{noteworthy} Martha Stewart at Alt Summit NYC

Do you remember how I told you I was honored to attend Alt Summit NYC at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's headquarters last month?  It was just amazing to hear from & learn from such fabulous speakers, like Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge.  But there is a little something I failed to mention.  

Rumor had it that Martha Stewart would make an appearance at the conference.  Martha had spoken at the Alt Summit NYC the previous year.  Plus the conference was just a hop, skip & a jump away from her office.  But she was nowhere to be found on the schedule of events.  Still, I had hope.  As a longtime fan of Martha Stewart's creativity, I was so hoping the rumor was true!  

Somewhere between the first speaker & the first panel, it happened.  Martha Stewart!!!! 

As you can imagine, the Alt Summit NYC crowd went wild:



I was so excited to hear from Martha Stewart that I forgot to take a single note.  She spoke about her new book, Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts for Kids, & about creativity.  I wish I could remember more but I thought it was important to stay present in the moment, instead of worrying about taking photos or notes.  Needless to say, seeing & hearing from Martha Stewart  was a really fun experience.  Oh, it was a good, good day!

Photography: Justin Hackworth Photography, Sponsored by Atly

{noteworthy} lessons from Alt Summit NYC

Last Thursday, I was honored to attend Alt Summit NYC at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's headquarters in the Starrett-Lehigh Building with my talented, longtime friend Jen of Jen Kim Creative.  The day was incredibly inspiring with creative bloggers & entrepreneurs sharing their wisdom, including a few words from Martha Stewart!  My only regret is that I didn't get to meet & chat with every single one of my incredible fellow attendees.  But I did learn a lot & I'd like to share one juicy tidbit from each speaker.  From the practical to the light-hearted & everything in between, there is a lot of wisdom here!

"Always be learning, always be streamlining, always be teaching," Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge     

"Set a goal & you always know where you are going.  It clears a path," Kathleen King of Tate's Bake Shop

"Be present in your life," Stephanie Housley of Coral & Tusk

"Get out of your own way, don't let the business run you," Bob McClure of McClure Pickles

"Be inspired & know you are doing enough," Tracey Stewart of Moomah the Magazine

"Aspirational identity is always important: we can shape who we want to be," Keenan Cummings of Days

"Create an environment where anything is possible," Sarah Paul of Blue Q

"Superwomen died of exhaustion," Isabel Kallman of Alpha Mom

"Find value in your story," Jen Lee Koss of Brika

"What I need to do is lighten the f*ck up about a lot of sh*t," Valentine Freemen of Ace Hotel

"Branch out but stay on the same tree," Garance Dore of Garance Dore

It was hard to pick just one tidbit from each speaker because, trust me, everyone shared a wealth of information. Hopefully, my hand-selected quotes inspire you a bit.  Every tidbit easily applies to general life, work life, blog life, personal life & more.  Take each tidbit to heart!

(Full Alt Summit NYC recep, including photos & details of the party designed by Martha Stewart, is scheduled for mid-July when I return from vacation.  Stay tuned!)

Photo 1: Koru Kate; Photo 2: Justin Hackworth Photography, Sponsored by Atly

alt summit nyc!!!

Cue the confetti!  Today, I'm attending Alt Summit New York City, a workshop for beautiful, brilliant blogging.  I missed the fun last year & I'm just over the moon to be participating this year, especially since I'll be going with the oh so talented Jen of Jen Kim Made.  I've been poring over the amazing schedule for weeks & I can't believe the day is finally here.  I'm prepared to meet great people & be very, very inspired.  Most of all, I hope to learn a little something to make this sweet Koru blog the best it can be!  

Photo: Joanna Brown Photography via

Hello, 2013- so nice to see you!

 

 Hello, Koru family & friends!

Here we are on the seventh day of the New Year & I'm already breaking promises.  I said I'd be on a blogging hiatus until my second wedding anniversary on January 15 but I couldn't resist popping in with a quick greeting.  I hope this finds you happy & well.  2013 may be merely days old yet things are progressing quickly on personal & professional levels for me.  It's quite exciting!  & maybe a bit scary too if I'm being perfectly honest.  My heart is racing with the hope & beauty of what lies ahead this year.  Anything is possible!   

