Before and After

With restored energy and a few extra z's under my belt, I'm so excited to share this past weekend's event with you! I thought I would begin with a 'before and after' look at the ballroom to give you a proper perspective of what we were able to do in a mere 36 hour time frame.

Here's what greeted us upon arrival at midnight on Thursday:


And here's what the room looked like on Saturday at 7:00pm! We split the room in half to represent Japan and a NYC night club; two of the birthday girl's favorite places.

Now, let's back up a bit. As you may recall, this was a surprise 50th birthday party. The concept for the event was the honoree's 'Favorite Things.' The first favorite thing was a private, intimate dinner for 30 people. The inspiration for this room came from her favorite jewelry store in NYC, Leviev.

Check out this gorgeous silver bowl full of pink peonies! Have you ever seen anything more glorious in the dead middle of a Michigan winter? Thanks to the fabulous staff at Modern Day Floral, this event was full of inspired floral design!



The beautiful silk dupioni linen and grey pintuck napkins came from a new favorite source for all things wonderful in the world of table linens; Wildflower Linens.

The letter pressed menu card was mounted on a silk padded board from Suburban Silk. This is the same wonderful company that provided the silk boxes and jewelry for the invitations. The gorgeous place settings were rented from our friends at Special Events Rental.





While the guest of honor was enjoying her dinner with family and close friends, 230+ guests were greeted by over 1,000 yards of gold and saffron fabric draped in the hallway outside the ballroom.

The inspiration for this room came from the colors found on a bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne; the honoree's favorite bubbly. We went for a Parisian feel in this room in the form of chunky gold mirrors, black French Provincial furniture, pomander balls in cut crystal vases, mirrored side tables and bars, and gorgeous braided linens.

After the honoree's husband toasted his wife in the 'Veuve' room, he told the guests about the time the family spent in Japan and how important this place was to them. He then welcomed guests to enter into 'Japan' for authentic sushi and Asian-inspired decor.

Do take special note of the 'cherry blossom' tree. It's an actual cherry tree with over 3,000 pink orchids wired and glued on. It took five designers from Modern Day Floral over 8 hours to adorn this beauty. And what a beauty it was! I don't think any picture could do it justice. It was just spectacular!



All of the shoji walls were back lit by the amazing talents from Odyssey Lighting. The room was perfectly aglow in soft white light. It was warm, modern and inviting; all rolled into one!




After about an hour in 'Japan,' we revealed the NYC inspired nightclub. The room was full of white leather furniture, acrylic ghost chairs and blue lighting. In addition, models wearing gowns designed by the honoree {she's a NYC fashion designer} were placed inside 8 foot cubes and positioned behind the bars. The girls were just stunning and added that dramatic flair of the unexpected. I love the unexpected!

As you might already know, the surprise entertainment was Harry Connick, Jr. The honoree was as shocked as the guests when her husband welcomed him to the stage. The moment was priceless and was worth every effort it took to keep his presence a surprise.

The party favor rocked! Each guest was given a bottle of pink Veuve Cliquot champagne and a signed Harry Connick, Jr. CD. Guests couldn't believe they were getting such a wonderful gift after such a wonderful night. Again, I love the unexpected!


There are so many amazing and wonderful vendors that helped make this party a success. I want to recognize each one of them because without them as my partners, I wouldn't be able to do what I do!


First and foremost, a special thank you to Special Events Rental for taking our drawings and making them come alive. These guys worked tirelessly to make this event happen and I am completely indebted to them. What should have been a four-day installation, could only be a day and a half one. For that reason alone, they're hero's in my book!

I also want to thank the other rock stars; Jen Kroll Photography, Modern Day Floral, Odyssey Lighting, Corporate Sound, Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Lorimerworks {a new FAVORITE!}, Unique Models and Talent, Julie Strating, and the fantastic staff at In Any Event!

I'm off to Southern California for The Special Event 2009. Be sure to stay tuned for the play-by-play of each inspired day. I can't wait!

~Jodi