Archive for the ‘Wedding Stories’ Category
This wedding was one that we had been looking foward to for quite some time. Megan’s color scheme was Cobalt Blue, White and Black. I had not done this combination before and it was wonderful!
I loved the way the blue and black looked together with the clean modern crispness of the white. We chose a black and white damask pattern for the linens with crisp white spandex chair covers for the chairs. The centerpieces were black Polish Glass trumpet vases with a collar of the most beautiful cobalt blue hdrangea’s I’ve ever seen. White French Tulips and white Dendrobium Orchids spilled out of the top along with fresh blooming Curly Willow Branches. The vases were adorned with a black and white patterned ribbon and a crystal broach that sparkled in the light.
Usually when it rains on a bride’s wedding day the bride can get pretty upset. Megan was the picture of grace that day. Not only was it raining on her wedding day but tornado sirens were blasting all day all over town!
Just when the party was getting started at the reception, we had to make the announcement that there was a tornado heading straight for us and it was about 20 minutes away and that the guests should make their way to the basement. Ok I don’t know about you but I would probably be in tears at that point, but Megan and Derek were awesome. They made sure their guests were comfortable and still having fun even if it was in the parking garage under Central Station! One after the other like a dancing train, guests came down with drinks in hand continuing the celebration! I have to say that having such awesome professional vendors made a huge difference in everything. Dingo entertainment, Donny with Creation Studios, and of course Jake Morrow with The Studio J kept the atmosphere light and fun.
Enjoy the wonderful work of Jake in the photos below!
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This wedding was super special because these were dear friends of ours. Katie is the daughter of one of my best friends and pastors.
Katie wanted a very glamorous wedding. She wanted to use Black, Ivory and touches of deep red. The moms and bridesmaids were gorgeous in black.
Katie’s bouquet was done in deep red roses in a teardrop cascade.
Her bridesmaids carried clusters of ivory roses.
We wanted to do something very unique and beautiful for this couple’s ceremony since this aspect of the wedding was a very special and spiritual component to the whole day.
We used a custom backdrop that we built that stood 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide. We covered it with ivory Dupioni silk and stretched ivory satin ribbon across to create a harlequin pattern. We installed 7 shelves to put flowers and floating candles on.
The moms entered to “Somewhere over the Rainbow” and the bridesmaids entered to “Going to the Chapel”. The recessional was “This Will Be”.
The reception was in the church gymnasium. That is always a very challenging environment to make beautiful, but I think we did it and did it well!
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I met with Vanessa and her dad Steve one very rainy day at his home. Vanessa was a student at the University of Missouri. Her fiancé David was in the Navy and stationed out of town.
Vanessa needed the help of a planner and designer because her school schedule was so hectic and I don’t think Steve was ready to take on that role. J
They decided on the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art for the ceremony and reception location. They let me know right off the bat that this was a big Italian family and they wanted good Italian food. Chef Wally Jo created the most incredible eggplant parmesan I’ve ever had!
Vanessa chose turquoise and light lime green as her color palette. It was beautiful! We repeated those colors in the Rotunda with turquoise floor length pin tuck linens. We used large cube vases with green LED lights in them and white stock arrangements.
In the Brushmark we used glass cubes with blue marbles and LED lights.
In the tent we used turquoise and lime green lanterns and hung strips of white fabric to bounce light patterns from. We washed the tent with beautiful soft shades of lime and turquoise. The tables had lime green pin tuck linens and turquoise cube vases with white tulip arrangements. We used clear votives and glued turquoise ribbon around them.
Vanessa looked like an angel in her gown and her bird’s nest veil. The way these two interacted all night long, it was no secret that they were meant to be together.
The couple departed as guests showered them with turquoise feathers.
It was a “Sweet” night!
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Adrienne called me from Virginia and told me that she needed help planning and designing her wedding that would take place in Memphis. She grew up in Memphis but after graduating Medical school she traveled to different places and recently settled in Virginia to begin a fellowship program. Her fiancé Ryan was preparing to take the Bar and they had no time to plan this wedding.
