As we develop the visual details of each and every theme, be it a wedding or special celebration, we look to create ways of unifying typography, imagery and appropriate methods of production. We believe that these details add both value and integrity to a vision, as well as underscore the personalities of our clients while reflecting their styles.

Our in-house graphic ability runs the gamut in customizing printed components for our clients. For weddings and special events, we offer design and printing of: Invitation Suites, Save the Date Announcements, Menus, Reception Cards, Seating Charts, Guest Hang Tags for Welcome Totes and Favors, Weekend Welcome Cards, Couple Love Letters, Signage and Guest Register Books. Truly, any way you can envision a message needing to be delivered, we are charged in finding creative solutions so that it fits perfectly into a celebration.

We start with a blank page in each and every scenario as we explore the needs and budgets of our clients. There are several ways to approach design while moving toward the end product.

From the get-go, we work from a flexible design mind set so that each client feels comfortable with options be it creating in house custom designs or partnering with fine stationary houses that provide pre-designed suites which offer just enough customization for client to move swiftly to a solution without the investment in a full design assignment. We believe that there are many paths to arriving at a beautiful and unique suite and it need not come with compromise. 
​

​We are grateful for our print vendors and artisans
​and could not get to the end without their expertise, skills, commitment to service and doing whatever it takes to make the deadline.
​
​For all the years of working together and turning the many pages,
I’d like to highlight these local Hudson Valley businesses
and thank them for being part of our team and always delivering:

Central Press, Millbrook, NY
Cordially Corinne, Millbrook, NY
Marjorie's Letters, Hudson Valley
Moore & More Printing, Millerton, NY
Mr. P's Placecards, Chatham, NY
Pro Printers, Hudson, NY
Two Sparrows Homestead Signage, Newburgh, NY
Quality Printing Company, Pittsfield, MA​

It’s the peak of engagement season so we see a spike in wedding inquiries and consultations. It’s a time where new love stories present themselves. The promise and honor of welcoming newly engaged couples to the studio and getting to work to make their vision a reality, is what makes my heart go pitter patter. For me, it’s also a time of reflection. Thinking deeply about the couples that I worked with in the prior year. It’s the stories I have recently lived through and helped write. Proud to have a hand in these happy ending with the lead characters that now feel incredible close to my heart.  
 
In a year that started out so simply in the planning of a wedding for 125 guests on a beautiful estate in Washington, Connecticut, I witnessed the unfolding of a real life novel. The many twists and turns, a cast of beloved and most interesting characters while all the while, a thread of intense love that kept this couple and family on course, even on days where we all felt intoxicated by the COVID haze.
 
Allegra and Aaron Okarmus married on August 29th, as planned! Their date never changed but the road to it had many switchbacks. Their day had none-less-love just because it ended up being a Micro Wedding, in fact exponentially more. In my mind, their story exemplified the immense strength of family and the reality that love conquers all. 
 
Like so many 2020 to-be-wedded couples, Allegra and Aaron fought daily to hold onto what they had dreamed their day would look like, adapting to change and adversity as news and personal health concerns escalated. As their guest list diminished monthly due to restrictions, by August 29th, they were surrounded by only their immediate family and their lifetime friend and officiate. On this day, this family did not have to share their VIP couple with over 100 other guests. The space opened with togetherness less the distractions of wanting to enjoy each and every guest over the course of 6 hours. It was a gift owed this family after months of isolation and worry. To witness vows, toasts, laughter, love, sparklers, and even magic tricks through my very own closeup lens was an illuminated reminder of the many joys that my work gives back to me. How can you not fall in love with a family that feels exactly like family? After so many tough-love conversations, drying tears and praying that we would get to see this timeline through to lights-off, I feel immensely blessed for the love that guided and rewarded us on their day and to this day.

