Despite the gloomy weather outside, Amy and Travis glowed with love and it warmed everyone’s heart – especially mine! After having the sincere pleasure of planning all three of the family’s daughter’s Bat Mitzvahs and the oldest sister’s wedding, I felt like part of the family and couldn’t keep the smile off my face as I watched how happy this couple made each other. They were truly radiant – just look at the photos!
Amy sneaking up on Travis for the First Look!
Ceremony
Justin had a SUPER time at his Bar Mitzvah held at Four Seasons Scottsdale! The kids were kept busy with several activities such as Pixel Paint, Airbrush T-shirts, a Magician and interactive dancers. The room was wonderfully decorated with Spiderman swinging from his web on a three-dimensional cityscape and 8 other panels of superheros around the room.
The centerpieces exploded from the table with POW! BAM! WHAM! captions that were pin-spotted in the dim room.
The spiderweb linens were a really fun touch!
We’d like to thank Justin and his family for including us in this wonderful celebration =)
Ilana wanted to celebrate her Israeli heritage with a modern twist. She selected Scottsdale Hangar One’s Red Room and Signature Events to create an unforgettable evening.
Simply Scrumptious did an amazing job creating traditional Israeli cuisine served at the Shuk that Signature Events custom created to mimic Israel’s Mahane Yehuda Street Market. Using custom-made burlap sacks filled with produce, spices and grains along with market and street signs in an outdoor setting, we created a fun homage to the real thing.
The sleek Red Room with it’s arched red ceiling, red gloss floors and uplit walls created the perfect backdrop to a celebratory evening. Personal touches were added around the room to honor Ilana and her big day! Back-lit photos of the family trip to Isreal glowed a-top the centerpieces, the candy table featured Israeli sweets for guests upon departure and guests were treated to a spirited break-dancing performance… amateurs need not apply =)
Let Signature Events create a celebration that highlights your style!
As a couture handbag designer, Lindsay Danto, a Signature Events bride knows a thing or two about style. When she and fiancé, David, decided to get married, they knew the perfect location would be the Four Seasons, and the perfect planner would be Charlee Geisler of Signature Events.
As long time residents, David and Lindsay knew they wanted their special day to be held at the Four Seasons because of its elegant, intimate setting. They also knew that if anyone could transform the pinnacle ballroom into their contemporary fantasy, it would be Charlee.
The day began with a gorgeous ceremony. The bride dazzled in Monique Lhuillier’s “Bellflower” gown from Destiny’s Bride as she glided down the aisle between two clarinet based alter pieces set on Lucite pedestals, designed by the Flower Studio.
The contemporary feel continued at the cocktail hour, where two large Lucite tables displayed the escort cards. The tables were filled with flower petals and two stunning arrangements to enhance the modern chic vibe. Later, these same tables were repurposed and used for the guest favors, stunning candles in the same style that accented the bar.
During the dinner reception, the bride prepared to dance the night away by changing into a mermaid style gown by Amsala, also from Destiny’s Bride. Charlee transformed the ballroom into the couple’s contemporary fantasy by draping the walls in white. Black swags of drapery were strategically placed to frame the important focal points of the room: The band, the lounge area, and one on each side of the floor to ceiling mirrors. It was then accented by atmospheric uplighting.
The Lucite pedestals from the ceremony aisle were placed between the sofa groupings to add interest and highlight the contemporary feel. The centerpieces consisted of iron trees interwoven with candles and floral spheres snaked throughout that mimicked the orchid filled clarinet base from the ceremony.
The sweetheart table, a focal point in itself, was set with lush, wingback chairs that echoed the style of the lounge furniture in the sofa groupings. Meanwhile the elegant mercury chandeliers added the final elegant touches.
The cake, a masterpiece created by Chef Lance Whipple of the Four Seasons, pulled all the elements together by perfectly incorporating the phalaenopsis orchids, Lucite, and color scheme of the entire event.
Many couples today choose to incorporate their cultural heritage into their wedding day. Unique cultural traditions can add incredible beauty to any ceremony or reception. The key to incorporating these traditions is to choose something that is easily recognizable, yet unique.
