Personalized Stamps

One way to jazz up a boring invitation envelope is to personalize your stamp with photos of the two of you!

Here are a few great compaines to try:

Picture It Postage

Photo Stamps

Stamp Expressions

Zazzle

Have fun!

Rehearsal Dinner: Location

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the Southern Weddings Magazine Launch Party. And I must say, the entire time I was there, I was thinking about how great it would be for a rehearsal dinner! The restaurant is Dogwood, and it's located right across the street from Emory Crawford-Long Hospital. It's got a private room upstairs and the food is excellent. So, if you're still looking for a location, I highly suggest you try it for an elegant twist on southern cusine!

DIY Invites: Cards & Pockets

So one of my favorite types of invites are the pocket-folds. I know there are some of you out there that can't wait to get rid of them, but I still love this trend. They allow the addition of so much style and color to be brought into your invite. So my website of the week is Cards & Pockets because they offer the materials to DIY these invites! Keep up with the blog and I'll be talking soon about the best way to assemble and about all that you can inclue with a pocket-fold invite!

Having your cake and eating it too... a year later.

How to save your top layer:

1. The night of the wedding, have someone take home the cake and put it in the freezer for you while you're on your honeymoon. This is just to solidify the icing so it doesn't become totally crushed.

2. Wrap it first in plastic wrap.

3. Wrap it in aluminum foil.

4. Wrap it again in plastic wrap or put it in an air tight plastic bag (getting as much air out of it as possible)

5. Store it for a year.

6. Order another replica so that when you don't feel like having more than a bite, you've got a backup!

Enjoy,

Adding some bling... to your shoes!

A current style trend is going with colored shoes. And to be honest, I LOVE IT. I've seen blue, pink, purple, hot pink, orange, and red! It's so much fun to see just a peek of it under the dress. Here's another new idea to jazz up the shoes just a bit more. Shoe Rhinestones! They're inexpensive, but who gets up close to your feet anyway, they just add a bit of shine!

Bridal Show, This Sunday!

Don't miss it ladies! This Sunday, A Bride for All Seasons Bridal Show is hitting Atlanta. With some of the finest wedding vendors, you're sure to find a wedding vendor in a variety of categories.

The bridal show is taking place in the grand ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel. Also be sure to check out other event areas that they have, with gorgeous views of the Atlanta skyline. You're sure to be impressed. The price for admission is $45 for the bride and $25 for each additional guest. A high price to pay, but sure to give the highest quality and results!

Date: 1/25/09

Time: 2-5pm

Location: Four Seasons Atlanta.

Have fun!

Wild Oats Catering

In June of last year, I had the pleasure of working with Terry and her staff from Wild Oats Catering. They were fabulous! The food was so fresh and had a fun new look to it. They had a delicious new twist on a fun southern menu.
They had very clean lines of service, and never ran out of food, even the most delicious of foods.(Photos Courtesy of Shannon Wright)

They had fresh biscuits with a peach barbeque sauce over pork, deliecious skewers of shrimp and pineapple in a coconut mint sauce. But this isn't all that they've got. Check out their website to see another sample menu, and to get in touch with them! If you're lucky, they may still be available. They book up quickly!

Website of the Week: She Just Got Married!

Are you looking to see what brides have used, and what they're willing to sell after the wedding? Are you looking to sell some of your wedding related items? Well then I have the perfect website for you She Just Got Married! It has a "Boutique" area for goods to buy, and a place to list your items you'd like to sell. It also has a forum for married ladies to talk about real-life issues, traditions, and more. I personally had the opprotunity to meet and chat with the founder of the program, and with much excitement, they have a lot of great things coming up on their site in the near future. Be sure to check them out!

The Wedding Cake: Preservation

So you've heard about the tradition of eating the top tier of your wedding cake on your first anniversary? Does the idea gross you out a bit? Well, you've got a few options:

1. Eat that top tier on your 1 month wedding "Anniversary"

2. Find a Cake Baker who offers a replica for your first anniversary. (The Cake Lady does this)

3. Make your own replica a year later (I don't recommend this, if you recall my disaster)

4. You can save it for a year later, and hope that it's still 1/2 yummy!

If you're interested in learning how to save the cake layer, you'll just have to keep up with my blog!

