Claire Bean, one of the foremost floral and event designers in the unique and exclusive Hamptons, began her career in the early nineties as a floral designer.

Since then she has provided clients with her design expertise for celebrations including weddings, special events, non-profits and smaller intimate gatherings. Whether she provides the entire design, or the floral decor, her distinctive designs always include abundance, spectacular innovation and memorable presentations. Her work has been heralded by Bride's Magazine, The Knot, Elegant Bride, Hamptons Cottages & Gardens, Good Morning America and event planners from New York City to Palm Beach.

While she is best know for her lush weddings, she crosses the barrier of wedding designer to other events as well. She is passionate about inspiring her client's to help create unique celebrations that reflect their dreams and aspirations believing that great design is in the details...

Jill Gordon, a Manhattan native, began her career planning corporate and personal events in New York. Jill's unflappable skill with event management can be attributed to her years in the trenches catering events for such high-profile clients as Ralph Lauren, Gianni Versace, Jerry Della Femina, Vogue and others.

Jill launched Jill Gordon Celebrate, her Hamptons-based wedding planning and consultation firm, in 1995. Gordon has been helping couples get married - on time, on budget, and in spectacular style - for fifteen years.

Jill's trademark is creating phenomenal weddings that uniquely reflect her clients - their style, their relationship, their sensibilities and their sense of spirit. Her own sophisticated eye for design, much influenced by her world travels, also guides every aspect of the wedding.

With a strong family history of creativity, Sebastian of Sebastian Li Events believes that sometimes the most original and inspiring events must contain that special element of the unexpected.

You might say creativity is coded in Sebastian Li’s genetic profile.

The owner of Sebastian Li Events, Li comes from a long line of creative types—his extended family and ancestors include celebrated painters, modern dancers, avant-garde filmmakers, and gardeners. Li himself attended art school in Boston before moving back home to Sea Cliff, on the north shore of Long Island.

After working as part of a catering-service staff, Li found himself thinking of ways to improve the festivities. It wasn’t long before he was working with a well-known event designer, becoming a key player in the Hamptons event-business scene. In 1999, he made the decision to launch his very own business, Sebastian Li Events.

Li encourages couples to follow his principles of design: Don’t overplan it; let yourself be surprised.

*SEBASTIAN'S MOTTO: Keep things simple. Overplanning can cause a wedding to lose some of its fun spontaneity.

We are looking forward to a great summer season with The Inn At Quogue!  A few exciting changes have been made this year which will provide a more comfortable, exclusive stay. Accommodations are no longer available on the North side of the property which allows guests to experience the more luxurious rooms of the Main House and Large Cottage.  By eliminating the motel units, the staff is able to ensure that the guests are provided with the best customer service and an enhanced experience of the Hamptons. 
 
The Inn continues to offer beach passes to the private village beach and also has beach cruisers available for daily rental.  In addition to the amenities which have always been afforded to guests, the Inn now also provide complementary wireless internet and phone service.  Another great change for this season is The Restaurant At The Inn will now be serving Sunday brunch.
 
Contact The Inn at Quogue with any questions you may have or to make a reservation for the 2010 Summer Season.  Also, visit them on the web at www.innatquogue.com!

For Karen Lenahan, of Karen Lenham Designs, the key to making sure a wedding comes together exactly the way the bride and groom want it to is by having plenty of one-on-one time with each couple.

Her expert advice:

*Be realistic about your budget. If you already know that you’re going to splurge on a photographer, be up-front about how much money you have to spend with other vendors.

*Don’t spend too much time choosing a vendor. Make phone calls to chat with a few vendors and share your budget, but you shouldn’t need to meet with more than two people to make a decision.

*Consider hiring a wedding planner for the wedding week. Even if you want to do the planning and coordinating for the wedding yourself, explore the possibility of bringing on a professional to help organize things for just the week of the wedding. That last week is full of last-minute details that can add up to major stress.

*Look at pictures together. The more images you share with your planner, the clearer vision she’ll have of what you want your event to look and feel like. Words can mean different things to different people, so the more you can communicate your needs in images, the better.

