new contributor to the daily basics

the-daily-basics-logoI’m super excited to have been welcomed into the folds of The Daily Basics, the “Living Lifestyle” directory founded by Cynthia Bogart, veteran editor of Better Homes and Gardens and long-time contributor to such home decorating staples as Kitchen & Bath Ideas, Decorating Magazine and Traditional Home.  The Daily Basics is a vibrant community of lifestyle bloggers who share their knowledge about Home & Garden, Travel & Living, Food & Drink, Body & Fashion,  Arts & Literature and now- Weddings.  As their resident Wedding & Event Expert in Paris, I’ll be contributing my know-how on adding that Parisian touch to weddings and other home entertaining occasions. Check out my first article for The DB, Where to Shop in Paris for your Great Gatsby Wedding, to get some  insider tips on one of the hottest trends to hit the wedding and party planning industry in a while.  And be sure to follow @thedailybasics for a once-a-day fix of informative, enriching articles on topics that interest you!

P.S.: If you’re like me and you still can’t get enough of the Paris Art Deco, les années folles goodness, take a look at this vintage color reel of Paris Fashions from the 1920’s for “from the source” inspiration.


meet me in paris - the paris wedding book signing at wh smith

So, what are you doing this Saturday? Me? Why, I’ll be SIGNING MY BOOK, THE PARIS WEDDING, AT WH SMITH ON RUE RIVOLI. Do you know how cool it feels to say that??

For those of you not familiar with the store, WH Smith is the largest English bookshop in Paris, and this year it’s celebrating its 110th year in Paris. For many English-speaking expats in Paris, myself included, WH Smith is one of the first safe havens that you flock to once the initial glimmer of “living in Paris” starts to, um…become… less sparkly.  Besides their stock of  over 70,000+ titles, WH Smith also has an awesome magazine selection, a British and American Food section, and a great choice of seasonal gifts. They also offer a full calendar of kids events, author readings, and… BOOK SIGNINGS.

I’ll be signing copies of The Paris Wedding from 3:00 - 5:00PM this Saturday, May 25th, 2013.  The book has just become available in France, and WH Smiths’ shelves are stocked to the gills.  I’m so excited about this event that I’ve decided to share the love and offer a little give-away to entice you into the shop:

If you 1. leave a comment on this post and 2. tweet “I’m so excited about @parisianparty’s The Paris Wedding book signing at WH Smith in Paris, May 25 from 3-5PM”, I’ll enter your name into a drawing for a signed copy of the book. The contest will end at 10AM Saturday, May 25. The winner will be announced at 3:00 at WH Smith (I’ll shout it out on twitter, too).  I won’t be able to mail the book, so the winner will have to come to WH Smith on Rue Rivoli to pick it up (I’ll leave it at the counter if you can’t make it in on Saturday).

In the meantime, if you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to pop by WH Smith and check out the window promo I did for the book (with yet another fabulous cake by Sugarplum Cake Shop, and images from the book by Ian Holmes Photography). Don’t forget to enter the contest, and I hope to see you on Saturday- spread the word!

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wedding industry experts awards 2013: best wedding planner, france

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I was tickled pink to participate in the Wedding Industry Experts Award 2013 competition this year. The Wedding Industry Experts Awards is an annual competition recognizing some of the most popular wedding vendors at a local, national and international level. There were over 30 categories in the 2013 awards including everything from Best Accessories to Best Cake Designer. The thing that I like about the Wedding Industry Experts Awards is that it gives past clients, peers and friends a chance to support the wedding service providers who have given them outstanding service or provided quality products. I’m so excited to have been awarded multiple awards in this years’ competition, including:

Winner: Best Destination Wedding Planner - Paris

Winner: Best Destination Wedding Planner - France

Finalist: Top 10 Best Destination Wedding Planner - Worldwide - Ranking: 9 of 10

Finalist: Top 100 Best Destination Wedding Planner - Worldwide - Ranking: 9 of 100

A HUMONGOUS merci to past and current clients & peers for helping me to achieve this honor!