Congratulations John Bellamy and Tim Bradshaw

John Bellamy and Tim Bradshaw had a blessing ceremony at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Friday, September 20, followed by a reception at Allandale.  As promised, there was a lot of rain during the day, but by the time everyone arrived at Allandale, everything was dry.

What a wonderful reception for John and Tim!  It was a very sophisticated event, with hors d' oeuvres being passed by the wait staff and bars on the porch.  The grand entrance included the couple's two young children.

The band, Spirit of Soul Dance Band, was unbelievable.  you had to get up and dance.  I hadn't had the opportunity to hear them before, and they were truly fabulous.

The crowd was having such a good time.  It was a wonderful tribute to the couple.

I wish them so much happiness, now and always.

Congratulations Kathleen Schweitzer and David Arwood

The place cards were hand written with a

sprig of lavender attached.

I thought I wasn't going to have a wedding booked for the first weekend in September.  That has always been such a popular weekend.  Very close to the wedding date, I was hired for day of assistance, and the prior day.  I was happy to be involved in any capacity.

Kathleen and David were married at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Johnson City, and the reception was at Rocky mount.  There was 0% chance of rain, which is always a really good thing with an outdoor venue.

The bride had a definite idea of what kind of reception she wanted to have.  She wanted wildflowers everywhere, and candles in mason jars in the trees.  She wanted everyone to have a good time.  She had pies instead of cake.  Everyone had good things to say about every aspect of the wedding and reception.

The toasts were especially interesting.  You could feel the love from everyone toward the couple.  I wish them all the love and happiness in their lives.

Congratulations to Christina and Mackie!

What a great couple.  I enjoyed working with this couple so much.  Christina Matheson and Mackie Chapman were married August 3 at First Baptist Church in Bristol.  The wedding was beautiful, and the reception was amazing.  Everyone had such a great time, in part due to the awesome skills of Robbie Britton, DJ.  It was so great working with Krisna and Jim Goodwin, photographers and Shawna at the Foudation Event Facility in Bristol, and 620, also.

Christina and I have been working together for a little more than a year.  When you plan that far ahead, you really avoid any last minute stress.  Everything went as planned, and it was just a wonderful experience.

You may view some of the photos at http://moblalbum.com/E7E7/gallery/107152

Bachelorette Party!

Do you want to do something really fun and relaxing for your bachelorette party?  There is a deal on Myrtle Beach trips, some with free massages each day.  Some include meals.  Check it out:
http://www.visitmyrtlebeach.com/hotels/deals/girlfriend-getaways/?cid=tl_dunhill_0313

Oh, summer...

Hire a Professional

I love Real Simple Weddings.  The photography is stunning.  The articles are interesting.  Yet, one of the best things is the pull-out section that you can carry in your purse with lots of information about planning, registry, budget, vendors, and day of survival.

I do have a problem with that section in the current issue.  There is a section "Vendor Contact List".  On the very next page, there are sections for:

Backup band or deejay
Backup florist
Backup caterer
Backup taxi/limousine service

Imagine, if you will, that a week before the wedding, you have made contact with all your vendors and everything is well.  On the day before the wedding, your florist is sick and can't do your flowers.  Do you just go to the section for backup florist, and get a replacement?  That is the most ludicrous thing I can imagine.

I am a professional.  If I commit to handle anything for your wedding, I will follow through.  It has never happened that I couldn't, but if something drastic did happen, I have a whole network of other professionals I could call on to make sure that your wedding is wonderful.  It is the responsibility of the professional to get a replacement, if it becomes necessary.

You should hire a professional.  We know what we are doing, and we make a promise to you that you will have things taken care of on the day of the wedding.

Happy Planning!

MVP

I saw Drew Barrymore on Oprah’s Life Class.  She was talking about her wedding and the person in her life who helped out with all the little details, like seeing that the girls’ dresses looked good, etc.  She called her the MVP, most valuable player.

That is what you need to think about as you plan your wedding.  After all the planning and selection of every detail, you need someone experienced to help you get through the day.  I love being the MVP and helping with everything imaginable.

The last wedding I worked was in a very old house, which has not been wired for the three-pronged electrical appliances.  Did the bride need to know that her coffee and hot chocolate couldn’t be served in that room because there was no way to heat it?  I can handle lots of little things like that, and the wedding party doesn’t need to know.

The bride was going to make her entrance down a beautiful staircase.  It just wouldn’t have been half as special if all the bridesmaids came in that way first.  We were able to bring the wedding party down by the servant’s stairs, and hold them in place until we could get the guests seated, without the guests seeing too much of the pageantry of the event in advance.

Do the bride and groom know what I do for those three-four hours leading up to the wedding?  They mostly do not, but when everything runs smoothly and the wedding of their dreams comes off without a hitch, I am happy, knowing that the details were handled so that they could enjoy their friends and family.

You are worth it.  You deserve one day when someone else worries about every little thing, and you can have an opportunity to just experience joy.



Congratulations Amy and Tracy Carter

Amy Sanders and Tracy Carter were married at Allandale Mansion on January 5, 2013. This was one truly beautiful wedding, thanks to all the wonderful ideas the bride (and I, a little) came up with. The mansion was already decorated for Christmas, so that was an added perk to begin with. 

The bride made the cake herself!  It was so professional.  It was just a beautiful thing to behold.

Along with Amy's good friend, Tara, Tracy's three daughters were in the wedding.  Amy did such a great job choosing the bridesmaids' and flower girl's dresses.  When you have some adults, some teens, and some almost teens, it's not so easy to find just the dress appropriate for all, but she did, and they were beautiful (the girls and the dresses).  Amy's dog served as ring bearer.

We were able to use lots of pine from the bride's trees, lots of snowflakes, and silver touches.  If it had been this weekend, it could have been real snowflakes.

The bride was so beautiful as she came down the stairs at Allandale and entered the ceremony, escorted by her father and papaw.

She has posted on her facebook page that this was the happiest day of their lives.  I sincerely hope that I was able to contribute to that in some small way.