Meet Jennifer and John. What a great story they have! He was a single father raising his son Gage (now 5) alone. They met through an on-line dating service, which seems to be pretty popular these days. He drove up in a convertible for their initial meeting and she was impressed. That date went well and on their 3rd date, she had the chance to meet his son. Watching the father and son interact was even more impressive and one of the many things that won her heart. He wooed her family (which is easy to understand...nice guy!), moved to her home town and decided to propose.

Jennifer has been coming to Hilton Head and playing on the same beach since she was a child. Her family owns a home at the end of the road. John proposed to her on that beach so it was only natural that they also marrry there. Of course, all of that sounds perfect...until you factor in the weather.

In over a decade of doing weddings, I have only had to call weddings inside on 2 different occasions because of inclement weather. As I was driving over the bridge to Hilton Head, it was raining so hard I could hardly see through the windshield. Not the best for a beach wedding! Jen was in a dilemma because she really wanted to have a wedding on this very special beach. After much debating...she went for it. I haven't known Jennifer and John and they have been wonderful to work with but they must be really special because all of their guests stood IN THE RAIN so they could have their beach wedding. For the sake of the pictures, the bridesmaids gave up their umbrellas as soon as their feet touched the sand. We had enough umbrellas to cover the guests but John and Jennifer, the Pastor and all of their attendants felt the raindrops dancing on their skin. I kind of felt like a kid again because I can't remember the last time I played in the rain...but I would recommend it! It was lots of fun!

Congratulations to John and Jennifer! I hope your Sandals honeymoon is relaxing and wonderful. By the way, after you left the reception, I was talking to Gage and he told me how much he was going to miss his Mama Jen. I think he is lucky to be getting such a wonderful addtion to his life!

I had the opportunity to work with a photographer whom I hadn't met before. Her name is Tammy Grider. She was a pleasure to work with...and weathered the rain to get the best photos. I can't wait to see the rest of this album! Thanks Tammy!

Artistic Images by Tammy Grider

Years ago, I bought new dishes. Since I am still working out of my "Polly Practical" phase, I bought white dishes from Pottery Barn with the reasoning that they would go with everyhing. Well over a decade later, I still have white dishes. I long for any other color...but it would be impractical to buy new ones. After all, this set doesn't even have so much as a chip on anything. Someday, when I don't have to be practical anymore, I will either accidentally drop them or give them to someone who needs them. If they continue to hold up the way they are, I guess it will be the girls when they go off to college...tangent. Anyway...

A few weeks ago at the Belk Bridal Show, I had the pleasure of meeting Dionne Welsh who is a Pampered Chef consultant. I was having fun going through the catalog and she was telling me about this great idea for a Bridal Shower...I will call it the Lazy Person's shower because basically, the only thing the hostess has to do is send out invitations and shop for a few grocery items. The Pampered Chef consultant does everything else.

The bride selects her registry from the many fun things in the catalog and registers on-line or with the consultant. I have been to a few of these parties. I love my microwave vegetable pans, another tangent. All of her friends and family come to the shower. Those who can't make it can purchase on-line. The consultant brings a cake and makes the appetizers during the party while the guests watch. The guests then select different cards with color pictures of the bride's choices. The bride gets free merchandise based on the sales of the party, 4 items at 1/2 off (which Dionne says she encourages the guests to help with) and 30% off any additional items she buys. How easy is that?

Visit Dionne's website for more information. I am sure she would love to help you out!

Pampered Chef

Okay...are you bored at work and want to have a little fun? A designer sent me this great website last week and I have to admit I took some time out of work just to play with this. It was so much fun that I knew I had to pass it along! You can actually go to the site and design your own purse. How great is that?

Design a Purse

LauraLi Corporation presents Design-a-Purse, a versatile patent pending pouch accented with a treasure of beautiful accessories for ladies 8-108. Design-a-Purse allows you to design your own purse and then assemble it yourself. Interchangeable straps, trims, and jewels, make Design-a-Purse an activity, with both fashion and fun for us girls!

Design-a-Purse components are available separately. Satin lined pouches, long beaded, short beaded & boa feather straps, beaded and braided trims and elegant and casual jewels are like dangling treasures. The accessories are not only removable and interchangeable between pouches, but also transformable; trims become chokers, jewels become broaches or pins and adjustable straps become belts and necklaces.

