Paper goods, DIY projects and general styling: Kelly from Paper Stories + Indie Wed

General styling and model styling: Lauren from Ryan Alexander Events

Floral design and styling: Lynn from Pollen

Vintage Plates: Plate

Venue: Room 1520

Female Model: Haley from Room 1520

Photography: Stevi from averyhouse

A couple weeks ago Matt and I spent a lovely afternoon at A Perfect Event as friends, newly engaged couples and fellow vendors gathered to check out the latest new wedding trends hosted by the one and only Debi Lilly. Debi is constantly on the hunt for inspiration, traveling abroad throughout the year to bring back new and exciting ideas for her clients. Once a year, Debi throws her famous Wedding Trends event sponsored by CS Brides at her shop in Lakeview complete with yummy food and drink. This year we brought the Smilebooth along for some good laughs too. I made so many goofy faces that day I have to say I’m just a little embarrassed but you can see them here if you’d like. : ) Also thanks to our comrades Matt, Lori and Elan from I Do Films for creating the awesome video recap above. Hope to see you all at the event next year and be sure to check out all of the great folks below for some inspiration for you next party or event!

Planning/Design/Paper/Floral: A Perfect Event

Snacks and Sweets: The Salted Caramel, Kim and Scott’s, Lilly Cakes

Tables and Linen: BBJ Linen, Tablescapes

Chicago Bridal Magazine: CS Brides

Cinematography: I Do Films

Photo Booth: Smilebooth

Photography: Us!

Last Thursday, Avery House joined Room 1520 in hosting a launch party for their brand new event space, Aérée Loft. The other fabulous hosts and sponsors such as A Perfect Event, Finesse Cuisine and Art of Imagination, also pitched in to create “THE” party of the season. Hundreds of guests came to celebrate and share in the excitement of Chicago’s newest venue. Owners and friends, Steve and Leah, had an incredible vision a couple of years ago to turn the lower half of their commercial photography studio into a refreshingly modern and strikingly beautiful event space in the West Loop, perfect for hosting charity benefits, wedding receptions, fashion shows and more. We knew from the beginning that when their vision came to life it would turn heads all across the city. And we were right! If you missed it, NBC Chicago was so excited they made a great little feature about the party that you can check out here.

Throughout the evening guests mingled and enjoyed some delicious hors d’oeuvres and yummy treats from the amazing candy bar and chocolate bar. Of the two cocktails that were being served, my favorite was the Lemon Meringue Pie in the Sky Martini! An aerialist hung from the ceiling in the entry way and created an amazing silhouette and true show stopper from the outside looking in. The Smilebooth kept everyone entertained with trampolines and green apples for juggling. Fortunately we had no broken ankles although I came close one or two times. Jumping in heels is not the best idea. Check out all the Smilebooth photos here!

Anyways, thank you to all who came out and celebrated with us and a huge thank you to Haley of Room 1520 for being so wonderful to work with!

Tis the season for wedding planning and wedding shows. Many of you who are engaged and planning your wedding or who have “been there, done that” know that wedding shows usually aren’t the most exciting part of the process. Though they offer lots of helpful information, it’s not fun to have to fight your way through the crowd of people with only a hope of finding at least one good vendor who is offering what you are looking for. Thankfully, Kelly Maron of Paper Stories, recognized this need for a wedding show that features a hand-picked group of vendors that cater to couples looking for unique wedding products and services. Something a little less generic and different from what the more traditional wedding shows have to offer. This is how Indie Wed was born. January 2010 marked the very first Indie Wed which was an incredible success. We are honored to have been selected as part of this year’s show which will be held on January 29th, 2011 at the Ravenswood Event Center. We’ll be there with bells on next to I Do Films so be sure to stop by and say hi! Also joining us will be the Smilebooth! Woohoo! For more information on the event visit the webiste. If you are planning a wedding you won’t want to miss it!

To take advantage of a 40% discount on your ticket, click here and use promo code NEWYEAR (one word) until midnight on Friday the 7th. We also have a few more tickets left to give away so leave a comment with your email address and the number of tickets you need and I’ll send you the info. First come, first serve! Happy Planning!

••UPDATE!!••

We don’t have any more tickets to give away personally but there are still plenty available here! Go get ya some!

Rin and Nick stole our hearts from day one. Their adoration for each other and their gentle and kind words would put anyone at ease. They have soft and quiet spirits but that doesn’t stop them from having huge smiles. Everything Rin does and says is graceful yet strong. She’s like a beautiful ballerina. You can almost see Nick’s heart melt every time he looks her way. When we met with them last year during their planning process it seemed like Labor Day weekend 2010 would never arrive. Well, it’s finally here and we are so excited for their wedding on Sunday.

A few weeks ago we teamed up with Rin and Nick’s cinematographers from I Do Films and their wedding coordinator/floral designer, Debi Lilly from A Perfect Event, for a fun Marie Antoinette inspired engagement story at the amazing Drake Hotel in Chicago. Rin has a refined taste for classic and elegant style so we knew this French inspired shoot would be perfect for them. Debi did a wonderful job with all of the over-the-top styling including lots of delicious sweets from Vanille Patisserie, Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique and More Cupcakes. The set up included a cake bar draped in French pleated silk linen, oversized candelabras, elegant silver cake stands, macarons, cupcakes, icing shots, truffles, french pastries and much more! I am not going to lie. We couldn’t wait to indulge ourselves in all of the yummy sweets after the shoot was over. We ate cupcakes for a week! We had such a fun time and can’t wait to see all of the exciting things this weekend will bring at their wedding along with Debi and the I Do Films team.

