The Finishing Touch — Weddings, Events, Design, Paperie

We recently had the pleasure of working with our past clients, Gabby & Mike, on the baptism for their beautiful daughter Amelia. We had such a great time working with them for their wedding day we were thrilled to be on board to work with them on this special event. Baby Amelia looked adorable in her gown, shoes and head band! The baptism was held at the beautiful St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Princeton – the same place Gabby & Mike were married.

After the beautiful ceremony, guests headed over to Camillo’s Cafe for the reception. A Manzanita branch arrangement was set up to display the custom escort cards that were hung with pink ribbon on each of the branches. The room was decorated with pink and white floral arrangements at each table along with custom table names and menus that were also created by our design team.

For dessert, TFT designed a pink, white and silver candy bar for guests to take home a sweet treat. Another great addition to the table was mini cupcakes from The Bent Spoon. Guests also received a favor box to take home a memento from this special day that was wrapped and adorned with coordinating favor tags.

Congratulations to Gabby, Mike and baby Amelia! We wish them all the best!!

Special Thanks to Jenn M Photography for these great photos!

We had an absolute blast helping plan and design a fun circus themed 3rd birthday bash! Our good friend Damon from Absolute Media Productions reached out to TFT to help put together a fabulous party for his adorable daughter, Lilia. We were so excited and went straight to work! For the invitation, a 4 x 9 1/4 custom 3-layer invite was created in red, white and teal. A teal RSVP ticket was printed and attached with red & white bakery string and mailed in a deep red envelope.

Before long the big day was here! As guests entered, the room was covered in red and white pipe and drape along with circus caricatures and figures provided by Audience Pleasers. Rectangular tables featuring linens in red and white were adorned with balloons attached to popcorn baskets and surrounded by vintage tickets. At the children’s tables, a variety of coloring books and crayons were placed at each seat. While guests arrived, they signed a guestbook by taking photos in a booth provided by Shutterbooth! After taking their photos, the pictures were attached to a scrapbook for the birthday girl to keep.

After guests enjoyed a delicious buffet luncheon, our friend Arlene from Celebrate with Music came for some musical fun. All of the children (and some adults!) were on their feet dancing and singing to some classic tunes. They also played games like Limbo, Ring A Round and much more!

Once all of the dancing and singing was over, it was time for dessert! An awesome circus tent cupcake creation was made by our good friend Missy at Cupcakes by Missy. The cupcake tower featured cute designs like clowns and tents accompanied with a giant tent cupcake on top adorned with a flag made by TFT. We also had the chance to design a custom candy bar table featuring kisses, M&Ms, pixi stix, whirly pops and more.

We had such a fun time working with Damon, Denise and Lilia on this awesome party – we’re already looking forward to next year!

Check out this fun highlight video from Damon to see the party in action!

Special Thanks to all the Fabulous Vendors:

Venue: Union Beach Fire Co.

Catering: Giusseppe’s

Photography: VeroLuce Photography

Videography: Absolute Media Productions

Decor: Audience Pleasers

Photo Booth: Shutterbooth

Entertainment: Celebrate with Music

Cupcakes: Cupcakes by Missy

And they’re off…

Time to break out the derby hats and seersucker suits!

Anonymous Hope will be holding its 2nd annual Kentucky Derby fundraising event on May 5th, 2012 at the Woman’s Club of Ridgewood. We are so excited to share that this year we will be working along with the board at Anonymous Hope in bringing this fabulous event together. Each year, the event is held to raise awareness and funds towards increasing empowerment and continuing education with the goal of reducing poverty in Appalachia, Kentucky.

Founded in January 2011, Anonymous Hope is a new, innovative tax-exempt non-profit organization that provides opportunity to the people of Eastern Kentucky. One of the accomplishments the organization is most proud of is their Scholarship program. This program awards a high school student, wishing to further their education, up to a $15,000 scholarship over a four-year period based on their GPA.

2011 Scholarship Winner Brittany Farmer

For a small suggested donation of $50.00 to support AH, you can indulge yourself in all you can eat dining, enjoy as many mint juleps you can handle and a night full of dancing! There will also be a silent auction, prizes for the person who “bets” on the winning horse, 50/50 and much, much more.  This is an event that shouldn’t be missed!

