Press: Big Island wedding in Pacific Weddings

The Winter/Spring 2012 issue of Pacific Weddings just hit newsstands — and a wedding I planned on the Big Island is inside! The 6-page feature is called “A Time to Love: A Classic Affair of Understated Elegance.” That sounds about right. The wedding epitomized understated elegance, a style I naturally appreciate. But, more importantly, it’s a style that suited the bride. Prior to marrying Rawleigh, Kate was VP of Human Resources at Ralph Lauren, so she was really drawn to a classic, unfussy aesthetic. I helped her realize that vision, especially for their ceremony on the beach at the Four Seasons Hualalai. I think this quote from the article sums it up: “With the aisle lined in beach grass, the scene could have been straight from the pages of a Ralph Lauren book.”

The article starts on page 66. Check it out — you can buy Pacific Weddings at most Barnes & Noble stores, especially on the West Coast. Kate tells a great story of her and Rawleigh’s courtship (although you might get jealous, as it involves trips to Rawleigh’s house in Maui, camping in Africa, and a surprise engagement). And there are, of course, also some beautiful photos thanks to Mike Adrian.

Here’s a little sneak peek of the cover & first page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.amykaneko.com

Press: Winter decorating tips

I’m excited to be featured on the women’s lifestyle mega-site SheKnows.com — I’m the “Decorating Diva” of their weekly home decor column. (But no, that spacey-looking woman is not me.) I offer 5 great tips for enlivening your home in the wintertime, whether it’s finding ways to connect to the outdoors or pampering yourself with small indulgences indoors. These are actually things that I am doing in my own home to brighten up the drab season! Speaking of which, time to find myself a delightful outdoor fireplace –Malm or Preway? So many tough choices.

Here’s a snapshot of the article. You can see the full feature here. 

www.amykaneko.com

New year, new website

Happy 2012! I’m very excited to announce that Amy Kaneko Events has a real live website — gone are the days of the awkward “we’re under construction” page. Please check it out and let me know what you think: www.amykaneko.com.

A very big thank you to Kyoko Kaneda of Nexops for transforming my un-tech-savvy design into a beautifully functioning website! 

www.amykaneko.com

Air Plant 101

Air plants are all the rage these days in bouquets and centerpieces. They seem to be the new succulent of choice — their quirky forms are dramatic and beautiful at the same time, and they have a delicate ethereal quality to them. I’m a big fan of them.

Recently, I worked with a bride who was similarly enamored of air plants. She wanted to put them at each guest’s place setting and have them also double as favors to be taken home. She had a box of them shipped to me so that I could make sure they arrived at the wedding happy & healthy. I take my job pretty seriously — exhibits A and B are below.

Yes, I carefully unwrapped the different species of air plants and gave them a nice soak in my bathtub. I let them air dry, then spray-misted them a few days later. Who knew air plants needed water? Good thing the instructions from the Air Plant Supply Company were crystal clear. The air plants thrived & looked beautiful on the dinner tables. Photos coming soon!

Yes, I have a 50s pink bathroom!

www.amykaneko.com

Congrats Kristen & Adam!

Just wrapped up a gorgeous, other-worldly wedding at the Korakia Pensione in Palm Springs. I remember flying down to Palm Springs to help Kristen the bride choose her venue. We looked at a bunch of spots, and she was really torn between the Korakia and another beautiful venue. I know she couldn’t go wrong with either one — but there’s no doubt in my mind that she chose the right place. It was so uniquely relaxing & romantic, and her family & friends got the entire property for themselves. Such a special weekend. Will post photos shortly and you’ll see what I mean. Until then, congrats to the lovely newlyweds, Kristen & Adam!

www.amykaneko.com

Las Vegas wedding

Here are some more photos from Haesther & Scott’s Las Vegas wedding, aka the wedding with the lovely flowering chuppah.