Aaron and I were engaged on January 7th, 2020. It was a beautiful, snowy night atop the Empire State Building when Aaron proposed and we began our journey toward wedded bliss. Luckily, shortly thereafter we found Paula, the fairy godmother we didn't know we needed to navigate the road ahead. On March 11th (my dear father's birthday) we found out that I was pregnant and coincidentally, that my dress (which I LOVED) had arrived! Plot twist, I did not wear that dress. On March 23rd, CT and NY went into lockdown. And yet, on August 29th, Aaron, myself and our son, Atticus (in utero) formally became a family. It wasn't the wedding I planned and envisioned since I was a little girl but it was infinitely better. The twelve people we love more than anything in the world were all present and we got to spend time with each of them. Not only was it aesthetically beautiful (that part I had envisioned) but it was moving and intimate in a way that it couldn't have been if things had gone according to "plan".  Through all the frustration, our love for each other and our family carried us through and solidified my belief that everything happens for a reason!  —Allegra, 2.2021 

“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” 

T.S. ELIOT: The Four Quartets

Life is just a big ol’ Circle of Time. We are all on a journey to “get back to where we once belonged.”
•
Allegra, Aaron and Atticus are now at the beginning of their journey together. 
Our hopes and dreams for their continued happiness lie in the road outstretched before them.
And our most fervent prayer is that every step they take may bring exciting new discoveries
as they “know the place for the first time.”  
 
Joseph Siravo aka ‘Nonno Joe’
February 2021 NYC

CHEERS TO THE BEGINNING OF THIS A+A+A LOVE STORY!
Can't wait for the sequel in September 2021!
​XOXO

We turned a numerical chapter and shifted a digit this week—we are entering into a new year that naturally provides hope for a safer and more sane way of life. Those of us who were able to hang on and remain in business feel a sense of triumph having reached the end of 2020 still standing. Although we all still face the challenges from the past year as we look toward reviving our event businesses in 2021, we share a renewed sense of optimism that naturally accompanies the start of a fresh calendar year. 2021 will be the year that we rely on each other even more as we kick the gears in motion and get our parties started again.
 
In the days after the new year begins, I usually enjoy looking back and reflecting—this year, not so much. I have a much deeper-rooted desire to look ahead. I find myself cringing as I recall the past months: how intense and uncertain each day was, how much harder we all had to work to stay well, stay sane, manage our businesses and care for each other. It was deep…it was so heavy. 

I am so grateful to each of you for what you gave to see our work through. I am also very proud of what we were able to accomplish together for the good of our clients. For some of us, we were fortunate to be on site together mask-to-mask, creating some version of the original plan. For others, we forged new roadmaps for 2021 events that we will certainly toast to together later this year, mask-to-mask or face-to-face…only time will tell. 

For now, cheers to all of you!!! With my deepest sincerity, I hope that 2021 brings each of you restored hope, optimism, prosperity, and a true sense of internal peace. But most importantly, I hope that you all remain safe and healthy, taking care of yourself and those around you so that you can welcome back a more normal lifestyle in the months ahead.  
 
I look forward to our reunions and bringing our celebrations back to life this year!
 
With gratitude and fellowship,
Paula

I am so pleased and proud to announce that we have been selected as a 2021 —winner of The Knot Best of Weddings, an accolade representing the highest- and most-rated wedding professionals as reviewed by real couples, their families and wedding guests on The Knot, a leading wedding planning and registry brand and app. 

Despite COVID-19 interrupting many 2020 weddings and social events, wedding professionals around the nation continued to support to-be-weds throughout their wedding planning journeys. From adjusting future schedules to make way for postponed weddings, to helping couples host socially distanced weddings following state and local guidelines and restrictions with an increased focus on health and safety, wedding pros—and the industry as a whole—rallied together in 2020, ultimately helping couples continue to celebrate life and love. The Knot 2021 Best of Weddings recognition honors the vendors who went above and beyond to help to-be-weds navigate the global pandemic. 

This year, we certainly ran our hardest to the end of the marathon (one in which we never signed up for, none the less, trained for). What a tremendous honor and delight to have been recognized by this outstanding industry leader, The Knot, and by all the folks that we took extra care of and that, in turn, took time to write raving 5-star reviews for us. Thank you so much for this recognition!
 
