To celebrate the past Kentucky Derby,(sorry, we were having weddings) we’ve found the perfect Mint Julep recipe! The Mint Julep is the drink of choice at the Churchill Downs and the perfect beverage to serve at your Derby party this month or anytime this summer.

Mint Julep Recipe, 1 serving

4 fresh mint leaves
2 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
1 tsp powdered sugar
2 tsp water

Muddle (crush the leaves in the liquid) mint leaves, powdered sugar, and water in a C glass. Fill the glass with shaved or crushed ice and add bourbon. Top with more ice and garnish with a mint sprig. Serve with a straw and slow sips. Let’s toast to sunny days, big hats and fast horses!    :)

XOXO

Kathleen and Kim

http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink5382.html#ixzz2RFA3i8Mi

Image courtesy of myrecipes.com

Celine Bag                                                                Lorraine                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       I I had the privilege to meet with my friend and stylist, Lorraine Winkler, recently.  Loraine has been a stylist and couture manager for Jacobson’s, Saks 5th Avenue and now Nordstrom.  She assists a vast amount of clients that are busy, professional and all with various styles.  Working with individuals for special occasions and events is one of her many fortes.

I asked Lorraine to give us an inside scoop on fashion and timeless style. She is the “go to” lady and may be reached at the Nordstrom in Naples, Florida at 239.325.6100. The beauty about working with Lorraine is that you can live anywhere in the world, shop with her by phone or email, get free shipping and be delighted!

First, we spoke about Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom.  Lorraine feels there are two very important strategies here.

1.  Get a dress you can wear again and do not upstage the bride.  When looking for your dress, it is best to go directly to the store’s personal shopper or stylist.  They always provide a complimentary service and know the store like the back of their hand.  Let them know your price point.  Don’t hedge, tell them!

2.  Determine what your priority is.  Do you want to go all out on the dress, the  shoes, the handbag or all of the above?

Lorraine feels some great designers are Adrianna Pappel, Suzy Wong Chinn, Marchesa, Badgley Mischka, Akris Panto, Reem Acra. Kay Unger and Vera Wang.  The average couture gown will be $2,500 while non couture could be $300.  One point to remember is that you do NOT have to match the colors of the bride’s colors in your dress, unless you want too.  Fashion colors this year lean toward dusty rose (Jessica’s, our lead designer that just got married wedding palette) and sapphire blue (Abbie’s, my son’s fiancée and now new wife, wedding’s palette). An example, Abbie’s colors were cornflower blue, powder blue and silver.  I wore coral.  I chose coral because it is a good shade to go with my coloring and complimented Abbie’s blue.  Abbie’s mom wore a silver grey and looked fabulous. Jessica’s mom wore navy that is a great neutral and looked great with Jessica’s wedding colors.

When you get your dress, go ahead and purchase the shoes and handbag too.  Complete the entire ensemble, instead of procrastinating.  For shoes you have one question: comfort or style????  Remember, you will have to wear them for a three hour minimum.  For couture it is hands dowon Jimmy Choo, Prada or Manola Blahnik.  Lorraine had a recent client that paid $198 for her dress, $700 for her Prada shoes.  Other shoes with a smaller price point would be J Renee, Michael Kors, Stuart Weitzman, Nine West.  It is totally up to you on where you will go….A nice clutch and nice earrings will complete your FABULOUS look.

I asked about tips for investment clothing too.  I really feel and have learned that buying 10 $9.99 shirts is not the “steal” that buying one good shirt is. My experience has been that I wear one investment piece far more times than a “bargain”.  Lorraine agrees, go for what you feel confident in and look great in.  Most of the time it isn’t going to be on the clearance rack. Look in your closet and look at what you repeatedly wear vs. your bargains……..Need we say more?

Don’t over accessorize.  If you love that statement necklace, don’t wear 10,000 bangles stacked. No fads on shoes either. Remember comfort, especially when you need to wear your shoes all day.  Always possess a  neutral colored shoe.  We think nude is a great investment along with navy and black.

Here are some of Lorraine’s insights: Choose one of spring/summer’s bright colors in a skirt or dress with a nude shoe will lengthen the leg. Print always will make you look heavier, whether it is a swimsuit, dress or pant. A printed top with a solid colored skirt or pant looks better.  Print will look better on a smaller frame too.  Black is always the “go to” color. It is timeless, just don’t overdo it. Your best investment colors are white, navy, black, grey and khaki, she claims.

For handbags, go with one you love! Go with one that will make you feel great and will work with a lot of your wardrobe.  Kid leather is softer and can tear compared to caviar leather (Chanel’s) or canvas (Louis Vuitton’s handbag fabric).  Think also about getting a handbag insert that holds all of your “goods” and can be removed quickly from one handbag to the next; making it easy to use ALL of your handbags, instead of the favorite few repeats. One of our favorites handbag inserts may be purchased at ETC for the Home in Bloomington. I purchased one there and use all of my handbags now….finally!  Lorraine’s favorite bags is the Chanel Grand Shopper.  Yes, this is an investment, but  you could carry it every day for 20 years and never go wrong.  Michael Kors, Valentino, Tory Burch and Coach are other bags Lorraine likes. Inside scoop: Celine is the newest couture bag that Lorraine claims EVERYONE wants. We’ve pictured the Trapeze style.

