Carolina Wedding Tours

Just got engaged. Don't know where to start.

Check out the Carolina Wedding Tours. It's the Carolinas first traveling bridal showcase. You will enjoy a fun filled day of touring venues in the Charlotte metro area on a chartered bus and learning about numerous wedding vendors that can assist you in planning your wedding day.

The first stop is Lake Norman on March 14th and you will get to check-out the following reception and ceremony sites.

Homewood Suites by Hilton in Davidson

River Run Country Club

Northstone Country Club

Ranson House

Sign-up TODAY at www.CarolinaWeddingTours.com

Logos and Monograms

Yesterday, I picked up a copy of Weddings Unveiled and discovered a gem, Jennifer Alison Designs. It's a stationery design studio that specializes in custom and stock wedding monograms, business logos, invitations, personal stationery and more.

For my brides on a budget and stylish new business owners, you must check-out this website. Great designs and a great price. What more could you ask for.

Here a few of the designs.

Business Logos





Wedding Monograms

Charlotte Wedding: Sheretha + Tremaine 11.27.09

I had the pleasure of working with Sheretha and Tremaine, a lovely couple who met in Japan while serving in the Navy, on their destination wedding here in Charlotte.

The style of the wedding was rich, romance and elegance, with lots of roses and deep red, yellow and orange colors.


Photographer: Gene Ho Photography

Thank you so much to all of the vendors involved!
Venue: Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel
Photographer: Gene Ho Photography
Videographer: Ella Grey Video
Ceremony Music: Elegant Ensembles
Cake: Cheesecake Etc.
Flowers: The Place for Flowers
Rentals: Party Reflections and Cooke Rentals
Linens: First Impression Party Linen Rental
Ice Sculpture: Ice Sensations

Special Offer: Ella Elise Invitation Studio

Ella Elise Invitation Studio in Charlotte is hosting their first contest for $200 off a set of Letterpress Invitations, which includes, invitation, return address, response card and response envelope with address.

The invitations and envelopes will all be printed on Crane's exclusive letterpress paper. Nice!

Head over to their blog and leave a comment in ten words or less telling them why one of their letterpress designs would be perfect for your big day or why you love letterpress and you could be the lucky recipient of a $200 gift certificate to use toward a letterpress invitation purchase.

The contest runs from Thursday January 21st through Thursday January 28th at 8 pm. The winner will be announced on Friday January 29th.

Good Luck!

Be Inspired: Bold Colors

Although we are in the winter months, I'm loving all of the bold and bright colors. Check-out a few of my favorite color palettes below that I created on The Dessy Group website.

What are some of your favorite combination of colors?

"Graffiti Love" - Fun and Youthful


"High-Profile" - Modern with a Twist


"Georgia Peach" - Sweet and Dainty

Rembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Linen Gallery

On Wednesday I had the pleasure of attending the launch party for Party Reflections new "Linen Gallery". The Linen Gallery is a separate division of Party Reflections dedicated to only linen rentals. Their goal is to provide the highest quality and largest selection of special event linen in the region and I must say they are well on their way. I was very impressed with the selection of linens they showcased at the party. They have done a fabulous job seeking out unique patterns and fabrics and they plan on unveiling new linen options every month.

Utilizing a great table linen and napkins is an easy way to add personality to your event. It is also cost effective when you are looking for ways to stretch your budget because if you can't afford elaborate floral centerpieces you can get the same impact with a great linen and a smaller centerpiece or candles.

Fabulous Local Store Find: Dollar Tree

I love to find bargains and this week while shopping for some goodies for a presentation that I'm doing at the River Run Country Club in Davidson for wedding and event professionals, I found these great blue glasses from the Dollar Tree. Yes! a dollar...aren't they fabulous...?

For a dollar, you can use these to add a splash of color and pizazz to any wedding place setting, birthday party, or intimate dinner for two.



Here are a few examples, from the Internet, of how to add a splash of color to your next event.

2010 Bridal Shows in Charlotte

Happy Monday! Here is a list of the upcoming 2010 Bridal Shows in Charlotte.

January
24th - The Bridal Showcase
12pm-5pm
501 S. College Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
info@thebridalshowcasenc.com
Cost - $12

February
26th-28th - Brides Against Breast Cancer
Marriott Charlotte Executive Park
5700 Westpark Drive
Charlotte, NC 28217
jessica.helms@hilton.com

March
18th - Hampton Inn and Suites in Southpark at Phillips Place
5pm-8pm
6700 Phillips Place Court
Charlotte, NC 28210

April
18th - Holiday Inn Charlotte Center City
1pm-4pm
230 N. College St.
Charlotte, NC 28202

I'm Engaged! Now What...?