I mean it this time: I'll be back on a regular basis with a lovely mixture of beautiful real weddings, fabulous wedding inspiration & notes from my married life on January 15!

Cheers to your health & happiness in 2013!

Photography: Hayley Sheffield via

Merry, Merry Christmas!

May your heart be filled with Love & Laughter this Christmas & throughout the New Year!

Merry, Merry Christmas to you & yours from Koru Wedding!

*Please remember Koru Wedding Style is on hiatus on January 15!

Photography: via

shiny & new

 
Welcome to the fresh face of Koru Wedding Style!

It's okay, I'll wait.  Take a moment to look around & admire the new look.  Isn't she pretty?!

Why the new look?  Well, here's a little background . . . 

Koru Wedding Style is a natural extension of my wedding planning business, Koru Wedding Shoppe.  Both share the tag line "inspiration & celebration of new beginnings."  At Koru Wedding Shoppe, I inspire Brides & Grooms to create the wedding of their dreams & I take care of the timing, details & work so they can celebrate & enjoy every moment of their wedding.  At Koru Wedding Style, I share wedding inspiration & I celebrate anything & everything weddings.  My dear Korus go hand-in-hand.    

As such, I have long wanted my blog & web site to complement one another.  Not matchy matchy but coordinating.  It's not as easy as it sounds.  I had a difficult time finding an affordable, clean & modern design to coexist with my web site.  I suppose good things do come to those who wait because I finally found what I was looking for all along.  Quite simply, it's what you see here before your very eyes.

I hope you enjoy the shiny & new look of Koru Wedding Style as much as I do.  This is yet another new beginning! 

Big thanks to Brooke of Bright Wishes Designs for making this redesign happen so quickly & so beautifully!

Photo by Timothy Glenn Photographers

Hello, Winter?

Old Man Winter, you have really, truly disappointed me this year.  One measly snowstorm?  Come on, it's embarassing at this point.  If I did my job so poorly, Koru Wedding Shoppe would be out of business.

Yes, my dears, my winter-loving heart has been broken in 2012.  Now luckily for my winter wedding loving-heart, there has been plenty of snowy wedding goodness to keep my heart beating.  Naturally, I must share my wintery favorites with you!

A  kiss is just a kiss, unless it's a kiss against a snowy backdrop:

Why not romp through the snow on the joyous day of your winter elopement? 

A little walk on the winter wedding wild side:

And this is one beautifully accessorized winter Bride (the cardigan, the necklace, the boots!)

 

I heart winter weddings SO much.  I have a little more winter loveliness to share next week, then I promise to move on to spring weddings.  Tell me, what is your favorite wedding season & why?

Photo 1 via; Photo 2 via; Photo 3 via; Photo 4 via

Holiday Date Night, Take Two

My hubs & I made a very important decision: 2011 could not be the year of No Lights at Rock Center.  We wouldn't let this happen.  Holiday Date Night, Take Two became a reality with one critical change in our game plan: the tree first, dinner second.  You can't accuse us of not learning from our mistakes!

Last Friday night, like the holiday troopers we are, we made our way to crowded Rockefeller Center & breathed a sigh of relief when we were greeted by this familiar, beautiful sight:

LIGHTS!!!!!!!!!  Camera!  Action!

We paused for a bit to admire the graceful ice skaters:

We can't leave well enough alone so we posed for one more holiday photo with the LIT tree:

Seconds after this photo was snapped, we witnessed a man propose to his surprised girlfriend.  (I stopped myself from handing them my business card, ha!)  I felt like we were on a movie set for a moment.  Pure holiday magic!

Our Holiday Date Night, Take Two got even better, continuing with a delicious dinner in the West Village.  But dinner wasn't the best part.  As we strolled through the charming, decorated streets, we were delighted to stumble upon Christmas carolers singing holiday tunes.  I've never seen & heard Christmas carolers in real life.  Let me tell you, it was quite cool.  More holiday magic!!


