Photo Credit: hoffmannphotographer.blogspot.com

ISES had their Installation and Awards ceremony on Tuesday at the Luxe Hotel, Sunset Blvd. in Brentwood. Although I was only 3.5 miles away in West LA, it still took me about 45 minutes to get to the Luxe Hotel using surface streets!

The venue was beautifully decorated by Luna Party Rentals, BBJ Linens, and SBD Events. Every table had unique chargers to eat off of, courtesy of Mandarin Orange Trading, and the florals were done by The Flower Garden. The dinner, which was scrumptious, was provided by the Luxe Hotel.

In addition to getting installed as your new Director of Communications with my fellow fabulous board members, I was also super surprised to be awarded “Firecracker of the Year.” It was such a pleasure to be recognized as a dedicated member of ISES and I pledge to continue working hard for this wonderful association.

I love my award!

ISES also presented the LASEA (LA Special Events Awards) to amazing companies and people in our industry, including AOO Events, SJL Events, Simply Mumtaz Events, and Get Flipped, just to name a few. A very special Congrats to Brooke Bonder from the Event Nut for winning a $1000 Scholarship as well!

Jeff and Jackie made a great "Sonny and Cher" team as the award presenters.

Check out the ISES LA website for the updated LASEA award winners and our new ISES Board members. And stay tuned for the August edition of the ISES e-zine because I’ll be putting that one together!

Thanks for all the LOVE!

ISES held their quarterly ISES Power Breakfast yesterday at the LA Mart in downtown LA bright and early at 7:30am. About 50 attendees joined us for the event and enjoyed a buffet breakfast by Thompson Catering and wonderfully colorful vignette displays done through the various stores at LA Mart.

LA Mart vignettes

Lattes on Locations offered a very yummy selection of coffees, teas, and lattes.

Lattes on Location

The beautiful linens and floral arrangements were showcased by EventWorks.

ISES Breakfast Floral Centerpieces

ISES Member and Breakfast Team Leader Jeff Sigler spoke about the topic “Wake up to Prosperity” on behalf of Andy Spyros. He led round-table discussions about defining your personal prosperity, what talents you recognize in yourself, and what “stories” you tell yourself to prevent from reaching your full prosperity. There was even a cage with an adorable elephant in the room to help signify the “elephant in the room” topic that no one ever likes to talk about!

There's an elephant in the room!

Afterward attendees were led through a grand tour of LA Mart and given 2 complimentary passes to the California Gift Show which officially starts this Friday the 16th through Monday the 19th at both LA Mart and the LA Convention Center.

California Gift Show

A very big Thank You to the ISES Breakfast team: Jeff Sigler, Chris Gerstenblatt, Kathy Tollman, Takowa Patterson. I could not have done this event without your expertise! And Jeff, thanks for the opportunity to lead your wonderful team to put this great event together!

If you missed this one, you better mark your calendars for the next ISES Power Breakfast on October 6th!

As your wedding date is chosen and the guests lists are created, so starts the wedding planning process! Whether you choose to work with a wedding planner or not, here are some tips to remember when hiring some of your wedding vendors.

1. Hairdressers. Bring your veil or headpiece when you go to do your trial appointment. It will help you see how your hair and your veil will look together. Feel free to take pictures of the front and back so that you can remind your hairdresser on the wedding day.

Photo Credit: bestgiftsforwedding.com

2. Photographer and Videographer. It’s really important that you choose your photographer and/or videographer not solely based on their work only! That might seem silly, but it’s far more important that you get along with them. Out of all the vendors you choose, these people will be in contact with you the most, so make sure you meet them and know you feel comfortable with them before you hire them.

Photo Credit: Weddingbomba.blogspot.com

3. DJ/Entertainment. Ask your DJ or Entertainment crew if you can go and listen to their work at another wedding. Make sure you get to listen to some of their music and that they can play your favorite kind of music.

Photo Credit: Blogger-prom.blogspot.com

4. Florist. Just because you talk to your florist about roses and the color red doesn’t mean you both mean the same color red or the same size and shape of flowers, so ask for sample centerpieces. Even if it costs more, it’s worth it to rest assured that you’re getting exactly what you want.

Photo Credit: www.blooming-blossoms.com

5. Officiant. It’s important to speak to your officiant about what types of ceremonies they usually do and what the schedule usually consists of. You should also ask how long the ceremony will last for.

Photo Credit: Budgetweddings.info

6. Wedding Planners. Ask if your wedding planner provides an emergency wedding kit. These things can be anything from scissors, bobby pins, extra socks, and aspirin. This should be free of charge.