Merry Christmas

Wishing you a very merry Christmas from my family to yours!  I hope your holiday weekend is filled with peace and happy moments shared with family and friends.

Photo courtesy of Cami Photo.

Warm Things

I love warm things such as fleece, fires in the fireplace, angora socks, hot french teas, the Caribbean.  In the pursuit of cozy, I've been known to buy some funky things for myself and others.  But this time, I struck gold.  Lovin' the paddwax soy candle from the Baggie Goose in Biltmore Village with its fresh pine and clementine scent.  It is SO worth a trip, even during this crazy holiday shopping season, to check out all the wonderful scents (wassail is a close runner up for my favorite).  The Baggie Goose also happens to be one of my absolutely favorite stores for custom-designed invitations!

While we were there a couple of Saturdays ago, my girls had a picture with Santa.  Cuteness!

 

 

Santa asked Katelyn what she wanted for Christmas and she came back with her much repeated reply of "A computer and a phone".  When Santa asked Natalie what she would like, Katelyn quickly replied for her sister, "Whatever you bring her".  Then they both proceeded to finish off the hot chocolate.  Just not really sure what all this says about my children...

Stay warm!!

Suganya and Bobby

Doesn't Suganya look so gorgeous and exotic?

 I'm so excited to share Suganya and Bobby's wedding photos!  Their destination wedding at Rumbling Bald Resort will be a treasured memory for everyone there.  Their wedding festivities began with a rehearsal lunch boat ride on Lake Lure and the fun continued through ceremony preparations, dinner, dancing and then on down to the beach for late night relaxing.  The photos are by Wander and Scrawl--really cool photographers from the Raleigh area.













We are talking some SERIOUS NC State fans!

Groom's Cake by Tiffany's Baking Co









One cool thing about Suganya and Bobby?  Everybody loves them!  I very quickly found out why during the planning process.  They're thoughtful, they have a great sense of humor, they do all kinds of fun things and they know all sorts of interesting stuff.  Here are some fun pictures of friends and family in the wedding party.

These guys are the cutest!  And they could dance!

Suganya planned tons of fun details, then chose wonderful vendors to make those details happen!

Cake by Tiffany and Co honored Suganya's Indian heritage.

Veggie sushi!  Just think it's a cool picture...

 These gorgeous flowers are from Steve at Merrimon Florist.  The lantern is from India--Suganya picked up several items for decor when she took Bobby to meet her parents

and visit India for the first time!

 The guests had a blast modeling with this photo frame for pictures.

I just love this photo.  Suganya and Bobby changed into traditional Indian dress for their first dance.  I can't wait to show the video by Chris Bolm of WNC Video Productions.  All of the great music for both ceremony and reception was provided by Sean Lowman of Premier Sound and Light.

A few other notes:

The very sweet ceremony was officiated  by Reverend Sherman Marshall, family of the Groom, with lots of meaningful, witty and sentimental readings by friends, family and even the Bride and Groom!

Rehearsal lunch was provided by Saffron Fine Foods.  Check out their new restaurant location, HomeGrown, at 171 Merrimon Avenue.

Distant Friends

Google stats completely fascinate me.  The computer elves keep really cool information including how many times a page is viewed per day/week/month, where people linked over from and even where their computer lives.  Ah, the wonders of the internet. 

My very sweet child hanging out while I explore the complexities of the world of Google or some equally important endeavor.

What's even more amazing?  There are people in Tunisia (2) and Russia (1) who read my blog--how cool is that?!?!  I am so ready to start planning weddings in these countries.

According to Wikipedia, Tunisia has particularly good relations with France--maybe a Parisian desert oasis theme for my fabulous readers there?  This is a picture of an amazingly non-wilty floral piece we did for an outdoor wedding in Greenville, South Carolina in late July (104 degrees).  After that success, I say bring on the heat!  However, I must admit that I personally did not attend this wedding since I was home in the AC waiting to have a baby, so my staff may have input on the desert heat concept...

 

 

And Russia...hmmmm...maybe we could capitalize on the snowy images in my head and make centerpieces out of ice sculptures with candles and sparkle everywhere.  This photo of the very gorgeous Mandy and Michael at the Crest Pavilion by Katy Cook shows tons of glamor and sparkle.  While it wasn't Siberia, it was below 70 degrees and we totally rocked it.

 

There are so many wonderful people in this world--I'm glad every time I get to meet one of you.  Thanks to all for following this blog.  Please take a minute to introduce yourself.  Planning events is all about relationships and sharing special moments with other people.  Celebrating life's occasions with you is what makes my job one of the best in the world!

