13 December
Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season. I’ve been taking it easy and enjoying my growing belly (in case you missed it, we are having a boy!). However, I do have a few special clients and projects that I have been working on over the past few weeks. I am absolutely in love with this suite of invitations…silver, black chandelier inspired wedding invitations with just a hint of color added by the pink Swarovski crystals. This invitation design includes a double layer of black and silver shimmer paper and the invitation printed on luxe linen card stock, embellished with sparkly pink Swarovski crystals. These invitations certainly make a statement!
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23 October
I’m so thrilled to share with you professional photos from our last wedding of 2012 that I have affectionately coined Sparkling Vintage Fête. When I first began working with the bride and her mom, I knew immediately that this wedding was going to be a special one. Gillian and Cody are such a beautiful couple and I couldn’t be more excited and honored to be a part of their “once in a lifetime” wedding.
Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the heart of Leesburg, the ceremony and reception were held at the gorgeous 400 acre Merriweather Manor. The manor features sprawling views as far as Washington DC’s National Cathedral, rolling hills, and gorgeous woodlands. Within the Manors enclave are historic barns, a pond graced with a white light tulip fountain and a log cabin. The perfect setting for a sparkling vintage wedding celebration. As each guest drove upon a dirt road through the thick of the woods they were greeted by a gorgeous colonial manor sitting atop a cozy enclave in the middle of the forest. On this crisp fall October evening, guests were welcomed with hot apple cider, while they made their way to the stone patio for the ceremony. With moments to spare before the sprinkles began, the wedding ceremony began on the stone patio with nothing but the gorgeous foothills serving as the background.
During the cocktail hour, guests then enjoyed touring the manor’s beautiful estate including the equestrian room, verandas, and gorgeous suites where our team decorated each room with photos of the bride and groom, a cigar station and the bride and groom’s signature mustache wall. The drink of the night was “The Buzz” in honor of the groom’s late father. Photography by Marirosa also provided a photobooth for guests with awesome props to enjoy and leave memories for the couple!
The reception took place under a beautiful twinkle light tent with exquisite chandeliers floating from the ceiling. The grounds of the manor were a perfect backdrop for the reception. Guest were invited to select their own seats and found there tables draped with white satin linens, napkins and silver chargers. The low floral arrangements by Buttercups Floral Design were placed in a silver vase and featured soft pink roses, white stock and lilies. Even on this cool brisk evening, guests were kept comfy with warming heaters throughout the tent. Guests danced the night away under the twinkle lit tent and sent the couple off with a sparkle!
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22 October
I’m so thrilled to share that Sparkling Events & Designs is being featured in Madison, the official magazine of James Madison University. I am a proud graduate of the College of Business. I want to publicly thank my husband who reached out to Madison to tell them about my business. He IS truly my #1 supporter and a fellow JMU alumni as well.
The article means a great deal to me because JMU is where I learned many valuable life lessons, made life long friends and received an education that serves as the foundation of my professional career. It is truly an honor to be recognized in this manner. As one of many JMU alumni in an extensive network of business professionals and entrepreneurs, I am so grateful that Madison chose to feature Sparkling Events & Designs. Would you like to know a little more about me, my family and the story behind SED, read the full article here!
16 October
Most couples have heard of the ‘First Look’… but what is it, what are the options, should you do it? You know, the moment when you see the love of your life for the first time that initial first glance? Nowadays, couples have options – The Traditional and the First Look.
The Traditional choice is when the couple is seeing each other for the first time when they walk down the aisle to each other. It’s what many couples choose to do, it’s traditional, and it’s what our parents did. However, that’s not the only option. Many couples choose to do a first look.
The First Look is a special moment created so the couple gets to see each other before the ceremony. Even with a first look you have options. Brides can be escorted by the father to meet the future spouse; others do it with the wedding party, parents, and other loved ones present. The most popular option is to have a moment alone between the couple, with no one else around, except the photographer(s) capturing all the emotions.
Many times, the photographer sets up the first look and the groom would be looking away while the bride starts walking towards him. When she’s ready she can speak to him, tap his shoulder as he turns to see his beautiful bride walking towards him. During this time, it’s usually very quiet; the photographers focus is to capturing the event while the bride and groom are lost in the moment and get this time together.
Let’s talk about both options.
Traditional
* Keep tradition – you still have a beautiful “moment” seeing each other at the aisle
* All the emotions are shared with those attending the wedding
* It’s simply the way it’s always been done, which is beautiful.
