Eclectic Center Pieces

Eclectic center pieces!
It's OK if all of the center pieces do not match or are not asymmetrical!

Here are some center pieces from Megan and Blue's Wedding (October 4, 2008).
Megan did the center pieces herself!

Ledges were adorned with pillar candles and various vases with fresh cut flowers.

FYI: Be sure to set something under candles that are placed on linens or certain surfaces. The linen company will charge for greasy stains. Buy dripless candles!

Every table was set with different candles: various heights, widths, and colors. Taper candles in antique holders and tinted votive holders were also used.

The flowers on each table were different colors and styles. The eclectic look gave a fresh picked feel to the garden reception. The vases were cylinder, oval, and round.

Each table was unique! Guests love to wander around the reception area to see all of the different center pieces.

Megan even made the boutonnieres for the guys. The berries, babies breathe, and greenery were a perfect match to the centerpieces! Megan's homemade favors (peppermint hand soap) went along with the theme.

Go eclectic! Collect different pieces from your family and put them to good use!
Planner Girl:)

Vendor Spotlight: Caterers

There are several good Caterers in town. We love Rex Bradford Jones Catering, Simply Southern Catering, All Occasion Catering, and Rosa's Catering! You can't go wrong with any of them!

Today we want to highlight one of our favorites and give you some hints on picking your caterer!

Vendor Spotlight:

Rex Bradford Jones Catering (Abner's Attic)

Phone: (865) 522-5552

History: Mr. Jones originally started as Abner's Attic (Abner is family name). Rex has been catering in Knoxville and the surrounding areas for over 25 years! He recently opened a tea room called Abner's Attic located on Asheville Hwy. All of the following pictures are provided by Rex Bradford Jones Catering.

The food and atmosphere are fabulous! Often in this business vendors get caught up in so many events that they loose sight of their individual customers.

Rex has a personal touch of southern hospitality that is often missing with other vendors!

Potato skins: My favorite!

A sea of salads served in wine glasses!

Hints on selecting a caterer for your special day:

Choose professional vendors. They will show up regardless of what comes up. A professional caterer knows how much food to prepare and will not run out. They will also provide staff to bus tables and serve your guests. You don’t want to use trashcans or make guests clean their own tables. You also don’t want family to have to clean up after 150 guests!

If family members want to help, be sure they do not take on too much, especially if they will be needed in pictures. The stress of running errands, getting themselves ready, playing hostess, and then working food or flowers, can hinder their ability to enjoy the wedding.

Ever After’s caterer checklist:

- Food quality

- Food presentation

- Competitive pricing

- Professional staff in behavior and dress

- Quality service on the day of your wedding

Our top caterers meet all of our criteria! Don't skimp on any of these!

Bon appetit!

Planner Girl:)

The RSVP card!

What's so important about the RSVP?

Getting an accurate head count is important regardless of if you are having a buffet, heavy hors d'oeuvre's, or a plated meal!

An accurate head count is a must with a plated meal; those with and without assigned seating. The caterer must know how many portions to prepare since individual plates are served. Often caterers will prepare a little extra, but not enough to cover too many unannounced guests. You also do not want to guesstimate your numbers. It's too costly to pay for the 'maybes' or 'will sees'!

Unfortunately, there is a bad trend where guests respond with more guests on their cards than were invited. It's very bad etiquette, yet you're left holding the bill. There's also a bad trend of not responding at all. If this is the case with your guests, there is something you can do.

One very helpful hint is to lightly number the back of each RSVP card to match their number on your invite list. Some guests forget to put their name on the RSVP! Numbering the cards will let you track who has not responded.

Don't let it get you frustrated! It is perfectly within etiquette to have your bridesmaids call non-respondent RSVPs. Just be sure to select maids with some tact. Have them simply say, "we have not received your RSVP for the wedding and wanted to see if you will be able to join us." It's OK to put them on the spot to get the accurate count! It's not OK for them to be holding out for something better to come along! Seriously!? While there are some legitimate reasons to respond with a 'maybe' the majority of your guests should be able to commit to an answer.

Most caterers required the final head count to be given two weeks before the wedding. So, set the RSVP date 3 weeks prior to the wedding. There will always be those that respond late and this will give your maids time to follow up!

The RSVP number is also important if you are ordering individual chairs for the ceremony and preparing favors for each guest.

Be bold... number the cards... and sic your maids on them if they do not respond!

Get an accurate number!

Planner Girl:)

Halloween Wedding: Part II

Wedding Spotlight:
Amanda Collins + John Norton

10.31.09

PART II

Part I of this blog outlined the theme, favors, and decor of our Halloween wedding. This wedding was so intricate that we needed to blog it in two parts! Along with the typical first dance, toasts, cutting of the cake, bouquet toss, etc. this wedding had additional activities to match the theme.