Now our Newlywed Holiday Date Night will be remembered as The Year of No Lights at Rock Center, followed by Lights & Pure Holiday Magic.  ♡  XOXO   ♥ 

My Wedding Invitation Ornament

From inspiration to reality . . .


One of the first images I pinned was the wedding invitation ornament:

I loved the idea, especially since I had a wedding invitation or ten collecting dust.  I promised myself to make my wedding invitation ornament when the Christmas season arrived.  My Christmas spirit kicked into full swing this weekend & I started this DIY project with my extra-large, clear ornament:

I set out my supplies: my pocket wedding invitation; my outer & response envelopes for color; my ruler & exacto knife in place of fancy cutting matts; & my pencil:

I separated my wedding invitation from its pocket &, I'm not going to lie, I started to freak out a bit about cutting up my wedding invitation.  It seemed wrong!  Then I reminded myself the extra invitation was doing no good collecting dust.  I detailed 1/2 inch strips & began cutting:

I repeated this process with my wedding invitation, response card, reception card, hotel card & both envelopes.  I decided to cut my pocket only if needed.  I had an extra-large ornament to fill; you probably don't need more than a wedding invitation for a regular-size ornament.  As soon as I had a decent pile of strips, I wrapped each strip around my pencil to curl it into a swirl & dropped it in the ornament:

Soon, my wedding invitation ornament was filled to the brim!  I couldn't control how or where my swirled strips landed but they naturally arranged themselves just perfectly.  I spy meaningful details like my maiden name, my husband's first name, our reception location, our zip code & more:

I played around with adding different ribbons & other details to my wedding invitation ornament & nothing looked right.  In the end, my simple wedding invitation ornament is quite lovely on our newlywed Christmas tree:

  
We'll admire & treasure our wedding invitation ornament for years to come!


P.S. I still have extra wedding invitations (the stationer in me ordered plenty of extras just in case!).  Do you have any creative, holiday or non-holiday ideas?


Photo 1 via, Photo 2-7 by Koru Kate

Koru Kate Finds: Gratitude

Give Thanks Always

Banner available at Etsy in thedancingwren's store

Today's Koru Kate Finds isn't a pretty something you can buy in a store.  Nor is it a beautiful something you can ask a florist to create for you.  Nope, this find isn't for sale.


With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I wanted to bring you my greatest Koru Kate Finds of all: Gratitude.  Gratitude is found in our hearts & souls.  Every day, usually during my evening walk with Bailey, I pause & give thanks for my beautiful, imperfect life.  It's all mine, my one & only.  I love my life!  I thank my lucky stars for my husband RZ, my pup Bailey, my family, my friends, my health & my happiness.  Depending on the circumstances, I add extra gratitude for things like a wedding booked or a new baby born.  I'm never at a loss for gratitude no matter how hard & trying or wonderful & easy my day has been.  Trust me, I have my fair share of problems & heartache but my blessings far outweigh them.  


Gratitude is a daily part of my life.  I hope you'll find the space for gratitude in your daily life!  

Wedding Day is Here Again

Oh So Pretty: Rose & Baby Breath Garland

Image by Leo Patrone Photography

via Style Me Pretty

Brides estimates that 46, 200 happy couples will say "I Do" tomorrow, on the lovely 11.11.11.


Check- this wedding planner has a wedding tomorrow at the grand The Ashford Estate.  I'm particularly excited because I will be working with my former co-worker & my own wedding planner, Eileen of An Affair to Remember.  She needs an extra hand & I'm always happy to help her.  I love weddings (have you noticed?!) & I love working with Eileen so this is a real treat for me.


Although I'd hoped to keep up with my blogging this week, I'm a tad crazed & something's got to give.  A Wedding Day is here again & I must give that top priority!


May the rest of your week be bright & beautiful!  We'll meet again next week~


  

The Glam Life

Me on the Job
{Personal Photo}

Ah, the glamorous life of a wedding planner.  

