foliage I found growing in the garden.


April Fool...No Way!

I can not figure out where the time has gone - but it's been pretty busy here at CS.
I'll start where I left off - the launch of HubbardFoss' new space in San Francisco.



I went back out mid-March to coordinate the Open Studio. Check out come of the event photo's and the gorgeous work that they showcased. I can't wait to add one of the curved computer tables to my collection. My girl Grace & I struck a pose in front of the platform bed's debut.
I love those tall lamps in the background!



The food was catered by Devil's Slide Catering and was amazing! They had these mini flank steak tacos to die for, not to mention the outrageously delicious olives on the cheese platter - I couldn't get enough!

These two companies are on the rise - keep an eye out for them!

I left my heart in San Francisco!

Yes, its true - I spent the weekend in the city by the bay - and while it rained the ENTIRE time I had a blast.

I had the opportunity to check out the new collaboration of HubbardFoss. Formerly Richard Hubbard Design - Richard moved his old studio from Oakland (his production base for the past 8+ years) into the heart of San Francisco a couple months ago. His new place is awesome!

He is preparing to showcase his new designs next month...and being the proud collector that I am - Campbell Studios is delighted to coordinate the Opening's logistics. Stay tuned, the Spring Collection is unveiled March 19th!

Richard hooked up with this awesome entrepreneur - Michelle Baden Foss. Check her out - she is incredible! With her on board Richard can really concentrate on making his signature pieces.

Don't be shy either - you can start small. I began collecting smaller art pieces from him like this funny little guy (completely had crafted and finished with the exception of the traveler!) and over the course of a few years ended up with a little something of his in every room!

Chrissy and Pat at The Crystal Tea Room

Happy Valentine's Day!
I skipped over a few favorites that I will get back to - but in the meantime...I was thinking of this couple so here is a little bit about them...

Chrissy & Pat were the last & the first clients of the year for me! I was the wedding coordinator for their nuptials January 2, 2009. They tied the knot at St. John Neumann in Bryn Mawr, PA - headed for a few quick shots at Chrissy's alma mater Notre Dame Academy then they danced the night away at The Crystal Tea Room. The rehearsal was on NYE, and the guests ran in the new year with the bride and groom at their side.


Alison Conklin Photography did a gorgeous job of capturing their night - this shot of them in the photo booth is just one sweet moment from the night.

Meg and Matt at Cairnwood

Meg & Matt got married at The Cairnwood Mansion too. We had fun designing the floral decor to showcase their blue theme with style & texture. Adding traditional flowers such as blue Hydrangea was a lovely juxtaposition to the Heather & Thistle we used to tie in their Scottish/Irish heritage.






I had been dying to embroider monograms on a bridesmaids bouquets for what seemed like an eternity & Meg totally went for it! It looked awesome - you can't tell from these pictures, but each bouquet had long custom sewn bouquet ties that reached the bottom of the girls dresses. At the bottom each was personalized with their own monogram in blue - totally awesome.





Alison Conklin was the photographer for this wedding & I love her eye for detail. She got all of them - what do guys wear under kilts anyway?! (Don't ask!) Guests were seated out front of the mansion, where the programs were fixed to cute little fans - just incase the early June heat kicked in!



Then they proceeded inside where we carried the color and flower theme through to the tables.



Megan and Mark at Pen Ryn Mansion

Megan and Mark feel like family, and practically were! I showed up to take down the centerpieces and one of my cousins was there as a guest! They got married at Pen Ryn Mansion in Bensalem, PA this past November. Megan had dreamed of an outdoor wedding ever since she was a little girl...no mind that she booked a date the last week in November! She didn'e even blink an eye when it snowed earlier in the week. This chick has great Karma - her day was beautiful, warm and sunny.


She had some criteria - BIG centerpieces, tall glass containers with green fruit in them & color - lots of color! My dream! So we set half the room with tall glass cylinders & filled them with bright green apples that had a beautiful blush across them. (I'm still eating them!) You can sort of see them in the back of this picture below... The rest of the tables were set with lush full arrangements in compotes filled with the same apples and topped with open red and orange roses, pink Vanda orchids and red Mokara orchids.


They had a crew that partied - so she booked a school bus - and we all thought that was hilarious! I convinced her to toss the bouquet from the bus as they left the party. I ran across her email a little while ago where she said...
"Just so you know people continue to compliment the flowers from the wedding, the centerpieces and bouquets were gorgeous, really stunning! I absolutely loved them. Also, the last picture of us on the bus is really great - you were soooo right!"



