Rehearsal Dinner, Colombian Style

On a pristine April Friday night in North Carolina, we had the pleasure of putting on a fabulous rehearsal dinner for a wonderful couple, Rachel and David. Since David comes from Colombia, the couple thought that the perfect way to honor his heritage during the wedding weekend would be to have a Colombian-infused affair the night before they got hitched.

Thanks to The Catering Company of Chapel Hill, Tre Bella Florist, Party Tables Linens, DJ Brian Clonaris, and Classic Party Rentals, we were able to put together a beautiful and fun party on the bride's family's absolutely gorgeous farm.

I hope these photos will serve as inspiration to you to carry a theme throughout your event with the music, food, and overall feel, and to not be afraid of color to create atmosphere; you can see here how it really set the tone for an unforgettable evening. The guests danced the night away...long after the sangria and arepas were gone.

Enjoy!

XOXO
grace

New York Times, Baby!

I'm VERY proud and excited for my darling husband, who is featured in today's New York Times Dining Out section. I had to share! Hope you enjoy it...and hope that many of you can make it out to Six Plates soon.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/dining/21carolina.html

XOXO
grace

Love this idea!

I don't know about you, but we are always looking to find fun, delicious and innovative ways of doing dessert at weddings and events. I just fell in love with this crepe cake from Charleston Crepe Company. It's absolutely beautiful with its thin layer of powdered sugar. Even better, it is off the beaten path from your standard wedding cake and it's always nice to have an alternative for the gal who plays to her own drummer (or who happens to love crepes).

From today's Daily Candy weddings:

charleston crepe company!">

Cut Through the Layers
In lieu of a traditional cake, opt for Charleston Crepe Company’s brand new tiered wedding treats, available with chocolate or vanilla cream between layers of crepe.

www.dailycandy.com

From Ivy's Blog To You!

This is a post from my good friend Ivy Robinson's Blog, where she reminisces through pictures about the crazy and fun time we had working on the CW Network's wedding reality show, "Hitched or Ditched" in 2009. Enjoy and thanks, Ivy!

Flashback: CW Network Filming

"Last year at this time we were full force with what I will call “Operation Hitched or Ditched” with the CW network at Ballantyne Resort. My partner in crime for these episodes was my dear friend Grace Beason with Grace Leisure Events. The pictures are some behind the scenes shots that we took during our oh so dramatic fun filled month of filming." - Ivy www.ivyrobinson.com

A Well Deserved Wedding

Here is a link to the NC 17 news coverage of a wedding I had the honor to plan and coordinate (along with a group of fantastic Triangle wedding vendors) for a very, very deserving couple, Christine Linn and Bob McArthur. Read more and watch below...I know you'll be as moved as I was by the family, most of all the bride. After all, everyone is deserving of love and of a fairytale wedding - and this set of circumstances makes this wedding even more memorable.

XOXO

grace

http://wake.mync.com/site/Wake/news/story/49148/garner-couple-ties-the-knot/

Thank you to the NACE family and all of the wonderful vendors who participated!

Jenny & Zach: Figure Eight Island, North Carolina

Here is a sneak peek at some of the images from a November wedding we did on Figure Eight Island in Wilmington, taken by the very lovely and talented Lisa Brown of Bella Rose Photography. Thanks, Lisa! And thank you also to the Figure Eight Island Yacht Club, cakes by Flower & Flour, the fabulous florist Sam Haddock, Elizabeth Porcher Jones calligraphy and as always, my wonderful assistants, Alex and Katherine. Enjoy!

XOXO

grace

Flashback: Livi & Jeremy

All of this cold weather is making me nostalgic for the summertime! I want to share with you some photos from Livi and Jeremy's gorgeous wedding that was last August at the Carolina Inn. The stunning photos were taken by Tamara Lackey of Tamara Lackey Photography. Livi and Jeremy were a wonderful couple - so in love - and their families were super sweet, too. We loved working with them. It was a perfectly "Carolina" wedding!

You know how I feel about attention to detail, so here are some fabulous detail shots by Tamara:

The bride's Manolos. Lucky girl!
An array of family photos set in the Gallery outside of the Old Well Room.
Bridesmaid bouquets dual-purposed...
Summertime lemonade punch!
Gorgeous bride and gown, spectacular bouquet.
The happy couple!
I love this photo of the cake - it has a vintage feel to it, don't you think?
The ever beautiful and timeless Old Well Room.
Cocktails on the front lawn - perfect!
Livi, one of the most stylish and lovely brides I've had the pleasure to work with.