Jessica and Alan

Jessica and Alan enjoyed perfect mountain top weather at Castle Ladyhawke for their October 9th wedding.  Guests drove in from Charlotte and beyond to celebrate with them and their families.  Classic Event Rental built a tent structure for their plated dinner and dancing that was larger than the footprint of my house (seriously, amazing work by Scott and team).  Janet Frye of the Enchanted Florist proved just how enchanting her staff can be by creating one of the most beautiful and comprehensive floral designs that I saw all year.  There were flowers everywhere!  My staff and I oversaw all of the logistics and went home with happy, tired feet.  Enjoy the great photography from Nick Breedlove who tirelessly shot stunning images for about ten hours!

 

 

 

Other Credits (in order of appearance):

Makeup and Hair by the wonderful ladies of Adorabella Salon in Waynesville.

Bagpiper Ken Swinton provided Scottish sounds at the parking area to greet guests.  How cool is that for a destination wedding at a Scottish castle?

Transportation by the always professional and reliable, Elite Limousine.

Ceremony and Reception Music by Nathan of Mr. C's Mobile DJ -- We love working with Nathan because he is an expert at reading the crowd to keep the party going!

Video by Stellar Media, based out of Asheville (hope to share their teaser with you soon).

Ceremony by Pastor Bill Knight of Image Church, Jessica and Alan's place of worship. 

Catering and wedding cake by Harvey and David's -- what a great staff of servers.  The guests enjoyed fast service and delicious food!

 Photo booth by RentPhotoBooth.com.  Everyone loves this activity!

The Big Goodbye

  
My friend and fabulous wedding & event planner, 
Lisa G. McMillan, owner of Exquisite Events & Consulting 
and I have collaborated on many events and love to share our expertise with brides regarding tips, trends and ideas to help them create the weddings they envisioned.  Today we joined brains for ideas on the topic, “Reception Send-Offs”.  Please take a minute to read our take on alternatives to make your grand exit memorable.

Every party has to end and a wedding's final goodbye offers the most dramatic of parting notes.  Couples regularly leave to a shower of bubbles, rose petals, bird seed, lavender, or even more exciting, sparklers.  This tradition of a grand exit is a fun climax to your wedding reception, but should be as uniquely yours as any other aspect you plan.

photography by Shutter Shack

First of all, you must somehow depart the reception at some point.  While it's certainly ok for you to slip out the back without anyone noticing, it will be very disappointing for your guests, some of whom have likely spent a great deal of time and money on your wedding and would like to have the pleasure of hugging you goodbye.  Other guests (like your mom) want to kiss you one final time on the cheek and finalize the farewell in her heart to her baby who is now a married adult.  You also might want to take the time to call out one final goodbye and thank you to all who have supported you thus far on your journey of life as an individual and now as a couple.  If people are at your wedding, they're likely very important to you and should be shown the respect and love that you feel for them.

Photography by Shutter Shack

How to make this exit comfortable for you?  Remember that there are no absolute rules of society about how one must leave.  There may be a few practical rules and considerations (my colleague Lisa McMillan of Exquisite Events and Consulting covers these today on her blog), but there is nothing that you absolutely must do to make the goodbye official.  If you're just going upstairs to your room from the ballroom, no need to make people stand outside blowing bubbles while you exit one door of the venue to run in the next.  You may exit from your ballroom, waving after your last dance a la Sound of Music.  If you are not in the mood to be pelted with small objects, consider having your guests wave white handkerchiefs as you walk toward your car.  If fireworks make you nervous, what about the more fun, and way more child-friendly glow sticks?  OK, so it's a crazy idea, but still, the exit is about you and your personality just as much as any other part of the wedding.

In closing, have fun with your exit.  Think outside the box.  Ask your planner (or me :) for unique ideas that would be fitting with your overall vision and design concept.  Ask your photographer what will be best captured on film.  Consider how best to stage the exit so guests are safe and everyone can catch a glimpse of you.

For more great ideas and tips for your final exit, please visit my friend, Lisa McMillan's blog!

photography by Shutter Shack

Sara and Matt's Engagement Session

A fun option offered in many photographers' packages is the engagement photo session.  This is such a practical idea because it offers the bride and groom an opportunity to "practice" with the camera in locations that are comfortable or natural to them.  As the bride and groom become more at ease in front of the camera, the photographer gets to know their personalities, what gets a giggle, which side is better (oh come on, everyone has a "better" side) and overall what is going to be best for relaxed photos of the bride and groom on wedding day. 

The preparation provided by an engagement session is important because the only real things a bride and groom will keep from their wedding are each other and the photographs.  It just makes sense that photography has priority within the budget, as well as practice time to be sure bride and groom are ready to smile and pose as naturally as possible on their big day.  After all, everyone's favorite photos are images that capture genuine happiness, love and other fleeting, but oh, so precious moments. 

The following photos of Matt and Sara, a gorgeous couple that may actually have been born for the camera, are by Regina Holder.  I love the almost-European feel that comes from Sara's elegance and the backdrop of downtown Asheville.  You can see how much fun they're having from their smiles.  Great work, Regina!