The Art Of Boudoir.....

I am a total fan of boudoir photography. Why? Because at it's heart and core, it's about the "femininity" of it all. Done well and directed by a skilled photographer, this intimate "peek" can be an amazing testimony to all things womanly. Many of my clients have done this as a gift for their fiance's and new husbands - much to their beloved's delight :) For the women, it's a chance to reveal their inner "pinup girl" and for the men...well, it's a chance to meet that "girl". The subject gets the purely pampered treatment, from fab hair and makeup to the perfect outfit which will showcase her beauty perfectly.

So..being the inquisive DIVA that I am, I decided to see what all the hype was about. I booked my very own boudoir shoot with Lisa Fleet of GlamorousDIVAS Photography. For a reasonable fee, I would receive professional makeup services, a hardcover photobook as well as my images on disk. The hardest part of the process? Finding the RIGHT outfits to wear!!! After some decisive shopping, I procured three different looks - innocent, sassy and slightly frisky.

The day of the shoot dawned sunny and bright - I was too excited! When I arrived at the location, I was welcomed by Lisa and her makeup artist, the hilariously talented Valerie Tilghman. While Valerie got my DIVAGlam look together, Lisa was setting the stage for what would be simply one of the most liberating experiences I've ever had. During the course of the shoot, I literally became 4 people - sweet Linnyette, the HeadDIVA in charge Linnyette, the "I'm not so innocent" Linnyette and lastly, the sultry Linnyette. I LOVED every second!

Once I received the images, I was floored. I could not believe that was me! In that instant, I understood why this mode of photography is so fascinating. It's a wonderful experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat! So, if you're looking for a very special gift to bestow upon that very special someone....consider the artistic medium of boudoir photography. AND...gentlemen, you can do the same for your special lady. Something tells me she'd like that very, very much!

The Knot Networking Party

Back in the spring, I was offered the opportunity to plan the Knot's Networking Party for the Baltimore metropolitan area. I took on the project with a plan in mind, and using the overall theme of "Go Green With The Knot", came up with a pretty cool way to mesh eco-friendly with a great party! On October 1st, almost 200 industry professionals met, mingled, ate, drank and partied at the funky-chic Baltimore Museum Of Industry. Set on an expanse of the Inner Harbor, it was a neat place to meld our environmentally conscious event with the eclectic vibe of the venue.

My concept was simple - I hit upon the idea of highlighting 4 elements of the universe to create functional, workable sections for the party. Earth, Air, Water & Fire became my backdrops for all of the food, drink and designs that wove their way throughout the Museum's Decker Gallery - each "element" contained an overall color scheme, menu and specialty libation that our guests could sample and enjoy.

With tasty drink mixers provided by Stirrings, guests were able to indulge in Pear Of Hearts & Spiced Apple Martinis along with classic Mojitos. The absolutely fantastic menu was provided by Bobby Mitchell and Karen Foulkrod of Putting On The Ritz - their entire team was such a pleasure to work with, from conception to completion of this event! Attendees made their way through a bevy of food stations, highlighting such delectable fare as Mandarin duck salad in choux pastry, seared scallops on sauteed spinach, chipotle roasted chicken on skewers and Asian lettuce wraps filled with sauteed and julienned vegetables. A do-it-yourself ice cream sandwich bar rounded out the offerings - and there was a line of grownups, eagerly awaiting their turn to indulge in that sweet treat!

Floral designs were provided by Richardson's Florals - my thanks go out to Sandy Riley, Sheila Smith and Chris Matthews for all of their hard work and patience, the end result was simply stunning. All of our printed materials and signage were created by the talented Karron Davis-Minor of Diamond Minor Designs, and our cool, sleek, uber-hip lounge furniture came courtesy of Dave Fritz and the fine folks at CORT Event Furnishings. The gorgeous linens, tables and Chivari chairs hail from the inventory at Select Event Rentals, and I have to seriously thank Susan Childs for putting up with the many, many changes I made..that woman has the patience of a saint!

Perkins Productions help cast an elegant glow around the room, as each of the "elements" was lit and spotlighted in a different shade and hue. Our guest speaker of the evening, Knot Vice-President, Denise Favorule, got some great A/V help from the awesome technicians of Absolute Entertainment and DJ Jerry Stamper of JLS Productions kept the party hopping until the very end!

ZBest Limousine was kind enough to showcase their latest acquistion to the fleet - a 18 passenger, stretch hybrid limo! This clean, pure white Tahoe is the first of it's kind in the United States, and I have to thank them for bringing it out to show it off - it's a great example of how hybrid technology is being used in the special events industry.

As guests departed the event, they were given cute, natural cotton tote bags, emblazoned with the Knot logo and filled with goodies including wonderfully soft, freeze dried rose petals from Flyboy Naturals, drink mixers from Stirrings and adorable sugar cookies from Sweet Talk Boutique (yum!)

Check out this slideshow from our official event photographer Roman Grinev - he captured every single detail of this event with amazing clarity! Roman - my hat is off to you for making this look wonderful!!!!

Again, many thanks to all of the fine vendors who provided their services for this event - I appreciate each and every one of you! And thanks to all of my peers and fellow industry professionals who took time out of their busy schedules to attend - it was good to see all of you!!!