One purse is never enough, so ladies will also buy multiple accessories and change the look of their purse pouch matching a mood or style they prefer. Eventually they just have to buy another pouch and of course, more accessories.

Go ahead...check out their website! You can actually choose the purse, the straps and the accessories on-line and see how it looks! Of couse, buying it is only one click away! You will have a blast doing this!

Create a Window to Your Destination Wedding

Free Trial Wedding Website

With destination weddings on the rise, it is becoming more and more important for couples to have a means for informing their guests of their upcoming wedding plans as well as provide recommendations for out-of-town guests.

Wedding websites allow your guests one-stop shopping when it comes time for them to arrange their travel plans as well as other details. You can be as specific as you wish and link your website directly to the hotel reservation pages that you would like to recommend to your guests.

You will find that having a website is not only a time-saver but a budget-saver as well. The multiple mailings that can sometimes become necessary to communicate with your guests can easily eat up a good portion of any wedding budget. Allowing your guests to RSVP online will also cut down on your wedding expenses. No need for RSVP cards! However, you can always order just enough for those guests who may not be web savvy.

Destination weddings have definitely become a way for couples to express their style in a less traditional way. If you choose to have your wedding in a destination location, try to make it a fun experience for you and your fiancé as well as for your guests.

Destination Wedding Tips

1. Location, Location, Location. When selecting a location, choose one that appeals to your tastes and wedding style. Keep in mind, however, that because it won't be as easy as going down the street to the local church to attend your wedding, you'll have to assume that your guest list may be smaller. You'll need to get a good sense about the number of attendees you wish to have before selecting your event facility so you can be confident that it will be appropriate for the crowd.

2. Less is More. Destination weddings can be expensive not only for those getting married, but also for those attending. Try to be mindful of that when selecting your wedding site so those who are closest to you can afford to attend. Consider having your wedding during the off-season so costs will be lower. Traditionally, accommodation expenses are covered for the bridesmaids by the bride's family and for the groomsmen by the groom's family. All other guests should be responsible for their own expenses. Most hotels will work with you to offer group discounts.

3. Assist your Guests. You may know the location that you will be flying off to for your dream wedding like the back of your hand, but most of your guests will not. Your wedding website can be a tool to help you educate your guests about the area, local attractions, accommodation ideas, the weather and directions. Making their job easier will only amount in a larger turnout at your wedding. Use your website to remind them of the things they may not consider such as a passport if required for your chosen location.

© 2008 Wedding Window. All rights reserved.

You found the perfect dress. You've decided on the veil. All that is left is finding the right jewelry. Wouldn't you love to be able to wear a REAL Diamond and Pearl Necklace to your wedding to feel like a Princess? Adorn Bride's has a jewelry rental program that allows you to do just that!

Adorn Brides

LOVE this necklace! Adorn Brides will let you borrow fabulous Jewelry for a reasonable price. The ship the jewelry right to you and send you a mailer to ship it back after the wedding. How easy is that?

Enter Promotion Cose: SNABC1116 at checkout for 5% off the lease price...courtesy of Southern Weddings. Happy Shopping!

Isn't this a great looking couple? Pam and TJ were lots of fun to work with. They were married in September on Fripp Island. Pam is a contender for the "Most Calm Bride" award. As the consultant, I often know about the "behind the scenes" happenings and she had LOTS going on prior to the wedding. However, you would never have known it because she was an absolute pleasure to work with throughout the entire process and on the day of the wedding. When threatening rain canceled her dolphin cruises on Friday night, she smiled. When the humidity rolled in on Saturday, she smiled. Either TJ married her because of this wonderful quality or he is her calming force, I am not sure which. Either way, it seems like a win-win situation!

Fripp Island Resort

Fripp Island was the location for two of my weddings in 2007. It is truly a beautiful location for a wedding. Ann and her staff did a great job!

I have had many clients use sparklers to exit by after the reception. As you can see, it makes for great photo opportunities. Look closely at the sparklers here. They were 3 foot long...I measured! I hadn't seen them this size before and neither had most of the guests. Everyone loved them! The great thing about them was that they lasted for about 4-5 minutes each. The entire area was lit up. Lots of fun!

Many THANKS to Julie Hodgson at Fripp Island Photography for these pictures of Pam and TJ.

