Christmas Sugar Cookies

This weekend I got busy in the kitchen making homemade Christmas cookies from scratch. They were so delish and got great reviews, so I thought I'd share with all of you.

If you're looking for some sweat treats to bring a Christmas party or even some edible gifts to share with your coworkers, try this great recipe for rolled sugar cookies and stackable icing.


Rolled Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely before decorating.

*makes about 30 medium sized cookies 


Sugar Cookie Icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. 
2. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup. (I ended adding more milk instead, for my desired consistency)
3. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity, if desired.
4. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush. Icing dries hard within about 1 hour.

 *recipes from Allrecipes.com

Jumping The Broom

Yesterday I had the opportunity to see a very advance screening for the upcoming movie, Jumping The Broom.  It was a great, hilariously funny, wedding movie -- a must see when it comes out next year! Check out the trailer below.

I'm Baaack!

Hello Loves! It's been too long since I've blogged...I've missed you all. Over the past two months, I've been all over the country and the world, mostly for work, but I snuck some play time in there too. I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the city of love, Paris, among other places, and here are a few photos I hope you enjoy :)

Paris' HUGE shopping mall Les Printemps...a true shoppers dream!

The Eiffel Tower by day...

....and by night

Barcelona!

The essence of happiness

Exploring

Me and my fabulous travel buddy, Val!

Blake & Lizzie's Wedding Pics

A beautiful couple, amazing vendors, a FABULOUS wedding is how I sum up Blake & Lizzie's big day.

Thanks to Brent Stanley Photography for sending over these lovely photos. He and his team were truly a God-send when our original photographer bailed on us...three days before the wedding! It was a blessing in disguise though because his eye and artistic style suited the couple and theme of the wedding perfectly.

  

 

 Hair by Tamari did an excellent job on Lizzie and the wedding party's hair and makeup

 The bridesmaids were so fierce in these dresses!

Angelus Temple in Echo Park was the perfect location for the ceremony. The same site where the couple first met in 2009.

Castaways Restaurant in Burbank provided a lovely backdrop for the reception, complete with a private balcony.

 

The Purple Velvet cupcakes from  Bake-a-Licious had us all licking our forks...or knife in the Groom's case. lol

 

Happy couple, happy planner!

Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Blake and Lizzie Young!

Wow! That's all I have to say about Friday's amazing wedding for my wedding giveaway contest winners Blake (aka Young Chozen) and Lizzie Young. The ceremony festivities, which took place at Angelus Temple, the site where the couple first met last year, was everything from a live concert to the most beautiful exchange of vows I've ever witnessed. Afterwards, we headed over to Castaways Restaurant for one of the most fun receptions...or should I say parties I've been to. This day and beautiful couple truly reminded me why I love doing this so much in the first place.

Thanks to the talentented Brent Stanley Photography for the above photo preview. Many more to come soon, but in the meantime, here are a couple video highlights from the big day.

 The ceremony opened with this video of Blake & Lizzie's love story...

...and ended with this live performance by Elijah Kelley from Hairspray

Gearing Up for Blake & Lizzie's Big Day

This week I'm gearing up for the glamorous wedding of my wedding giveaway contest winners, Blake and Lizzie! I'm so excited that the grand finale to all our hard work is only days away. This will be a wedding quite unlike any I've ever planned before. This artsy and creative couple has some great surprises planned for their guests...including the ceremony being UStreamed live to anyone who can't make it.  How cool is that?!?

 Sneak peak of the venue

To view the wedding, click here starting at 3:00PM on Friday, September 17. Pre-show at 3:15 Ceremony starts at 3:50.

Made Woman Magazine Wedding Feature

I recently had the pleasure of contributing an article for the wedding issue of Made Woman Magazine, an online publication for professional women.  Click here to read the full article offering tips on how to make the wedding planning process stress free and enjoyable.   

Achieving Happiness In Your Relationship

I'm happy to welcome guest blogger, Nailah Blades to the blog.  In addition to being a recent newlywed herself, Nailah is also a life coach and owner of Polka Dot Coaching. With a mission to help 20-something women live life to fullest, today she shares some hints and tips and on how to achieve happiness in your relationship.

