Low Budget, High Class

We hope everyone had a great weekend!  Here at Penta, we had the pleasure of planning and executing the wedding of Shawnna Jackson and Khayree Jannah on Saturday, January 22^nd.  It was a frigid morning filled with flower petals, tulle, and a happy couple.  With this particular event, we did not have an enormous, celebrity wedding budget but with our creativity, talents and hard work, we executed a beautiful ceremony and reception fit for any popular icon.

The alter was draped with white tulle, filled with scattered purple flower petals and a bundle of wisteria colored roses at each draped point.  This added color and class to the traditionally decorated church.  On each pew, we added a white cone made of cardstock, tied with a wisteria colored ribbon and filled each cone with purple roses.  This simple but elegant décor complimented the bride’s overall classic fairy tale look at an affordable price.  This particular church had an upper balcony that over looked the entire church.  On the balcony, we again used the white tool with the petals to bring the look of the church together.  We worked with the florist to create a simple and elegant bouquet for the ladies and boutonnières for the men.  As a gift to the bride, the florist provided a complimentary throw bouquet in addition to her beautiful bouquet adorned with white and purple roses and tied with silver ribbon.  Many thanks to Sunnyside Florist for being so helpful with this event and providing beautiful décor at an affordable price.  (Ask for Bill at 40-05 Queens Blvd. Sunnyside, NY 11104.  718-784-8226)

The reception was located on the lower level of the church, which was very convenient, not only for us but also for the loved ones attending the wedding. For centerpieces, we placed a simple 3” wide white candle inside a hurricane glass vase, filled the space around the candle with more purple rose petals and placed a mirror underneath.  Around the centerpieces were more petals.  Once the candles were lit, the reflection of the candle light with the petals added that extra touch of glamour to the room.  The room was the perfect size for her 175 guests and the church staff was extremely helpful by providing complimentary lighting décor and classic table settings.  The Penta team really outdid themselves and pulled off a simple yet elegant wedding. Again, we congratulate our bride and groom and wish them a life of happiness.

This wedding is a great example of how an event planner can provide cost effective ideas without sacrificing the style and elegance requested.  Floral design can be quite expensive.  Flower petals are a great cost effective solution to add life and color to your design.  Creating your own centerpieces is also a great way to stay under budget.  Search for photos of designs that you enjoy and fit within your theme.  Then, visit an affordable craft site (Penta’s favorite is saveoncrafts.com) and purchase each item individually.

Never let a budget stop you from having exactly what you want on your special day.  Feel free to contact Penta for additional cost saving ideas for your wedding or upcoming event.

-Alyssa & Marie

In August of 2010, Penta executed a corporate summer picnic and family fun day for a financial firm in Manhattan (client confidential).  The event was held at Randall’s Island where guests enjoyed a myriad of activities including miniature golf, batting cages, dodge ball, tug of war competitions, water balloon toss, softball, bouncy castle, rock wall and much more.  The event took on a circus/carnival theme where the VIP tent was transformed into the circus’ main attraction, the Big Top, with draped red fabric throughout.  With the theme in mind, Penta brought in a fantastic group of themed performers from Smash Entertainment that included a tarot card reader, face painter and two classic clowns who performed juggling tricks, hula hooping skills, accordion tunes, plate spinning, stilt walking and balloon animal making.    Ome Caterers delighted the guests with specialty drinks, an outstanding array of food, and fresh cooked items right off the grill.  Brian Stephen Photography was there to capture all the guests’ smiles while taking part in each activity, tasting the delicious food and dancing to music provided by NYU Entertainment.  After months of planning, days of setting up, and hours of on site management on the day of the event, the corporate picnic and family fun day was a huge success.

The Changing The Face Of Diabetes Gala was an elegant Masquerade Ball that offered guests an evening of cocktails, dinner, awards and dancing in a unique, multi-sensory setting.  Fire performers and costumed dancers provided entertainment for the evening and the DJ played popular  music that had everyone on the dance floor. The night was emceed by WNBC’s David Ushery and LXTV’s Sara Gore.  From creating invitations to establishing partnerships to barters with vendors, Penta was in charge of the execution of this  event.  Penta played an important part in the gala’s design, theme development, and venue layout.  Not only did Penta oversee the plans for the event but Penta’s President and Owner Michele Verdino Ostler, serves as a member of the leadership board.

Accretive LLC contracted Penta to plan a holiday dinner at Fiamma in Soho.  Fiamma features authentic Italian cuisine in an intimate private event space.

Penta Dynamic Solutions played an integral part in planning the Swing Into The Good Life Gala, the American Diabetes Association’s annual event.  This elegant occasion was a formal five course dinner held at the Waldorf Astoria, accompanied by local swing band music and performances by professional swing dancers.  From invitations to establishing partnerships and barters with vendors, Penta was in charge of the execution of the event from start to finish.  Penta played an important part in the gala’s design, theme development, venue layout, and raising funds through ticket sales and journal ads.  Not only did Penta oversee the plans for the event but Penta’s President and Owner Michele Verdino Ostler, serves as a member of the Community Leadership Board of Greater New York.