lauren and jeff engagement session {daniel stowe botanical garden}

Meet Favor Me Events couple, Lauren and Jeff! 

They are getting married on July 30th at Lauren's family's church, Saint Mark's Catholic in Huntersville. Dinner and dancing will follow at The Peninsula Club {they have already booked Vinny from Split Second Sound- so dancing will be a definite!}

Lauren, a medical student at Wake Forest and Jeff, a medical professional {and fellow Steelers fan} have chosen navy blue, gold and ivory as their colors {stay tuned for their inspiration board!} 

Jeff is just as involved in the planning process as Lauren- he is v.e.r.y passionate about the cake and I love it!

They recently had their e-session with Leslie Keener from Elizabeth Scott Photography which started at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden and ended in Uptown.

So excited to work with these two!


with love.
Anne

it's in the bag

When meeting with a new couple to discuss their upcoming wedding, I am always curious to find out if they have special traditions to include either in their ceremony or reception.

For me, it was very important to incorporate the traditional bridal dance. In Poland and other Eastern European countries {I am Czech}, a dance called the 'pani mloda' is played at the end of the reception before the bride and groom are whisked away and leave for their honeymoon.

Once the groom is securely tucked away, the maid of honor holds a bag or sack for guests to deposit money to pay to dance with the bride.  After each guest dances with the bride they are typically offered a shot of alcohol or a piece of cake {I will let you guess which one is more popular}. The guests then join hands and circle the bride.  The mother of the bride has the last dance and after she joins the circle the new groom is brought back in to the reception and breaks through the tight circle to claim his bride. The groom symbolically tosses his entire wallet into the bag, picks up his bride and carries her away to their new life together.

So, where am I going with all of this besides perhaps giving you quick background on Czech weddings? 

Well, my extremely talented mother who owns a local soft furnishing business in Pennsylvania has been designing, sewing and customizing the said money bag for years.

Each bag is customized and handmade. The bag is 13x18 and can either be made in white or ivory silk {with a choice of thread color for initial and wedding date embroidery}.

The bag retails for $40.00 +shipping. This includes the bag and embroidery of the initial and wedding date. Couples are also able to have the bag double as a pillow for a keepsake for an additional $10.00 fee.

For more information on how to order your money bag, please contact me. Bags should be ordered at least 3 months before the wedding date.  Special requests {such as the use of heirloom fabric} are welcome.

Here's to tradition!

with love.
Anne

jamie and jason tie the knot {marriott city center wedding}

I had the pleasure of coordinating Jason and Jamie's wedding ceremony on October 9th at St. Mary's Chapel in Charlotte.

The love between this couple is sweet and simple. Each chose to write their own vows, and I am confident in saying that there was not a dry eye in the place. They also chose a "sand ceremony" over the traditional unity candle. While the two sands were combined the harpist played 'Ava Maria'- seriously a beautiful moment.

The party continued at The Marriott City Center. Here are few photos from the ceremony {and a few shots after too...}

Thank you to the following vendors that made the ceremony flawless:

venue- St. Mary's Chapel

photographer- Imbeault & Company Photography

florist- The Place for Flowers

harpist- Kirsten Osborn

hair & makeup- Theory Salon

Congratulations, Jamie and Jason! Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your special day!

with love.

Anne

angell and allen {engagement session}

When I first met Angell and Allen, I knew they were no ordinary couple.

After being together for 25 years, they decided to make this year their first wedding anniversary by getting married on October 30 at The Duke Mansion in Charlotte.

Drea and Casey Cunningham of Cunningham Photo Artists will be documenting their wedding day and have shared a few shots from their recent engagement shoot.

I am honestly so stinkin' excited for these two extremely amazing people and look forward to sharing more photos from their big day! Stay tuned...


with love.
Anne

what a card

My day just got better as the UPS guy arrived and delivered my long-awaited new business cards {my husband claims that I am impatient but I just like to think of it as extreme excitement}. Either way, they are finally here and I thought I would share them with the outside world.

I can not give enough gratitude and credit to Stephanie Huxter of SCM Design. If you have not already checked out her site {www.scmdesign.com}, please do so! She does amazing design work and makes gorgeous invitations!

with love.
Anne

hiring {interns}

Favor Me Events is currently hiring event interns.

If interested, please send the following information to Anne Markey at anne@favormeevents.com

-      Your resume

-      Three references {non-relatives, please}

-      Answers to the following questions

1.     What interests you most about interning at Favor Me Events?

2.     What unique skills can you bring to Favor Me Events?

3.     When I am in a stressful situation, I {finish this sentence…}

Qualified applicants should be working toward or have recently completed a Bachelor’s Degree with at least a 3.0 GPA. Event interns should be professional, flexible and expect to work both office hours at our studio {located in Matthews, NC} as well as weekends. Please note that this is an unpaid position.

Applicants interested in starting their own event planning business need not apply.

No phone calls please.  Applications and inquiries sent through the contact section on the website will not be qualified.


Thank you for your interest and good luck!

katie and nolan tie the knot {raffaldini vineyards wedding}

Katie and Nolan were married on July 31st at Raffaldini Vineyards in Elkin, North Carolina. Despite the rain {and when I say rain, I mean rain!}, the wedding was beautiful. The ceremony took place outdoors under a tent {thank goodness!} while the reception was brought inside the villa.

Katie loves Pottery Barn and wanted to bring its rustic yet polished feel to her wedding. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day...

the view from the villa. 

the ring box with katie and nolan's carved heart theme. love this!

homemade corkboard. lots of vino was consumed to make this possible! 

centerpieces were recycled wine crates with potted sunflowers and other wildflowers.

katie and nolan gave their guests a polaroid camera and asked to hang their thoughts on the line.
even their puppy, bella  had something to say!

no sparklers allowed. solution= these homemade ribbon wavers for a fun grand exit!

thank you to the vendors that made this event possible:
venue- Raffaldini Vineyards
florist- Huffman Events
rentals- All Star Rentals
rentals- Hauser Rental Service
photographer - sLogan Photography
wedding dress/bridesmaids dresses- Jcrew


vino anyone?


with love.
Anne

change is in the air

I am beyond excited to announce the newly launched and re-branded FavorMeEvents website and blog today! Oh my, what a labor of love this has been and the reason why I have been a bit quiet lately.

You will notice some changes {besides the logo and website}. Please note that my office phone number has changed. As well, if you are wanting to archive back to the old blog, feel free! The link is included to the right of this post.

Today also marks the third anniversary of my sweet grandfather's unexpected passing. He was a business owner, perfectionist {sometimes to a fault} and a jokester. In many ways, I see his traits in me and thought it was appropriate to honor him today with a new and very exciting beginning.

Thank you to my family, friends and fellow Charlotte wedding vendors for your continued love and support.

with love.
Anne