scm design {open house}

On February 23, Stephanie Huxter of SCM Design hosted a wine and cheese open house to celebrate the opening of her home-based studio.

When Stephanie asked me to assist with planning the open house, I was immediately on board. Not only is Stephanie crazy talented, creative, full of energy and the ultimate paper guru- but she is simply a sweetheart.

SCM Design is boutique design studio specializing in custom designed invitations, stationery and storybook albums.

I highly recommend checking out her site if you are in need of invitations, stationery or if you just love paper products!

Thank you to all local vendors that came out. It was great to see all of you!

Also, a huge thank you to Party Reflections, Lily Greenthumb's and Bella Loren Photography {who photographed the event and provided the images below}.

Thanks again, Stephanie for allowing me to help plan this successful event! 

with love.

Anne

allison and matthew {engagement session}

Meet Favor Me Events couple, Allison and Matthew!

Starting out at First Wesleyan Christian School then Ashbrook High School and finally UNC Charlotte, their lives have always ran parallel to one another. Matt and Allison officially started dating on Christmas Day of 2005. They have been together ever since. 

Allison, who works in banking and Matthew, a graphic designer have come up with a vintage, old Hollywood theme for their May nuptials. Think blush pinks, charcoal grey and feathers for this wedding day!

The ceremony will be held at Allison's family's church in Gastonia with the reception at the Mint Museum Uptown. 

Here are a few of the couple's favorite shots from their e-session with 

Lindsey Lee Photography.  I personally love how they brought the vintage wedding theme in to some of their engagement shots as well. Enjoy!

So excited to be working with both Allison and Matthew! Stay tuned for photos from their upcoming wedding. 

with love.

Anne

angell and allen tie the knot {duke mansion wedding}

Angell and Allen met over 25 years ago and on October 30th said their vows in front of 90 of their dearest friends and family at the Duke Mansion. The weather was gorgeous- just the crisp fall day that Angell wanted as she walked down the aisle for her outside ceremony.

Both Angell and Allen wanted to soak in every moment of the day and opted to do a "first look" and take a moment {as Angell would say}, "to be in the present."

The ceremony was the most important part of the day for both Angell and Allen. Working with Pam Bailey from Flowers from the Cellar, the pergola was garnished with a cross made of twigs, moss and other rustic materials. Pam also designed the tree-like centerpieces for the reception that added the rustic, yet romantic feel that Angell and Allen both wished to convey throughout the space.

Thank you to the following vendors that made this event a success:

venue: The Duke Mansion

angell's dress: NY Bride + Groom

photography: Cunningham Photo Artists

hair and makeup: Who's the Fairest 

florist: Flowers from the Cellar

cake: Cake Lady Jill

dj: Split Second Sound

string quartet: Carolina Classic Strings

Wishing only love, peace and happiness to Angell and Allen! It was a pleasure to get to know and work with you both!

with love.

Anne

Featured {charlotte wedding magazine}

After a bit of a blogging hiatus, I am back! First, Happy New Year! Here's hoping that 2011 brings only good things.

2011 may be just a few days old, but I can not be happier with the way it has been unfolding. I am so excited to finally share the Spring/ Summer 2011 Issue of Charlotte Wedding Magazine. How gorgeous is the cover?

I was approached by Charlotte Wedding to create an upscale county fair themed wedding for their inspiration shoot. Not going to lie-- this was quite the challenge and labor of love {and not to mention many, many, m.a.n.y hours of sewing flags and and a tent. Yes-- I said a tent!} 

I immediately contacted The Place for Flowers who did an amazing job with the simple, yet elegant florals. Also-- a special thanks to Taylor for lending us his bench!

Amy at WoW Factor Cakes stole the show with her amazing and delicious cake! 

La-tea-da's truly outdid themselves with the amazing amount of pint-sized food.  Finally, thank you to Anna De Leon from Nuage Mulberry who designed and produced the save the dates, invitations and all other printing. Bravo!

Be sure to check out Charlotte Wedding Magazine for the full story- on newsstands now!

with love.

Anne

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