Meet Beka Nave.....co-owner of Innove Events...a fabulous event design and stationery company....Beka is a very busy lady these days...in between planning her client's weddings...she is in the process of planning her own...that's right...the beautiful and charming Beka is getting "hitched"! Beka is marrying her long-time sweetheart...Jesse Rendell...Jesse is the son of Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. They are getting married on Beka's birthday (next month) at the Governor's Residence and I can only imagine how beautiful it will be. I asked Beka to stop by today to give us the "411" on the "planner" planning her wedding....let's see what Beka has to say....Enjoy!
Jesse & Beka....at their engagement photo session...such a cute couple! Their engagement images were taken by Marie Labbancz...as always...great job Marie!
TBC: What's the biggest difference in planning your wedding versus planning your clients?
Beka: The biggest difference in planning my own wedding versus planning a wedding for a client is how much more emotionally involved I am. As anyone knows when making a big decision, it is always good to have someone who is objective and can step back from the situation and tell you their thoughts, usually that is me. In this case, I happen to wear both the bride hat and the planner hat and sometimes I have a hard time stepping back.
TBC: Being a planner, you have worked with so many wonderful vendors.....how hard was it to decide on the wonderful vendors for your wedding?
Beka: This is a great question!! I work with so many amazing people and it was tough choosing vendors. However, the people that I have chosen to work with really fit both my personality and my style and we all compliment each other.
TBC: If you could only give one piece of advice to a bride planning her wedding....what would it be?
Beka: Try to relax and enjoy it, this is the beginning of the most amazing time of your life. Everyone can get so caught up in the craziness but what you have to remember is the real meaning of the wedding, it is about loving a person so much that you want to spend the rest of your life with them. So don't sweat the small stuff.
TBC: Without giving us too many details...what is the vision for your wedding?
Beka: I must say that the look for the wedding has evolved from what I first envisioned. The first time I sat down with my florist I thought she was going to die. I brought one of my favorite books from my house, "Flea Market Style" which shows a mis match of all sorts of furniture, containers, and fabrics giving it a very eclectic feel. However, after going back through my favorite magazines and finding inspiration from different time periods, my vision for the wedding has been refined. I would say that the overall look and feel of the wedding is delicate and very feminine with an early European flair. I was totally inspired by Sophia Copola's Marie Antoinette, the patterns and textures of the fabrics are so amazing!
TBC: What are your favorite color palettes for weddings?
Beka: I will always love the classic black and white with a "pop" of color. It is just so fresh and never goes out of style. I also love orange and chocolate! I went to FIT in New York and I have a major passion for fashion so I tend to get inspired by color stories that are on the runway or from my favorite designers. A few more would have to be red and aqua, aborigine and mustard and all different versions of monochromatic, this always works!
TBC: What 3 adjectives describe your style?
Beka: I would say that it is sophisticated with a mixture of modern and vintage accents.
TBC: Who will be your planner for your big day...or does a planner hire a planner?
Beka: I am so lucky to have such a wonderful partner, Melody, who will be keeping me on track the morning of the wedding. For every wedding we create a detailed time-line and coordinate with all of the vendors in advance so everyone is on the same page, so I should pretty much be taken care of......however, I do have wonderful assistants who will keep things running smoothly! They are all the best!
TBC: Tell us a little about your personal life...we want to get to know you a little!
Beka: After close to 8 years, yes you read correctly, 8 years, Jesse and I are getting married! We met in my hometown of Cocoa Beach, FL while he was playing a show with his band, who happened to be on a summer tour in my area. He was only in town for a week but while he was there we spent a lot of time together and after he left we spent many hours on the phone racking up hefty long distance bills!! After about a year, I moved to New York to go to school, he was at Penn so instead of spending so many hours on the phone, I was able to take the train to Philly on the weekends. This went on for quite sometime until he persuaded me to make the move and come to Philly. This is the shortest version of how we met, you can check out his version on our wedding website......he is quite the character!
We now live in his hometown of Philadelphia, two blocks from where he grew up, where i have an event planning and stationery design firm with my business partner, Melody Appel. Before I started working in the industry, I was working in the fashion world in New York and California as a marketing manager and found myself loving the event planning part of my job. So when Jesse, who was still my boyfriend at the time, asked me to move to Philadelphia from New York, I did so with my plan being to find a job as an event planner. As luck has it, I met up with Melody and about a month later, I was working with her and everything else is history! I am in the process of setting up a new office in a funky little community called Sherman Mills.
Now let's check out one of Beka's beautiful events.....the wedding story of Christina & Marvin!
Our beautiful couple..Christina & Marvin...Laura Novak is the fabulous photographer....and she captured their story so beautifully.
I love this image of Christina...so elegant!
All the gorgeous florals designed by Donna O'Brien of Beautiful Blooms...Donna's work is always stunning!
Thanks SO much Beka for stopping by today......Christina & Marvin's wedding was simply beautiful and we look forward to seeing the wedding story of Beka & Jesse!
Beautiful event! I love the wine cork details! Great idea!
Posted by: Critsey Rowe | August 07, 2008 at 07:28 AM
What a great interview Janie. I can't wait to see pictures of Beka & Jesse's wedding. They make such a beautiful couple!
Posted by: Rocio Gibbs | August 07, 2008 at 07:37 AM
Ya, those cork bundled together is a cute idea! I love the colors that she described, i'm sure its going to be a beautiful wedding. I'm looking forward to that feature!
Posted by: Wish! | August 07, 2008 at 10:50 AM
I love Beka's work. Fresh with an old school feel. I can't wait to see her wedding. She did the right thing by putting her wedding on her birthday...her hubby better not forget that special day!!!!
Posted by: Nelle | August 07, 2008 at 12:04 PM
Beka is amazing in her detail and professionalism. I have attended several events that she has done and each one has been both picture perfect and comfortable. Her Wedding will be wonderful...can't wait...I am invited so I can see it in person.
Posted by: mary | August 08, 2008 at 03:40 AM
I am a professional calligrapher in Phila, who worked with Beka on her wedding. My company is MJW Calligraphy, Inc. My clients consist of high-end wedding and event planners, stationery houses and individuals. Check out my site at mjwcalligraphy.com. I'd welcome the chance to work with you and your clients.
Posted by: Michael J. Weinstein | October 17, 2008 at 07:38 AM