I am FRESH back from a quick trip to Italy and I wanted to share with you all my adventures! Let me start this blog post by saying it is a mix of personal and business, so it is a long one, with lots of pretty, pretty pictures! Grab some popcorn & enjoy!

This whole trip was put together by the lovely ladies over at Weddings by SposiamoVi, in Italy. They invited some of the top destination planners around the world to attend this event. I was fortunate to mingle with planners from Singapore, Dubai, London, Australia, Germany, Russia, India and of course Italy to name a few. It was great to sit & talk about the markets and how similar or different weddings are in other countries. Prior to visiting Rapallo to attend the event, a few of us decided to head to Milan to visit, do some sight seeing & some shopping! Take a look at some of my pictures (all taken with my iPhone) of my Milan experience!

Our first stop after an 8 hour flight was to the hotel to drop off bags, freshen up and then hit the streets! We stayed at Maison Moschino in Milan. If you’ve never heard of this hotel it was designed by famous fashion design house Moschino. Each room has a different look or feel. We happened to stay in the “hearts” room, and there were hearts everywhere. On the walls, curtains, bedding, bathroom door, floor, you name it, there were hearts.

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We also walked around Milan and visited Il Duomo di Milan which is the fourth largest cathedral in the world which is located just steps away from the indoor/outdoor mall known as Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II with its luxurious shops. Images of both locations below.

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Ok, now, I am a bit embarrassed to say that the highlight of our trip in Milan was a meal we had at a restaurant called Il Solferino. I cannot properly articulate how amazing this meal was, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Needless to say, the food was so amazing that we had dinner there that night and headed back for lunch the next day!  If you are ever in Milan, you MUST stop at Il Solferino for dinner or lunch – not to worry it’s the same menu!

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Ok, ok, enough about my amazing visit to Milan and the wonderful meals we had! On to the real reason for this post!

The next day we packed up and headed to Portofino for the weekend! We arrived at the Excelsior Palace Hotel and immediately unpacked & changed for the welcome reception taking place at the hotel which is in Rapallo and overlooks the gorgeous Portofino coast!

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The next morning we were off to start our meetings with top wedding professionals & venue representatives from around Italy, Switzerland and Greece. I was privileged  to meet a ton of amazing wedding professionals and have added some links & pictures from a few of my faves here:

Daois Cove in Crete, Greece. I was excited to meet Dimitris Daois, the actual owner of Daios Cove, which is a luxury property. Set against the visual drama of a secluded bay, Daios Cove Luxury Resort & Villas is nestled on a hillside on the beautiful northern coast of Crete. This resort has a variety of room types and has 189 pools (you read that right), which are located in a few of the rooms. You MUST see this property for yourself. Call and make a reservation today, and let them know I sent you!

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Villa Cimbrone – Villa Cimbrone is one of the most prestigious Hotels de Charme in the entire Mediterranean, located in Ravello. Its vibrant atmosphere and the awe-inspiring beauty of the views of the Amalfi Coast, make it a favorite meeting place for many. This is what we would consider a private estate for your event with just 19 rooms, but such a perfect location to say your “I do’s” with memories you can cherish forever.

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The Crypt is an open gallery with a  gothic style. Although it evokes a medieval atmosphere, it was built between 1907 and 1911.

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Minareto Grand Hotel in Siracusa, Italy. Enjoying an exquisite location overlooking the sapphire waters of the Ionian Sea, the serene, inviting Grand Hotel Minareto Deluxe is perfectly situated for exploring the island of Sicily. On the cliffs overlooking Syracuse and Ortygia Island, this hotel is a 5-star luxury hotel in Villa Bosco. It offers a quiet location, outdoor swimming pool and unbeatable views.

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That evening Weddings by SposiamoVi put together a lovely dinner for us La Dolce Vita style. We were taken to our location in Portofino in vintage cars. While they were really cute, they were really old and quite scary on the narrow streets atop all of those hills (have to be honest – in case you ever consider this for your event). Dinner was phenomenal and the views were to die for…

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During our last day after we wrapped up meetings, we got to visit a few venues. La Cervara, Hotel Splendido and Castello Canevaro. All charming in their own ways, and all with amazing panoramic views of the Portofino coast!

La Cervara – Weddings La Cervara, Abbazia di San Girolamo, Portofino Italy. Seven centuries of history sedately convey the balanced design and the grandeur of the architecture and the gardens. The Cervara – on the road to Portofino – is the ideal destination for those in search of peace and quiet. With it gardens full of Wisteria and many, many event spaces, it is an ideal location for your private event. Sadly this venue only has a few rooms, but it the perfect location for a wonderful night!

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This church is located on the grounds of La Cervara, but weddings inside the church are not allowed. It would, however make a beautiful backdrop for wedding pictures.

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Hotel Splendido – Set on a verdant hillside overlooking the picture-perfect harbour of Portofino, with its luxury yachts bobbing at anchor, Hotel Splendido is one of Italy’s most glamorous retreats. Also, it faces the famous homes of Dolce & Gabbana!

