Sweetchic Events Blog Gets a Facelift!

So remember when last Friday, I mentioned that my blog was undergoing an aesthetic overhaul? Well, within one short week of contacting Ellie of Rainy Day Templates, my blog has a new face! Remember my old, generic look? zZzZzzzz… So much white space!

It’s certainly eye-catching and vibrant now, eh? ;) And why all the polka dots? I just love ‘em, that’s why. There is something so sweet and kinda retro about polka dots! And I especially love the fact that I can now post BIG pictures!

I am not tech-savvy at all, so it was such a relief to work with Ellie… She made the process quick and painless, and managed my barrage of emails! I am so grateful that she took on my project considering the fact that she is moving to a new state next week!

Also, I need to give a shoutout to my friend Virginia of Tissue Blossom Designs (aka fellow Weddingbee blogger Mrs. Plumeria) who created my logo, and essentially, my branding! 

So now… I vow to blog consistently!

I <3 Bee Kim, Modern Bride Trendsetter!

I’m sure everyone in the Wedding Blogosphere knows by now that the fabulous Bee Kim has been named one of Modern Bride’s 25 Trendsetters of 2009! I was so excited I seriously *squealed* when I read her announcement on Weddingbee! I had to run out and pick up my very own copy of the June/July issue. How right the editors are when they say that the chosen pros have “transformed the way we marry.” I’d like to talk about the personal impact Bee and Weddingbee have had on my own planning process… and life after the wedding!

  

When I stumbled upon Bee’s Xanga blog in 2005, I was no where near engaged, but I was a devoted reader regardless of that minor detail (haha). When she launched Weddingbee in 2006, I was H.O.O.K.E.D! I already had a personal blog, but decided to branch out and start another one in June 2006 with the sole hope of eventually being chosen as a Weddingbee blogger after I got engaged (still didn’t know when THAT was gonna happen at the time, but wanted to ready the blog anyways…) 

Fast forward to October 2006 – finally engaged – let the wedding blogging commence! I still have the email I received from Bee on 11/27/06 where she said, “I’d like to welcome you to join the Weddingbee team!” Now THAT was definitely a major squeal-worthy moment! (Of course the mister had no idea what I was squealing about, and what Bees had to do with Weddings…)

Bee has been an inspiration to me for the nearly 4 years that I have been following her. She has made such a huge impact on the wedding industry, and I’m sure will continue to rock the blog(s) for years to come. Through Weddingbee, I have made so many new friends from all over the country, and I can’t imagine my life now without this close-knit network! I was especially excited to meet Bee last November when the hubby and I took a trip to NYC for our first wedding anniversary. I won’t lie, meeting Bee and some of the other ladies of WB was one of the big reasons I chose NYC as our vacay-destination :)

Yeah, she may look all prim and proper in the MB feature… but Bee knows how to have fun!

I <3 these gals!
Top: Lovebird, Dahlia, Bell pepper, Cupcake, Caramel
Bottom: Snowpea, Emerald, BEE!, Onion, Peony

Our New Home, Sweet Home

Ok, so this is not wedding-related, but I promised some pictures of our new home. We moved in approximately 2 months ago, but we already feel pretty settled and very comfortable in our new nest! We are in the heart of Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood with tons of yummy restaurants within walking distance (too bad we’re majorly cutting back on eating out these days…)

The outside, we are on the third floor so we get tons of light, you’ll see!

Living room/Dining room – BEFORE
(this is the actual picture from the online listing we saw before we even went to see the place)

Living room/Dining room – AFTER
Pale gray with a bold splash of cyan.

The dining room is my second favorite room in the place! Hanging those photos required a great deal of math and they STILL aren’t quite right…

I am obsessed with these Lola benches from Z Gallerie, so they deserve a close-up :)

Kitchen – BEFORE

Kitchen – AFTER. I love the 8-foot long island! We’d like to add a white subway tile backsplash at some point.



Hallway (exciting, huh? But it gives you an idea of the layout)

2nd bedroom – aka Sweetchic Events Corporate Office. The bland white walls will be receiving a shot of aqua paint in the near future!

Master bath… that Marimekko shower curtain was just one of those things I HAD to have, hehe.


Master bedroom – BEFORE. A white box.



Master bedroom – AFTER
That patterned wall was a labor of love... each square was painstakingly created with painters table and painted over in white paint. And I love having a chandelier... it feels so extravagant :)


Still on the MBR TO DO List:
- Window treatments
- Artwork on the walls
- New bedside table and lamps

Thanks for taking a tour!

Blogging Tips from a Wedding Pro

Liene must have seen my last post on Feb 20 about bringing her Blogging Bootcamp to Chicago, because this past Tuesday I had the privilege of learning from one of the best in the wedding biz, Liene Stevens of Blue Orchid Designs, aka The Smart Planner. She  knows what she is talking about, and I truly admire her and her success at such a young age (she’s younger than me!!). I hope she hosts another workshop series about being a better wedding planner – I would be ALL over that! I have so much to learn…

Anyway, I can’t give away all the strategy she shared with us since people are paying good money for her blogging advice, but the one thing she engrained in my mind is that “consistency is key.” So obvious and yet… that, my friends, has been the downfall of my little blog!

So, starting next week, I am going to commit to three posts a week, and we’ll see how that goes. And with some major help from my friend Ellie of Rainy Day Templates, there will also be an aesthetic overhaul in the near future. I can’t wait to debut my new look! Stay tuned…

By the way, you might be wondering why I am back on Blogger (sorry, I know I keep flip flopping, blogger, xanga, and now blogger), but it’s because I’ve discovered Windows Live Writer! This will make blogging SO. MUCH. EASIER!!

Lastly, after learning about the value of Twitter in the wedding industry, I’ve hopped on the Twitter-wagon, follow me!!

Me, Liene, and Natalie