Julep Nail Parlor – Truly Fabulous

We recently had the pleasure of meeting with Susanne Kerns, event manager for Julep Nail Parlor, at their fabulous University District location. Susanne treated us to incredible manicures (no nail polish jokes, please…we left buffed but not polished) while she told us all about Juleps great services and philosophies. The socially & environmentally responsible company which opened in 2007 has already made quite the splash. It has been awarded “Best New Nail Salon” & “Best Manicure/Pedicure by Seattle Magazine, and was also recognized as one of Daily Candy’s “Sweetest Things.” Julep, which also has locations in Downtown Seattle, Gig Harbor, and one opening in Bellevue in March, definitely lives up to the hype.

We were thrilled with the incredible service we received at this attractive urban oasis. We found the contemporary look of the space refreshingly gender neutral, creating a comfortable space for both female and male clientele. We were even more excited to learn about how the space can be transformed and personalized for a bridal party. Their cozy but sleek custom designed furniture can be configured to meet the needs of a variety of party sizes. Unlike many nail parlors in the area, Julep is able to accommodate up to 12 services simultaneously while all of the guests are together in one room, allowing you to truly have a party that everyone is a part of.

While we indulged in our manicures and enjoyed warm tea & Fran’s Chocolates, Susanne emphasized Julep’s philosophy of flexibility for bridal parties to ensure a personalized and customized experience perfect for their guests. While they have a variety of bridal packages to choose from, we were so impressed with the level of flexibility they offer. For example, Julep has a number of plasma screen TV’s with DVD players that you can use to play your favorite movie or even a personalized slideshow of your bridal party. You can also bring in your iPod to have a customized playlist for the event. In addition they have catering options so you can enjoy decadent treats and sip champagne during your visit.

We can’t wait for our brides (& grooms – we want those ring fingers picture ready!) to have great Julep Nail Parlor experiences of their own.

Happy Holidays from True Colors Events

As the song goes, “baby its cold outside!” Winter is still a couple of days away, but the snow is here. We recently met with Tracy of Waterways Cruises & Events, who gave us this adorable forest green corduroy coat to keep our dog Buster warm. Upon receiving the gift, Buster immediately insisted on a photo shoot so he could show off his new fashion statement. Being the supermodel diva-dog that he is, Buster also scolded us for not focusing the blog more on him and insisted that we post the photo above. (We advised him that we would renegotiate his contract in 2009.)

Supermodel antics aside (WWTD – What Would Tyra Do?), all of us at True Colors Events, Buster included, would like to wish you a wonderful holiday season and happy New Year.

Lia & Russell

Staring out the window and seeing the snow on the ground its hard to believe that this sunny wedding in shades of papaya, mango, red, aubergine & marigold took place only months ago.  Lia is a writer for Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom, and I first met her when she interviewed us for an article for the magazine.  We were so honored when she later asked us to plan her wedding to Russell.  Their wedding weekend took place on Orcas Island at the quaint and beautiful Inn at Ship Bay.  This bed & breakfast was the perfect spot for these foodies who enjoy the great cuisine that their restaurant has to offer.  The wedding party stayed at the inn for the weekend.  Friday night they held the rehearsal dinner at the Inn at Ship Bay restaurant.  On the wedding day they held the outdoor ceremony on the inn property and followed it with the reception in their banquet hall.  The natural greens of the grass and trees and blues of the water and sky were the perfect backdrop for this summer event.  Everything was beautifully captured by the frequently published (& photographer to the stars) John Keatley of Keatley Photo, whom Lia met through her work at the magazine.

Lia & Russell’s wedding was all about color, and we had so much fun teaming up with great partners to help make their vision come to life.

Leslie with Patina Floral was a joy to collaborate with, and she did an amazing job telling a story with the flowers that were a part of their big day.  Leslie is an Orcas Island treasure and we can’t wait to work with her again in the future.

Lia and I had a wonderful time meeting with Brandy of Abaloria Jewelry who created custom jewelry for the bride and bridal party.  The brides necklace and earrings were the perfect accent to the empire waisted gown she selected from The Bridal Garden in Kirkland.