A wedding is a day to remember—not just for the bride and groom but for the guests as well. Hamptons' wedding planner Jill Gordon always keeps this in mind when planning an event. Her goal is to create a wedding that guests will talk about for years to come.

Jill’s tips on how to cater to your guests:

*Keep them moving. What guests remember about a wedding is the fun they had—and that means dancing! So get them up and moving early in the evening and in between courses, too. The more courses they sit for, the less time there is on the dance floor.

 *Get the right perspective. Always think about the day from your guests’ point of view—their comfort, their enjoyment. Treat guests royally.

 *Be welcoming. Is there a special candy, local winery, or a favorite bakery nearby? Welcome out-of-town guests with a gift bag of local treats. For one Hamptons wedding, Gordon stuffed welcome bags with Mary’s Marvelous Cookies, North Fork Potato Chips, Hamptons Popcorn, and a half-bottle of Wolffer Estate chardonnay.

 *Think like a marketer. Create a wedding “tagline,” and “brand” special cocktails with a personal signature that speaks to the wedding location, as well.

Jennifer Zabinski of the Wedding Library created a picture-perfect beach wedding in a tropical storm by having a fabulous contingency plan already in place.

No bride wants to deal with a tropical storm on her wedding weekend, especially when her wedding is scheduled to take place on the beach. But that’s just what happened to Jodi Sandler when her August wedding to Jake Dell’Aquila ended up sharing its date with a tropical storm warning.

Zabinski, who runs the Wedding Library with partner Claudia Hanlin, tracked the weather on the hour, every hour leading up to the wedding and set up a rain plan so seamless that guests had no idea there was a backup plan in operation.

*JENNIFER’S MOTTO: “Hire great vendors and ask for references. If another couple raves about their experience with a particular vendor or your wedding planner gives them a glowing recommendation, chances are you’ll have a good experience, too."

JENNIFER’S TIPS

1) Personalize your ceremony with contemporary music. Classical pieces are great, but don’t be afraid to choose something more modern, like Bruce Springsteen’s “Secret Garden,” “Today” by the Smashing Pumpkins, or “This Year’s Love” by David Gray.

2) Bring in your favorite food and drinks. Jodi and Jake served beer bottled in Syracuse, where they went to college, and ordered cupcakes from their favorite bakery instead of having a traditional wedding cake.

On February 21st the hottest thing to hit The Hamptons bridal scene will be WellWed Magazine's The Hamptons Wedding Affair. This must see event promises to include the very best florists, photographers, caterers and more! Now tickets to this fantastic event can be yours for FREE! The first three brides-to-be who email Alison Graddock at alison@wellwed.com will win: Two tickets to Hamptons Wedding Affair at the incomparable Oheka Castle in Huntington, NY. Act now to win!

Follow The Wedding Library to the New York Palace for A Wedding Party this Saturday, February 20th, 2010 from 10 am - 4pm.

The event will feature guest speakers Jennifer Zabinski & Claudia Hanlin of The Wedding Library, Darcy Miller - Editorial Director of Martha Stewart Weddings & Celebrity Event Designer, Colin Cowie.

Join the afternoon party to attend the vendor showcases, the Colin Cowie book signing, a VIP luncheon, the bridal & bridesmaid fashion show and the announcement of the select raffle winners!

For more information please contact The Wedding Library via email or call 212.327.0100

Photo: Liz Banfield

WellWed Magazine is pleased to announce our second Unique Proposal Story contest!

Submit your personal story describing in 100 words or less the unique {romantic or even comical} way your fiance popped the question for a chance to win 4 tickets to The Hamptons Wedding Affair, February 20th, 2010 at Hampton Hall in Southampton, New York.

We are giving away four tickets to two different brides for the two best proposal stories!

Please submit your story via email to Michele at michele@wellwed.com by 4pm, February 18th, 2010 - please write Unique Proposal Story Contest in the subject line.

For more information about the The Hamptons Wedding Affair, click HERE.

Photos: April Krueger