Saturday, May 26, 2012

    Guess what?


    The party will continue HERE

    Friday, May 18, 2012

    The Amber Events Army will soon take over the world

    This photo makes me happy--it looks so regimented yet festive! I imagine that any second they're going to bust out into a regimented choreographed dance ala the dancing tea cups & saucers from Beauty and the Beast. I have these pins made out of bottle caps for my interns and assistants to wear on the wedding day to look not only official, but sassy.

    Wedding Industry Experts Question # 11


    Q. What marketing method has proven the most effective for you in attracting new clients?


    A. My blog has set me apart as a wedding planner with a wealth of knowledge and a glimpse into behind the scenes of the nuts & bolts of planning a wedding. Anybody can post pretty pictures and inspiration boards, but I explain the why and how of weddings. I also show how much friggin' work it is to do what I do. When a bride googles "how to bustle a wedding dress", "what is a catering service charge", or "how to get a fire permit" they are going to find my blog and they're going to learn about how much they need me heading up their wedding. Also, some of the videos that I've been involved in have garnered some attention: 
    Behind the scenes at a Vibiana wedding
    Joya & Emre's Black Eyed Peas Music video
    Amber on The Knot TV as LA's insider's guide  

    To read about how other wedding planners get their business, click HERE

    Tuesday, May 15, 2012

    Wedding Websites and your privacy

    I have saying that goes: "forget diamonds, GOOGLE is a girl's best friend" as I Google everyone I know and I tend to find out some fairly juicy stuff.  In fact, before I meet with potential clients I just google their first names + weddings and many, many times I find their wedding website and I browse around there for a while.

    While it will take away some of my nosy fun, I mean this when I say: password protect your wedding websites, people! Why are you showing all of that information to the world?  There is an evil yet brilliant app called "Crash Corsage" that allows people to find out all info about the wedding that they can crash: location, time, name of bride & groom, name of their bridal party, etc.

    I doubt your crashers would be as fun as these guys...

    Monday, May 14, 2012

    Pretty Pictures: String of lights


    There is something about a string of bulb lights over head to make for an enchanting evening. 
    These were used at our most recent destination wedding. Mark and Jessica's Mexico beach wedding was the perfect opportunity to use these lights. They were strung over the reception tables. Tables which were just a handful of feet away from the ocean water. It was stunning, and we can't wait to share these photos with you soon. These type of lights have several names: Edison lights and Italian bistro lights are the two I've more commonly heard. I've grown so fond of them, my own apartment balcony is drizzled with it. On warm breezy nights, I love to come out to my balcony with my laptop, a glass of Chardonnay and french Pandora playing in the background. I'm automatically transported to Europe. OoOh La La



    Sheerluxury via Larisa Lovely

    Friday, May 11, 2012

    Wedding Industry Experts Question # 10


    Q. What is the most unexpected thing that has happened on the day of a client's wedding?




    A. I had a groom get tangled up on the dance floor with his six year old niece and in trying to prevent her from getting hurt he completely dislocated his kneecap as he fell down. As awful as it is to say, thankfully this had happened to him in the past and instead of having to be rushed to the hospital, he snapped it back in to place before it started to swell. The guests were in a frenzy with worry and the silent room was becoming more uncomfortable by the minute.

    Immediately I got him ice and pain killers, sent an assistant to the pharmacy to buy a knee brace, kept all guests/family members away from him and his wife as he attempted to compose himself, and I got the party started again per his request. He and his wife stayed outside for almost an hour due to the pain and his intense disappointment at this happening on a wedding day.

    When they cut the cake, he gave the MOST incredible speech to his new wife and his guests. He said that while they were outside together Alexis told him that they had promised each other that day “for better or for worse”. Steve said that while he was not expecting the “for worse” to come so quickly, he realized that the most important thing was that he was married to the most beautiful woman in the world and he couldn’t understand how he got so lucky.
    He went on his honeymoon with a full leg brace. Two years later these two are still madly in love (with a new baby girl!) and I think that the way that they handled the incident so gracefully together set a precedent for their marriage. The way I see it, because of the way they came through it, they had a perfect wedding. Something is perfect only if you see it as perfect.

    To read stories from the other wedding planners, click HERE.

    Thursday, May 10, 2012

    Pretty Pictures: Red Lips



    I may be biased, since red is one of my favorite colors. And let us not get started with Amber. Queen of  Red and all things that sparkle. Though there is something very alluring about red: a confident color, powerful and even erotic. This picture of Olivia Palermo, is the perfect example of how to execute a red lip. Red lips is standard for a classy french woman, but for the everyday American? It's a bold move and I feel like more women should attempt this look. Even with a bare face it'll automatically make you look more put together. 

    Research has reasserted a strong link between males' perceptions of female attractiveness and red lipstick. Specifically, men are not only most drawn to a woman's lips, but, they spend the most time (7.3 seconds) fixated on a woman's lips when she is wearing red lipstick (as reported by the Daily Mail).
    Now if that's some good incentive right there!


    Tuesday, May 8, 2012

    Racho del Cielo Wedding: Michelle & Ben on Style Me Pretty today!


    It's always a good day that starts off with a feature on a major blog. It's an even better day when that blog is the largest wedding blog in the world, Style Me Pretty! Today Michelle & Ben's Rancho del Cielo wedding is gracing the Little Black Book blog on Style Me Pretty! Click here to view it!



    Monday, May 7, 2012

    Engagement Session Advice


    I'm a huge, huge proponent of engagement sessions prior to your wedding as if gives you and your fiance a chance to experience what it's like to be the focus of a camera's attention for long periods of time, helps you bond with your photographer, let's you try out your hair & makeup prior to the big day, and gives you gorgeous photos of you and your love.

    Photographer Jasmine Star has some aaaaamazing tips on how to prep for your engagement photo session, and if I may be so bold as to add one more tip to hers? Booze. Have a drink before your session so you can really loosen up in front of the camera.

    Enjoy!

    Friday, May 4, 2012

    Kayte and Brian Engagement shoot

    These days I see so many engagement sessions styled within an inch of their lives: entire living rooms set up in fields, elaborate staging, major period costuming (i.e., Mad Men) and while there is nothing wrong with that type of drama if you are genuinely that dramatic of a couple,  in my opinion all you really need is LOVE.

    Lately the summer brides are having their engagement photo shoots and stressing a bit much over what kind of "theme" to have for these sessions as the wedding blogs can sometimes make them feel like they have to do that. These few photos of one of our summer couples, Katye & Brian, completely prove that you just need each other, a great photographer, and good light.

    How romantic are these photos? Kudos to Brandon-David Photography and Kayte & Brian for being so in L-O-V-E.

    Next post: some tips on how to be comfortable in front of the camera for these sessions.



    Thursday, May 3, 2012

    Wedding Industry Experts - Question # 9







    Question #9: What are you most proud of in your professional life?

    My reputation amongst my peers in the wedding industry. It makes my day when a fellow vendor tells me that I'm one of their favorite planners to work with or when a new vendor I have not met yet tells me that they're excited to work with me because they've heard such good things about my events, my clients, and  my work ethic.