As a life coach and a newlywed, I can speak to how important it is to be happy in your everyday life – both personally and as a couple. Attaining happiness can seem like a lifelong quest but it certainly doesn’t have to be. By focusing on small everyday changes you can definitely begin injecting a little more happiness into your everyday life. Here are 5 small steps to begin feeling happier as a couple – or as an individual.


Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – I know that I have a million and one annoying little habits (I’m notorious for not turning the water off while brushing my teeth) but my husband is great at not constantly picking on me for these little annoyances. As a result, I make a conscious effort to change some of the things that might bother him. Little tiffs and mishaps will arise everyday. There’s no point in making a big hubbub about the small stuff.


Shake up your Routine – Make a habit of breaking your habits every once and again. Try new restaurants or explore different parts of town. Or take up a new hobby together. My husband and I recently started hiking together and it has been so much fun. Not only are we getting outdoors and exercising but we’re also learning something new together which helps to bring us closer together as a couple. Find different ways to inject a little adventure into your everyday lives.

Be Present – One of the most important things in a relationship is remembering to be present. Really be in the moment with your spouse and give them all of you. Don’t fret over past missteps or worry about future goals. Stop multitasking when they’re talking to you. Simply bask in the present moment. Really savor the moment you are sharing right now.

---more after the jump---

Baby In Wonderland

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending an Alice in Wonderland themed baby shower for a great friend and mommy-to-be. You may remember the amazing shower invitations that I shared a few weeks ago. Well, the shower itself was just as spectacular. This theme would also translate well into a kids birthday party or an afternoon tea. Take a look at some of the decor highlights below.

Thanks to Daddy-To-Be and his great photography skills for many of these photos.

Airport Themed Engagement Session

When my friend, Kelli, told me she and her fiance were planning an airport themed engagement session for their upcoming wedding, I thought it was a wonderfully creative and personal idea. Kelli and Brian met while working for Southwest Airlines together.  Dallas based Goode Photography did an excellent job of capturing this beautiful couple and executing the theme perfectly.

Out of Office...But Be Back Soon!

It's an exciting time in the life of Zoe Z -- and exciting also equates to BUSY.  I'll be traveling quite a bit for my corporate job as a PR professional, taking a week off for vacation (I can't remember the last time I did this), and closing escrow on my first home (exciting!); so I apologize in advance if I'm not able to update the blog as regularly as I'd like for the next few weeks.

I can't leave you empty handed though. Check out this amazing song by BeBe & CeCe Winans, I Found Love. It's absolutely perfect for a walk down the aisle or a couples first dance as man & wife. Take a listen and check out the e-card for the song here.

Alice in Wonderland Invitations

Look at what greeted me in the mail today. Tell me these invitations for an Alice in Wonderland themed baby shower aren't the coolest invitations ever! Creative Works Designs did such a great job putting these little gems together. If this is what the invitations look like, I can't wait to see what the actual shower has in store for us!

First 5 Things To Do When Planning a Wedding

Your dream engagement went off without a hitch and the glistening diamond engagement ring is perfectly affixed to your left hand. Once the joy and blissful disbelief that you're really getting married has set in, it's time to get down to the business of planning your big day. Sure, the process can seem overwhelming for some, but it doesn't have to be if you have a plan. Here are the first five things you should do as you begin the wedding planning process:

Establish a budget -The budget is the very first thing you should think about when planning a wedding. It affects EVERYTHING. From how many guests you can invite, to the type of venue you should select, to the type of reception you can host...everything is tied to the budget. So, before you do anything else, sit down with your fiance, parents and anyone else who may be contributing and determine a realistic budget for your wedding activities.

Envision the type of wedding you want - At this point, you don't need to have all the details like decor and theme figured out; but you should have a general idea of the type of wedding you want. Do you want a formal gala or a casual soiree? A traditional affair or one with modern flair? This is time to think about the overall picture you envision for your big day.

