Well it's that time of year...there seems to be holiday parties for everything. Corporate holiday gatherings, alumni holiday networking events, and even personal holiday parties thrown for family and friends. Regardless of the type of holiday gathering you are planning on hosting Crystal Q Events is here to help! We are offering 10% of on all holiday parties including planning, linen rentals, and even event design. Contact us today for your special gathering.
German mulled wine. pumpkin beer. pumpkin carving. sweet potato cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and orange zest. bonfire.
Fall is finally here! And can I just say how much I am loving it. I haven't been in Maryland for fall for the past two years, but now that I'm back I've realized how much I've missed all the trees and change of colors and just the warmth and aura of this time of year. My friends in Colorado (where I used to live) got snow today!
With autumn comes beautiful trees and leaves, pumpkins, apple cider, bonfires, camping, hiking and more. So if you are thinking of planning a fall party don't forget to incorporate all the elements that make fall so special. I'm doing just that by throwing a pumkin carving bonfire party complete with mulled wine and pies :)
And this season can also make for some really pretty weddings. Check out these fall weddings.
From flower garlands to animal masks, big wooden tables to delicate china, warm rustic woods to the large white tent, this wedding had it all. Natalie and Brynn are a pair with style and their wedding certainly showed their style with every last detail. Natalie took her time to plan each and every detail to have the wedding of her dreams and the wedding of other people’s dreams as well (one of my friends who was a bridesmaid in the wedding whispered to me during the wedding, “Crystal this is my dream wedding!” I assured her that she would have her very own dream wedding and I would plan the whole thing). Since Natalie did the planning herself, all I had to do was step in as her day of coordinator and make sure everything happened perfectly, which it did.
This is so precious, I had to share.
Last weekend, one of my high school classmates, Mike, got married. The ceremony took place at the church and the reception took place in Mike's parents backyard. They had a valet service to park all the cars as it was in a residential area. The backyard was transformed into a reception venue with big white tents, tables, and chairs. Food and drinks were catered by Blackfin. And, the basketball court in the woods was utlized for dancing!
 |
| dance floor |
For the beginning part of memorial day weekend, I spent some time at my lake house on Lake Anna in Virginia. On Friday, I was jet skiing and came across a wedding taking place outside right on the edge of the water of a very large house. There was a big white tent set up outside and all the guests were congregrated under the tent or near the dock. The couple was just departing in a boat!!! And I got to watch the very unique send off. I stopped my jet ski and my friend and I sat there and watched. It was incredible. The boat started pulling away with the bride and the groom, and the bride upon seeing us began waving. We waved back, but I felt like I was intruding so I was on my way again.
Thinking back, I realize how incredibly unique and special water weddings are. There are so many ways to do a wedding on the water. Whether it be like this couple or doing the entire wedding on a yacht (this has always been a dream of mine, at least for the reception). Or even a beach wedding. It's especialy fun when the couple departs in a boat or utilizes the water in some special way. I came across this amazing photo and post about a Canadian lake wedding-seriously how cool is this shot!
Thinking back, I realize how incredibly unique and special water weddings are. There are so many ways to do a wedding on the water. Whether it be like this couple or doing the entire wedding on a yacht (this has always been a dream of mine, at least for the reception). Or even a beach wedding. It's especialy fun when the couple departs in a boat or utilizes the water in some special way. I came across this amazing photo and post about a Canadian lake wedding-seriously how cool is this shot!
 |
As the maid of honor at my sister's wedding I was given the privelege of preparing a toast. I'm not a huge fan of public speaking, but I was excited about this opportunity to honor my sister on her special day. If you or someone you know is preparing a wedding toast or even a speech for the rehearsal dinner, here are some helpful hints.
 |
| olive, mozzarella, and tomato skewers |
 |
| Spray painted wine bottle, wine glasses, roses, candles, and damask scrapbook paper centerpiece |
One of the stops on my cruise was Roatan, Honduras. While there we hiked along the beach and came across Crystal Beach!!! The home of Crystal Beach Cabins. Since my company is named after myself I love anything with my name.
I got to meet the owners, whose daughter's name is Crystal. They also had a boat called Miss Crystal that they let me go on to take a picture. So cool!
And here are just a few more pictures from the cruise. Enjoy!
I got to meet the owners, whose daughter's name is Crystal. They also had a boat called Miss Crystal that they let me go on to take a picture. So cool!
