Happy Thanksgiving

Today's blog is a little different. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we'd like to talk about our family and what we are thankful for. We hope you enjoy!


As mother's and wives, my sister and I have a lot to be thankful for. First, we both have amazing husbands that work hard and allow us to follow our dreams of being Event Designers/Planners. And secondly, we each have been blessed with two beautiful children.

















Rachael has two adorable little boys ages 2 1/2 years and 5 months old. With their blonde hair and big blue eyes, they will sure to be melting hearts in the years to come! My 2 1/2 year old nephew, who I am honored to also call my godson, definitely keeps my sister on her toes! He already loves his sports and even at 2, you can tell he is one talented little boy. I can already tell that the newest little Lukas will be just like his older brother!












I have been blessed with a beautiful 3 year old daughter and most recently my 3 month old son. I definitely have one sassy little princess and one smile from my son and I melt like butter lol! Needless to say, they have me and my husband wrapped around their little fingers. They both are so smart and I am constantly amazed by what they learn everyday.




We are so lucky that our children are close in age and will grow up together and have this special bond. Our families mean the world to us. Our children inspire us everyday. It is just one of the many things we are thankful for. So again, in honor of Thanksgiving this Thursday, we just want to express how thankful we are for our families and friends, everyone's health and happiness and how thankful we are to be able to do what we love to do as our job. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families and may there be plenty of blessings in your future.

Love,
Aelicia and Rachael

An Elegant Halloween Themed Wedding

Halloween is a favorite holiday of ours. We love all the decorations and of course seeing all the kids dressed up in all these adorable costumes. But who says you can;t enjoy Halloween as an adult? If you are a kid at heart, then a Halloween themed wedding is perfect for you! And there is an elegant way of doing it.

A Halloween wedding doesn't have to be held on Halloween, just as long as it is as close to Halloween as possible. And to keep it more true to a Halloween rather than fall theme, we love the purple, black and silver color scheme.

For something like this, planning ahead can be a real money saver. You can get a lot of wonderful Halloween accessories on clearance after Halloween. Things to look out for to fit within your color scheme are deep purple novelty candles with silver accents (we found beautiful ones at Michael's), black candle holders and Halloween themed goblets to use as toasting glasses...just to name a few.




You can achieve a beautiful, dramatic elegant wedding with the decorations you choose. Start off by using deep purple table lines and napkins with a silver lace overlay. Your centerpieces can be done in various heights. For tall arrangements, use branches dyed black, suspend votive candles and have a variety of flowers at the bottom in different hues of purple such as lilac roses and deep purple calla lilies. The smaller centerpieces can be comprised of black candelabras or candle holders with purple candles (the ones that you purchased on clearance) and have them settled on mirrors with votive candles by the base. Finish the look with personalizing the table numbers and naming each table after a specific place from a horror film. The possibilities are truly endless.




For the Bride's bouquet, don't be afraid to be dramatic. Use deep purple calla lilies or black roses. Add some fun touches like black feathers or black or silver branches. For the bridesmaids, use a lighter hue of purple like lilac roses and incorporate the same black feathers or branches. (the above photos courtesy of Brides.com)

What wedding wouldn't be complete without a cake! You can be just as dramatic here as you were with the other decorations. You can have the cake covered in purple fondant. Or possibly all white or silver with a black lace decoration on each layer and purple sugar flowers. You can even forego the traditional cake all together and opt for cupcakes in yoru color scheme!

Whatever you decide to do, it will sure to be memorable! Now I'm thinking a renewal of vows in a purple and black color scheme is in my future : )

Aelicia & Rachael

Fall Centerpieces

We love fall! The beautiful colors, wonderful weather. I mean, what's not to love? As promised, we are talking about everything fall this month and we are starting off with some exceptional centerpieces!!

We start off with this unique piece. We love this. This is a great centerpiece for the one that is not only into the fall colors, but loves all the traditional decor that comes with autumn...such as pumpkins! You start with a large pumpkin in the middle thats filled with yellow and orange flowers, such as roses and calla lilies. This centerpiece even has berries added as an accent. Surround this with smaller pumpkins and candles in orange votives and you have a beautiful fall decoration.


Now if you liked the first pumpkin centerpiece, you'll love this one! We love this idea for any event happening towards the end of October. As with the picture above, your main piece is the large pumpkin. Instead of filling it with flowers, it is carved like a traditional halloween pumpkin would be. This one is carved with the letter "B" but how cute would it be with the couples monogram? Place a candle inside and surround it with your favorite fall pieces and your all set!