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Fantastic view of the lobby…

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Later on that evening, we wrapped the entire trip up with an amazing dinner at Manuelina Ristorante located in Recco, Italy. Manuelina is a family-owned and operated restaurant since 1885, and has won many awards. Ask anyone locally the best place to grab a bite to eat and 9 times out of 10, they will say Manuelina! The manager Laura prepared this great feast of heaven for your mouth. This restaurant would make the ideal location for an intimate rehearsal dinner. Here is a snap shot of our menu along with images of the meal – just divine!

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Sadly the next day, we had to pack it up and head home.

If you are considering a destination wedding, consider Italy and give me a call. I’ve made so many amazing connections and look forward to working with each and every one of them!

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See you in Italy! Arrivederci!!

Last year, I planned a wedding in Dublin, Ireland and it was quite a taste of different culture! The Irish tend to have 12 hour events versus the 6-7 hour events we have here in the states. They party a little harder than we do here as well! So imagine how pleased I was when I was invited back to Ireland this year by the Board of Tourism & Michelle McDermott of Dream Irish Wedding to visit Shannon Ireland and some amazing towns in Western Ireland. We were blown away when stepping off the plane to see such a welcoming sign as the one above! During our stay we visited a few gorgeous castles and tons of historical landmarks and great locations for you to bring your family & friends to celebrate! Take a look at some of my iPhone shots and see all the fun we had for yourself!

We started our tour at about 9:00am (4:00am EST) at The Lodge at Doonbeg. While this property has the look and feel of a historic castle, it was only established in 2006! A 5 star property with gorgeous views of the Atlantic Ocean, and 2, 3 and 4 bedroom suites that are too die for. A nice thing about Doonbeg Lodge was that they allowed for you to have your event anywhere on property that can house a tent. Also, it has some of the most amazing gold courses you have ever seen!

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I stayed in a 3 bedroom ocean view suite, along with a full kitchen living and dining room.

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Our next stop on the tour was to visit a few of Ireland’s “Must See” attractions, located within an hour of Doonbeg Lodge. First stop was the  Cliffs of Moher; you can read a little about the Cliffs here. Though the weather was amazing during our trip, it was FREEZING directly above the water (note to visitors), but such a gorgeous view if you climb all the way up to the top of the tower. We also visited the town of Burren, and tasted some of the world famous smoked salmon from Burren Smokehouse , which is also available at Dean & Deluca. If you like salmon, you MUST check it out, the taste is divine! Then we had lunch at the Roadside Tavern, where we listened to the owner tell us old stories about the town. He’d be considered a Shanna-Key, which means Irish story-teller.

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Day 2 – We left Doonbeg Lodge and headed to Dromoland Castle; yet ANOTHER fabulous 5 Star property. Gorgeous grounds, breathtaking scenery. Prior to our stop at Dromoland, we did a bit more sightseeing and visited the Wedding Castle at Knappogue and enjoyed some Mead. Mead is the Drink of the High Kings of Ireland and also a traditional Irish drink that they serve in Bunratty to Newlyweds to help with fertility. The castle is a bit older, but if you are looking to have a REAL Irish medieval style wedding, this would definitely be your venue! This was followed by a trip to Bunratty Village, where we did some shopping and visited some fun historic medieval landmarks, while we sipped on tea & scones made on an old fire pit.

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My suite at Dromoland Castle was amazing! I believe it might have been the best suite there, it was a two floor suite with a HUGE jet tub- Definitely the envy of all of my fellow travelers!

Dromoland Castle…

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My suite…

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The next day we visited the town of Limerick, which is where our host, Michelle McDermott of Dream Irish Wedding resides and works. We visited King’s John’s Castle, had REAL Irish coffee at Paddy Frawley’s Pub and did some more shopping.

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Our final destination on this amazing trip was to the Adare Manor. Upon diving up to the property, I was seriously blown away. It was really an amazing property inside & out and the banquet space was just phenomenal. Upon arrival we got to take a quick tour of the property, followed by lunch and more shopping in the town of Adare.

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I lucked out yet again and stayed in the favorite room of one, Ms. Catherine Zeta-Jones & her hubby Michael Douglas, as well as Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne (shared some pics below).

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We wrapped up with a look at the main banquet space all-set for an event. The space was pure perfection, from top to bottom, lit with candles, set with chairs & flowers, this space was just perfect & ready for your intimate affair!

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Lastly, we had such a great dinner at Adare with the General Manager and The Marketing Lady, (follow them on twitter to stay on top of all the goings on at Adare) followed by drinks & live music in the Tack Room Bar downstairs. The highlight of the evening was learning to pour & drink a pint of Guinness the proper way, not the way we do it in the states!

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Check out some  images from a Magical Adare Manor Wedding Shoot here, to get a different feel of the space!

All and all it was quite an experience. We tasted traditional Irish food, we drank TONS of Guinness (slowly weaning my way off of the stuff), we visited some amazing venues and made some great connections. If you are looking to have a destination wedding or event, and are interested in trying something other than the obvious warm sandy beaches of the Caribbean, I think Ireland would be a GREAT location. It offers your guests the opportunity to see, taste and learn new things, while allowing you the opportunity to create a memorable experience for everyone. Another thing I should mention is that all the venues we visited were extremely accommodating. They never said no to any of the questions we asked, and said that if they couldn’t, they would figure out a way that they could, and that goes for everything! Additionally, in the summer months, the sun stays out till as late as 9Pm, this allows for gorgeous outdoor events at any time!

