Savvy Wedding Show!

Photo from The Wedding Guys


Yesterday I had the privilege of spending some time with The Wedding Guys to discuss their award-winning bridal show, Unveiled. They're bringing all their glam ideas to Dallas; it's going to be extravagant...lots of bridal eye candy and ideas! I'm so excited!!! It will truly be unlike any bridal show in the Metroplex!

If you're getting married EVER you MUST attend this one-day event. Ladies, this isn't a trade show...on no...it's a true fashion experience! It's the ultimate wedding planning event. Put on your best high heels, pull out that beautiful handbag and above all else, bring a notepad for all the fabulous ideas you're going to pick up!

I know, I know...you want the details...paitence...I'm getting to it.

Sunday, October 4th
11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Dallas Convention Center
Tickets will go on sale later this summer...keep checking here for more information...I promise to give it to you!

So you want a hint as to what you can expect from Tara Wilson Events at the show? Look for me in the Wedding Trend Spot area. (For those in-the-know...like you and me...Trend Spot is the bridal couture area.) I'll be the one sipping champagne...that's a hint to my event design for the show! That's it...that's all you get right now.

Okay, so you're a savvy girl in the know...go mark your calendar...I don't want to hear any excuses as to why you missed the best thing to happen to the Dallas bridal industry!

Savvy Style!

Photo from RuMe

Our natural resources are so precious, but fashion is so essential...why sacrifice one or the other? With RuMe bags, (which stands for Reuse Me) you can have it all; you can feel good about buying these stylish bags because of their eco-friendly production methods.

Darling, you're getting affordable bags that are A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E, without harming the environment and they are great for any occasion, especially weddings! I love the idea of screen printing these bags with a monogram for your bridesmaids or using them to stow a nice favor for your out-of-town guests. These bags are green AND savvy...the best fashion statement one can make!

You work it girl!

Savvy Sugar Flowers!

Photo from Sugar Flower Shop

In an effort to save a little green, some brides are turning to close family and friends for help in creating a homemade wedding cake. Problem is...many relatives (like my own) lack the skills to create delicate designs, which is where Sugar Flower Shop steps in to make cakes spectacular!

The Sugar Flower Shop ships exquisite, handmade, realistic sugar flowers to anywhere in the world, eliminating the need for you or your sweet cake-baking friend to panic when those piped flowers start to slide off the cake! With these wonderful and inexpensive decorations you become the designer behind the dreamy design. These delicate flowers add pizazz to any cake and can be preserved as mementos from your special day. Not to mention they'll preserve the relationship you have with the friend you conned into baking your wedding cake!

Savvy Cake Toppers!

Photo from Where Brides Go

If you and your groom are looking to spice up the top of the wedding cake in a little less traditional manner, try this on for size; whimsical cake toppers! Because some of those traditional plastic toppers are so lackluster and dull, many couples have steered away from using them all together, but now you can find the perfect topper to exemplify your personality. So if you're always grabbing his cute booty out in public, much to the dismay of your friends, select the fun topper I've featured above. Don't worry...there are many whimsical ones to choose from at Where Brides Go. Trust me, they've got what you need for finding the perfect topper to show your guests the kind of couple you really are!

Savvy Book!

Photo by Jason Frank Rothenberg from How To Have Style



Have I ever told you I'm on a first name basis with the oh-so-fabulous Isaac Mizrahi? I bet you're asking yourself how I got so lucky? See, I had an obscenely early flight (6:30 a.m.) out of DFW bound for NYC on a brisk morning last October. As I sashayed over to my gate and took a seat at the almost empty lounge, I notice that I had selected a seat across from Isaac. I quickly started to panic as I thought about how I looked. Leave it to me to be all matchy-matchy on the day I meet a style icon! Anyway, let's leap forward 9 months...

So last night I'm at Barnes & Noble browsening the fashion/self help section and came across How To Have Style written by, you guessed it, Isaac Mizrahi. Apparently he released the book last October. Hello? Where was I? Oh, that's right, I was sitting across from him and obsessing over my poorly selected outfit. Why on earth did I look so plain that day anyway? Oh yeah, I was going crazy training for the New York marathon, planning a huge golf tournament and wrapping up the details for a major wedding, all of which were taking place in the span of 6 days! No wonder I looked worse than Jessica Simpson in her mom jeans! At any rate...back to the book...

