A Little Bling - @ The Hotel at Arundel Preserve

Writing about this next couple is easy and comes with joy! Lorraine and Kevin are both wonderful people. If you have not figured it out I love to create relationships with my clients to have a deep understanding about the two as a couple and the family. This unique duo is undoubtedly made for each other.

It is not every day that you meet people that genuinely care about each other naturally and others. It was very easy working with Lorraine and Kevin they took advice and listen to my feedback. Lorraine tried to fight her shopping punishment (courtesy of Kevin & Kay) but understood completely in the end. It was really fun working with her because she also had great ideas and loved the bling as you will see in the pictures below. 

This may sound cliché…however he truly treats her like a queen and he is her king. I don’t think that there was a dry eye in the reception when their children spoke about the love not only between the Bride and Groom, but the unconditional love they have for their children. 

Their ceremony was held at her church, it was very important for them to get married in a church. The reception was held at The Hotel at Arundel Preserve in Hanover, MD. This is a fairly new hotel and the staff is very good to work with! 

Enjoy the pictures below; there are more in our portfolio if this was a tease.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Scott Bey Photography – www.scottbeyphotography.com 

A Wedding Day for a Lifetime- Radisson Lord Baltimore

We had a busy Fall 2012 season and now it is time to share and post some great weddings!

I had the pleasure of working with a Bride by the name of Robyn. My email queen *smiles* Robyn wanted all the bells and whistles. We created a great wedding that reflected both the Bride and Groom within their budget. They celebrated the wedding day with 125 guests in rich colors of wineberry, purple, and touches of gold.

The ceremony was held at First and Franklin Presbyterian Church Baltimore, Maryland.  This church is absolutely beautiful and was a great place to have the ceremony. The Cocktail Hour & Reception took place at the Radisson Lord Baltimore.

Please enjoy the pictures, details, and décor.

We did not need to have too much decor as you can see, two altar arrangements and a few silk pomander balls (from Prestigious Occasions) was more than enough for this grand church.

This is a picture of the blushing Bride Robyn....she has just left her bridal suite and we are on the way to the church for the ceremony.  She was so excited and also nervous at the same time, she practiced her vows and now it is time to actually say them out loud to the love of her life.  

 

The ceremony was wonderful and you could feel the true love between the couple as they exchanged their vows. During that time while you exchange your vows the most important person in the entire room is right in front of you, live in the moment and take your time to gaze in their eyes. 

For the first dance the couple danced on cloud nine...they dance on a low smoke haze as they danced to Inseparable by Natalie Cole

 

Here are details for the reception, the flowers were created by Bella Fiori....Roberta is a great florist! The table numbers were pictures of the Bride and Groom from their engagement photo shoot. Each table was named after an emotion and or key words that embraced love. 

We miss you Mr. & Mrs. Hawkins!

Photography Credit: Weddings by Tre'Lynn (www.trelynnpro.com)

Saving Tips for your Wedding

Let’s face it weddings can be expensive!

You find this out when you begin planning and researching weddings along with the many details that are involved with designing an amazing wedding day.

Here are a few tips to assist you with saving as much as possible. 

1.        Be Flexible – When you are selecting a venue have an open mind. Weddings are taking place on just about any day of the week in this day and age. Instead of getting married on a Saturday, are you open to Thursday, Friday, or Sunday? This may be a significant savings for you. Compare the rates of the venue and if an outside catering company is involved this is also a great negotiating tool, as now they have another prime Saturday available since you have selected an alternative non primetime day. 

2.       Stay in one place- If you have your ceremony and reception in one location this is helpful to cut the décor budget, all you have to do is use the décor twice! Your altar arrangement can also function as a centerpiece for the reception. Also having one location also cancels out or minimizes the transportation arrangements in most cases.

3.       Shop Around – Compare quality, service, and prices. It is important that as you meet with wedding professionals that you pay close attention to the quality. In some cases you will not save if you need to make adjustments to complete the vision that you really want. Circle back to who you love and negotiate your desires.

4.       Follow Professionals Twitter/Facebook/Blogs – Savings and discounts may be posted there. If there is a deal/offer posted, that may be a good time to sign a contract. 

5.       Customize your Needs into a Package  – Be specific with your needs, it is okay to ask if items can be added or removed  to create a package that you feel good with. 

Lastly, the guest list is the best way to save and keep you on track. Do not feel obligated to invite everyone, the more guests, the extra, tables, flowers, linen, place setting….etc……. you get the point. Think about the guests list and make sure that the people you invite and there to shower you with their love for you both.

Happy Planning!

Bridal Show at Smyth Jewelers in Timonium

Great News!!!

Premier Bride is hosting a Bridal Show at Smyth Jewelers on Wednesday, October 17, 2012 from 6pm-9pm. Pre-Register online for $7.00

Join in the FUN and come out to see if you can win a Cruise Giveaway or a $1,000 Shopping Spree!

