Outstanding Guests: Twirl Boutique

Welcome this month's Outstanding Guests, Keri and Jenni of Twirl Boutique. First, I will let them share a few things about themselves:

Keri Chantler

If you didn't own Twirl, what other profession would you want?
I would travel the world as a resort and spa critic and freelance my articles for travel magazines.

Share one random fact about yourself.
When I was a kid I was on a water ski team and was the person on the top of the pyramid for water ski shows in Washington, where I grew up. I learned quickly to only fall backwards.

Have you ever had a surprise birthday party? How did it make you feel?
No, but I sure wish someone would throw me one.

Jenni Hailer

If you didn't own Twirl, what other profession would you want?
I am obsessed with HGTV! I would love to be an interior designer.

Share one random fact about yourself.
I was an ASU cheerleader. Go Devils!

What is your favorite room in your house and why?
The bedroom. I love getting lost in a king size bed.

Now, let me share with you their amazing company: Twirl Boutique.

If you are a bridesmaid or a bride, you have to check out their cute store in Scottsdale, Arizona. But they don't only have bridesmaid dresses, they have shoes, flower girl dresses, and some other cute wedding items. They also carry Liz Love Collections adorable jewelry. Recently, they added TUXEDOS by Twirl! Now they can dress the entire wedding party.

These gals have also been busy working on opening a new store in Chandler, Arizona. It will be here very soon! In the meantime, visit Twirl Boutique online or visit their blog.

Happy Planning,
Heather

Great Finds: Dress up your Cupcakes!

Cupcakes are "taking the cake" so to speak in weddings everywhere lately! So why not dress them up a little bit? Here are a few Great Finds to help you add some spark to your cupcakes...

Check out these fun "Cupcake Wrappers" at Paper and Cake's Etsy Shop...

From Lovely Wedding Stuff

...or these laser cut wrappers at Paper Orchid Stationary. How classy!

From Lovely Wedding Stuff

A few more super cute Etsy finds are these Flower Cupcake Toppers from Millalove,

From Lovely Wedding Stuff

...and these Dreamy Filligree Flag Toppers from Buttercream Bee...

From Lovely Wedding Stuff

...and I am absolutely smitten by these little "Birdie" toppers from The Cupcake Girls' Etsy Shop!

From Lovely Wedding Stuff

xoxo...Sharisa

Outstanding Occasions takes a break: Happy 4th of July

Photo provided by AZ Photobooth

May and June have been a mad dash over here and all of us at Outstanding Occasions are going to relish in a little time off. So take this long weekend and reconnect with your family, friends and your significant other. Some of my favorite family memories growing up are the July 4th holiday, everyone go out and MAKE SOME THIS WEEKEND. We have lots to share once we return. From a new addition here to the OO Team and some fabulous weddings ;) We are taking a week to refresh and charge up for the upcoming busy fall schedule (including the debut of our newest little addition Baby Thinnes). And we are OUT....

Happy Birthday America!

Jennifer

Engage!09: A Luxury Wedding Business Summit

Last week Jennifer and I attended Engage!09, a luxury wedding business summit, in Grand Cayman. It was a blast!Our first night began with a bang at the Welcome Party. Although it was a little humid (okay, really humid), we all had a fabulous time meeting each other. The party was designed by the amazing Michelle Rago. At the end of the night, we received adorable embroidered handkerchiefs from Michelle.

The Welcome Party Decor on the beach at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman The gorgeous Teresa of Camelback Flowershop, and us (Heather and Jennifer of Outstanding Occasions) Jennifer and I cheesing for the camera with a steel drum band and a beautiful beach background Jennifer and I at the Fireworks show at the end of the Welcome Party. Did I mention it was hot and humid?

The next morning we had breakfast and then was able to hear from some of the speakers.

Rebecca and Kathryn began the morning session with a welcome and introductions. The morning session continued with Carley Roney of The Knot, Darcy Miller of Martha Stewart Weddings, Marcy Blum – Eventiste, and Millie Martini Bratten of BRIDE’S Magazine.

