HAPPY Bride....HAPPY Coordinator

It's always NICE to hear that what you wanted (my bride to be HAPPY) actually happened.

Leigh, I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for all your hard work. Blackberry Hall looked AMAZING!! I have heard nothing by stellar comments about the decorating... It was beyond better than I thought possible. Thank you so much!!!! :). It was so nice to not have to worry about anything at all that night!  Thank you!!  Michele

Michele & Adrian's BIG DAY

When Michele contacted me early this year about coordinating her May wedding, I remembered meeting her last summer at Emily and Stephen's wedding. We chatted for a few minutes and connected immediately because she used to coordinate weddings. It was a huge honor and lovely compliment to have her ask me to coordinate her wedding.

The wedding and reception was held at Edgefield in Troutdale, at Blackberry Hall. It was the perfect venue for this shabby chic wedding and her 130 guests. 

Michele is a creative woman and fabulous with details. I was able to come in (along with the help of my 19 year old daughter, Tessa and a few helpful relatives for a couple hours in the morning) and put her day together so she and her new husband, friends, and family could enjoy this special day.  

The DJ, caterer, venue staff, and pastor where all wonderful to work with.  I just gotta say....I LOVE WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER.  : )

Mason Jars Galore

Who would have thought Mason jars would make such a come back? I would have never guessed, but Emily Hall did. 

Her beautiful outside wedding last summer had Mason jars used in some unique ways. Large blue jars held lovely wildflowers and smaller ones held candles to make up part of her table centerpieces.

The jars make for great silverware holders too. Let you imagination run wild!

One of my favorite uses ~ Mason jars replacing drinking glasses. Colorful tags for people to write their names on are tied about the neck of each jar with twine. 

 

One of the many wonderful things about Mason jars is their cost. If you know the right person you can borrow (we love FREE) boxes full or have fun hunting them up at your local Salvation Army and feel great about walking away with such a steal. 

If you are wanting to add some color to your jars your local dollar store will have colored or natural rocks for a dollar a bag. Not only does this add some weight to the jar but a splash of color.  

It's all in the details...

A cup of hot cocoa
          Easy, right?
                 No frills, no thrills...
                       But if you start with a glass mug 
                             add a bit whipped cream on top 
                                   and then top it off with sprinkles

Well, let's just say that you went from good to Hmmmm... Hmmmm... GOOD!

Birthday Brunch & Pedicures

When you are surrounded by wonderful people in your life, you just have to stop long enough to make them feel special on their birthday.  Taking the knowledge you have of this person ~ what they would call their favorites ~ and incorporating that into a time to make them feel special is a snap and so much fun!

I'm backkkkkkkkkkkkkk....

Summer brought about a busy time for me personally and professionally. A wedding, the role as Truvy in the local stage production of Steel Magnolias, and a cowboy themed bridal shower (pics to come later). Immediately following I threw myself into directing a show, Over the River and Through the Woods. I had a wonderful time directing and designing the set dressing for the show. BUT now I am ready to throw myself into the upcoming wedding season. I had a wonderful time at Emily's wedding. I have never worked so hard in all my life nor have I had such a fantastic time. Setting up and coordinating this lovely outside wedding for 140 people had me running from 9:30 am until 10:00 pm. 

The day of the wedding I became the unexpected florist.
I think Emily's bouquet turned out just like her ~ whimsical & dainty.

Truvy & Annelle in Truvy's beauty shop, Steel Magnolias

Over the River and Through the Woods, Albany Civic Theater

Moments Unforgotten - by Patty Long

My amazing friend, Patty, wrote this lovely piece while working through the lost of her mother. I am honored she chose to share this with me. Love to you, Patty.

Life is moments; a collection of star bursts; flashes of brilliant color and light.  Even our darkest hour has an electricity all its own.  The camera of our mind's eye captures these images to pull forth, evoking emotions to match each frame.  This we gauge our success, our failure by; our definition of self and the mark we have made.  Moments Unforgotten create our life as only we can experience it, as only we can live it.  We each are radiant beings of light and must acknowledge this in each other and ourselves. We share our gratitude for our unique moments together. ~ Patty Long

Graduation Party

It was a mixture of fairly new and old friends ~  speaking of the past and of the future to come. It was a good graduation party. 

I added fun touches like Tessa's favorite candy (sour gummy worms) to her table that let the person visiting see Tessa from baby to graduate.  Her favorite teddy bear to high school basketball awards showed how far my daughter has come in her life thus far.

The gathering reminded Tessa how precious she is to many people and it was a  wish for her future to be bright.

An event like this does not need to be terribly expensive. There are ways to cut costs.

• Look into a local grange to rent (so reasonable)
• Purchase flowers from your local florist (wholesale) and arrange them yourself
• The local Dollar Store is a fabulous place to find ribbon and vases for nearly nothing
• Visit Costco for desserts, veggie trays, and such. Put the food items on your glass serving dishes and the look is complete 

Graduation Party Memory Board

Creating a Memory Board is a fun trip down memory lane for you, your graduating senior, and the family and friends who attend the gathering. 

Typically Memory Boards hold pictures from the past but it's also a great place for words of wisdom and a wonderful send off for your high school senior.

Get creative so it reflects your graduate.  I made 3 Memory Boards. The left board shows from birth through grade school. The right hand board reflected middle school through high school. The middle board ~ pictured below ~ was created as a send off.

Flower Power

I LOVE flowers...I can hardly stand to waste a one. 

Finding a place to use the little leftovers is a nice challenge and gives you an extra opportunity to get creative. 

A votive candle holder with colorful rocks in the bottom can be the perfect fit for those short stemmed scraps that you thought were unusable. They add little slashes of color to your event. Because they are nice and low you never have to worry if someone can see over them during conversation at the table. Use 3 or 5 along the middle of your table with a coordinating table runner or cloth napkin underneath.

~ Putting to use all that you have ~