A Delightful Day - Event Planning - Blog

Birthday Parties

We are so excited that we are planning a Sweet 16 party and are dreaming back to our Sweet 16 days when we didn't get the huge party that all girls want! So... out of the fun of what the Sweet 16 represents my birthday party posting inspiration comes from a very swanky Sweet 16 that was featured on The Knot's sister site PartySpot. I love the details of this event and come on... if I could go back to Sweet 16, this is the way I would celebrate! (If funds were no issue)

Whatever event you're planning, make the invite entice people to want to come. This invite set off the tone for aquas, Miami Beach vibe, and a lounge feel.

I love taking a theme, like crystals, and using them in all spots possible.

Use your colors in all ways possible, especially with lighting. Lighting has such an incredible look and creates pictures with depth.

The trendy photobooth at the events!

Even though it's a Sweet 16, bartenders created "mocktini's" for the teenagers. You could carry that over into your wedding or event where alcohol will not be used. It creates a fun vibe and you can incorporate your favorite flavors or the events colors.

Fun favors like the Candy Bar are always a hit! Invite your guests to go home with a little momento of their evening.

No matter what type of event you're planning, birthday party, shower, wedding, always personalize. It lets your guests know that you're celebrating who you are and allowing them to be apart of it!

Bridal Beauty

It seems as though more and more brides are showing their natural beauty and glow. More and more you're seeing in magazines that brides aren't overdoing their looks now, but creating an understated elegance to their hair and makeup. Investing in your look for your wedding day is money well spent. Choose a makeup artist and hair stylist wisely, and make sure to get at least one trial with each, fine-tuning your wedding day look. Here are some modern hairstyles that are making the runway and onto brides everywhere.

I love the idea of replacing your veil after the ceremony and formal photos with a flower from your bouquet or a silk flower.

Loose waves, feathers, and netting is becoming a trend in wedding photos. Brides are being more of their natural selves on the wedding day rather than walking down the aisle unlike their more normal selves and grooms being afraid to touch with you with all the makeup and hairspray. You don't want to be plain jane, just a more glamourous version of yourself.

Brooches are an elegant addition to a low chignon or bun. There are many resources to find brooches, like www.pugster.com, Ebay sellers, and department stores.

Pair your natural gorgeous hair with natural elegant makeup.

Be only a more elegant version of yourself ladies! You don't want to not recognize yourself in your pictures. Natural beauty is delightful! 

Save the Date

Save the dates have become such a popular paper that brides are looking for them right after their wedding planning begins. This choice sets the tone for the type of event that you're going to have. Many brides question when to send. When you're have a destination wedding or a holiday wedding, it is best to send the save the date at least 9 months to a year in advance. If you're having a local wedding, 6 months is usually time enough. This allows for out of town guests plenty of time to make arrangements for their trip. What do you need to include with a save-the-date?

• Accommodations information, making hotel suggestions that are around your wedding site or letting your guests know of wedding room blocks at certain hotels that you have arranged for them. Make sure with those you include hotel name, phone number to call to make reservations, code name, cut off date, and if needed pricing information.
• Travel information is good to have to let them know what airports are around as well as any car rental facilities and shuttle information.
• Planned events are great to let guests know about, so that they can come in in time to participate. Also, if they're making a weekend trip out of it they know what to make preparations for.
• Make sure to include date and if available location!!!

Make the wording on your save-the-date either formal, informal, or fun! Here are some suggestions from The Knot.

Formal Notice
Jack and Jill
are getting married on
July 5, 2005
San Francisco, California

Fun & Flirty
He proposed ... she said 'Yes'!
Jack + Jill
will tie the knot
July 5, 2005
Chicago, Illinois

Totally Carefree
We're taking the plunge!
Hope you'll be there to celebrate our flight.
Jack & Jill
say "I Do"
July 5, 2005
Nantucket Island

Some other tips when choosing your save the date:

• Choose a paper that reflects the wedding colors that you have chosen.
• Use a motif that you want to include in your wedding like a monogram or a design.
• You could choose something as simple as a postcard to a magnetic puzzle that they put together that creates the save the date. Be creative and personalize, personalize, personalize!
• The refrigerator magnets are very popular now because guests can put it on their frig and won't forget! Also, the save the date stickers for the calendar are popular as well.

One last tip to remember, don't send save-the-dates to guests that won't be receiving invitations. This is bad etiquette. We don't want angry friends and family! Sending the save-the-date is only the beginning of planning fun! Plan a delightful one!

Vendor Spotlight: Michael Howard Photography

A Delightful Day presents... vendor spotlights! We love our vendors that we work with, so we would like to spotlight some of our favorites and ask candid questions, as well as business related questions. This way, you can get to know the vendors that you might possibly work with on your big day!