We all know what this year entailed so I need not go back in time to relive how to navigate event planning in a pandemic. Yet I do want to thank and highlight our clients that trusted us to work through the challenges by guiding and supporting them in the midst of this compromised and unpredictable year. Some went ahead and wed on their day (anyway and in unexpected ways!) and others opted to push out to 2021 with the same plan or perhaps a "new & improved" one. Each scenario was unique and personal. Each situation allowed us to work exponentially closer with our clients and to get to know them on a deeper level. In some cases, even "virtually" meeting parents that we normally shake hands with at the rehearsal. The anxiety-ridden conversations and decisions through peak pandemic stretches, forged relationships that we never expected. In reflection, I see now that this year presented opportunities to see each other in a truer sense, hear each other more closely and witness weakness and strengths that all lead to a much deeper appreciation and knowing. I often think of my couples as my flock, but this year, they all feel like my family. 

They were there in the midst of all the clammer but I had to stop, quiet myself and seek them out. When I did, I found seeds of optimism which I needed in order to remain positive and focused on any given day. As a wedding and event planner, the silver linings that allowed me rise above the distractions were the client relationships that solidified and gave me a sense of purpose each day when I walked across my path to the studio.  Working alongside my couples and our vendors via Zoom, phone calls, emails or the occasional masked-6 foot-distanced meeting,  figuring out how to get through, plan and replan and most importantly, how to support each other—made the work unfiltered, and sometime raw, yet equally as rich and fulfilling.
 
So, a deep and heartfelt thank you goes out “my flock”. I feel blessed to know that I will look back to 2020 in the years ahead with memories of you as my bright spots, my motivation, my silver linings. We never let up, never caved and kept our eyes on the trophy that you all so deservingly earned…your day, your way! For some of you, cheers to celebrating anyway this year and for celebrating “again” next year. For others, cheers to knowing that all good things are worth the wait! Regardless, I am so thrilled to know my time with you is extended into 2021! Thank you again for making this year a win in ways we never expect! 

Thank you for joining us for Part 2 of this event! We hope you enjoyed last month's blog post featuring many behind the scenes captures and our design lead up. What a joy it was to CREATE FUN and MAKE SMILES! 

​In the days leading up to the event, the set up and execution of Eleanor’s Bat Mitzvah at the Mayflower Inn and Spa fell perfectly into place. Like clockwork, we made sure that the endless details organized in tidy folders from 11 months of planning were now finally being put into place under the new Sperry tent. We were absolutely giddy to be working together inside this luxurious blank canvas that had every convenience and amenity a planner would want in an outdoor space. If it wasn’t such an open-air situation, I’m sure we could have smelled the new sailcloth. 

Multiple massive heaters were carted in to blow excessive amounts of heat into the tent and to compensate for the open sides required for ventilation. Giant white paper lanterns hung low to visually bring down the cavernous ceiling and provide a more intimate setting for this smaller gathering. Games galore were staged on the perimeter of the floor plan. Some games were gorgeously handcrafted works of art and others were the good ‘ole throwbacks that you may recall growing up with when times were simpler. Lawn games illuminated by colored orb lights were strategically placed on the crest of the lawn. A full candy “bar” anchored one corner of the space. Eleanor’s top 12 favorites (individually-wrapped, of course, and served with wooden tongs) were set on plexi-glass pedestals with colorful illuminated bases. Sugar was clearly abundant, and the sweetness of the night was exactly what these girls needed after months of isolation.

