DIY With Star: Creating a Kiss Board

I wanted to share with you a fun little DIY project you could incorporate into the next bachelorette party, bridal shower, baby shower or birthday party you throw.  Create a kiss board for the lovely woman you are celebrating!

A few months ago I threw a baby shower for one of my best friends who was pregnant with a baby girl whose name would be Isla.  In addition to the games I'd planned, I wanted to do something interactive with the guests so I decided to create a "Kisses for Isla" station.  I included various shades of pink lipstick and cotton swabs for applying it, a small mirror, small pieces of paper for each kiss, a pen for labeling the kisses, tissues and instructions.  The shower guests had a great time!  They compared their kisses, took pictures of each other wearing fuchsia lipstick and said to each other jokingly "wow, that is really your color!".  After the shower I collected all of the kisses and framed them for my friend.  She loves this keepsake and has it hanging in her daughter's room.  How sweet that Isla has "kisses" from the most special women in her life all in one place!

This was a perfect project for a baby shower, but would also be great for a bachelorette party or bridal shower (it could say "Kisses for the Happy Couple").  How cool would it be to have a kiss board with all of your Bridesmaid's kisses?!

I loved the project so much I decided to incorporate it into my birthday celebration.  I recently turned the big 3-0 and thought it was the perfect milestone to capture "kisses" from my best girl friends.  These are the girls who have been my friends through thick and thin and I love that I now have their kisses all in one place.  Everyone's kisses are so unique and individual which is what make this project so cool!  I will forever treasure it along with the memories of the fun night we had when we made it.

I hope I've convinced you to make a "kiss board" for an upcoming event with the girls!  A few things to remember: make sure to have plenty of extra papers for the kisses because I can guarantee you that your guests will want a "do over" to get the perfect kiss :)  You could also skip the little pieces of paper all together and just have guests place their kisses directly on a larger piece of paper.  That would look cool too!

XOXO,
Star

Sterling Engagements Inc. Intern Alert!

Sterling Engagements is looking for new interns to join our team for the rest of the 2013 year!  We are a boutique event design and production firm that specializes in weddings, corporate and social events.   

Photo courtesy of Callaway Gable Photography

Think you have what it takes? Here’s what we are looking for:

If you are fun, friendly, curious, well mannered, responsible and enthusiastic, we want to meet you!  We love passion, excitement, attention to detail, those who ask questions and have a keen sense of humor and strong intuition!

We currently are seeking production interns and an office and events intern.  If you have a strong interest in weddings and events; design, details, planning, production and are seriously considering a career in the industry, this may just be the internship for you!

If you meet the below criteria, please send your resume and cover letter to ana@sterlingengagements.com.

(Only inquiries with both cover letters and resumes will be considered, please no phone calls)

Production intern duties include, but are not limited to:

·         Being on-site on event days (often weekends and sometimes weekday evenings)

·         Assistance with setup and break down in all areas of event

·         Setup of wedding and event day details

·         Assistance with vendors, site reps, brides & grooms, bridal party and their families

·         Assistance with timeline management and execution

·         Completion of event summaries for each event worked

·         Completion of Intern project (assigned after completion of 8 events)

Minimum requirements:

·         College credit preferred but not required

·         Strong interest in events, both corporate and social

·         Strong communication skills both oral and written

·         Organized, dependable, punctual and committed

·         Friendly, honest, ability to multi-task, work well with others and has a desire to learn

·         Ability to smile and be pleasant at all times while maintaining a professional appearance

·         Willingness to go the extra mile

·         Ability to problem solve at a moment’s notice

·         Reliable transportation and ability to commit 8-12 hours on event days

·         Can offer a commitment to 10 events (could range between 3-8 months pending availability)

Office and event Intern duties/requirements include, but are not limited to:

·         Researching new venues, vendors, design trends etc.