We are currently accepting Silent Auction items and donations – if you are looking to donate to this event or learn more about how to get involved, please contact us at info@thefinishingtouchevents.com.

Follow Anonymous Hope on Facebook!

Anonymous Hope’s 2nd Annual Kentucky Derby Party

Where: Women’s Club of Ridgewood, 215 Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood, NJ 07450

When: Saturday, May 5th, 2012    4:00 PM -10:00 PM

Suggested Donation: $50.00 pp

Attire: Dress to Impress!

Ladies ~ Dresses and large Derby hats

Gents ~ Suits

We are so excited to be a part of this great event once again!

 Spend the day on a self guided tour designed to showcase the distinctive wedding experience available within the Long Beach Island Region of the Jersey Shore. Take this opportunity to explore several of our area’s popular wedding venues filled with sights, sounds and tastes of local wedding professionals as you earn prizes along the way. Stop at fabulous locations such as The Stateroom, The Boat House, Daddy O, Bonnet Island Estate, Mallard Island, Surf City Yacht Club, Brant Beach Yacht Club and more.

Brides and their guests receive complimentary registration as well as a chance to win dozens of fabulous prizes.

TFT will be at The Stateroom so be sure to stop by and say hello!

Don’t miss this fun event -click here to register today!

DATE: Wednesday March 7, 2012
TIME: 6:00pm-9:00pm
LOCATION: Cedar Hill Golf & Country Club
100 Walnut Street
Livingston, NJ 07039

Calling all Brides and Grooms to Be!

The New Jersey chapter of the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) and the New Jersey North chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES) are proud to present the third annual “Say Yes to the Best” Bridal Showcase on Wednesday March 7, 2012 from 6:00pm-9:00pm. This exclusive event will be held at the Cedar Hill Golf & Country Club in Livingston, NJ.

Enjoy the elegant venue and the magnificent views of the golf course and surrounding hillsides. Have a sip of champagne or your favorite cocktail while meeting some of the most prestigious vendors in the area. All participants in this event are hand selected by an appointed committee within the ISES and ABC organizations, making it truly the best of the best.

Gain some inspiration from our vendors during our designer showcase contest.  We will be presenting a variety of floral and event design showcasing tables, where you, our valued guest, will vote for your favorite designs!  The winning designer will be presented with a prize.

Our guests will have the ability to explore many different resources for their special day. Some of the many different types of exhibitors we will be featuring include: Hair/Makeup, Entertainment, Bridal Gowns, Tuxedos, Car Services, Florals, Style Services, & Event Planning.

Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY !!

All ticket proceeds will benefit Wish Upon A Wedding, a non-profit organization providing weddings and vow renewals to couples facing terminal illness and serious life-altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation.

Click here for more information on Wish Upon a Wedding.

Check out this great feature in the latest issue of The Knot New Jersey Magazine! We had a great time planning this ‘Cocktails and Connections’ networking event at Stone House at Stirling Ridge.

Check out more details on our blog feature of this vintage circus event!

Be sure to pick up a copy of the new issue on newsstands now!

We had the amazing opportunity to plan and design the annual New Jersey ‘Cocktails and Connections’ event for The Knot last October! Click here to check out The Knot’s feature on this fun vintage circus theme event held at Stone House at Stirling Ridge!

For more photos and details of the event, check out our post-event break down blog!

Special thanks again to all of the fabulous vendors involved!

Venue & Catering: Stone House at Stirling Ridge

Floral: The Little Flower Shoppe

Entertainment: In the Mix Entertainment

Photo Booth: Vanessa Joy Photography

Videographer: Rob Adams Productions

Stationery: Graphic Grace Designs

Cake: Confectionary Designs

Dessert: Dimestore Candy Buffets

Favors: Gourmet Popcorn Creations

Raffle Items: Yefsi Desserts

One of the easiest ‘to-do’s’ to check off our list was inviting our bridal party. Since our engagement, Greg and I had no doubt in our minds who we would invite to stand beside us on our big day. The big question was, how would I ask them? I wanted to do something special to let each of them know just how important they are to me and how they have impacted my life. After some brainstorming, I decided to create a video that featured some photos and memories and incorporate a ‘proposal’ to my bridesmaids!

