Dinner with Sylvia Weinstock

I recently got to meet Sylvia Weinstock as she spoke about her trade: Cakes! The Summit Club in Birmingham, AL (similar to Knoxville's Club LeConte) hosted our dinner. Her short stature and signature coke bottle glasses were unmistakable as she walked toward us. Her clientel includes: Donald Trump, Oprah, Mariah, The Kennedys, Eddie Murphy, Whitney Houston, Catherine Zeta-Jones, etc.


We had a great meal. Sylvia shared with us that she only uses butter cream frosting. She does not work with fondant. That is also the reason that she does not do cakes for outdoor weddings! Her cakes are featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, Town and Country, Brides, and Modern Brides magazines. While Sylvia was in town she judged a cake decorating contest.

The cakes and Sylvia were even more impressive in person!

Although it did not win the contest, my favorite cake was the pink and pearl jewelry box cake pictured below. I love the detail and elegance of it!

Cake rocks!

Planner Girl:)

Rock the Runway

In May we attended a charity function in Birmingham, AL. The event was titled Rock the Runway and benefited children's hospital. The event was coordinated by Scot Wedgeworth of lush Weddings, Events and Entertaining.



The red carpet event was held at the Redmont in downtown Birmingham.

Models adorned with gorgeous wedding gowns stood and sat in swings suspended from the ceiling.

As VIPs we made our way to the roof top where the band was to play. The second floor of the hotel had a DJ spinning tunes and hors d'oeuvres!

A fashion show with gowns by Heidi Elnora (of Project Runway) entertained guests and the band closed out the night!

What a fun event!

Planner Girl:)

August Bridal Show!

Sunday's bridal show was a success! Premier Bride hosted the show at the Knoxville Convention Center. The show had good food, cash prizes, give aways, fashion shows, and more! Our Ever After booth displayed a mannequin from Walker's Formal wear.

Ever After provides tuxedo service with every package. We help with pick up and return. We love to help our brides save money on their tuxedo rentals!

Our booth also displayed information from Sandals! We are about to go visit more locations this Fall- can't wait! Here are pictures from our St. Lucia visit!

The pool, the activities, the suite with no walls between you and the ocean!

Ever After brides get discounts offered through Sandals as well as a free gift from us! Often the gift is a spa treatment or excursion valued at up to $150.

Our bridal show booth also had a candy buffet, which was readily devoured by visitors to our booth.

No one can resist a good candy buffet! They are still the star of wedding favors! Our buffet featured M & M's, bling rings, rock candy, jelly belly's, and other pink and green goodies!

The large crystal tree adorning the table was provided by Lisa Foster Design. The tree is perfect for winter themes or as a fabulous centerpiece! We used it in June for an outdoor wedding. We uplit the tree with a purple pinspot and placed seed packet favors at the base. The bride is thinking of buying one for her home since her guests keep asking about seeing it at Christmas!

Happy planning!

Planner Girl:)

Loose ends

The reception is over. The happy couple has left the building! But, now what? Who will stay to clean up? Who will take the gifts and left over cake? There are many loose ends following the reception. Don't forget to put someone in charge of each of them. Your best bet would be a professional coordinator. Paid help will be more knowledgeable about what needs to be taken care of. Especially if you rent a venue where things need to be left as they were found! Paid help is also more likely to follow through. Family and friends are usually exhausted from the rehearsal dinner, parties, a day of photos, and a night of eating and drinking! Also, they are often not aware of what is yours and what is rented.
Will you leave the dress at the reception or leave in it? Who will pick it up from the hotel and take it to be preserved?

Are the vases rented or can they be given away to family? Who will take home the extra centerpieces?

Here are some loose ends to consider...

Gifts and cards

Food and cake

Favors and programs

Guest book, pen, toasting glasses, cake knife and server, cake topper, candles, other decor items.

Have someone recheck the dressing rooms for items left behind (lip stick, cell phones, cuff links)

Decide how you will return the groom's tuxedo

Who will pick up your dress and bouquet for preservation?

Does anything need to be returned to the cake baker, florist, rental company?

Most venues are rented for an allotment of time. Exceeding that time can be costly. Be sure your coordinator knows the end time so that everything can be cleaned up without you being charged extra! Often you can arrange pick up of rented items for a fee. Items such as floral vases, linens, cake stands, etc. can be returned rather than picked up to save money. However, if something gets damaged you will be responsible. One example I can think of is a helpful groomsman who was going to return the vases. He broke several of them before he made it to the store. It cost the bride and groom over $300 to replace what was broken.

Although it sounds like a small task, making sure the loose ends are covered will save you time and money. You don't want your sister calling you on the honeymoon to see if the vases are rented or yours to keep. You don't want to get back from the honeymoon and find out that things were not cleaned up at the reception or something did not make it back to the rental company.

Happy planning!

Planner Girl:)

Go big or go home!

By now we've all seen the dancing bride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0. It's fun, upbeat, and very entertaining! But, what makes it different than other videos on the web? It's the commitment! Each person has a part and they play it well. They are all 100% into the routine. They practiced it well and executed it even better! If you're going to do a choreographed dance, then commit to it completely! Go big or go home! Let's compare it to other surprise dances on the web. At first the guests are excited, but if the routine goes too long or if it looks awkward then it's painful for guests to watch! If you decide to do a choreographed dance, be sure to commit to it fully. Give it all you've got! Here are a few pictures from a recent wedding I did where the bride (Blaine) and her father (Kim) decided to bust a move to various music samplings! Photos are courtesy of Charis Photography.

Have fun with it!
Planner Girl:)