·         Data entry and management

·         Weekly organizational projects

·         Inventory maintenance

·         Completion of Intern project (chosen at beginning of internship)

·         Completion of event summaries for each event

·         Assistance on most event days (see Production intern duties above)

·         Correspondence with Sterling team, vendors and clients

·         Assistance with social media, blogging and website updates

Minimum requirements:

·         A minimum commitment to 2 days (or 16 hours) a week through December 2013

·         Strong interest in events, both corporate and social

·         Reliable transportation

·         Strong communication skills both oral and written

·         Organized, dependable, punctual and committed

·         Extreme attention to detail

·         Friendly, honest, patient, ability to multi-task, work well with others and has a desire to learn

·         Ability to work under pressure, deadlines and prioritize projects

·         Ability to problem solve at a moment’s notice

·         Ability to smile and be pleasant at all times while maintaining a professional appearance

·         Self-starter, independent and motivated

·         Willingness to go the extra mile

·         Commitment to total client satisfaction
·         Must be comfortable with dogs (we have a dog that comes to our office)

Still interested?  Great!  We’d love to hear from you!  Please make sure to include your favorite restaurant, movie and clothing designer when you contact us... =)

Star's Favorite Sweets: Smore Pops

Summer is right around the corner which has me craving smores!  The combination of gooey marshmallows, creamy chocolate and crunchy graham crackers is just perfect and the ultimate American classic!  I happen to think everything is better on a stick so I thought I'd give smore pops a try.  I must admit they were quite delicious, super simple to make and really pretty!  These smore pops are less messy than camp fire smores and can me made ahead of time which makes them the perfect party treat.

To make these pops, I simply stuck lollypop sticks into marshmallows, dipped them in melted chocolate and rolled the bottoms in crushed graham crackers.  Thats it!  These would be perfect to serve at a Memorial Day BBQ, bridal shower or birthday party.  You could even wrap them up in little cellophane bags, the the with a pretty ribbon and use them as favors.

To make the little flags, I wrapped a bit of washi decorative tape around the tip of the lollypop sticks before I inserted them into the marshmallows.  Washi tape comes in every color an pattern you could imagine so its really easy to customize this treat to your event.  I happen to love the blue and white, especially for this time of year.  Enjoy!!

XOXO,
Star

Sterling Engagements Featured at Urban Unveiled LA - Great Gatsby Theme Hosted at Vibiana

We (along with everyone else) are currently obsessed with all things Gatsby.  The style, the romance, the excitement of the Roaring Twenties... we can't get enough of it!  We were recently invited to participate in Urban Unveiled LA, hosted by Vibiana.  We were trilled at the opportunity to participate in this exciting high end bridal experience.  This year Urban Unveiled was Great Gatsby themed.  On May 1st, Vibiana was transformed into an Old Hollywood 1920s speakeasy.  All of the vendor's booths were decked out and oozed glitz and glamour!  Check out this video - it is a quick way to show what this event was all about!

The Gatsby era, known for its unprecedented economic prosperity, flapper culture, jazz music and glamour was the inspiration behind our design.  Our booth, which included a tablescape and lounge area, was a collaboration between Alexandra, our creative director, Shawna of Shawna Yamamoto Event Design and Amber of Amber Event Production.  We implemented the show palette of black, creams and gold; but of course had to put our own spin on it.  It was important to us that we took the style and grace of the Gatsby era but also added a modern twist and feel to it.  We accomplished this by utilizing various textures, dimension and lots of sparkle.  Calla lilies, orchids, and hydrangeas covered the table which was draped by gorgeous linens from Designer Specialty Linens.  A show stopping chandelier, gold flatware and stunning signage topped it all off.  The lounge furniture topped with luxe pillows and surrounded by gorgeous draping was enhanced by amber uplighting which created a very romantic feel.

Photos courtesy of Duke Photography

Photos courtesy of Isabel Lawrence

Photos courtesy of Duke Photography

We couldn't have been more thrilled to have been part of such an extraordinary event and are looking forward to next year!

Event Design and Production: Sterling Engagements
Event Design and Decor, Florals and Backdrop: Shawna Yamamoto Event Design
Lighting and Draping: Amber Event Production 
Linens: Designer Specialty Linens
Lounge furniture: Lounge Appeal
Photography: Isabel Lawrence and Duke Photography
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
Stationary and Signage: Calligraphy Katrina

Sneak Peek: Amena and Brandon Say "I Do" at Vibiana

Amena and I worked together on her and Brandon's day for what seemed like forever.  It's now been just over a month since her and Brandon tied the knot... I can honestly say that's seemed like forever, as I miss them both dearly!

They chose Vibiana as their wedding venue and it was the perfect backdrop for the day.  Daniel Boswell of Imagique shot an amazing same day edit and today I wanted to share it with you!    

Stay tuned for a follow up post with photos soon from the always amazing Callaway Gable!  In the meantime, you must see Amena and Brandon's incredible engagement photos!

This was one of my personal favorites...