by Kristin Healy | Sep 26, 2022 | blog
Events have many moving parts, and getting your attendees to smoothly locate and move throughout your venue is vital. Swank Events can help your company create impactful signage that can offer more than just directional value!
This summer we were apart of IntelyCare’s Summer Outing at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Larger venues like this can be tricky to navigate and can lead to your participants getting lost. Signage is the most overlooked and forgotten ingredient in a successful event because of their plain nature. Corporate events especially, have the ability to form employee comradery and lose the formality of the work environment. An easy way to do this is with décor, and it is easy to include your signage in that vision.
Allegro Photography
Create a Welcome Sign to help the attendees know they have found the correct location and are not wandering around the property. The Welcome Sign is the first touch point that guests will interact with, and it is important to make a good impression. Include eye-catching colors and branded material to ensure that your guests can easily find it. At this event we added company colored balloons next to each sign, keeping the overall theme in contact.
Allegro Photography
Swank Events created the concept of using different sports quotes on each sign leading the guests to the main event. Using these signs as touch points rather than arrows was our way of promoting the company’s core values and also carrying through the theme of “We are the Champions.” Signage can look and represent anything you want!
Event Planning Tip: After determining the placement of your signs, be sure to walk through the venue as if you were a guest. You’ll want to ensure that the location of your signage provides the most benefit for your attendees and serves it’s purpose, whether that be wayfinding or decorative.
by Kristin Healy | Feb 12, 2015 | blog
Daddy’s Bonetown Burgers Food Truck: Rich Cambriello
While a food truck might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a wedding or event vendor, we’ve seen them surge in popularity over the last few years. Whether they’re the main caterer or just providing a fun late-night snack, food trucks are a great alternative to traditional event catering. Recently we had the good fortune to work with Daddy’s Bonetown Burgers food truck for a surprise 50th birthday party we coordinated over Memorial Day, and we had a BLAST working with owner Rich Cambriello and his crew. We caught up with Rich and asked him to open up and tell us a little more about himself.
Where did you grow up?
Revere, MA (suburbs of Boston)
How long have you been in business and how did you get started?
21 years. My buddy asked if I wanted a job at the Hard Rock Café, sure, what could come of this, right?
What’s your favorite part of your job?
The action of cooking to order, the Rock n Roll/Metal I CRANK from our stereo & giving people food-gasms!
How would you describe your style?
Fine grub!
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Taco Bell & bad 80s Metal!
What’s your favorite quote?
Let’s Get The &^%* Outta Dodge!
What makes you unique in your field?
Nobody else is even thinking of doing things to burgers that I do on a daily basis!
What is the best piece of advice you can give to a couple?
RUN!!!!!!!!!!!! (kidding)
Learn more about Daddy’s Bonetown Burgers and their amazing burger menu on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bonedaddysburgers
Cheers,
The Swank Team
by Kristin Healy | Jan 15, 2015 | blog
Beautiful Faces: Janis Cohen
We learned about Janis Cohen and her team several years ago, and we’ve been consistently impressed by the beautiful work they produce and the high level of professionalism we’ve come to expect. One of our favorite things about Beautiful Faces is that they turn a bride into the very loveliest version of herself; whether you’re going for high glamour or just simple and natural, Beautiful Faces ensures you still look like yourself on your wedding day. We caught up with founder Janis Cohen recently and asked her to tell us a little more about herself and her approach to beauty.
Where did you grow up?
Watertown, MA
How long have you been in business and how did you get started?
I have been in business since 2004. I started as a young girl taking dance lessons, tap, ballet, and modern jazz. At 11 years old I wanted to stand out on stage and the only way to compliment my sparkle costume was sparkle makeup. I was the only one wearing makeup on stage, and I loved it!!! I just applied it as I thought it should go on and as silly as it looked, I didn’t care – I just wanted more of it!
As an adult I traveled to Florida with my family for a good portion of the year and found a Beauty School that had a great variety of courses. I was intrigued with Airbrushing, and pursued a Master’s Degree Program. I tested my craft with Airbrushing on many friends and family that were getting married and also proms. Airbrushing to me created beautiful looking faces, and in 2004, I decided to take my passion to another level and create my company, BEAUTIFUL FACES.
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part about my job is that the experience is mutually beneficial. My goal is to make a bride look and feel her best. It’s all about going above and beyond for each and every one of my brides. This allows me to finish each wedding party with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
How would you describe your style?
My style has always been versatile and creative with a professional edge. I believe that rules are meant to be broken when it comes to makeup – everyone’s face is different and applications must match an individual’s skin tone, structure and personality. You cannot get that from a magazine article or tutorials.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Always eating/trying the variety of bread first when out to dinner. Thank goodness it does not stick to my body. When is bread good for you anyway?
