Monday, December 17, 2012

Escort Cards + Creative Displays




One of the most important elements of your wedding reception will be your Escort Card Display.  Why bother?  Because without assigned seating, your guests will wander around trying to find enough chairs to sit together with their friends and families.  Imagine a movie theater on premier night with only single seats available as far as the eye can see, and you have your 4 best friends with you.  You all want to sit together to enjoy the movie as a group, but no one will give up a seat, or change seats to accommodate you.  This could be your wedding reception!

 To avoid this horrible guest experience, create a seating chart.  Consider the ages, and relationships of the guests that you are seating together, and seat families at the same table, or tables very close to each other. 
Make the display of escort cards easy to read, fun and creative.  This is the perfect place to have your personalities really shine, so have fun with it! 

Here are just a few examples.....

DIY button escort cards

circus-inspired ticket seating cards - love the striped back // photo by Diane Elizabeth, event design by AngelaSabanDesign.com
http://ruffledblog.com/walk-the-tightrope-inspiration-shoot/  
Lush seating assignment.
http://www.stylemepretty.com/page/3/

vintage frames
frames   

Monday, October 29, 2012

Under The Big Top Halloween + Vintage Circus Theme

I can finally share with everyone the gorgeous pictures taken by Diana Elizabeth of our Under The Big Top, vintage themed circus party.  Costumes, desserts, and balloons, OH MY!

So proud to be featured on Hostess with the Mostess, I've waited a long time to be featured on this wonderful site.  The big top tent with red and white stripes was the perfect backdrop for the circus themed costumes created by the talented Julie Tadano at Juju's Tutus.  Vintage details and desserts that would delight little animals and performers alike.  This shoot was more fun than a barrel of monkeys, even though it was over 110 degrees in Phoenix the day of the shoot!

 Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}


 Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}

 Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}
 Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}
Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}
Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}

 Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}

Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}
Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}

Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}
 Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}
Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}
Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}
 Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}
 Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}
 Under the Big Top Circus Party {+ Kids Costumes}

VENDOR CREDITS & RESOURCES:

– Photography: Diana Elizabeth
– Event Design: Angela Saban Design
– Flower Girl Dresses & Tutu Costumes: Juju’s Tutus
– Furniture: Modern Revival
– Bakery: Angel Cakes Bakery
– Hair & Makeup: Aeni Domme
– Flowers: Garage By Ivy
– Paintings: Dana Railey
– Appliqued Tops & Leos and Leggings: Makmay Designs
– Children’s Headpieces/Bows/Hats: Princess Pie Bowtique
– Children’s Jewelry: Tinsel for Tots
– Invitations & Paper Items: Page & Mason Invitations
– Tight Rope Walker Custom Parasol: M’Lady’s Parasols and Accessories
– Hand made felt goodies: Sweets By EJ
– Hair: Jenny Strebe

Monday, October 22, 2012

The Felch House Inn October Open House

My new adventure with The Felch House Inn, a lovely vintage venue in The Roosevelt District, began this month.  We hosted a beautiful Open House last Thursday, and the weather was perfect.  A clear, starry sky, great food, twinkling lights, and a house full of brides, eager to imagine their weddings in this gorgeous garden setting.  Carmichael Studios took these beautiful pictures.  Our chef from Jennifer's Catering provided the amazing food, and we provided (Angel Cakes Bakery) vanilla cake with raspberry filling and our latest creation, french macarons.  More pictures will be appearing soon, but this is just a taste of what you can expect to see in the months to come at a very unique venue, hope you can join us soon.










Monday, October 8, 2012

Phoenix Bridal Show + Blushing Romance

We just wrapped up another Phoenix Bridal Show and it was so much fun meeting all the girls, their guys, and families.  Every single one looking for that extra special something that will make their wedding day perfect.  So, as we chatted with many of them, my favorite question to ask is always.."have you decided on a theme for your wedding?"  95% of the time, this question will strike fear in even the most organized and creative bride.  The mouth falls open, a blank stare usually follows, and one bride even tilted her head slightly and asked "where do I find one of those?" 

A lot of trends come and go, but themes are always a great place to start planning any event, especially a wedding.  Hollywood, Retro, Vintage, Glam, Movies, Space, Books, Travel, you name it, someone has done it.  A theme doesn't have to be a period in time, or an object, or a hobby.  It's really about telling your story, expressing yourself and giving your guests a unique experience.

My favorite themes begin with a feeling.  As Kayla and I were planning the booth for the bridal show, we considered what most brides are looking for in a theme.  Romance.  No matter what colors, songs, or flowers they choose, in the end, a wedding is the most romantic event in their lives. Romance is a feeling.  Soft, edgy, sleek or elegant, all can be over the top romantic.  And by the way, linens are a fabulous way to add some soft romance.


We chose our linens from La Tavola.  Their nude sequined cloth added a glamorous sweetness to our sweetheart table.  The gold chivari chairs from ProEm were covered with the matching sequined chair covers in a beautiful vintage pink to match the dessert table linen which was covered in blooms made of silk ribbons.My favorite element of our Blushing Romance Themed Wedding Vignette was our canopy structure draped in yards and yards of flowing white chiffon.  The addition of an antique chandelier made in Spain and donated by Shannon at Modern Revival definitely topped off the romantic feeling.




