The Children's Musem of the Upstate, Greenville, SC

 

Several weeks ago, before this crazy wedding season started, I visited a very unique venue for weddings.  I was invited by Claire Stam, Events Coordinator & Development Associate to tour The Children’s Museum.  Now, if you are like me, you never pictured having an event (other than a birthday party) at the Children’s Museum.    But let me tell you, it is a pretty cool place to have a wedding and reception.

 

At 80,000 square feet, they can host events for groups of 15 to 1,500.   You can rent all three floors or just one floor depending on your needs.  The attractions are set up for children of all ages (yes, the attractions can be used by adults too), so your guests have plenty of interactive displays to keep them entertained during cocktail hour.    Saffron’s runs a large café area that is the perfect size for a reception.  There is also a terrace area off the café, where your guests can be outside and enjoy your cocktail hour. You can have Saffron’s provide your catering or you can bring in your own approved caterer. 

 

Some of the best areas are a circular room that could be set up for a beautiful ceremony or a real special dance area after dinner.  There is a real TV studio were guests can record their wishes or performances for the bride and groom. Out front there is space for a lovely ceremony if you are looking for outdoors.  Around back is another beautiful garden area that is great for cocktails or a ceremony.

 

So, if you are looking for that unique venue with a fun atmosphere, this just might be the place.  Give me or Claire a call and we can start planning your event today.

Faith Thornburg Trunk Show at Belk

Hi brides, 

If you are on the search for your wedding dress, you might want to check out the Faith Thornburg, Trunk Show at Belks at Haywood Mall.  The wedding gown designer will be taking appointments on Saturday, April 6 from 11:00am until 3:00pm in half hour increments as part of her trunk show. If you are interested in setting up an appointment, please contact Megan Szuster at 864-915-0835. The event will be held at Belk in the Haywood Mall in Greenville.

The New and Improved Crowne Plaza Greenville

If you are researching venues to hold your wedding and reception, you might want to check out Crowne Plaza Greenville at 851 Congaree Road.  They are in the process of doing a huge renovation and it is going to be pretty spectacular when it is all finished. 

We had the pleasure of touring the facility with Donna Oglesby the Sales Manager.  The lobby is being totally redone and will be a beautiful place to hold your cocktail hour.  Rooms are being remodeled and redecorated.  We were able to see a couple of the model rooms and believe me, your guests would be happy to stay in them.  The hotel is hoping that the total makeover will be complete by August 2013.

So while searching for your perfect wedding venue, be sure to stop in and visit with Donna.  Her phone number is 864-248-1722.

Sweet Thank You

 

While I am in the midst of all the craziness of getting ready for today's wedding, I decide to check the mailbox.  In it, I find a reminder of why I continue this nerve racking, crazy profession.  It was a very sweet thank you from the parents of a bride we had a few weeks ago. So as stressful and crazy as the job is, it does have its wonderful moments!

What Makes a Wedding Guest Happy

 

I watched another session of Four Weddings.  The show overall is terrible; asking brides to judge each other’s weddings is just wrong.  But it is interesting to see the things they dislike as guests at weddings.  Some things are ridiculous, such as the church service was too long or too short.  That is not up to the bride or something she can, in most instances, have any say in at all.  It is after all a religious ceremony decided on by the church.

I have also noticed that almost every time, the bride that spends the most on her wedding wins.  Money may not buy happiness, but it does buy drinks, good entertainment and good food, all very important to wedding guests.  Want to make sure your wedding doesn’t win; then have a cash bar.

So what causes a wedding to not be a favorite with guests:

A cash bar

Lack of food choices, cold food or bad food.

Lack of décor and under this comes using fake flowers.  The guests will notice, pure and simple.

Lack of seating, no matter what you think guests do not want to stand for any period of time.

Rooms that are too tight. Too many guests crammed into a room does not make for a pleasant time.

Outdoor weddings that are too hot, too cold or too buggy.  Beautiful setting does not make up for uncomfortable guests.

Guests like a wedding to look like a wedding, not a dinner, and not a cocktail party.  They come to a wedding and they want to see a wedding.  They are looking for something special.

Long speeches or lots of speeches.  Two is ok, more are not.  Guests don’t really care.  Have them at the rehearsal dinner where it is just family that does care.

Don’t split the event between rooms. Cake in one area, dinner in another, dancing another, guests spread out in different rooms.  Doesn’t work, guests in outer rooms away from the wedding couple feel like lesser friends.  Not good.

So even though I don’t really approve of the show, it does teach the occasional good lesson.  So what would you like to add to the list?  What makes you happy or unhappy as a wedding guest?

Lena and Christian Get Married

This past weekend we were lucky enough to work with a great couple, Lena and Christian.  Their ceremony was held at Christ Church and the reception was at the Sawmill. 

Lena was a bride that knew exactly what she wanted.  She chose aubergine, eggplant and ivory as her colors with a theme of classic elegance.  Lena’s main request was candles, candles and more candles and boy did we have candles.  They were everywhere, in the windows, in the fireplace, on the tables, and we even had candle trees set up around the room. 

Lena had made a lot of her own personal touches throughout the wedding such as programs, signs and favors.The menu choosen by the couple and prepared by Larkins and was to die for.  Everything from the shrimp and grits to the steak was delicious. Dessert was the fabulous wedding cake and grooms cake.

At the end of the evening the couple, who will be honeymooning in London, were cheered on their way with British flags.  The favors were British tea cookies and tea bags. The getaway car was a beautiful antique Bently.

 As you can see below, the whole evening was absolutely beautiful.

 

 

Vendors:

Wedding Planner:  Willrich Bridal and Special Events
Wedding:  Christ Church
Reception: Sawmill
Floral and Design:  Memories by McMillan
Cake:  Kathy and Co.
DJ:  Pros Only Entertainment, Sam Brooks
Photographer:  Christine LeGrand Photography
Transportation:  Gene Gore

Valerie and Ryan Get Married

We had a Thursday wedding this past week.  I think it might have been the first Thursday wedding we have done.  Why Thursday, you might ask?  Well the couple wanted to be married on 10/11/12.  Isn’t that cute?  The majority of guests were from out of town so a Thursday event worked fine.

The bride, Valerie, was actually the second bride we have had from this family.  I love return customers.  It’s so much fun, because you already sort of know the family.  Right from the start, the bride and her mom knew that they wanted dark blue to be the main color. They had seen a picture of dark blue goblets on a table and they loved the look.  So that’s what we did.  Professional Party Rental brought in dark blue glasses and silver chargers for the table. These were laid on a silver table linen with silver napkins.  Dinner plates were white with a silver rim.  It was truly beautiful. 

 

The flowers were blues, bronzes and tangerines offset with ivories to pop the colors.  There was a touch of a natural element with river rock surrounding candles on the tables.

For fun there was a gorgeous candy bar that played off the dark blue crystal goblets on the table.  The bride’s mom had collected all types of dark blue containers and we filled them with silver, white and blue candies.  There were also glow necklaces and bracelets for everyone to wear during the dancing.  These were a huge hit.

 

Take a sweet couple, fun family, great vendors and what do you get?  A picture perfect wedding!

Vendors for this event are:

Ceremony- Covenant Methodist

Site – Huguenot Loft

Florist – Memories by McMillan

Photographer/Videographer/Lighting – Better Tie Productions

Cake – Couture Cakes of Greenville

Musicians- Trio 864

DJ – Life of the Party (Robert)

Limo – DL Limousine Service

Caterer- Goodlife Catering