Happy Mother’s Day!

We are super excited to share what we have been doing in our new Studio space! Last month after finally moving into our new space in Lacuna Artist Lofts, I decided I wanted to do something fun for Spring (wherever it was) and do a small Mother’s Day Photo Shoot!

Mother’s Day should be fun, colorful and delicious. Adorning the table with oversized blooms and bright color linens can make any spread festive. Whether you are decorating for your Mother or a bunch of Mothers, these ideas are sure to be fun additions.

The menu was simple…I had been loving the High Tea designs I had been seeing but also know my Mom likes breakfast items the most. We had a lovely spread: Cucumber Cigars, Salmon on black bread, North Shore Potatoes, mini quiches…

and sweets; lots of sweets! Cherry Garcia Cupcake, Baked Brie en Cout and Hand-Painted Chocolates were all a big hit!

Details are very important to me. I loved being able to use Hall’s Rental Jars for the Summer Salad. I think a unique presentation can add flare to any food spread.

Thank You to my AWESOME vendors!  (Add links)
Yum Cakes– I have had the pleasure of working with Erika of YumCakes a few times and always hear amazing things! YumCakes is a high end Cupcake Boutique (made to order only). Crème Puff, Crème Brulee (with a crack the top) and Cherry Garcia are just a few of the custom cupcakes she has done in the past!

An Apple a Day– a delicious caterer I met while doing a wedding last summer in Glencoe. They have the best selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees in their restaurant and offer an even better selection for catering. I only wish I could use them more.

Life’s Sweeter Side– I met Abby while at WedBash 2015 and knew I wanted to use them as soon as possible. I am extremely happy I did…I am ordered more chocolates and desserts for another event coming soon and as a gift! Addicting and so delicately constructed.

Cake Chicago- Always provides the best cakes! This time, I wanted to try something different and use Mary’s amazing cake in a jar (Jar’d)

Jai Girard – the photographer who did my wedding in December. I love her work and wanted to see how she would capture Lacuna.

BBJ Linen– I always look to Rebecca at BBJ. She always points me to the newest in fabrics and chargers! I can always count her for the best.
Halls Rentals– I love their selection and they are so close by. I love doing walkthroughs and seeing the new items being added to their inventory!

Wedding Paper Divas– I always use them when I want something quick. They produce great Stationery and I have never been disappointed.

Whatever you’ve decided to do, it will be lovely! Remember, details matter and Happy Mother’s Day!

P3!

Carol Matmativong and Richard Kraus (September 2013)

www.christinawehbe.com

We are so happy and excited to be a part of Carol Matmativong & Rich Kraus’s September 2013 wedding. Every wedding is always unique and different from the last, especially this one. With Carol’s Laotion culture and Rich’s desire of a classic “American” wedding, their design scheme is feminine with rustic elegance and undertones of the Lao culture in the food , flowers and centerpieces.

Carol has one of our Bride’s who is using our P3 Everything Package! She not only gets complete design and decor assistance and design boards but also all coordination with the best of the best in Chicago vendors, month of assistance and day of coordination!

Curly Willow, Ivory and Salmon Roses with ivy, white and salmon hypericum berries make up the floral that will be used for Carol and Rich’s Wedding Arch

I love the choices Carol made for her personal flowers. They are soft but will still make a statement. We are keeping Carol’s bridal bouquet a secret as well! These are the boutonniere’s and bridesmaids bouquets that made the cut.

White Gardenias and Peonies, Freesia and wheat are all bits and pieces of Carol’s Bridesmaids bouquets, the Boutonnieres and Rich’s Groom’s Bout.

Carol and Rich’s centerpieces will be Manzanita trees with salmon roses at the base and dispersed throughout the tree. We are still debating whether to string gold crystals throughout. What do you think? Her high boy arrangements will be simple and contain the same flowers from the ceremony.

Manzatia tree rentals provided by Parrott Party Productions

When I asked Carol to send me some information on how her and Rich met and a little about the two of them as a couple, I did not expect a mini love story written by Rich. I would have loved to use it all but it was 4 pages! I have put a few of my favorite excerpts! I hope we are all as lucky as Carol and find a man who thinks that highly of us.  Carol and Rich met in college at Northern University when they were grouped together in their finance class.  As Rich said, ” All because of a stolen calculator, a Gmail glitch, and an extremely boring professor…”

“There were three of us in the group, Carol, myself and another guy. Him and I discussed most of the questions and laid out our answers on the whiteboard. We could not, for the life of us, figure out one of the questions. That was when Carol, who was sitting studiously at the desk writing notes as we laid out the problems, spoke up. She told us exactly how to solve the problem, with clear precision. I thought that maybe she was a quiet learner, but then she opened her mouth, intelligence flew out, and she was able to solve a question that left us stumped.”

