brookside gardens : beautiful butterflies + passion flower

what a fantastic weekend! i was truly blessed to spend the weekend with my family at brookside gardens in wheaton, maryland, touring the wings of fancy exhibit. this has to be one of my absolutely favorite places to visit - the gardens and butterflies. :O) we had lots of fun hanging out together... and taking awesome pictures of our garden experience...

check out the beautiful butterflies, amazing passion flower (yes, this is where we get passion fruit from - yummy!) and not so pretty amazon sized moths (they're nocturnal - thank goodness). yikes! :O)

by the way brides, brookside gardens is an absolutely beautiful place to have your wedding, practically any time of year. what fun it would be to have your wedding guests take a private tour of the wings of fancy exhibit at brookside gardens as part of your event. your guests will sure to remember your amazing wedding day!

take some time to stop by brookside gardens to visit their fantastic butterfly exhibit - you won't regret it!

Happy planning + have fun!

a great event...

Hello! So sorry... We hadn't followed up since our fantastic event this past weekend at the Brides Against Breast Cancer Event! It was a great turn out... Lots of brides getting fabulous deals on bridal dresses and the educational sessions were great too! :O)

As you know, our presentation was on color and inspirations. We covered the importance of selecting colors for your wedding you absolutely love as well as showing our fabulous inspirations - award winning table top designs and how we came up with our design concepts.
It was such a pleasure connecting with couples during our panel q & a discussion and answering questions specific to their wedding!

Remember... In designing for your special day, pick colors you absolutely love and keep in mind, your pictures "live on forever."Have lots of fun with the broad spectrum of colors and various textures!

Please contact us if you need assistance with your wedding designs and concepts. We'd love to help you.

Happy designing!

a fantastic cause - brides against breast cancer!

there is a fabulous event this weekend at the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel... join us in supporting this year's Brides Against Breast Cancer Conference.

find the dress of your dreams,

attend informative wedding educational sessions,

meet the areas top wedding vendors

& help those fighting breast cancer!

"Brides Against Breast Cancer TM" gown sales continue to be important fund-raising events for Making Memories. Their more than 32 yearly shows provide brides-to-be with an opportunity to find their dream gown (at an incredible savings) while making wishes and dreams come true for women and men who are losing their fight against breast cancer.

By Design Events will have the honor of participating in the wedding educational session and Q & A session with other fantastic wedding vendors! Come out tomorrow and join us for an awesome event and get amazing ideas for your fabulous wedding all while supporting a worthy cause - Breast Cancer Research!

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow...

Happy planning! :O)

Happy 4th!

The Fourth of July is definitely one of our favorite holidays! Lots of fantastic food, drink, family and friends celebrating America's independence and the sacrafices our wonderful soldiers make for us every day!

Thank you so very much to our military soldiers and families for their service to our wonderful country! :O)

As you prepare for your bbq celebration, don't forget to add those special details... drink parasols.

To make them, you'll need wooden skewers that are a couple of inches longer than the glasses are tall. Color-photocopy the design onto white paper. (Or download and print this illustration here.) Cut out, then cut along dotted line on each. Create a broad cone by overlapping edges; secure using a glue stick or tape. Poke skewer through underside of cone's point.

Have fun making these drink parasols! We hope you have a safe and happy 4th!

photo courtesy of marthastewart.com

bethesda row : three day style event - may 14-16, 2009

Fashionista's... Get ready to take your front row seat at the Bethesda Row's, the Front Row, three day style event coming up this week!!! Fashion shows, celebrity book signing, couture cocktails, jewelry... oh my!

Take a peek at a few of the fabulous events scheduled for your fashion pleasure:

Thursday May 14 : "Valentissimo"

Take in a screening of Matt Tynauer’s award-winning film, Valentino: The Last Emperor. Enjoy tales of backstabbing as well as insider information about the last year Valentino headed his house of couture.

Friday May 15 : "Project Runway"

Compare styling tips with Project Runway season-four winner Christian Siriano as he headlines the Front Row runway event Friday evening. Watch a fashion show featuring a fall-trend preview, including merchandise from retailers such as Ginger, Urban Chic, Tickled Pink, and Luna, all while sipping style-themed cocktails created especially for the event by Redwood mixologist Justin Guthrie.

Saturday May 16 : "Story time - Jimmy Choo"

Listen to Lauren Goldstein Crowe, a London-based author, discuss her new book, The Towering World of Jimmy Choo, which chronicles Choo’s humble upbringing in Malaysia, gives an insider glimpse into socialite and Choo company president Tamara Mellon’s life, and follows the skyrocketing rise to power that eventually led to the $333-million sale of the company in 2007. Signed copies of the book will be available.

There is lots going on this week. Ladies be sure to rsvp to these events asap. Details of these events and more can be found at www.bethesdarow.com.

Have fun. Be fabulous!

clothing optional : manolo's oh so necessary

Ladies, as you think about your fabulous bridal ensemble... Polish off your look with the perfect Manolo. In search of amazing bridal shoes for our clients, look at what we found... We absolutely love these shoes!!!

Happy shopping!

photos courtesy of: www.bergdorfgoodman.com, www.neimanmarcus.com, www.manoloblahnik.com + www.shopstyle.com

my day bridal show 4.5.09 | simply fabulous

It's been a while since we posted. There's lots going on with bridal shows and the upcoming wedding season... We're really excited!!! :O)

First of all, we would like to congratulate Cherry del Rosario + Ray Bernardo. They have won lunch and a 2-hr. planning session with a By Design Events Wedding Planner!!! Congrats + happy planning!!! This lucky couple had visited our table at the My Day Bridal Show - thanks for stopping by. We look forward to hearing about all of the details of your fabulous dream wedding and how we can be of assistance to you during the planning session!

Next... The My Day Bridal Show was absolutely amazing! This event was held at the Tremont Baltimore Grand Hotel. It was a stunning location featuring the best-of-the-best wedding vendors. 2010 brides, don't skip out on this bridal show next year... It's not one to be missed and should be at the top of your must attend bridal show list in 2010..

We had the pleasure of working alongside some fabulous vendors in our room: Tigerlilly Jewelry and Crimson & Clover Floral Designs. One word description of their work - PHENOMENAL!

Be sure to check out Tigerlilly Jewelry and Crimson & Clover. You won't be disappointed.

Have fun and happy planning!

photos courtesy of tigerlilly jewelry

2nd times the charm | 1st place winner at floral design competition!

We are extremely happy and excited! We won 1st place at the Potomac Floral Wholesale Wedding Floral Design Competition held on Sunday, March 22, 2009 in Silver Spring, MD! Yea... Woo, hoo!!! :O)

We competed against 14 other amazing floral designers and we do mean amazing! The competition was stiff - there were other fabulous floral designs there. We honestly had a few of our favorites too.

Introducing our stunning winning design : lemon-berry delight












The competition was judged by 3 certified floral designers from the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD).

We are truly honored and ecstatic to have won the 2009 Potomac Floral Wholesale Wedding Floral Design Competition. Thank you so very much to all who have supported us. Your encouragement and support really means alot to us. Our heartfelt thanks! :O)

Happy designing!

Your #1 event floral design team

by design events floral