The wonderful Ashley Biess Photography will be there to take some gorgeous photos of you and the family. How often does your mama say, “We have no photos together!!” I know Mama La Fleur says that a lot! Can you say, “Future Christmas Card?”

I hope you and the family will join us. I am so excited to tell my mama how much I adore her!

XX

Ashley

The post Happy Mother’s Day! appeared first on La Belle Fleur Events Blog.

{Chanel Cruise 2013}

{Elie Saab 2013}

{Kate Spade New York Spring 2013}

xo

Ash

The post The Perfect Spring Palette appeared first on La Belle Fleur Events Blog.

Next week we will be teaming up with Francesca’s Collections for a Night of Bridal Fun!

I absolutely love shopping at this store, and the ladies there always know how to pick out the right outfits for me.

They have plenty of dresses for all occasions. Whether you’re the bride or a bridesmaid, you can always find the perfect dress from engagement party, bridal shower, bachelorette party to rehearsal dinner. Of course, if you’re looking for a gift for your fave gal-pal, they have plenty in store. I personally love their purses.

I hope you’ll join a next week! We’ll be putting out some of our favorite dresses for every occasion, and I’ll be there to answer all your bridal questions.

xo

Ash

The post Francesca’s Collections a Night of Bridal Fun appeared first on La Belle Fleur Events Blog.

The Simple Plan is designed to help wedding professionals create their business plans, and run a smarter and more efficient wedding business. Michelle and Kelly make it so simple that I wanted to shout from the rooftops. Everything from mission statements, marketing plans and financial statements…phew. You’d think that would be overwhelming, but our group kept it fun and exciting.

Two of my favorite parts of the shop…

I absolutely loved getting to meet so many different wedding professionals. It was amazing to meet not only so many talented Chicago professionals, but creative professional throughout North America.

The most impact, though, was in how much more confident I became in myself. I am so excited that La Belle Fleur Events will be undergoing a makeover in the next few months, and will be launching all bright and shiny in 2014. You’re going to love it. Promise!

 Photo above by the amazing Ashley Biess!

The post Sage Wedding Pros Workshop | Recap appeared first on La Belle Fleur Events Blog.

After visiting Charleston in March, I was in love. I was surrounded by the ocean, exploring gorgeous plantations, and surrounded by beautiful camellias. I was in heaven.

I had an amazing team who helped bring my vision to life, and I could not be happier with how everything turned out. It had my heart feeling warm on such a chilly March day! There are even some photos of yours truly, and a promo video that will be released soon. xoxo.

I could not thank everyone involved enough! You’re all rock stars!

Photography:Ashley Biess Photography

Promo Video: Chris Bauer Photo

Floral Design: Exquisite Designs Chicago

Venue:Kitchen Chicago

Menu Cards: Made Divine

Rentals: The Savoy Flea & Vintage Plate Rescue

Sweets: Alliance Bakery & Flirty Cupcakes

The post Southern Weddings: Peach & Coral appeared first on La Belle Fleur Events Blog.

I, too, fell victim to this-this winter. I stepped on the scale, and I ‘magically’ gained five pounds. The tears started coming down my face. How did this happen? This can’t be right! I immediately felt myself going into defense mode: I eat healthy, I work out, I walk! Then, when I chilled out a bit, I started to really think about how this didn’t just magically occur:

-Okay, yes, I do eat healthy. I never eat fast food, and I eat lots of fruits and veggies, and drink tons of water. But, I also love pizza and I love tacos, and I’ve been indulging in them too much lately. I love to try new restaurants with my babe and my friends, and when you’re going out a lot, you’ll likely indulge more than you would at home.

-Yes, I work out. But, when I got honest with myself, I realized I went from hitting the gym 4 to 5 times a week to maybe 3.

-Yes, I walk…to the car. In the summers, I’ll walk to the gym which is over a mile away. Hellooo, Ashley: that’s incredibly different.

So, I decided to get myself back on track, and you can to:

- I pulled out my iphone, and started tracking everything I ate again. That’s always a not-so-friendly wake up call. Write it down. Immediately. You’ll realize your patterns: when are you getting hungry? Are you constantly snacking throughout the day? Look up those calories, and more importantly, look up the nutritional facts. I aim to get more than 30 grams of fiber a day, and more than 90 grams of protein. Both of those keep you fuller longer as they are harder for your body to break down. More bang for your buck!

-I bought an all in one calorie counting and pedometer watch. It’s easy to track your progress throughout the day, and is a constant reminder to keep your goals in mind. It’s easy in the winter to not be walking as much when it’s cold; remember that it is very important to get your 10,000 steps a day.

*Here’s a little math for you: keep in mind that a pound is 3500 calories. That means you need to eliminate 500 calories a day if you want to lose a pound a week. Keeping track of the calories you’re losing all day long as well as the amount of calories you’re eating is a sure fire way to help you achieve your goals.

