Cheers to Chocolate!

May 20th, 2010

So excited to share some details about one of many types of fun parties we could throw for you and your friends! We recently teamed up with Kakao Chocolate (we highly recommend them, by the way!) to throw an amazing chocolate tasting party. We brought in a delicious spread of appetizers such as cheeses, artichoke hearts, olives, french bread with olive oil and parmesan, veggies, & fruit (as a side note, we made sure to accommodate the guest who couldn’t have gluten – the bread was literally the only thing he couldn’t have, and it was kept totally separate from everything else, so just let us know if you need to consider special diets of any kind for yours, and we’re happy to help!). (see pic below)

We selected 8 of Kakao’s all-natural and all-fabulous chocolates to taste, and paired various wines & coffee/chocolate liqueurs to complement the chocolates in various ways.

The all-star line-up included:
Ginger Bark
Caramels with Sea Salt
Chile-Vanilla Truffles
Turkish Coffee with Cardamom
Chai Tea with Cinnamon Truffle
Lavendar-Vanilla Truffle
Extra Dark Chocolate Truffle with Sea Salt
Mint with Candied Lemon Peel

We used deep red, chocolate brown, and splashes of yellow for the color palette to keep an organic but spring-like feel. On the cocktail tables we used tiny bud vases with just a few yellow billy button flowers.(see pic below) On the large tables we had some small bubble bowls with a single floating spider mum, and larger bud vases bringing together both the whimsy of the billy buttons and drama of the spider mums. (see pic below) All of these arrangements incorporated coffee beans at the base. Also mixed on the larger tables were small bubble vases filled with wine corks and votive candles. We continued the wine element by also using the wine corks to hold our custom labels for each platter of chocolate. (see pic below)

It was an overwhelming success, as you could tell by overhearing everyone trying to nail down the exact order of their favorites at the end of the night. Many thanks to Brian Pelletier of Kakao, and cheers to chocolate!

Appetizer Table

Billy Button Centerpiece

Fun Centerpieces

Gourmet Chocolates

Congrats Leslie & Brady!

April 10th, 2010

N-joY! was so excited to be contacted for Leslie and Brady’s wedding! They had the whole ceremony taken care of, and really wanted the most help with the reception. They would be traveling from out of state for the wedding, so they really needed someone to take control of the whole reception, as it was too hard for them to manage all the details.They also trusted us with all the creative aspects, giving us the guidelines of their colors…black and white with red roses as accents.

Leslie and Brady just wanted the reception to have an elegant feel. We accomplished this with using 3 different types of centerpieces. Some tables had a simple submerged rose with tealights and rose petals around it, others had a Hurricane with a candle and rose petals, and some had 3 varying heights of goblets with floating rose petals and candles. This gave the room a simple but elegant feel.

The couple also wanted favors, but didn’t have the time to make them themselves. So, N-joY! took on that task as well! We even took it a step further and personalized each box with a monogram stamp of the newlywed’s initial.

N-joY! also negotiated pricing for them. The couple was able to have lower pricing on food and linens, without ever having to make any phone calls! They didn’t have to deal with leaving messages, calling people back, going back and forth on pricing options because we took all that on for them! NEVER underestimate the power of linens. Check out the before and after pictures below to see what a difference linens make. N-joY! has spent lots of time building up contacts so that we can bring services like this to our clients at a lower rate than they would get just calling around themselves.

It was very important for us to stay in touch with Leslie and Brady every step of the way and communicate all vendor options. We worked hard to make this the day they were dreaming of.They turned over all creative aspects to us and we had SO much fun working on this! We took care of all the details and all they had to do was sit back and enjoy!

Here is what they had to say about N-joY!

I can honestly say that I had a perfect wedding and reception, thanks to N-joY! The second I walked into my reception I was overwhelmed by how beautiful everything looked. N-joY! was great to work with, and I could tell that wedding planning is their passion. I would not have had such a beautiful wedding without them.
~Leslie (Bride)

What a great job N-joY! did for Leslie and Brady’s wedding. They took care of EVERYTHING at the reception. As the mother of the bride I did not have to worry about anything at the reception because I knew that N-joY! had it all taken care of. All we had to do was show up for the reception and everything was taken care of!! Thank you for ALL your hard work and all your planning you put into the wedding. Thanks also for keeping in close contact with us on every question we had. You were always there either by phone or email to answer our questions or to get us the information we needed. N-joY! has the best service anyone could ever ask for.
~Ginger (Mother of the Bride)

Submerged Rose Centerpiece

Hurricane Centerpiece

Goblets Centerpiece

Favors Customized by N-joY!

Before

After

Happy 40th, Aaron!

March 17th, 2010

So we actually met Aaron last year when we coordinated Aaron & Lisa’s wedding with a Mardi Gras theme. This time, Aaron requested a silent art auction party to celebrate the big 4-0, and we were so excited to help pull it off!

