Bye, Bye Blogger!

Dear followers, friends & family,

Recently, we transitioned from our existing website to a fancy WordPress-based site - which can be found here. We are excited for this transition because it will allow us to keep our website more active and updated with photos and all sorts of other goodies!

Please check back early and often at the new site for news and updates on the ongoing YNI fun!

Much love,

Leanne

Summer in Review: Samantha's Graduation Party

This spring, Samantha graduated from college and her family wanted to celebrate the occasion - so on June 9, 2012 we helped them throw a two part shin dig. With a small luncheon for close friends and family at Shaw's Crabhouse in Schaumburg, followed by an open house at the home of the graduate for the rest of her family and friends, we had a blast getting things together for this Pretty in Pink celebration!

The inspiration for this event was "Pink!" and sparkles.

Our centerpieces were simple: bottles of pink moscato, lots of candles, and pink rose petals.

Place settings included folded black napkins, framing custom menus and then adorned with a single pink rose.

We added extra interest to the tables with these mini bud vases, each holding a pink blooming rose and accented with silver sequins.

We hand made three colors of glittered champagne flutes for the guests to take home.

Each flute had a tag asking guests to use the flutes to toast to the graduate!

A custom guest book had envelopes in the colors of the day, with tags and slips of paper for guests to write well wishes for the graduate.

Our dessert table with a balloon display and a custom cake.

Sparkly cake toppers with the graduate's initials.

Mimosa Bar! Peach, strawberry and traditional mimosas.

After the luncheon, we moved the part (and the decorations!) over to the graduate's home.

Salads and desserts were on this table - with a buffet line with italian beef sandwiches on the kitchen counter.

Pink chocolate chip cookies!

Pink champagne cupcakes by Peace of Cake!

We brought over the guest book for the continuation of the party.

Bringing our party colors into the open house with colorful plasticware.

Custom pink party punch served in simply decorated plastic cups finished off the options for this event.

 

Geneva Wedding: Sweet Treats!

by John Fern

On a chilly Monday, Sarah and I had our meeting at Graham's Chocolates in Geneva. Throughout my busy workday and drive to Geneva, all I could think about were the famous truffles I've heard about so much. Sarah and her family have visited the Geneva area often and have devoured boxes of Graham’s chocolates throughout the years. I wasn't as privileged to such delights, but was fortunate enough to taste Graham’s peanut butter cups last year at Sarah’s family Christmas. Naturally, if the peanut butter cups were the best I have ever had then the truffles had to be amazing! And, they were nothing short of that.

We arrived and met with Jayni, the daughter of Bob Graham, and quickly began discussing the vision for our wedding. Sarah showed her our wedding colors and she ran to the back and matched 3 truffle boxes with ribbons to our theme. After mixing and matching the boxes with ribbons, Sarah and I agreed on what was going to look the best for our tablescape - black boxes, with silver bows accented with purple-monogrammed ribbon.

Now was the fun part…. The feast! Jayni brought out a large tray with 2 of every truffle flavor for Sarah and I to try. Truffle flavors ranged from mint to raspberry, vanilla to hazelnut, and even jalapeno, each covered in milk, dark or white chocolate. Since the truffles were so rich in flavor, we decided to share each piece. Just like most sweets, Sarah and I have very similar tastes and picking out two flavors was relatively painless. Which ones did we pick out, you ask? I’d rather not say. Preferably, we would like you to go to Grahams and try them all yourself and then guess which ones we chose! One hint: we chose one of the newest (and tastiest) flavors along with a complimentary classic truffle.

After finishing our feast (and dinner!), Jayni was kind enough to wrap up the extras and add a few more so that we could continue to enjoy them for the next week. But who are we kidding, they barely lasted two days!

77 days and counting… We can't wait to share the wonderful Graham's truffles with our friends and family on 12-12-12!

Geneva Wedding: The Dress has Arrived!

by Sarah Hamparian

Much to my surprise, my dress already arrived! Sara from The Crystal Bride called Wednesday to tell me the great news and set up my first dress fitting appointment. Even though my first fitting isn’t scheduled for another week, I got to try on my dress today. It was everything that I remembered and more. I wish that I could show you all the pictures, but if you squint really hard maybe you can see a sparkle, ribbon or detail outline behind the bag!

Geneva Wedding: Capture the Moment

by Sarah Hamparian

In a small, picturesque photography studio off of State Street in Geneva, John and I met with our photographers, Caitlin (of Hazelton Photography) and Tom (of Tom Nicol Photography), yesterday to go over photography styles and ideas for our wedding day. We did not have time to research different styles before our meeting, however that was not necessary. Caitlin and Tom took us through various ideas, from a “romantic” to “vintage” feels, and even discussed different lighting and how that effects pictures. What amazed us the most was that to capture the uniqueness of every couple, both photographers wanted to get to know us personally. This way, our photos from the wedding day are going to be a reflection of who we are as a couple and not necessarily what is the hottest trend of that year. After an in depth meeting, they both showed us samples of their work and the only thing I kept thinking is, “WOW! I can’t wait to see our pictures after the wedding!”

Lucky enough for us, we aren’t going to wait until after our wedding to start seeing pictures! Tom surprised us with an engagement photo shoot in just a couple of weeks and we couldn’t be more excited!! John and I have never had professional photos taken before, so this is going to be a new adventure that we can’t wait to have unfold. I am just hoping for a good hair day (fingers crossed!) and to hopefully find complementary outfits in somewhere our closets (there has got to be something, doesn’t there?).

Please keep posted for our photos from our engagement shoot in a couple of weeks and check back next week as we get to go “smell the roses” at the florist meeting!

Geneva Wedding: Finishing Details

by Sarah Hamparian

Now that my dress was safely within the Geneva town limits, it was time to pick out accessories at Veiled in Elegance! When I walked in and looked to my left, my eyes lit up with excitement. Rows of earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pins, brooches and belts sparkled with beauty and I couldn’t wait to put the finishing touches together for my wedding day.

Kathy lifted the wedding dress from my arms and whisked me away to the back to try on one of the biggest statement pieces first: The Veil! Clearly, this boutique is named Veiled in Elegance for a reason. There were veils everywhere! From short to long, pearls to crystals, the veils glistened on 4 different stands around the store. 

Once I put my on wedding dress, Kathy asked me about my vision for veils and accessories. After explaining my preferences and looking at the detail on my dress, she asked me to hold one moment and disappeared. Less than a minute later, she emerged from the back room with the perfect veil! It had exquisite detail and was the ideal length. Kathy placed it in my hair and as my Mom’s eyes began to swell with tears, I knew this veil was the one.

Next came the glitz and glamour with jewelry. Since there were so many pieces that caught my eye when I walked in the door, Kathy brought a whole array of items to try on. I quickly put on the largest earrings, 2 bracelets, a necklace, headband and hairpiece. The light reflected on all of the jewelry as I looked up and even I thought it was necessary to reconsider this many pieces. I appeared to be one giant crystal.

Kathy helped me tailor my choices and made sure that it balanced with my dress and veil well. This time, as I turned around on the podium with my dress, veil and accessories, my eyes began to sparkle and the biggest smile emerged. This was it! It was the exact vision that I had for my wedding day and I couldn’t have done this without Veiled in Elegance. Thanks, Kathy!