Our first vendor spotlight is Michael Howard Photography. Enjoy Michael's answers to our questions, as well as some of his favorite 4-5 pics from events that he has done.

Name: Michael Howard

Business: Michael Howard Photography

Your Site Address and/or Blog Address: www.howardphoto.com and www.howardphoto.net for the blog

How would you describe your style or work: My work has unusual perspectives, fine details, and well-designed compositions for an editorial quality.

Favorite Thing About Your Job? Capturing moments that my clients will always be proud of.

Magazine Must Have… I don't have one

Guilty Pleasure… LOST. I'm addicted.

What Do You Do When You First Wake Up? Feed our twins

When It Rains… I like to sleep or read.

MAC or PC… Mac by far!

What’s on your iPod? Radiohead - In Rainbows and the first three seasons of LOST

Travel Dreams… To take my wife to Tahiti or Fiji for our 10 year anniversary

One piece of advice for Brides-to-be... Don't skimp on the photography because it's all you have once the wedding day is over.

Here are the photos that Michael choose as his favorites... enjoy!

Michael, you're work is exquisite! We hope to work with you soon! Thanks for letting us pick your brain. Stay tuned for more wonderful Nashville vendors! Have a delightful day! 

A Delightful Day is headed to...Jamaica!

Yeah Mon! ;)

We are headed to Jamaica at the end of March for a whirlwind tour of the fabulous Sandals destinations! It is both our first trip to Jamaica - (each of us had our own honeymoons in Cancun - another wonderful honeymoon spot!).

Our trip is with 40+ other wedding event planners in the Southeast US - all who belong to the Association of Bridal Consultants. You can bet we will be sharing lots of ideas and knowledge.

We can't wait to come back and give first-hand knowledge to our bride and groom's of the accommodations and our experience at the Sandals resorts. And of course, share with all of you faithful blog readers!

Favors

More and more brides are saying thank you to their guests by giving out favors. Favors are a fun gift to give, but I believe they need to be something that your guests are going to enjoy and not another trinket to put in their drawer. Some tips to help you decide on what type of favor to choose for your guests include:

• Do your homework and gather information and pics from magazines, see what's in style and trendy, and also choose something that will be relavant to your event.
• Personalize your favors in some way by using a motif, create labels with your monogram, incorporate pictures of the two you, etc. Bring some of your life into your favor.
• Decide on a fun way to package your favor. Whether it's a cute favor box and ribbon tied with your wedding colors, a cellophane bag with a monogram sticker to the front, chinese take out boxes, organza bags, wooden boxes, or tin canisters, create a new packaging for your favor if it's something that you've purchased to make it personalized.
• Present your favors right. So many guests walk out without a favor, and then you're stuck with so many of them. Place them in a spot that guests are going to notice as they exit your reception. Group the favors in masse for the guests to take on a fun cake stand, in a tin pail, use the favors as your table numbers or place cards, or stand at the door at the end of the night and present them to your guests and say thank you for attending your wedding day.
• Some great resources for favor ideas: www.theknotshop.com, www.bellaterra.net, www.containerstore.com, www.foryourparty.com, www.iomoi.com, www.katespaperie.com, www.mjtrim.com, www.myjeanm.com, www.orientaltrading.com, www.paperpresentation.com, www.paper-source.com, www.weddingthings.com, www.wonderfulgraffitiwedding.com.   

Here are some fun suggestions and photos from the knot that many brides have sent in:

Create a CD of you and your groom's favorite songs, or songs that are played at your wedding for them to take home and celebrate again everytime they listen to it!

One fun favor that I had seen was the caricature that was drawn of the wedding couple.

For holiday's, doing something related is fun! Giving out a beautiful ornament as your favor is something useful and will be enjoyed for years to come!

Edible favors are always a hit! Whether it's cookies, chocolates, or the trendy candy bars, you can never have enough sweets!

A wonderful favor that gives back is making a donation to a cause that is close to your heart. Make sure that you give a description of the donation that you gave and why.

Doing the candy bar is a fun way to incorporate your wedding colors!

Don't forget the kiddies at your wedding!

No matter what type of favor you do, coordinate it with your theme and something that means something to you and your groom. It makes a statement to your guests and let's them know that you cared about them being a part of your special day! 

Venue Spotlight: Merchant's

One of the many fun events that take place within the months or weeks of your wedding is your bridesmaids luncheon. A great venue for your bridesmaids luncheon is Merchants. Amber and I went to check out this historic building for a bridesmaid's luncheon and there are several different rooms that can accommodate any size event, from 10 people to 100. The beautiful hardwood interiors, fireplaces, and 180 degrees of windows creates a warm atmosphere for your girlfriends to mingle and reminisce about your past joys, sorrows, and triumphs. Here many palettes can be brought to life in a neutral atmosphere! Here are several photos from our visit of the only private room, while the rest are open to the setting.