If you don't think that a wedding planner's job description includes being stuffed into the front seat of their assistant's car with a beautiful, large, heavy flower arrangement, you're wrong.  Very, very wrong.  This precious little moment came after a 10+ hour workday including everything from dressing the Bride to greeting vendors to assembling centerpieces to coordinating a sparkler departure.  Once the glowing newlyweds ran through the sparklers & departed in their getaway car, it was my responsibility to pack up their items from the venue & deliver them to their hotel.  

There was lots of wedding loot to get from the second floor Bridal Suite to my assistant's car outside.  One container of the top of the wedding cake.  Two trays of leftover Indian food.  Four large boxes of miscellaneous items like the Bride's bouquet, the guest book & the candles.  One long box of extra sparklers.  Last, but certainly not least, two humungous red rose floral arrangements that were used to decorate the ceremony & reception.

My assistant & I packed her car to the absolute brim until the only things left on the sidewalk were me, my assistant & a floral arrangement.  The answer was clear.  I picked that baby up & I hauled it into the front seat with me.  The flower arrangement didn't quite clear the door so my assistant stuffed in the roses & greenery as best she could & slammed the door.  We drove away with a few fronds sticking out the door.  Classic!

& you know what?  I love my job, each & every last moment!

Koru Kate Finds: Put Your Stamp On It!

Happy Monday!  I hope your week is off to a brilliant start.  After the Halloween theme & the wedding break, I'm baaaack!  Things are returning to our regularly scheduled programming here on Koru Wedding Style.  So sit back & relax as I bring you my latest Koru Kate Finds!

Location Custom Stamp

Image via & Available at Paper Source

Hands down, Paper Source is one of my favorite stores.  Paper Source is a dreamy slice of paper heaven for a girl like me.  I regularly pore over their web site, catalog &, not as often as I'd like, Brooklyn store for inspiration & supplies for weddings & craft projects.  I just plain adore one of their newest products that I have chosen as my latest Koru Kate Finds: Custom Wedding Stamps!

Custom Wedding Stamps are absolutely fabulous for you crafty, creative, DIY Brides!  What better way to personalize your wedding than to literally put your stamp on it?!  

How about this bold style for a sleek, loft wedding perhaps?

Big Ampersand Lines Custom Stamp

Image via & Available at Paper Source

Perhaps this style for a formal, modern ballroom wedding?

Anniversary Date Custom Wedding Stamp

Image via & Available at Paper Source

I chose two of my favorites to feature today but trust me, whatever your fancy & style, there is a 

custom wedding stamp perfect for your wedding.  Choose your style, customize it & use it anywhere & everywhere at your wedding.  Just imagine the possibilities here.  Stamp your wedding heart out: your programs, escort cards, table numbers, menus, favors & more!!  

& the first stamp shown above?  Make your own save-the-dates!!!!

The custom wedding stamp is easy, affordable & stylish!  Does it get much better than this?

Gone Wedding

RED, the color of Saturday's Wedding

Image by Jonathan Ivy Photography

via The Knotty Bride

Koru Family & Friends, here's the deal: the blog will be silent for the remainder this week.  Why?  Because I'm thoroughly & happily entrenched in wedding planning this week.  Saturday is the BIG day!!! 

I met this sweet Bride back in December when I was in the final stages of planning my wedding.  She had bright, beautiful ideas for her Fall wedding day.  It's been a true honor & absolute privilege to see those ideas grow & blossom.  I can hardly wait to help bring those very ideas to life on Saturday to celebrate this happy couple's positive new beginning!

Before Saturday, there are schedules to be finalized, details to solidify, vendors to confirm & much, much more.  So consider me Gone Wedding. 

As for you & me, we'll meet again next week~

It's A Wrap! 26th Edition

Spooktacular Wedding Invitations

Image via You Stir Me

Hi there!  Is that a smile on your face?  Yes, me too- it's Friday!!!  I've been in my true element this week as I worked on a wedding planning job & took a wedding invitation order.  Loving it but still loving my peaceful, no-work-allowed weekend :-)  Before I go, here is the Koru List of wedding loveliness just for you:

A spooky, chic collection of Halloween wedding & party decor

What will you be saying about your wedding & marriage two years later?

