Our new website is now live! We’re really excited about the new layout. There will be a few more changes in the next couple weeks, so be sure to stay tuned.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the Wedding Show this weekend at the NC State Fairgrounds – Jim Graham Building. We will be featuring a hot pink and orange candy buffet, as well as a table top gallery entry of a cake table design. Stop by and see us!
Happy wedding planning!

Wow, it’s been awhile since my last post, but things have been pretty busy! But I definitely wanted to share some exciting news. We will be participating for the first time in the Wedding Show – the state’s longest running and most popular Wedding Show. Its’s a great way to get wedding planning off to a great start in the new year!

It will be a two-day event held at the Jim Graham Building at the NC State Fairgrounds on January 3 & 4 2009.

We will be displaying our award-winning Candy Buffet and also have an entry in the Table Top Design Gallery! We’re so excited!
Stop by our booth and come meet our team. We’ll also have a couple show specials going on so be sure to stop by.
We look forward to seeing you there!

More info:
Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Tickets valid for both days.

A fairly new wedding trend that I absolutely love is the first dance with a twist. I just returned from Florida from a wedding of a very close friend of mine. She and her new husband’s first dance was the best I’ve seen in a long time.

They started out dancing to a very nice slow song and then all of a sudden….. it seems like the CD had a scratch and the music stopped. The couple turned to the DJ’s booth as if to say , “What happened?!!! I can’t believe you just ruined our first dance!” But then as all eyes are on the DJ, the music returns. But not the “nice slow dance” song as guests would expect. No, far from it. They broke out into a full coreographed dance routine joined by the brides’ sister and another friend. The songs ranged from reggae to hip-hop. Every one thought it was fabulous!

Even though this trend has been around for a couple years, I still love to see it done. I don’t know if I would have had the courage to do it, but by all means, if your guests won’t be too offended, go for it!

Here’s a couple links of more popular wedding dance surprises:
The Robot
Today Show Clip

Enjoy!

Caroline Sewell of Encore Events, Inc. was our guest speaker last night. Caroline, sporting a fabulous zebra print sweater, was a hit! She shared so many experiences and great mentoring tips with my students on the best way to start a business. Caroline always says- “I don’t do weddings” but she is an awesome events planner & designer. She also shared her event portfolio with the class and has pictures with the great event industry names such as David Tutera and Preston Bailey!
Thanks Caroline for sharing your knowledge with us!
Last week we had the priviledge of having Jennifer Kidd of Kidd Photography and Tamra Pope of Tamra’s Camera present. They really work great together and shared hints and tips about photography and videography. The class definitely learned a lot and got to see a few fabulous samples of their work. Thanks Jennifer and Tamra!

As I’m sure you’re aware, I have the wonderful privilege to be the Wedding Planning Instructor at Wake Tech Community College. Last evening was the last class of the 2008 Fall Semester. I must say that this group of students truly touched my heart!
At the beginning of class last night, I noticed that one of my students, Peg, was wearing what has come to be known as my favorite color combination – hot pink and lime green. And as students started to come in, Peg actually handed out small hot pink and lime green stickers that everyone proudly wore on their respective clothing! I felt so special!
And then…….at the end of the class, Peg asked for me to take a seat. She then presented on behalf of the class a “Certificate of Appreciation”. It went on to say, “This award is presented to Tamera Davis. For your outstanding leadership as our class instructor in the ten week course – ‘Start Your Own Wedding Consultant Business’. Thank you for making this class alot of fun! We will never forget you! – From the Class of 2008 – Fall Session.” Can you say – Wow! I was truly honored. And then, to top it all off, the class had actually pulled together to get me a gift. A cute Chartreuse green tote with my initials monogrammed in hot pink. How sweet!
Wow! It brought tears to my eyes. I truly do enjoy teaching and educating my students on the joys and challenges of wedding planning. And it was just so touching to see that my students appreciated me.
Here’s to you – Fall Semester of 2008 – I love you guys! I wish you much success and it would be a privilege to work along side you one day. And in your honor, I am wearing green and pink today and proudly carrying my tote.

