Wedding Weekend Extravaganza

 What a weekend!  I met with two brides, had one bride's engagement in the paper, and made an amazing flower arrangement with pink peonies.  How much fun can you cram into one weekend?

We are so happy for Stacey Hughes and Josh Gillepsie, who will be married June 18.  See their announcement http://www.timesnews.net/celebrations.php.  They will be married at Blackthorn Club, formerly The Ridges, which is a truly beautiful place.

Woods/Penny Wedding

Best wishes to Lenora Woods and J Penny, who got married at First Broad Street United Methodist Church May 7 and are honeymooning in St. Lucia.  They were a great couple and the wedding was as nearly perfect as any wedding I have directed.  The couple were very relaxed and seemed to be really enjoying every minute. 

The flowers, by Beverly Jenkins at Main Street Catering were white and cream roses, peonies and hydrangea, giving them an old-worldly look.  Everything was absolutely beautiful. 

The ceremony, officiated by Phillip Rogers, was lovely. 

The photographers, Eric McCarty Photography and videographers were great to work with.  Congratulations!

Monogram Dress Collection

I found these great-looking dresses at Banana Republic.  Your bridesmaids will thank you for choosing something so utterly beautiful that they would have wanted them even if they weren't going to be in your wedding.  Most of them come in several colors.

The Royal Wedding

I'm sure anyone who loves weddings has seen the wedding of William and Kate.  I loved the idea of the trees at the ceremony.  The green hydrangea were very nice.  I noticed that the bouquets were small.  Kate is a very small person, so having a small bouquet was not only tasteful, but didn't detract from her dress.

I also loved having the boys' choir at the wedding.  We could pull that off, though I would love to have a children's choir, and not exclude the girls.

I have been making some floral pins this weekend.  These could easily be attached to a barrette, instead. 

Also, if you love the look, I could make a fascinator.  The fascinator has become very popular lately because Pricesss Catherine doesn't like to wear hats.  I would just make the flower on a much larger scale.  I could even put some netting on it, if you'd like.

New Wedding Ideas

I found some new things I think you might like.  Victoria's Secret now has a whole collection, "Sexy Little Bride."  This could be some great ideas for you bridesmaids to get for your friend who is getting married.

I also heard a song that would be a great first dance for the newly-married couple, I Can't Wait (Be My Wife) by Runner Runner.

Katie Holmes is doing a collection for Ann Taylor.  I saw the ad in Vogue.  The ad, which is a short video on the Ann Taylor main page right now, looks so much better than the on-line catalog picture of the same items.  I thought a bride could wear this for a fairly casual wedding.  The embellished top is $128, and the silk habotai skirt is $148.  It really looks amazing in Vogue.  These are both 40% off right now.  Now, you tell me where you can get a wedding dress for $165.60?

Hope your Easter weekend is great.  The weather today has been fabulous!

What Will I Wear?

This is such a good question for a mother of the bride or groom.  While it might not seem important, you are the hostess for one of the biggest parties you will ever have.  You are right in assuming that the focus won’t be on you, but many of the bride and groom’s friends, and most of the family on the other side are people you have never met.  They will want to meet you.



Bergdorf Goodman



This is such a wonderful time in the life of your child, and the last thing you want to have to worry about is how you look.  When the wedding is over, and the reception begins, is the time to relax and enjoy yourself and your friends, and new members of your extended family.

I saw this Oscar trunk show announcement today, and thought how appropriate several of these dresses look for a mother.  The bridal shops will try to talk you into having a formal-length dress, but we are mature women, and do we really want to look like we’re going to the prom?

Happy Easter!

Wedding Season Is Here!



Banq, a restored century-old bank building in downtown
Kingsport.  This is the perfect backdrop for cake-cutting.

 I really, really love weddings, but I wish there were more throughout the year.  It seems most brides want to get married in the spring or summer.  I have neglected my blog because I have been busy with weddings.  Unlike some wedding vendors whose work begins the day before the wedding and continues long after the wedding, my work begins months ahead, and when the wedding is complete, I just have to begin work on another wedding.

If you have been seriously considering having me help with your wedding, please contact me soon.  Remember, I am just an extension of you.  My job is to see that what you have in mind actually happens.  I may make suggestions.  Due to my extensive experience, I know a lot of pitfalls, and will try to help you avoid them, but ultimately, this is your wedding, and I want you to be happy.

I have available June 3, June 10, July 2,  and July 9.  If you want only "day of" assistance, I am available May 14, 21, and 28.

What I am working on now:

Designing invitations and pocketfolds
Making a wedding banner
Completing a wedding timeline and helper checklist
Alterations of a bridesmaid's dress
Planning flowers
Attending a floral design workshop

I love being busy with these things that I love.  You may think you can do everything by yourself, but a wedding is more involved than you might think.  Celebrities have a personal assistant, someone there to do whatever they don't have time to do.  You deserve this on your special day.