Vintage China courtesy of Modern Revival, a lush and romantic floral from Garage by Ivy and a very special little sweetheart cake for the bride and groom brought lots of "ooooo's and ahhhhh's" from many brides. 

A sweet little antique vanity from my collection was graced by cupcakes and cake balls covered with sugar flowers and gold sugar pearls. 



We served samples of Double Decadent Chocolate, Luscious Fresh Lemon, and the most popular, Peach Cobbler Cake.  I heard lots of "Yum" which makes me so happy!

For the Vintage Pink Blooming Dessert Table, we chose 3 special cake designs.  The first a "Vintage Circus" striped cake with gold-tipped fondant ruffles, gold rhinestones, gilded leaves and a bow of vanilla on top.  Our "Petal Cake" in gold and black was simply chic, and the large square "Lace and Orchid" cake covered in sugar vintage lace  and a mixture of black and pink sugar flowers gave the table such a romantic feeling. Don't miss the black umbrella with gold ropes holding our escort cards.  Page and Mason created this unique element for us. The black and white admission tickets lead the guests to their table seating.





Also on the table was our latest and most exciting creation, a tower of crispy, melt-in-your-mouth French Macarons. Created by combining almond flour, egg whites, sugar and vanilla, they are pure heaven. They are filled with dark chocolate ganache or your favorite flavored butter cream and can be custom colors to match your theme. Stacked high with white sugar roses, they offer a very elegant and delicious alternative to the traditional wedding cake.



Thanks to all of our fabulous vendors who helped to make this bridal show one of our very best.  Congratulations to all of the brides and grooms to be!  We can't wait to help you start planning your uniquely themed celebration. And, as always, a special thank you to my family and staff (who feel just like family) for all your help.  I couldn't do it without you all, and even if I could, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Walk the Tightrope with Me + Ruffled Blog

Angela Saban Design and Angel Cakes Bakery were featured on Ruffled Blog today, thanks again to my lovely and talented friend Diana Elizabeth.  This styled shoot was originally inspired by another lovely friend, Julie Read of  Juju's Tutu's.  She designed a super fun line of costume tutu's with a circus theme and an "Under the Big Top" party shoot was born.  (soon to be seen on a big party blog near you) So, we decided while we were all in a "circus" state of mind, we would put together a circus themed wedding shoot as well.

I couldn't sleep for a week, trying to think of a wedding theme that wasn't just another circus themed wedding. As I thought about the performers that I had seen years ago in the big top my parents took me to, I remember being mesmerized by the tightrope walkers.  They seemed so elegant, graceful and absolutely magical.  A theme was born!

Some of my favorite details were the amazingly creative invitations, menus, and escort cards (displayed hanging from an umbrella by rope).  The hand embroidered handkerchief that I stumbled upon while surfing Etsy, and the ruffled detail on the bottom of the cake, done by me, one very late night right before the shoot. and then there's the picture of the two champagne glasses tied with rope, my favorite.

As we started to put out a call for vendors, the buzz really got a lot of attention, and before we knew it, I think we finished with a list of 24 vendors.  Hope I didn't leave anyone out!  Diana threw in the idea of The Great Gatsby, and we were off and running.  This shoot literally was put together in about three weeks, and shot on a day when temperatures soared well above 210 degrees!

But, you would never know that everyone was hot, as Diana's pictures show all the kids having so much fun, and the models were smiling from ear to ear.  Sometimes an idea just comes together in a way that makes everyone happy, and filled with such joy...it was truly magic!

A very sincere thank you to all the vendors, Diana and Julie once again.  You know, they say that if you are doing what you are meant to be doing, it doesn't feel like work?  Styling shoots like this fills me with joy, and it NEVER feels like work!  I would bet that Diana, Julie and all the other vendors felt the same way. A special thank you to my assistant Kayla Dunlap, my husband, my daughter Jennifer, and Julie's husband, for all the help.  These shoots are big and intense, just like my love for all of you!

Big thanks to Amanda of Ruffled for featuring this shoot today!  See it here.




Photography: Diana Elizabeth Photography / Event Design: Angela Saban Design / Bridal Gown: Uptown Bridal & Boutique / Hair: Jenny Strebe / Makeup: Aeni Domme / Bridal Headpieces: Posh ala Mode / Bridesmaid Dress: Jennyvi Dizon Couture / Groom: Nick’s Menswear / Bowtie: Clouteir Hat and Cap Co. / Groom Undershirt:  Tommy John Wear / Flower Girl Dresses, Tutu’s, Headpieces and basket and pillow: Juju’s Tutus / Flower Girl Jewelry: Tinsel for Tots / Hand stitched Tightrope hankie:  Maggie Stern / Bakery: Angel Cakes Bakery / Bride and Bridesmaid Jewelry: Twice Loved Vintage  / Bride’s Birdcage headpieces & Furniture Rental: Modern Revival / Invitations & Paper: Page & Mason / Florals: The Garage by Ivy / Bride and Groom Models:  FORD/RBA Agency