Signature Events couple Gillian and Rob wanted to honor Rob’s East Indian heritage by incorporating it into their reception theme. Often, East Indian weddings feature ornate floral decor in traditional motifs. For instance, in his recent wedding, Rob’s brother featured a floral wall with an elephant motif behind the head table. Rob loved the cultural significance of his brother’s choice, but wanted something completely different.
Head coordinator Charlee Geisler suggested using the ultimate symbol of love and devotion in India: the Taj Mahal. Gillian and Robwere intrigued by this idea, but were wary that it would look tacky. The trick, Charlee told them, would be to utilize customized lighting and sumptuous fabric to give the true illusion of marble and elegance the couple desired. They so enjoyed dining with their bridal party under this symbol of love.
Charlee began by utilizing lighting under the dome and around the Taj Mahal to highlight the marble effect of the dome. She then used pin spot lighting on all of the floral arrangements, which were designed to echo the dome’s shape and give cohesion to the room. She then draped the entire wall behind the Taj Mahal, as well as the structure itself in gold fabric.
The draping and lighting were echoed around the cake table, adding another focal point to the room. The beautiful cake, designed by the Four Seasons Pastry chef, was placed directly opposite the larger Taj Mahal.
Lastly, the color choices for the sumptuous table linens hearkened back to the phenomenal boxed invitations the couple had delivered by limousine to various guests. One of the guests commented at the reception, she could not believe that the table linens mimicked the invitation. As a planner, it was all about tying each of the elements together.
When San Francisco based couple Lauren Thaler and Jay Kahn decided to tie the knot, they both agreed that their special day should be held in Jay’s home state of Arizona. Lauren and Jay, both Wharton graduates, knew that planning their dream wedding on their own from 1000 miles away would be a difficult task. So what did this power couple do? They called Signature Events, of course!
From the beginning, Lauren wanted to play off the natural beauty of the Sonoran desert surrounding their chosen venue, the Fours Seasons Resort. Signature Events founder and head coordinator, Charlee Geisler, and Lauren carried the organic feel of the natural setting through the ceremony site using desert flowers and succulents. They also tied the ceremony and reception sites together by using the same wood tables from the back the ceremony aisle to the tables used at the dinner reception.
For the reception, the bride and groom wanted to have dinner under the stars. In order to maximize the romantic feel of the outdoors and enjoy the view of the desert stars, unobtrusive bistro lighting was strung in a zig zag pattern over the tables.
The table decor was a romantic synthesis of all of the preceeding elements of the wedding process. The wood tables echoed those used at the back of the ceremony aisle, while the custom made runners matched the design of the invitations. Deciding not to use table cloths and allowing the wood to take center stage further enhanced the organic feel of the setting.
After dinner and toasts, guests were invited to move inside for dancing and cake cutting. The ballroom had been completely transformed into an upscale night club lounge. The walls were draped in white and up lit to create a dramatic feel. The all white dance floor, complete with monogrammed gobo, and DJ from New York City ensured that guests would have the perfect place to dance the night away. Meanwhile, a fantastic four sided bar made sure that guests had easy access to drinks from the dance floor, as well as the different furniture groupings strategically placed around the room. These groupings, including chez lounges, communal tables, and wing-back chairs, the New York DJ, and the decor combined to form the ultimate East coast club feel, exactly like the bride and groom wanted.
There is only one way to describe couple Danielle and Tal: FUN! These dentists from Michigan knew exactly how to incorporate their two greatest loves: Big Blue and each other.
One of the first weddings to be held at the Westin Kierland Resort after the new Trail Blazer ballroom was constructed, the ceremony site overlooked the magnificent beauty of the lake and golf course. Danielle, her Mother Jill, and Signature Events Coordinator, Charlee Geisler, chose to create a ceremony site that complimented, rather than competed with, the nature around them. Soft colors and fabrics with natural elements were used to complete this goal.
The bride and groom met and fell in love at the University of Michigan, so it was only fitting that the bride and groom entered the reception carrying UM banners.
Angelic Grove decorated the reception with three different table arrangements. They were intermingled through out the three hundred guest ballroom, ensuring the room would not become monotone.
Along with their love of UM, both the bride and groom are dentists, so they decided to incorporate their profession by giving monogrammed dental floss and toothbrushes away as favors, also with chocolates to satisfy guests’ “sweet tooth.”
