Battle of the Wedding Designers Update

Story of my life. I was notified late this afternoon that the Battle of the Wedding Designers episode that I am on (Aloha Wedding Bells) has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict at TLC. I am not sure what that means...but I guess they didn't think it's the right time to air that episode for one reason or another - I know they just want to showcase this episode to a larger audience. But I was told that it will still air, just not tomorrow night and that it has not been pulled all together. I personally think it's going to be a great episode and that TLC is waiting until sweeps week to show it or they are turning it to a 2-hour show (wishful thinking on my part)! So as soon as I know the new date I will let you all know. I am hoping it will happen in the next couple of weeks.

I am a bit disappointed, but what can I do. We will just have to wait a little longer to see if they take a bite and if I won the battle.

Thanks for the continued support and the anticipation!
-Percy

Tune in this Friday (7/9/10) to see Percy Sales on Battle of the Wedding Designers

The Battle of the Wedding Designers episode I am on will air on Friday, July 9, 2010 at 10pm/9pm CT. The title of the episode is Aloha Wedding Bells. Watch me battle it out with Michelle Buckley and Steve Kemble. Who will win the cultural challenge? Tune and and watch! Here's a preview of the episode that aired this week (it's a little ghetto because I don't have anything to record off the DVR...but it works).

Battle of the Wedding Designers (Aloha Wedding Bells) Commercial from Percy Sales on Vimeo.

Show: Battle of the Wedding Designers
Channel: TLC
Season 1, Episode 4 (Aloha Wedding Bells)
Premieres July 9, 2010

Real Weddings: Ambar & Sasha

I briefly met Ambar and Sasha at the wedding of Sasha's cousin that I did at the Four Season's Biltmore in Santa Barbara last year. Six months later they were hiring me to help wrap up the details to a wedding that Ambar had envisioned. The couple quickly became good friends of mine and I looked forward to our daily emails and talks.

Ambar and Sasha are incredible people. They love to have fun but most importantly they want to make sure all the details are in-place and that their guests were having a great time. They got married at the beautiful Mission Inn in Riverside, CA surrounded by an incredible group of family and friends and they partied all night long.

Their ceremony took place in the St. Francis of Assissi Chapel located on-site and the reception was held at the hotel's Music Room. A beautiful event full of Ambar and Sasha's spirit. This was the first wedding I have ever done where the linens were custom made by a relative, in this case Ambar's mom made linens for every table (over and underlays). Additionally, my team decked out the music room with over 400 candles on top of the floral that my in-house florist Wendy Smith created. The guests partied to a mixture of Latin and Persian music mixed with today's hip hop and pop tunes. Fun Fun Fun! So fun that at one point the groom turned into a Chippendale dancer - YIPPEE Sasha! :)

Here's a few shots take by Miguel Torres Photography from the evening. Hoping to post a video soon.

This was one of my favorite moments. As the doors opened to the chapel, Ambar just stood there and I am off to the side saying, "Ambar look up it's your moment!" and she said, "Really." I again said, "Look up and do your thang" and she did the sign of the cross, looked up, and made her way to the altar. I cried.

The vendors for Ambar & Sasha's wedding were:

Planning, Design, and Coordination: Percy Sales
Floral Design: Wendy Smith of Your Image Floral Design
Ceremony and Reception Location: Mission Inn
Music and MC: Michael Angelo Music DJs
Photography: Miguel Torres Photography
Videography: Skyline Videography
Wedding Cake: Jamaica's Cakes
String Quartet: A Touch of Ivory
Chiavari Chair Rentals: Dress My Chair
Minister: Mary Jean Valente
Make Up: Beauty by Solana
Hair: Hala Espinoza at Salon H

Real Weddings: Rebekah & Josh

I had the pleasure of planning and coordinating the wedding of Rebekah and Josh with Josh's mom Rina and father Tal for close to six months. They had a wonderful vision that was executed on the beautiful grounds of Rancho de Las Palmas on May 30, 2010. The wedding was a joyous day filled with love, family, music, and dancing (boy can these people dance). The bride chose to walk down to Metallica and Guns 'n Roses rather than the typical wedding stuff, which really set the tone for the entire event. It was a beautiful wedding.

Ari Perilstein and his crew at Custom | Made Productions captured the day beautifully in this awesome cinematic film (about 13 minutes long) that brought tears to my eyes. Take a look at the beautiful wedding of Rebekah and Josh!

Rebekah | Josh Cinematic Film Edit from custom | made productions on Vimeo.

The vendors for the Rebekah & Josh's wedding were:

Planning and Coordination: Percy Sales
Ceremony and Reception Location: Rancho de Las Palmas
Catering and Bar Service: DJ's California Catering
Video Production: Custom | Made Productions
Photography: Laurie Bailey Photography (photos will be posted shortly)
Flowers: Flowers by Leah
Music and Entertainment: Pini Cohen and Band
Linens and Chiavari Chairs: Sitting Pretty Chair Company
Rentals: The Tent Merchant
Lighting: Sky Production
Invitations: The Invitation Spot

Mazel Tov Rebekah and Josh!

