Guesterly | A True Guest Experience

A couple of months ago I awoke to an email headed "Boise-fast coffee or beer chat"? I thought to myself, someone really knows how to get my attention! Fast forward about a week and I sat over a cup of really good coffee sharing a Dulce de Leche macaroon with Rachel Hofstetter of Guesterly. 

We met at A Tavola in Boise to chat about her brainchild, a get-to-know-you magazine for wedding guests. After chatting for a bit about her former life as a food editor (at the likes of O, The Oprah Magazine no less), we got down to the nitty gritty of how Guesterly was born and how it works. 

While planning her own wedding to her husband, Lorne, they dreamt of finding a way to introducing and making their guests (from all over the country) feel as though they already knew each other. They wanted a way to create an experience for their guests so that everyone came to their wedding weekend relaxed, having fun, and making lasting memories. After a bit of walking down memory lane via Lorne's Princeton Herald they came up with the idea to create their own Herald-like booklet with heartfelt bios of each of their wedding guests. Rachel put her magazine editor skills to work to write those tidbits and fun facts about each of their guests, including interviewing Lorne's entire side of the guest list. Then Lorne put his skills to the test to design the book to showcase every single guest in attendance. A week before the wedding the books were mailed out and soon the phone calls and emails came pouring in- their guests loved every bit of it. 

Rachel and Lorne at their wedding | A few snapshots of actual Guesterly's 

Before they knew it, friends of the couple began asking for the booklet for their weddings. One thing led to another, and soon they knew it was time to set out to create Guesterly 2.0 so they could offer that lasting experience to everyone. 

"Find your tablemates", "Meet her globetrotting grandparents"...just a few of the sneak peek snippets to welcome your guests

So how does it work? Like magic really. Lorne and Rachel have thought of everything, including a specially designed software that pulls photos of your guests through Facebook. Photos are enhanced via a photo editor to make your guests shine, and are dropped into a custom layout (including colors, typography, and more) created by Guesterly's graphic designers. A few weeks before the wedding Guesterly's writers set up a fun interview with the couple to help create the bios for your guests, then send a proof check for you to look over. When all is approved, the booklet is sent to their printing partners (many of which print some of the most popular magazines on newsstands now- thanks to Rachel's insider connections!) and the finished product is mailed out to your guests a week before the wedding. In short, they've made the process so easy peasy, and your guests are guaranteed to throw a fit about it (in a good way!).

What's more is you get to customize your Guesterly however you want- think table assignments, directions, maps, to-do activities and more. No matter what, the booklet will become a cherished keepsake from your wedding- for you and your guests, and we can't stop talking about it.

Be sure to take a peek at the website for more information, photos, and even a free sample! You can also stay up to date by following on Twitter and Facebook.

Happy Planning,

Featured | Inspired Designer

So excited to have been featured on Inspired Designer today....Kristin is one of my dear friends and she holds a regular interview series on her blog each Thursday, so I was over the moon when she asked if I would be a part of it. After reading the entire interview, I have to say thank you to Kristin for the kind words! After all, Kristin is someone that has achieved so much in her craft and is someone I really hold with high regard. And in other news, can't believe we met 15 years ago... This makes me feel old! Take a peek at the full feature here, and have a lovely Thursday!

Xo,

July In Photos

After being on baby break, July was my true "wedding month" of 2013, and what a month it was! July was all about Idaho wineries and our second home when it comes to weddings, McCall and the Payette. Here are some photos from our whirlwind month as we head into August. We also got a chance to work with some friends that we haven't seen in a while- vendor lovelies, we'd love to know, what were some of your favorite moments of July?

Here's to a great week!

Xo,

Succulents and moss with vintage travel mixed in at a winery? Yes please!

The true meaning of multitasking!

Be Still our beating hearts with the view on the lake..

And my newfound love of the cornflower (how perfectly matched is its rustic with upscale?)

And the Fourth of July isn't the only occasion for fireworks. We loved shooting them off over Payette Lake!

Remember our Lucky In Love contest winners from last year? We finally celebrated their day at Woodriver Cellars Winery this month. 

What the Soirettes do when we have some downtime with good friends...

And baby H isn't the only true love in my life.. How about this firecracker? 

* Photos from Instagram, follow us!: 1-3 @brandi_reiland, 4-6 & 8, @kimmyann1, and 7 from @tanaphotography. 