Haesther and Scott wanted their wedding to be a big fun party, so they fittingly chose to have a late-night celebration in Vegas at the Wynn resort. Most weddings at the Wynn take place in one of the hotel’s on-site wedding chapels (being Vegas, the art of weddings is down to a science). But Haesther & Scott’s wedding took place outside on the hotel’s golf course — this was a first for the hotel.

It was amazing to transform a pristine but uninspiring golf course into the romantic “white wonderland” that the bride and groom wanted. The showstopping 13-foot chuppah was formed by birch trunks and flowering branches. Lights hidden in the trees illuminated the chuppah’s white flowers. Small hanging lanterns added to the ethereal effect. The bride walked down the candlelit aisle to an electric violin, which was hauntingly beautiful.

The late-night reception was held inside a ballroom, which had been transformed with 18-foot-long tables draped in raw silk linens. Tall centerpieces made of flowering branches continued the “white wonderland” look inside, while lower centerpieces added pops of color. Long taper candles suited the elegant ballroom (and their custom glass boxes made them comply with the fire code!) Candelight was a key component to this nighttime wedding — even down to the escort card table, which was elevated into something extraordinary by hundreds of votive candles grouped en masse.

A custom video projection of gently swaying flowering trees brought nature indoors. Guests danced to the James Gang Band, and were also treated to a performance by R&B singer Daniel Merriweather, who performed a soulful version of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” for Haesther & Scott’s first dance (one of the highlights of the evening). The party went late into the night — only fitting for a Las Vegas celebration. Congratulations Haesther & Scott!

www.amykaneko.com

Flowering chuppah: from sketch to reality

A little while ago, I posted this sketch of a custom chuppah made of birch trunks and flowering branches. It was for a bride & groom getting married at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas who wanted a “white wonderland” wedding. The ceremony was taking place at night in the middle of a golf course, which wasn’t the most naturally wonderland-like of settings. So the flowering chuppah was a way to give them the romantic, fantastical look they wanted and was a visually powerful way of incorporating lots of white flowers into the ceremony. Here’s a photo of how it turned out. Not bad, right? I hear the guests are still talking about it…

www.amykaneko.com

See me on Gia’s blog

Am I famous? Gia Canali, who I am pretty openly obsessed with, just posted an interview with me on her blog. It’s about how I approached my wedding coming from a background in events as well as design. One of the underlying messages — which I think is easy to forget in the era of gorgeous blogs — is that as much as I love pretty things at weddings, atmosphere & spirit are way more important than eye candy.

Take a peek below, but click here for the full version.

www.amykaneko.com

We’re featured on OnceWed!

Exciting news — my wedding is featured on OnceWed today! Which wedding, you ask? My wedding, as in my personal wedding, with me as the bride! Check it out here.

www.amykaneko.com

Harbour Island, aka my new home

Just got back from helping my wonderful friend Stefanie Cove at Yifat Oren & Associates with a beautiful wedding at Harbour Island, a tiny slice of heaven in the Bahamas. This place was so refreshingly laidback and genuine. You can find beautiful beaches & sunsets in a lot of places. But, as with people, to have natural beauty AND true soul is rare.

Start with roosters walking in the streets (with furry chicks in tow), and add golf carts that somehow miraculously do not hit them. Keep in mind that golf carts (the main mode of transportation) are the “dream car” of my childhood.  I’m immediately charmed by the island. Factor in fresh conch salad and fried conch fritters, and I’m marvelously satisfied. Top that with an unbelievable amount of soul from the incredibly friendly locals AND the lovely wedding guests…and I’m in love.

These photos will help paint the picture…

I love that the sky is different in each photo, but each is a quintessentially “perfect sky”.

Anyways, the actual wedding was similarly perfect and gorgeous in every way. But I think the kind spirit of the bride & groom, and their incredibly gracious families & friends, really made the day. As an example, the father of the bride thanked Stefanie and myself for being “a seamless constant of perfection.”  This is the kind of huge-hearted graciousness I’m talking about! Very kind (and quite poetic) words.

www.amykaneko.com