We welcomed the girls with a kick-off spa hour complete with hair braiding stations, a tattoo bar, Shirley Temples, and gilded snacks. A s’mores bar floated between two elm tree trunks and, thank goodness, a roaring hot fire warded off that Jack Frost. A white leather lounge sandwiched between Foosball and Pac-man served as a resting spot to kick off the way-too-high-heels and to slip into fuzzy rainbow flip-flops. The digital photo booth was the rage and made for instant gratification as images were swiftly posted to Instagram and Snapchat. For the table setting décor, we worked with two Fair Trade companies that we love because of what they create and who they are able to help in the process: Aid Through Trade and Thumbprint Artifacts. Custom beaded bracelets were used to adorn the rolled table napkins. Striped square candles glowed around the floral arrangements, adding that appropriate element of graphic whimsy for Eleanor and friends. In my early trade show resourcing I met both of these companies and knew immediately that it was an opportunity to embed their global causes in the minds of these young girls, and we did. Appropriate sleepy-time swag awaited the girls in their downy beds back at the inn. They deliriously nestled into a final late-night photo op with their embroidered flannel PJ bottoms and custom-designed sleepyhead tees.

​The sophisticated yet toned-down décor was all in keeping with the setting and the client’s aesthetic. The must-have “blossom of the season”, dahlias, were abundant in the warmest and most wonderful hues. They seemed to naturally grow out of the toasty cream palette of double-clothed tables that glamorously pooled onto the honed cement floor. We managed to add some pops of fun color for our bat mitzvah who loved “blue” by using tinted vintage water goblets. Amber beeswax votive candles not only aligned with the neutral palette, but also added to the sensory experience. I don’t know about you, but for me, walking into a space and taking in the sweet mellow scent of beeswax is simply divine. Eleanor’s mother archived the most adorable collection of growing-up photos that warranted a timeline staged between the lacquered wood tent posts. The collection of prints was artfully strung on anodized colored wire with peach-ombre silk ribbon. Touches of natural wood-sculpted floral buds added strategically to the lineup softened the geometry of the collage. Eleanor’s beautiful, happy face was sprinkled throughout the sweetest presentation of a well-lived and well-loved life with her family.

​The guests enjoyed a wonderful array of appetizers during cocktail hour and a fabulous plated dinner from the new chef and culinary team at The Mayflower Inn & Spa. When I took a moment to look out at the tables to witness people actually joined together for a meal, smiling, laughing, interacting and forgetting about all their troubles, I thought how wonderful it was do the work that made this all possible. 

​A thread of elegance tied many more details together for this event, from personalized calligraphy moments at each place setting to gorgeously designed and printed invitations. When you have the leeway and the luxury to make design decisions that take an event to the next level, it is so very refreshing. The joy of creating this evening really outshined the challenges presented in this year. The outcome was all I had hoped for Eleanor, her family, her girlfriends and her guests. 

As I reflected in this contented state throughout the following week, I received the most endearing note from Eleanor. In a charming, sincere and insightful way, she thanked me for all the hard work and acknowledging the additional “corona” issues that added to our management duties. ​

Photography: YMvisuals - Yannis Malevitas Photos & Videography | @yannismalevitisweddings
 Venue & Catering: The Mayflower Inn & Spa, Washington, CT | @mayflowerinnandspa
Lighting • Photo Booth • DJ: Handy Boys Event & Technology Services | @handyboysent
 Florists: Ruth Chase Flowers | @ruthchasefloweres
 Rentals: Mahaiwe Tent Rentals | @maihawetent
​Furniture Rentals: AFR Rental Furniture | @afrfurniturerental 
Elegant Game Rentals: Upstate Jamboree | @upstatejamboree
Electronic, Ping Pong & Shuffleboard Game Rentals: Arcade Specialties | @arcadespecialties
Entertainment: Seeing is Disbelieving
Hair Braiding: Beauty Entourage | @beautyentourage
Calligraphy: Marjorie’s Letters | @marjoriesletters 
 Linen Face Masks & Fabric: TL at Home | @tlathome
...and of course my amazing assistant, Maggie, who marched bravely alongside me all summer and fall with her bright smile and can-do attitude!
....and Laurie who showed up on the scene day-of, rolled up her sleeves and helped in set-up, herding the teens and so much more!
​I  T H A N K  Y O U !