Right away I sensed Adrienne was the serious type, of course that makes sense considering her profession. Boy did she surprise me. After I asked her what was up with her email name (my lips are sealed J ) I realized she had a fun spunky side and the rest was history.
Adrienne and Ryan made it clear that their tastes were very modern, clean and vibrant.
They chose Raspberry pink, Kiwi green, and Lemon yellow for their color palette. Yellow was Ryan’s late mother’s favorite color.
They chose the Bridges Center downtown as the location for the ceremony and reception. This is definitely not the location for a traditional couple, but it was perfect for Ryan and Adrienne.
We kept the outside decor minimal and clean looking, with a long white runner lined with petals on each side all the way to the steps in the amphitheater style courtyard.
We used tapered ivory pedestals and displayed white flower orbs with green button flowers. We used white fabric panels as a backdrop for the ceremony.
Inside is where the magic really came alive. The ceilings are in excess of 25+ feet tall. There is a rock climbing wall that we used as a backdrop for the couple and their head tables. The room was washed in Raspberry pink lighting. The linens were floor length raspberry pink pin tuck.
The centerpieces were 3 ft. tall glass vases with green apples and curly willow branches that had stock blooms attached as well as green buttons. There were hanging crystals from the branches.
32 feet of head tables were lined with glass cube vases that had simple yellow blooms and LED lights in them. The room was glowing by the time the sun went down.
Did I mention that it was an outdoor ceremony? It rained like Noah’s Ark rain before the ceremony. We went to plan B and set everything up inside, but then the sun came out and thanks to my sweet friend Wade with Wade and company and my incredible assistants Lisa and Danielle, they completely set everything back up outside. So we had a happy bride needless to say.
It was a wonderful night!
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I met with Shayla and instantly liked her sweet personality. She was transferred here from Lafayette Louisiana by International Paper Company. Her fiancé Jeremiah was still living back home preparing to come here. She told me how they grew up together and dated in high school, but broke up and went there separate ways. By fate, they ended up meeting again and getting engaged. It sounded just like something you would see on T.V.
Shayla wanted elegant and romantic as the theme for her special day. She chose cream and taupe and apple green as her color palette.
We had imprinted apple green gift bags for the guests with candles and personalized champagne glasses to take home.
For the cocktail hour the guests were served Mimosa’s and fruit smoothies, perfect for a hot summer evening.
Most of the couple’s guests were friends and family from Lafayette, so the mood that night was traditional Cajun! It was a wonderful sight, seeing everyone dance to Cajun music and let loose.
We repeated her color palette throughout. We used ivory satin floor length linens with apple green satin napkins stuffed with a single rose for each guest, on top of silver charger plates. The centerpieces were classic elegance with white and cream roses, white and green orchids and white lilies in silver bowls.
Shayla was stunning in her white strapless gown and Jeremiah was very handsome in his chocolate brown suit.
The couple departed in a beautiful antique Rolls Royce as their guests blew bubbles.
Congratulations Shayla and Jeremiah, it was a beautiful night!
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Kelly and Kieth Duggin
Kelly contacted me after we met at a bridal show. Kelly was one of those rare brides who knew exactly what she wanted. I remember being so impressed with her because she worked nights as a nurse at St. Jude and worked part time on top of that to make sure she got the things that were important to her for her big day.
Kelly and Keith chose to have their ceremony and reception at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. What can I say; if you know me you know that is one of my favorite venues. The staff there is top notch!
Kelly’s color palette was red and royal purple. Her bridesmaids wore satin full length red dresses that were beautiful!
Kelly was a “vision” in her mermaid style gown.
Charese Feliciano arranged Kelly’s beautiful bouquet with roses, stephanotis, and orchids set in a custom bouquet holder.
We used simple but elegant contemporary themes throughout.
One thing Kelly was adamant about was the tent décor. She wanted it to be over the top with lighting, lanterns, a black and white dance floor and their names and wedding date in lights on the dance floor!