This past week I went on an amazing cruise to Roatan, Honduras and Cozomel, Mexico. Pictures to come soon. While there I happened to look in one of the jewelry stores on the ship and saw a beautiful diamond ring in the display case. My brother-in-law asked the jeweler if we could look at it and took it out for us and let me try it on. The ring you see below is what's called an invisible setting. While it looks like a 1 carat diamond it is actually comprised of 6 smaller pie shaped diamonds fit together to create one flawless look. The diamonds in the ring are only about .55 carats. This is a great way to get an awesome looking ring for a lot less and people wouldn't even know unless of course you told them.
 |
| Invisible Setting Diamond Ring |
So I was browsing a wedding blog and came across this picture from bridalguide.com. I just couldn't resist posting it to Pinterest. I mean seriously it's amazing, right!? Well I guess so, because it already has 21 likes and 147 repins.
Source: bridalguide.com via Crystal on Pinterest
We are now offering affordable linen rentals. Contact me today to order linens for your next event!
So this past weekend I attended two bridal showers for two of my close friends that are getting married this summer. After talking to friends about how awkward showers are I got to thinking about what aspects should and shouldn't be included. I've planned bridal showers before and of course everyone enjoys having a good time. But, while the purpose of a bridal shower is to 'shower' the bride with gifts is it really necessary to sit around while she opens ALL of them? I mean we all kind of know what she's going to get anyways and no one even pays attention unless the bride-to-be is opening the gift that they brought. One alternative to this is BINGO. Guests are given bingo cards that they fill out with gifts they expect will be opened. Then as the gifts are open they mark off their cards and whoever gets bingo first wins. This provides greater incentive to the guests to pay attention to the gift opening portion of the shower and get involved.
Of course food is a given for bridal shower. We all know we love to eat. Plan the food around what the bride likes. Both showers this past weekend did a great job of this. The first was a very fun bride, so all the food was carnival type food-they had cups of 'boardwalk fries', bags of popcorn, cotton candy, caramel apples, and candy bags for when the guests left. And the second was a more sophisticated bride who loves tea. So, the food was tea party-esque featuring tea, scones, tea sandwhiches (you know with cucumbers and cream cheese) and cookies. Matching the food to the brides' tastes and themese really adds to the overall shower. For one shower I planned I made all the food in the bride's colors of black, white, and red.
Finally, it's important to keep the guests engaged with games and prizes while still offering a laid back atmosphere that they are able to enjoy themselves. Because who doesn't love a little healthy competition and a small gift?
Of course food is a given for bridal shower. We all know we love to eat. Plan the food around what the bride likes. Both showers this past weekend did a great job of this. The first was a very fun bride, so all the food was carnival type food-they had cups of 'boardwalk fries', bags of popcorn, cotton candy, caramel apples, and candy bags for when the guests left. And the second was a more sophisticated bride who loves tea. So, the food was tea party-esque featuring tea, scones, tea sandwhiches (you know with cucumbers and cream cheese) and cookies. Matching the food to the brides' tastes and themese really adds to the overall shower. For one shower I planned I made all the food in the bride's colors of black, white, and red.
Finally, it's important to keep the guests engaged with games and prizes while still offering a laid back atmosphere that they are able to enjoy themselves. Because who doesn't love a little healthy competition and a small gift?
This past Saturday and Sunday, I helped out with the ISES (International Special Events Society) Annual Awards Gala. The event took place at the USA Today/Gannett Building and included a reception/cocktail hour, awards ceremony, buffet dinner, and an after party.
 |
| USA Today/Gannett Building |
 |
| The gorgeous event space |
 |
| furniture from CORT |
 |
| great looking seating but not very functional |
 |
| more unique CORT seating |
 |
| ISES decor made from newspaper |
 |
| another really cool piece using newspaper |
 |
| floral centerpiece with LED lighting |
 |
| entryway to the after party |
 |
| doors to the after party |
 |
| one of many bars |
 |
| one of the award winners. awesome idea-save the date cootie catchers. |
 |
| each guest received an awesome swag bag when they left |
With wedding season approaching, you may be wondering what the trendiest wedding colors for 2012 are, well you here go.
As promised here are some awesome pictures from Rachel and Nick's wedding by their photographer Grace Gallagher.
Check out the race I will be organizing! Sign up to run/walk, donate, or contact me about volunteering. Thanks for your support.
Click here!
Click here!
The official company name is crystal Q events and the domain name has been purchased. Now it is time to start designing the website, so keep a lookout for the website launch. Check out the company logos and my business card below.
