A special thank you goes out to Medhi Eftekari, general manager, and Jennifer Rebello, catering director of the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills , Philippe Lee of Jade Studio Productions and Crystal Lequang of Amazáe Special Events in San Francisco and Philip Ireland general manager of The Vancouver Club and Soha Lavin of CountDown Events in Vancouver.

I also want to thank everyone who has ordered the book online. The response has been overwhelming. Apparently, it will take much more time than I anticipated to personalize all the orders so far!

I look forward to the next leg of the tour:
Atlanta – May 3
The St. Regis Atlanta
Miami – May 4
Mandarin Oriental Miami
Sarasota – May 10
The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota

With My Warmest Regards,

Grace Ormonde

Photos by Cheryl Richards Photographer

Photos by Jade Studio Productions

Photos by Tracey L. Heppner Photography

“believe six impossible things before breakfast” counsels Alice [In Wonderland]

I haven’t seen the movie yet, but the words resonate with me very well. I have been in the wedding business for 24 years now. There were times when light at the end of the tunnel seemed bleak. Responses from family members and friends were all the same – impossible.

In hindsight, Wedding Style Magazine is now available in all major book and magazine outlets, The Grand Bridal Show always won warm cheers and my local magazine still brings awareness for amazing New England wedding events.

The whole point of this is to exercise creativity and choice. The moment we embrace impossibility, we automatically inhibit ourselves. This is applicable for both business and craft – photography, cinematography, floral, cake, etc.

So once in a while on a quiet day, rather than thinking logistically (such as a SWOT analysis), think creatively. In Yanni’s context, if you were to cast a fishing pole, just how impossibly big of a fish can you catch? Dream big! Here’s the cool part – it’s okay to not achieve every goal. Just enjoy the process as it unfolds.

Quiet Moment

So while at WPPI, I met this handsomely tall Asian photographer – Jason Huang. I told him that he should be a male model, but he’s already committed to wedding photography.

Sincerely,

Grace Ormonde

One week ago, I was in Las Vegas at a convention called WPPI (Wedding Portrait Photographers International). Since I was in the area shooting table-tops and foods from all of the 5-star resorts, Lawrence Chan of Tofurious and Mike Colon invited me to speak at their booth and seminar respectively.

My schedule is…just a bit crazy! While on this note, I would like to apologize for my attempt at a daily post – you can say that I was a bit ambitious – haha!

Anyway, I just wanted to express my appreciation for everyone who came out and shared their wonderful work. Simply amazing! The following are a few images that Mike Larson took.

Boy, I love Las Vegas! The restaurants are divine! However, I must admit that there were some pretentious places that the quality was so poor that I even had difficulty choosing an entree… (no names).

Cover Submissions

I talked about picking one image for my next cover at WPPI. If you’re interested in submitting an image, please submit it here and title it “COVER” so that I will know.

For those who were there, I like images that move me – especially ones of sexy couples!

Thanks and talk soon,

Grace Ormonde

Grace Ormonde

As the weekend unfolds before us, I would like to share with you a wedding beautifully captured by Jessica Johnston Photography. (@jessjohnston)

Happy Friday

Grace Ormonde

At our wedding reception, my sister and maid of honor, Aubrey, said it best when she toasted: “today my sister married her Prince Charming.” Our relationship has always seemed like a romantic fairytale. It’s a love story that one can only dream about. I still feel so blessed that such a perfect gentleman swept me off my feet. Joseph is and will always be my prince charming. Joseph is the kindest, most caring, sincere, genuine and loving person I know. He has the qualities, demeanors and manners only a true prince would posses; he is truly one-of-a-kind.

We met in college at Michigan State University where Joseph was a freshman and I was a sophomore. Joseph used to tutor me in economics, which was a class that I struggled with. During our friendship, I used to always think, “whomever he marries will be the luckiest girl in the world.” Little did I know, that friendship would blossom into more, and ultimately that “lucky” girl would be me.

Fours years later, on a perfect summer day, he proposed to me on top of the Empire State Building in New York City. I had been told we were going to the city for a business meeting my father-in-law had scheduled, but that was a ploy to prevent me from suspect anything. Later, I found out there was no business meeting; the trip was strictly for the engagement.

We arrived in NYC early in the morning and had lunch with my fiancés family. Then Joseph asked me what I would like to do all afternoon. I hadn’t been to NYC in years and was truly overwhelmed by the options so he suggested the Empire State Building since I had never been there before.

When we made it to the top, Joseph handed our camera to a fellow bystander to take our picture, while he proceeded to get down on one knee. Surprised, I asked “What are you doing? I thought we were taking a picture,” until I realized he was on one knee for a reason and said the magical words, “will you marry me?” The rest is history and 363 days later we were married.