What is your favorite quote?
“Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty.” -Coco Chanel
What makes you unique in your field?
This is a bride’s special day; everything will be perfect, with my dedication, passion and commitment and many years’ experience as a unique professional Makeup Artist. I can achieve high levels of artistry, all in the comfort of a home or chosen venue, creating a natural, flawless look, yet with a hint of glamour.
The application techniques and quality of cosmetics used, ensures that you will not only look fantastic, your makeup will also last the whole day and into the evening.
What is the best piece of advice you can give to a couple?
Plan a year in advance to secure the best people you can. People who have been in the business for 8+ years, as it does make a difference. Do not hire based on cost alone.
By getting everything in place early enough, you and your husband-to-be can relax and spend time with each other rather than making the wedding a career or road race for both of you.
To see more examples of Janis and her team’s amazing work, check out www.beautifulfacesbyjanis.com!
Cheers,
The Swank Team
by Kristin Healy | Dec 11, 2014 | blog
Brighter Lights Media: Christian and Chris
We had the pleasure of first working with Christian and Chris on Dennis and Viji’s amazing wedding at the Crane Estate in Ipswich.
[vimeo height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://vimeo.com/66161297[/vimeo]
Our first impression of these guys was wow, they’re so patient for answering all of the crazy questions we threw at them! Our second was wow, these guys are seriously talented and also pretty fun! The fact that they managed to shoot footage of the entire day and still avoid getting in the way of the photographer’s shots is a skill in and of itself.
To give you an idea of just how fun these guys are, we asked them to tell us a little more about themselves!
Where did you grow up?
Albany, NY
How long have you been in business and how did you get started?
We’ve been in the wedding industry since 2011, but we’ve been professional videographers for 6 years with work ranging from commercial to corporate clients.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
There’s a ton of things we enjoy about our job so we can’t list just one. One of the best parts is being able to meet a lot of new and interesting people from all over the country. We’ve done weddings in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Pennsylvania, and later this year we’ll be heading down to Florida. We love that living in New England allows us the opportunity to experience a variety of different locations. Our other favorite part of the job is the extreme level of trust granted to us from our clients. They allow us to tell their wedding story in such a way that’s usually not perceived by them after experiencing it firsthand. Having that creative freedom is really what drives us and our work.
How would you describe your style?
We have a very clean, modern style of cinematography.
[vimeo height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://vimeo.com/74754956[/vimeo]
What’s your guilty pleasure?
The Mindy Project, Coffee, Netflix and our dogs Chance and Harvey.
What’s your favorite quote?
“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”
[vimeo height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://vimeo.com/49791000[/vimeo]
What makes you unique in your field?
Part of what makes us unique in our field is how much attention we spend on the “why.” What we mean by that, is we’re always looking for purpose in our shots, how we edit, the juxtaposition of particular scenes, etc. If the significance of a couple’s wedding day is lost in our edit, then we haven’t done our jobs correctly. Our prerogative is to always focus on quality over quantity, and so despite the fact that our films are of a shorter length, the amount of time and attention to detail that goes into the craftsmanship of them is quite great.
What is the best piece of advice you can give to a couple?
This isn’t particularly related to videography, however I think the best piece of advice I can offer is to do what you want to do. Don’t feel pressure from family, friends, magazines, blogs, etc. to derail your wedding plans. Keep it personal, forget the norm and do what feels right to you, and your guests will get behind it.
[vimeo height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://vimeo.com/47557247[/vimeo]
Check out more of Chris & Christian’s work at www.brighterlightsmedia.com!
Cheers,
The Swank Team
by Kristin Healy | Nov 13, 2014 | blog
Oakleaf Cakes: Amanda Oakleaf
We first worked with Amanda Oakleaf and her talented team back in 2010 on Meg & Collin’s rustic wedding. Collin wanted a groom’s cake that incorporated his love for classic video games, and Amanda whipped up a Super Mario Brothers cake below that has become one of our all-time favorites! We’ve followed Amanda’s work since then and we continue to be blown away by her incredible designs (i.e. life-sized stormtrooper cake!) and we think her cake art is some of the best in Boston. We caught up with Amanda and asked her to tell us a little more about herself.
Where did you grow up?
Hartford, SD. Small town outside of Sioux Falls. Graduated high school with only 80 people in my class.
How long have you been in business and how did you get started?
5 1/2 years. I grew up baking with my Mom and both my grandmothers. At home, my mom had a Wilton cake decorating book from which my sisters and I would always choose our birthday cake designs. It was always the most important part of any friend or family member’s birthday, surprising them with a handmade custom cake. The best part, besides the fun and mess of creating the cake, was getting to see their reaction and making their birthday extra special.