Fripp Island Photography

Truffles for a Cause

I received an email today with a neat idea for a wedding favor. Here is a blurb from their website:

Each Truffles for a Cause comes to you beautifully packaged in a 2" by 2" box, lined in lovely, handmade lace paper. Inside sits a delicious dessert-sized champagne truffle made especially for us by master chocolatiers in Vermont. A custom-designed card naming your charity and its website sits atop each truffle, further raising awareness, and increasing the chance of future donations among your guests. Each box is then tied with a beautiful satin ribbon in the color of your choice, printed with the Truffles for a Cause logo. For the finishing touch, we include a custom favor table card, which thanks your guests, and offers a brief description of your charity. The final presentation is a lovely way to display your favors while educating your guests about the charity's mission. And remember...we donate one dollar from each truffle sold to the charity you support. This allows your decision to give Truffles for a Cause to have an even greater impact on those you are trying to help. Price: $7.50 each

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the annual conference for the Association of Bridal Consultants. While I have been a member of ABC for most of the last 12 years, this is the first conference I have attended. I finally had the chance to meet all of the ABC staff that I email and talk to. They obviously worked hard on this event. Thank you ABC Staff! The conference was held in Orlando and the Florida ABC members put in many hours to make this successful. A Big Thanks to them also! We had educational sessions that were beneficial and I met 2 other consultants from South Carolina and a few Master Bridal Consultants that I will be keeping in touch with.

Over the next few weeks or month, I will post ideas and pictures from the conference. Some of them are vendors that I met and others are just fun things I saw. Stay tuned!

The keynote speaker at our conference was David Tutera. He is a Celebrity Wedding & Event Planner. He coordinated Star Jones' wedding...which, by the way, he said she paid every penny for everything on that wedding and the stories you heard were rumors. David was fantastic to listen to and gave me many great ideas and inspirations for the future.I will add some of his tips to this blog periodically so keep checking back.

Funny story. I was standing outside one of the 6 sets of doors waiting to get in to his session. The door swung open and David looked at me and said "Where is the bathroom?" Of course, I pointed him in the right direction. He thanked me and went on his way. After he was out of the hallway, someone behind me said "That was a perfect photo opportunity. You missed it!" Okay...I really enjoyed listening to him speak and certainly it would have been nice to interview him. But...he was going to the bathroom! I can't even fathom asking him for a picture at that point.

Here is an interview I found on-line at exquisiteweddings.info. Much of this was in the talk he gave:

Some Brides have had their dream wedding planned in their heads since they were little girls. For others, the planning begins the minute they become engaged. All brides have one thing in common, however: They appreciate help in putting their big day together. Luckily, that’s where David Tutera comes in. A leading expert in entertaining, Tutera has been planning events since age 19 and has built a reputation for style, elegance, creativity and artistry. From Star Jones’ luxurious wedding to post-Grammy Award star-studded fêtes, Tutera has designed unique events for an impressive list of celebrities, royalty, politicians and socialites. Exquisite Weddings had the opportunity to ask David about the keys to his success—and the successful fulfillment of any bride’s wedding dreams.

Wedding Philosophies

You have said that weddings have to tell a story. What should brides consider when preparing to tell their story to their guests? When planning a wedding, it’s important to tell the couple’s story. Brides need to make sure each guest leaves the wedding knowing more about the couple than before and feeling like they were part of the celebration, rather than just watching the wedding. Brides and grooms should consider accenting all of the wedding details with touches from each of the couple’s personality. A great way to add personality is to have favors that combine a personal connection. For example, for a fall wedding, have a bundle of apples for each guest with your grandmother’s famous apple pie recipe attached.

What aspects about the couple should be included in the wedding planning? It’s the couple telling their story, so any important moments that are special to the couple should be included—focusing on how they met and how they built their relationship is a wonderful and touching way to allow guests to get to know them better. It’s more about the past than their future plans. You can also express what’s unique about them in a variety of different ways—style of cuisine, for example, if you have a bride and groom with two different ethnic or cultural backgrounds. I’ve done a first course dedicated to one of their cultures and a second dedicated to the other. For instance, if you have an Indian bride marrying an Italian groom, have an Indian first course and an entrée related to Italian cuisine so you’re introducing both cultures in one menu.