It's really fun and informative. Isaac takes 12 ordinary women and helps them find their own style. He starts with an inspiration board and their favorite photo of themselves. He then asks them (and you as the reader of the book) a series of style related questions. At the end of each chapter the woman has a whole new look that she loves. Along the way he gives great tips about makeup, accessories and my personal favorite...his advice about shaving your legs all the way up! I promise Isaac, I'll start doing that! Wait, wait...too much information...back to meeting Isaac last October...

So I'm sitting in the lounge with him and the truth be told, Isaac didn't notice me nor did he even speak to me. BUT I like to think that had I said hello we would be on a first name basis. Maybe he would have even given me some tips and then said, "clap for her!" Since we're really not best buddies his savvy tips from his book will just have to do. Hey, why don't you pick up a copy...I bet you'll love it! Then you can tell people you know him too!

Savvy Candles!

Photo from Low Country Luxe


Low Country Luxe’s creator Natalie Evans will release the new fragrance Peachtree for 29 Cosmetics in Atlanta this week. The creator of 29 Cosmetics, Lydia Mondavi, inspired the brand new scent. Lydia wanted to use the aroma of peach in the candle to produce a calming scent and create a soothing aura in the room.

Low Country Luxe's new addition to 29 is said to bring a new, modern fragrance to the collection. These candles are delighting noses across America and will no doubt continue to please with this enchanting new scent, which will make its debut on Thursday, July 9th at Neiman Marcus in Atlanta. So if you are in the area, stop by from 5 to 8 p.m. to meet the savvy women who dreamed up this delectable new scent and get your own mini-facial too!

Savvy Sentimental Bouquets!

Photo from Princess Lasertron

Every bride accessorizes her dress with a bouquet, but for those brides looking for a more unique approach to the traditional bouquet of flowers, consider this alternative. Princess Lasertron is a company that creates specialty bouquets composed of materials that the bride has specifically selected. Many times, the bride will choose material from their mother or grandmother’s wedding gowns to include in her bouquet. The company specializes in this type of sentimental creativity, which joins the past, present and future of tradition together. For more information visit the website to see the endless possibilities for your perfect day!

Savvy Wedding Savings!

Photo from Bride$hare

Weddings can become very costly, very quickly, and in this economy not all brides are in a position to spend tons of money on an elaborate reception. However, now there is an alternative to burdening the heavy cost alone. Bride$hare is a newly developed social networking website devoted to connecting brides to help them cut the costs of wedding expenses by sharing frequently used items such as décor and linens. Bride$hare is very new and the site is still being perfected, but this site could solve your problems by cutting costs while maintaining style to make your wedding day perfect!

Savvy Nomination!

Photos by Greg Blomberg

Tara Wilson Events has been nominated for the prestigious ISES Esprit Awards from the International Special Events Society (ISES) in the categories of Best Wedding: Budget $75,000 to $200,000 and Best ISES Team Effort Budget: $75,000 to $200,000 for the Old Hollywood Glamour event. Tara Wilson has been a special event professional almost three years and this is her first year to be nominated for an ISES award.

The Old Hollywood Glamour wedding, nominated for a 2009 ISES Esprit, was designed to reflect the bride’s love of classic movies and regal stars of old Hollywood. Drawing inspiration from iconic pictures and art deco graphics, the design reflected a sense of elegance and opulence commonly associated with the 1950’s.

Tara Wilson, President of Tara Wilson Events commented, “It is such an honor to be nominated for this prestigious award. We are absolutely thrilled to be recognized by our peers for our work on this event.”

ISES honors industry excellence through its prestigious awards program, the ISES Esprit Awards which fuels a spirit of competition within designated categories. ISES Esprit Awards can gain global visibility and recognition for ISES members, and honors special event professionals who exhibit a "spirit of excellence" in their work. The importance of global industry recognition helps improve industry standards internationally and further promote our professionalism. ISES is dedicated to recognizing excellence in events and honoring those individuals whose vision and creativity make their events "Special." (http://www.ises.com/)

Savvy 4th of July!

Red, White and Blue…With a Twist! Planning a 4th of July wedding? If traditional “Stars and Stripes” aren’t your thing, stay true to the Red, White and Blue by using modern elements in your décor. Here are a few of my favorites!

When you’re planning your table décor, add some sass by using blue and white zebra striped plates from West Elm atop a red table topper.

Don’t limit your creativity to just the place settings. Branch out with modern DIY floral centerpieces in monochromatic colors.