Select a season and month - Think about the time of year you'd like your wedding to take place. Don't worry about setting an exact date just yet -- as the date can often change depending on the availability of your venue -- but decide on the season and the month, then select a few different dates you'd like the wedding to take place.

Bring in a professional planner/coordinator - Enlisting the help of a professional during the early stages of the planning process can really save you a lot of time, energy and money in the long run. While this may be your first time planning a wedding, a good coordinator has done this many times before and comes with a great deal of knowledge, valuable connections and priceless insight that can help bring your vision to reality, within your budget.

Select and book the venue - Try to reserve the ceremony and reception venue as soon as possible -- 9 to 12 months in advance is ideal. Locking in a contract with the venue early will ensure you have a variety of dates and times to choose from in your preferred wedding month.

Guest Blog Post on Marriage.com

I had the pleasure of being a guest blogger for Marriage.com recently where I shared tips on how to keep uninvited guests off your RSVP cards and guest list. Take a look at the full article here.

Ask A Planner

In grade school, teachers always reinforce that the only dumb questions out there are the ones left unasked. Well, my friends the same applies to us adults as well, especially those in the midst of planning one of the most important day of their lives. I'm sure some of you out there have burning questions about the wedding or event planning process, questions that a lot of other readers can benefit from. And Fabulously Ever After would love to ease your inquisitive minds and answer some of your questions here on the blog.

All you have to do is send an email with your questions to info{at}fabulouslyeverafter{dot}com.

So go ahead and Ask A Planner, 'cause there's no such thing as a dumb question in this classroom ;)

Most Overlooked Wedding Expenses

When it comes to planning your wedding, staying within your budget is likely to rank high on your list. Helping clients stay on budget is one of my top priorities as a planner, which I'm sure has a lot to do with the fact that I'm frugalista at heart. Earlier in the year, I offered a few tips on how to save money on your big day. And, the other day, I was pleased to come across an article on the Savvy Sugar blog listing the most commonly overlooked wedding expenses. Here's an excerpt, but take a look at the full article to make sure you don't break your budget with a costly oversight.

...it’s easy to remember the large categories, such as the venue, catering, flowers, cake, and, of course, the dress. However, there are certain things that often get overlooked and can add up to a hefty sum if not planned for properly...

 Tips

Before you sign any of your vendor contracts, make sure that they specify whether gratuity is included. Vendors who own their own businesses don't expect tips as they've already included everything in their initial negotiations with you. However, when it comes to the reception venue, you should ask the site manager about the policies for tipping the waitstaff, bartenders, and parking valets. Many catering companies already include tips, which they divide up between the workers. If tips aren't included, expect to pay between 15 and 20 percent of the total catering bill. Those who deliver the flowers and the cake should also be tipped between $5 and $10. It's not necessary to tip your officiant, but if he or any other vendor has done an extraordinary job, you can send a note of appreciation and gift certificate later on. Don’t forget to include tips for coat checkers and powder room attendants as well.

To see the rest of the tips, head over to the original Savvy Sugar article.

Custom Wedding & Engagement Jewelry by Laurie Sarah Designs

If you're looking for a wedding or engagement ring and the mass produced selections at your local jewelry store just aren't making your heart skip a beat like a proper engagement ring should, why not go custom?

This past weekend, I encountered custom jeweler Laurie Sarah Designs at a bridal industry event and was in complete and total awe of the beautiful pieces the Laurie Sarah team had on display. The one-of-a-kind peices were not only gorgeous and 100% original, but prices of the quality diamonds, gemstones and precious metals used were a fraction of what you would expect to pay at a store front. And as a jewelry addict myself, I found Laurie Sarah's design and manufacturing process quite interesting. Head over to the Laura Sarah Designs Etsy Shop for hundreds of examples of their work, but here are just a few samples for your viewing pleasure :)

I LOVED this unique design, which is also shown second from the left in the first image

Black diamonds are in high demand these days and Laurie Sarah has access to them in every size and shape

They also make rings with precious gemstones like this purple amethyst

Can we say GORGEOUS!