You can also follow the same technique with the music. I had one wedding where the bride was from New York and the groom was from Texas. The rehearsal dinner was a Tex-Mex barbecue with a country-western band, and it was an evening in honor of his family—the Texans who came to New York. The New Yorkers had their party on Saturday. It was a cool way of doing it.

What is your most important philosophy about planning a dream wedding? A dream wedding is all about the attention to details. You want your guests to experience a wedding like never before—creating everlasting memories. Add your personal touch to every detail, from escort cards and place cards, to unique cocktails and menus, to the flowers and décor, to the party flow and energy, to the music and dancing. Really think and create something unique and special for every aspect.

What is one thing a bride should never scrimp on in her wedding planning? Or, what is the most important thing to indulge in? Every wedding is different and tailored to a couple’s taste. A bride should never skimp on the elements that are most important to her. A successful wedding is well balanced; you wouldn’t want to indulge in a great band and then not have the appropriate sound and lighting. The key is to work within your overall budget and make sure all the elements are there.

What trends are you really into right now? It’s really fun to create a different flow to weddings: Have the ceremony in one location, then dinner with toasts in another, then a third for dessert and dancing. It keeps your guests moving and involved and breaks the “normal” flow. One bride I worked with had three wedding fantasies: to get married in her parents’ house, to get married on a beach and to get married in a ballroom. We had the ceremony in the home, put the guests on trolleys to the beach and had the reception in a tent designed like a ballroom. Her three fantasies all came true by making this happen.

I’m in love with the flow timeline. Another wedding I’m doing has the guests arrive for cocktails, then go into a tent to sit down for a full two-course dinner, then leave the dinner tent and go to the ceremony. When that concludes they will hear music in the tent where they had dinner, but the room will be changed over to a dessert lounge. What’s cool about the formula is that the bride is always with the guests. Typically, you do the ceremony and then have cocktails, but the bride and groom aren’t in the cocktail hour because they’re taking pictures. With this timeline, the only thing we’re doing is extracting the bride after cocktails so she can get changed into the wedding dress. I’m so excited about it.

Planning from Day One

From the announcement of the engagement up until the wedding itself, how important are parties? Each of the parties is important, as are the guests that you invite—it’s all about bringing the people in your lives together to celebrate and to get to know each other’s families. The parties should be kept simple and fun and the focus should be on the wedding. The theme should be the couple and “love,” but each party should feel different because it’s going to be in the energy you create. You do that in the way you serve the food, the sit-down dinner versus the buffet, and the music you play. Friday night is more casual and allows people to be able to react, more so than the more regimented and structured Saturday. The last celebration would be if you’re doing a destination wedding where you have a farewell brunch. That’s the most casual celebration—it’s like a fly-by open house kind of feel, to reminisce about the weekend.

What are the most crucial things to keep in mind when choosing colors for the wedding and its theme? The most important things to keep in mind are the time of year and your location. Because flowers come from all over the world, you can get most flowers year-round. Don’t worry about seasons.

A theme is the wrong way to go; a style is the better way. A theme turns something into kitsch. Pick a style—a Tuscan dinner, a Gatsby look—and it shows in the food you serve, the music, the décor. One wedding I’m doing is a black-tie event in a tent, except that it has a modern feel, still warm in style because even though it’s an all-white affair, the one accent color is pewter gray. The couple didn’t want an old-society band because it’s a younger group. We needed a band that went with the chic and sophisticated style, but with a younger singer. We went with a band that’s like Frank Sinatra meets Harry Connick, Jr. meets Michael Buble. It all has to fit and it has to match the couple and the audience.

I know you work closely with caterers in your party planning. Is there one key question a bride should ask when choosing a caterer? It’s very important to schedule a tasting so that you will know exactly what you will be getting—not only the taste, but the presentation. Also, make sure that the caterer knows that you want each course served and cleared in 30-minute intervals. This keeps the pace of the party going.

How do accessories help make a wedding unique to each couple? This is part of what makes a wedding tell the story—focusing on the details. Create a specialty drink with a unique name and a color that matches the wedding, favors that are customized and special to the couple, adding your favorite quotes to printed materials or having someone special speak at the ceremony. It’s also fun to show the couple’s personality with drinks. A lot of people coming to a wedding may not know the couple has nicknames for each other. Design specialty cocktails using those nicknames.