A huge THANKS to Michelle McDermott of Dream Irish Wedding for putting together the trip with Ireland Board of Tourism, as well as O’Shea Travel and our sweet drivers Tom & Seamus, the kind folks at The Lodge at Doonbeg, Wedding Castle at Knappogue, Dromoland Castle and Adare Manor for their unparallelled hospitality and for spoiling us with all the wonderful gifts, as well as owners at Paddy Frawley’s Pub, Cornerstone at Home, Michael at Pat Collins Bar, Burren Smokehouse and The Roadside Tavern. I am SO looking forward to traveling back to Shannon Ireland with future clients!

Slan Abhaile!

When ordering your invitations, it’s important to remember a few key people, namely, your photographer and cinematographer. You’ve worked so hard on all the tiny details of your wedding, and you want to ensure that they are captured for you to see for years to come. In fact, celebrity photographer Elizabeth Messina highly recommends this idea to her clients. She says “If my clients send me an invitation before the wedding, I can shoot it before hand and have it handy on the day of the event to shoot at their wedding.” Yes, it might cost more for you to have these additional invitations created, but the end result is worth it, to have these memories forever. Be sure to provide your planner with the invitations as well as other pieces you want to have photographed or shot. This will ensure that they will be given to them beforehand. If you aren’t working with a planner, be sure to discuss this with your photographer/cinematographer and mail it out to them when you mail out all your other invitations.

Tennessee based photographer Leslee Mitchell also adds “Having invitation pictures helps get the wedding featured, since wedding blogs love details more than anything else”. She also says “It is very important to send the full invitation, including all the pieces, not just the invite”. And “There is a small chance someone at the wedding will actually have their invitation on them, but it will most likely be bent or in the bottom of someone’s purse” Don’t put it off till the day of the wedding, because so many small details fall thru the cracks when you are stressed out or nervous on your wedding day! Also, remember, you should always order at least 20 extra invitations as back-up!

Check out these gorgeous images from photographer Leslee Mitchell

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Happy Planning!

I LOVE Target, and now that they sell food, I love it even more! I went in to buy some shampoo, and as usual I wandered towards the home furnishings (you never know what they will have on sale) to see what they had. Well, MUCH to my surprise Target started loading in their new home furnishings and OH MY GOODNESS! As someone that is constantly redecorating her home, I am beyond excited to find these goodies. They had amazing quatrefoil lampshades, chevron pillows & lampshades, metallic gold poufs, I mean I can go on all day! I already have ways to work some of these items into my next event, which happens to be a pink & gold Bat Mitzvah! Take a trip to Target, you won’t be disappointed!

Here are some shots I took with my iPhone.. I can only imagine what amazing items you’ll find!

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Back in November I was invited by Lisa Light of Destination Bride to attend a wedding planner tour in the town of Lenox, Massachusetts. Honestly, I had never been to Lenox or never really ever heard of it, before I was invited. When I think about destination weddings, I don’t think Massachusetts (no offense to the people that live in Mass.). So I accepted and headed on my merry way. It took just under three hours to arrive there from NJ and BOY was I surprised! Lenox or what’s it’s more popularly known as, The Berkshires, is such a quaint town, with so much history and the friendliest people you’ll ever meet, with such amazing venues, inns and B & B’s. During the tour we visited many of the those great Inns and B & B’s and also some of the more luxury properties (more on all the venues in another post). I was chosen to stay at The Gateway’s Inn, a charming inn, smack dab in the center of town. The innkeepers Fabrizio & Rosemary were like my parents during my stay. They were so cute and would be down in the lobby every night, and as I was leaving to attend all the dinners prepared for us, they would say “have fun” and “be careful”. They were actually awake & waiting when I returned every night as well – just like parents!

During our stay we were also required to take part in a tabletop competition. The challenge was to choose an invitation suite from Crane’s invitation line, and design a table around it. I chose Crane’s Plum Blossom letterpress invitation. We were also allowed to choose flowers, linens, china and glassware, graciously provided to us by Classical Tent & Party Rentals and Seagroatt Riccardi. Then, we had to choose a location at our Inn to design the table. In researching my Inn, I found that the owners were from Italy, and the Inn had a very warm Italian feel to it. This was perfect to create a very vineyard like setting. I chose simple linens and orchids, along with a farm top table to make my idea come to life. I was lucky to have the very talented Tricia McCormack shoot my table design, she did such an amazing job capturing all the little details. Check out some images from the shoot. You’ll see the invitation I chose on the table and me in action. Also, below all of those pictures, you’ll see my friend Rudy Grant of Experience and Creative Design. Rudy also stayed at the Gateways Inn and he went with a beach theme for his design. After we poured all that wine in our wine glasses for the shoot, we realized that we had to drink.. I know what you’re thinking, poor girl….

PS- This shoot was also featured on Berkshire Wedding Style. Thanks Jessica! xo

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