Behind the Scenes-International Prostate Cancer Foundation Gala

Well as most of you know my blogging regarding my work with the International Prostate Cancer Foundation's Gala has been focused on the stationary I produced for the event. Today I would like to let you in on the behind the scenes work that went in to producing this event. There were obviously some key contributors that made Dr. Patel's dream and vision for the Gala come to life. 

Like with any event the day started with formulating a game plan. Once I got some direction from Lisa Stoner of E Events on when things needed to be staged on tables my assistant Jules and I got to working! The tree seedling favors shown below all had to be individually placed in glass vases for presentation at the dessert reveal and as I worked on getting those ready Jules (pictured below) was hard at work sorting all the place cards. For any of you that have done this before it is no easy feat. Place cards have to coincide with the guest list and then be strategically placed at each place setting so they are both functional and a contributor to the overall table design. 

Jessy Rivers of E Events Design (pictured below) was busy doing A/V testing with Ben Lawless of Kaleidoscope Event Group. All the video, sound and lighting elements were coming together once piece at a time. It was great being in the room because as more lighting is introduced you really begin to see the room transform. 

And as you know, what would an event be without stunning floral and decor. Jesus from Raining Roses was able to design life size trees as focal points of the stage. Being that we built the whole marketing campaign for the IPCF around a tree you can imagine why these pieces were so key. 

Crates of chargers were stacked waiting to be placed at tables as pipe and drape was being installed. Just behind Lisa and I you can see how Kaleidoscope is doing pin-spot and perimeter light testing. PS. I love this shot below as it shows us as the super-heros in the shadows, which is what we must be to pull off something this amazing and grand with so many moving parts and pieces.

Planning sessions went on throughout the day with Lisa Stoner and Jessy Rivers from E Events and Jane McLean from The Waldorf Astoria Bonnet Creek, our host venue. Topics of conversation according to Lisa; when the choir should begin singing, when dinner service should begin and most importantly for any dessert lover like myself when the dessert reveal should be scheduled. 

Dr. Patel was able to pop his head in during the afternoon and see the set of the room in full swing. With him there Ben Lawless was able to test and get final approval for all videos, voice commands, slides and music cues that were happening during the evening. 

The IPCF Gala was a complete success and went off flawlessly thanks to the key players I mentioned above. Special thanks to Jeffrey Stoner of Stoner Video who took all the amazing above images and Over-the-top Linens that provided all the table linens. Patel and his team were overjoyed by the attendance and overall success of the event. I was honored to be part of such a dedicated and talented team and look forward to the next one! 

It's a Mad Hatter Thing... Baby Shower!

Parents to be... Robyn and Andrew Dixon having fun with hats!

Robyn and Andrew Dixon are not new topics to my blog. Not only are they close friends of mine, they have trusted me to graphically handle lots of milestones in their life! I was there when it all began, and I've designed their wedding, holidays, and now... their baby! 

Robyn came to us girls (pictured below) and said she wanted to have a Boy themed Mad Hatter baby shower! Of course we jumped right on it. We decided we since she is having a boy and will soon be outnumbered by boys in her house, we would give her one last girly, elegant party! With China tea pots and cups, fresh floral and many antique glass cruets-- the decor started to come together, as you can see above!

Of course we started with Invitations to set the tone, pictured above. To read the full blog post on the invitations, click here.

Hostess' and Mom to be getting in the Mad Hatter fun with our unique head pieces!! (L to R)  Amy Morelli, Robyn Dixon, Cara Sturla and Amy Baumgarten.  Never fear all, the Mommy-to-be is drinking NON-alcoholic wine!

As you can see, we went all out with the decor. In keeping with the Alice and Wonderland Theme, we created die cut metallic "Eat Me" and "Drink Me" tags. We had Rabbit's, Clocks, and Keys sprinkled throughout the event (a thanks to PLAYGROUND Magazine for their contribution of these things, they were designed by Ayla, you can find them in her Etsy Store!). In addition, pictured above, we created custom candy wrappers for the favors to commemorate the event, as well as Signage, for the menu, gift table, and fun photo station!

