January 2011 Bridal Shows

Image via Google by Illustrator Brooke Hagel (Check-out more of Brooke's work at her Etsy site)

It's engagement season and it's time to kick off the 2011 Bridal Shows in Charlotte. If you have plans to be wed in the Charlotte area make sure to check-out these bridal shows in January.

Sunday, January 9th
1pm-4pm
Perfect Wedding Guide Winter Bridal Show and Expo
Hilton Charlotte University Place
8629 JM Keynes Drive
Charlotte, NC 28262
Cost: $5
www.charlottebridalshow.com

Sunday, January 23rd
12pm-5pm
The Bridal Showcase
Charlotte Convention Center
501 S. College St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
Cost: $12 at the door and $10 online
www.carolinaweddingsandevents.com

Style Perfect Events will have a booth at the January 9th bridal show at the Hilton Charlotte University Place. Make sure to stop by our booth to say "Hi!" and to learn about our fabulous new event design services for 2011!

25 Things You Don't Know About Me!

I love reading blogs, books and websites about weddings, special events, design and business and one blog that I follow is "Cocktail Details", by the awesome wedding planner, Terrrica Skaggs. Her post today detailed "25 things you don't know about me", so I'm going to keep it going, as well.

Here are 25 things you don't know about me:
1. When I was 16 years old I attended the Summer Intensive Pre-Professional Program at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City.
2. I love reality TV! (VHI, Bravo, Food Network, MTV...I watch them all)
3. I attended the same school for 10 years (pre-school through 8th grade), Bates Academy in Detroit.
4. My younger brother, who I always call my "little" brother is only 13 months younger than me.
5. I wore braces for 2 years in high-school.
6. The origin of my married name "Eustache" is Haitian/French. My father-in-law is from Haiti.
7. I love to teach.
8. I introduced my eldest brother to his future wife, see post here.
9. I played the piano, violin and flute as a child.
10. I will always say I'm from Detroit, no matter if I end up living in Charlotte or another city for 20+ years.
11. I'm a fashion jewelry junkie!
12. I love to cook. My cooking style is that of Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals and Semi-homemade by Sandra Lee.
13. I was the captain of my dance team my senior year, the Howard University Bisonettes!
14. My name and my brothers' names all start with the letter "C" because my dad's name is Charles.
15. After watching several seasons of Top Chef, I now consider myself a foodie and I love trying new restaurants.
16. I volunteer at the CVAN Re-Sale shop in Concord once a month. Proceeds benefit battered women and children. Giving back is very important to me.
17. I used to own an online fashion jewelry company called Boutique Finesse.
18. I collect elephant figurines.
19. I don't have an I-pod.
20. At 11 years old I traveled to Germany for a month long summer camp, Children's International Summer Village (CISV).
21. One of my favorite comfort dishes is chicken flavor ramen noodles.
22. I know how to tap dance.
23. I'm allergic to many kinds of fruits, which makes me sad. Fruit always looks good and it's healthy for you.
24. I've never had a pet.
25. While living in New York, I auditioned for Beyonce's 2009 world tour. Needless to say I didn't make the cut, but I did get to see Beyonce! She was at the audition.

What about you? Leave a comment!

Cheers!

Image via Google

When planning a wedding or party food and beverage is always a very important part of the equation. It is also a major expenditure in your budget. One way to save is to provide your own alcohol, but first make sure that your venue allows this and there are no additional fees associated with bringing in your own liquor. Next make sure your bar is fully covered and that you have all of the supplies you need, such as a bartender who is properly equipped with (shakers, ice tongs) and you have proper glasses (martini, wine, champagne, high-ball), which your caterer can provide at a rental rate. Most importantly you want to make sure that you have enough liquor. According to “The Knot Book of Wedding Lists” by Carley Roney you should have the following amount of alcohol for a standard open bar, per 100 guests for a four hour reception.

