and the winner is....

I cannot begin to tell you how honored and proud I am to announce that Premier Party Planners has won The Knot Best of Wedding 2013 award!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    It is because of all my wonderful brides who took time out of their day to write such kind reviews that I was given this award.   I could NOT have won this award without them - so here's to my brides!  THANK YOU!!!  

 

 

Nicole + Joe 6.20.11

When I first met with Nicole and Joe, I couldn't help but notice how in love they were with each other.  And not the "get a room" type of love; but the sweet, "this is going to last" type of love.  Then, when I found out Joe is serving in the Marine Corps, I was totally sold on these guys!   How could I not do a wedding when the bride's name is Nicole and the groom is in the military?!!  It was destiny. 

Since not all of us have jobs that force us to learn all the Saturday dates in each month, you probably didn't notice that June 20th was not a Saturday --- it was a Wednesday!  Yep, these crazy love birds decided to get married on a Wednesday!  The ceremony and reception was held at Shady Wagon Farm in New Hill, NC.  The bride & groom got married by the lake which provided a beautiful backdrop for guests during the ceremony.  Once Nicole & Joe were pronounced husband and wife, guests were escorted around the pond and over to the pavilion for cocktails and appetizers.  

Catering by Design did an amazing job with the food and beverages!  Plus the service was outstanding!  Great job guys!  As usual, Cinda's Creative Cakes pulled out another amazing cake design!  I LOVED their cake topper and cute little details Nicole had her add!  Cinda also provided the guests favors with her impressive candy buffet. 

Patrick Cooke with PC Productions kept the guests entertained with music and fun games for the guests.  Patrick and his team also did a great job with purple uplighting for the barn during Nicole & Joe's dinner!  Have I mentioned I love purple uplights?!  ;)

Mel Day from Dogwood Tree Floral Designs did an amazing job pulling together Nicole's vision for her colors.  I loved the mixing of purples, reds, and pinks! 

Thank you to Anne Alexander for taking these great shots and really capturing Nicole & Joe's super sweet wedding day!  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicole & Joe - it was truly our pleasure to be a part of your special day!!  We wish you many years of happiness together!!!  Congrats!

A very special birthday dinner...

It's not every day that you get to help plan a 75th semi-surprise birthday party.  So when Mr. D approached me about helping him plan his wife's birthday party, I was elated!  Personally, I LOVE birthdays (especially mine :)) and parties, so this was a no-brainer for me. 

Mr. D had already booked the Cardinal Club for his event and it was up to me to help him get that "WOW" factor.  He really wanted to make his party stand out and keep guests talking about it for months after. 

I immediately enlisted the help of the design team at The English Garden in Raleigh.  Their staff is amazing and they have such a wide variety of cool rental pieces that are sure to fit any theme. 

The Cardinal Club and their staff did an amzing job with the food and guest services.  I was very impressed as I watched the servers cater to each guests' needs and requests.  Top notch guys!

 

 

 

 

Mrs. D's nickname is the "Queen" so naturally that's what her place card had to say!  ;-) 

English Garden knocked it out of the ballpark!  Can you see the gold crown in the flowers? 

 

I hope one day that I have half as cool of a birthday party as Mrs. D had!   I overheard so many of her guests oohh-ing and awwh-ing over how amazing that room looked!  Mr. D - I think the party was a success!! 

 

Melissa + Effi 7.21.12

Wow!  I am so behind in my blogging!  Apologies to my blogger friends!  Melissa & Effi's wedding was held at the uber-cool Bay 7 at the American Tobacco District in Durham.  If you've ever been to a Durham Bulls baseball game or gone to DPAC, you've been to the American Tobacco District.  The whole history of this area and the Duke family is very cool, click here to learn more. 
Since it was pretty stinking hot outside, as it usually is in July, Melissa and Effi decided to have the ceremony inside Bay 7 on the 2nd floor followed by dinner and dancing down below.  Great choice guys! 
Durham Catering did an amazing job, as usual, with all the food, drinks, and service.  Their team rocks!  Tre Bella used their keen eye for details and beautified both the ceremony space and reception area with their fresh flowers and creative touches.  Melissa picked out the coolest color combinations of deep blue, purple, ivory and pops of green.  Tre Bella did an amazing job bringing her vision to life. 
Whole Foods knocked Melissa's wedding cake out of the ball park! They did an amazing job. It not only tasted great, but it was simply stunning!   I'll never look at a "grocery store cake" the same way again. 
Patrick Cooke with PC Productions not only kept Melissa & Effi's guests on the dance floor, but he also lit up the lower level of Bay 7 with the coolest purple uplighting all around the room.  Ladies, if you haven't thought about having uplighting, I highly recommend it!  Patrick also provided the coolest pin-spot lighting on Melissa's cake which made it glow in the room!  Very chic.  
A special thank you to Katie Pietrowski Photography for sharing her amazing shots of Melissa & Effi's very special day. 

 

I have got to be one of the luckiest planners because I always end up with such gorgeous brides!!

How cute are they??!!  These crazy kids decided to take "First Look" pictures  :)

this moment is why I love what I do...

 

Can you believe this cake?!  b-e-a-utiful!

Since Bay 7 doesn't allow sparklers, Melissa & Effi chose to use glow sticks for their exit! 

Melissa & Effi,  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your BIG DAY!  It was beautiful and everyone felt the love you have for each other.  We wish you all the best in years to come!

Jamie + Ethan 6.16.12

As I sit here trying to put into words what was such a beautiful and special day for two people who have become great friends of mine, I realize that it was just over a year ago today that I first met with Jamie & Ethan and started on their wedding journey with them.  As people say, time flies when you're having fun! 

At our first meeting I soon found out that Jamie was going to be a very busy bride!  Busier than most actually.  Her and Ethan were moving to Raleigh, house-hunting, job-hunting, AND planning a wedding all at the same time!  Whew!  We definitely had our work cut out for us.  =)  Thankfully Jamie knew what she liked and knew what she wanted.  As we met with our vendors, we slowly but surely started to pull together the most beautiful ivory, purple, and BLING wedding!

The ceremony was held at Hope Lutheran Church in Wake Forest.   When Jamie showed me a picture of the sanctuary, I was blown away!  It is stunning! 

After Jamie & Ethan said "I do" guests made their way to the Embassy Suites in Brier Creek for cocktails and appetizers on the outdoor patio.  Even though it was mid-June, the weather was perfect for outdoor socializing!  If you haven't checked out the Embassy Suites, you must go!  The decor and architecture is amazing! 

Thanks to all our super talented vendors - Ashley Cakes, The English Garden, DJ Paul Fitts, and Red Carpet Wedding Films for their dedication to details and making each bride's day feel special.  You all rock!

Thank you to Lisha Myers Photography for sharing these beautiful shots! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I LOVED Jamie's dress!!  Lucky gal got to go to Kleinfelds with her mom and actually met the designer! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Matron of Honor's daughter was the cutest wedding guest ever!

Jamie & Ethan - Thank you guys so much for allowing me to tag along on your special day!  You both were amazing to work with and I'm so grateful that we've been able to become good friends!  I wish you many, many years of newlywed bliss!