From L to R: Teresa, Heather, Jennifer and the brilliant Liene Stevens of Splendid Communications

Kathryn Arce and Rebecca Grinnals of Engaging Concepts, the producers of Engage!09 (These women and their team are fabulous!)

"Something Blue" Luncheon

After lunch, Sylvia Weinstock of Sylvia Weinstock Cakes, Antonia van der Meer – Modern Bride & Elegant Bride Magazines, Simon T. Bailey, author of "Release Your Brilliance,"and designer to the stars, Preston Bailey spoke to us. I admit it, Simon T. Bailey had me in tears...I loved his presentation!!
That evening we got to have dinner with one of the speakers. I went to dinner with Carley Roney and some amazing other wedding professionals at Abacus. Carley was a lot of fun and so down-to-earth. Jennifer went to dinner with Bee Kim of WeddingBee.com and Abby Larson of Style Me Pretty at The Wharf. Jennifer said that she really liked Bee and Abby as well and had fun with the other diners. Of course at the end of the night we retreated back to the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and had desserts and nightcaps poolside. Terrica of Fabuluxe and I were laughing hysterically all night at Michael aka "Gucci" and Randy Fenoli. Those two are fabulous! We so enjoyed meeting them:) Jennifer then went to bed to rest (my pregnant business partner was a trooper at all of the events) and I stayed up until 3 a.m. discussing very important things with Teresa and Liene:)
BTW...I realized that we are missing a lot of photos from the sessions and from the evening events. I don't even have a photo of me and Terrica:( Sorry! I guess you all better attend next year to see everything that happened.
The next day included four separate panel sessions. Jennifer and I were in the turtle group, so this was our schedule (and forgive me, I don't remember the exact names for the panels):
Destination Weddings Panel:
Susan Moynihan – Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine
Alison Hotchkiss – alison events llc
Thayer Allyson Gowdy - Thayer Photo
Jo-Anne Brown – Celebrations LTD

Social Media Panel:Lara Casey – Southern Weddings Magazine
Liene Stevens – Splendid Communications
Bee Kim - Weddingbee

Business Panel:
Sean Low – Preston Bailey Designs
Harmony Walton – The Bridal Bar and Get Married
Laura Novak – Laura Novak Photography

Style Panel:Michelle Rago – Michelle Rago, LTD
Randy Fenoli - Kleinfeld Bridal
Abby Larson - Style Me Pretty

Of course, that evening was the stunning "Something Blue" Celebration with food, cocktails, and of course, music and dancing. (Terrica aka Fab showed us her amazing Beyonce moves and Randy Fenoli danced with Sylvia Weinstock. See it here.) That evening was SO much fun!

Jennifer, Teresa and Heather

Thank you to Rebecca, Kathryn and the Engaging Concepts team for a great event! We met so many wonderful people. To see a beautiful slideshow of the event, check out the photos of Donna von Bruening.Happy Wednesday,Heather

Blog Love: A Room Somewhere, Once Wed and Snippet & Ink

Hey everybody! It's a great day to share a little bit of Blog Love! Here's a few that I absolutely love and read just about everyday...

A Room Somewhere: Leslie is from Texas and features some of the cutest things for your home/life/kids/closet/what have you. Plus, she's always having giveaways. She is such a sweetheart and if you become a regular, you'll find yourself picking up on words like "loverly".

Once Wed: I know that this is a pretty popular blog, but seriously, I am amazed at the amount of absolutely incredible outdoor weddings that she features! Sometimes after reading her blog I feel like I'm ready to pack my bags and head down to the farm! Not to mention all the fun DIY projects with step-by-step instructions she provides.

Snippet & Ink: Kathryn comes up with some pretty awesome inspiration boards for our viewing pleasure.

Hope some of these blogs inspire you! Have a great day!

xoxo...Sharisa