Friendly reminder: watch the first of two Charlotte weddings planned by Grace and Ivy Robinson of Ivy Robinson Weddings & Events on the premier of the new CW Network wedding reality show, "Hitched or Ditched". Airs tonight at 9pm Eastern. The second Charlotte wedding will air on June 30th so set your DVRs!
http://www.cwtv.com/shows/hitched-or-ditched
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Frozen Yogurt Anyone?
Ladies and Gentlemen...now presenting...LOCAL YOGURT!!!
I am proud and excited to say that my latest venture has now opened, Local Yogurt.
Local Yogurt is Durham, North Carolina's first locally owned, independent frozen yogurt shop featuring the tart, creamy, plain flavor of yogurt that pinkberry has made famous (think yummy real yogurt, frozen), along with three other regularly rotating flavors (we have chocolate, peanut butter, and coffee right now) and a host of toppings including fresh mango, berries, and banana, as well as various candies and cereal you loved when you were a kid such as Fruity Pebbles, Cap N' Crunch, and Golden Grahams.
Local Yogurt has been a dream of mine for several years and I have been lucky enough to open it with a very good friend (who shall remain a nameless, faceless yogurt lover to the public), Ted Domville (the chef at www.sixplates.com), and my darling husband, Matthew.
Visit us online at www.localyogurt.com and please, if you're in the area or driving or flying through, come see us in person and get some natural, low fat, low calorie, DELICIOUS frozen yogurt made with real yogurt. It's locally owned and operated and we will feature a local topping of the month (think Foster's cookies, Dali Mama chocolate, 9th Street Bakery granola, etc.).
*localyogurt * good & good for you
* natural frozen yogurt. fresh & fun toppings *
Thursday, May 14, 2009
"The Ultimate Ultimatum"
Hey reality tv lovers...
Here is a new, more complete link to "Hitched or Ditched", the CW wedding reality show that is going to air this month!
My two episodes will take place on May 26th and June 30th.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Hiched or Ditched?
This winter I had the opportunity to shoot two episodes of a new wedding reality TV show for the CW Network. Three months later, I just got word that "Hitched or Ditched" will air on Tuesday, May 26th and run through June 30th! It was such a crazy, fun, wild, interesting, and exhausting experience (not to mention hilarious at times) that I cannot WAIT to see how it all plays out on TV and once it's been edited.
The show revolves around couples who have been dating for a long time and for one reason or another have not yet gotten married. The couples are surprised with a dream wedding and, this being reality TV, are faced with a lot of drama and decisions regarding their upcoming nuptials. I was lucky enough to plan the two Charlotte weddings along with my friend, Ivy Robinson. While we planned both weddings together, you will see her on camera with one couple, and me with the other. Will they or won't they? Tune in to find out!
Here is a teaser that the CW posted on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1135308148878
Charlotte- May 26th
Boston-June 2nd
San Diego-June 9th
New Jersey- June 16th
Chicago-June 23rd
Charlotte- June 30th
The show revolves around couples who have been dating for a long time and for one reason or another have not yet gotten married. The couples are surprised with a dream wedding and, this being reality TV, are faced with a lot of drama and decisions regarding their upcoming nuptials. I was lucky enough to plan the two Charlotte weddings along with my friend, Ivy Robinson. While we planned both weddings together, you will see her on camera with one couple, and me with the other. Will they or won't they? Tune in to find out!
Here is a teaser that the CW posted on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1135308148878
Charlotte- May 26th
Boston-June 2nd
San Diego-June 9th
New Jersey- June 16th
Chicago-June 23rd
Charlotte- June 30th
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Springtime in North Carolina
I had the wonderful opportunity to assist with the "day of" Paige Sparkman and Brandon Goodwin's wedding in March. Paige and her mom Cy had done the majority of the planning, and I helped them to pull together the final details so that the weekend of the wedding would run smoothly and they could relax.
I always say that the one thing we cannot control is the weather. The Sparkman-Goodwin wedding was, unfortunately, a prime example of this. While it had been 75 and sunny here in Durham the week prior, it was about 35, bitter cold and rainy for this wedding weekend. A lot of brides would have cracked under the pressure of this - an outdoor cocktail reception at the rehearsal dinner, having to walk under an umbrella in her dress from the car to the Chapel and back, but not Paige. She was a consummate lady who shrugged off the inconvenience of it, brushed off her shoulders, and did not let the soggy weather dampen her spirits.
After all, you are getting married, not weddinged. If you stay focused on what you are doing and not how, then looking at the smiling, loving faces of your friends, family and sweetie, and feeling the support and enthusiasm around you will always triumph over bad weather. And what do I always say: despite your immaculate planning, the only thing anyone will remember is a stressed out bride.
It was my first time working with the photographer Tracy Turpen out of Charleston, and I loved her and her husband Lance. Enjoy the fabulous slide show she put together, and also check out
her website sometime - her photos are stunning. Thanks Tracy, and thank you to the Sparkmans and Goodwins for having me be a part of such a very special and beautiful weekend. You reminded me of the ingredients necessary for an unforgettable wedding: unconditional love, a good sense of humor, wonderful friends, great organization with a touch of irreverence, and a lot of go-with-the-flow attitude.
www.tracyturpenslideshows.com/goodwin
http://www.tracyturpen.com/
I always say that the one thing we cannot control is the weather. The Sparkman-Goodwin wedding was, unfortunately, a prime example of this. While it had been 75 and sunny here in Durham the week prior, it was about 35, bitter cold and rainy for this wedding weekend. A lot of brides would have cracked under the pressure of this - an outdoor cocktail reception at the rehearsal dinner, having to walk under an umbrella in her dress from the car to the Chapel and back, but not Paige. She was a consummate lady who shrugged off the inconvenience of it, brushed off her shoulders, and did not let the soggy weather dampen her spirits.