Champagne: 18 bottles
Red wine: 10 bottles
White wine: 18 bottles
Beer: 2-3 cases
Whiskey: 1-2 liters
Bourbon: 1-2 liters
Gin: 1-2 liters
Scotch: 3 liters
Rum: 2 liters
Vodka: 6 liters
Tequila: 1 liter
Dry vermouth: 2 bottles
Sweet vermouth: 2 bottles
Tonic: 1 case
Club soda: 1 case
Cranberry juice: 2 gallons
Orange juice: 1 gallon
Grapefruit juice: 1 gallon

If you are getting ready to host a party Real Simple has great food and beverage calculators to help you determine how much food and liquor to buy and prepare.

Wedding Wine and Liquor Calculator
Click here

Party Food and Beverage Calculator
Click here

Asheville Wedding at The Biltmore Estate: Cynthia + Daniel 10.2.10

If you do not live in the Carolinas or watch HGTV religiously you may not be familiar with The Biltmore Estate. The Biltmore is the largest privately owned home in the country and it is spectacular! I've had the pleasure of touring this remarkable landmark located in Asheville, North Carolina three times and every visit I'm even more amazed by the vision of George Vanderbilt. The house covers 4 acres, totaling 175,000 square feet and consists of 250 rooms that include 35 guest and family rooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, and three kitchens. Amazing!

This past October, Style Perfect Events had the honor of assisting Cynthia and Daniel with tying up the loose ends on their destination wedding at the Biltmore and coordinating the day.

The couple had a quaint wedding for family and friends that took place in the lush Butterfly Garden and Conservatory. The weather was beautiful and the fall foliage was just starting to make it's grand entrance.

Here are a few pictures from their wedding day. The photographer was David Edge from Photo Edge Photography.

Dressing for the New Year

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season besides being with family and friends is shopping for a party dress for New Year's Eve! This tradition started about five years ago when my now husband then boyfriend and I made plans to attend a New Year's Eve party in Charlotte and I spent all day shopping for the perfect dress. Since, then we've decided to travel to a new destination each year to ring in the New Year and I get a NEW dress. We've celebrated in cities like Miami, Las Vegas and Atlanta and every year I spend hours searching for a fabulous cocktail dress!

Here are some of the styles that I'm loving this year!








What are your plans for New Year's Eve?

Matchmaker

Today's post is a personal one because I am so excited about my brother's engagement to his girlfriend! He proposed yesterday evening and I couldn't be more happy for the both of them.

I have three brothers and I am definitely a very protective and particular sister when it comes to the women in their lives. That being said, back in 2008 I took matters into my own hands and one evening while chatting on the phone with my wedding coordinator we talked about our family and to my delight she had a daughter that was the same age as my eldest brother. We both shared details about our loved ones and I thought hmmm...I absolutely adore my wedding coordinator....so her daughter has to be fabulous too. Sure enough when my wedding day came around, my wedding coordinator brought her daughter to the wedding to help out and I gladly introduced her to my brother and the rest is history!

I'll be sure to share details about their engagement and nuptials!


Image: My fabulous wedding photographer Tony Schreiber

No Center Aisle

Images: via Google and Clark Berry Photography

You've found the perfect church or location for your wedding ceremony, but there's no center aisle! No worries. There are many ways to make it work. For a medium-size wedding, you can have your guests seated in the center section of the church or venue and have the wedding party process up the left aisle and walk down the right aisle for the recessional. For a larger number of wedding guests that will fill all sections of the church or venue you can process up either the right or left aisle. Just make sure you make a decision on what you would like to do before you get to the wedding rehearsal, so everyone is clear on where to go.

Are you getting married at a unique ceremony site and need help with your processional? post your question in the comment section.

Charlotte Wedding: Tameka + Willie 9.25.10

We not only enjoy planning and coordination at Style Perfect Events, but we also "LOVE" event design!

Tameka and Willie were married in September at the Holiday Inn Center City in Charlotte and we were the Event Designer for their modern and chic nuptials. Tameka came to us with lots of ideas and pictures that she had clipped out of magazines and printed off the Internet, but she had no idea how to turn them into a cohesive wedding look, that would have her guests wowed. We worked with Tameka on streamlining her ideas and creating an inspiration/style board that would be the essence of her wedding vision. We also crafted many unique details for the day, such as, floral pomanders for the ceremony, crossword puzzle game, candy table, bar signage, etc.

