Fundraising Fun!

I was honored to be a part of the 30th annual Holly Festival of Trees! This fundraising event took place in lovely down town Norfolk at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center, an absolutely gorgeous venue for any occasion. Our goal for the night was to raise money for the CHKD Childrens hospital. As a business owner I got the chance to decorate a themed christmas tree to be auctioned off for this amazing cause! My theme was COFFEE! And anyone who knows me at all knows my love of java! There were other amazing trees with fun themes like "margaritaville", "wine tree", a "lotto ticket tree" and a guitar signed by justin beiber to be auctioned off! I had an amazing time at this gala but most of all we were able to raise funds and awareness for the children who truly need it! 

Fundraising Fun is in the spotlight!! 

Samantha and Skylers ocean front wedding!!

I had a fabulous time working with Samantha and Skyler on their big day! After a picture perfect ocean front ceremony at Sandbridge beach they danced the night away at "The water table" in VA Beach. Check out some of the highlights of the day in this video...   https://vimeo.com/49680356 

Samantha and Skylers Ocean front wedding is in the spotlight!!

Are you a DIY Bride?

The term “do it yourself”, in relation to any sort of project, may be cringe worthy to some who may feel that they do not have a creative bone in their body, but not to worry, there are some super easy projects out there that even YOU can do! I recently planned a wedding where the bride and groom made almost all of the decorations for the ceremony and reception and it turned out fabulous! They were inspired by bright colors to accentuate the summer season.

What I loved the most was the home made paper flowers, in varying colors, that wrapped around the tree that the bride and groom were married under. We also put crepe paper balls hanging from some of the branches to add to the theme of a festive outdoor summer wedding. We all know that it would be easy to spend thousands of dollars renting and/ or buying décor for “THE BIG DAY”, but if you have a dash of creativity and a little bit of time you can create some great, inexpensive and personalized wedding decorations!

Regardless of what your vision is, you can most likely achieve a modified version of it for less by putting your creative cap on, enlisting the help of a few friends and BOOM, you’ve got yourself some amazing wedding creations. If you are feeling inspired, check out websites like http://www.diybride.com/ or check out your local book store for DIY wedding books! Want to re -create the paper flowers in the picture above? Then check out ...  http://crafts.kaboose.com/flower2.html

DIY Bride is in the spotlight!

PHOTO BOOTH FUN!

If you are looking for a fun touch at your wedding reception look no further than a photo booth. I have had many couples opt for a photo booth and the guests go crazy over it every time. Yes, a lot of people are jumping on the photo booth band wagon these days, but for good reason! Simply put, it’s so much fun! Children and adults love to play with a few goofy props and take crazy pictures! Other than dancing, it is another thing that will get your guests out of their chair and let loose! There are tons of places that rent photo booths, but you can also speak with your photographer and see if they offer a “photo booth” session, where they just bring in a back drop to set up for some photo taking fun! Some fun props to consider are masks, boas, hats, fake jewelry, or maybe signs with different phrases on them. You can let your creativity flow with this! A lot of this stuff you can make yourself for practically nothing or you can just buy props online or from a party store. Of course, It is always fun to check out all the crazy photos after the wedding and find out how silly your friends and family can really be! PHOTO BOOTH FUN IS IN THE SPOTLIGHT.

A Blue and Green wedding in "Paris"

An evening in Paris was the theme for a wedding I coordinated this past weekend at the Contemporary Arts Center in VA Beach. The couple wanted a low key, elegant affair filled with family, friends and a touch of Paris, which is where the couple will be going for their honeymoon. Navy blue with a pop of green along with beautiful trees lit with white lights, gave the room the romantic and still toned down look that the couple was looking to achieve. What was my favorite part of this event? All of the personal touches, from the homemade cupcakes in a jar that were given away as favors, to the place cards and menu's, this couple put their stamp on it all! Another fun idea that we did in this wedding was that the table's were not numbered but named after places in France. Personal touches always make a wedding more memorable! A Blue and Green Wedding in Paris is in the spotlight!

THE ROYAL WEDDING

Oh to be a bride meeting your prince at the alter...... the stuff that great Disney Movies are made of! Yes I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to witness the historic wedding of the future king of England prince William to his Kate Middleton, and it was awesome. From the thousands of people lining the streets to catch a glimpse of the couple, to the bride stepping out of the car revealing her gorgeous gown, this was an event to remember. I couldn't help but wonder what it must be like to know that you are about to marry the future King and adopt a lifestyle of privilege, tradition and duty. Talk about pressure! Oh yea and the fact that approximately 2.5 billion people from around the world witnessed this event! And I was nervous walking down the aisle in front of 105 people on my wedding day! As for the guests at the wedding, all I can say is "check out those hats". Some were fabulous and other's were, well, interesting, to say the least. Well tonight I will go to sleep with grand visions of horse drawn carriages and the Queen dancing in my head. So, if your invitation to the big day got lost in the mail or you simply were not able to see this event live, no fear, the highlights are sure to be on every news channel, entertainment show and magazine cover for weeks to come. So congratulations to Kate and her Prince William, this was truly a spectacular wedding fit for royalty! The Royal Wedding is in the spotlight!

Bridal Show Extravaganza!

I recently attended the "Uniquely yours bridal show" in Norfolk VA. It reminded me just how helpful and fun bridal shows can really be! It is a cornucopia of Vendors, samples, bridal fashion and more. You might even run into a celebrity or two like world renowned wedding planner David Tutera who was the host of this particular show. Most wedding shows will let the bride to be's in for free, otherwise there may be a small fee, around $10. There is nothing better than being able to meet vendors in person and be able to see samples of their work and ask them questions. Many vendors will give some sort of discount for their services for stopping by their booth. A great wedding show is an opportunity to get inspired! So look out for some shows in your town and let your inner planner get to work. Bridal Show Extravaganza is in the spotlight!