Press | Emily And Zach's Shore Lodge Wedding

We can hardly believe it- two features in one week, on one amazing wedding blog! Today we are so thrilled to have Emily and Zach's elegant navy, white, and yellow affair featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs blog. This June wedding weekend was one of our biggest this summer, with a welcome dinner out at Whitetail Fish and Swim Club, the ceremony and reception at Shore Lodge, and a wedding brunch in the Narrows to bid farewell to the weekend's festivities. This was also our first Jewish wedding, and we loved it. These people know how to have a good time and we were happy to be a part of it. To Emily, Zach, and family: thanks again for allowing us to be a part of such a memorable occasion...it really is one that will go down in history as one of our all time favorites.

As you head into your weekend, don't forget to take a peek at the full feature to see all of the photos from Ampersand Studios; it really was a classically elegant wedding.

Happy weekend!

Creative Wedding Magazines For Your Welcome Bags

I love love love that I stumbled across these the other day. We are always looking for new ways to welcome (read: wow) guests as they arrive, and I think these little ditties will do the trick. For us, we find that most of our clients are planning their weddings from out of state, and their guests are coming from all over the country (and the world, in some cases). Many of the guest groups haven't even heard of Idaho (I'm really not exaggerating on this either), so we really do try to make their experience extra inviting from the get-go. Our welcome gifts always include a weekend itinerary with necessary event information as well as local must-sees for leisure time, so when I found Twenty Pages I was beyond myself excited at this new concept for showing your guests a good time.

In a nutshell, Twenty Pages is a company that produces personalized wedding magazines perfect for welcome bags or even a unique twist on the traditional wedding program. Different than a printed weekend itinerary, the glossy enables the couple to tell their story a bit through pictures and text, as well as provide a unique view into the weekend to come for the guests. Just imagine if you just arrived in town, checked into a hotel and were greeted with a magazine featuring the weekend ahead...wouldn't you be so excited for the festivities to start? And not to mention, these magazines are fabulous keepsakes for you and your family members.

Fully customizable to your taste and style, these wedding magazines are a well-spent addition to the overall experience of your event.

So tell me, would you use a wedding magazine as part of your welcome bags? What do you think of these? 

Xo,

2012 Wedding Round Up | Takes The Cake

This is one of our favorite parts of a wedding- I try to only eat cake if it's really worth it, and nine times out of ten a piece of wedding cake is really worth it. Here are some of the more unique cakes we saw last year, from white and textural to whimsy and colorful:

 Via

This textural white wedding cake was a compliment to the linens, also monochromatic and textured.

 Via

Our play on a whimisical garden theme, this poppy colored wedding cake was adorned with anenomes (bestow my heart how I love these flowers and they're only available in spring) and sat in its own garden.

Via

We're all about making sure the cake is a statement piece- that means the placement and how it's displayed. For this shabby chic wedding we used a stone-looking table with a glass top rather than a traditional linen.

Via

Cupcakes and a wedding cake on one table is always beautiful, especially when you glam up a rustic look. The cake had faux bark fondant that mimicked the invitations, and the wood box stands were a lovely addition if we do say so ourselves. And don't get me started on cake linens- if you're going to splurge on at least one specialty linen, do it for the cake. One of the top spots for photo opps, and there's your wedding tip for the day.

Via

Faux bois is a modern trend that I don't mind one bit, especially in monochromatic tones.

*All cakes by Greg Marsh Designer Cakes

What styles or trends are you loving for cakes? 

Xo,

The Gorgeous Orangery At Ball Manor | In Pictures

Breathtaking is more like it. And very southern meets French...it really spoke to the belles and Francophiles within us. It's just what Boise has been aching for- a plantation style venue (complete with the acreage to accompany it) in the country (but not so far out). Introducing The Orangery At Ball Manor. 

Set to open to brides, private parties, and picturesque photo opps this summer, Boise's newest venue is going to make the ladies swoon. We were so delighted to be brought on board in organizing and designing a photo shoot that would not only show off the venue's natural beauty, but also serve as a gorgeous sneak peek of the endless possibilities on the Orangery's marketing materials.

Some tidbits about the venue: The manor boasts an indoor/outdoor option with roll up and french doors that all open on to about 3000 sq ft of patio space. This means your party can flow in and out, fresh air will be plenty, and the views will be bountiful for your guests. Need more indoor space? The ample space on either side of the venue allows for tents to come right up to the building for a seamless look. And we haven't even gotten to the English gardens that will be gracing the property- I've seen the landscaping plans and it is going to be, well, breathtaking. The entire property as a whole is on about 10 acres, so parties of 80-1000+ will fit comfortably here, all served with ample amounts of charm.