You say you indulge all five senses in planning any party. Why is this necessary to create a perfect wedding and what is an example of how this is done? The touch, the smell, the taste, the sight and the sound are the five senses that should be engaged all at the same time at every wedding. This will ensure a well-rounded and balanced party. If all five senses are enticed, your guests will walk away remembering all of the elements: smelling the fragrances, seeing the fabrics, candles and the décor, tasting all the specialty drinks, touching the great silk or velvet tablecloths and definitely hearing all the wonderful music.

Finally, what do you enjoy most about working with a bride and groom to plan their wedding? Every single day is completely different, and it’s the only thing I can think of that gives people complete joy. It’s giving them six hours of simple, pure fun, and I love to watch it unfold.

At the end of the ABC conference, we had a butterfly release. You can see them in this picture.

This little guy decided to hang out with me for a bit. I guess he liked my hairspray!

Troy and Amber have been dating since high school, for over 10 years. Amber is probably one of the few people in our area that actually grew up here, as did much of her family. Thus, their wedding was a big reunion of sorts and lots of fun! The weather could not have been nicer if we had special ordered it! Unbelievably beautiful!Both the bride and the groom were wonderfully happy and relaxed all day. Even the small mishap during the ceremony made them laugh instead of fretting. If they continue in that reasoning, they will be happy for many years to come!

This is the Rose Hill Plantation house. It is one of the few buildings in our area that still stands as part of history. The owners restored it to live in and share it on occasion for special events. The house is stunning both inside and out.

An inside view...

These galvanized pails lined the steps going up to the mansion and also hung on Shepherd's hooks accenting the aisle. Later, we moved them into the reception tent to decorate with.

I love to get ideas from my brides and this is the idea from today's wedding! Attached to the ribbons of Amber's bouquet, were pins from family members. The top left pin was her great grandfather's Fire Department pin. The bottom left was a piece of jewelry from her great grandmother. The top right is a boy scout pin from her uncle. Right now, my memory is drawing a blank on the forth pin because I should be in bed...it is almost midnight. However, I always get an adrenelaine rush after my weddings and so here I am typing this blog. My husband thinks I am sleeping. SHHHHHHH!

Sooooo....during the planning process, I was told about the "Family Dolls" as if they were relatives but didn't see them until today. I really wondered about this and how it was going to look to have dolls adorning the cake table. Today, I learned the whole story and it is really neat. These dolls were handmade in 1936 and have graced the table at every family bridal shower and wedding since that time. Included in the display was the complete list of every event this family of dolls has attended. What a unique tradition!

We have a local artist here named Candace Lovely. I have inherited a few of her pieces from a dear friend who passed last year. I have seen Candace around town but never met her in person. It was great to meet her today at the wedding and tell her how much I loved her paintings. It was even more fun to notice her a few hours later with her colors sketching a scene from the wedding. She is a friend of the family and was commissioned by them for a picture of Amber when she was a small child. I have seen that picture and it is gorgeous! Her website is www.candacelovely.com.

Meet my assistant Kim Monmonier. Today was the first wedding she has done with me and she will be doing more in 2008 so you might see her at your wedding! I have had a few helpers over the years who swore they would never look at a wedding the same way again...and never wanted to help again either! Kim was a little surprised at how crazy the behind the scenes happenings are at weddings but she handeled it beautifully, even when total strangers were telling her what to do. We had an awesome day! Thanks Kim. Congratulations Amber & Troy! Night Night!

Yesterday, I turned 40...scary, huh? Well, I had a gift certificate to the Arbor Door Day Spa and decided to leave the girls with hubby and go treat myself to a facial. I don't do this often but about once a year, I do try to go to the different spas in the area and check them out (for client purposes,right?) I have sent some clients to Cathy at Arbor Day Spa but have never been there myself. What was I thinking?

Gwen gave me the best facial I have ever had! It was phenominal! I lay on the bed trying to figure out how I could best save the money to do this on a weekly basis. Okay, that might be extreme but I am certainly going to try to get there more often. I was totally relaxed when she was finished. If she had offered me the room for another hour for $100, I might have just whipped out my credit card. That would be practical, huh?

If you are looking for salon services, go see Cathy, Gwen and Rose at Arbor Door Day Spa. You won't be disappointed!!