I told her she was in the right place, because we specialize in “Over the Top”!
We washed the tent in red and purple light. We used red globe lanterns to create ambient lighting. Wide strips of white fabric were hung in order to soften the tent and bounce patterns of light from.
Judging by the constant crowd on the dance floor, Kelly and Keith’s wedding was a huge success and their guests had a blast!
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I met with Anna’s mother Angie one afternoon during a very brief trip to town. She lived in Savannah Georgia with her daughter Anna.
Angie was a single mom, widowed earlier in life and wanted to give her only daughter a beautiful and memorable wedding.
I talked with Angie and she told me that Anna wanted a “beach theme afternoon wedding with corals and pinks, yellows and purples.
I showed her linen samples and pictures of another wedding I had done with similar colors. She was so excited about the possibilities, and very anxious to get home and share with Anna some ideas that we discussed.
Anna and I planned most everything by phone and through email.
Anna and Clay met with me to decide on cakes and the menu, and everything else we could cram into one afternoon of their brief trip.
That afternoon I had the pleasure of seeing how much in love they were, and how sweet they were to each other.
Clay was a huge Superman fan and Anna surprised him with a Superman grooms cake.
Angie and Anna’s brother walked her down the aisle. Yes I cried!
We used satin floor length linens in coral and used glass cylinder vases with floating orchids and fish, since it was a beach theme. J
We used small glass cube vases with vibrant spring blooms in groups of two on each table and laid out beautiful natural sea shells. We glued sand to clear votive candles and attached coral ribbon and shells to them.
Anna’s mother’s family is from the Philippines and her grandmother preformed a surprise wedding blessing dance for her and Clay. I can tell you that I shed more than one tear for that one!
The couple departed as guests sent them off with clouds of bubbles.
It was a wonderful afternoon!
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I met Ashley and Russell one night and after getting to know them a little bit, I found out that Russell was a Memphis Police Officer and Ashley was a student at the University of Memphis, and she was a ballerina.
Ashley and Russell had a really cute relationship and it was apparent from the beginning that this young couple wanted a “Fantasy” event.
They decided to have their ceremony and reception at Opera Memphis.
I was thrilled because it is a very clean and contemporary space that features modern and artistic architecture that really lends itself to an elegant setting.
They were just starting out and did not have a “fantasy” budget, but fell in love with pictures I showed them of a fabric draped “huppah”.
I suggested to them that they invest most of their décor budget in room lighting and an adaptation of the huppah for the focal point. The couple had their ceremony under the huppah and afterwards we put a decorated table underneath it for the couple to sit at.
The color palette was a rich chocolate with beautiful shades of turquoise washing the room. We used crushed satin turquoise linens and chair covers and wrapped the chairs with a chocolate organza sash.
The centerpieces were 3ft. tall glass cylinder vases with blue LED lights and live goldfish with floating green Dendrobium Orchids and an arrangement sitting on top.
The groom had one request for the whole wedding and it was to have fish in his centerpieces, so that one was for you Russell! It was very beautiful by the way.
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I met Missy at a bridal show and after talking to her about her ideas for her wedding, I realized that she had an unusual but really cool place in mind for her ceremony. Missy explained to me that they were on a tight budget and that they were outdoor type people, so she wanted to have her ceremony in Court Square. I thought, that is a very public park, but you can’t get more budget friendly than free!
Missy and Bill decided to have a fall wedding with one attendant each and the groom’s brother who is an Episcopal Minister would marry them.
When I arrived at the park to get things set up, they were feeding homeless people in the park and needless to say it was a circus outside. After speaking with the kind patrolmen in the area, everyone was kindly asked to clear the park and we had a beautiful and very special ceremony.
Missy was beautiful in her gown and it was adorable how Bill watched her all night long.
The couple had trolley tickets for all of their guests to ride down the street to the Balinese Ball Room where the reception was held.
The centerpieces were simple monochromatic blooms in cans wrapped in color coordinating silk fabric.
The night just turned out beautifully and everything went off without a hitch!
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