Registries 101: Location, Location, Location

From time to time, brides ask me for advice on registering. There are a few great spots, but for this post, I'd like to highlight my all time favorite: Macy*s.

There are a few key reasons that I recommend them to all of my clients:
1. Their Star Rewards Program. If you are willing to sign up for a credit card, you get 5% Macy*s cash back for every purchase made in the home department. Then you get a gift card after the Wedding.
2. You get 10% off of your purchases in the home department after the wedding to complete your registry- this is often for over a year!
3. Their return policy. I can't say enough about their return/exchange policy. If anything is broken or the wrong item, it is returned, no questions asked.
4. Their ease of registering! It's fun and they host events where you can drink champagne and register all at the same time!
5. Their website is great. They make it easy to update the registry right at home!

I highly recommend them!

Invitations 101: Timing

Currently, I have many clients in the invitation printing/sending invitation stage, so I find it fitting to quickly blog about invitations.

Here's a short list of what you should do while planning your invitations:
1. Determine your final count due date (to caterer and venue).
2. Back up 1-2 weeks from that date, and make it your RSVP date.
3. Send invites 6-8 weeks before the RSVP date.
4. Have all envelopes addressed and stamped 1 week prior to send date. Stuff, then send!

Make sure you leave extra room in this timeline whenever you can!

Happy Sending!

The Rainbow Martini!

Another great drink idea for a signature drink is my personal favorite, the Rainbow Martini.

Shake with Ice:

1 part Peach Schnapps

1 part Rum

1 part Vodka

1 part Pineapple Juice

Pour all contents into martini glass and add just a splash of grenadine!

Sure to please right there!

Southern Weddings

In honor of their upcoming launch, I've decided to make this week's website: Southern Wedding Magazine's Blog. Their real wedding posts, as well as their fun suggestions for new wedding ideas are truly inspiring! I'm also a bit partial because one of my couples, Amanda and Eric had their wedding featured on the blog!

Chair Covers & Linens

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend a fun planning meeting at Chair Covers and Linens with Leah, one of my favorite brides. We had such an amazing time looking at different options, and we settled on some stuff that she really loved! Below you can see that they have so many options to look through when you go in, it's really phenomenal!

After going through all of their options in the blue/silver/pink combo that Leah had chosen, it was time to figure out which color combos she liked best. Here are some of the winners!

This was Leah's final decision for the guest tables. Navy satin linens with a nearly fuschia chair tie on the gold Chivari chair.

For the cake table, she's decided to go with the navy underlay with a sheer silver overlay with the swirl design and a blue sheer bunching of fabric for the cake stand to be placed on. We're also planning to put some votive candles around the base as well as some of the pink rose petals from the guest tables.During the cocktail hour, guests will be mingling in the bar area of the Signature Room, and the tables will be draped with silver satin accompainied by alternating blue and pink table runners.As it stands, I really think that Leah made some great decisions, and that she's really happy with the outcome!

Vendor Negotiation

Who isn't trying to save money these days? Many brides ask for tips on saving money when booking vendors. One suggestion that some brides have had success with is full payment up front. If you're able to, ask a vendor if they would be willing to knock off a percentage of their price if you pay it all up front. It will also make the planning process a bit easier if you don't have to remember all the little payments over many months. Just a small tip that could save you money in the long run!

Bachelor's Button

So I've decided to add a new aspect to my blog: Flowers. Everyone knows about peonies, roses and lilies, so I'm going to focus on some lesser known beauties that can really add a bit of color to a wedding.

Today's focus: Bachelor's Button. The reason I like this flower is because if it's late-winter, early spring availability, through the summer. I also love it because it's purple! Luckily for those that don't love purple, it has recently become available in many different shades! It's also on the lesser side of expensive! And who doesn't love to save a little green!