You can always spruce up inexpensive linen napkins by having catchy words or your initials embroidered on the corner.

Name each table after one of the Founding Fathers or frame patriotic quotes on each table to remind your guests of the reason we celebrate the 4th of July.

Champagne Toasts are a traditional element in American weddings. To make your toasts extra special have one of your wedding party read a passage from the Declaration of Independence and then offer his or her personal toast.

Serve each guest their very own mini bottle, also called a split, champagne. The patriotic splits sold by Pommery would add the perfect savvy touch!

I’ve seen “sparklers exits” go wrong so I recommend placing baskets of “confetti poppers” so your guests can help send you off.

Commemorate the occasion by giving guests a star-shaped ornament as a party favor. (Craft stores carry generic ornaments all year long.) Using a Sharpie pen, write the guests name as well as the date on the bottom of the ornament.

For more ideas and inspiration, check out my blog posts and others at Wedding Aces.

Savvy Press!

Photo by VIM Studio

Here's what D Weddings had to say about Savvy Sweets in the Fall-Winter issue! Thanks Rhonda for the write up!

D Weddings : What Every Couple Needs for a Just-Right Reception: "Sweet Dreams:
Tara Wilson, who has made a name for herself as a go-to event planner and wedding aficionado, has a delicious new venture: Savvy Sweets. These “stylish dessert-scapes” offer a creative way to sweeten up your reception and give guests a little variety. The customized dessert tables are designed to complement any wedding theme and suit any couple’s needs, whether in place of the traditional bride and groom cakes or as a flavorful alternative to take-home favors. 817-764-2601. www.tarawilson.com."

Savvy Ambition!

Book Cover for Julie and Julia

It's been a long week of meetings (client reviews, new potential projects, and planning meetings) and one really exciting wedding that ended (well, almost ended!) with the zipper on the bride's gown breaking and me sewing her into her dress. Needless to say, all this excitement left me craving a little down time and a good chick flick.

This evening I finally got my chance to unwind with a glass of wine, a pizza and The Devil Wears Prada. Now, while I am working on whipping my size 6 booty into a size 4, tonight was not the night for counting calories. No, tonight was all about relaxation!

Tell me something, when you finally let your hair down, do you find you tear up a lot more? Do you cry at the drop-of-a-hat over a movie, song or...cringe...commercial!? I think movie marketers know this and exploit us in our weakest state.

Case in point, the USA Network (or whatever channel I was watching) used tonight's commercial breaks as an opportunity to promote Meryl Streep and Amy Adams' new film, Julie and Julia. At one point during the commercial I found myself crying as Eric Powell (Chris Messina) says to Julie Powell (Amy Adams), "Julia Child wasn't always JULIA CHILD." That line just reminded me that we ALL start somewhere.

So I say this to all you aspiring cooks, singers, authors, designers, teachers, business owners...keep dreamin'...because if not YOU, then WHO?

Savvy Lesson!

Photo from Matthew Christopher Bridal

Girls, I'm going to share with you one of the MANY reasons it pays to have a wedding coordinator. Now, I don't like to brag, but as we Southerns say, "it ain't braggin' if you've done it."

Yesterday, Tara Wilson Events helped a bride avoid a near disaster. I mean D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R! Wearing a gorgeous Matthew Christopher dress, the bride walked confidently down the aisle, said her "I do's" and made her way to the reception. She was radiant...stunning...on top of the world...until we discovered the zipper on her beautiful gown had busted and her entire backside was about to be exposed to a cool 325 guests. (Gasp!)

Quickly her bridesmaids ushered into a private room and the repair work began. Not wanting to rip the dress or worse yet, break the zipper entirely, I pulled gently trying to correct the problem but with no luck. The zipper was popped open, except at the last couple of inches, and wasn't moving.

Several thoughts ran through my calm-cool-and-collected head:
1. I can fix this zipper. (I'm a "glass half full" kind of girl)
2. Oh sh*t, I can't fix this zipper. (I'm a realist)
3. I'll sew her in to the dress. (I'm determined)

Ultimately, I whipped out my handy-dandy event planner box, known fondly among my crew as THE box, and retrieved the sewing kit. In a matter of moments I had her dress stitched up and on her way to her first dance with her husband. Crisis averted!

And that, my darling brides-to-be, is just one of MANY ways your wedding coordinator will save the day! So the next time you think you can't afford a coordinator, ask yourself this, "Can I really afford NOT to have one?"