Registries 101:Timing

Many brides ask "When should I register?" Here are a few things to think about before you start to register!

What are you planning to register for? Some products go through cycles where they become discontinued. Safe bets that are long lasting and OK to register early (1yr out) for: Fine China, Crystal, Silverware, Luggage, Pots & Pans, Kitchen Odds and Ends. Here are some items that are often seasonal and shouldn't be registered for until 6 months out: Bathroom Sets, Everyday China, Everyday Glasses, and Sheet sets.

If you're getting married in the Spring or Summer, go ahead and register before the holidays- for a few key items in each price point (-$50, $50-100, $100+). You should plan on watching your registry monthly just to make sure that your items aren't discontinued. If they become discontinued, you'll be on top of it so that you can swap it out! If you're getting married in the Fall, I suggest you wait on the main items until after the new year.

Get excited and make sure you include your Fiancé!

Monogram Cake Topper?

A trend that's been popular for quite some time now is the Monogram Cake Topper. Sure, there are many places to order them, but I personally suggest Toppers With Glitz. From personal experience, they do beautiful work, with quality metal being used for the actual letter.

They have many different fonts available, and any color crystal you could imagine. Sure, their pricing might seem a little steep, but they provide great products, and something that you can have displayed on a shelf or next to a framed invite for years to come!

A Sneak Peek at Jennifer & Jey's Unforgettable Soiree!

Here's just a quick sneak peek of Jennifer and Jey's wedding from Saturday the 13th. They were married at the Magnolia House in Powder Springs and it was very beautiful.They have an on-site baker who came up with their very beautiful cake as well as their fun and original groom's cake! It was a surprise to the groom, and he LOVED it. It was at that point that he shared the secret that he was taking her to Hawaii for their honeymoon.

Outdoor Wedding?

Are you having an outdoor wedding? Do you wish you could wear the perfect set of heels without sinking into the grass? Well, there is finally a solution. "Heel Stoppers" are slowly catching on, so I thought I'd bring this new idea to you!They slip onto the bottom of your heel, and can be easily removed when the party moves inside. They keep you above the grass, keep the heels clean, and are clear and subtle. No twisting ankles either. Check out Belle Devine.

Another Sneak Peek: Cathy & Danny!

Look familiar? Danny and Cathy were also married in the Piedmont Meadow, with their reception following in the Garden Tent.

It was a romatic evening ceremony with plenty of fun to enjoy in celebration of the couple.

Sorry this one is a little dark, but everyone was enjoying the food- they had a carving station, a sushi station, as well as a mashed potato bar- a huge hit!

I'll be sure to share some new pictures when I get them in a couple of weeks!

A Sneak Peek of Marva & Pascal's Soiree!

Marva and Pascal had an incredible wedding day, and I just wanted to stare two of the pictures I was able to snap quickly.

They were married in an evening ceremony in the meadow just outside of the Piedmont Garden Tent. It was a beautiful ceremony!Following the ceremony, guests made their way into the reception in the tent. The decor was provided by Carla Duncan of On Occasions of Atlanta.

I'll be sure to post some more pictures when I get them from the photographer, Gene Ho.

Who's RSVP is it anyway?

After the excitement of getting your invite in the mail, so many reply almost immediately! How exciting right? So you open up your self-addressed (and stamped) envelope to check out the RSVP. Uh-Oh! They forgot to write their name, so you know that 2 people are coming, but you have no idea who they are! Want an easy fix for this? Here's my easy, inexpensive, and best of all invisible solution.

1)I suggest that you head to a craft store and pick up a pack of Crayola Changeables markers.2) Print out a copy of your invite list and start numbering them. (1, 2, 3...) You can also just save the numbers on your spreadsheet where you'll be keeping track of the RSVPs!

3) On the back of the response cards, use the clear, color-changing marker to number it, corresponding to the number on your invite list. Write the number in the same place on every card so you'll remember where to look for the invisible ink!4) Send the invites and stalk the mailbox!

5) If you happen to get an RSVP where the guest forgot to write their name, turn the card over and use one of the Changeable colored markers to highlight that area. You'll see the number in a matter of seconds, and you'll be able to look them up on the list!

Voila! No last minute phone calls or looking through old letters or cards to determine who's handwriting it is!

Vendor Spotlight: Shannon Wright

Shannon Wright is one of my favorite photographers to work with. We've worked together so many times that I know that brides are in good hands with her. She is able to capture every emotion of each bride's wedding day. I can't wait to work with her again!

I was able to catch up with her and ask some questions so we can all know her just a little bit better:)

So what first inspired you to be a wedding photographer? I was in school at the time and assisted a wedding photographer and knew (even though I was just carrying equipment) that's what I had to do!

What keeps you coming back? My desire to be a part of couples happiest days and well I just absolutely love photography.

What is your favorite picture to take? Hmm, tough question I guess my fave would be the one I take at he reception in a dark place lit with intense light. It's a very funky shot!

If you had to provide one picture to win a client, what would it be and why?? How about two? I love shoes and it's kinda of a signature shot and I just love this one at Piedmont! If I have extra time to do creative formals this is what I can produce!
If you had one word of advice for future brides, what would it be? Don’t forget how and why you fell in love in the first place…… The wedding day does not have to be perfect but your life together just might be…..

What is Project 42 and how is it going? Wanna share a picture or 2? Project 42 stands for Love (4 letters) Is(2 letters).... This session is for couples that are already married. The idea is .....what does love mean to you? Let me capture that for you in pictures to show others. The picture I am going to share has to do with their love for their children. We went to Piedmont Park and had a great time. It is obvious in this picture that they love each other, and their children, very much.What a great photographer to have capturing your wedding day. Book her early!

