January « 2008 « The Blog of Tracey Kumer-Moore (Las Vegas Wedding Concierge)

Archive for January, 2008

Wedding Concierge Talks to Videographers at WEVA Conference!

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

I had the pleasure and honor to be invited by my friend and fellow NACE member Tim Sudall of Video One Productions in Philadelphia, PA to be part of a panel of wedding industry experts on January 30th for the Wedding & Event Videographer’s (WEVA) winter conference here in Las Vegas.

I was on a very illustrious panel including my friends and fellow Las Vegas NACE members, Lisa Lynn Backus, CMP, CPCE Senior Catering Manager at Caesar’s Palace , Kathy Baldieri, CPCE, Director of Catering at Lake Las Vegas Resort, Tim Sudall, Alan Berg, VP of Marketing & Advertising for The Knot and Kris Malandruccolo of Elegant Videos by Kris in Chicago, IL!

We had some great questions posed to us by WEVA Chairman, Roy Chapman about how engaged coupoles are now perceiving video in 2008, the value are they placing on it figuratively and literally$$ and what a wedding planner (or catering manager) such as myself also values when they finally give their seal of approval and professional reccomendation to a couple to contact a videographer.

It was a lively debate (which I found out was being audio recorded for the benefit of WEVA worldwide-very cool!). It seemed everyone wanted to question Your Las Vegas Weddng Concierge as a planner and my thoughts on selecting & hiring professional videographers (this goes for all wedding professionals though!!)

I am a #1 fan as long as the work they produce is done with the highest quality and care within the budget and they treat my clients as well as I treat my clients. If the memories of the planning experience and the wedding day are wonderful AND they call you or me asking how to get more copies because they wore out the first DVD, then my friends, “we” did good:)!

I think someone said after one of my answers “I think I love you”:) It got a big laugh.

But seriously I am a big supporter of wedding videography!! As a planner, it is in my personal “Top 3″ of must have components for your wedding!

Wedding Videography and Cinematography is the only part of your wedding and celebration that truly captures every moment of what you planned for a year for!

Yes, when the floral arrangements have long been composted and the cake has been sitting in the freezer for a year (don’t even get me started on that tradition, uggh!! That’s a whole other conversation!), you will have your gorgeous photographs and video to remember them by for decades. But, what your photographs can’t do is…

Capture what was said just before that great photo of the two of you laughing during your ceremony or the laughter itself.
Capture the two of you saying “I love you” and “I will” on your wedding day.
Let you listen to your grandmother or grandfather tell you how much they love you both.
Laugh all over again as you listen to the hilarious toasts that had you and your guests laughing so hard you were crying tears of joy. You know, THAT great picture!

So to my wonderful clients and to my wedding cinematographer friends out there, I look forward to helping you create a beautiful wedding celebration and party and I look forward to having you by my side to ensure each moment is captured beautifully and gloriously in time!

Have a Stylish Day!

Posted in Concierge "Buzz", Friends of LV Wedding Concierge, NACE, Photography, Trade Shows, Video, Wedding Advice | No Comments »

InStyle Weddings.com is NOW Online!

Monday, January 28th, 2008

In Style Weddings magazine has now lept from the page to the web and Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge is one happy wedding planner!

Everything I love (and I know you do too) about the magazine is now online and even better with so many more things to do and discover from reading about Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman’s nuptials and style to celebrity wedding style advice from Preston Bailey!

The rings, the dresses, the fabulous celebrity wedding style and glamour; it’s all here!!

Make sure to bookmark InStyleWeddings.com in your arsenal of stylish wedding planning resources and of course…

Have a Stylish Day!!

Posted in Bridal Magazines and Websites, Wedding Resources, Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge, Your Wedding Style | No Comments »

Love & Relationships-When the diamond turns to coal?

Monday, January 28th, 2008

I love my new friend Samantha Goldberg of Gold Events in New Jersey for her incredible candor and “tell it like it is” attitude!

Samantha is host of her own wedding planning podcast “It’s Your Wedding: Get Real with Samantha Goldberg” on the Wedding Podcast Network and a favorite star of “Whose Wedding is it Anyway” on the Style Network.

Samantha’s “get real” attitude extends to her blog which I love to read, as she often really challenges brides to remember that as wonderful as a wedding day and celebration is, there is a real life relationship that will still be there the next day and, G-d willing for years to come. You know, “first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the rest of your life” kind of reality:)!

Earlier this month, Samantha posted a piece on her blog about grooms cheating during the engagement and should the bride give the ring back?

Talk about a reality check!!! That post generated TONS of email to her and she said some of the letters just made her jaw drop to the floor as she mentioned on her latest post.

