Fête - NYC Event Planning, Event Design and Paper» Wedding

Beautiful Bouquets

fete — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:30:35 +0000

I’ve always been a fan of simple bridal bouquets. Your bouquet is meant to accent you and your dress, not outshine you.

One of my most beloved bouquets is classic Lily of the Valley. It is simple, yet elegant and traditional. Grace Kelly and Kate Middleton (pictured below) among others, carried Lily of the Valley on their wedding days.

Here is a lily of the valley bouquet that we created for one of our brides.

A more unique bouquet that is another one of my all-time favorites is the couture rose. For this bouquet, we wire individual rose petals around a single white rose to create an oversized rose. It takes A LOT of time but it is well worth it!

Mix it Up

fete — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:35:22 +0000

When was the last time you really loved—I mean loved—the cocktails coming your way at a wedding? Guests at a recent Fete wedding can honestly say they imbibed in high style.

A treat for all drinking connoisseurs in attendance, we brought in a professional mixologist from one of the city’s most acclaimed cocktail spots. These sharply-dressed bartenders used fresh, inventive ingredients to craft beverages from your personal tastes. Like your drink sweet? Bitter? Sour? These fellows made something amazing, just for you. They’d then go the extra mile of chipping out custom ice cubes for every drink, because the size and shape of your cube makes a big difference in taste.

An elegant layer on top of an already great event, this expert touch took things to a whole new level… It was as if everyone snuck by a bouncer and into the coolest bar in town.

Paper Lanterns

fete — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:47:04 +0000

People love paper lanterns. They make a space feel festive, intimate and fun. However, how you use them properly is the tricky part. Here is my advice for using them for your own event.

1) Paper Lanterns create an “outdoor” feel. They don’t make sense in a refined ballroom/ space. I tend to use them outdoors, in a tent or a venue that conveys an outdoor vibe (think loft for example).

2) Use lanterns that are color “natural” with the “irregular ribbed” pattern. For a relatively inexpensive item, these look luxurious when lit. The white and regular ribbed tend to look cheap.

3) Bigger is better. When hanging lanterns in an event space, smaller ones get lost and look tiny. I use 24″ diameter and up.

4) How you hang them is key. Cluster the lanterns so they are touching slightly and hang at varying heights. The bottom of the lanterns should be at least 8 feet off the ground.

5) For evening event, they need to be lit properly, either externally or internally. Talk to a lighting person about how to do this.

5) I love to hang them over the dance floor or target a designated area for them to hang – see 2 examples below.

There are many places online that sell paper lanters but one of my favorite sources is

http://www.paperlanternstore.com/nairriropala.html

Paper Lanterns Over the Dancefloor

Paper Lanterns in Smaller Room to Create a Beach Feel

Surfer Party, Brazilian-Style

fete — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:40:54 +0000

We had a lot of fun creating this fantastic beach party. We played off the host’s Brazilian heritage and love of surfing. Bartenders made fresh caipirinhas and caipiroskas (made with vodka instead of cachaca) all night. Samba, capoeira dancers and this fire-dancer pictured below were incredible. At one point, I thought her arms were going to fall off. Thanks to Bambi Cantrell for these photos.

This custom designed surfboard anchored one of the big bars

When a specialty drink is new to many guests, a bar menu card like helps.

Local surfers couldn't help but try to join the party!

After everyone stopped worrying about getting hit with a flame, we were all mesmerized

Design Fantasy – Drippy Nickly Chain!

fete — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:14:36 +0000

One of my fantasies is to install a giant version of this over a dance floor in a room that is basically a black lacquered box. I love the silver drippy nickel chain! It is designed by Barlas Baylar for Hudson Furntiure.

http://www.hudsonfurnitureinc.com/2007/

Saving Space in a Tight Room

fete — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:46:22 +0000

At this fall event, we were left with no space for an escort card table. Since our client was a banker and we were in a former bank, we posted the guest names in the form of the New York Stock Exchange pricing. Hitting the names straight one with lighting made the names glow. The bar had a sheer red fabric lit from behind to make it feel dramatic.

Russian Service

fete — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:53:29 +0000

Food service alone is one area that often feels so expected. A standard plated first course and entree can make your event feel like any other. At Fete, we use service to set a distinct tone. For the first course at this wedding (see menu listing below), waiters walked around with 3 different types of pasta. Referred to as “Russian” service, guests could try all three and have seconds if they wanted. Waiters passed the pasta until the course was ready to be cleared.

Remember that you have options for every element of your event!

We Love Paper Products!

fete — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:31:38 +0000

A lot of people don’t know that we custom design invitations and paper products. These rehearsal dinner and day-after brunch letterpress invites work as stand-alone pieces and more interestingly, together as a single unit. To see more of our recent invitations, check our portfolio:

http://feteny.com/services/fete-paper/

More Photos from Maine

fete — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:02:09 +0000

A few photos were recently placed on the Organic Photography blog.

Click through to see more….

My Latest Wedding

fete — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:16:06 +0000

I wanted to share a photo from a recent tented wedding. After an incredible outdoor cermony and cocktail reception, guests were invited into the tent for dinner and dancing. The tables were anchored by pear branch arrangements while the dance floor was covered by hundreds of paper lanterns. More photos to come.