Here are some of our favorite snapshots from our friends over at Two Bird Studio of the photo shoot we collaborated on. Our vision for the shoot was to enhance the natural "French Country" feel the space has as well as play up what the manor will be famous for- it's orange trees. Hope you love it as much as we do!

The Team:

Photography- Two Bird Studio
Design & Styling- Soiree
Flowers- Flowers At Will
Stationery- Dear Ampersand
Cake- Amaru
Petits Fours- Le Bisou
Gown- Heartfelt Bridal
Suit- Sweetheart Manor
Hair- Deco Hair & Makeup Design
Makeup- Gabby Marcantonio for Bobbi Brown

Xo,

Press | Soiree + Shore Lodge In Pictures

Picture this: The whole team heads to the bridal show a couple of weekends ago to do our yearly walk-thru and catchup with vendors we haven't seen in a while, when we stumble across our friends at the Shore Lodge weddings booth and catch a glimpse of this:

We were thrilled to see our work from this past summer featured in the 2013 Shore Lodge marketing brochure (all photos by the lovely Tana Photography). We immediately grabbed several and tried hard not to look like giddy school girls (I'm not sure if we were successful)....

Stay tuned for our weekly 2012 weddings round up series this week and in the coming weeks as we'll be featuring much of what you see here! 

Have a happy Tuesday!

Xo,

Press | Marisa and Steve's Garden Inspired Shore Lodge Wedding

We're over the moon to be able to show you this- we found out that Marisa and Steve's Shore Lodge wedding was featured over at Inspired By This, the blog and brainchild of Wedding PR maven Leila Khalil.

This wedding has such a special place in our hearts- especially when we planned and designed it in 2 months flat, start to finish. When Marisa and Steve met with me for the first time, the date was the only thing set in stone- everything else had to be put into overdrive, especially the letterpress invitations which had to be designed, stuffed, and mailed within a matter of weeks of meeting the couple. Good thing me and Marisa basically became best friends- we poured over colors, theme, and personal additions to come up with a delightfully colorful wedding- which went well with the snow in the mountains. And speaking of theme- the subtle garden theme just kind of came to be...Marisa and Steve mentioned they enjoyed gardening and one thing led to another with details like garden markers as escort cards, and wildflower seeds as parting gifts. Without further adieu, the rest of the photos from the day, and don't forget to head over to Inspired By This to see even more photos there.

The Dream Team:

Photography: Tana Photography
Venue: Shore Lodge, McCall
Flowers: Boise At It's Best
Stationery: Dear Ampersand
Cake: Greg Marsh Designer Cakes
Hair/Makeup: Camilla Orosco, Deco Hair and Makeup Design
Strings: Silhouette String Ensemble
DJ: VCI Audio Entertainment
Chairs, Chargers, Linens: Brown Rental 
Tuscany Napkins: La Tavola
Bridesmaid Dress: Jcrew
Bride's Dress: Tadashi Shoji for Nordstrom
Planning, Design, Custom Runners & Decor: Soiree

Color Palette:

~ Xo,

Brandi

Announcing....(This is big)

Remember a few weeks ago when we mentioned that we had so many projects in the works for May? If you've been on our Facebook page you may have noticed a huge announcement made yesterday- none other than the biggest wedding giveaway contest there is, we're sure of it.

We're honored to be pairing up with some of Boise's best of the best to bring someone their dream day, literally.

You read that right, over $15k in services will be gifted to one lucky 2013 couple. Are you sitting down? We'll be offering this lovely couple our full service design and planning, and will be working one on one with yours truly along with the entire Soiree team to design a wedding so unique and full of charm your guests will be giddy. This means this couple will have access to our exclusive specialty accounts (think swoon-worthy linens, out of the box decor, custom items made just for you), and will be guided through the rest of the planning process by us. We can't wait...can you?!

For full contest rules (yes, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity...there is some work involved on your part), head here. For a quick run down on everything, each applicant will need to do the following:

- Go through and "like" all of the facebook pages of each sponsoring vendor. See the full list of vendors, along with easy-peasy links to their pages here.

- Create a video submission. This is very important, folks. We can't accept any applications without a video. Why do we want a video? Because we want you to knock our socks off. Make us cry. Make us laugh, or swallow our Diet Cokes down the wrong tube. We don't care but you need to stand out and tell us why we should pick you as a finalist.

- Fill out the official entry form.

- Share the official contest post from Ampersand Studios or from our Facebook page. You can copy and paste it directly on to your own wall.