Samantha is going to talk about this HOT topic & some other spicy relationship and wedding issues on her podcast show this coming Wednesday night, January 31 at 9:00 PM EST. You can listen to the show live at this link. You have to download a small program to join the show to text or call in live.

So why am I posting this? Because I feel, like Samantha, that there is more to the experience of marriage than a wedding day (which is wonderful!) to eat cake and dance and get presents.

Marriage is a serious institution and it should be about two people who are ready to share their lives together entering into a relationship to grow and nuture one another, do great things together, have children (if they wish and G-d willing are able to) and be there for one another as they grow older. It should be something that two people look forward to and not dread.

Marriage is not just something you decide to do because you feel forced into it by peer pressure (“Well gee, all our friends are”), or your girlfriend is pushing you into it.

So guys, if you aren’t ready, keep your money for the dang ring and don’t pop the question! Telling your girlfriend you aren’t ready may not be pleasant but breaking the heart of your fiance by cheating on her after asking her to marry you is just cowardly, immature and the lowest of the low. That is just W.R.ON.G. guys! You won’t get any sympathy from me and HELL no, you don’t deserve to get the ring back!

And ladies, if your intended isn’t really your true heart and soul’s intended then thank G-d you found out now. If you want to give the ring back, fine, if you don’t, then dont! So take that diamond that turned into a figurative lump of coal and turn it back into diamonds for you if it means it will give you closure and release.

Once upon a time this wedding planner (who is now married to her true soulmate and love of her life) was married to another man.

When the marriage sadly ended after giving it a hell of a go for 9 years, I KEPT THE RING!!! Trust me, I deserved it! I traded it in for a fabulous cocktail ring I found years later that I wanted with my birthstone in it:)

Don’t forget to tune into the podcast and have a Stylish Day!

Posted in Friends of LV Wedding Concierge, Love and Relationships | No Comments »

Diary Under Construction-We are getting a Style Makeover!

Monday, January 21st, 2008

Even pretty things need to be refreshed and made over every now & then!

My blog now has a fresh new look which I hope will be more user friendly for all my visitors.

Please bear with me during my blog “makeover” while I update many of the links, widgets and images here on the site.

This is another one of my little pet projects I have been wanting to do for sometime now and finally was able to find a nice HTML literate friend to help me out:)

Thank you for your patience and stay tuned as it begins to come together.

Have a Stylish Day!

Posted in Concierge "Buzz", Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge | 1 Comment »

Wedding Concierge Launches "Gift of the Month" Contest!

Monday, January 21st, 2008

Remember that little announcement I was all excited about in my New Year’s post?

Well, this is why!!!

I am launching a monthly blog contest for my “Bride to Be” diary readers to give away some fabulous, stylish & practical gifts that will help you in planning & preparing for your fabulous Las Vegas wedding with Style!!

I have been wanting to do something speical like this for a while and 2008 seemed like a perfect time to start what I hope is an anual affair for me and you to look forward to.

It might be a fabulous inspirational book, magazine subscriptions or something techie (because we are in the age of digital wedding planning). It might be something that no destination bride can do without, something totally cool & Vegas inspired for our Las Vegas brides (I have to make sure all the Vegas weddings get a special month or two all their own). It might just be something all for you so that you can enjoy just being “you” in the midst of all the planning.

So I am pleased to hereby announce the Las Vegas Wedding Concierge’s “Stylish Wedding Gift of the Month 2008″ officially open! And to kick it all off, we have…

JANUARY 2008: THE MINDY WEISS ULTIMATE WEDDING ORGANIZER

Mindy is a maven in the wedding world and has been behind the gorgeous weddings & parties of many celebrity clients like Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rossdale and Adam Sandler. I have had the pleasure to see her speak in person & meet her and she is a lovely, classy lady. I love visiting her “Shop Love Me” online boutique to see what fun & stylish accessories and products she is introducing. One of the items that is stylish & practical is the “Mindy Weiss Ultimate Wedding Organizer”!

Click here to read a detailed description of the organizer. The retail value of the organizer on Mindy’s wonderful online store, “Shop Love Me.com” is $99.00.

How to Enter…

1) Very simply, to be elegible, all you have to do click on the comment link below and leave your name & blog address or email me your name & email address at Tracey@lvweddingconcierge.com. On February 1st, I will randomly pick and announce the lucky winner here on my blog. Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge will then wrap up this fabulous gift and have it delivered by a very nice delivery man right to your front door!

2) Want to increase your odds of winning (hey, it’s Vegas, right!)? For this month, tell me why you are getting married in Las Vegas or what your biggest planning challenge is for your wedding right now and I’ll “double down” your entry for a 2nd chance at winning.

