Real Wedding featured in The Knot!

Here's a link to a wedding we did in March of 2009 that is currently featured in The Knot. My first job in New York City in 1999 was at The Knot when only 25 people worked there. It's amazing to me how sometimes life comes full circle! Enjoy.

http://weddings.theknot.com/Real-Weddings/70583/view.aspx?id=70583&type=1&location=107

XOXO
grace

Color Theory

I am so inspired by this table by Eddie Ross! He is a genius and you should look up his work at www.eddieross.com along with another fabulous and inspirational blog called "Absolutely Beautiful Things", which I adore. Find it here at: http://absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com/

Sometimes all it takes is one photo to inspire a room or to inspire an entire event! To me, this photo shows a table that could be set in someones gorgeous home or at a club for a bridesmaids' luncheon or a restaurant for an ultra chic baby shower. Whatever the occasion, you can see that Eddie is not afraid of color and neither should you be.

The way Eddie plays the pinks and corals off of the turquoise goblets, candlesticks and napkins is bold and brave and unexpected. The various runners offer a different option than just placing one down the center of the table. The bunches of peonies add an incredibly soft and feminine touch and of course, the pink chiavari chairs do too. They are to die for!!! I cannot wait until the day that we can get chiavaris of all colors in North Carolina...I envy you New Yorkers who can wash a room in color with the choice of chair.

Don't be afraid to mix and match tones! You can see how well it has worked here and what a fun, lively, lovely and lady-like yet tailored look he has created. Look at these two sites for inspiration for your home and your event - I guarantee you'll find something that will set your wheels in motion.

xoxo
grace

Jenny and Tomas

I want to share with you a photo of my latest couple to get hitched, Jenny and Tomas. They were wed on Saturday at Duke Chapel and then had a gorgeous blow-out celebration afterwards at Bay 7 in Downtown Durham. I'll share some photos with you when I get them from Azul Photography, because it was absolutely beautiful! It was my first purely Latin wedding and I just loved the flavor of the food, music, people and culture. Such a good looking crowd and they danced like it was their last night on earth - I love that!! Enjoy and I'll be back in touch soon with more.

xoxo,
grace

The Moment of Truth

I was recently telling a friend a story about a wedding I did on June 26th, and she said to me: "You need to blog about that!!!". It made me realize that there are so many wonderful moments that I experience and that I fail to share with all of you. It's not that I take them for granted, don't get me wrong. Nothing is missed on me. I need to remember though, that it's these types of stories that are inspirations for brides and planners alike; they are the reason we focus so much time, energy, money, anticipation and emotion on the wedding day.

The story is of a bride and groom who met in college. The groom is in the military and has spent the past year in Afghanistan, making it difficult for them to see one another on any regular basis - much less plan the wedding together. Finally, the big day arrived. They were to be married in a church by the bride's childhood pastor, and have a big bash at a converted warehouse later on.

From the outside, everything looked to me to be "normal" - meaning that all of the vendors were lined up, the timeline was set, the key players were in place, the ceremony was ready to start.

Once I got everyone down the aisle, I felt the same exhileration and relief that I normally feel. My former boss in NYC once said to me, "Once the ceremony starts, pop the Champagne. You've done it." And that is really how it feels to get the ceremony going...a big "WHEW" overcomes you.

When the ceremony is over and the family and wedding party recess, I am on the end of the aisle greeting them with the requisite "Congratulations!" and ushering them into the room or hallway where they wait until the guests leave and they can return to the sanctuary for photos. Today was like any other day where I would greet and usher. First to recess were the bride and groom. "Congratulations!", I exclaimed. Normally, the bride and groom are beaming with smiles and casually say thank you and brush by me, full of excitement.

Today was different. When I first saw the bride and groom once they recessed down the aisle, I gave them my familiar greeting. But I noticed that something was different about this couple. They were more in the moment than I've ever seen two people. They were fully aware of what they had just done, and their joy and overwhelming sense of gratefulness to be bound together was palpable. The bride looked at the groom, and she burst into tears. Beautiful, love-filled, elated tears. The groom, usually the strong, masculine force trying not to show too much emotion, returned her look with tears of his own. They had no awareness of what was around them, where they were going, or what was to happen next. They only saw one another in that moment.

To say the very least, I was incredibly moved by this moment. I choked up and stepped back, trying my best to give them space and to allow this special moment together. They made their way into the church's library and they hugged and cried. "We did it", they said quietly to one another. "We did it." And then came some laughter.