And that's it! Once we've received all of the video submissions (top 5 finalists will be announced on July 6th, 2012), it's up to you and your friends, family, second cousins, and any acquaintances you've met in your lifetime to vote on you. Good luck- and go!

PS: Visit the official website, if you haven't already, here. 

~Xo,

Brandi & the Soirettes

Press | Carlie and Matt's Rustic Glam Featured on Style Me Pretty

We are over the moon to finally be able to show you this wedding we designed back in December. Carlie brought us one little Tiffany box and some pine cones and we were off and running to create a rustic glam barn wedding. Sometimes it's so hard not to spill the beans when we love an event and a couple so much, but good things come with patience, like a feature on Style Me Pretty!

By adding a little sparkle to the rustic barn, lots of candle light, a mistletoe to kiss under, and how could we forget- a little cotton added to the mix, and the cold December night was warm and merry. Here are just a few snippets of the day here, be sure to head over to Style Me Pretty  today to see all of the pretty pictures, and we'll elaborate a little more on the event next week. Happy Friday!

Vendor Dream Team:
Photography: Tana Photography
Planning, Design, Linens: Soiree
Wood Invitations and Stationery: Ampersand Studios
Venue: Private Barn, Nampa, Idaho
Catering: Lisa Peterson Catering/ A'Tavola Boise
Flowers: Boise At Its Best Flowers
Cookie Bar Display: Eye Candy 
Cake: Greg Marsh Designer Cakes
Chiavari Chairs: Brown Rental
Draping: Bliss Events

Before and After | Kurt + Brandi's Inspiration to Reality

As promised, we are starting a new little series we're calling Before and After- where we'll share some of the inspiration and behind-the-scenes ditties about the weddings we do. We're often asked how we start with designing a wedding and how the finished product comes to be, so hopefully this will give a little insight into everything. As always, we approach each wedding a little differently simply because each idea, bride, and starting point in the planning process is different. Therefore, each Before and After series will be focused on slightly different elements, depending on the nature of the wedding. Sound good? First in this series will be Brandi and Kurt, and their Cathedral of the Rockies ceremony and Boise Train Depot reception, originally featured last week.

To begin, let's take a look at their inspiration board:

Let me also start by saying this was the final and approved design as this was actually idea #3. We went through a few color changes and style shifts before we all swooned over this one, so that brings us to point number 1: The first try is not always the final try. And we're ok with that, because it actually lets us get to know our bride even better. By process of elimination Brandi found a style, color palette, and a feeling that she absolutely loved.

Once we had the colors and style of the wedding down, we began sourcing everything and making the inspiration board come alive...but with more of the Brandi and Kurt twist.

The flowers were one of the most important elements to this wedding. Brandi wanted them to be lush, romantic, with a slightly vintage appeal to them. We combined mercury glass, silver flute vases, moss, and even honeysuckle vine to give that sweet shabby look. Hydrangea, French tulips, garden roses, and stock were all some of the varieties we used.

We should also mention how we decided to design the Depot reception. While a gorgeous, historic venue with Spanish touches, it's also a pain to work with (sorry historians). Original train benches flanking the sides make for a slightly narrow event space and things like fire lanes make positioning tables and chairs a little hairy. So in Brandi and Kurt's case, with a larger guest count, we chose to maximize our space by creating a cocktail reception vibe. Smaller bistro tables were placed against the train benches, higher cocktail tables were used around the bars- we had two bars to eliminate extreme bottle necks and lines- and we used a few traditional round tables to accommodate bridal party and our elderly guests.

By deliberately setting the reception this way, we also made sure to design the menu specifically as well. One-bite style foods for the cocktail hour and a flowing buffet made it easy for guests to come and go as they wanted.

Finally, the cake. Gone are the days that your cake sits in a corner only to have attention when it's time to cut. We are all for making sure it's a statement piece and in a highly visual spot the entire evening. To us, the wedding cake is a piece of art and when done correctly, can be a beautiful summation of the entire event.

We used a Grecian style table with a glass top, underneath of which had rows of moss, hanging amaranthus, and other pretty flowers. The vintage glass door was a perfect backdrop for Brandi and Kurt to cut their cake; and guests couldn't stop talking about the cake all evening long.

So there you have it- a little behind the scenes look into inspiring a wedding day. What do you think? Do you like how the inspiration went to reality? Many thanks again to the lovely Tana Photography for the beautiful snapshots from the day.

~Happy Tuesday!

Xo,
Brandi