 

Check out Merchants website above or visit http://www.merchantsrestaurant.com/eventlunch.cfm to view the event luncheon menu. 

Perfect Wedding Guide Show Recap

Thanks to all who stopped by our booth at the Perfect Wedding Guide show on Sunday!  We had a great time meeting all of you - check your mailbox in the coming weeks for a special show offer for all attendees.

Now on with the show pictures...

The PWG show was a boutique-style show, so instead of full scale booths, we had great tables for intimate conversation! ;)

The black/white + apple green combo was a huge hit and everyone was asking where our linens came from. BBJ Linens is the source! The lime and white spider mums centerpiece also captured the attention of many who wanted to take pictures for inspiration. We did this arrangement and the hydrengea/berry mini vases too. A great collection for a wedding or even a special shower or luncheon.

 

Registries

One of the most fun parts of getting married is registering!!!! Well, of course there is marrying your soulmate, but getting presents is the next best thing! :) Today registeries get really fun and can go beyond just your practical blenders, place settings, and silverware. Some handy wedding registry tips for brides include:

• Time it right: It is completely acceptable to register as soon as you get engaged. This is great for guests who would like to purchase a gift for any prewedding celebration -- engagement parties, showers, brunches -- or for people who’d just like to send something as a token of their congratulations.
• Be true to thyself: If you're not a big cook, register for gifts that you're going to enjoy. If you're a camper, register for camping gear. A bookworm, register for books for your home library. Don't feel as if you have to register for the typical items. Be creative because you're going to be receiving them!
• Take stock: See what you have already and see what you're in need of. If you've lived together and have all your needed items, see what needs to be replaced or register for fun gifts you wouldn't buy for yourself like that fun Ice Cream Maker or Espresso Machine.
• Choose more than one spot: Don't keep your registry confined. Choose 3-4 sites for your guests to choose from. One spot may be one of their favorite place to shop or somewhere they've never been. For each store choice, choose it based on what they have that you're wanting to register for. Macy's for your china, Pottery Barn for everyday dishwear, Crate and Barrell for fun home accessories, just to name a few.
• Do it together: Don't go by yourself, because he's gonna be looking at it forever too and he needs his input. Determining what you're going to eat on is one of your many compromises that you'll be making in your married life.
• Over register: You may think you've got way too much, but you never know what kind of buying mood your guests may be in and you want to make sure there's enough items on your registery. You don't want your guests resorting to choosing their own items that you definitely don't need.
• Think outside the box: If you have a lot of items already, sign up for a honeymoon registry where your guests can pay for fun things for your honeymoon. For instance, a romantic massage for two, a fun excursion, or a candlelit dinner.
• Let your guests know: Etiquette is known that telling your guests where you're registered on your wedding invite is a big NO NO! But it is okay on your bridal shower invites, wedding websites, and passing by mouth for guests to know.
• Be gracious: Your guests may not have gotten it right on their gift, but it's the thought that counts. And if you already have it, or it didn't quite fit, you can always return for cash or exchange it for something you need.

I hope these tips will help you and your fiance' in your trip to the stores! Get your registry guns ready and scan, scan, scan!   

Venue Focus: City Hall

Brides are always looking for a fun and interesting venue to host their wedding reception. Looking for just that venue can be quite a tedious process. A Delightful Day hosted a wedding reception at City Hall back in December and we wanted to share this incredible event space with you and introduce you to it's new sister site, Aerial. Aerial being so new we haven't had an event there yet, but look forward to the possibility this year. Check out the website on the link above.

City Hall is a truly unique venue that is used for wedding receptions, but concerts being its main purpose. This warehouse space has large windows looking out onto the 12th Avenue nightlife and also to its other space, BarTwenty3 which is rented out many times in conjunction with City Hall for a cocktail hour prior to the reception. Elissa, the event coordinator at City Hall, Aerial, and BarTwenty3, strives to fulfill brides dreams and create a elegant reception space. City Hall has a great rental price with the ability to bring in your own caterer and bartending staff is available on site. City Hall has some rentals available as well, but Liberty Party Rentals is their preferred rental company for all other needs. This being located on 12th Avenue in the Gulch, valeting parking is needed which can be provided by Elissa as well.  Here are several pictures from City Hall for the event that we did there back in December:

This is a preparation photo to show you a daylight look at the space, exposed brick, wood rafters, and a blank canvas for you to come in and create wedding magic!

Contact Elissa at City Hall for a site tour! Tell her A Delightful Day sent you! It's a hidden treasure!