Jessica & Gerry 9.3.11

Jessica & Gerry were our Labor Day weekend couple.  They were so much fun to work with and I was really looking forward to all the great details Jessica had worked into the wedding and reception!!  (wait till you see her shoes!!) 

This probably isn't a "news flash" or anything, but your vendors can really make or break your big day - Jessica had picked out the best vendors!  North Raleigh Florist did an amazing job on the bouquets, boutonnieres, altar arrangement, and the center pieces!  Thank you ladies!  Cafe Luna catered the event - their food is ALWAYS amazing!  Rockin' tha beats all night was the ever-talented Patrick Cooke of PC Productions.  Our photographer duo and the staff at the venue just knocked it out of the ball park.  :)

The ceremony and reception was held at the fabulous Stockroom at 230, downtown Raleigh on Fayetteville Street.  The Stockroom is a relativly new venue, so if you haven't checked it out yet, you need to go! 

Please enjoy the fabulous photos thanks to Creative Photography by Heather MacLeod

Jessica's something blue AND kept her from slipping!! 

PC Productions did an amazing job with the uplighting!

Jessica's DIY invitations - they were so beautiful!

Very cool DIY seating chart! 

Simply stunning!

I just love Jessica's bouquet - thank you North Raleigh Florist!

one of my FAVORITES!!  This makes me want to get a tattoo on my foot! 

Jessica & Gerry - you guys were so much fun!  Thank you for allowing Premier to be a part of your special day!  Many blessings to you both! 

Just stopping by

Wow!  What a crazy month September has turned out to be! (and October is quickly following!) Shew!  I am not complaining though!  I LIVE for wedding season!!  Another reason (one of many) I destest winter is - no more weddings... so I am really excited to share all the AMAZING pictures from our weddings that have gone on!  

Here are just a few little tid bits while we wait on our photographers to do all their behind the scense magic!

Jessica's shoes were so freaking hot!!  LOVED them with her tattoo!
Photograph by Heather MacLeod

Stephanie and her adorable Maid of Honor (her daughter) Brooke

Stephane and Chuck exchanging rings  <3

Yes, you are seeing this correctly - an Armadillo Groom's cake! 

Here's the "bleeding" part - red velvet... yum!

There are lots more to come, so check back soon!! 

toodles!

the hills are alive, with the sound of music....

For those who hadn't heard, Premier Party Planners is going international!  Yup, that's right - our international destination wedding is about a week away!  We are so excited for this trip!  And even though, I haven't seen 'The Sound of Music' in yeeeeeaaarrsss (I might not have ever seen the movie from start to finish, actually...) the words of Julie Andrews are stuck in my head... naturally, with with our upcoming trip to Switzerland, I feel like I must watch it and be ready to re-inact the iconic image of 'Maria' running through the hills of Switzerland

Most folks who didn't grow up under a rock or were born before 1990 are familiar with this image

Be prepared for something simliar from me, yet less creepy than this dude -

horizontally challenged random dude... I'd retire that shirt if I were you...

details:
We will be flying out of RDU on Wednesday, Sep. 7th and will arrive in Zurich the next day.  We will then board a train and travel 2hrs south to the middle of the Swiss Alps to the town of Lauterbrunnen.  Once we arrive there, we will then have to take a cable car up to the small village where our bride & groom will officially tie the knot.  This romantic, medieval village does not allow any cars!   
The ceremony will take place on Saturday and will be an outdoor event on the terrace of our hotel with beautiful views of the Swiss alps.  *sign* sooo romantic!  I can't wait to show you pictures!

Dress Shopping - part deux

So as you all may know, my parents came up this past weekend with the goal of purchasing my wedding dress.  Up until this visit I had been periodically checking out different bridal stores around the Raleigh area (“part une”). My mom had asked that I look around before her visit - that way I'd have a few of my favorites for her to check out and then we'd make a decision. Quick and easy… or so I thought!  Our “quick and easy” quickly evolved into "let's exhaust allllll your dress options in Wake County"… She wanted us to go to the bridal mart in Burlington AND the bridal mart in Smithfield AND David’s AND all the other salons here in Raleigh… I was exhausted just thinking of all the driving we’d be doing!  (aren’t they tired of driving?  Didn’t they JUST drive 11 hrs from Florida?!!)

Thursday came, mom and dad arrived without a glitch.  We met up with the sales woman at the reception location and checked out some linen options, had dinner and called it a night.  Luckily, I was able to talk Mom out of going to Smithfield in exchange for us going to another store that sold the Maggie Sottero line (we had found a few different Maggie dresses that we both really liked!)  So we started our search in Cary at the Bridal Boutique of NC.  I would highly recommend this store to any dress-shopping bride!  They have a large selection, huge salon with lots of room for trying on dresses and comfy couches for dad’s to sit on.  J  I ended up finding two dresses at the Bridal Boutique that we loved!  After we left, we went over to Lana Addison (also in Cary) and tried on three more dresses.  None were a hit.  Not to my surprise, Mom did not like the original dress I had found a few weeks ago…. Sometimes our taste lines up… other times not at all.  So we left Lana’s and went to our final appointment at Victorian Rose on Glenwood.  This entire time, I have been searching for a dress with lace.  I knew I wanted lace on my dress… someway, somehow.  Unfortunately, VR did not have that wide of a lace-dress selection.  Now don’t get me wrong, there were a TON of beautiful wedding dresses!  But I knew what I liked and what I had been gravitating towards, so we eventually left without finding anything worth thinking about. 

The next morning, I was again able to talk Mom out of going to Smithfield right away.  We compromised and decided to go back to the Bridal Boutique and try on the two Maggie dresses I liked and then decide if we’re going to Smithfield OR back to Lana’s.  Nice compromise.  As fate would have it, we wouldn’t be going anywhere else.  I put on MY dress and I was sold!  I had needed to sleep on it, think about it (dream about it) and once I put it back on, I was ready to stop looking!  So as you can see/read I have “said yes to the dress”!!!!  (sorry, no pictures for this blog!)  I’m having a few alterations done (sweetheart neckline and they are extending the train) but otherwise the dress was perfect!  I LOVE it!  I wish I had it now so I could wear it around the house when Jimmy’s not home!  LOL   

So now we’re on to the guys attire and my bridesmaids!!  This wedding planning thing is fun!!   ;) 

Dress Shopping - part une

Technically, I've been dress shopping three times now.  Once with my future sisters'-in-law and twice with an awesome college friend.  The first time, we went to Traditions by Anna which is this great boutique in North Hills where the dresses are way outside of my financial parameters... but they were having a sample sale!!  How could a bargain shopper such as myself pass up a sale that was boasting 50% off??!!  So we went and basically we were able to narrow down what style of dresses I didn't like.... Which was a huge help!  Part of me wanted a ballgown - I mean, what other time in a gal's life do you get to wear a big poofy white dress?!  never!  So carpe diem ladies!

Reema Acra Fall 2010 Collection

After trying on a few of the princess-style, I found that even though I love them, they just don't flatter my body.  Oh well!  On to the next style....

I had a feeling I was going to like the fit and flare style the best (otherwise known as mermaid, or trumpet).  This style just hugs your body and can really flatter most any figure.  I tried on an organza dress with a rose applice right at the skirt where it flared out - loved it!!  The way the material was gathered across the body was so figure flattering! 

Jenny Lee 2011 Collection

So the first trip was a huge sucess!  I was able to start narrowing down my options.  The next trip was an impromptu "You-need-to-go-to-David's-Bridal-at-least-once!!" trip with my college friend.  So I made us an appointment (the day of our trip, and yes, you do need an appointment at David's) and I was able to try on even more mermaid style dresses.  I found two very pretty dresses that I like but I just wasn't super excited about either one.  I mean, if the world was ending and I had to pick one of them, I would be fine with it.... but nothing "wow-ed" me.  So on to our next trip...

Most recently my friend and I went to Lana Addison, a super cute boutique in Cary.  Personally, I love Lana Addison because the salon is all done in purple - my favorite color!  I tried on a few more mermaid-style dresses and fell in love with one dress (& veil) in particular!  Oh my gosh - this dress fits all my criteria: trumpet style, check!  lace, check!  long stunning train, check!  sparkle, check!  funky-cool belt, check!!  I love love love it!  Totally ready to "say yes to the dress" but.... must wait for mom!  Mom & Dad are making a Dress-shopping-trip-to-Raleigh next weekend - this is when we will purchase my dress!  So we will have to wait for Dress Shopping - part deux!

Oh, the joys of planning your own wedding....

Let me start of by saying that I LOVE weddings, I LOVE wedding planning, I LOVE my brides, I LOVE my job!   But this past weekend, I got a taste of what each of my brides go through at some point in time or another --- checking out venues with their parents and the groom-to-be!  I will be totally honest and admit that I was nervous and not looking forward to it at all!   I didn't know what to expect... so many opinions...trying to please Mom & Dad (they are pitching in after all!)...trying to please myself and Jimmy.... I remember hearing Bill Cosby say something about "you'll go crazy trying to please everyone in your life" (there's more to that quote but I forget...) *sigh* Moving on, I also have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised that we all got along a lot better than my initial paranoid-self was letting on. We actually found a place that all 4 of us love and it looks like we'll be bookingthe venue! Yay! Crisis averted! for now...

I say for now because we still need to plan the menu and bar package. The depth of analysis that my mom is taking (and will continue to take) the planning for the menu & bar package is something that I'm typically not involved in with my brides. These are conversations that are usually done at home, with the bride & groom and/or the parents. I am more so, the information gatherer and the couple/family makes these decisions. Now, I definitely understand and appreciate why we're going to such great lengths to analyze. every. single. option. we. have. My mom is a"number-cruncher" and wants to make sure we're getting the absolute most for our money. I totally appreciate this and I'm happy we are doing it. But at the same time, I am gaining a new found appreciation & respect for my brides and what they have to deal with when it comes to handling family dynamics.

It’s been great getting to see things from the bride’s perspective and I’m really looking forward to planning the other details – the wedding DRESS! the flowers, the cake, the linens, the stationary… now that the church and the venue have been picked, I/we can move on to some of the more fun parts! Dress shopping, here we come!! =)