* There’s a rush after the ceremony to finish the photos fast and many times couples and families feel very rushed as the guests are waiting.
* You get very little time alone with your honey after the wedding
* You don’t get to enjoy the cocktail hour with your guests
The first look, allows you to have more time with your soon to be before the wedding. All your photos can be done prior to the ceremony allowing you the flexibility to enjoy your cocktail hour. Yes, you will be giving something up. The first time you see each other at the altar, but he will still be just as happy to see you walking down the aisle. Sometimes brides that do the first look wait to put on their veil until they walk down the aisle, changing their look for the ceremony.
* Allows you the flexibility to take as much time as you’d like for the pictures and all pictures take place while everyone is still fresh
* Typically, there is a lot more emotion expressed because it’s just the both of you
* You get to enjoy your guests during the cocktail hour
* It can calm everyone down
* That minutes you have during the “first look” may be the only time you have alone the entire day
At the end of the day, it’s what you and your partner feel fits best to your expectations and ideas. If you are sold on the idea of a first look, talk to your fiancé on what you envision for this moment together. Explain it to your family and give them insight on your thoughts and plans. Many times people feel this is very different. To many, it’s a new option and some find it difficult to get ‘buy in’ from families. Just remember, this is your wedding and whichever you choose will be beautiful and a moment to be remembered. Rely on your photographer for thoughts, ideas and options for you. They are there to assist in making either option memorable.
I spoke with one of my recent brides Brittany, and she offered to give you her personal thoughts on choosing to do a first look with her fiancé Andy.
“We’re really happy we decided to do the first look! A lot of our friends and family were against it and a little surprised. However, it was great because it made that moment just for us. As far as we’re concerned, nothing was going to take away from how Andy felt when he saw me walking down the aisle. If anything, I think it calmed his nerves a little! We’re so glad Marirosa brought this idea to us!”
- Brittany & Andy, August 4, 2012
10 October
Today I’m excited to showcase one of our latest invitation suites from our destination stationery line. These silver & pink boarding pass wedding invitations came out just beautifully, full of elegance and glam. This color combination is just beautiful together and I’ve actually seen this combo together quite a bit this year.
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29 September
I’m so excited to share with you a recap of the experience that I had a few weeks ago at the Inspire Smart Success Experience in Orange, Virginia. Over the past year I have been researching several different conferences to attend because I’m a true believer in continuing to education. I’ve noticed an increase in people starting their own “workshops” but I knew that I wanted to attend an experience where I would truly learn from recognized seasoned professionals. I have been following ISS for sometime now and when I learned that they would be hosting an “experience” in Orange, Virginia AND one of my idols Preston Bailey would be attending…it was a no brainer that I would attend!
Stacie Francombe has been embedded in the wedding industry for over 12 years, starting her own wedding businesses including Get Married. Working as a producer and host for the Get Married TV show and serving as Editor-in-Chief of the quarterly publication Get Married Magazine, Stacie grew the brand into a multi-million dollar company, and sold it in 2008. Stacie Francombe is the founder of Inspire Smart Success, a three-tiered approach to helping wedding industry businesses grow and succeed utilizing the ISS Magazine, ISS Experience and ISS Mentoring.
The “experience” was held at The Inn at Willow Grove in Orange Virginia and it was just BEAUTIFUL. I can definitely see returning to enjoy the award winning boutique hotel for short getaways and even a place to visit and be inspired to work. I’m currently designing a wedding invitation suite that came to me as I worked while there. The “experience” was amazing. I met a lot of wonderful, motivated wedding professionals and Stacie was such a warm and generous hostess! Having the opportunity to meet, Preston Bailey, Sonny Ganguly {CMO of Wedding Wire}, Brooke Thomas {Creative Director of Weddings Unveiled magazine} and Katie Martin {Editor-in-Chief of Eco-Beautiful Weddings} was just phenomenal. I have lots of ideas and plans to work on over the next few months. #Excited!
Here are a few of my photos from the event!
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27 September
A few weeks ago I shared some of our first look photos from LaToia & Bernard’s grand affair, today I’m happy to be back with professional photographs from the amazing Amanda Gilley Photography. If you recall the grand affair was held at the breathtakingly beautiful Grand Lodge of Masonic Temple in Cockeysville, Maryland.
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