Howerton+Wooten Events Blog. The musings of a Maryland Wedding and Event Planner

Happy Anniversary Big Guy!

Our wedding day was one incredibly fantastic blur.  I barely remember the scenes of the day without the assistance of our wedding pictures and video.

But I definitely remember our honeymoon! 

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 
  

(The two of us on our honeymoon 12 years ago!)

Taking good care of your wedding clients goes a long way

Next Saturday's wedding is the first time that I will work on-site with a floral design company called, My Flower Box.

My Flower Box has some of the prettiest flowers that I have ever seen, but their floral design is not  the reason that I will return to them many times after next week's wedding.  It's their customer service.

You see, the ladies (Kimberly and Lori) at My Flower Box and Howerton+Wooten Events are working together on a wedding next weekend that has gone through many, many changes.  Not a big deal really, but I have witnessed wedding industry vendors become a little prickly when a bride makes numerous changes to her requests and needs.  Not them.  They consistently respond quickly and without issue.  Their flexibility not only keeps the bride happy, it makes me look good.  You got to love that!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

I Love This Dress: Joy Houston Bridal

The designer of this wedding gown, Joy Houston, is based in the Washington DC area.  Joy creates her gowns using custom-made silk fabrics from Asia and hand-embroidered embellishments of symbols from nature such as flowers.

This gown is fittingly called the Cleopatra.  The gorgeous gold and green embroidery accentuates a woman's beautiful curves.  If you are not a fan of the gold and green colors, the designer can design a gown with embroidery that suits your style and wishes.

The gown is made of Thai silk and it has a sweep train.

(Photo: Joy's Bridal Designs)

Fun Fact: Designer Ann Lowe

 

 

When Jacqueline Bouvier was preparing for her 1953 wedding to then Congressman John F. Kennedy, her mother sought out a talented African-American dress-maker name Ann Cole Lowe to create the wedding gown.  Ms. Lowe was a high society designer who had designed for her for years as well as for the duPonts, Biddles, Lodges, and other patrician-type families for years.

The Bouvier wedding gown featured a portrait neckline and bouffant skirt decorated with interwoven bands of tucking and tiny wax flowers.  The gown required 50 yards of ivory silk taffeta and took more than two months to make.  Ms. Lowe also designed the pink faille silk gowns and matching Tudor caps worn by the bridal party.

Ms. Lowe was awarded the Couturier of the Year Plaque by New York Fashion society in 1961. She appeared in the National Social Directory and 1968 Who's Who of American Women. She also opened a new store on Madison Avenue in New York, which did quite well. She designed and created more than 2,000 dresses for New York’s society ladies, and was well known for using the "trapunto" technique in her dressmaking.

Five of Ms. Cole’s gowns are now in the permanent collection of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Others are in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, and the Black Fashion Museum in Harlem. Anne Cole Lowe retired in the 1970s and died in 1981 at the age of 83.

 

You can read more about Ann Cole Lowe in the book, The Threads of Time, The Fabric of History: Profiles Of African American Dressmakers And Designers From 1850 To The Present.  The book was written by Rosemary E. Reed Miller.

 

 

 

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay

Information and Photo Credits --

The Threads of Time, The Fabric of History: Profiles Of African American Dressmakers And Designers From 1850 To The Present

JFK Presidential Library and Museum

 

Blog Goodness. Let's Eat Cake!

 

Eight years ago, my little guy was quite ill, so I spent quite a bit of time taking him to a pediatric hematologist.  I was a new mom at the time, so this experience was extremely gut-wrenching – As a result, I found myself constantly praying for his future and the future of every child in the doctor’s waiting room.  I was grateful for the doctors, nurses and hospital staff that dedicated their lives to improving and saving the lives of these children.  They are truly angels.

 

That’s why I believe that all of us in the wedding planning blogosphere should support Let’s Eat Cake!  Let’s Eat Cake! is a wedding cake competition that was created by Melissa over at MasterPiece Weddings.  And get this, 100% of the proceeds go to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital.  For those of you that may not know, St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital is the only pediatric cancer research center that pays for all treatment not covered by insurance, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.  Eighty five cents of every dollar received at St. Jude’s goes directly to patient care and research.

 

If you can make a donation to Let’s Eat Cake!, please mail it to:

 

MasterPiece Weddings

2131 NW 40^th Terrace, Suite E

Gainesville, Florida 32605

 

If you prefer not to make that trip to the post office, you can donate on-line too.

 

If you are available to be in Gainesville on February 17, 2009, consider volunteering some of your time to Let’s Eat Cake!  The competition is scheduled to take place at the Paramount Plaza Hotel in Florida.

 

So, give thanks for your blessings and consider giving a little through Let’s Eat Cake!

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

 

(Let's Eat Cake! Logo: MasterPiece Weddings)

Fun Fact: Invite the President to your Wedding

 

 

Did you know that you can send a wedding invitation to the President of the United States, and receive something in return from him?

 

Well, you can.  Simply mail one of your wedding invitations to the President, and you will receive a pre-printed card with the signatures of the President and First Lady.  Of course this is not a personal message from GW, but it makes a wonderful keepsake.

 

Here's where you should send your invitation –

 

President and Mrs. Bush

The White House
Greetings Office, Room 39
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20502

 

If you decide to send the President an invitation, let me know what you receive in turn!

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

 

 

(Photo: Wikipedia.com)

Friday Happy Hour: Negroni Punch

 

 

Featured in the July 2008 issue of Bon Appétit, this gin-based, pre-dinner cocktail is sure to whet your whistle for a hearty barbecue on your deck!  Enjoy!  Love & Soul Always, Kay

Ingredients –

Four (4) cups of Assorted Fresh Fruit (berries, pitted cherries, pitted sliced apricots, and pitted sliced peaches are great suggestions)

Two to four tablespoons of sugar (optional)

One (1) cup of Campari

One (1) cup of sweet vermouth

One (1) cup of gin

Two (2) 750-ml bottles of chilled Prosecco

Ice Cubes

Directions –

Place the fruit in a large punch bowl.

Sprinkle the fruit with sugar to taste, if desired.

Stir and let stand ten (10) minutes for sugar to dissolve and juices to form.

Add all remaining ingredients except ice cubes.

Divide punch among eight (8) tall ice-filled glasses and serve.

 

 

(Photo by Epicurious.com)

Try this one on for size!

 

Need a little bling on THAT finger, but not interested in the commitment.

Check out this funny coffee mug, called the Two-Carat Cup.  I found it on the FredFlare web site, and I thought it was a riot!

This cup’s ring-shaped handle (gold or silver) that is adorned with a real Swarovski crystal.

Of course this cup is not dishwasher safe, but it should strike up a good conversation in your office!

Enjoy!

Love & Soul Always Kay