These next two centerpieces are becoming more popular for fall. We love the branches. Its simplistic and elegant and yet there are so many things you can do with it. Hang crystals from the branches (as in the first picture) and you have a beautiful glistening effect. Or use branches with different colored maple leaves and you have a room filled with color. The vases can be filled with round stones which is so different, beautiful orchids (and there are some great orange options out there) and even mini pumpkins, pinecones and acorns.






This last centerpiece we found is so different and something that we are in love with. If you know us, then you know we love pictures (enter Rachael's beautiful picture card box that she had at her wedding!). What a great way to show a couple in love by having pictures shown throughout the room. Here a square glass vase is used and a picture of the couple have been placed on each side. Fill it with the flowers of your choice and you have a beautiful centerpiece. Now since we love this so much, why not take it a step further? This can also be used as the bottom piece of the centerpiece and have branches coming out from the middle, or another ball of flowers at top for a topiary look. Anything can be done with this particular style. You can also use this at any event: child's 1st birthday party with pictures of them throughout their first year, or how about a baby shower and the pictures are of the parents to be when they were babies? The options are endless!! (Can you tell that this is one of our favorite centerpieces!)



We hope you have found some inspiration for your next event. We would love to see the pictures!

Aelicia & Rachael

The Wine Box

We loved the idea that our beautiful couple had at their wedding and wanted to share it with you.

The Wine Box is a beautiful sentiment that a couple can share with one another. You can decorate it with the same flowers you had at your wedding, along with ribbon in your color scheme and why not add some ivy and grapes! The fun and romantic part is what comes next.

Start off by taping or glueing your invitation inside the top lid of the box. Next, add two wine glasses: here you can have fun with decorating them, personalizing the glass with your names or using two pieces that may be a family heirloom. Between the glasses place a bottle of wine from the year you started dating. My favorite part is what you will do next.

A love letter is written from bride to groom and vice versa and sealed in separate envelopes. You can also have each set of parents write a letter to be sealed as well. On your 10 year wedding anniversary, or sooner if you are like me, you open the box, enjoy a glass of wine, read the letters and relive the beautiful day where you celebrated your love for each other with your family and friends!




We hope you enjoyed this as much as we did. I now plan on doing this with my husband for our anniversary!

Aelicia & Rachael

Candy Buffets!

The hot new trend are candy buffets and we love them! We recently did one for a birthday party and it was a big hit.





What's great about candy buffets are how you can create this fun trendy party decoration to fit any theme and party. The above was done for a sweet little princess who's colors were pink, black and white. It was fun finding all the different candies to fit within this color scheme and the look on the guest of honor's face told us we hit a grand slam! This candy buffet was a great party favor for guests of all ages. And what is so wonderful about this hot trend is that it's not just for birthday's.

We are seeing candy buffets set up at a lot of our weddings. What a great idea! It's the end of the night, you've been dancing up a storm and your sweet tooth is kicking in. You step out for dessert and in addition to the amazing treats the venue has provided, you see a beautiful display of candy in an arrangement of colors. Makes you feel like a kid again!

Just like for a birthday party, this makes for a great party favor for your guests. You can place bags on your table with a sweet note for your guests to read. They will enjoy picking out the wonderful assortment you have provided as well as reading the nice sentiment you had written that shows them how much you appreciated them being there on your special day.



Holiday parties are a great time to have candy buffets as well. They are easy, fun and a different twist to the traditional chips and dip. We love this idea for a Halloween party. It definitely makes for a great centerpiece display in your home and one you guests will love.



Whatever your next event may be, make sure to incorporate this sweet treat. Your guests will love it and you will have fun creating it! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!

Aelicia and Rachael

Sizzling Summer Contest!!

Hello everyone! We are excited to launch our summer contest for new clients. It has been hot out there so what better way to beat the heat than a chance to be entered in to receive 50% off of your package choice! The contest is through September 6th and we do not want you to miss out. Give us a call or send us an email for more information. Good Luck to all!

Aelicia & Rachael

Congratulations to one of our couples Jay and Sheri!

AART is so excited for our couple Jay and Sheri. Last week Sheri gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby boy! Sheri had decided to not find out what she was having earlier on in her pregnancy which made the birth even more special. And he must have not wanted to be a surprise any longer as he came 3 weeks early! He was born in the early evening and weighed 5lbs 9oz and was 21 inches long! An adorable cute bundle of joy. Many blessings to you and your new family!

Aelicia & Rachael

Extra! Extra! Blog all about it!!

AART Event Planning is excited to announce the start of our blog! We will be posting events, AART news and of course the latest trends. This is a very exciting time for us and we are even more excited to share it with you.

We will be sharing some of our favorite things as well and welcome you to let us know what you think and what your favorite things are too. And if there is a certain topic you want information on, let us know. We'll be glad to blog about it!

So sit back, relax and enjoy. We look forward to this exciting journey and hope you will too!!

Aelicia & Rachael