Visit www.bridalshowsandexpos.com 

DIY Fun & Easy Decor

Anyone that knows me knows that I love crafts and am just about down for any DIY as long as time permits. With that said, I am working on DIY Yard décor for a two different events.

I found this really cute DIY project that I think will be fun and can easily be done in my garage. Here are some really cute pictures and instructions; I will post the original blog link at the bottom of this post.

Enjoy the pictures and the inexpensive project!

MATERIALS:

– Yarn

– School Glue

– Corn Starch

– Vaseline

– Dowel rod/pole for hanging

– Scissors

– Balloons

– Bowl for Mixing

*****

Step by Step INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Blow up Balloons:

I wanted various sized yarn chandeliers so I chose to incorporate a large punching balloon as my main focal point and added standard balloons for the surrounding areas. I only blew the standard balloons to approximately half capacity to keep as true of a circular shape as possible.

2. Assemble work space:

Place a long pole or dowel rod between two chairs to create a DIY ‘drying station’. I highly recommend placing a plastic trash bag or disposable plastic tablecloth underneath where you will hang the balloons. I initially began this project outdoors, however wind became a factor and I was forced to relocate (not easy).


3. Attach balloons to rod:

Tie yarn around the stem of the balloon and hang from the dowel rod. Be sure that the balloon is suspended and not touching the surrounding balloons.


4. Petroleum Jelly:

Cover each balloon in a light coating of petroleum jelly. This ensures that the yarn will not stick to the balloon once it is dried and popped.

5. Mixing & Dipping:

Mix the school glue (about half of the bottle) with approx. 1/2 cup of cornstarch and approx. 1/4 cup of water. I estimated these amounts and added more cornstarch and glue when desiring a thicker paste consistency.


Dip the yarn into the glue mixture, squeeze out excess, and begin wrapping around the balloon vertically and then switch to horizontally. Once you have covered a good part of your balloon, cut the yarn and tie to a surrounding piece. I chose to do this near the stem of the balloon so it would not be as obvious when hanging.

6. Drying/Popping:

Allow yarn chandeliers to hang for 24 hours in a dry, covered area. Do not attempt to shorten this process!

Next, pop the balloon (this is where I held my breath in anticipation). The yarn will also have dried glue crystals however they easily flake off when tapped.

Now your yarn chandeliers are ready to hang! I used mine for my Whimsical Winter Wonderland photo shoot and then hung them in my children’s playroom for a fun pop of color!


Original Post: http://blog.hwtm.com/2012/01/diy-tutorial-creative-yarn-chandelier/
Author: POSTED BY - Jennifer Sbranti - HWTM Editor-in-Chief
Photography of the final product by: SweetBee Photography

Happy Planning!

Oh Baby! Baby Boy Co-Ed Shower

So we are really excited to design a baby shower for a very dear friend of mine. She is having a boy and her husband is super happy that they are having a baby. This will be a co-ed shower for both women and men to enjoy. So now we have to think about the games, décor, food, and all the other elements of the shower.


As we prepare all the details of the shower we will share with you our planning journey. The colors are going to be fun and not your typical baby shower, yellow, blue, pastel green….etc.

We are planning on sprucing it up and creating fun colors for the shower in August. The colors are a secret for a little while longer, just in case ‘mom’ is reading our blogs 

Let’s talk about the games!

Most of you know the unscramble game; well we are not playing that game it’s been around for a long time!

Since it is a co-ed shower we have to include games for the guys:

Who can drink that baby bottle the fastest? – Pour apple juice, cranberry, or white grape juice in a baby bottle and see who can drink the bottle the fastest. If you would like to be tricky you can have a small hole in the nipple to slow down the process. The first one finished is the winner.

Who can tie their shoe without popping the balloon? - Blow up a balloon and give it to as at least 3 guys to place under their shirts. Untie their shoe laces and place chairs behind them (the chair is optional – no chairs create more laughter). The object of this game is the first guy to tie their laces without popping the balloon is the winner.

Blindfolds and Diaper! Use a diaper cloth and blindfold the guys that will be changing baby’s diaper. Use a baby doll or a teddy bear as a baby and provide a diaper and wipes for each dad to change. The first dad to change the baby’s diaper correctly is the winner.

We will be sure to share more tips on the shower with you very soon.



Happy Planning!

Red, Black, and White Color Theme

I have an upcoming wedding this fall and the couple is so sweet and humble. Their colors are red, black, and white and we are in the final planning stages and I am so excited about the look, we are changing the standard round tables and bringing in squares and serpentine tables. The linen selection is gorgeous and I am looking forward to playing everything up with the lighting.


Having clients with a vision and building on it to make it bigger and better is always FUN and they are so on board and loving! Can’t wait to share the pictures and recap with you all.