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Some wedding venues don’t need that much decor, because they’re already beautiful as is. You’ll still want a professional designer, though, because he or she is perfectly poised to come in and help you make the best use of that space. That’s where experts like my guest today, Candice Patterson, come in. Candice is a destination wedding planner, designer, and entrepreneur. After spending two years really learning the industry, networking with other planners and floral designers, and prioritizing professional development, she officially launched her company in 2017. Now, CM Events & Designs leads the event designer and planner industry in the Washington D.C. area.Candice started focusing on destination weddings as a military spouse, which allowed her flexibility to move while growing her business. She plans and designs events across the East Coast and beyond. She enjoys creating chic-modern, timeless designs for her clients and providing a less stressful planning experience. Candice’s work has been featured on Style Me Pretty, Ruffled, MunaLuchi Bride, Allure Bridals, Black Bride,The Perfect Palette, Destination Wedding Details, and so much more. When not planning weddings, you can find her at Nordstrom, on vacation somewhere warm practicing self-care, or serving the community with her sorority sisters.During our conversation, Candice provides plenty of tips for you and your planner to consider when selecting and designing around your chosen wedding venue. We also touch on considerations and differences to keep in mind about indoor vs. outdoor weddings, keeping your style and vision at the forefront, and some surprising decisions regarding destination weddings.In This Episode:[02:48] - Candice discusses how she started planning and designing for weddings.[06:46] - Here’s how early Candice recommends you book your venue. The sooner you book, the better.[08:31] - In addition to availability, Candice talks about the three main things she’d say to couples to help them select a venue.[10:10] - During walkthroughs of a venue, Candice and her clients look at its scenery and how it can match or complement the couple’s style and vision.[15:54] - How does the guest experience play into searching and designing for the venue for Candice?[21:14] - Has a couple ever come to Candice with a vision that just did not match the venue?[26:18] - Candice has more tips to help couples select the right venue for them concerning design and bringing it all together. [30:42] - Thanks to contracts, resorts for destination weddings require the use of their indoor vendors. Otherwise, you get charged a vendor fee.[33:51] - Noise ordinances, time limits, and accessibility are all extra considerations that you may not necessarily think about but your planner sure does. [39:24] - For a destination wedding, Candice mentions a particular consideration to keep in mind and uses her own wedding as an example.[41:17] - Eilena talks about her first country club wedding done recently. She’s seen some beautiful ones, but this one was bizarre.Relevant Links:Candice PattersonWebsite | Instagram The Wedding TeaInstagramThe Event LoftWebsite | Instagram

The right cake artist creates a wedding showpiece that screams out the loving couple's personality and leaves taste buds tingling. Today, I’m thrilled to be speaking with one of the best in the business, Chef Dana Herbert of Desserts By Dana. Dana’s unique in that he’s trained in both the culinary and pastry arts. He’s the owner of the multi-award-winning bakery Desserts By Dana in Newark, Delaware. He also hosts Date Night with Chef Dana and Little Chefs. Highly sought after by many celebrities, actors, athletes, and political figures, Dana has worked with the likes of Oprah, President-Elect Joe Biden, Ice Cube, Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Micheal Vick to name a few. He’s an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and spokesperson who’s racked up numerous honors and awards. Among his accolades include: being named as one of the Top Ten Cake Designers in America, many Best of Awards, participation in the James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour, serving as a member of the national Macy’s Culinary Council, and cooking at Beard House. Dana not only attracted massive attention for his big win on TLC’s hit show Cake Boss: Next Great Baker but was also the winner of Rachael Ray’s Celebrity Cake Off. Also, he’s been seen on other networks such as The Cooking Channel, Food Network, and many more. His cake artistry has been featured in Essence, Huffington Post, and countless other bridal publications, national magazines, and websites.Dana brings his unique perspective and experience to the show today as he and I discuss wedding cakes and tastings. Listen as we dive into designing cakes, helping clients decide on flavors, working with color schemes, choosing a reliable wedding cake artist, and more. In This Episode: [02:35] - Eilena welcomes Dana to the show. He tells us how he got started baking wedding cakes.[05:26] - What is Dana’s inspiration for designing his wedding cakes? He mentions trends, fashions, and the couple coming together.[07:25] - Eilena asks about the length and process of creating a wedding cake. From the consultation to delivery, the process takes time.[11:43] - What happens at a cake tasting? Well, Dana describes what should happen. He asks several questions first to get to know the clients.[12:42] - Dana delves into color and how he goes about getting a good picture of the clients’ preferred color scheme.[17:36] - How far in advance does Dana recommend clients do a cake tasting? Here’s what he sees on average and his recommendation for a September/October wedding.[19:08] - Eilena mentions taking on only so many weddings per year. Dana recalls the week where he and his team took on 17 weddings in a single week![22:35] - Hear the tale of the client who insisted on a Tiffany blue buttercream wedding cake.[24:43] - Eilena asks if Dana has cake designs ready for prospective clients who don’t know what they want.[29:47] - Dana leaves us with two or three tips to help select a good wedding cake artist. Beware of those with a perfect score!Relevant Links:Dana HerbertBakery Website | Chef Website | Instagram | Facebook | TwitterThe Wedding TeaInstagramThe Event LoftWebsite | Instagram

