To all the brides who are hosting their weddings in the Collin County area, there’s a new bridal show devoted just to you! 

On February 22nd, 4Star Events presents the 2nd annual Collin County Bridal Show.  The show will be held at the Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco Hotel & Convention Center.  The show will be from Noon to 5pm and tickets are only $5 per individual or $7 per bride and groom couple.  It should be quite fun and will have lots of prizes given away by vendors.  You won’t want to miss it!

Now, I can hear the question, should I still go to the Dallas Bridal Show held on February 21st and 22nd?  Absolutely!  I would highly recommend make a weekend of the bridal shows, hitting the Dallas Bridal Show on Saturday and the Collin County Bridal Show on Sunday.  You can collect the goodies from each show, enjoying the benefits of each.  Stay tuned and I’ll tell you all about how to reap the benefits of Bridal Shows in my next post!

What a whirlwind of a couple of weeks!  I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving Holiday, with lots of love, food and fun!  I know I did, and it was the perfect topper to all the events over the past couple of weeks.

Thanks to everyone who came to my first ever Info Session about Wedding Planners.  We had a small but amazing group that attended.  With such a good mix of brides, grooms, parents and vendors, we had some very interesting conversations!  I also had a surprise for the group as one my past bride, Krissy, attended and answered questions for everyone in their planning process.  She actually attempted to plan her wedding all DIY before hiring me, so she could tell them about why she hired a planner and how the process changed after hiring one.  I think everyone learned quite a bit and had some fun too!  I will definitely be holding this again, probably sometime in February, so definitely sign up for my free newsletter to keep in touch on this fun event.

Next, I was one of the few exhitibors invited to the brand new Hilton Garden Inn in Richardson to exhibit at their first wedding show.  This hotel is absolutley unique to this area with all of their hip, modern decor and settings.  With such a contemporary feel, it definitely stands out among the venues available to brides in this area.    Here’s the HGI team that put it all together.  Thanks so much for inviting me ladies!

The show was loads of fun and with it small and intimate, we were able to really visit with the couples that came through and answer all their questions.  The vendors were also able to mix and mingle, which was great for me as I found a few to add to my rolodex!  For example, here are Don and Emily Mamone from Don Mamone Photography:

Don is a truly talented photographer who just moved his business to Dallas from California.  He and his wife Emily seemed to share brains with me as we talked about all things wedding industry related.  I’m just sure we’ll be working together in the future!  Check out their blog and I’m sure you’ll be impressed!

So what’s next you ask?  Well, I have a wedding coming up at the end of December that I am SO looking forward to!  We’re incorporating a Tim Burton theme, which I can’t wait to show you!  Then of course the new year will hit and we’ll see what 2009 holds.  I can’t wait! How about you?

It’s the scoop you’ve always wanted!  As anyone who knows me understands, I’m always about education.  Well, I’ve decided to walk the talk and I’m now offering a free information session to all who are interested to give you the lowdown on wedding planners.

That’s right!  I’ll be answering all those questions like:  What does a wedding planner do?  How does that help me?  Why do I need a wedding planner if my best friend who just got married is helping?  How much does a wedding planner cost?  How do I find a good wedding planner?

To answer all these questions, I’m hosting a FREE information session on November 19th from 7-8.30pm at D’Vine Wine of Plano.  I’ll be presenting all this information, plus we’ll have a Q&A time so you can ask all kinds of questions.  I’m keeping it to a small group so we can all get to know each other and the session can be interactive, so bring a list of questions to ask!  If you want to come, please GO HERE to RSVP and find out all the details.. 

I hope to see you there!

On October 4th, I was at Circle Park Bridal Boutique in Addison for a Meet & Greet open to any and every bride who wanted to drop by that day.  Andrea, the owner of CPB, and her staff are always a joy to hang with and we had an absolutely fantastic time.  I was joined by Rev. Ari Gray of Alternative Wedding Services and we enjoyed ourselves as we met with new brides, their wedding attendants, moms and even some fiances!  I wish I had a picture of one wedding “team” as all the bridesmaids, bride and her mom had on pink shirts with their titles of “Mother of the Bride”, “Maid of Honor” and “Bridesmaid” embroidered in yellow on the front.  This was one organized team and we were their first stop of the day.  I can only imagine what they got accomplished that Saturday!

I unveiled my new packages at Circle Park Bridal and talked to several girls who wanted to know more about what a wedding planner can offer them. 

Plus they all had a giggle at how huge my emergency kit is and what all it contained.  (I think the guys were even impressed!) 

Of course, the best part of being at the boutique is getting to see all the fab merchandise.  Andrea has the most wonderful collection of feather fascinators, caps and birdcage veils! 

Her veil collection is of course impressive and the flower girl dresses are just super cute. 

Yvette’s custom jewelry is just intoxicating and we all had to try pieces on.  Best of all was getting to watch the girls try on and pick their dresses.  Leslie, I still think the v-neck was the best!

Thank you again to Andrea and Yvette for letting me hang out and visit.  I always have a crazy fun time and I really appreciate that you let me visit with your brides-to-be.  I look forward to the next one!

Another week, another wedding. Gosh, I love my job!  Chay & Brandon were also at the Cotton Mill this week, although their ceremony took place at the Waddill Street Baptist Church.  With colors of Claret, Champagne and Khaki, the tone was definitely different and while a little more formal, they incorporated the rustic feel of the Cotton Mill more.  Eddie Deen’s was there to cater some great finger foods and Sweet Art Bakery was back with both cake’s, including the groom’s cake which was Star’s Hockey puck.  It was so playful and GOOD!  I wish I’d gotten a picture of it whole, but alas did not have time as it went FAST.  If Jason Kindig shares, I will definitely post it for you to see this favorite of the bride & groom.  (He also got some great shots of the lightning show we had, can’t wait to see that!)   Here are some of the pics I got Saturday:

We of course filled the fountain with candles and rose petals.  We had to relight them several times throughout the night due to the breeze from the passing thunderstorms.  They were so romantic though, I simply couldn’t let them stay unlit!