We truly had a fairytale wedding. There were over 450 guests in attendance, a five-course dinner, appetizers, orchestra, ice sculptures and so much more. The color scheme was white and gold, which was carried out throughout the entire day. Everything from the bridal bouquet to the ceremony, reception and bridal party dresses fit that scheme. It was something that I had always dreamed. Being 50 percent Chinese, I wanted to incorporate aspects of my culture into our wedding. Earlier in the day, we performed a tea ceremony where I was presented with gold pieces as gifts. Towards the end of the reception I changed into a traditional red Chinese gown. At this time I wore all of the gold pieces I had received earlier. The day was perfect and something I will remember for the rest of my life.

Ceremony: St. Paul Catholic Church
Reception: Andiamo Italia
Cake: Sweet Dreams Bakery
Florist and Event Planner: Jerry Stockie for Venetian Flowers
Hair: Kristina Mara for Figo Salon Birmingham
Makeup: Dawn Baker
Invitations: Flair Necessities
Wedding Gown: Pnina Tornai at Kleinfield
Photographer: Jessica Johnston Photography

This week passed so quickly. Between spending two days in New York and putting the final touches on an exciting project I have been working on, I have had very little time to write this week.

I spent yesterday in New York doing a bit of shopping and attending an event at the LVMH Tower for the unveiling of Dom Perignon’s “Dom Perignon Wedding.” The thirteen bottle Vintage 2000 collection is meant to add a special touch to the wedding day. One of the 13 bottles comes in a keepsake white box and is personalized with the couple’s name and wedding date on a beautiful silver label. The presentation is stunning. The only time Dom Perignon has personalized something like this before was for the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Lunch was beautifully created by chef Daniel Boulud of Feast & Fete in The Magic Room. My good friend and talented event designer Jeff Leatham created a delightful atmosphere with his signature style floral design. Colin Cowie was our host and coordinated the decor. I was happy to see some old friends and make some new ones. Sylvia Weinstock, Reem Acra, Georgina Chapman, Keren Craig, Raul Avila, Marcy Blum, Laurent Boidevezi, Peter Davis, Mark Ingram, Katie Lee, Darcy Miller, Nicole Miller, David Monn, Cathy Riva and Antony Todd were some of the guests.

Where, you might ask, is the Dom Perignon Wedding collection available? In New York, only by special order at Crush Wine & Spirits. Elsewhere, visit www.crushwineco.com

I was looking at a submission of a destination wedding in France shot by Punam Bean Photography and this was one of the photos; the groom’s gift to the bride. I love the crinkled wrapping paper, the beautiful clutch, the hand written note that is partly blurry yet “love you” just jumps out. Shot in black & white along with the style of this clutch and the hand written note, this photograph exudes romance, nostalgia and alludes to a bygone era. Thank you for sharing this photograph @punambean.

Grace Ormonde

I was told I had to see it in 3D on an IMAX screen. Popcorn in hand, I found myself in my IMAX seat, smack in the center, eagerly anticipating the Avatar phenomenon to begin. And what a phenomenon it is!

This is not an attempt to write a movie review for Avatar. I can only say that I enjoyed the movie immensely; I found it to be visually amazing.

What I want to share with you is an observation. In my opinion, the creators of Avatar have set a new standard for how we can expect movies of this genre to be made. Be it because of technology, creativity, inspiration or whatever other reason or combination of reasons, every so often, every industry experiences benchmark breakthroughs. The key is to recognize the need for improvement in whatever we do and to identify and put into use ways to achieve those improvements, constantly raising the bar and setting ourselves apart.

If anything, Avatar has inspired me to strive to be better at what I do, personally and professionally.

Grace Ormonde

PS. These photographs are from a wedding I featured in the 2000 issue of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style. (Yes, I have been doing this magazine that long- in fact, even longer and it feels like I only started yesterday.)

The bride and groom were Rhode Island School of Design graduates and the wedding took place at the New York Botanical Gardens. Their invitations included a request for guests to celebrate nature by coming to the wedding dressed as bug, bird or gnu.

Bridesmaids were dressed as butterflies, groomsmen as lizards, the minister as a cardinal of the church. The bride’s dress was transformed into pea hen wear while the groom wore a cloak covered in peacock feathers. The bride’s stepfather walked her down the aisle dressed in formal skunk attire.

This wedding was so much fun and the only one of its kind ever submitted. It was shot by Jasper-Sky Photographers.

In my neighborhood there is a little cobbler shop owned by a sweet man in his 70’s – Mr. Abet. Every now and then, when the heels of a favorite pair of shoes are worn or some major malfunction happens to a pair I simply cannot part with, I will stop in and leave them in his expert care.

Mr. Abet is a true craftsman. You would be amazed at some of the repairs he has made.

I must have been in his shop dozens of times, yet, today, I noticed a sign hanging behind his working counter that I had never noticed before. Its message struck me and I wanted to share it with you.

It reads: “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after low pricing is forgotten.”

For those who set their standards high, let this message be a reminder and an inspiration.

Grace Ormonde

P.S. This photograph was submitted by Liza Gershman Photography (@photosafari22). Thank you Liza.