The key to a smooth and efficient wedding day lies in finding the right wedding planner that meshes with your personality as a couple. I’ve known Tiffany Chalk for a few years now and have worked with her on several weddings. She’s a sought-after planner known throughout the wedding and event industry as a master space transformationist.Tiffany dedicates herself to her craft and likes to stay abreast of what she calls T3--the latest technology, techniques, and talent boosters which makes her the go-to person for forecasting industry trends in the PA Tri-State area. She amplifies the “wow factor” for clients’ expectations, regardless of limited budgets, and is an expert at transforming space. This has made her one of the most sought-after planners and speakers at industry conferences and retreats in recent years, both internationally and stateside.She sets herself apart from her contemporaries with her distinctive ability to go beyond her client’s expectations without compromising style and sophistication, even with the most modest budgets. Her charismatic demeanor and spontaneity to contextualize creative party and entertaining ideas has led to several guest appearances on Fox 29’s Good Day Philadelphia and WBOC-TV’s DelmarvaLife.In today’s episode, you’ll get plenty of advice alongside some humorous tidbits as I talk with Tiffany about wedding planning and discuss why it’s in your best interest to hire a wedding planner at all.In This Episode:[02:54] - Tiffany talks about her journey into wedding planning. What does she love about it, aside from transforming space?[07:02] - According to Tiffany, these are the three things a wedding planner can do for you and why you should hire one.[08:35] - Eilena and Tiffany point out how party planning isn’t on the same level as wedding planning.[10:10] - What’s the difference between a venue coordinator versus having your own planner? Tiffany emphasizes the priority of both.[14:46] - Switching gears, here’s how Tiffany helps her clients understand how to set a budget. [18:15] - Tiffany describes her process of breaking down wedding budgets into categories and percentages (based on preferences).[25:53] - How important is it to have the couple’s personality reflected throughout the wedding?[29:18] - Tiffany discusses the importance of using professional vendors, not family or anyone who won’t sign a contract. They can make or break your event.[33:23] - How do timelines help make the wedding day run more efficiently for the couple and the vendors? Tiffany demonstrates with some examples.[37:11] - Before wrapping up, Tiffany offers two tips to help couples choose the right planner for them.[39:23] - Communication is really integral to planning the wedding, so consider the response time between you and your planner.Relevant Links:Tiffany Chalk EventsWebsite | Instagram | FacebookThe Wedding TeaInstagramThe Event LoftWebsite | InstagramMunaluchi BrideWebsitePhiladelphia WeddingsWebsite