From the flower patch,

Razzmataz Martiniz!

With the popular trend of signature drinks, it would be cruel of me not to mention a few great recipes that I've got! So here's one of my favorites (from my birthday) I hope you enjoy!

2 part Grey Goose Le Citron
Lemon Juice from 1/2 Lemon
1 part Chambord
Garnished with fresh Raspberries!

Drink and enjoy!

Website of the Week: DIY Bride

So I've decided that I'm going to start posting some of my favorite websites every week. This week, I'd love to share diybride.com with you. It's a great way for you learn about different DIY projects, ways to negotiate, money-saving tips and more. Khris is so talented, and we're all lucky to be able to learn from her! She's also got a book out, a way to learn even more of her famed secrets!

Enjoy!

Something Old, New, Borrowed & Blue!

So what's with this tradition? It seems to be quite popular, but where does it come from? It actually dates back to the early Victorian Era in England (Mid 1500s). Each item is seen as a token of good luck for the bride.

"Something Old"-people often ask "How old is 'old'?" Well, there was never any set length of time, so I like to go by the definition: something that's not new. I can be anything: A necklace from a grandmother, or a veil from a mother, it's a symbol of the bride's connection to her family.

"Something New"- This can be anything, the dress is used most commonly for something new, but could be jewelery or a pair of shoes! It represents good hope for the future.

"Something Borrowed"- Just what it says! Borrow something from a happily married friend or family member for this one!
"Something Blue"- For something blue, it's common to use a blue garter, underwear, having your initials embroidered onto the dress in blue, or even carrying a small blue handkerchief with your flowers. It's said to symbolize love, so don't forget this important one!

A Quick Look at Budgets!

Congratulations to all the newly engaged couples out there! Because there are so many of you, I figured that this is something important to point out before the major planning and contract signing begins!

With the skyrocketing costs of weddings, it's important for you to set your boundaries (budget) early in the planning process. Come up with a good round number, and stick to it! The round number should include all contributions from family members, your fiancé, and yourself. Now here's something that I often tell my brides, just to keep them under the overall budget: When working with your budget, assume that you can only spend 85% of it. That way when you forget little things, or decide to splurge on something towards the end, it's still within your budget!

Just because you create the budget doesn't mean you're finished looking at it, constantly update it with any contracts you sign, and diligently work to stay within it. I promise it will take so much of the stress out of the planning if you don't also have to plan how you're going to get rid of the credit card debt!

Happy Planning!

Welcome to the Team!

I would personally like to welcome Jessica to the Unforgettable Soirées Team.

Currently she is acting as an assistant and I look forward to working with her on many of our upcoming weddings. I also look forward to her future opportunities within the company.

Jess is a recently married Seminole who loves event planning and has great knowledge of Atlanta area vendors as well as many hidden gems! She is a great addition to the team and I'm so excited to have her!

Welcome Jess!!

Happy New Year!!!

So many people have been asking me where Unforgettable Soirées is going next year, and the truth is: in so many new and exciting directions! However, we can't look at where we're going until we know where we've been right?

2008, a year in review: It started off in a mad rush, people were calling, and e-mailing, and even texting me to reserve their date at my bargain of a price. January was full of meetings with potential brides, many of which turned into clients, and some now even friends. With only one wedding in February, it was a time to focus on a plan, how was it that I would do 26 weddings in 1 year? Well, sitting here on the last day of december, it seems as though it's worked. I'm still here, doing what I love to do. Over the course of the year, I've gained so much experience, knowledge of the industry and some truly great friends that I love to work with!

Now where are we going in 2009? Well packages have been re-focussed based on the needs of clients, so that I can provide the best service possible. The new webiste is almost ready to launch, my assistant, Jess is taking on a great deal with quite a few weddings in the next year, and more to come, and I think we're ready, as a team for it to begin!

I wish you all a very prosperous, exciting, and happy new year!