The fabulous vendors that were involved in creating Tameka and Willie's uptown wedding were:
Venue: Holiday Inn Center City in Charlotte
Linens: Connie Duglin Speciality Linens and Chair Cover Rentals
Lighting: Tom at Uptown Event Productions
Floral: Party Blooms
Cake: Austin's Bakery and Design
Stationery: Praez Occasions
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
Lounge Furniture: AFR Furniture Rental
Event Design and Decor: Style Perfect Events

Thank you so much to Pixels on Paper photography for the wonderful images! Please check them out, they are amazing photographers.

Fabulous Local Store Find: Pier 1 Imports

The past few times I've been in Pier 1 Imports I've stumbled upon some great items that can be used to create a unique seating chart or to display your guest's escort cards.

Check-out these great affordable finds!


Scroll Photo Holder, $10


9 Clip Wall Frame, $28


Magnet Board with Frames, $18


12-Opening Flower Wallframe Photoholder, $20

Charlotte Marriott Center City

Image: Charlotte Marriott Center City

Last week I had the pleasure of joining a few of my fellow wedding planners for a grand tour and dinner of the Marriott Hotel in Center City. This was my first time at the hotel and I was surprised to learn about the different amenities that set them apart from other hotels in uptown. Such as, they house a swanky wine bar called Savannah Red and a cigar bar called Cutters which has pool tables and authentic Cuban cigars.

Their event space is your typical hotel ballroom, but the staff is very flexible and accommodating and is open to an event designer coming in and transforming the space with draping, lighting, etc. In the ballrooms you are also allowed to hang decor items from the ceiling, which is a plus, if you want to create some extra drama. The hotel even offers lighting packages, which is great! Another hotel feature is their commitment to local ingredients and farmers. We were able to meet with the head chef of the hotel and learn more about his passion for sustainability and creating new and fresh menu ideas for any occasion.

If you are looking for a great venue for your wedding, corporate event or out-of-town guests make sure to check-out the Charlotte Marriott Center City and tell them that Style Perfect Events sent you!

Charlotte Marriott Center City
100 West Trade Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
704-333-9000

Wish Upon a Wedding

Last week the Wish Upon a Wedding Carolinas chapter hosted their first fundraising gala at the Ritz Carlton. It was a pleasure to be in attendance to support this great charity. Wish Upon a Wedding is the world’s first nonprofit wish granting organization providing weddings and vow renewals for couples facing terminal illness and serious life-altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation.

The gala was held to raise funds for the organization to aid them in granting wishes. You can learn more about the organization and how to volunteer or donate at their website.

Please spread the word!

Charlotte Wedding: Katie + Chris 11.14.09

Last year I had the esteemed pleasure of working with Katie and Chris on their fall nuptials. Style Perfect Events came in mid-way through the planning process and was able to help elevate the design details, finalize vendors and create unique DIY accents.

Katie and Chris were married at the beautiful Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church followed by a reception at the Cabarrus Event Center in Concord.

Here are a few pictures from their big day. Happy One Year Anniversary!

Photographer: Duet Photography

The Brawley House in Mooresville

Image via The Brawley House

This past week the Brawley House in Mooresville held an open house to showcase their newly remodeled event space to the community and brides. They definitely rolled out the red carpet for the event with valet service and delightful hostesses as you entered.

The house is beautifully decorated and has a large wrap around porch. The grounds are nicely manicured and include two fountains. The Brawley House currently has plans to build a gazebo space for outdoor ceremonies, as well.

I must say, I was very impressed with the venue, although it is off the beaten path. The Brawley House has really done a nice job of making you feel transported to a beautiful southern estate with it's custom wrought iron gates at the entryway and vast grounds that are also fenced in for privacy.

Here are a few camera pictures from the event.












Lake Norman couples make sure to check-out the venue and let them know that Style Perfect Events sent you!

The Brawley House601 Williams St.
Mooresville, NC 28115
704-664-7964