For Michelle and Jason, only the most romantic and relaxed atmosphere would do for their Sedona Wedding. Held at L’Auberge, this couple wanted their wedding to be intimate and include each of their one hundred and twenty guests- and their children. Since the bride was an architect, the physical setting was very important to this couple, and they knew Signature Events would complete the transformation perfectly.
To reach the ceremony site at Creekside, the bride and her father descended down the steps to an aisle decorated with gorgeous purple and silver flowers from the Flower Studio. The bride’s cousin, Phil, officiated, a very warm ceremony. At one point, during a very touching moment, he asked the bride and groom to turn around and look at all the guests because each one had shared a special moment in their lives.
The cocktail reception was held on the grassy lawn outside the L’Auberge ballroom. The sky above the area was romatically strung with a zig zab pattern of Portofino lights and paper “laterns.” Michelle had a thumb print tree made especially for her by a friend from work, on which friends and family could commemorate this special occasion.
The romantic placecard table was uniquely decorated with a sheer Organza ribbon weave over a silver table cloth in keeping with the bride’s colors. This design also served a practical role by holding escort cards in place so they did not fly away.
After the cocktail hour, the children went to their own special room in which the tables were decorated with butcher block paper and crayons. Because it was Easter weekend, baskets were distributed to the children for an Easter Egg hunt the next day on the lawn.
In the adult reception room, the tables were decorated with manzanita branch, cynbidium orchids, and bell votive centerpieces. The base of each centerpiece contained sterling roses. To begin the reception, the bride’s aunt, Georgina, and brother, Danny, sang a duet continuing the feeling of warm family celebration.
After the plated meal of seabass and shortribs, the guests danced the night away. To bring the evening to a close, the bride and groom exited through a sparkler tunnel, held by friends and family. This wedding captured everything the couple wanted: family, warmth, relaxation, and romance. Signature Events was proud to be a part of making this bride and groom’s dream wedding come true.
1946 Rolls Royce Once Owned by Sammy Davis, Jr.McLaren
Guests were invited to sample a variety of uniquely presesnted food stations, including the “Saladtini Bar.”
And sample featured vodka from a stunning luge.
We had such a wonderful time at this event. We cannot wait for next year!
Throughout my 20 years as a top valley event planner, one topic stands out as the most difficult for brides to manage: creating and maintaining a budget for their dream wedding. There are three important components to venue budgeting, not just one. In order for a venue to make the cut as the perfect location for your wedding, you must consider your budget, guest count, and the venue itself. Only when these three items are in alignment can you proceed with the perfect on budget event.
Let’s break these components down into individual categories:
1. Venue Itself- where would you like your wedding and/or reception to be held? Before making any decisions, you should visit two to three locations to get a feel for what each one has to offer. Be sure to look at the wedding and reception sites, as well as the weather back up, before making any decisions. It is important to know if the space is too large or too small to accommodate your guest count. Next, ask for an estimate of charges so you can see what the food and beverage minimum is going to be. Never, ever, sign anything without getting an estimate first!
2. Guest count- how many people will be attending your wedding and reception? Make sure to ask the person guiding your site tour how many guests can comfortably fit in the area they are proposing for your event. It is important to find out the anticipated size of the dance floor. It will vary depending on your guest count and the size of the room. Also, be sure to view the exact space you will be utilizing.
3. Budget- The venue portion of your event should not exceed 40% of your total budget and should include all food and beverage plus any applicable site fee. The food and beverage minimum concept seems to be very confusing for people planning an event. This is the minimum amount of money you MUST SPEND on food and beverage not including service and tax (Remember: Service is taxable in Arizona!). Sometimes, if your food and beverage minimum is high enough, or if it is off season, a venue may waive the site fee for your event. Be sure to ask if this is a possibility as it can save you fair amount of money!
Now that we understand what the components are, let’s look at an example:
A bride has a guest count of 200 people, an estimate of charges with a food and beverage minimum of $32,000 and an overall wedding budget of $50,000. This means her food and beverage is going to be AT LEAST 65% of her budget ($32,000/$50,000 = .65 or 65%). This is WAY too high! Therefore she has 3 options:
She could also do a combination of any of the above, so that she would not have to drastically change any one option.
Have questions about your budget, venue, or guest count? Email Charlee at charlee@az-events.com and receive top tips from the expert!
by Charlee Geisler
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