We also created a Wishing Tree, where guest could write their wishes for the baby's future, and hang them on the tree.  We also did something fun, when guests arrived, we had a "Mad Hat table", pictured below, We here at The 2u Collection had a blast creating these unique headband hats for the guests to wear throughout the day!

A few guests having fun with the wishing tree!

Much thanks to RW Chocolate Fountain Rentals for these AMAZING and delicious Mad Hatter themed Cake Pops! Be sure to visit them on Facebook, and see some of the amazing things they create with Chocolate!

  We also created this fun photo station with these great cutouts with the Mad Hatter/Alice and Wonderland theme! Thanks to PLAYGROUND Magazine for their contribution of these things, they were designed by Ayla, you can find them in her Etsy Store! The guests loved them, and they made for some great fun pics! And one last mention, pictured below is Robyn and Andrew's first baby... Charlie! She is a wonderfully, gentle, loving Westie! We couldn't pass up getting her involved in the fun as well!

International Prostate Cancer Foundation Gala

If you are a frequent reader of my blog you are well aware that a good portion of this month's efforts have been dedicated to the success of the International Prostate Cancer Foundation's Gala. I was first approached by the foundation to do all their marketing and our 2u Creative division had the pleasure of not only developing their foundation branding and website but I was able to hand over the next portion of the responsibilities to our stationary division, The 2u Collection. Having a stationary division is particularly beneficial for projects such as these where a client needs a vast array of marketing services including print materials, website design and brand conception and also stationary needs for a social event. Being able to work within my two divisions allowed for a seamless execution for all print materials, website and marketing materials to be unanimous with the stationary for their Gala.


The average person does not know that prostate cancer is actually a genetic familial disease. That is why from the very beginning of the design process the tree was such a focal point. With the design of the Gala materials we wanted to keep the tree as a focal point, but obviously with any social gathering, items should look more formal and have a different aesthetic value than that of marketing collateral.

The first design decision was choosing a color palette. The monotone array of greys, silvers and charcoals really made for an elegant statement. I was able to incorporate the tree in a more formal way by using silver and white foil stamping on a Neenah classic linen charcoal paper for the programs, place cards and menu cards. The tree was used on the cover of the IPCF program as well as inside the program, that paired with a stripe corner border were the two design focal points of all the stationery pieces. All the items were classic and timeless and although appealing to the women's eye were designed with a masculine look in mind. We really wanted to keep it masculine so the materials suited the overall goals of the foundation in who they are reaching.

 The design collaboration with Lisa Stoner of E Events really brought out the beauty of what we had created. The tables were dressed in green table linens, each had a lush floral centerpiece and clear glass gold beaded chargers. When menu cards, place cards and table numbers were placed on the tables, paired with the individual table pin-spotting the details of the pieces really came alive.

The grand finale of this event, like any were the favors. The foundation selected to hand out individual tree seedlings that each had a tag designed by The 2u Collection describing the meaning behind the seedling. Each guest was invited to take this seedling home and plant it in their own yard in honor of someone who has or is currently battling prostate cancer. This touch really put a memorable emphasis on why the tree was the focal point for the event and the foundation itself.

The event was one of the most rewarding I have ever had the opportunity to work on. Not only were both of my divisions contributors to the overall design and success of the event and the IPCF brand itself but I personally am continually touched by the efforts of Dr. Patel. I am honored to be part of the journey IPCF has begun and look forward to all the projects we work on together in the future!  


Of course there are so many people involved in helping execute this, but I want to give so much thanks to Lawton Printers. Not only are they amazing at what they do, they treat their customers like family and will move heaven and earth (if needed) to turn my designs and ideas into beautifully printed finished pieces! Another big thanks to Jeffrey Stoner of Stoner Video for supplying all these beautiful images!

Samira and Jesse’s Wedding at Gotham Hall Featured on The Knot Live

I’m super excited that my invitations from Samira & Jesse’s wedding were shown on The Knot Live – Season 5 Episode 5! They interviewed my BEAUTIFUL former-bride Samira, who talked about her gorgeous wedding at Gotham Hall, she even gave us a shout out (at the 21:38 mark)! You can read previous posts I've done on this wedding here (part 1) and here (part 2). You can check out the show here, Samira’s interview starts at the 21:00 minute mark.