A bright & cheerful wedding to put a smile on your pretty face

Hey Mister DJ!  How about some of these indie songs for your wedding?

Oh happy, cheerful wedding day!

Three cheers for a colorful Brooklyn fete!!!

Did I miss something good?  Do tell!  & have a wonderful weekend~

Pretty Paper

I have a wedding invitation appointment tomorrow & I'm really, really excited because I don't have such appointments much anymore.  I'm not comfortable bringing strangers to my home studio & I'm not lugging my heavy invitation books elsewhere.  But tomorrow is a fun appointment with a family friend that will give me the golden chance to flex my creative invitation muscles.  Now I have invitations on my mind! 

Invitations are my favorite wedding detail & I'd love to share some recent finds with you:

Invitation by Avie Designs

via Oh So Beautiful Paper

The modern, lasercut Mexican Papel Picado invitation is AMAZING!  I'm in absolute awe.  This invitation is practically too good to be true.  I would love, LOVE to receive this invitation to a fun, fiesta wedding!! 

   Invitation by Julia Kostreva

via Once Wed

No doubt about it, letterpress is beautiful.  This Fall invitation takes letterpress invitations to a new level with a process called split ink fountain.  I don't know anything about split ink fountain except that I absolutely love it!

Invitation by Woodland Papercuts

via Postcards and Pretties

This charming invitation is named Deer Beloved.  I mean, that just about says it all!  Papercutting is used to create the invitation & I'm a huge fan of the results.   I'm picturing a winter wedding in Aspen.

Invitation by Scout's Honor Co.

via 100 Layer Cake

Nautical-themed weddings & invitations are nothing new but the fabulous watercolor design takes this invitation to another level.  I know from my art class days that watercolor is no easy feat so I really admire this design.  It's a fresh, pretty take on a classic waterfront wedding. 

For more of my fun invitation picks, check my Paper Board on Pinterest!

What invitations are you loving these days?

It's A Wrap! 25th Edition

This photo has nothing to do with this post.

It makes me smile though & isn't that enough?

Image by Our Labor of Love

via 100 Layer Cake

Hi.  Please raise your hand if you're happy it's Friday.  Yes, me too.  This week has been a bit, well, trying.  I am beyond lucky & blessed in life & I never lose sight of that.  Still.  Sometimes things are not so smooth or happy.  The grey, rainy weather hasn't helped any, although it has perfectly matched my mood.

& my mood has affected the weekly Koru List.  I like to bring you plentiful wedding eye candy from the likes of Style Me Pretty, while sprinkling in musings on weddings & marriage from the likes of A Practical Wedding.  They are my top favorite wedding blogs as different as they may be.  While the eye candy this week was as gorgeous as always, my stormy, brooding mood was drawn to two posts this week that made me think.  A lot.  About what wedding blogs I like & support, about the value in my sweet wedding planning business.

So I present you those links:  

Dear Wedding Bloggers, You Suck     

Price Is Not The Same As Value  

Well worth the read, ladies.   

Where The Heart Is

Wedding Guest Group Photo: Yay or Nay?
Image by W. Scott Chester

via Ruffled

That gem of a wedding photo up there?  I love it.

My wedding planning self isn't the biggest fan of Wedding Guest group photos.  Those go down a little something like this.  Due to a lack of big, open fields in the NJ-NY area, the most common spot to take such photos is on the church steps after the ceremony.  Sweet notes are included in the program to kindly ask guests to stay behind & take a "quick" group photo.  About half the guests are happy to stay behind but they make a beeline to congratulate the Bride & Groom & lose focus on the photo.  The other half of the guests are quite intent on getting to Cocktail Hour to have a drink & don't appreciate our security guard-like moves to keep them in place.  Once everyone is indeed in the right spot, you have to attract their attention, pose them & make them smile.  Wedding Guest group photos are hardly ever quick or fun.

