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Great Wedding Favors – 20% off!

Friday, March 12th, 2010

We’ve done a lot of weddings, and we can honestly say that as far as favors go, food and candy is the biggest hit with wedding guests. We got an e-mail this morning from M&Ms and guess what? Everything is 20% off!

This includes personalized M&Ms! You can add dates, faces, names, or phrases.

M&Ms Favors

This offer is only good through Sunday, March 14, 2010. Click here to go to the order page. Be sure to enter the promo code “Save20″ when you check out.

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

March is Floral Month!

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Spring is here (almost!), and for those of us in Memphis, we’re welcoming the warm weather with open arms! The sun starts to shine, flowers and tress start to bloom, and weddings can take place outdoors.

In honor of the long awaited Spring season, we will dub March as Floral month! We’ll start off with a great money saving tip:

Bouquet Centerpiece

Use your bridesmaids’ bouquets as centerpieces! Why do you need to have seperate flower arrangements when you have such fabulous bouquets?? All you need to do is have your bridesmaids put their bouquets in a vase that has been pre-filled with water. Wah-lah! A beautiful centerpiece!

You can also use the bouquets for the head table flowers. Just have some vases placed on the table and add the bouquets!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Media Update and TheKnot.com Real Weddings

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Hello lovely readers!

We’ve been busy trying to update – and it’s coming along slowly but surely!

At Home Tennessee is on newstands now! Brittany and Richard’s wedding is featured, as well as an article for which Angela was interviewed. You can see the online version here: http://createmagazines.net/showMagazine.php?mag_id=k6eaop+YpqFhdKZ7oaCXh5ehoJilppeYeJiUZGI.

Brittany and Richard are on pages 59-60, and Angela’s article about budgets is on page 89.

MidSouth Magazine is also available now! We posted the article in this entry: Media Madness!

We’ve submitted a few weddings for TheKnot.com’s Real Wedding Awards. Be sure to go look at them and vote!

Wedding 1: Adeirdre and Malcolm

Adeidre and Malcom Collage

Wedding 2: Aubrey and Lars

Aubrey and Lars Collage

You have between now and March 21st to help us out! Go vote!!!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Winter Wonderland

Friday, February 19th, 2010

One of our regular clients called us up one day saying that he wanted a Winter Wonderland themed party. His only requirement: it had to be HOTT.

We had some great ideas right off the bat: snow, boulders, and bling. After Memphis had it’s own Winter Wonderland, the snow melted. