Damian Izsa's Tricky Tray Scholarship Dinner in Northern New Jersey

Hello family, friends and fans. We'd like to take this opportunity to talk to you about a Tricky Tray dinner that will be held in honor of a dear family friend, Damian Izsa. He was taken away from us too soon and is missed every day. Damian had worked as a nurse at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ and the scholarship that is in honor of him will now help students pursing a nursing career.

The dinner will be held on October 19th at 6:30pm at the Excelsior in Saddle Brook, NJ. Tickets are now on sale for $50 each and you can contact Mary Tarabocchia at Luckow at 201-634-5329 to purchase them. Checks will be accepted. You can make them out to The Valley Hospital Foundation with Damian Izsa Scholarship Fund written in the memo section.

Donations for prizes for the tricky tray are being accepted now. Any size, any item, even an empty basket to put items in, would be greatly appreciated. Your items can be picked up or you can directly drop them off at the hospital.

With a buffet dinner, live music, dancing and amazing prizes, this dinner will sure be to an amazing night! Please come out and/or donate some items to support the family and friends of Damian.

We'd like to thank you all in advance for your support. Please help us spread the word. If you are interested in purchasing a ticket or donating an item, do not hesitate to contact us.

XOXO,
Aelicia & Rachael

Tips on Tuesday: How NOT to overcrowd your table

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today we are talking about your tables....and our suggestions on how to keep your guests eyes on the beauty and not the clutter.

Brides, we know how hard you have planned and worked on creating the wedding of your dreams. The perfect flowers, centerpieces, favors, etc. You wait for the big day to see it all put together and we know (and hope) it is more beautiful than you could have ever imagined. But....sometimes, what we see is....clutter.

So we want to help! Here are some tips on being able to get everything you want on your tables, with all your personal touches, without it looking too crowded and over filled.

1) Start by thinking about having different things at different tables. What many brides do not realize is that sometimes, venues use different size tables depending on the number of guests that will be seated there. If you have a table of 12 with centerpieces, favors, etc, then your table of 8 could be smaller and then all of the items you chose for your table will not fit. Make sure to check this with your venue.

2) We see many weddings having different centerpieces at different tables and it looks amazing! Your eye just keeps going all around the room from one beautiful centerpiece to another. But with that said, again make sure to adjust what goes on each table. Not every table needs 6 votives. Maybe some get more, some get less pending the size of your centerpieces.

3) Keep your favors small enough to fit next to a glass or on a small plate. This helps opening up space on the table. Allowing guests room for their cameras or purses.

4) Do a sample table. Set a table up at home. 12 plates, 12 water glasses. 12 wine glasses, a centerpiece, favors etc. See how it looks and how you can tweak it. Do you need 2 bottles of wine at each table? Maybe the table numbers should be on a stand taking up less space? What if you did smaller centerpieces on one table, what can be added? Or bigger centerpieces on another, what should be taken away?

5) Many couples have added donations as part of favors. Another piece added to a table. How about making one donation sign and place it by a sign in book or maybe your card box? Then give it your personal touch by announcing your choice of donation to all your guests.

Happy planning and enjoy your big day!!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Northern New Jersey Featured Business: MPW Media Group

Happy Friday!! Even though the day is almost over, we still wanted to let you all know who the featured business of the week is.....MPW Media Group that's who!

We had the pleasure of working with them in July and let me tell you, their pictures are AMAZING!! Not only do they take breathtaking pictures, they are great and easy to work with. We definitely recommend them to all of our clients and look forward to working with them again in the future. Here are some of their professional pictures from our couple's wedding that was held at the beautiful Northern New Jersey venue The Westmount Country Club that we are excited to share!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

A New Jersey Wedding, down by the shore in LBI!

Our wonderful couple Melissa and Kevin exchanged their vows Sunday September 18th, on the beach in Beach Haven, NJ with a reception to follow at The Boathouse. The weather held out, even though it was a bit windy. The ceremony was warm and touching and the reception was full of fun! Melissa put her creative hat on and that was seen in all of the details throughout the event. We were very happy to be apart of their beautiful day and wish Melissa and Kevin a lifetime of love and happiness. Here are a few pictures from the wedding.

Melissa and Kevin's ceremony took place on the beach. They exchanged their vows under this beautiful Chuppa.

With a reception at The Boathouse, Melissa and Kevin opted for teal linens and orange napkins to remind them of the colors of the sunset.

Fun fan programs and bubbles were placed in baskets and decorated with the couple's wedding colors of teal, fuschia and orange at the ceremony.

Melissa and Kevin are definitely a fun couple. They had a photo booth at the reception which of course was a big hit! And their love for the movie Grease was also seen with the tables named after characters in the movie as well as the fun treat they showed their guests, with the help of our amazing graphic artist!

My favorite part were the different centerpieces Melissa and Kevin had. They had 6 different centerpieces for their 12 tables and the room looked amazing with them. Even though we loved them all, here are our two favorites from that night.

And we couldn't have done this all without the help of all the wonderful vendors that night:

Ceremony: Pearl St Gazebo, Beach Haven, NJ

Venue: The Boathouse

Florist: Lily in the Valley

Photographer/Video/Photo Booth: Enchanted Celebrations

DJ: DC Entertainment

Chair Rentals: Brothers Shore Party Rentals

Officiant: Rabbi Claire Green

Cellist: Grace Note Music

Cupcakes: A Sweet Memory

Congratulations again to our happy couple! Thank you for letting us be apart of your day and here is to a lifetime of happiness!!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Northern New Jersey Featured Business: Floral Expressions

Where do we start with these amazing ladies! Stephanie and Kathy from Floral Expressions can design amazing weddings on any budget. When I first met Stephanie I was so impressed with her knowledge and ability to think outside of the box for our clients who are looking for something different. Love a particular flower but know you can't afford it? Stephanie comes up with amazing alternatives that makes you forget what you were originally looking at. On a tight budget? You can rest assure that the wonderful ladies at Floral Expressions can give you stunning arrangements your guests will be talking about.

With over 35 years of experience, you can understand why we love these ladies so much. Below are some samples of their work. They are our number one go to florist and will continue to use them for many events to come!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Credits

Florals: Floral Expressions

Photos: Studio Uno

Planning: AART Event Planning

Tips on what to do with Bridesmaid Dresses

If you are like me, you have been in a handful of weddings. If you are like my sister Aelicia, you are Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses. You buy the dress, have a fantastic time at the wedding and then take the dress that most brides say 'can totally be worn again' and put it in the back of your closet. So, now what?? Well, here are a few ideas on what to do with those beautiful, and maybe not so beautiful, dresses!

Save them

If you only have a few dresses, or if you are the sentimental type, keep the dresses. It will remind you of friendships, family, love and the fun you had that special day

Alter them

We have heard it...maybe once or twice, so do it! If the dress can be worn again, prove it. Make it shorter, change the color. It is your dress, you paid for it so make it into a dress you are happy to wear to less formal occasions or a cocktail dress to wear at other weddings.

Donate it

If you think you are just going to put the dress away and have it sit in your closet for years, why not give it to someone that deserves to have a beautiful gown but unfortunately cant afford it.

There are many different organizations that take bridesmaid dresses for weddings and proms.

http://www.donatemydress.org/

http://princessproject.org/

or to a Fairy Godmother Project in your area

Make something

My favorite would be to make something out of it. How about making a quilt? You can make it for yourself, for the couple to have as an anniversary present with their name engraved on it or even a baby quilt to give to the bride (when the time comes). You can even make it into a prom dress for your daughter. What wonderful bonding time to spend with her while you help her create and sketch her very own custom dress!

So take a look in your closet. Chances are you are holding on to something that could be used in so many different ways, making you and others feel good, instead of just taking up space.

xo,

Rachael and Aelicia

Northern New Jersey Featured Business: Soundbar Entertainment

It's Friday and in our industry that means show the love! So AART Event Planning is proud to introduce our new weekly blog on where we will be featuring an incredible vendor, colleague or friend that we love working with and give us inspiration! Today's featured business is Soundbar Entertainment!

David and JT are a husband and wife team that are just amazing!! They really understand what the clients wants and needs are and will keep your guests on the dance floor all night long. They bring a unique experience to your event that your guests will talk about for years to come!

Soundbar also has so many other things to offer their clients such as lighting, plasma video screens, photo booths and more! Hiring them as your entertainment will be a great investment and trust me, they will not disappoint! We are so excited to work with them again and look forward to the many ventures that we will have together in the future! Take a look at some pictures below to get a taste of what your event can be like!