After all, you are getting married, not weddinged. If you stay focused on what you are doing and not how, then looking at the smiling, loving faces of your friends, family and sweetie, and feeling the support and enthusiasm around you will always triumph over bad weather. And what do I always say: despite your immaculate planning, the only thing anyone will remember is a stressed out bride.
It was my first time working with the photographer Tracy Turpen out of Charleston, and I loved her and her husband Lance. Enjoy the fabulous slide show she put together, and also check out
her website sometime - her photos are stunning. Thanks Tracy, and thank you to the Sparkmans and Goodwins for having me be a part of such a very special and beautiful weekend. You reminded me of the ingredients necessary for an unforgettable wedding: unconditional love, a good sense of humor, wonderful friends, great organization with a touch of irreverence, and a lot of go-with-the-flow attitude.
www.tracyturpenslideshows.com/goodwin
http://www.tracyturpen.com/
Monday, April 6, 2009
Purple Passion Part Deux: Gelato Bar
Instead of a wedding cake, Milyeri wanted to have a fun and delicious, interactive and SWEET marble slab gelato bar. After dinner, guests got up from their seats to go to the counter and place their dessert orders with one of the purple apron-clad servers.
The gelato was served from an authentic ice cream service cart, courtesy of Sugarland in Chapel Hill, NC.
Guests could choose from the variety of gelato flavors and toppings offered, which were then mixed together on top of the cold, marble counter top and then served in custom stamped white cups with purple spoons, of course!
Toppings included rich chocolate brownie bites, fresh whipped cream, walnuts, fresh fruit, and house made waffle cone cups.
If anyone needed a little inspiration, they could select one of the three concoctions created by the bride herself, which incorporated her favorite flavors and toppings, as well as those of her groom and her mom.
How sweet it is! And how original, too.
The gelato was served from an authentic ice cream service cart, courtesy of Sugarland in Chapel Hill, NC.
Guests could choose from the variety of gelato flavors and toppings offered, which were then mixed together on top of the cold, marble counter top and then served in custom stamped white cups with purple spoons, of course!
Toppings included rich chocolate brownie bites, fresh whipped cream, walnuts, fresh fruit, and house made waffle cone cups.
If anyone needed a little inspiration, they could select one of the three concoctions created by the bride herself, which incorporated her favorite flavors and toppings, as well as those of her groom and her mom.
How sweet it is! And how original, too.Purple Passion
March brought Milyeri and Neil's wedding: an elegant event in the heart of Durham which we'd been planning for just over a year. Milyeri is a Duke grad and a savvy New York lawyer and Neil is a gregarious South African whom Milyeri met while studying abroad, so we had a lot style and inspiration from which to draw ideas.
Milyeri's dream for her wedding was to have a sophisticated and expertly executed three course served dinner, an incredible band that could play everything from Luther to Mary J. (and all things in between), and a breathtaking room bathed in her signature color, purple. While I think we succeeded on all counts, nothing was more stunning that day than Milyeri, a timeless beauty who looked like she stepped out of Hollywood's golden era.
Enjoy a few photos below, mostly courtesy of our lighting guru, Dave Watson. Thanks for the gorgeous pics, Dave!
Milyeri and her bridesmaids, in amazing hand-made dresses. Check out the vertical bow on the backs of them!
Had to include a fabulous lounge area, of course.
Chandeliers placed strategically throughout the room brought down the massive height of the ceiling and added to the feeling of it being an elegant dinner party with just a splash of drama.
Crystals were hung from the tall, branchy arrangements placed in the cocktail hour on the bars and escort card table.
Purple crystal Waterford flutes for the bride and groom.
A shot of the room: we used 72" round tables, gold chiavaris with ivory cushions, gold rimmed china, three different varieties of centerpieces, and gorgeous menu cards printed with each guest's name at the top (in lieu of separate place cards). Tables were named for some of the couple's favorite songs. Fete accompli!
Milyeri's dream for her wedding was to have a sophisticated and expertly executed three course served dinner, an incredible band that could play everything from Luther to Mary J. (and all things in between), and a breathtaking room bathed in her signature color, purple. While I think we succeeded on all counts, nothing was more stunning that day than Milyeri, a timeless beauty who looked like she stepped out of Hollywood's golden era.
Enjoy a few photos below, mostly courtesy of our lighting guru, Dave Watson. Thanks for the gorgeous pics, Dave!
Milyeri and her bridesmaids, in amazing hand-made dresses. Check out the vertical bow on the backs of them!
Had to include a fabulous lounge area, of course.
Chandeliers placed strategically throughout the room brought down the massive height of the ceiling and added to the feeling of it being an elegant dinner party with just a splash of drama.
Crystals were hung from the tall, branchy arrangements placed in the cocktail hour on the bars and escort card table.
Purple crystal Waterford flutes for the bride and groom.
A shot of the room: we used 72" round tables, gold chiavaris with ivory cushions, gold rimmed china, three different varieties of centerpieces, and gorgeous menu cards printed with each guest's name at the top (in lieu of separate place cards). Tables were named for some of the couple's favorite songs. Fete accompli!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)