I mean, family & bridal party photos are enough.  

As such, we didn't entertain the mere thought of a Wedding Guest group photo at our wedding.

But wow, I adore the sweet sentiment of a Wedding Guest group photo.  Even if your group is too large for each & every face to be distinct in the photo, it's quite something to see one photo that includes each & every person who celebrated your marriage.  You wouldn't remember how long it took to find Aunt Nancy who had wandered away or how Cousin Andy grumbled about missing the raw bar.  You'd simply see the faces of those you love on your wedding day.

The heart-shaped happy couple & wedding guests photo is pure group photo perfection.  Beautiful setting, happy couple, smiling guests AND a heart.  Love, love, LOVE!

Will (or did) you take a Wedding Guest group photo at your wedding?

It's A Wrap! 24th Edition

Getting Dressed: Unforgettable Wedding Moment

Image via A Cup of Joe

Hip hip HOORAY- it's Friday!  Time for us to check in & catch up.  How was your week?  Good, bad, lovely, ugly?  Let it go, breathe.  Everything seems better & brighter when Friday is here.  I am so, so excited because we're going to meet our friends' one-month-old daughter tomorrow.  Yes, I love me some newborn baby time! 

Now, for your pleasure, here is the weekly, official Koru List of wedding inspiration:

What's your most unforgettable wedding moment?  

If it's a Smog Shoppe wedding, I'm sure to love & adore it

Roaring Twenties Inspiration: Art Deco, Jazz, Flappers & More

Pure genius: custom stamp wedding invitations!!!!

Friends & Family planned the wedding, Bride & Groom simply showed up

(The Bride showed up in an awesome blue gown I might add)

The most gorgeous PAPER flower table decor I have ever seen

Mismatched Maids: Yes or No?

I vote YES!

Want to dress up for a FREE BOUDOIR SESSION

with a killer photographer? 

Enjoy, Koru Family & Friends!

Crafty {Belated} Birthday

Belated Birthday Gifts & Wishes 

for Jen of Craftiness NOW

At Koru, the inspiration & celebration of new beginnings involves weddings 99% of the time.  But beginnings come in many forms like births & birthdays.  & I like to celebrate them all!!!

My friend Jen of Craftiness NOW is no exception.  When she announced her birthday bash in August, I eagerly started a birthday project for her that involved her love of pink & crafts.  Then I was unable to attend her party (boo-hoo) & I stalled on my crafting.  We finally made plans last week & this was the fire I needed under my crafting butt to get this project done.

Let's call this project Inspiration Canvas Set.  I found inspiration on Pinterest but (stupidly) I didn't actually pin the source but the basic canvas, letters, paint idea is similar to this pin.  I wanted something simple & sweet to decorate Jen's cute apartment & inspire her with some well-chosen words.

First things first was a trip to AC Moore.  I loaded up on 4 baby canvases, wooden letters & paint.  Because a throng of sorority sisters had depleted the supply of wooden letters to make their paddles, I was forced to rethink my words.  I ended up with my original words of Love & Hope, plus the new additions of Joy & Wish: 

I painted two of the canvases with a few coats of Ballet Pink because Jen loves pink & the other canvases with Vanilla for a nice contrast:

The "toughest" part of the project was painting those tiny letters.  For most of the letters, I painted them before I glued them on the canvas.  It wasn't easy keeping them in place to paint them.  I didn't paint Wish until it was glued on the canvas for that exact reason.  Then I ended up with pools of extra paint on the canvas.  I can't decide which method was best:

Before too long, my birthday present idea turned into an actual birthday present that I'm pretty proud of:

I wrapped these cuties in a cupcake gift bag & paired them with pink wine & presented them to Jen at our little dinner & dessert party.  I'm pretty sure she liked them.  Hopefully, all of Jen's birthday wishes come true because she deserves each & every one!

FYI, with the right words, these could be a great engagement, wedding or baby decoration or gift.  Think Marry Me with the couple's name, wedding words like Forever/Always/Love/Heart or the baby's name, birth date & stats.  Be creative & have FUN!