Featured Vendor: Toppers with Glitz

Sometime last year I got in touch with Sari from Toppers with Glitz, because I absolutely loved her cake toppers. I was drawn to the sparkly crystals and beautiful monograms, and I wanted to somehow tell the world about them. After such a chaotic wedding season and school schedule, I have been back in touch with Sari and the honor of my first vendor feature will go to her and her blooming business! Here are a few questions that I asked her recently to find out what is hot in her studio right now!

Do you recommend that your clients have their cake in mind before they contact you or do you find that most of your clients design their cake around their topper?

Like most of my customers, and probably not unlike other designers, I love to have visuals to work with. If I can see the cake, I typically get an immediate picture of "the perfect topper" for it. Making sure the entire cake will look good is always the top priority and most of my customers welcome the input, even if they end up taking a different direction than they initially planned. Hopefully their baker can do the same if the topper is purchased first.

With recent orders, or upcoming 2009 orders what are the most popular color trends that you're seeing?

Tiffany blue was a big color this year and I am curious to see if it will still be big for '09. I am seeing a lot of champagne and ivory,and LOVE the outcome. Swarovski has some really beautiful soft browns that blend extremely well together - Light Colorado Topaz is one of my all time favorites.

You're website is very informative, but what are a few things that potential clients frequently ask?

Hands down, the most frequent question I get asked is with regard to colors. There are so many colors and so many combinations that can be made, it's just not possible for me to address them all on the website.I welcome the questions, phone or email, and am happy to work with each bride, case by case. I also offer complimentary samples so that they colors can be seen in person and matched to their other items.

What was the most challenging job that you've had so far?

I did a table stand for a candle lighting ceremony that was 5" tall and measured almost 2 feet long (pictured above). I had plenty of time to make it but really underestimated how long it would take to crystal. It was the largest item I have taken on to date.

From a small business owners perspective, what has been your and/or your business most exciting accomplishment?

Last year Topper With Glitz was invited to participate in Swarovski's wedding showcase "Unbridaled". I didn't believe I was selected until I saw my products featured in the coffee-table book; a beautiful hard-cover book with designers like "Vera Wang" and "Fendi". The U.S. launch, a red carpet event, is taking place in New York later this year. I dare to dream big but I don't know how much bigger I can dream than this!

Furthermore, Sari goes on to say "I am always trying to expand my product line with relevant items that help complete a coordinated look. Last year I added server sets and bouquet monograms. This year I have added cake trim and toasting flutes."

Sari, Thank you for taking the time to answer all of the questions above! You offer such a beautiful and unique product that I know you will be a HUGE success! -Elva

The Centerpieces

Here's a closer look at the centerpieces that I did for the Perfect Wedding Guide Customer Appreciation Party in September. I got the idea from Martha Stewart and Mommy Makes Roses. Each rose is made from a total of 8 coffee filters, handpainted with watercolors, and then each petal is curled. The end result was amazing, but it was a lot of work, I mean a lot of work! Next time I'll buy them straight from the source! Here are the MS instructions if you'd like to give it a whirl. The nesting boxes came from Nashville Wraps, and I used Midori double-faced ribbon to add some color to them. Photo Credit: Loren Higgins Photography

Perfect Wedding Guide Blog

Shauna from the Albuquerque Pefect Wedding Guide just announced the new blog that she just launched. Here, she is going to communicate upcoming events, fun stories about other brides, giveaways, and trends in the wedding industry. If you haven't heard about the Perfect Wedding Guide you NEED to check it out! It's a free publication that is filled with a ton of information from the best wedding vendors around town - myself included :) Another cool feature of the magazine is that in every issue there is a real NM wedding featured! You can check out her website here to find out where you can pick one up, or you contact me and I'll send one out to you. The photos above are from the PWG's annual client appreciation party held on September 9. Guess who made the centerpieces? The cupcake towers were from Cake Fetish, and the photos are by Loren Higgins Photography. Congratulations Perfect Wedding Guide for taking this huge leap into the world of blogs!

Green Splendor

Take a look at these invites that I just finished for Jeanette and Brandon's upcoming wedding. I love them! Their colors are Shamrock green, black, and white-a perfect combination for their fall wedding that will be held at a beautiful scenic golf course. Congratulations J & B and thanks for the awesome opportunity!

Beach Theme

I get a ton of inquiries to do beach themed invites, and until recently I've been a bit hesitant to try my hand in designing them. I have never lived by an ocean, and haven't really considered myself "one with the sea." Melissa and Brian were married in Florida in June and I rose to the sea challenge and this is what I came up with! This beautiful photo was taken by Melissa Powell Photography from Ft. Lauderdale. Congratulations Melissa and Brian!

Awesome Accessories

Check out these last minute details that I finished tonight for a couple that is getting married on Saturday. In the end I did their invites, escort cards, menus, table signs, and seat numbers. The latter of which is kind of unusual, but in this instance each guest was assigned a table and a number that was indicated on the escort card. Instead of having a place card at each setting we made numbers that will hang from each guests chair. I can't wait to see how it all turns out! Congratulations Elaina and Matt!

Sneak Preview

This is the first year that I have had a real "wedding season," and I have to admit I was a little overwhelmed! It's so exciting to watch my little business grow, and I crazily get really emotional thinking about all of my succeses. Last year I met this great girl Felicia, who totally got me and designed my website and has been so supportive and a great friend. Now that the sight is about a year old, and I've been growing so much we decided to do some major updates, including a whole new gallery. Here's a preview... PS. I try to not be so formal on this blog, but I think that being in school for so long has warped the fun out of my mind!

DIY Brides Beware!

About a month ago I received a call from a frantic bride who had started (with good intentions) to create her wedding invitations for her upcoming July wedding. Without having a solid design in mind, they consulted with many members of their family to come up with the perfect idea. Unfortunately having too many inputs and not enough patience or decisiveness the couple sought out help from a local designer. Me :) At our consultation they handed me a stack of photos, and vellum overlays for 200 invites and using what I had on hand I came up with the design above. Thanks to my new awesome assistant Margie, we had these finished in no time and the couple was so grateful! The lessons to be learned from this story are for all you do-it-yourselfers out there; 1. Start your projects with plenty of time! 2. Have a firm solid idea before you start anything. Sometimes your original vision won't play out well when executed, but at least you have a foundation to start on. Be flexible when it doesn't go according to plan. 3. When seeking advice, stick to asking just a small handful of folks that you can count on to be honest and objective. 4. It doesn't hurt to seek advice from a local designer. I'm always willing and glad to give free advice, so I'm sure that others are too!