With a little help (ok a LOT of help!) from our good friend Damon of Absolute Media Productions, we decided to create a fun six minute video that would build some laughs and bring a few tears to my gals eyes. Damon wanted to incorporate my personality and style throughout the video as I discussed each bridesmaid, so we decided to go with a ‘Sex and the City‘ theme and drew up a storyboard. In just one day, we shot all of the scenes, recorded all audio and in what was sure the fastest turnaround time ever, by the next day Damon had created an amazing film that I couldn’t wait to share with my ladies!

I invited the girls over for dinner on a Sunday afternoon and prepared some hors d’oeuvres and martinis (of course!) for them to enjoy while I prepared our main dish. Once seated for dinner, and yes there were placecards, we all enjoyed catching up and chatting over some homemade risotto.

As the girls finished up, I snuck out to set up the movie and invited them to watch a special presentation. They had no idea what to expect and their reaction was priceless. There were many, many laughs and way more tears than I expected and when the big question was asked they all said yes! Check out the video here:

Back in the dining room, I reset the table with little cards at each setting asking ‘Will You be my Bridesmaid?’ along with a small info sheet sharing some of the wedding details we have so far. Since I now had six beautiful bridesmaids, we had to celebrate by having some dessert! A big thank you to Paula from Cake Fiction who created beautiful (and delicious!) custom mini-cakes for each of the girls that had their initial along with two rings on top.

It was such an amazing night and it meant so much to have all of my girls together for one special evening. I am so lucky to have them along for the journey and to have them by my side on our big day on January 12, 2013!

 A Huge THANK YOU again to the fabulous Damon Dietz of Absolute Media Productions and Paula Tosonotti of Cake Fiction!

Attention Brides!!

To learn more and to register, click here!

We had an awesome time working with The Knot team in putting together this year’s Market Party which was held at the amazing Stone House at Stirling Ridge!

Going with a vintage big top circus theme, we brought in vibrant reds and teals in the decor throughout the event space. Graphic Grace Designs created the fun signage that went hand in hand with the decor. The Little Flower Shoppe created stunning centerpieces featuring bright red dahlias accented with teal ribbons set in antique stone pots. They also brought in a beautiful crab apple branch arrangement that was placed at the entrance. Lanterns and votives adorned the tables along with red and blue admission tickets to add another punch of color.

As guests arrived, they were treated to some amazing passed hors d’oeuvres such as tomato basil bruschetta, mini sirloin sliders, raspberry and brie stars and much more.  The bright red pomegranate Garden of Eden signature drink was a huge hit and enjoyed by all.

After cocktail hour, it was ‘Showtime’ and everyone headed for the main ballroom. A presentation was given by the team from The Knot where they shared some of their latest happenings and updates. Guests were also introduced to The Bump, which is the inside scoop on pregnancy!

For dinner, stations were set up around the room featuring everything from Mediterranean fare, hand rolled Sushi, Paella and more. The crowd enjoyed music and entertainment that was provided by the great team at In the Mix Entertainment.

Vanessa Joy Photography was on hand to capture all of the details of the event as well as some great snapshots of guests enjoying the evening. A photo booth disguised as a ‘Kissing Booth’ was set up for the attendees to take tons of silly pictures.

With the circus theme there had to be lots and lots of sweets! Dimestore Candy Buffets provided lots of sugary treats such as licorice, rock candy, gumballs and more. Yummy popcorn favors were also provided by Popcorn Creations. The Stone House features an amazing firepit area that our guests were able to enjoy some good old fashioned s’mores! To top it off, our good friends at Confectionary Designs created an amazing tiered cake that featured the blue, red and gold colors, an antique clown and big top tent. (It was delicious too!)

We had a great time organizing and designing the Knot’s Market Party and look forward to next year’s event!

To see more photos from this event, click here!

Special Thanks:

Venue: Stone House at Stirling Ridge

Floral: The Little Flower Shoppe

Photography: Vanessa Joy Photography

Videography: Rob Adams Productions

Stationery: Graphic Grace Designs

Music/Entertainment: In the Mix Entertainment

Candy Buffet: Dimestore Candy Buffets

Popcorn Favor: Gourmet Popcorn Creations

Cake: Confectionary Designs