The bridesmaids dresses were from J. Crew, while the groom and groomsmen wore their own navy suits with matching shirts and ties.  We can’t take credit for the stuffed monkey…that was all the flower girls idea!

The ceremony area is surrounded by fig trees, so we hung ribbon in various warm tones to accent the natural beauty and add a splash of color.

The couple created a photo album for guests to sign as an alternative to a traditional guest book.  They also surrounded the table with pictures from their family members weddings as an added personal touch.

The tables were named after famous tv couples.  The bride and groom also included personalized notes on the inside of the escort cards to all of their guests.  Lia & Russell also wrote special notes to each other that only I knew the contents of until they took their cards to be seated.

As a nod to being a writer, and little phrases Lia & Russell have come up with during their 7 years together, the cake was decorated with words and phrases by pastry chef Felicity Milne of Rosario Resort.  Whether the words and phrases were loving, playful, or even humorously sarcastic, it was a thoughtful way to create a cake that really spoke to them…literally!

Something blue…by True Colors Events

Time sure flies by, we were organizing our photos and just came across these pictures from Banquet & Event’s Fall Bridal Spectacular in 2007!   At the show the organizers decided to create six 20 x 20 concept spaces to inspire the patrons of the event.  We were honored to be given the opportunity to decorate one of the spaces and had so much fun with it.  We decided to create an interpretation of a lush and modern wedding challenging ourselves by using the color blue.  This color is commonly seen in various lighter shades for beach weddings, wintery themes, tiffany blue inspired events, and even English country garden themes, but not very often in its deeper tones.  (It is noteworthy that blue can be a challenge for florists and caterers, as there are so few naturally blue flowers and foods.)

While it is a cool color, we wanted to make the space warm and inviting…modern, but not cold.  We worked to accomplish this goal by using various shades of the regal color with a variety of rich textures such as dupioni silk draping provided by Rented Elegance, satin linens from BBJ Linens, and velvet linens from Linens by Alice.  Rented Elegance also provided the furniture, floral, cake stand, and other incredible crystal embellishments.  The table was set with items from Pedersen’s Rentals, and in leui of menu cards, Little q Designs designed a beautiful note at each placesetting with a famous quote about love.  Jen of Jen’s Desserts agreed to go way outside the box and create a deep-berry toned cake complete with edible jewels.  Another major source of inspiration, a breathtaking pale blue couture wedding gown designed by Luly Yang.  The moment we saw the dress on the runway at Luly’s fashion show the month before, we knew we had to have it in our space!

You outta be in movies …. Urban Unveiled video trailer

Our friends at Edit 1 Media put together a fabulous video trailer from the Fall 2008 Urban Unveiled

Check out the video here

or go directly to Edit 1 Media’s blog to view

Cheers,
Travis and Jesse

Maggie & Matt

We couldn’t have had more fun with Maggie & Matt, one of our fabulous 2008 couples.  Ashley with One Thousand Words Photography just sent us a disc of pictures from their big day and we are so excited to share them.  Ashley did such a great job it was hard to choose which ones to post, but we did our best.

Maggie is an attorney, and Matt owns a graphic design and branding company.  They are a wonderfully creative couple, and we had a great time helping create their vision of a modern & sophisticated yet playful event in black and white with splashes of pink.

The ceremony took place at the architecturally inspiring Chapel of St. Ignatius at Seattle University.  A unique “M & M” monogram was created and used throughout the event. (Below)

The reception took place at the swanky W Seattle.

As an homage to his break dancing youth, the groom and groomsmen changed into Adidas sneakers at the reception.

A variety of unique food stations throughout the ballroom added to the party vibe of the evening and encouraged lots of mingling.  Calligraphy services were provided by the talented Pascale Collins.

The delicious cake was done by the W, and all of the floral was created by the talented Christopher of Christopher’s Flowers.

Not one, but two of the groomsmen were professional DJ’s and took turns providing musical entertainment throughout the night.

In addition to the cake, there was a sizable candy bar for guest to enjoy.  After 11 pm, people were treated to a final surprise, pink cotton candy for everyone!