Events | Martha Stewart’s Bridal Market Celebration
Wednesday October 20th, 2010
Pulling into the parking lot, close to Martha Stewart Magazine’s headquarters in the Chelsea district of New York City, the attendant could tell we were insanely excited about attending Martha Stewart’s Bridal Market Celebration. As Kim was watching out the window of ‘Wichcraft, a yummy sandwich shop we stopped in before the big event, admiring chic fashions, she almost choked on her eggplant sandwich! On the other side of the glass was NYC’s wedding cake goddess, Sylvia Weinstock! Her signature glasses gave her away. Talk about star struck.
Closer to 6:00, we patiently waited in the lobby, surrounded by wedding industry pros who were also anxious for the doors to open. After taking the elevator 9 floors we were greeted by wonderful music from Carte Blanche, of Elan Artists, who were dressed to the nines in 1920’s-inspired flapper dresses and dripping with beads. Interns were poised and ready at the registration table, which was covered in gold glitter. It felt pretty cool to be “on the list.” The theme of the party was “All that Sparkles” so the entire scene was shimmering. We were even given light up jelly rings at the door, which we could trade in at the end of the night at Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck and Treats Truck which were parked outside. There were stylish vendors lining the perimeter of the main room, a large bar with themed cocktails and wine in the center, and a DJ from Generation Events.
Left: Mara Zepeda of Neither Snow; Right: Amanda Nistor of Ruffled
The first person we met was Mara Zepeda of Neither Snow. She spent the evening carefully penning special dates in calligraphy onto bookmarks by Spark Stationary. There was a guestbook at this station and right above our signatures was the signature of stylish Amanda Nistor, from Ruffled, a wedding blog for vintage, indie, and DIY brides. Just as we looked at each other a little bummed, thinking we missed her, she turned around and introduced herself. We were so happy to finally meet Amanda in person—we read her blog daily and admire her work so much!
Left: Kelly Shaffer from the Glitter Bar
Next, we got a chance to visit with optician, Kelly Shaffer, the founder of the Glitter Bar, and she added a little glam to our looks. She explained how her formula was designed with contact wearers in mind, which is pretty awesome! Close to the Glitter Bar were tables covered with yummy treats. All of the catering staff wore crisp white shirts tucked into black dress pants and gold ties.
Top: Wendy, The Piper Cleaner Lady; Bottom: Matthew Robbins of Matthew Robbins Design
We spoke for a while with Wendy, The Pipe Cleaner Lady. She had a table set up where you could make your own pipe cleaner jewelry. We each got a stylish flower ring. Next to Wendy was renowned designer Matthew Robbins who helped guests create their own beautiful, sparkling bouquets. One of the highlights of the night was chatting it up with Karen Kaforey, expert event planner of Signature Events and owner of b. Hughes and store manager of b. Hughes, Allison Newby. Karen spoke with us about her stunning achievements in the industry and what it was like working with Cake & Pictures photographer, Jose Villa. The four of us lit up when we realized our common friend and gushed about his stunning photos and how wonderful it is to work with him.
Top Left: Allison Newby and Karen Kaforey, Top Right: Mark Ingram; Bottom Left: Darcy Miller, Bottom Right: Lara Casey of Southern Weddings
Throughout the evening, Better TV interviewed attendees including Darcy Miller, Senior Vice President and Weddings Editorial Director for Martha Stewart Living and author and illustrator for Darcy Miller Designs. Another wedding industry mogul in attendance was Lara Casey, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Southern Weddings magazine and head-honcho at the luxury market wedding consulting firm, Lara Casey Reps. She looked stunning in her red cocktail dress and we were so happy to meet her!
We got a chance to take a tour of the Martha Stewart offices. Safe to say they were organized! There was a long hallway filled with cookbooks impeccably categorized in glass cabinets. My favorite part was the test kitchen where they shoot cooking segments. We even got a chance to watch cakes being decorated, by Amy DeGiulio of Sugar Flower Cake Shop, with edible flowers and pearls.
Left: Amy DeGiulio of Sugar Flower Cake Shop; Right: Lisa Light of Destination Bride and Corbin Gurkin of Corbin Gurkin Photography
With the evening coming to a close, we stood in line at the coat check. With one more shot to mingle with some friendly faces we said hello to the ladies in front of us. Standing right in front of us was Lisa Light, event planner for Destination Brides, and Cake & Pictures photographer, Corbin Gurkin. Heather had spoken with Lisa not more than a week ago and we just recently featured Corbin’s work in sponsored post with Classic Bride! We joked about what a few nametags would do for uniting industry friends who have never had the chance to meet in person. With a few laughs we said our goodbyes and made our way back to the car. Our feet were screaming, but it was well worth it. We can’t wait to come back in killer outfits next year!
Got Cake? picture courtesy of Smilebooth
– Heather & Kim