Exciting news! Here is a preview of the magazine ad that we will be featured in!

I received a couple more pictures from the Grand Opening Bridal Show at La Grande Maison from Contonna Peterson, so I thought I’d post them. Thanks Contonna!
Here is Rebecca’s dazzling display of all of her custom jewelry!

Here are two beautiful designs from Keepsake Bouquets:

Here is Contonna’s display for Bartending Unlimited:
Also harpist, Amy Kortis, played sweet sounds throughout the show:

Again, I was able to work with wonderful vendors and I look forward to working with them again in the future!

We had a great time this past Sunday at the Grand Opening bridal show at La Grande Maison. We, along with about 40 preferred vendors, were setup on the 30-acre property located in beautiful in Mebane, NC. Our booth was a hit with the vendors! Everyone loved making their own candy box to-go!
We had the privilege to be setup near the pool and gazebo area.
Here are some pictures of the area from La Grande Maison’s website:

Here is a pic of our candy buffet:

Around the pool area was Rebecca Baltzer of Beautiful Creations. Rebecca had a dazzling display of all of her custom jewelry!
Also located around the pool were Barbara Pardue and Cindy Singleton of Keepsake Bouquets and Jaime Gilliam of Perfect Wedding Guide.
Under the gazebo area, (also pics from their website)

were very talented vendors! Leslie Koehn of Gloss Photographic along with Ashley Plegar, makeup artist, and Contonna Peterson with Bartending Unlimited.

We also had the pleasure to work with Patricia with Perfection by Patricia, Mark McCoy and his wife of Mark McCoy Photography, and Denise Monks of Classy Hair. Poor Denise had laryngitis, but she hung in there!
Special thanks goes to Howard Conyers of Concept Seventeen for his assistance! Howard offers a unique gift idea – picture weaving!

Denisa Harvey, the GM of La Grande Maison, overall did a wonderful job in putting this event together! Thanks Denisa!

Here are a couple more pics of our booth:

One of my recent clients posted a wonderful review of our company on The Wedding Wire. Click here to view!
Her wedding was on a gorgeous summer day and the ceremony was held in her father’s beautiful back yard overlooking the golf course. I’ll have to post pictures soon. Stay tuned!

I often hear the statement, “I have no idea of where to start planning my wedding!” And then comes the question, “Where should I start?”

Well, don’t stress! I’d love to share some great first steps in the wedding and event planning process.

First, create an idea portfolio. Get a cute scrapbook or even a simple notebook and start compiling ideas by cutting out pictures from magazines or printing them from online. Magazines are a great way to get inspiration! My favorite mags are Martha Stewart Weddings and Wedding Flowers. After a couple pages in your portfolio, you’ll start to see a pattern develop of colors and themes that are your favorites!

Secondly, start on your preliminary guest list and estimated guest count. The number of guests will shape everything from the budget to the location. It seems like an obvious point, but remember, the more guests, the more your budget will need to increase. An increased guest count increases the costs for invitations, flowers, food, drink, size of location, etc.

Next, decide the formality of your wedding or event. Would you prefer an evening affair or morning brunch? An afternoon tea or entire weekend event? Think about these questions when deciding your event style. Then comes the decision on the general location and time of year. Are you looking for a “Falling in Love” fall theme or a “Winter Wonderland” theme? What about a destination wedding at some exotic location?

Also, start thinking of registries. One great new idea is the Honeymoon Registry, where you can actually register for portions of your dream honeymoon trip! Click here for more info: Honeymoon Registry

Finally, hire a wedding/event planner. Planning a wedding can be stressful, time-consuming and expensive! So to make sure your wedding or event is as successful as your hopes and dreams, hire a professional to plan and execute your plans to ensure success and eliminate stress!

Remember our motto, “Relax. It’ll be FABULOUS!”

Happy wedding planning!