They were able to have it at a friend’s gallery/home, which turned out to be the perfect space! So the plan was to have everyone bring a piece of art of any kind (but preferably made themselves) to auction off amongst themselves. While this type event might not work for every group, Aaron & Lisa are no doubt blessed with some amazingly creative & inspired friends & family! There was such an incredible variety of items! A few examples included paintings, sketches, photography, a bird house, wind chimes, a scarf, jewelry, a rock sculpture, wreaths, vases, & even a cd with a custom mix of music. The proceeds were going toward the cost of the party, and anything beyond that would be donated to the St. Louis Public Library.

Here’s what Lisa had to say about our services:

N-joY! is one of the best services money can buy. N-joY! helped throughout the evening at my husband’s 40th birthday party, and the help was invaluable. It is such a great feeling to be able to enjoy the event and know that someone (N-joY!) is there to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Birthday Cakes

Well-Lit Wine Table

Donated Art

More Inspired Art

Many Types of Art

Yet More Art

Scouting Favorites

Claiming Art

Great Gallery Space

Gallery Mingling

No Event Too Small!

February 27th, 2010

Recently, N-joy! has had several small events. We want everyone to know that no job is to small (or insignificant) for us. We know that EVERY celebration in your life is important and we would love the opportunity to be a part of any event that is special to you. N-joy! has been a part of theme development for various events, day of coordination for weddings, even just simply making invitations. If you just have any “odds and ends” you need assistance with, call N-joy! for your free custom quote.

One event that stands out was a baptism. The grandmother was planning a small get together after the baptism of the new little addition to her family. She had everything under control…the food, cake, and invitations. All she wanted was one small table decorated for the cake. We wanted to personalize it, so we framed a couple of pictures of the baby. We decorated with candles, a blue tablecloth, and made a blue and white flower arrangement. It may seem like no big deal to some people, but for us, it was exciting to be a part of this special moment.

Here is what the client had to say about N-joY!

I just wanted to thank you again…Paige was so pleased with the table, all thanks to you. You did a GREAT job and thanks for helping to make this such a special day for Paige and Baby Luc!

~Patricia

Baptism Table Decor

Holiday Engagements!

December 30th, 2009

Families spending quality time together, stress-free vacation time, and just an overall loving feeling…holidays are a popular time to “pop the question.” From Thanksgiving to New Years, there are MANY proposals going on, and congrats to all of you who are newly engaged! January is a big month for brides to be to start the planning process. There is so much to do and so many little details to be on top of, so it can easily become overwhelming.

N-joY! wants you to… well…enjoy this engagement time, and not be stressed out. Let us take care of all your planning needs: Bridal showers, engagement parties, bachelorette parties, full service wedding planning, day-of coordination and everything in between! Let N-joY! take the stress and hassle of planning your Big Day off your shoulders and create the wedding of your dreams. We work with any budget so just contact N-joY! today for your free consultation!

N-joY! More Than Just Weddings…

November 5th, 2009

N-joy! is more than just weddings. We are ready and willing to take on any type of event! For example, recently we were called on to put together a haunted house for kids. Quite possibly the furthest thing from a wedding, but a great example to showcase our wide range of abilities, and it was so much fun for us! The haunted house was for children 8 years and younger, so it couldn’t be “too” scary. We decided to simply play on the curiosity of kids around this age.

The ambiance was set before the kids even walked into the haunted house. After passing a mini cemetary, the kids were greeted by Hannibal Lecter standing next to bails of hay with black crows. This little girl was brave enough to touch him and yes, he DID move and talk. If they were a little hesitant to visit with Hannibal, there was a skeleton on the next bails of hay with creepy Halloween music playing.

Frakenstein welcomed the kids at the beginning of the haunted house. As they walked through, ghosts and skeletons floated above their heads. We had “touch and feel” items including eyeballs, snot, and brains to bring the “eww” factor. These were probably the most talked about, with comments such as, “EEW!! Is that REAL?!?” There was a scary crystal ball to give the kid’s a haunted future telling, a skeleton trapped in a mirror asking for their help, and a huge spider crawling down the wall. There were also lots of skeletons, pumpkins, and other ghoulish figures creeping out of the spider webs. The kids were offered candy from a friendly vampire on their way out. There was also a facepainting station set up for the kids when they finished walking through the haunted house.

Here are some comments from the kids:
“That was SOOO cool! My favorite was the snot, I know it wasn’t real..well…it wasn’t, was it? Anyway, it felt gross.”

“I like the eyeballs. And the fortune teller. And the ghost that floated on the ceiling. I’m bringing my mom to see the eyeballs. Can I take one to show my friend?”