If you want to wear makeup and still look natural, getting the right makeup artist is essential! Here come professionals to the rescue, like today’s podcast guest.Sheena Bloomfield is a talented, self-taught makeup artist who specializes in makeup services for events and brides. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she displayed a passion for the design world, taking fashion classes at Moore College of Art and Design.While she had fun creating garments, she discovered that she enjoys enhancing the beautiful features of women most. Even though she only started her business, Sheena Marie Makeup Artistry, four years ago, her work already comes across like a seasoned veteran of the industry. She’s gained notice for her work with multicultural brides in features on BET.com and Essence.com, in Philadelphia Magazine, and more.Currently, Sheena serves the Pennsylvania tri-state area and beyond. In the little spare time available to her, she dedicates herself to her makeup artistry passion by attending classes and seminars and keeping up with the latest trends. And all the while, she holds fast to her personal aesthetic of natural and timelessly classic glam makeup.Today, Sheena and I discuss her history and bridal makeup experience. We learn how she transitioned from fashion to makeup and hear her recount client stories, give tips and advice on choosing a wedding makeup artist, and reveal how she works with and supports brides on the day of their dreams.So sit back, relax, and sip on that tea or mimosa. You’ll enjoy listening to this one!In This Episode:[00:52] - Eilena introduces Sheena with a little bit of background information.[02:29] - Surprisingly, Sheena wasn’t into makeup when she got married. She tells us how that changed and turned into a business.[05:11] - Hear about how Sheena got to work behind the scenes at the PA Conference for Women.[06:09] - What goes into making a bride look amazing but not unrecognizable? Sheena talks about her classic, natural style.[07:08] - Sheena prefers doing bridal makeup trials where she can test out different combinations and uncover any possible allergic reactions before the big day.[08:08] - Eilena asks how allergies play into the makeup products that Sheena uses and makes an apt comparison to the dating world.[10:55] - We take a walk through the wedding day for Sheena. She emphasizes the importance of being on time.[12:30] - What’s the largest bridal party Sheena’s ever done? What’s the hardest part about doing bridal parties?[13:54] - Sheena’s natural aesthetic helps make the process of wearing makeup more comfortable for those who never have.[14:50] - Does Sheena stay to touch up the makeup after the ceremony?[15:27] - What question does Sheena always ask her clients?[16:31] - Curious to know, Eilena asks Sheena how she handles a client who does want thick makeup instead.[17:46] - Sheena reveals a surprising determining factor in whether or not your wedding day goes well.[18:39] - Laughingly, Sheena recalls the client who hated her makeup (and why) and how she adjusted.[20:44] - Finally, Sheena recaps her final tips to help brides define their makeup style for the big day.Relevant Links:Sheena Marie Makeup ArtistryWebsite | InstagramThe Wedding TeaInstagramThe Event LoftWebsite | InstagramPA Conference for WomenWebsite 

SUMMARY:This week on The Wedding Tea Podcast we are joined by bridal Stylist, James R. Sanders. James has worked with names as big as the cast of Scandal to smaller intimate affairs. We discuss how important silhouette and proportions are when choosing a bridal gown in addition to walking us through why a dress for one is not a dress for another according to body type, all while adding emphasis on design. He also shares with us his current favorite trends along with some preferred designers. We wrap up with some tips you can use to help determine what wedding style best suits you and your partner. You do not want to miss this!  TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Introduction00:51 – Backstory on James R. Sanders04:00 – A dress for one is not a dress for another06:15 – The best way to go about finding a dress 14:50 – What is involved when styling couples19:26 – What is the day of the wedding like23:41 – Three tips to help brides and couples determine wedding style26:51 – Styling bridal parties37:29 – Designs come in waves38:25 –Conclusion If you would like to be a guest on an upcoming episode or have questions, email us: thetea@eventloftpa.comRELEVANT LINKS:Connect with James R. SandersWebsite | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter The Wedding TeaInstagram Event LoftWebsite  | Instagram 

In this introduction episode of The Wedding Tea Podcast with Eilena Mercier-Ehmann, a floral and event designer, Eilena discusses what to expect from The Wedding Tea. Her company, Event Loft, based in the Philadelphia, PA area, creates luxe experiences through floral and decor for the modern couple.If you would like to be a guest on an upcoming episode or have questions, email us: thetea@eventloftpa.comThe Wedding TeaInstagramFor more about Event Loft:Website | Instagram