Cherished Celebrations » event design

DIY vs. Paying a Professional

Catherine — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:21:12 +0000

So, I was reading Twitter this morning and came across this title: “…When to DIY, When to Pay the Pros.” I read the article from One Wed and absolutely loved it.

As a wedding planner, I actually really like when a bride adds DIY touches (or more than touches) to her wedding. It makes it so much more personal and unique – and you know we LOVE unique around here! I even like helping with florals or invites or whatever because I enjoy helping to make their vision come to life.

I think that’s why I enjoy doing day-of coordination. I love to help the bride that has created the event of her dreams bring it into reality. Now, that is in no way saying that I don’t like full service planning, because i do, it just is nice to approach a wedding with a different feeling.

So, the article at OneWed (follow the link!) says to really think about the day of your wedding while you work on your projects. And this is absolutely true! Who is going to take the 20 centerpieces in their car to the reception, set them up, fix the pieces that break (because they will), and most importantly – who’s taking them down at midnight when everyone is leaving? If you hire a professional to bring your vision together on your wedding day, you’ll be happier and have much less stress.

By the way, I’ll handle those centerpieces for you!

Catherine

PWG Bridal Show Recap

Catherine — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:02:24 +0000

As you all know, Cherished Celebrations had a booth at the PWG Bridal Show in Raleigh this past weekend. We had so much fun designing it and preparing for the brides.

When you have that much fun, the show has to be fantastic – and it was!! Gail and Jaime with the Perfect Wedding Guide do a great job every year with all of their bridal shows. Check out the pictures at the link above!

We met so many great brides (and grooms!!) and their families. People once again loved our “stress relievers”… I can’t believe how many people really wondered what was in those little bottles! (If you weren’t there, it was just M&M’s!)

So I managed to take pictures of our booth, but compeletely forgot the Inspiration Gallery tables. I’m hoping the fabulous Jerry Dillard of Jerry Dillard Photography managed to take some pictures of our tables. They’ll be coming soon.

So many great comments about our color scheme – not one we use often, but the pink/green shimmery fabric was just beautiful and I couldn’t resist building our display around it. People LOVED the LED lights, too. I keep trying to tell other folks that they are beautiful. Thank you all for proving me right!!

We had a lucky winner of the Colin Cowie book and Cherished Celebrations tote bag.

Congratulations to Erin Hill!

And also a big congratulations to Latesha who won our doorprize at the show. My friend, the fantastic Dr. Heather Sefried, the owner of Nirvelli Day Spa gave us a 1 hour Hot Stone Massage. Latesha was very excited when I gave her the gift certificate. Her friend told her it was from the booth with the “stress relievers”…

Let me know what you think of the booth!

Happy wedding planning!

Catherine

Showcase Inspiration for the PWG Bridal Show

Catherine — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 01:29:22 +0000

So, for this weekend’s bridal show, I am setting up 3 reception tables for an “Inspiration Showcase” – these will be done in a small, medium, and large budget format. I am very excited to be a part of the showcase and here’s a little hint and my “inspiration” for my tables.

Just two days left! Join us on Sunday, April 11 from 1-4 at the Marriott Crabtree Valley in Raleigh for the Perfect Wedding Guide Bridal Show!

Hope to see you there!

Catherine

2010 Wedding Trends You’ll Hate…

Catherine — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:26:02 +0000

I was reading some other blogs – which I do all the time and I found this. I think some of them are spot on, but personally, I LOVE LED lighting. That having been said, candles are warmer…

Enjoy!

Lemondrop

Planning Kickstart – Catalog Inspiration

Catherine — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:31:00 +0000

So, you’re looking for ideas for your wedding or event. You pick up a bridal magazine (or 3) and flip through it. You see page after page of beautiful ideas and color schemes. You think to yourself… ”How did they come up with that?” Now, they may be fantastically creative and inspiring people, they could have hired a consultant (yes, we tend to fit in that first category, too!), or they may have just seen something pretty that inspired them somewhere else. I personally really like the last idea – that’s where a lot of really good and unique ideas come from for weddings. Don’t limit yourself to just looking in the traditional “bridal” places.

I get so many catalogs every week – I think I personally recycle enough to save all the forests in North Carolina – that I look through for inspiration. I really like several of them and I’ll highlight ideas from them over the next few weeks. One of my favorites is the Crate and Barrel {www.crateandbarrel.com} catalog. On first impression, if you are a clean lines and bold colors bride, you will find inspiration here – from table settings to color schemes. And if you don’t use this as an inspiration if you have registered there, then you are really missing out! Look at these pillows – yes, pillows! All of the images below are from Crate and Barrel.

I also LOVE the descriptions of these pillows.

Bright tangerine cotton is embroidered with an exotic, Indian-inspired botanical and hand-decorated with sparkling glass beads.
Swirling retro paisleys are appliquéd and embroidered in exuberant day-glo brights to make a bold splash.
Designed by Marimekko’s ® Tanja Orsjoki in 2004, a fantasy of flowing, tonal green vines and yellow honeysuckle blossoms sprawls naturally across both sides of an oversized chocolate brown pillow.
Graphic faux patent polka dots add a fun new dimension in white on a black cotton square.

If you were still unsure as to which one you liked best, which description fits you?

Exotic and sparkling?
Exuberant and bold?
Flowing and natural?
Graphic and fun?

Remember, inspiration can come from not only the picture, but how it makes you feel. Using these as inspiration, you could come up with a unique color scheme and feel to your wedding that will showcase you and your personal style.

So, which one is your favorite? Let me know!

Catherine

Come Celebrate!

Catherine — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:55:00 +0000

Hello, everyone! Finally, I’ve decided to quit just reading everyone else’s wonderful, fantastic, and smart blogs and start my own.

I want this to be a place for me to share what I know about weddings and event planning with others – brides, families, other wedding professionals – and a place for me to learn what you like through your comments and questions. Which, by the way, I welcome!

Through my rabid reading of other industry blogs, I have decided I really like a specific daily format so I know what to write (there’s the organization I need) and you know what you’ll be reading daily. If you have suggestions, please let me know, but here’s what I have come up with so far…

Monday: Planning Kickstart. Begin your week with an idea (or two) to make your event Always unique. Never ordinary.™

Tuesday: Etiquitte Matters. Questions and answers about that sticky wicket.

Wednesday: Gifting and Registry. Believe it or not, you have to gift people at your wedding, too! Here’s a place for ideas that you just may want on your registry, too.

Thursday: Inspiration Board Day! I know there are lots of other sites that do this and do it VERY well, but I love my boards, too!

Friday: Fun Friday! Could be anything, you’ll have to come back to check and see!

Weekends: Most of the time, I won’t post on the weekend, but there could be something you really need to know about…

At Cherished Celebrations, we really do strive to make your event Always unique. Never ordinary.™ With this daily inspriation, we want to help you, too!

Don’t forget to connect with me if you’re on any of the sites under “Connect with me”, I’d love to “e-meet” you, too!

Have a great week!

Catherine