Happy Anniversary to Tiffany & Shawn!

Monday, September 29, 2014

Wishing this adorable couple a very Happy 1st Anniversary! 

Tiffany and Shawn were so much fun to work with. They are such warm people, and they each have a thousand-watt smile. Tiffany is also super crafty, so she handmade many of her own wedding details (including the directional sign below).


Tiffany's bouquet and other florals were created by the lovely ladies of Tulip







After Tiffany made a grand entrance down the beautiful Callanwolde staircase, the couple was married by the bride's Uncle.




 At the end of the ceremony, they "jumped the broom"on their way back down the aisle. 


It was an absolutely perfect Fall day. 

Congrats y'all! Wishing you many years of love and happiness! 


Wedding Coordination: Pretty Swell Parties

Florals: Tulip

Photography: Libby Photo






















Katie & Brad

Monday, September 22, 2014

Katie and Brad had a pretty incredible wedding reception at The Estate in Buckhead. What an amazing and perfectly decorated venue.  Katie and Brad were so much fun to work with, and their wedding day was a blast! 



The personal flowers, including the bride's bouquet were done by the ever fabulous ladies at  Bloomin' Bouquets. I always love a white bride's bouquet - traditional and perfect. 



Reception decor was created in-house at The Estate by A Legendary Event in corals and hot pink, and orange. 



 And this cake by Sweet Caroline's! Have you ever seen such a big wedding cake? It was as delicious as it was beautiful.  




Congrats to Katie & Brad! 


Venue, catering and reception florals and decor: The Estate

Personal flowers: Bloomin' Bouquets

Photography: Photosynthesis Studio


Wedding Coordination: Pretty Swell Parties

An "I Do Barbeque" with Maggie & Andrew

Wednesday, September 17, 2014


Maggie and Andrew were such a dream to work with. They planned the perfect, personal wedding with details that truly reflected their sweet personalities (and Maggie's craftiness!). 



After a first look in the square in downtown Decatur, 





Maggie & Andrew got married in the beautiful Old Courthouse on the Square.  


The gorgeous florals were provided by Shanna Skidmore for Amy Osaba Events, and table numbers (pictured below) were created by the bride herself. 


Guests found their seats with festive party blower escort cards, 


and were treated to Fox Bros BBQ for dinner -- a favorite of Andrew's, and a real crowd pleaser! 



Everyone danced the night away to the music of the New South Players
The dancing at this wedding was no joke!
 I saw a girl do The Worm. Seriously! It was amazing. 



Congrats to Maggie and Andrew! 

Photography: Andrew Thomas Lee

Wedding Coordination: Pretty Swell Parties

Floral Design: Shanna Skidmore for Amy Osaba Events


Bride's Hair & Makeup: Claudia Mejerle


Catering: Fox Bros BBQ



On Marriage



When you are a wedding planner, you hear a lot of toasts. Some are lovely, some hilarious, and let's face it, some are just plain awful.

There have been many times when a good toast has gotten me teary-eyed, but this past summer, I heard one that was so touching and sweet, it just stuck with me. 

It was given by the bride's sister who was the Maid of Honor. She had found a post-it note at their grandmother's home (pictured below), and saved it for the occasion.  On it were these words:

Love is so many things. 
It's being romantic; it's being practical. 
It's speaking kind words. It's forgiving unkind ones. 

It's changing the baby, fixing a tire, mowing the lawn, holding hands, 
holding a basin when someone is sick. 

People need different things at different times, and that's what real love is. 
Doing what the person you love needs at the moment. 

Excellent advice, and so well said. 


What will your groom remember?

Monday, August 25, 2014

So much of wedding planning is centered around the bride and what she'd like her wedding day to be. 

But even if your guy doesn't care which way the napkins are folded, or what specialty cocktail you decide to serve, he will certainly have his own set of memories. 

Wondering what types of things stand out for the guys? We asked a handful of our favorite guys about their best wedding memories. Here is what they had to say: 



The details are all a blur, but I think the memory I took away from our wedding day was realizing how happy my wife was to see all the planning and coordination come to fruition. Everything went so perfectly that it was even more beautiful and more fun then we could have ever imagined. 

____________________

Normally we prefer to stay out of the lime light, but  my bride looked so stunning on our wedding day that it felt like I was escorting an 'A list' celebrity actress to a high profile televised event.  

_______________

I have so many favorite memories of my wedding day.  Waking up and realizing I was about to marry the love of my life. Getting ready with my Dad and my brother.  Celebrating with our friends and family at a reception that is still talked about among our friends as one of the most fun weddings ever.  But of all the memories, my absolute favorite is holding hands with my bride under the chuppah, totally oblivious to what the rabbi was saying, just thinking that I could not wait to get our life started together.  And that applause from the crowd when I stepped on the glass and kissed my new bride and felt prouder and happier than I ever had.  That's my favorite memory.

_______________

I think my favorite memory from my wedding (aside from the obvious) was two-fold.

One was my grandfather getting up and speaking, which he didn't do for any other weddings. He was on his last legs, and had really kind of rallied big time just to make it to this one. 
He took a turn after that and died the following February, but he always loved my wife and it was incredibly moving that he spoke.

The other thing I loved was just that all of the events were at the hotel, which meant that everyone was around to hang out the entire weekend. As a wedding guest, you always get to hang out with your friends, but when you are in the wedding, you barely have time to say hello to anyone.

I felt like I really got the chance to spend quality time with friends and family because we all were there with nowhere else really to go, and that made the weekend all the more special.

_______________

Second Line Parade!  We got married in New Orleans and the entire wedding party and all of our guests marched through the French Quarter dancing behind a brass band for 30-45 minutes.  People were coming out of bars and handing everyone drinks, and everyone on the street cheered for us as we marched and danced past.  Our feet were exhausted by the time it was over, but it was worth it!

______________

My best memory from the wedding weekend was the first time I saw my wife in her dress. It had been less than 24 hrs since I saw her, but it felt like it had been weeks because of all of the chaos leading up to the big day. The anticipation leading up to the exact moment made it even better and it was very special to have a private moment where we could just enjoy 
being together and not have to think about anything else. 

________________



A special thanks to our friends for sharing these wonderful memories!


Blair & Bryan

Friday, August 22, 2014


Planning a wedding long distance is always tricky. But when you live out of town, both work full time, and are both pursuing master's degrees, well that's just plain nuts! This is exactly what Blair & Bryan did.

The couple lives in Washington, DC, but they had a perfect southern wedding at one of my favorite venues, The Georgian Terrace Hotel.

The couple chose not to see each other before their ceremony, which took place at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church.  So their photos afterwards on the church grounds were a little extra special.



Blair's beautiful bouquet was done by the amazing ladies at Bloomin' Bouquets
They also created these gorgeous centerpieces,


and a drop-dead amazing magnolia leaf table runner. Does it get any more Southern than that? 


 Their escort cards were created by Dondrea of Jenkins Rose Modern Paper, who hand painted and hand wrote each one. This is quite possibly my favorite wedding detail ever. 


The cake was created by Frosted Pumpkin Gourmet



The invitations were designed by the bride's sister, using a watercolor painted by the bride's mother. 



Wedding Planning Pretty Swell Parties
Floral Design Bloomin' Bouquets
Hair & Makeup Jennifer C. Neiman
Reception venue and Catering The Georgian Terrace





Signature Cocktail: The Chaperone

Thursday, August 21, 2014


Thinking about a signature cocktail for your wedding or engagement party? Its definitely a fun way to add something special to the bar, and we've got the perfect recipe for you: The Chaperone. 

Incorporating Vodka, St. Germaine, and bubbly mixed with citrus and bitters, this drink is absolutely delicious. It was created by bartender extraordinaire,  R. Victor, AKA The Liquor Vicar. 

Here's how to make it: 

First, add some ice to your shaker: 


Next, add  1oz Vodka, 1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice, 1/4 oz Lemon Juice, and 1/2 oz St Germaine:



Add 2 Dashes Regan's Orange Bitters:


Then, shake it all up:

Strain into a champagne flute or coupe: 

Top with sparkling wine: 

Garnish with a grapefruit twist: 

and Enjoy! 




The Chaperone
Served in a Flute or Coupe
1oz Vodka
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz St Germaine
2 Dashes Regan's Orange Bitters
Sparkling Wine
Grapefruit Twist
Shake all ingredients except for the sparking wine with ice.  Strain into a glass and then top with Sparkling.  



 
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