-I decided to run a race! I’ll admit that I’m nervous because I’ve never done that before, but changing it up at the gym is motivating me again, and now I’m on a time-restraint. Sign up for a new class with your friend or a significant other. A little bonding time sans food is always good for you!

Some extra fun tips:

-Start the morning with hot lemon water: it will help your digestive system, and lemon juice is packed with vitamin C.

-I started drinking water with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in the morning. There are many benefits from doing this, and weight loss is one of them.

-I started a vitamin regimen. When you’re healthy inside, you’ll be more healthy on the outside.

As always, I am not a nutritionist or fitness instructor. I’m simply a wedding planner who wants to be healthy inside and out. I always encourage you to seek professional advice as I’ve done numerous times.

Has this happened to you? How did you lose those pesky pounds? Feel free to share!

xo,

Ashley

The post Beating Those Winter Pounds appeared first on La Belle Fleur Events Blog.

The post Chicago Weddings on the Lake: Sarah & Bill appeared first on La Belle Fleur Events Blog.

Nothing makes me happier than to know that our past couples are so happy with our services they want to shout it to the world. Our relationships with our clients is so important to us, and receiving so many glowing reviews really makes me so happy.

Thank you immensely to all our incredible clients who wrote fabulous reviews. I appreciate it so much! You are all rock stars, and I couldn’t be more blessed!!

The post Chicago Wedding Planner | Bride’s Choice 2013! appeared first on La Belle Fleur Events Blog.

The lovely ladies of Natural Beauties Floral are sharing with you today! Their floral designs are as gorgeous as they are inside and out! 

What do you do?: We specialize in custom floral design for wedding, events, and gift bouquets. Our designs are a collaboration of the designers’ artistry, the client’s personality, the venue’s aesthetic and the essence of nature.

How did you get into what you’re doing?: We began designing floral arrangements at the age of eight. Our grandmother, a Master Gardener and Designer, taught us the basic techniques to floral design. Our true love began to flourish as we competed in county fairs and Illinois state fair finding our ultimate passion in floral creations. After attending floral school, that’s when we decided to follow our passion and open our very own floral boutique.

What is your favorite part of your work?: Our favorite part of owning a floral business is designing with various textures, color palettes, and styles. We love selecting novelty flowers and combining them with well known beauties to create intricate detailed designs. Having the freedom to choose specific blooms allows us to create something unique and original each time. It’s always exhilarating to style weddings and events, as the possibilities are endless.  We absolutely love our job!  We never find ourselves in a state of boredom, and we are grateful for this. The artistic craft behind floral designing really speaks to us, so naturally we never feel like we are at “work”.

What are your favorite flowers to work with?: Our favorite flowers to work with? That’s a tough question to answer. We love so many beauties it’s really hard to pick just one. We focus on choosing flowers that are of high quality, vivid coloring, and unique in shape and texture . We define flowers as having feminine or masculine qualities. So depending on the style of bouquet or arrangement, it’s important for us to select flowers that will produce a cohesive design within a particular style. To name a few, we really love feminine sweet peas, peonies, garden roses, and masculine calla lilies and orchids. 

Where do you take inspiration from?: We take inspiration from all areas of our lifestyles. We both really love interior design, traveling, fashion, and music. Whether we are cruising through a magazine, off wandering on our latest adventure, or watching the latest runway shows, we take mental notes we will later incorporate into our floral creations. It’s an ever changing design world, so it’s important to really keep up to par with the latest trends. 

What is something most people don’t know about you?: We grew up in the middle of the woods. Most people may not know this because we have become city girls. However, our heart and passion for flowers began with scavenger hunting through the countryside finding roadside beauties.

What is your favorite beauty item?: Our favorite beauty item is mascara.  When doing business eye contact is always key, so having our eyelashes done is a must.

What can’t you leave the house without?: A good pair of shoes. We love Frye boots. Being the independent women we are, we have to be able to stand on our own two feet; and that means being comfortable when designing all day!

 Happy Sunday Friends! xo

The post Chicago Floral Designers: Jan & Jillian of Natural Beauties Floral appeared first on La Belle Fleur Events Blog.

While there, my instructor raved about these two blonde, drop-dead-gorgeous, twin sisters who attended the school, and now had an incredible business in Chicago. The next year, while participating in Indie Wed, two twin models walked up to me, and started talking about their floral design company. I knew it had to be Jan and Jillian! 

Jan and Jillian are not only beautiful, but incredibly smart. Both hold their masters degrees! Obviously, they are extremely talented when it comes to floral design: they capture a fresh, modern appeal, and I love how bold they are when it comes to design. I cannot wait for them to share more with you on Friday! 

The post Chicago Floral Designers: Jan & Jillian of Natural Beauties Floral appeared first on La Belle Fleur Events Blog.