“She is incredibly sweet, in personality and looks. She has curves in all the right places, a huge smile, and loving brown eyes that sparkle when the light hits them just the right way. Her personality is pure and devilish at the same time. She isn’t able to wish harm to anyone or anything and can be soft spoken at times, but is still capable of being completely hard headed, determined, overpowering and, at times, evil. The way she carries herself displays her personality, being a proud, strong woman with a high self esteem. “

 

“A year and one month after our first date, we moved in together. Three months after that I proposed. She said yes within a second after I asked. We have had our ups, downs and challenges, but they just help us get to know each other better, strengthening our relationship. “

 

Kaleigh Welker and William Seidel (June 2013)

We at Parrott Party Productions are so excited to be a part of Kaleigh Welker and William (Bill) Joseph Seidel’s June, 2013 Wedding! Kaleigh and Bill met at a Bears Game Party in 2009 and the pictures below do not even begin to capture how amazing of a couple these two are!

Every Chicago couple should have a picture like this

The photographer of these amazing images is Evan Hunt of www.evanhuntphoto.com

 

Kaleigh went through many stages and changes in her design plan. Like a lot of brides, she loved the whole rustic theme. Rustic themed weddings are always gorgeous because it’s a gorgeous theme! But if “rustic” is not you, it may not “feel right.” That is something Kaleigh experienced and when we saw each other at The Wedding Salon’s Bridal Boot Camp at Nicole Miller, she made the decision to start incorporating more of herself and letting the theme take the undertones. Her theme now is a mix of her design style of classic/romantic and the current “in trend” being vintage.

 

We have been playing around with centerpieces, personal flowers and overall decor for a while (it is her beginning stages, so now is the time to cover all of your bases). Below are a few snapshots of the design boards created for Kaleigh and Bill.

To match the fun colors that come with Summer, Kaleigh has chosen Pink, Yellow and Grey for her color scheme. I love those colors for a wedding! Especially because I prefer grey suits over black ones. Kaleigh hasn’t chosen her bridesmaids dresses yet but it has been fun playing around with different color combos. We have at least settled on the style of Boutonniere for Bill. Hope you like the color palette preview.

 

Kaleigh loves Daisies, so I want to incorporate them somehow without taking too much away from the softness the peonies adds. The bridesmaids bouquet will have a mix of Monte Christos, Roses and Sunflowers. We are keeping Kaleigh’s bridal bouquet a secret. 😉 Some fun ideas we had for aisle arrangements… 14 inch clear cylinder vases filled with flower petals in white and light pink and a candle to top, then, the wedding day programs in a burlap distressed wooden planters (featured below). Her flowers will give the vintagey boxes that soft & classic look. A fun idea we are thinking for the place cards is to fill champagne glasses and add little flags with each guests’ name and table number. It gets the party started and is unique.

images are pulled from several different websites…etsy, google images, theknot.com and pinterest. The vintage candlesticks and planter boxes are rentals through Parrott Party Productions.

I want to keep Kaleigh’s venues under wraps to but had to share their place card table arrangements. Book ends with small aged bud vases with a seasonal floral arrangement and candlelight.

A fun and new idea to get guests to sign your guest book: A Calendar Guestbook. Have each of your guests locate their birthday and leave their name, number and/or address. Makes it easy for you to send cards or gifts.

The candlesticks have no set destination as of now but I think would be nice on Kaleigh’s Head Table with a low tablescape  of Peonies, Daisies and Monte Christos. 

 

 

 

We are beyond excited for Kaleigh and Bill’s Wedding Day and will update you as more information (and pictures) becomes available.

-The P3 Team

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Wedding Salon’s Bridal Boot Camp at Nicole Miller -Chicago

In September I was a panelist, there to answer questions that could better equip new brides and couples. The event was held at Nicole Miller on North Avenue and Wells in Old Town. The season’s newest fashions were on display and made a lovely backdrop for the night’s events.

I said to always remember to account for tax and delivery in your budget. Most places range from 9%-%15 and sometimes charge more for delivery based on your location or proximity to them. It can bring your total price $300-$500.00 over your budget.

When helping a bride choose their design scheme and colors, what is your best advice? Especially with all of the different trends and opinions out there. 

I said: To stick to yourself. Know YOUR design style and grab hints and touches of trends you like, while still having the main theme be you. If your are at heart, traditional BE TRADITIONAL. If you also like modern touches, add modern touches. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. You can have anything you want for your wedding. Just make sure it works; visually and for your budget. You are going to get A LOT of opinions and to take them as that, opinions. If you like some, use them. If you don’t move on. No one, except your Mother, Future Mother in Law and maybe close Bridesmaids will actually be offended and even then they will understand that in the end, you do have final voice.

How can your fiancé’s taste be incorporated into YOUR wedding day?

Have him pick images and pictures of things you already like, make him feel like he is a part of the process. Invite him to come to any showings, tastings, meetings with venue coordinators, etc…Sometimes they like it and its a fun experience for the both of you and sometimes they don’t and then you don’t bring them anymore. Let them weigh in on things that you really don’t have to have. If you are not set on a DJ or Lighting Company, let him choose from a few you picked.

The panel consisted of representatives from several Chicago businesses and well known rental companies. Each station gave some sort of information to  the brides walking by. My table gave our packages and a sweet treat to leave with, cupcakes from my favorite cupcakery: Yumcakes.

I think the Boot Camp was extremely informative and a fun event put on by Tatiana Bryon of the Wedding Salon.

Thank you for reading!

Lindsay Parrott

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