Watch Percy Sales on TLC's Battle of the Wedding Designers

I know it's been a long time since I've posted a blog...well let me tell you it's been an incredibly busy year so far and the first six months of 2010 just whizzed by! I promise to do a better job in the last six months of the year.

The biggest news that I have is... I was asked to be one of the Wedding Designers for a new TLC (The Learning Channel) Show called Battle of the Wedding Designers (working title). A pilot of the show aired in November 2009, Battle of the Wedding Planners, and it was so popular that they have done a four episode mini season for the summer and yours truly will be on one of the episodes.

The premise is that three of the top Wedding Designers (flattered to be considered one of the tops) battle it out to win the honor of planning a couple's wedding. We all had to pitch our ideas to the couple, show our venues and designs, and at the end of the day the couple chooses the designer they want to design their dream wedding. Who am I up against? Do I win or do I go home a disappointed wedding designer? You will have to watch as the drama unfolds. The series will air on Fridays at 10pm ET PT and 9pm CT starting June 18, 2010. So set your DVRs to Friday evenings on TLC! My episode (Episode 4) is slated to be on July 9th!

Here's a promo piece from the pilot



Can't wait to see it all complete!

-Percy

Oscar 2010 Gowns: Ahhhs and Nahhhs

This years Oscars gave us some of the most BORING dresses to date, nothing really stood out and and nothing was really jaw dropping gorgeous. But from the sea of gowns I was still able to spot some Ahhhs and some Nahhhs. Here's my Top 10 Choice for both. First the Ahhhs.

My Top 10 Ahhh Choices: Top Left and Clockwise

Sandra Bullock in Marchesa, Cameron Diaz in Oscar de La Renta, Diane Kruger in Chanel, Nicole Ritchie in Reem Acra, Vera Farmiga in Marchesa, Anna Kendrick in Elie Saab, Sarah Jessica Parker in Chanel, Maggie Gyllenhaal in Dries van Noten, Penelope Cruz in Donna Karan Couture, and Helen Mirren in Badgely Mischka.

My Top 10 Nahhh Choices: Top Left and Clockwise

Mariah Carey in Valentino, Jennifer Lopez in Armani Prive, Charlize Theron in Christian Dior, Sigourney Weaver in Lanvin, Carey Mulligan in Prada, Amanda Seyfried in Armani Prive, Meryl Streep in Chris March, Tina Fey in Michael Kors, Molly Ringwald in Todd Thomas, Zoe Saldana in Givenchy.

• Mariah - your dress looked too small for you - like 5 sizes too small.
  
• Jennifer - you look like you're wearing futuristic bubble wrap and your hair looked like you are going through female pattern balding with that hairstyle.
• Charlize - what's up with the rosette boobs? Nice dress - but it looks like someone wearing lavender gloves hugged you from behind while holding two lavender loofahs.
  
• Sigourney - maybe you and Mariah should have swapped dresses - yours looked too big.
• Carey - the front should have been a little shorter or to the floor - it made you look Oompa Loompa short.
• Amanda - just plain boring.
• Meryl - it looked too matronly and it looked like the losing dress from a Project Runway challenge. It was not flattering.
  
• Tina - oh Tina...was dress suppose to be comic relief? The one shoulder isn't working for you and the pattern of the dress made you look thick...not a good thing.
  
• Molly - love the color, but again it looked a little to big - maybe with smaller jewelry it would have worked better.
• Zoe - I almost loved it - the top interesting but it looked like a blinged out ace bandage and the bottom would have been nicer without all that cabbage and kale. Too many concepts working against each other.
  

So there you have it my Ahhhs and Nahhs. Don't get me wrong I think there's some saving grace with the Nahhhs if they just adjusted a thing or two here and there.

Trends found on the red carpet: Lavender is hot and so is Fuchsia. Front slits are in and interesting details are hot.

Happy Holidays - I'll Be Back and Better than Ever in 2010

I know I have been really bad a blogging lately, but the latter half of this year has been pretty rough, especially with having to deal with personal family issues (my mom being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer) and also launching the Southern California Dream Wedding Giveaway, both of which has taken up a lot of my time and which explains the lack of my blogs. Additionally weddings, volunteer work, family, and raising a kid takes up a lot of time too. Anyway, come January 2010, I will be re-dedicating myself to my blog.

I actually got my Tarot cards read during a recent holiday party and the psychics told me that I have way too much on my plate and need to dump things that do not feed my soul, so I will be doing just that and concentrating on things that I love...wedding/event blogging being one of them. I look forward to inspiring my fans and future fans a like in the coming year with great blogs. Thanks for your support throughout 2009!

Remember to be happier, healthier, and wealthier in 2010!

