Brides.com Blogger field trip
Republished from: brideslittlewhitebook.blogspot.com
On Tuesday, several of the B-List bloggers joined brides.com for a behind-the-scenes tour of some of New York’s most prestigious wedding locations and personalities. On our blogger bus (which we called the tweet bus) were Bee from Weddingbee, Anne from “I Will” to “I Do,” Vané from Brooklyn Bride, Maria from Ritzy Bee, Anne Marie from Perfect Bound, Gillian from 100 Layer Cake and Nole from Oh So Beautiful Paper and the talented team at brides.com.
Our first stop was Reem Acra’s studio on 5th Avenue, where we hung out with Reem’s dog, Lou Lou and spoke with Reem via Skype. We got a behind the scenes peak at Acra’s 2010 Spring Collection inspired by fairy tales and perused the racks of red carpet gowns while sipping champagne. {Ummm…hello fairy tale!}
Our next stop was Colin Cowie’s studio, which, of course, as an event planner, was really a highlight of the day. It’s always so fascinating to hear about other event planners’ processes and perspectives on event planning and design, especially someone as accomplished and visionary as Cowie.
Colin took us step-by-step through an event he recently designed. The amount of detail and the scope of the projects he works on is just amazing. From sewing hundreds of handmade flowers onto table linens, to building event structures on-site, to coordinating an event staffed by more than 1,000, it’s truly magical to see his creative process and how events go from concept to reality. {Stay tuned for more takeaways from this visit.}
We stopped for lunch at The Plaza, where we toured one of the landmark wedding locations in the city, feasted our eyes on a tablescape designed by David Beahm Design, and dined in the hotel’s kitchen. Great Performances prepared an organic, fresh-from-the-farm tasting menu for our group of famished bloggers.
Our next stop was Cartier Mansion, where I fell in love with the 1895 Solitaire, Cartier’s classic style. Cartier is housed in a former residence. The story goes that Mr. Cartier came to own the house by swapping a strand of pearls with the original owner.
The ladies were kind enough to let us try on a few pieces of jewelry!
Our final stop was at Ron Ben-Israel Cakes. Ron is amazingly talented – a true craftsman working in the medium of cake and sugar. His studio is in a former commercial loft that is bathed in the most beautiful light. The smell of sugar greets you at the door.
All of these talented people had such interesting stories on how they broke into the industry, but Ron’s was especially interesting. A former dancer, Ron built his business through hard work, perseverance and great intuition. We had the great fortune of seeing Ron at work making sugar flowers, got a sneak peek at some of his legendary cakes that have graced magazine covers and tasted a yummy cake iced with pink lemonade flavored buttercream. Dee-lish!
Many, many thanks to the brides.com team for planning such an amazing day!
{Photo credits: Amanda Schwab for Brides.com}