The bride's entrance: Headless Horseman

As the violinist played the Bridal March a white carriage crept around the corner. The guests oohed and awhed with excitement. The rain had caused us to change the ceremony location from outside in front of a nearby cottage to the covered outdoor patio. Guests may have expected our other plans to change or the mood to be dampened- but it was not! As the carriage carrying the bride drew closer, guests began to realize that a headless horseman was steering the reins! The bride said she could hear the crowd start to chatter with excitement!

WBIR Channel 10 captured some video footage of the bride's entrance!

The sweetheart table was adorned with a pumpkin carved with an 'N', a picture of the couple, and their toasting flutes.

The outdoor patio was decorated with pumpkin bag lanterns and orange twinkle lights.

Table Decor

Tables were set up with orange mums and pumpkins carved by the bride's sister. A cobweb draped over the table. Here's just a few of the pumpkins!

Dorothy (see the curls down the cheek?!)

The scarecrow

The tin man


The Lion

The Food

The groom insisted that he wanted guests to have fun! He insisted that we have "real food, not catered food!" One of Ever After's favorite caterer's is Simply Southern Catering. I knew that Hope would be able to create a menu that was homemade and did not taste catered! Guests dined on hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, homemade onion rings, mini funnel cakes, apples with caramel dip! A children's buffet was set up with chicken nuggets and corn dogs. Following dinner and the cutting of the cake, guests were treated to cotton candy!

The Cake

Halloween setters (Frankenstein, ghosts, witches, etc.) sat on the cake. Pumpkins also sat on the ledges! The topper was a silver 'N'.

The Groom's cake

We are in East Tennessee- home of the vols- so of course it had to be a UT cake. The groom is a huge basketball fan!

Trick or Treat Trail

Since many children were coming to the wedding, the bride wanted to be sure they did not miss out on trick or treating. A trick or treat trail was set up for the children. I guided them from lantern to lantern around the farm's spacious grounds and building. At each stop, someone was waiting with a bucket of candy ready to pass it out at the magical words 'trick or treat'. At the end of the trail each child received a goody bag of treats and some glow in the dark jewelry.

The groom and his best man (Aaron)

The Exit!

The bride and groom exited to sparklers!

The moral of this story... make your wedding uniquely you! It doesn't have to be to this extreme, but use the favors, menu, decor, etc. to reflect your personality. Have guests leaving saying, "that was sooooo (your name here)"!

Plan it, live it, enjoy it!

Planner Girl:)

Halloween Wedding Part I

Wedding Spotlight: Amanda Collins + John Norton

10.31.09

PART I

Location: Museum of Appalachia

Vendors

Food: Simply Southern Catering
Photography: Arlin Yeager

Carriage: Gilliland Farms

Ceremony Music: Al Colombo Violinist

Reception Music: Gary Loe Productions

See News Coverage on WBIR Channel 10 and WVLT channel 8

The Theme: Halloween

The bride and groom were excited to have a Halloween wedding since it's their favorite holiday. They wanted to do something different and fun that their guests would remember. When Amanda first mentioned the theme to me I wasn't quite sure where to start! It was different than what we normally do! I said, "OK, when Halloween gets closer we can go shopping for the decor." But, there was no need to wait, she had everything we needed in her outdoor shed! Her family loved to decorate the house (in and out) for Halloween. Most of the items had been in her family since she was a child so they were dear to her.

Favors: Candy Buffet

Trick or treat bags with ties were provided for guests to graze the candy buffet. Amanda's vintage Halloween containers were a perfect fit for the sweet buffet. Each figure was a bowl (they had a hole in the top of their heads). The guests got to do their own trick or treating and then take home the bags for their favors. Treats included candy corn pumpkins, suckers, tootsie rolls, eye ball jawbreakers, etc.

Decor

Amanda's favorite Halloween items were placed all over the reception area: witches, ghosts, and skeletons oh my!

The Wizard of Oz

The couple and wedding party were in formal attire for the ceremony. They changed into costume for the reception. The bride (Dorothy), groom (scarecrow), bride's son (lion), and groom's son (tin man) celebrated their new family Wizard of Oz style!

The new family!

Who knew Dorothy would marry the scarecrow?

Costumes
Guests were expected to dress in costume for the ceremony and reception. They did not disappoint! Several folks showed up: the terminator, a nun, some Eskimos, little bo peep, a chicken, and the list goes on!

A table of masks and props was provided for those that did not arrive in costume, but wished they had once they arrived! A face painter was available to get children and adults alike into the dress up spirit!

Stay tuned for part II of our blog on Thursday. It will feature more pictures and decor from the wedding!

Trick or Treat!

Planner Girl:)