Happy Coincidence

Me on the plane, waiting to depart

Something really funny just happened to me that I wanted to share with you before the plane takes off. Last weekend, Marcy Blum and I worked together on a wedding for a local couple in the city. It turned out spectacularly, which made me happy, because the couple was such a joy to work with.

Anyway, I'm sitting on the plane right now, on my way to that international job I was talking about yesterday, and as I walk into first class and settle down, who do I run into but the couple whose wedding I designed just this past weekend! They are on their way to their honeymoon, and we just both happened to be on the same flight. How funny is that?

Here's a picture of the outside of my first class cabin.

It was great to run into them and see how happy they are on their way to their honeymoon. It'll keep me motivated as I prepare for my next job. A designer's work is never done...

International Work & Play

December is one of my busiest months! I'm leaving today for an international job I have been eagerly anticipating. That’s why I like to make a big deal out of Thanksgiving and hand out presents early because I'm always away working for Christmas. (Though, don't get me wrong. One of the things I'm most thankful for this year is that my company keeps growing.)

Key people from my staff are coming along with me (actually, they’ve already left for the job), but I’m also hiring a crew of folks locally. The pictures you see throughout this post are from a previous event we did internationally. You can see the army of people it takes, in the picture above, to set up the spaces.

I love working at home in New York City, but I also appreciate working internationally because it gives me an opportunity to meet other cultures and find out about their customs and traditions.

My favorite thing to do is to design so it's very exciting for me to see the job being born. It normally takes six months to a year to plan out one of these international extravaganzas. Throughout all those months I'm orchestrating all aspects of the event, but traveling to the job site and evaluating the production crew allows me to see my imagination come to life. It is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work.

Of course, it’s going to be hard working straight up to the holidays, but the great news is that immediately after this job is over, I'm going on vacation to one of my favorite places in the world--Maldives. Don’t worry, though, you’ll hear more from me throughout this month.

This week, we’ll be talking about some possible presents you can buy for your loved ones and a new way to use gift wrapping paper as décor. Happy travels (whether you’re just driving down the street or flying across the world).

DIY - You can "Do it yourself"

I love designing table setting. Whether the event is large or small it is the one place where people can gather. I enjoy designing tables that are full of visual layers - the details in the napkins, the placemats, the candles, the tableware, and, of course, the tall centerpiece.

Apart from designing for my clients, one of my greatest joys is empowering people to do it themselves. I am always so honored when people come up to me and tell me that they recreated one of my designs for their event. Still, some opt not to create their own table setting because they fear that they do not have the skills or that these statements have to cost a fortune, and include the most expensive flowers, linen, and tableware. It just isn’t true.

In my new book, "Celebrations," I have a chapter dedicated to making simple to challenging table settings using only the most cost effective materials and natural elements. I hope that this chapter inspires all of you DIYers out there to go for it. Here is one of the table settings, the one I call the Wedding Bell:

The beauty of this table and what makes it cost effective is that most of the wonderful layers and details are done with paper.

To further inspire you to create your own table setting, I am going to provide on Monday, April 6th a complete how-to guide and resource manual for you to create the Wedding Bell. There will be a modest cost for the manual because I will only send out 1,000 copies. If you are interested and would like to reserve your copy, please email us at diy@prestonbailey.com with your name, address, email address and telephone number.

Forever Inspired,

Preston

Happy New Year!

Happy 2008! I hope the year is off to a great start for all of you. I spent some time over the holidays traveling, which I think is a great way to end one year and start another. I was in Cartagena, Colombia for a wedding, Palm Beach, Florida for a birthday party, Lana'i, Hawaii for pure relaxation, and I am heading to Los Angeles in a few days to consult with one of my clients. I guess you could say this year started off with a bang! Colombia was gorgeous! The combination of lush natural beauty, wonderful culture, and traditional architecture was stunning... And they had my absolute favorite street food- ripe mangos!The whole town came out for the wedding, and I have to say that the local color put my work to shame. As the couple left the church, they were joined by hundreds of children dressed in wonderful local costumes. There was a parade around the town square leading the guests from the church to the reception site. The children danced and played instruments the whole way and created a magical atmosphere for all the guests, and especially the bride and groom!

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! Lately, I have been getting a lot of requests for ideas and tips, so I decided to start writing a little bit every week to let you know what I am working on and designing. I just got back from the Hotel du Cap (http://www.edenroc-hotel.fr/) in the South of France where my team and I spent two weeks installing an event. It was more than just a wedding, it was an extravaganza! The elegance of the hotel and the natural beauty of the area made my job that much harder! How could I improve on this?

But I always say that we are in the business of making dreams come true, so we designed an aisle treatment that would compliment the look of the hotel and also create an elegant frame for the ceremony. The bride wanted traditional white, but with a hint of something more playful. So for the ceremony, we came up with this:

I like to thing of them as over sized wedding bells! I also liked adding something so structural to the lush natural environment. So, if you have not already, check out the website. I have changed the whole look of it, and added a bunch of new photos to the portfolio! I hope you like it...