3) All comments must be received by 11:59 PM Pacific Standard time on January 31st, 2008 to be eligible.

I am so excited and good luck to all & have a Stylish Day!!

Posted in Wedding Concierge Gift of the Month Contest | 1 Comment »

Imagine Seeing Your Wedding Video on This? WOW!

Monday, January 14th, 2008

Get a load of this incredible Panasonic 150″ full HD Plasma Television, would you? It is the largest High Defintion plasma display in the world!

I had the chance to see it up close and personal when I snagged a pass to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week.

Now, I know that if any grooms or guys are reading this, your tongues are hanging out too. I honestly think a lot of guys who were there or saw this in the news were thinking how to find a way to pay and renovate their home to fit this in. I can hear it now; “So we just remove the kitchen-we can order in & most of the bedrooms…just need a couple of recliners and big fridge!” Ok, maybe I’m generalizing a bit guys:)! Sorry about that.

But seriously, now just think about how incredible YOUR wedding video could look on a screen like that! WOW!! Every beautiful image, BIGGER THAN LIFE!

I realize most people won’t ever be able to personally enjoy something like this, BUT a decent, good quality High Definition Plasma or LCD display is definately within most people’s reach these days and in a size like 23-65″, they are just made for enjoying your beautiful wedding memories in your home.

To take advantage of this, most professional videographers now offer coverage in High Definition, or “HD” format which truly takes your wedding video to a whole new level with Hollywood style production values and quality that will be something you will want to watch over and over! What truly talented videographers create on film now is absolutely extraordinary from vintage to over the top music video style.

To get just a sense of what I mean, please visit the newly launched site of wedding cinematographer extraordinare, Joshua Smith from Cinematic Bride. Joshua’s work literally takes my breath away; it is absolutely gorgeous in every sense of the word. His full on “HD Theatre” gallery is “Coming Soon”, but until then you can enjoy the movies in the “Theatre”. I promise, you will be amazed & inspired.

Your wedding video is such an important part of your wedding budget!! It truly is the one element of your wedding that captures ALL of the imagery, sounds & emotion of your wedding celebration as a “living, breathing” document for yourselves, your parents, grandparents and your own future generations.

If you haven’t hired your wedding videographer yet, what are you waiting for?!! You can find many talented, creative and professional videographers who can tell you all about HD Wedding Video and anything and everything else you need to know about getting the very best videography for your style and budget. Check out the websites of the Wedding & Event Videographer’s Association (WEVA) and The 4Ever Group which are the leading international associations for professional wedding and event videographers.

So now depending on who is reading this, you have the perfect sales tool to convince your fiance on why you should buy that big screen HD TV (sports & weddings). You can tell them it was Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge’s brilliant idea. I’m happy to help:)

Don’t forget to stop at the TV store on your way back home from booking your wedding videographer and be prepared to sit back and enjoy YOUR show!

Have a Stylish Day!!

Posted in Budget, Technology, Trade Shows, Videography, Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge | No Comments »

Wedding Concierge Invited to Grace Ormonde Platinum List

Monday, January 14th, 2008

I am delighted and honored to formally announce that Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge was invited by Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine to be part of it’s 2008 “5 Star Platinum List” of Wedding Professionals.

Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine is considered THE ultimate trendsetting style guide and the arbiter, both nationally & internationally, for weddings of taste, elegance, luxury and style.

Grace Ormonde is to weddings as VOGUE is to fashion!

It is especially thrilling to be a part of a magazine that has inspired me so much & be listed amongst my own wedding “heros” such as Colin Cowie, Square Root Designs, Mindy Weiss & more!

In the 2008 issue, titled “The Essence of Luxury”, Grace Ormonde has showcased some of Las Vegas’ most stunning resorts & wedding designers for their feature tabletop decor editorials. It was so exciting to see some of the “drop-dead” gorgeous designs set in luxurious & exciting settings at Four Seasons, Las Vegas, Wynn Las Vegas Resort, and high atop Mandalay Bay Resort.

2008 marks the first time the magazine has included Las Vegas in it’s “Platinum List” of professional wedding resources recognizing Las Vegas as a luxury weddig destination. I am so pleased & honored to be in that debut select list alongside some of the wonderful venues and my wedding professional colleagues who make Las Vegas Weddings so incredibly stylish.

Wynn Las Vegas, Bellagio Resort & Casino, Naakiti Floral Design, Simple Elegance in Cake Design, Ashley Bartoletti Photography & LT Eventions to name a few.