Hannibal Lector

Ghosts & Skeletons

Eyeballs

Scary Crystal Ball

Skeleton Mirror

Spider Web Skull

Friendly Vampire

Thanks & Congrats!

October 5th, 2009

Thanks to everyone for coming out to our booth at the Morgan Ford Street Festival! It was a great success – We had a wonderful time meeting people, eating delicious food, and listening to all the great local bands! Congrats goes out to Emmy Rieffer for winning our Couple’s Gift Basket valued at $200!

A Mardi Gras Inspired Wedding

September 25th, 2009

Congrats Lisa & Aaron!

Lisa & Aaron celebrated 10 years together by tying the knot, and we were honored to play a part. Because of how significant Mardi Gras festivities had been throughout their relationship, they continued that theme throughout the event with having bold red and purple colors along with beads incorporated not only around the flower arrangements but also into a fun bead toss rather than the more traditional garter and bouquet tosses.

They were interested in doing much themselves, so we filled in with ideas and guidance along the way and managed everything the weekend-of; after all, Lisa’s main priority was to not feel stressed on her wedding day. We actually ended up taking on more roles than usual to help them keep costs down, so we were largely acting as the florist, caterer, and facilities manager, in addition to the more typical role of managing of the event design and flow. Admittedly, this expanded role was challenging since the venue allowed us an extremely limited amount of time for setup, but everything came together perfectly just in time!

A carriage dropped off Lisa and her father at the beautiful historic mansion where the guests were being soothed with classical guitar. Lisa and Aaron were married on the lawn under a flowering arch we decorated, and they were even able to include their dog, Bird, as the ring bearer. After officially becoming Mr. and Mrs. Young, they had a private ride around the block in the carriage and proceeded to go up on a balcony for the bead toss. The reception was waiting for everyone on the other side of the mansion, held both in the gorgeous carriage house and in a tent outside for dancing and mingling.

The night was filled with great food, fun, drinks, and dancing, and most importantly, no stress for the much-deserving bride.

Here’s what Lisa had to say about our services:

N-joY! is one of the best services money can buy. N-joY! worked behind the scenes at our wedding reception, taking on any and every task we needed help with, and the help was invaluable. It is such a great feeling to be able to enjoy the event and know that someone (N-joY!) is there to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Please check out our photo album to see more pictures from their wedding!!!

Father Drops off the Bride

Vows Under a Flowering Arch

Bead Toss Close-Up

Table Centerpiece

Morgan Ford Music & Street Festival!

September 2nd, 2009

Come visit our booth at the Morgan Ford Music & Street Festival on Saturday, October 3 from 12-9pm near the intersection of Morgan Ford & Juniata in St. Louis’ Tower Grove South. Stop by for giveaways, raffles, discounts, inquiring about services, or just saying hi! Stay for music, food, fun, and to support other local businesses and artists! Best of all, it’s FREE!

Little League World Series: Proof that the Client Always Wins!

August 22nd, 2009

We were so excited to be contacted to coordinate a brunch for a local baseball complex. The complex was hosting a USSSA World Series for 9, 11 and 14 year olds and the brunch was for the team moms. The purpose of the brunch was to give the moms all the information they would need for the whole tournament. When we met with the General Manager of the complex, we found they needed help with decorations, set up, and putting the team moms’ packets together. Also, they wanted us to design earrings for each of the team moms’ bags!

Team Mom Earrings

We also found out we did not have very much time to get everything together. They just realized they needed help, and the brunch was only 4 days away! Not only that, but this was the very first year they planned a brunch for the team moms!

Small Vases

After the initial consultation, it was time to get to work. Their colors were red, white, and blue. Even though we were tempted to “go all out” on the decor, we knew they wanted everything to be really simple because it all had to be broken down within 30 minutes for a meeting they had scheduled in the same room after the brunch. We put small vases of red and white flowers on the tables and tied a blue ribbon around the vases.

The food table is where the main centerpiece was set up. It was made using their baseballs and small bats that they give out to the kids for trophies…

Baseball Centerpiece

Food Table

Mimosas

The food was simple, typical brunch-type food. Muffins, bagels, fruit, yougurt, pancakes, and an assortment of juices and other drinks. We even set up mimosas to start the morning off right!

Info Table

Map and Shirt Display

We set up the information table with everything they needed to know about ordering team pictures. We also displayed a map of the complex, which was used for the General Manager’s speech about each of the fields and also future plans to expand the park. We put a display of the official tournament t-shirt next to that.

At first, we had grand ideas of what we “could” do, but we really had to scale back from what we might plan for ourselves in order to keep from overdoing it given their time and budget constraints…After all, the client is always right! Here’s what they had to say about the experience:

I thoroughly enjoyed working with N-joy! They listened to what we wanted and everything was absolutely perfect. The brunch was exactly what we wanted and we will definitely be calling them for future events!
-Katie