-Percy

Southern California Dream Wedding Giveaway Unveiling October 18, 2009

The Southern California Dream Wedding Giveaway™ will be giving one lucky Dream Couple™ a wedding of a lifetime. There are over 40 Dream Crew™ members, Dream Sponsors™, and Dream Donors™ who have committed to making this one of the best weddings ever seen in Southern California.

The contest will officially begin on October 18, 2009 with the unveiling of the official contest Website and a Launch Party at Rancho de Las Palmas from 5pm - 8pm. The contest will run through January 31, 2010.

I am so happy to be a part of the Dream Crew™ as their official wedding planner and designer. I get to work with the lucky Dream Couple™ as well as the rest of the Dream Crew™ in creating a magical and platinum wedding for this lucky pair. The winner will be chosen on Valentine's Day and revealed on Monday, February 15, 2010. Their wedding will be filled with every thing one expects in a platinum wedding. This includes a rehearsal dinner at Camarillo Ranch for up to 50 guests, a wedding and reception at Rancho de Las Palmas for up to 100 guests, all the bridesmaids gowns, groomsmen tux, wedding dress...you name it we have it donated. This wedding is estimated to cost over $100,000.

At any rate, come to the Launch Party on October 18, 2009 at Rancho de Las Palmas from 5pm - 8pm to meet and greet with the Dream Crew™ and talk about what they are doing for the Southern California Dream Wedding Giveaway™. You must RSVP with your name and guest name(s) to attend the party. If you are unable to make the party, you can still meet the Dream Crew™ and learn what they are doing by visiting the Southern California Dream Wedding Giveaway Blog.

I am so excited about this contest. It's going to be so much funny! Spread the word to anyone you know who is looking to get married and have a compelling story. Let them know about the Southern California Dream Wedding Giveaway™.

Hope to meet you on October 18th!

-Percy

Badge designed by CNI Designs

{Contest} Wishpot and Avelle Kate Spade Handbag Giveaway

Wishpot and Avelle the New Bag Borrow Steal have teamed up to bring you a very exciting giveaway! Enter to win a Kate Spade "Knightsbridge Quinn" Croco Tote with a retail value of $425? The clean lines and elegant croc-embossed patent calfskin leather of this Kate Spade tote transitions effortlessly from daytime to evening. This classic and iconic Kate Spade Quinn bag has been give a luxe makeover and is a must have for the fashionista.

Bag details:

• short shoulder tote with open top
• center zip divider pocket, double slide pockets and zip pocket
• 14-karat light gold plated hardware
• custom woven noel jacquard lining
• light gold floating noel signature
• imported
• style # PXRU1276
• 6.6" drop length
• 9.4"h x 11.5"w x 4.5"d

Now you have the opportunity to win the Kate Spade "Knightsbridge Quinn" Tote, thanks to Wishpot and Avelle. Here's how to enter:

Tell or show Wishpot and Avelle what you want to carry in your Avelle Designer Bag! (Your fave accessories, your pets, your dreams, the kitchen sink and more...)

Tell: get 1 entry for each response here, on Avelle Facebook Fan Page, or on Twitter RT #Avelle

Show: Get 2 entries when you post a pic of what you want to carry on the Avelle Facebook Fan Page or on Twitter #Avelle

Share: Get 3 entries when you sign up at Avelle, follow Avelle on Twitter, or blog about this giveaway.

Be sure to leave a comment on the Wishpot Blog with what you did. Giveaway lasts one week. Wishpot and Avelle will draw a winner on Monday October 5th.

Good Luck.

-Percy


Photo from Wishpot and Avelle

Real Weddings: Betty & Stephen

I had so much fun at Betty & Stephen's wedding this past weekend. I've known Betty and Stephen for a while now, since Stephen is my assistant, Sarah's, brother. Planning this wedding was more like helping family out and I am so happy that it turned out so beautiful. I found myself crying several times throughout the day, like when Betty walked down the aisle of the historic Chapman Chapel and when Stephen and his mom, Pauline, did their mother/son dance at the reception to Nat King Cole's Version of "You are My Sunshine." It was a night of pure bliss and fun.

It was so great to see two cultures coming together to celebrate the love of two individuals. You had the Latinos and the Brits, both love to party and they partied until midnight at the funky and unique, Angelo and Vinci's Restaurant. I've never been to a party where Latin Salsa and Cumbia blended so beautifully with The Beatles. Fun was had by all, thanks to the awesome DJ Dennis at Create a Sound Entertainment.

Here are some of the photos taken by photographer extraordinaire, Gloria Plunkett. I can't believe she already has the previews up!

Enjoy!

-Percy

All photos by Gloria Plunkett

Betty and Stephen's favorite bar. They had to have a picture in front of it.

The Vendors:
Wedding Planner and Coordinator: Percy Sales
Photographer: Gloria Plunkett Photography
Flowers: Your Image Botanical Designs
Ceremony Site: Chapman Chapel, Orange, California
Reception Site/Food/Cake: Angelo and Vinci's, Fullerton, California
DJ: Create A Sound Entertainment, DJ Dennis
Videographer: Bonnie's Photography and Videography Studio