The Spring/Summer 2008 issue is on sale now in fine bookstores (I’m on page 263!) & you can visit my expanded “Platinum List” online profile here.

Thank you to all my fabulous couples and all the talented and dedicated wedding professionals I have had the pleasure to work alongside to bring Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge to this exciting point!

And, thank you Grace Ormonde!!

Have a Stylish Day!

Posted in Concierge "Buzz", Magazines, Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge | No Comments »

Wedding Concierge is Crazy for Cupcakes!

Friday, January 11th, 2008

Two cakey posts in a row? Yep, but for different reasons. Doesn’t matter though. One can never have enough resasons or excuses to treat themselves as far as I’m concerned!!

I recently sent out these fabulous & yummy cupcakes to some local wedding professional friends of mine as a little “thank you” & to wish them a very sweet, successful & stylish 2008!

Pamela Jenkins and her marvelous team (including her mother & her grandmother!) at The Cupcakery in Henderson, NV did an amazing job with “blinging” out these little delights with the Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge signature blue flower from my logo & lots of sparkle that definately had my personality all over them. They were a huge hit & they put a smile on everyones’ faces & lips too!

I am definately going to be ordering these logo cupcakes again as a Signature Gift from the Wedding Concierge for brides & wedding friends alike. I know this will be a very popular marketing campaign!

Of course, I knew they would be a hit as The Cupcakery, the trendiest cupcake shop in Vegas, was one of my featured vendors, providing the delightful take-out cupcake favors for the great Vendor Appreciation party I produced for The Knot in 2006.

Photo Credit: Images by Ingrid

I just love cupcakes for weddings, showers, luncheons, or any occassion worth having a party for (or just because it’s Wednesday)! They are still very popular with couples. But now, the displays are taken to whole new creative levels arranged on elaborate stacked architectural platforms, as edible artworks or displayed elegantly on fine furniture pieces surrounded by luscious flowers on heirloom silver platters as my planner colleague & friend The Wedding Jeannie in Los Angeles did for an elegant summer 2007 wedding.

Cupcakes are so much more fun to eat & fun to expand a wedding theme by using a variety of different designs based on a central motif like this modern & elegant cupcake/cake display below created by Vanilla Bake Shop in Santa Monica, CA (I LOVE THIS!!). Guests love cupcakes & tend to favor them over a slice of wedding cake for their child-like novelty, portablity to eat & they can enjoy a variety of flavors & frostings. You could serve them along with little milkshakes!

This is a good thing to think about when ordering your wedding cake! Instead of spending your cake budget on a huge cake where only 65% may actually be eaten, you could reduce the size of the cake you actually cut (maybe a 6″ or 8″ miniature cake) with a cupcake bar! How stylish is that?! And, the money you spent actually went to something that everyone will love. That makes it even better!

And like I did for “The Knot” party, you can also customize your cupcakes with your names & date or initials or logo & box them up “in style” as “to go” treats. Have your wedding planner display them on a “Cupcakes & Coffee Cart” or table designed in your wedding style motif and colors as a sweet & warm memory for your guests.

And if you are a fellow cupcake lover in Toronto Canada where the Wedding Concierge hails from (well, it’s Hamilton actually), then I must give a shout-out to my fabulous cousin & best friend Barbara Rotberg, owner of LolliCakes, my favorite cupcake store in…Canada of course:)! Her cupcakes are sooo cute & delicious. They are called “Lollicakes” because they have a chocolate lollipop inserted into the cupcakes. Of course “Lollicakes” are a big hit for parties, weddings, birthdays, holidays, etc. They are also made in a “tree nut & peanut free” & Kosher facility! If you ever find yourself on Mt. Pleasant Road in Toronto, go visit Barbara & tell her that I sent you!

Thanks Pamela & thanks Barbara for keeping my life sweet on both coasts!

Have a stylish weekend!

Posted in Friends of LV Wedding Concierge, Vegas Wedding People You Should Know, Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge, Your Wedding Style | No Comments »

The Bride Takes, um correction…"IS the Cake"!

Wednesday, January 9th, 2008

I must admit, when I saw this picture & the additional pictures in the article on CNN Online, my mind was just swirling with every pithy post title & comment I could think of to write here. I’m sure you are thinking them too!

This is Mrs. Chidi Ogbuta from Allen,TX standing with her groom, Inocent at their September 2007 wedding.

The bride said she had a lifelong dream (almost-she actually wanted to be a “doll”), fulfilled by having her likeness created in a wedding cake & her new husband was all too happy to help her have this dream of a very unique & personlized wedding day come true.