Remember, you always hear it here first!  We love fashion and we love you!  Make sure to let us know about your favorites too!

xoxo

Kim

Our Wedding Wands Make A Fabulous Exit

Out with the rice and in with the wedding wands! Wedding wands are fun and add a splash of color as you’re exiting the ceremony or your reception with your Groom in tow. You want to know a little secret? They’re also really easy to make!

What you need to get the job done:

• Wood Dowels (You can purchase a pack of 50 from Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby for around $9.97)
• Ribbon (Satin looks the best and a medium width works well but if you want to add a bell we recommend getting ribbon that is slim in size to easily secure the bell. We like using several colors that are in the wedding palette for added “pop”)
• Scissors
• Bells (optional)

Those items are easy to gather and they can all be found at Wal-Mart and/or Hobby Lobby right there in the craft section. The ribbon can vary in price depending on the type you decide to go with but can usually be purchased for under $5 per spool.

The process:

• Cut pieces of ribbon to be about 2ft long. (This doesn’t have to be exact but make sure your ribbon is long enough to tie a knot and still have plenty of ribbon to wave around.)
• Tie a piece of ribbon at the top of your wood dowel. (I recommend tying (separately) three pieces of ribbon to each dowel).
• Add a bell! Just slide a piece of ribbon that is already secured to the dowel through the loop of the bell and tie a knot to secure the bell. (Remember to use the slim ribbon to tie the knot!)
• Give that wedding wand a try and wave it around!

Warning: Making wedding wands can be very time consuming so leave yourself plenty of time! Tying wedding wands before the day of your “I do’s” is not recommended and the looks you will receive from your bridal party are not worth it!

Extras:The saying, “Give a wave for the new Mr. and Mrs.” can be printed on cardstock and attached to each wedding wand or displayed by your wedding wands to give your guests a little hint of what to do with these things!

Good luck! Post pictures of your wedding wands to our Facebook page. We love to see your work!

XOXO,

Kathleen

With Spring sunshine there will be flowers blooming again!  Some of our favorites are the hydrangea, knock out roses, day lilies, zinnias and flox.

It really is fun to grow them, cut the blooms and take them to the office or decorate with.  If you aren’t that ambitious, go to the local floral store and buy a bouquet of your favorites.

Everyone we know loves beautiful flowers. Before you begin cutting, take a little lesson in the art of floral design with Kate Spade’s floral designer, Ashley.

Here are some tips:

Kim 

Having the bridesmaids dressed alike during the prep time makes for adorable pictures. It also allows the bride to be able to stand out in her own special robe. One great thing about the Plum Pretty Sugar robes is the style. These robes can be worn again and again; the style doesn’t limit itself to wearing it for just one day. Take a look for yourself and visit their website for even more styles and apparel! http://store.plumprettysugar.com/

Love, Kathleen

Stress Free Wedding Planning TipsWedding planning can be both exciting and stressful. There are a couple of things to help you through the stresses that come along with planning for your big day; hire a wedding planner (come on, you knew we had to throw that in there!), pour yourself  a large glass of wine, and  follow these simple tips:

1. Get organized from the very beginning.  Create a binder with tabs that organize your favorite ceremony sites, reception venues, floral ideas, color palette, and inspirations.
2. Limit your influencers. Keep your wants as well as your grooms as a priority. Everyone will freely give you their opinion but remember, this day is for you and your groom.
3. Plan! Once you’ve set the date make a To- Do- List for each month; accomplishing a little at a time and not leaving everything for your last few months to plan.
4. Take time to breathe! No doubt wedding planning can be overwhelming but this time will only happen once so take the time to reflect and enjoy it.

Have questions? Tweet @KKSEvents and Facebook us!

XOXO,

Kathleen

photo courtesy of p://weddingparty-boise.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Wedding-Planner1.jpg

Liz+Mark’s wedding was one we will not forget.  Liz +Mark came to us after reading an article Liz’s mom read in The Broadripple Gazette about our company.

Liz’s family was relatively new to the area and Liz+Mark were really busy professionals.  We were thrilled to join in their wedding planning.  Thus began a great friendship and lots of planning time.  I love Liz.  She is pretty, sooo smart and an IU Hoosier.  In fact, unbeknownst to us, Liz’s mom and I attended IU together, lived next door to each other in different sororities and knew the same people.  Liz also was a member of her mom’s sorority and shared in our love of Bloomington.  Mark is a great guy too.  Mark is a FABULOUS baseball player and fan!  A graduate of DePauw, we shared stories about his alma mater and baseball.   We loved helping Liz+Mark with vendor referral, design of their wedding, all of their invitations and coordination.