I have no idea who this little cutie is but it I thought it was so funny! It is a testament to Simon of Simon Jon Photography that he doesn't miss a thing at the reception! I ran into the father-of-the-bride the other day & he was talking about the wedding - he was gushing about how Simon was so unobtrusive & amazed that he got so many awesome shots.


Oh yeah - here's a shout out to Megan - she totally rocked the giant hair flower! For you ladies out there in search of hair adornment - she said she got it from a company called "ban.do" check them out ! You can look this good too!

Violet and Glen at Masso's Crystal Palace

I met Violet and Glen while coordinating Roger & Dana Bands Wedding. The Bands had booked a different videographer who was unable to fulfill the contract for their date - so they were referred to GM Elliott Videography.

Many of my other brides love Glen's work too so we have gotten to know each other. I was so honored to be able to do the floral decor for their own wedding. Violet loved pink so we did it up and I think the flowers look really great against the black bridesmaids dresses.




Now you have to love a girl who will let you throw things at you!

Cori Traynor at The Radnor Hunt Club

This Valentine inspired February postings of past brides is really fun. What a great reminder if these wonderful people I met & how I got to be a part of their day. I met Cori through her mom, Trudy. She works at one of my non-profit coordination clients and knew we did flowers too. Cori fell in love with a beautiful estate in Malvern, PA - the Radnor Hunt. Cori is the first bride I met that had to be coerced into having a cake. She could have cared less! Can you believe it?! I LOVE cake. When I get married - if you are coming, eat first! I am only serving cake. She did redeem herself in this area by having a dream of a dessert bar with all white candies and treats. Anyway, Cori was beautiful; she had a fantastic day despite torrential downpours that seemed to occur at truly the perfect time. When I delivered the personals to Villanova's Chapel, her bridal party made it into the doors, she started down the aisle to an earth shaking clap of thunder. I was worried...but he sky cleared up during the ceremony. Heather Fowler's pictures from this day show no sign of a drop! The guests had cocktails inside the estate house, but the dined, wined and danced the night away under a huge tent. The Lemon Tree Catering set up a huge field tent to serve as the kitchen and did an outstanding job. Campbell Studios did all the lighting on a pink hue and did the flowers with bamboo accents. These picked up the 20' poles of fresh bamboo that we had cut down ourselves early in the morning (yep, in the pouring rain!) Oh, yeah - that is a rainbow above their heads!












Ngoc and Leon at Cairnwood


Ngoc & Leon had their first date on Valentines Day - so that makes this story even more appropriate to look back on! They got married in 2005 at Cairnwood Mansion. I met them through a great wedding coordinator Christine Cucinotta who owns "Anything but Ordinary" in West Chester, PA.
They paid special attention to incorporate both their Vietnamese and Chinese heritage. Ngoc had both a traditional ceremony at home in traditional Vietnamese dress. Mike Kehr was the photographer & he captured all of their details beautifully. I designed her flower arrangements to be bright & juicy to compliment the coral bridal party dresses. My placesetting design for them was selected to accompany her story that appeared in Philadelphia Bride magazine & she was also showcased online at The Knot "Real Weddings!"







Nicole Scaldeferri at The Ben

Nicole Scaldeferri got hitched in 2006 and had a beautiful reception in center city at The Ballroom at the Ben. By choosing all red toned flowers for the bridesmaids, we were able to give additional depth to the rich red dresses.
Nicole knew right away that classic white calla lilies were for her and she pulled
it off wonderfully!

These photos were taken by one of my favorite photographers Jeanne Martino from Martino Photo. I am sure she will give me flack for the quality here - but I scanned them - she is a traditional print gal! If you like these wedding shots and flowers, check out here website - we have done a ton of work together and she showcases a lot of the brides we have had together too!




Gina Meyers at Columbia Station

Since we are in the month of love...how about a few fabulous bouquets? I am posting a here is a little retrospective of past brides who are still under the spell of Cupid!

Gina Meyers was a referral from a friend in 2005. She got Married at a cute little railroad style reception Hall called Columbia Station in Phoenixville, PA. She was a girl not afraid of color with a gorgeous jewel toned bouquet. She switched it up and had the bridesmaids carry these super cute sleek calla lily bouquets, and adding a personal touch selected silver charms as Birdesmaids gifts...a different one for each to suit their personality!