Best of 2013 Dejanae Events Style!

What an amazing year 2013 has been for the Dejanae Events Team! 

The year started off with us learning that Dejanae Events was named Best of Weddings 2013 in the wedding coordinators category for the 4th time!  I can't thank our clients enough for the wonderful reviews!  Then we went right into the planning the kick-off of Inspire Smart Success Experience Tour in Chicago at the InterContinental Hotel in mid-January.  This was the seconded time Stacie Francombe, the Founder of ISS, entrusted us in bringing this awesome educational experience to Chicago.

Then we headed into February as the event planner for Wedding Guide Chicago's annual industry event called, WEDBash.  What an honor to bring over 250+ industry professionals to Pinstripes Oak Brook to celebrate successes and prepare for the upcoming 2013 wedding season.  I'm so thankful to the 22 sponsors that assisted in making the event a total success!

Just as the planning of industry events came to an end, the first of 19 weddings took place on March 9th and continued with the last being held on Sunday, December 15th.  And then the Editor of Pretty Pear Bride featured the wedding of Michael and Hareder in their spring issue and the features just kept coming!  The Real Wedding of Nikkol and Dion was featured in Chicago Style Weddings in July and the Real Wedding of Amaka and Hugh was featured in Wedding Guide Chicago in December.   And if it couldn't get any better than that, I was afforded the opportunity to work with an amazing team of vendors to bring my Partyscape, Urban Tranquility, to life!

But the BEST part of this year...was being named Best of Weddings 2014 in the Wedding Coordinators category which now places us in the The Knot's Hall of Fame with 5 wins!!!  And last, we held WEDologyEDU - Winter 2013 at Flossmoor Country Club and it was our most successful workshop yet with the launch of the new coursebook! What an amazing 2013!!!  I'm just so thankful!!!

Keep your eye out for plenty more useful wedding planning posts and Real Wedding features in 2014!!!

Until next time...Happy New Year and WEDologize!

Real Wedding Feature: Hareder and Michael

I'm so excited to share the pages of our first Real Wedding feature in Pretty Pear Bride, the world's only magazine for plus size women!  I met Hareder and Mike in June of 2011 and immediately started working with them to plan their amazing wedding ceremony and reception that was held at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort on July 20, 2012.

A brief synopsis of their fabulous nuptials include: 12 bridesmaids, 12 groomsmen, 2 flower girls and the couple's beloved dog, Tater, as the ring bearer in his custom tuxedo; the groom entered the ceremony with his best men in a Porshe; the wedding party entered the ceremony in 2 limos, one for the ladies and the other for the men; the arrived in an horse drawn carriage and was escorted down the aisle by her father and grandfather. Cocktail hour was on the Pavilion Deck overlooking a beautiful fountain and the reception was held in the Pavilion all white tent. The tablescapes not only featured ivory linens with gold overlays, but gold vases of pink Gladiolas which is the bride's favorite flowers. The couple, bridal party and their mother's made a spoof of The Hangover, created  by Rush Photography and Videography, and it was played for all the guests during dinner.  All 200 guests partied and enjoyed the photo booth until almost midnight and then departed to the hotel lobby bar for the after-party that lasted past 2:00am.

Thanks again to Shafonne, Owner and Editor of Pretty Pear Bride, for featuring our beautiful couple in their "Birthday" issue!  And thanks to Mr. and Mrs. McDowell for allowing the Dejanae Events team to be apart of their awesome wedding!!!

Until next time...WEDologize!

(photographer of Hareder and Mike's wedding - Concept One Studio)