Their wedding was held at the United Methodist Church on North Meridian on a sunny afternoon. Prior to the wedding, we “trollied” for pictures with my new friends, “Jesse and Gina, Evansville’s renowned photographers” around town.  One of our pictures was at the Eiteljorg under a statue with an umbrella-just for fun.  A few raindrops came right after our pose, but we didn’t think a thing about it.  The sky began to get gray; just before the wedding. Near the end of the  ceremony the weather changed.  With no real warning, we needed that umbrella!  Rain poured hard and it poured fast.

Everyone was onboard the trolley headed for downtown. We arrived at Union Station.  The entire wedding party was dodging the showers to get into the Crowne Plaza/Union Station for the reception.  As soon as we arrived all of the lights went out.  No problem, we had LOTS of beautiful candles burning and were ready for the guests.  Soon the Crowne had the lights were back on, the music was playing and lots of laughter filled the room.  It became a perfe

Later we were looking out the windows at some beautiful downtown city scape with drops of rain glistening like jewels on the windows,thinking about this beautiful couple and their beautiful dayct evening; just like the day had been.

.

Here are some great tips from one of our best resources www.marthastewartweddings.com

It’s that time of year again; cozy socks, warm sweaters, and hot drinks! One of the office favorites this year is the Pumpkin Spice Latte! It is very simple to make and very delicious! It even tastes exactly like the Starbucks version! Make sure you follow the recipe exactly for the best results!

We found this recipe from A Farmgirl’s DabblesThis recipe makes about 7 to 8 homemade lattes, so you may want to scale it down a bit of you’re just trying it out!

Ingredients

Pumpkin Spice Mixture:

• 1  15-oz. can pumpkin puree
• 2 c. whole milk
• ½  c. sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2 T. pure vanilla extract
• 1 T. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground dried ginger
• ½  tsp. ground cloves
• ¼  tsp. allspice

Assemble the Pumpkin Spice Latte:

• strong coffee
• slightly sweetened whipped cream
• cinnamon
• dark chocolate shavings

Preparation

Pumpkin Spice Mixture:

In a blender, combine all the pumpkin spice mixture ingredients. Puree for about 30 seconds. For a smoother mixture, puree for a couple more minutes, or until the mixture is to your desired consistency.

Assemble the Pumpkin Spice Latte:

Pour 1/2 cup (more or less, depending on your preference) of the pumpkin spice mixture into a large mug. Microwave for about 20 seconds, then add 1 cup of hot strong brewed coffee and stir. Top with a nice lofty pile of sweetened whipped cream. Sprinkle lightly with a bit of cinnamon.

Pour the remaining pumpkin spice mixture into a jar, top with a lid and store in the refrigerator. When ready to make another drink, shake the jar well and repeat the assembly of the pumpkin spice latte. The pumpkin spice mixture will keep pretty well for 1 week in the refrigerator.

By Molly

Thank you, A Farm Girl’s Dabbles!

Romantic Pink Wedding Kim King Smith Events Indianapolis Marriott North

Romantic Pink Wedding in Indianapolis Kim King Smith Events

What’s the best RX prescription for happily ever after?  Two doctors falling in love!

What a great experience to work with Drs. Fred and Yelena Makori on their wedding.  We first met Yelena and her mother a year prior to the wedding.  Yelena and Fred were so busy working on their medical residencies and living apart.  It was trying times, but they had one thing to really look forward to; their marriage.

It was so much fun to partner with Yelena and her mom, working from a distance, on a a big day back here in Indy.  Regular calls and lots of our coordination services were just the right prescription for this busy bride.  We tried to make all of her planning “appointments” easy and get lots done in big “doses”.

We were thrilled to help Yelena not only with  the coordination services, but design too.  Both the ceremony and reception were held at the Marriott North. Yelena had chosen beautiful  white linens  and chair covers accented with black satin.  We added gold chargers, lots of golden mercury glass candlelight and beautiful pale pink posies for a romantic and elegant look.

We were able to incorporate a lot of personalization into the wedding; especially with Fred’s Kenyan (Africa) background.   I so admired Fred and his family.  Leaving Kenya and coming to the USA to live and to work had a lot of challenges; not one challenge that Fred nor his family would not  overcome.  What a story, what a family! <3

We wanted everyone to have a good time.  We added spices and flavors to the food, made sure the music was familiar to the guests and fantastic, plus provided a great venue for all those travelling out-of-state and out of county.  Our guests loved every minute.  The DJ played many unfamiliar tunes to us, but really familiar to our guests.  It was fun to hear and feel  the beat of the drums as the DJ called out the music that everyone loved to dance to and enjoy- a great prescription.  The late night dessert bar was pink and perfect as well.  Tiny bites of pastries and cups of fluff lured guests to enjoy one more moment of this grand and unforgettable day.

We are so happy for Yelena and Fred.  They made us so very proud of them and we hope we made them so very happy!

Coordination and Design:  Kim King Smith Events

Venue:  Marriott North http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-rooms/indno-indianapolis-marriott-north/

Photography:  Bowersock Photography http://bowersockphoto.com/

Stationery:  Kim King Smith Events/Carlson Craft