The Oxford Hotel Denver, Colorado:Cristina Calabrese and Patrick Porter

Cristina Calabrese...Grace and strength are the words that I would use to describe her, And....maybe.....carisma and whimsy (my favorite traits of hers)...She was a breath of fresh air from the start. So full of life and so fun to work with.

Patrick Porter was so impassioned and, truthfully, one of the few that I believe really should be commended for his efforts to make his popping of the "question" a surprise.

Cristina and Patrick were married at St Elizabeth's on Denver's downtown Auraria Campus.

The Bride and Family were taken to the church in true style. Ambassador Rolls http://www.arlimo.com/ provided the 1955 Rolls with cranberry red leather interior ...so sweeeetttt!

After the ceremony , the same Rolls whisked Cristina and Patrick off to the Oxford Hotel in downtown Denver, Colorado. The Oxford is top 3 on my long list of favorites. The staff (Erin Browning and her super talented crew) are impeccable. When you are looking for a perfect event...look no further then the Oxford... http://www.theoxfordhotel.com/weddings.php

The couple had an extremely classy and truly beautiful reception. Throughout the night it was evident that this couple was loved by all that attended and they wanted to make sure that their guest knew they loved them too.

Again, Julie Harris of Julie Harris Photography captured the day with perfect precision. She is so talented...Check her out http://www.julieharrisphotography,com/

Cristina and Patrick, you made me smile and cry all night. Thanks for a great experience and be good to one another.

Crystal Mackey meets Fred Churbuck 4.25.09

Crystal Mackey has eyes and a smile that light up a room. WOW, she is so fun and great to be around.. no wonder Fred snapped her up when he saw her.
Crystal and Fred got married in April of 2009. They hired me to help them bring their vision to life and I am so glad that they did. They were fun and passionate and they made it a pleasure to work with them.

The ceremony took place at the Holy Ghost downtown Denver, Colorado. This church is amazing, built in 1905 before downtown Denver even really had an inkling of what it would eventually be, Holy Ghost stood tall and proud and beautiful all by it self.
Today, Holy Ghost is literally surrounded by a Denver architectural marvel. Designed by one of my other clients, Fentress Architects

http://www.fentressarchitects.com/1999_broadway.htm, Holy Ghost was preserved as a

historical landmark for our future generations to appreciate.

Having said all of that, the one thing that begs mentioning again is This CHURCH IS BEAUTIFUL!!!

After their ceremony, Crystal and Fred, in true unique Crystal and Fred fashion, brought their guests to a super cool and totally unusual reception site in another part of Denver called the Landmark.
The Curtis Ballroom at the ComdeyWorks Landmark , http://www.comedyworks.com/Content/Landmark,
is a swank new ballroom that features amazing views of the city from a fireplace adorned patio. The background decor is a planners DELIGHT as it is somewhat modern but very understated.
(at least for the next 10 years it will be considered that!)

They danced the night away to the tunes spun from DJ Kieran Browner with D.I.S.Co, Denver Independent Sound Company, Cell:970 389 1051.

On the same list of talented vendors that helped Fred and Crystal was Julie Harris of Julie Harris Photography. She is the tops and she knows that I feel that way. You should check out her blog as she will mesmerize you with her skills:http://julieharrisblog.wordpress.com/
But beyond that, she is amazing for weddings and portraits...

Crystal and Fred, you said we would do sushi...I am ready, willing and able, whenever you call!
Take care and best of luck!

Yes, I know....I'm slack

OK, so, what is a girl to do? I get a hundred calls a day and I try and try to make sure that all those that we work with are super happy, so can you blame me that I let the blog slip several times a year?
Regardless of my belly aching about it, the fact of the matter is, what I do is fun and my friends and family (vendor friends too) are sooooo tired of hearing about it that I am absolutely compelled to blog regardless of the time factor...hense the 7:00pm at night sitting in the studio talking to you guys!
Coming up... a few from earlier this year and why planners are good and why they are not.

Stay tuned

Beaver Creek Westin Wedding, Alicia and Hilario

This past weekend I was lucky enough to have the chance to plan the wedding of two amazing people, Alicia and Hilario. This event was super special and super fun, I really am so glad that I was able to witness it all unfold.

We started the day off with a ceremony at the ever popular and quaint Beaver Creek Chapel, http://www.vailchapel.com/bcchapel.cfm. The ceremony was filled with special personal touches. From the musical interludes provided by the Spanish Choir from Denver's St. Catejan's Catholic Church and the Vail Valley String Trio; http://www.vailvalleystrings.blogspot.com/, to the Spanish traditions of the Lazo and Arras. The ceremony was fantastic...

From there we moved on the the Westin Riverfront in Beaver Creek, http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/area/index.html?propertyID=1958. Let me tell you that their staff is top notch!!!! I have worked all over Colorado and have rarely found a group of people more dedicated to helping to execute a perfect event. My hats off to Meredith Brewer, Victor and Donny, who really "made it happen".

Anyway, we took the standard but nicely neutral ballroom and transformed it into a billowy winter wonderland, filled with beautiful orchids and crystals...

Of course, we at Alexan Events, love the decor and design aspect of our events, so we handled the floral design and the fabulous lounge rentals, as well as the lighting. All of those things helped to bring it all together , but I have to say the entertainment is what really stole the evening. We had a live band and a the great DJ, Damien of Sweetsounds Entertainment; http://www.sweetsoundsdj.com/, love him!! And to top it all off, we finished out the night with my favorite of all time; Sol de Mi Tierra, the amazing Mariachis; http://www.cccoleman.com/mariachi/.

But the most important part of the whole night was, of course, the bride and groom. Alicia and Hilario were so great to work with. Alicia is much like me, very detail oriented and I appreciated her desire to make this event special through the details. We created fabulous guest boxes, a great itinerary and great favors...The night was magical and their love was so apparent.

All of the fabulous pictures that you see here come from the talented Jared Wilson of Jared Wilson Photography; http://www.jaredwilsonphotography.com/. Check out his website and you will see that he is a real gem. Thanks Jared!!!

Alicia and Hilario, I look forward to keeping in touch with you for years to come. Take care and thanks for letting me be a part if this great weekend.

My love to you both, have fun in Asia.

The DM Guide to Fabulous Cocktail Parties

So recently I wrote an article for the newly popular Denver Magazine. That article came out in December just in time for everyone to use it to plan all of those great Holiday Parties.

Being that I am an event planner, of course I love to throw a great party, whether it is for a small group, a large wedding or a family gathering..I am always trying to make people feel comfortable and working towards creating an environment that will ensure my guests, or yours, have a fabulous time...Check out some of my tips and tricks! You can click on any of the pages below to see it up close.