Risse

What's a party without music??? I had the opportunity to work with an amazing band a couple of weeks ago. Jaisun and the members of Risse rocked the house at a Lioncrest reception. I loved the audience participation, wide range of music genres and high quality musicians. Thanks to East Coast Entertainment for hooking us up with these guys!

Wedding at the Conservatory on Biltmore Estate

Here are the amazing photos from Marcy and Brian's wedding. Angela Stott is a truly gifted photographer. I had trouble picking my favorites--so here are several. Enjoy!

Brian and Marcy are so happy to be together--can you tell? They are a delight to everyone around them!

Beautiful arrangment by the Bloom Room. The pin belongs to the Bride and echoes the peacock and art nouveau theme.

Another fabulous arrangment by the Bloom Room.

The tulips are always beautiful at Biltmore. They make a great background for a gorgeous Bride.

I love this--to me it symbolizes Marcy and Brian's family circle.

A debonair young man in front of a classy car.

Isn't he handsome?

Marcy and Brian look like they just stepped out of the 1930's in the photograph. They couldn't be more "picture-perfect"!

Beautiful Gift Bags

Last weekend Marcy and Brian were married at the Conservatory on the Biltmore Estate. They planned a wonderful weekend for their guests starting with fabulous gift bags in each room at the Cedar Crest Inn and finishing with an elegant dinner reception in the Conservatory on the Biltmore Estate. The couple tied everything together with an exquisite art deco/art nouveau theme. The groom himself designed the save the date cards and invitations.

I will post more wedding pictures later, but for now, here are some pictures of the gift bags. The bags are stuffed full of fun Asheville Chamber items, snacks, the Festival of Flowers Rose wine from Biltmore and chocolate from Van's Chocolates in Hendersonville. One guest told me the truffles were so delicious that she hid her box away in a drawer. The bags (and boxes for the children) were assembled and made beautiful by Carolina Party and Paper. Heather is so talented--I can't wait for our next project together.

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that Occasions by Emily has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Awards™!

In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year’s recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire’s vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US. That means Occasions by Emily is one of the very best wedding and event planning companies.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews.

“We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”

Occasions by Emily would like to thank past clients for speaking on my behalf and helping me win the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award!

Emily and Victor

I so enjoyed working with Emily and Victor. Not only do the bride and I share a name and a passion for event planning--we love ice cream cake. What else is there?! Emily and her mom designed a beautiful winter ceremony and reception at On Broadway on a perfectly wintry afternoon. Celine and Company's food was fabulous as always and Emily's hand-made decor of candles, flowers and silver was gorgeous. The couple was fortunate to have California-based Taylor Abeel as their wedding photographer. Here are just a few of the beautiful moments he captured at Grove Park Inn and On Broadway.

The Beautiful Bride and Her Ladies

Such Handsome Men

Isn't she sweet?

A close friend sang a song for the bride and groom during the ceremony

Victor sang a love song to his new bride at the reception

The end of a day full of perfect moments!

Congratulations!

So, you're engaged...now what? Choosing a wedding planner is an excellent next step. A professional planner can guide you in all areas: budget, decor, design, etiquette, day of coordination and more. Not sure how to go about choosing a planner? Check out my article online with Sophie Magazine for tips on choosing the best planner for you. Of course I would love to be your planner...so let's talk about how I can best help you.

828.808.8888 emily@occasionsbyemily.com

Merry Christmas from My Family to Yours

May God's peace and love be yours this holiday season.

Thanks to a Portrait of You for the family picture.