I worked at Cold Stone Creamery as a shift manager while I attended college. One afternoon I had some free time and decided to learn how to decorate ice cream cakes ‘professionally.’ I studied Cold Stone’s manual and taught myself how to frost and simply decorate ice cream cakes. Now, if you haven’t worked with ice cream cakes before, you must learn to be quick. You can’t take your sweet time frosting those cakes! You have about 10 minutes before they start to melt underneath, so I learned how to frost a cake quite quickly.
While I was still in college and working at Cold Stone, I picked up another job doing gift baskets, event planning and decorating for a small company; another creative outlet for me. The owner found out that I enjoyed decorating cakes, and decided to add custom kosher cakes to her offerings, and so I spent an entire summer creating and testing new designs and flavors until the time came for me to quit. Leaving this job was a turning point for me. I knew I could surely do a better job on my own. Thus a month after leaving the gift basket job, I had my own website up and was taking orders for custom cakes. Of course, I did not do all this on my own: my husband, Tyler, is the brains and graphic designer behind our cake business. I would never be able to do this without his help. We make a good team – he on the engineering/marketing side, and me on the baking/creative side.
This was only the beginning. I operated out of my one-bedroom apartment in Boston for about 8 months until I graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2009. After graduating, my husband and I moved to Winthrop, where we were able to rent more space for our residential kitchen. We got so busy that we were pulling all-nighters to get all our cakes made. Lack of sleep (combined with a large stack of upcoming orders that I wouldn’t be able to do alone) led us to open our first storefront in Winthrop in April of 2010. In March of 2010 – in the middle of construction of our new store, as if that wasn’t enough to handle – my husband and I flew out to Denver to film the Food Network Challenge: Dora the Explorer Cakes. We were also filmed on TLC’s Fabulous Cakes – Boston Episode in 2011.
We stayed in the Winthrop location until end of Oct 2013 when we made the big move into our current store on Westland Ave. in Boston, right around the corner from Symphony Hall.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
Making something new every week and getting to incorporate my art degree into everything we make. We also have a great staff who are also artists and culinary experts and who are all very creative. Our awesome staff makes for a fun work environment that allows for creativity and for everyone to be excited about coming into work to make your cake!
How would you describe your style?
I’m pretty easy going overall and like to keep things light and happy. Mostly though I’m a maker. If I haven’t made something in a day it’s not a real day. I need to have made dinner, a new dessert, cake, figurine, etc. I have many skills and interests acquired growing up and through art school that I have lots to draw from. For example I’m an oil painter, although I haven’t had a real studio since school), I made lots of pottery/ceramics while in art school, I have knowledge of sewing and have sewed clothing for myself as well as totes and purses for friends. My mom taught me how to sew and she and I have sewn all the aprons that we wear in our store. I also love to play the piano and trombone – I play these when I have a rare spare moment. I learned early on that I love to create things with my hands and then give them away to make people smile. It’s all about the reaction that we get when someone receives their cake that makes it all worth it.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Ice cream! Always. We always had ice cream as a family growing up. I worked at Cold Stone Creamery for about 6 years and never got sick of ice cream. (I do get sick of cake however). My husband and I even had ice cream cake for our wedding cake…in December!
What’s your favorite quote?
I don’t really like to obsess over quotes or words to live by.
What makes you unique in your field?
Our emphasis on cake as edible art makes us unique compared with other bakeries in the area. All our decorators have art degrees. We have 2 painters, an illustrator and a sculptor and with our powers combined…we can really make whatever you want. We’re most famous for making a life-size stormtrooper cake. There is a post on our blog about how we made him and subsequently a life-size Darth Vader cake that was even bigger standing 6 ft 7inches tall. As far as we know we’ve been the only people to pull off a life-size cake decorated in fondant.
What is the best piece of advice you can give to a couple?
I guess from what I’ve experienced I would advise couples not to micromanage all their vendors. If you’ve chosen a well-recommended, reputable vendor, give them some basic info about who you are and what basic theme or style you’re going for and let the professionals do the rest. As cake artists we’re visual people so we really love it when couples bring in their inspiration from all different places, such as invites, dresses, wallpaper, headbands, fabric, plates etc. and then let us design the cake. This approach is way more fun than someone bring in one picture of one cake and saying “I want THAT one.” We can make THAT one but it would be much more appropriate to not copy someone else’s cake and have a custom creation created for your special day. Giving creative vendors such as florists and cake makers lots of rope, creatively speaking, usually yields great results because creative people are creative all day, everyday and chances are they have lots of ideas a brewin’ all the time and are itching at the opportunity to actually apply their ideas at a real event/wedding!
Check out more of Amanda and her team’s incredible, edible art at www.oakleafcakes.com
Cheers,
The Swank Team
