Wedding Wednesdays

I know the wedding of the year is over, but it's still Wednesday.

AND I have a friend who's newly engaged, so I'll try to keep these up every so often.

I just came across this website from a colleague in the photo industry, it's such a smart idea that my friend Celeste and I were like "we wish we came up with this!"

It's a wedding resource collective, where you can find a photographer, hair/make up person, or invitations!

Check the site out if you are planning a wedding!

(The above photo is my friend Pete giving his best man speech into a fork).


XOXO Agmac

"THE" Wedding

So I realize I overuse "best ever" when referring to parties and such. Thus I will refrain from calling Lo and Alex's wedding the "best wedding ever," but it came pretty damn close.

First of all, Lauren looked amazing. Secondly, I was her MOH, so nuff said.

But what impressed me the most about the wedding, was how Lo managed to make it so unique to her and Alex, without spending an arm and a leg.


I'm not going to admit how much they spent, because I really have no idea, but I do know that Lauren did a lot of things on her own or DIY with the help of some friends.

Here are some great things she did to cut down on costs and personalize her wedding:

- Centerpieces--her and her mother-in-law rounded up some nice vintage looking vases and bought flowers that were in season the night before the wedding. This saves on costs and allows you full contrcol over the tables.

- Favors--Lo ordered pretty votives with a design that matched her invitations, matchbooks with the wedding date, and bought tea lights--put all three together with cellophane and ribbon (as we did in her living room) and viola!


- Make-up--She did all of the bridesmaids' make up and her own! Now, this is strictly for professional make-up hobbyists like Lo (http://lflynn.mymarkstore.com/), but she was cool under pressure and made us all look good.

- DJs--Have your fun and boisterous friends sound off on the mic and give them a few playlists. This way you get to hear your favorite music AND you give the showboats something fun to do ;-)

- Decorations--Lo's friends Jaime and Deirdre did a great job decorating the church railing AND the reception hall. It's great to ask good friends of yours who aren't in the bridal party to do some pre game stuff for you--they get recognition and love from you in return.

- Food--Do it up buffet style with recyclable plates (I recommend bamboo) and forget about pesky waitstaff spilling thigns all over your guests.

Lauren didn't skimp on the fun stuff, which was the booze, the clothes and the food. It was a beautiful and amazing wedding!

XOXO
agmac

Ripped from...

I've been feeling kind of uninspired lately as to the whole social gathering/party/art posts. So I'm going to try and vary things up a bit.

Whenever I think something is cool that I read in a magazine or something from a blog that contributes to the art world or magazine world, I'm going to post it.

Here's the first installment...



Here's something that combines art with that wonderful thing we now refer to as "snail mail." Cute concept. Wish it would help out the printing/advertising/magazine world in this awful economic downturn, but at least it's making mail pretty.


Art As Mail

**Fine Art Friday**

Today's Fine Art Friday artist is Miss Van (what a great name)! She is from France, but currently resides in Barcelona (my favorite city next to NY). She apparently got her start doing graffiti art, in what was then a man's world.


Her "infamous sultry female characters," are called ‘Poupes’, which is reminiscent of the Russian name for doll (Poupchin) and seems totally appropriate for these child-like scandalous ladies.



The Poupes are a little bit naughty, a little bit erotic, and have seemed to mature over time. (It's said they are self portraits). Either way, the F'you gaze of the characters show they own their sexuality--they are like petulant little girls whose path you don't want to cross!

Check out Miss Van's site and she has an upcoming show called "Love Stain" in the UK.


And she uses piggies in her art, and I love piggies!!

Best Bachelorette Weekend Ever

So I know I use the qualifiers "best" and "ever" quite a bit, but hey, it fits. Last weekend WAS the best of the best!!!

We took our B2B (bride to be) to Atlantic City for a luxurious stay at the Borgata. (I highly recommend it for anyone who wants nice decor and class, over cheese and schtick).

Our guest of honor won $550 at the slot machines!


We didn't know until we showed up that one of our fave bands, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, were playing. While we didn't go to the show, we met the band and B2B got her picture taken with Karen O!!


We also went to a yummy fancy restaurant, Buddakan. And karaoked our night away at Planet Rose at the Quarter at Tropicana.

When we were ready to leave, instead of all 11 of us taking 3 cabs back to our hotel, we scored a limo for the same amount of money!

It really was a night blessed with good luck and awesome times.


The only tips I have is Bachelorette Parties in AC are these:
- Don't expect special treatment, e.g. to get in free at clubs. They see the likes of you all the time and the cover is usually $15 - $20 per person, so warn everyone and pick one club you want to stay at.
- For pre partying in the hotel room, buy booze before you check in because they can be expensive at the hotel.
- Get to Planet Rose early so you can actually hear your songs, the wait is LONG once you sign up.
- Stock up on snacks before you go out drinking :-)

Love as always,
Agmac

**Fine Art Friday**

Today's FAF is dedicated to POSTERS!!

Not only is this post about art, it also doubles as a gift giving guide. People love art, but art isn't always cheap.

But some posters are. While these are a step above the Trainspotting and Pulp posters we all had in college, they aren't going to break the bank.


Take a look at some of these awesome posters. And hey, if the person you buy them for doesn't like them, they can always hang them in the bathroom.


Check out this awesome site from Poster Child Prints.

The BEST Bridal Shower Ever

Saturday was my bff's Bridal Shower, or what her aunt and I dubbed "Bridal Luau."

Traditionally an aunt or female family friend throws the party and the bridesmaids help out with games and gift bags.

Lucky for Lo, she's got a kick ass aunt and some very creative bridesmaids!!


The theme of the party was tropical/luau style. To supplement the decor (leis, grass skirts, tropical flowers) and food, we centered our goodie bags around this as well.


The Goodie Bags included:

• Tropical Drink recipes (also relating to one of Lo's favorite past time--mixology)
• Candy like Almond Joy, Mounds, and tropical fruit flavored gummies
• A drink flavored lip gloss
• Colorful Swizzle Sticks
• A Flip Flop coaster

The games were a HUGE hit. We didn't want to do anything traditional, obvs, and we wanted all of the games to mean something.


Keeping Lo and the audience in mind, we had the following games (prizes were either Margarita sunglasses or a tropical drink mix):

• Name that Yacht Rock Love Song (crowd pleaser)!!--Just like "Name that Tune," we played a snippet from some of Lo's fave 80s songs (a la Lionel Richie, Hall n Oates, and Christopher Cross)
• How well do you know Lauren and Alex Quiz--Fun questions about each of them individually, their cats, and about their relationship. Top 3 scorers got a prize.
• Pin the Tail on the Japser--Lo and Al's older cat, name speaks for itself :-)

• 

We did some traditional things that shouldn't be messed with like a champagne toast and some fun lingerie as a gift.

But you should always try something new and different at your next "traditional" soiree! It'll go a long way!!

XOXO

agmac