Be sure to watch the really cute short film starring Rin and Nick by I Do Films!

Rin & Nick from I Do Films on Vimeo.

With the advent of the iPad, so many people have been using it for client meetings, presentations and have had great feedback.  The iPad, if you haven’t used one by now, is impressive. One of the things I like about it most is that it is extremely tactile, this is also something I like about the matted presentation box which I have to say, I think is equally impressive.

©2010 Avery House Creative, LLC - iPad Presentation Box Concept Mockup

We wanted to implement the iPad into our client meetings especially when we are not meeting in our studio or traveling but didn’t feel the cases you can buy for the iPad while useful are not very elegant and don’t really reflect our brand. We decided we wanted to combine the two into somewhat of a dichotomy between photographic prints and brand new technology.

Since we have been working with Cypress, who make all custom products, it seemed like it would be a natural fit and not too far off from what they already do. We mocked up concept using a presentation box we already had and an image of the iPad (above image). In less than a week we had one in our hands that is exactly what we envisioned (below images). These guys are truly amazing craftsmen and are so willing to try new things. As soon as we contacted them they said yes and I think I am seeing this more and more with companies that are becoming innovators, they never hesitate to take on new exciting projects or refuse to ride a trend.  We have heard since this first model they have been making more and more iPad presentation boxes and that is absolutely fantastic news!

Last week we went to Engage10 in the Cayman Islands and brought the iPad presentation box along. Rebecca Grinnals of Engaging Concepts spoke about trends and somehow saw an image I posted on twitter about bringing this to the summit. Well, she put it in her presentation as one of the Top 10 innovations. We were extremely honored and humbled  to be mentioned with so many others that have done much bigger work than we have. We couldn’t have done it without Cypress and they deserve credit as well.

]]> http://blog.averyhouse.net/2010/06/12/tradition-technology-cypress-albums-ipad-presentation-box/feed/ 9 http://blog.averyhouse.net/2010/02/03/wedding-trends-2010-a-perfect-event-vanille-patisserie-chicago-il/ http://blog.averyhouse.net/2010/02/03/wedding-trends-2010-a-perfect-event-vanille-patisserie-chicago-il/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:04:00 +0000 Stevi Savage http://blog.averyhouse.net/?p=1419 This past weekend Avery House partnered with A Perfect Event and Vanille Patisserie in hosting a “Wedding Trends, Tips and Treats” Event sponsored by CS Brides to showcase some of the most popular trends in weddings for this coming year. We had a great time meeting lots brides and we can’t say enough about Debi Lilly, Chief Eventuer at A Perfect Event, and all of her fabulous design ideas. We have had the pleasure of working with her on both local and destination weddings for five years now and she never ceases to produce some of the most stunning events we have seen. The collages below are just a few of the wonderful things that were featured at the party. My personal favorite is the yellow, white and grey palette!

One of our favorite services and a recent photography trend that we offer our clients is the “photo booth.” It is such a great way for guests to get involved at the reception. At our event on Sunday, Debi helped take the idea one step further to create a photo/sketch drawing souvenir for the guests to take home with them. The photos you see here were actually taken with a cool iphone app called Epson iPrint. Debi’s husband helped us out on this one. Mike Rowe from Write by Mike did an incredible job at making the cute little sketch drawings to compliment the photos which you can see below. We think this is a fantastic way to add some extra fun to any party and gives your guests something that they are excited to take away. Check out his beautiful calligraphy work here.

A HUGE thanks goes out to Matt from I Do Films for stopping by and doing some stellar video coverage of the event. We really love what this company is doing and encourage everyone to visit their blog. They are fun to work with and incredibly talented. Enjoy the footage that he captured below!

Wedding Trends, Tips & Treats from I Do Films on Vimeo.

This film was produced by I Do Films, LLC.

.

In the beginning, albums were one of the things we wanted to get in place first. We knew they were the one tangible item that a bride and groom would take away from us that was an immediate representation of our studio and level of service. When we came across Cypress Albums , we realized they reflected our style, brand, and believed in the same type of quality and service as we do. The minute we saw our first album and felt the quality in our hands, there was no question that we could end our search for an album vendor to work with. we were in love!

Not only does Cypress offer albums, but also a complete line of products like proof and presentation boxes and DVD and picture folios. There are a few album companies that resemble Cypress Albums, but when you hold one in your hand the quality does not compare to these beautifully hand made albums. We consider it an honor and privilege to offer the finest products to our clients.

Shown below is a 10×10 Iris Book, Proof Box, and a DVD folio, all of which come standard in our full service packages. Upgrades to the Juniper Book and Cypress Book, as well as other various products and sizes, are also available.

Contact | Website | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Chicago Wedding Photographers | Destination Wedding Photography

So, this brings me to the main reason for this post. I want to know what you consider yourself. A dog person? A cat person? Or both? And why?! Also, if anyone could shed some light on the whether or not my allergies might become more manageble after getting used to one cat, that would be greatly appreciated. My mom and my good friend, Jaclyn, both claim to have had the same problem but are now two very happy cat owners.

And, of course, here are a few pictures from that weekend at my mom’s to go along with the post!

Meet Frodo (Sweet and sometimes spastic)!

And Opey (Matt’s Favorite)!

And Lucy (The cool, calm and collected one).

Contact | Website | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Chicago Wedding Photographers | Destination Wedding Photography

A while back we visited the Green City Market on a chilly Wednesday morning at Lincoln Park. We picked up so many fresh veggies for our grilled pizzas. I am sorry to say I won’t be grilling much more this year unless I am wearing a parka and some mitts.