This moment said more and meant more than any flower arrangement, any band, any piece of filet, slice of cake, or wedding favor. It meant everything. This moment was why they were getting married, and how they would remember it. It is how I will remember their wedding, to be sure.

Why are you getting married? How will you remember your big day? My advice to you is to keep this sweet couple in your heart and your mind and to really be aware of the giant leap you are taking into a marriage with your partner and your best friend. You are, after all, getting married...not wedding-ed. Try and remember that.

XOXO
grace

Keep Calm And Carry On

There's a very special and specific kind of anxiety that can arrive on a wedding day. And the anticipation and excitement that a bride feels is unique to what anyone else will be feeling at that same moment. Having been a bride myself, I can tell you that it's very difficult to even try and describe how it feels to wake up and know that you are getting married that day. There is the feeling of joy that the day has arrived, the overwhelming sensation that you'll be walking down an aisle with all eyes on you, and the palpable feeling of elation that you finally get to call this person your partner for life.

As a bride, I never felt terror. The worst thing I felt was exhaustion, because I had too many nights of parties leading up to my big day and not enough sleep. (Read: get a few really good nights of sleep before your wedding because you'll be up most of the night the night before with butterflies in your tummy!). As a wedding planner however, I see many, many brides feel and experience something close to fear when they are about to leave for the church or temple or take that first step down the aisle in the garden or under the tent.

How can we alleviate this, I've thought to myself? It's very difficult in that moment to take away the feeling of being scared. What I've learned is that it is the behavior leading up to the wedding day that paves the way for how a bride will feel in that moment. What I mean by this is that if you take care of yourself in the weeks leading up to your wedding and practice certain behaviors, you will be more likely to wake up on your wedding day feeling refreshed, ready and BRAVE. And believe me, you need a certain amount of "chutzpa" to face the day!

Follow these simple steps in the weeks leading up to your special day and I can guarantee that a great deal of your anxiety, fear and stress will disappear. You have nothing to be afraid of. No one is judging you. You will undoubtedly be the most beautiful woman in the room (even if, God forbid, you get wine on your dress), because you will be glowing. You'll feel peaceful, refreshed, excited and most of all, calm.

*Drink plenty of water. Sounds trite, but it works for your skin, your body, and your overall well being.
*As I said above, sleep, sleep, sleep! It's the best gift you can give yourself.
*Pass off ALL wedding plans and details to someone else on the Wednesday before your wedding (or three days before). You have worked hard on your planning for months; you deserve three days of relaxation. Believe me, if you've planned well, those three days won't make a difference in the world.
*Have a night out (or in) with girlfriends in the week before your wedding, with no more than three cocktails involved. You don't want to be hungover, you just want to have an opportunity to release some tension, complain about your mother in law, and above all else, LAUGH.
*Make a list and check it twice. Put all of your important ceremony and reception items in one place and put someone else in charge of them! Someone you trust implicitly.
*Journal daily. It's incredible the amount of stress this simple act can relieve.
*Exercise regularly. See above.
*If all else fails, have a good cry.

XOXO
grace

Food, Glorious Food!

I want to share some beautiful photos with you from the April rehearsal dinner that I posted about earlier. Food is such an important and significant piece of an event and it's wonderful to see some examples of when there is a lot of thought and expertise put into it.

These gorgeous photos were taken by Cindy of Cuppa Photography. She does amazing things with light, as you can see. The fabulous Columbian-style menu is courtesy of The Catering Company of Chapel Hill. Those of you who are familiar with them know that they do extraordinary work, and this is a prime example of them taking a theme and running with it and making it extra beautiful and detailed.

When you're planning your event, really take time to think about the menu and everything that goes into it: the passed hors d'oeuvres, the appetizer, the entree, the stations, the buffet...whatever style of menu. Regardless of the type of meal, you want to choose a variety of colors and flavors, as well as items that are in season. And as I am talking about so frequently these days, do your best to choose locally grown items; this helps make your menu friendly on the planet, your wallet, and while literally adding a bit of local color, can also help to make the food that much fresher and more vibrant and palatable.

Enjoy!
XOXO
grace

Check out our guest blog!

Josie from Preownedweddingdress.com was nice enough to ask us to be a guest blogger on her site. Here's the link! Enjoy.
XOXO
grace

http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/blog/the-look-for-less-choosing-local