The Knot is a great resource for planning your wedding. You can also have a look at The Knot: Wedding Ideas Blog, The Knot Wedding Blog, and The Knot’s Real Weddings.

Thank you to all vendors below for doing such an amazing job on this gorgeous wedding!

All Venue and Wedding photography is by Shira Weinberger - NYC Wedding Photography, 

Wedding Location: Gotham Hall, New York
Wedding Planning & Design: Cristine Godsey of Engaging Affairs

Design and Hand Silk and Crystal work by: The 2u Collection

AMAZING floral by: Tantawan Bloom

Mad Hatter Invites TAKE TWO!

I love when expecting Mom's forgo the storks and bows and opt for a more creative and quirky baby shower theme! It's especially rewarding when they allow me creative freedom to run with what they had envisioned; the challenge however is re-inventing a theme I've done previously in a completely different way. I had the opportunity a few weeks back to create a baby girl shower invitation with a Mad Hatter theme, and I was recently approached again with the same theme but this time for a baby boy! I had to erase the hot pink argil ribbon and feather detail from my mind and create the Mad Hatter look with some baby blue hues. 


To see the Mad Hatter- Girl inspired Invite, visit:
http://the2ucollection.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-mad-hatter-kind-of-affair.html


My inspiration started with a cyan blue damask print die cut fold as the front of the invite. That paired with white and espresso pearl paper really allowed the espresso, marigold and blue fonts to pop. The marigold satin ribbon was the finishing touch of detail to this gorgeous invite. 

Robyn, the Mommy-to-be knew that soon enough her feminine energy would be taken over by a male dominated household. She made it clear to me that although the invite is for her expected baby boy that it be clear to guests this was still a Mommy only event with lots of feminine flair! So before the house gets flooded with 24/7 football games and baseball hats I made sure these invites and the shower itself more than suited Robyn's personality and love for girly frills.

It's not a Mad Hatter invite without a cup of tea!

Not only do I love this couple, My relationship with Robyn and Andrew started years ago, and they became clients when I collaborated with them in designing their wedding invitations and stationery. As a business owner one of my greatest joys is seeing my clients lives change and being a part of their continued life celebrations!

Inspiration Series-Christine Godsey of Engaging Affairs!

I am often asked how I fight through creative block and what inspires me. So, here is an installment of my Inspiration Series to start the new year off right! 

I've found that sometimes to break out of a NON-creative funk, it's best I go look at some work of other artists I admire. Being a traditional artist as well, It's fun for me to see what other artists use as their outlet, although I paint, and sketch my primary outlet for my art is through graphics, type and paper.  Sometimes to see how other creative minds put out their ideas, and the creations they create will jostle my own creative juices.


For this installment I chose Christine Godsey! I recently met Christine through a wedding we did in October together at Gotham Hall!! I loved working with her, and the design from the event (pictured above), was AMAZING! So she has been added to my list of inspiring designers! Her work speaks for itself, and some of these ideas I think are just genius!

Christine Godsey, a native Washingtonian, began her event planning career over seven years ago while working at a corporate real estate consulting firm where she planned a variety of events from holiday parties to incentive outings to offsite meetings.  Christine then attended and completed George Washington University’s Event Management Certificate Program and left the corporate world to work in event planning full time.  

She has worked with the team at Engaging Affairs for over six years and is known for her attention to detail and ability to keep cool under pressure. Christine specializes in large-scale Indian weddings as well as multi-cultural celebrations and has had weddings featured in Washingtonian Bride & Groom. Christine also loves planning weddings in New York City and is a regular at Gotham Hall, her favorite venue. Christine has been educated in international protocol and etiquette by The International Society of Protocol & Etiquette Professionals. 

 

Again!! Love it.. a Girl after my own heart!

I love this idea~ Finger Print Family Tree Guest Book..