Chrissy & Andy's Unforgettable Soiree!

Chrissy and Andy were one of my most fun couples. Within five minutes of starting our first meeting, I could see how in love they were, and see that they just wanted to enjoy their wedding day.

The day started with me meeting Chrissy and her bridal party in a suite at The Georgian Terrace Hotel. They had two hair stylists working on location, as well as Laura Simon, a great new makeup artist in the Atlanta area. Just take a look at the picture below to see how great of a job she did!
To get in touch with her, try e-mailing her: laurasimonmakeup@gmail.com.

The fabulous Shannon Wright was her photographer, and it is thanks to her that I have all of these pictures!

After getting ready, they were able to sneak some pictures in at The Georgian Terrace before moving to the church.
Chrissy and Andy decided to see each other before the ceremony, to be able to take some pictures. They really got some great shots!Following the ceremony, we moved over to the GA Tech Alumni House. The reception was catered by one of my new favorite vendors, Wild Oats Catering.

Before heading to hotel for the night, they snapped a really cool picture ON 10th St.

Joanna & Evan's Unforgettable Soiree!

So back in May, Joanna & Evan were married in the Piedmont Garden Tent. This was my first event at this location, and I have two more weddings in the tent coming up at the end of August!

Their wedding also gave me the wonderful opportunity to work with some of the best vendors in the Atlanta area! The pictures are from one of my favorites, Shannon Wright. She's just incredible! You can see her work through her website, or you can check out her blog.
I just wanted to highlight this picture quickly because you can see the incredible work of Carla Duncan from On Occasions of Atlanta. Her team arrived early and did such beautiful work. I'm looking forward to working with her at the end of the month again.
As you can see, the wedding was officiated by the amazing Reverend Deanna Lancaster. She wrote a beautiful ceremony for them, and was able to tie in family history as well as a dinosaur story!
This was just one area of the wedding where you can see so many intricate detail coming to fruition. Each guest got a small pot with a festive colored rose. It was another way they decided to liven up the tables. These were also provided by Carla at On Occasions.

What would a wedding blog be without pictures of the cake! This is another masterpiece of "The Cake Lady." To get in touch with her, I suggest e-mail, eileenmcarter@yahoo.com
Harrison with Avalanche Entertainment was able to keep the party going all night. Even through the after party inside the Park Tavern, where they served doughnuts with shot glasses of milk, and some pizza.

Today is my 1st Anniversary!

So today is my first anniversary with my husband, Chris. We decided to celebrate yestearday and it was amazing!

The weekend started with me trying to make a replica of our cake topper. It came out OK- luckily it tasted great so we were able to ignore the look:) We didn't freeze our cake topper because we made it a special flavor for the bridal party, Cannoli! So here's a picture of our cake on our wedding day:

And this is a picture of my recreated cake top! (Insert Laughter followed by mmmm...)

We woke up nice and late (8:00am) Saturday and Chris suggested that we head into town a little early and walk around Piedmont Park. I thought it sounded like a great idea! So we check into the Wyndham Midtown and start walking toward the park. On our way there, Chris's phone rings. I asked what it was and he told me it was a reminder of why we're not going to the park!

Usually he's not able to surprise me, but in the case, he was! He walked me to Blue MedSpa, and had booked us for an hour long couples massage! While I was there, I couldn't help but work! They have a lot of great bridal packages available too!

From that amazing massage, we went back and got dressed for dinner at the Melting Pot, one of our new favorite restaurants!

All of that was followed by a walk around the park today- what an amazing anniversary in town!

Reverend Deanna Lancaster

I've had the pleasure (and I do mean true pleasure) of working with "Rev D" on three occasions at this point. I honestly can't wait to work with her again! Each ceremony is individualized to the couple, and said with a heartfelt voice. She grows attached to all of her couples, which can be seen in the occasional tear. She also smiles, and occasionally laughs with each ceremony.

Pricing you ask? Last I heard she started at $250- which is SO reasonable these days!

Above Photograph thanks to the amazing Shannon Wright!

Is a Wedding Coordinator Necessary?

Can't decided whether a wedding coordinator or planner is really necessary? Check out this message board from Weddingbee.com where brides talk about their experiences when having a coordinator. Then, if you have any questions about my services, feel free to check out my packages as well as getting in touch with me!

Amanda & Eric Have Been Blogged!

Free advertising is always exciting, being blogged about is even more exciting!

Amanda & Eric's pictures were featured in the blog of Southern Wedding Style thanks to their amazing photographer Shannon Wright. All of the following pictures are thanks to Shannon as well. She is always a pleasure to work with and has a great eye for fun shots.

Their wedding was held at the First Presbyterian Church in Athens, GA. It was a beautiful church and a beautiful ceremony.

After the ceremony, they made their way to campus for a picture or two, and then met up with their guest for dinner and dancing at the Foundry Park Inn and Spa. The food was absolutely delicious!The florist for Amanda and Eric's Wedding was Gardenia Floral Designs. They had beautiful bouquets, wonderful church decor, and the centerpieces were fabulous!
Their entertainment for the night was with Music Masters DJ, and did a great job. He kept everyone on the dance floor and they all had a great time!

The cake was done by a local Athens bakers, Cecilia Villaveces. It was a HUGE hit and there wasn't a piece of either cake left!
Amanda was one of my first brides to book, and from the start I was so excited to be working for she and Eric!