Chay & Brandon had many, many family photos to share with their guests to personalize and capture moments from lots of special days, not just the wedding day. We had a table for her family, his family, her bridal portraits and a table for their combined pictures.  I loved getting to create these displays.

The famous Hockey Puck Cake already going like hotcakes. It was so delicious! You can see a bit of the bride’s cake in this picture, which had their names and special words of love wrapped around the middle layer. I love words on cakes!

Chay and Brandon’s dads, along with Brandon, added twinkle lights to the dance floor to give it a more intimate feel. With these lights and the Cotton Mill chandeliers, the lighting was perfect for a rustic setting. (Made me feel like we might be out in an old barn in west Texas, but with the advantage of it being fully restored and gorgeous!)

Thanks for a fabulous time Chay & Brandon. I hope you have a blast in Hawaii!

For the past 3 months, I’ve been working with the most fabulous team of Tricia (bride) and Fran (MOB) to create, plan and organize her wedding for June 21st.  (Yes, we did it all in 3 months.)  Tricia and Fran were my dream team and we just had so much fun discovering Tricia’s taste and style (along with Josh’s) and putting together a wedding celebration that would truly reflect them.  When I met with them for the first time, they had selected St. Gabriel’s (in McKinney) for the ceremony and the Cotton Mill (also in McKinney) for the reception.  The church is beautiful and the Cotton Mill is just amazing with possiblities.  With fun, bright colors of pink, yellow and green, we decorated both to suit their personalities and make their special day so unique.  Here are just a few snippets:

The fountain at the Cotton Mill was filled with flowers and floating tea lights which we lit once it was dark.

More candles were hung at the entrance to light the guests way as they arrived.  (The reception started just after sunset.)

I just love this pic of the cupcake tower (even if it is blurry) which stood in place of the traditional groom’s cake.  Flavors were Strawberry with Lemon Curd filling, Chocolate with Raspberry Mousse, White with Banana Cream and Chocolate with Cookies ‘N Cream.  (Thanks to Sweet Art Bakery for these amazing morsels!)

And of course their beautiful cake, with each tier a different flavor…yum!

Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the beautiful and yummy dessert buffet set up by Small Potatoes Catering, but trust me when I tell you it was delish!  I’m sure the photog, Photos by Suki, has some and I’m hoping she’ll share.  Also a big thanks to Creative Touch DJs for the sounds and lighting and RainFlorist Designs for the flowers.  Everyone was pleased as punch! 

Tricia and Josh, thank you so much for letting me be a part of your wedding planning and special day.  You are wonderful people and I’m so glad we got to spend this time together.  Congratulations!

Yes, I’m talking about the new movie, Made of Honor,  with Patrick Dempsey.  (So CUTE!!!)  If you are interested in seeing the movie, then you need to come to the best party for the maids of honor and best men out there.  Friday, April 25th, Circle Park Bridal, myself and D’Vine Wine of Plano have put together a fabulous event to help your “right hand man (or girl)” learn what they need to help with all of their wedding duties, such as putting together a shower, favors, gift bags, bustling a gown, picking out a tuxedo, etc, etc, etc.  Everyone who stops by will receive a free movie pass to the pre-screening show held on May 1st at the Cinemark Tinseltown in Plano.  For more details, go here!

Sorry for disappearing on everyone!  I just got a little crazy busy with all the tradeshows and weddings!  I had a meet & greet on February 23rd with Rev. Ari at Circle Park Bridal, then worked a wedding for another wedding planner on March 1st, then I had Ms. Jena and Mr. Dustin’s wedding on March 8th.  So, just a tad busy. :)  Jena & Dustin’s wedding was absolutely beautiful and touching, despite the crazy 6 inches of snow that turned most of outside into mush.  Wanna peek?  Here you go! 

This pic was just taken by my phone camera, so it’s not great.  But I just couldn’t resist since it was the first wedding EVER at the new chapel at Bill Bates Cowboy Ranch.  Isn’t it just the cutest?  Jena’s wedding was photographed by the wonderfully talented Kate with Juxtapose, to see more, check out her blog!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who visited me at the Collin County Bridal show today.  I had some of my current couples come by to say hi, vendors I know in the biz, and many, many new brides and grooms taking their first steps in the planning process.  It was great to see everyone!  I hope to hear from you soon so I can help you with plans for your special day.

In case you missed it, here a couple of photos of my booth.  Thanks to my assistant Levi and my sweet husband for helping me set it all up!

I could not have had such a beautiful booth if not for some of my fave vendors:  Judy from Sahana for the amazing centerpiece and bridal bouquet, Kenn from Sahana for the huge checklist and logo banners, Circle Park Bridal for the beautiful dress and Juxtapose Photography for most of the photos in my portfolio book from weddings we’ve worked together.  For more info on how I created the look and obtained the decor, please feel free to call or email me!

For all those ladies looking for a venue still, check this out!  The Bingham House is have a bridal show tomorrow, January 24th, from 6-9pm.  The house will be open for all to see and some of her fave vendors will be there for you to check them out as well.  This is one of the must see venues in McKinney, so don’t miss out!  Karen is a doll and every bride who has hosted her wedding there has enjoyed her help.  (She helped me with one of my very first weddings there!)  For more info, you can contact Karen Lynch at (972) 529-1883.  Also, be sure to check out their website at www.binghamhouse.com.