As I am sure you can imagine, the cake caused “quite the scene” at the wedding reception.Don’t you just know this bride, her cake & her groom are going to wind up on one of those crazy wedding clip shows?!!!

Talk about “personalizing your wedding”!!

I admit, as I said at the top, I was really taken aback by these pictures, but I was intrigued so I dug a bit deeper into the story to find out the bride is of Nigerian heritage & had also seen something like it at a wedding celebration in Nigeria when she was young. It was a beautiful image for her that represented happiness and plenty that stayed with her her entire life.

I had an opportunity to assist a wedding planner friend of mine with a wedding last year where the bride was of Nigerian descent & many guests came from the homeland dressed in traditional colorful headdresses, dresses and robes. It was different, gorgeous & over the top in it’s elaborateness & I loved every minute of it.

When I first start working with a couple, we talk at great length about their wishes and desires for their wedding day. I ask them about their culture & customs, priorities & what means the most to them to incorporate into their celebration. It’s my job to listen, understand & embrace these things & do all I can to help them bring those wishes & desires (yes, even lifelike wedding cakes that serve up to 600 & take a full 7 days to consume) to life so they can celebrate their wedding in “their style with Style”, honoring their past while stepping into their future.

I freely admit that I would have raised my eyebrows an inch or 4 had I been in that first meeting had I been hired as their wedding planner. But the beauty of being a wedding planner & one aspect of why I love my job is getting to learn about worldwide wedding traditions. The fact that Las Vegas plays host to the world & I have the opportunity to be a part of so many families’ celebrations of love and in so many different cultures, faiths & unique customs is, well…here it goes, “the icing on the cake”!

So I wish Mr. & Mrs. Ogbuta a very sweet life & perhaps the 1st anniversary will be celebrated as they dig in to enjoy a delicious piece of “Mr. Ogbuta” & a glass of milk!

Have a Sweet & Stylish Day!

Posted in Cultural Weddings, I Love My Job, The Wacky World of Weddings, Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge | No Comments »

The Wedding Concierge on Wedding Podcast Network!

Monday, January 7th, 2008

If you have paid a visit and stayed a short while here on my blog, you will know that I proudly syndicate The Wedding Podcast Network’s Wedding Talk Radio programs.

The Wedding Podcast Network is the #1 Wedding Planning Podcast with amazing programming on a variety of wedding topics from interviews with the best in the industry to newlyweds sharing firsthand their wedding planning and wedding experiences and you can listen to it on your computer, your iPod or MP3 player too.

Yes, your Wedding Concierge listens to them all because, yes, I love and live weddings but I truly do enjoy and get inspiration from this great wedding planning resource by listening to all the shows and what they have to offer.

As a wedding consultant, I must say that one of my favorite podcasts to listen to is “It’s Your Wedding: Get Real with Samantha Goldberg”. Samantha, owner of Gold Events Planning in New Jersey is a favorite star of Whose Wedding is it Anyway” on the Style Network (which unfortunately Cox Communications here in Vegas doesn’t offer…but I’m working on them!). However, I have seen Samantha (as well as some other planner friends) by downloading episodes of the show on iTunes for Seasons 4, 5 & 6.

Samantha really does “keep it real” with wedding advice for couples on this live call-in show and I just love her candor and I know why her clients and the podcast audience loves her.

So, I was so excited and honored to be a guest of Samantha’s on her live podcast show on January 2nd, along with Executive Producer of the Wedding Podcast Network, Robert Allen.

We talked about everything from Rehearsal Dinners and who to invite to reception ideas and reception food trends on both coasts and I got to share with the audience how Las Vegas weddings are so much more than the drive-through experience and our great city is looked to for destination weddings that are stylish, elegant and unique.

And yes Samantha, I have produced 3 weddings where Elvis has performed (not the ceremony though), all at high end venues and they were all a BLAST and all so memorable and so much fun! So yes, I do have a great connection with “The King” here:).

Thank you so much to my friend Robert Allen for inviting me and to Samantha for making me feel so welcome on your show. I had so much fun and now I have another wedding planner friend and colleague to add to my friends in New Jersey (I love my New Jersey-Las Vegas Brides)!

You can scroll down to the Wedding Podcast Network feed right here on my blog to listen to the show, “It’s Your Wedding: Get Real with Samantha Goldberg”, episode #4, as well as other recent WPN podcasts.

Enjoy the show and I would love to hear your feedback too! I’m hoping there will be other opportunities to be a part of another podcast in the future because this experience was as addicting to participate in as it is to listen to.

Thank you and have a Stylish Day!!

Posted in Destination Weddings, Wedding Advice, Wedding Planning, Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge | No Comments »

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