Congratulations to all of the newly engaged brides! This is such an exciting time of the year, but it can also be overwhelming. So, here are "5 things you must do before you start planning your wedding". (These tips can also be applied to planning a birthday party, anniversary renewal, etc.)

Tip 1:
Set your Wedding Date and Guest List -
Your date and guest list will determine a lot when deciding on a venue and the cost of your wedding. You don't want to waste your time looking at venues that are not available on your date (or plan B and C wedding dates) or cannot accommodate your guest list.

Tip 2:
Do your Research -
This is most brides first time being immersed in the finite details of a wedding, so get on the internet, read wedding magazines, figure out what you and your fiancee like and what aspects of the wedding are the most important to you both.

Now you don’t have to do a huge search, just simply get an idea of what you like and what things "COST".

Tip 3:
Set a Budget -
Yes, you MUST have a budget and YES you need to track your spending.

If you have not hired a full-service wedding planner that is managing your budget for you, then you need to stay on top of it. Money is one of the many sources for wedding drama, so once you've set your budget; please embrace it...big or small. This will make your wedding planning process go a lot smoother and your bank account a lot happier.

Tip 4:
Prioritize -
This is a BIG one. In a perfect world we would have everything we want, but many times we have to make compromises. Make a list of 8-10 wedding related items (photographer, cake, flowers, venue, etc.) and rank them, one being the most important. This will help you make easier budget decisions if money is starting to get tight, as you have already outlined what’s most important in the beginning.

Tip 5:
Have Fun! -
Enjoy this chapter of your life. Enjoy your engagement. If you can, have an engagement party and wait a few months before you get bogged down in wedding planning details.

Enjoy your wedding. Be a bride that day and let your family and friends be a guest. If you've already decided that you don't want or need a wedding planner, it's a must that you have a day-of-coordinator so you and your groom are not the point of contact for any questions or mishaps that will come up on your wedding day.

I hope this gets you started in the right direction. If you have any additional questions or want to know how a wedding planner can help you, please give us a call, 704-975-9921. We would love to hear more about your wedding!

Fabulous Local Store Find: Julie's Clothing in Charlotte

My hubby and I have started a small tradition of bringing in the New Year in a different city. We've celebrated in Charlotte, Vegas, Miami and Atlanta and each year I wait to the last minute to find the hottest dress for the festivities and drag my husband from store to store trying to find the best dress at the best price. (Yes, I'm a habitual bargain shopper) This year was no different and when I got to the mall a few days after Christmas the stores were bare, but I just took it as the New Years Eve curse. I stayed in the mall for hours trying to make something work to no avail, so the next day I checked out Birkdale Village in Huntersville. My first and last stop was Julie's Clothing. In ten minutes I found 8 fabulous dresses to try on and they were all 50% off. Yes!

Well...I ended up leaving the store with 3 great New Years Eve dresses each $20.

With this being "Engagement Season", make sure to check-out Julie's Clothing for your sassy engagement party dress! They have several locations around Charlotte. Tell them that Style Perfect Weddings and Events sent you.







Happy Shopping!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1... Happy New Year!

2009 was such a blessing and I look forward to an even more exciting 2010. Charlotte is such a great city with amazing people and awesome event professionals. My first full-year here in Charlotte could not have been better. Big THANK YOU to all of the amazing vendors that I had the opportunity to meet and work with and an even BIGGER thank you to all of my amazing couples for giving me the opportunity to style and coordinate your big day! I had such a blast working with you all.

Now what's on the horizon for 2010...

Here are a few of my professional and personal goals:

- Get healthy and hydrated. Drink at least 5 glasses of water a day. I'm a big eater and not much of a drinker. I can go an entire day with only drinking one glass of water or juice, which is terrible. So this will be a huge challenge for me, but something I need to do!

- Real Weddings in Charlotte (post photos from our 2009 wedding season on website and blog)

- Go to the gym. This seems to be a recurring goal and not a way of life, which I'm going to change this year.

- Start a Facebook Fan Page.

- Continue my industry education and knowledge by attending events and workshops hosted by ISES, ABC, NACE and the Charlotte Wedding and Event Professionals Networking Group.

- Attend annual Memorial Day Trip with my four best friends. I missed Vegas last year! :-(

- To blog 3 times a week...(Monday, Wednesday and Friday)


What are your goals for 2010...big or small...?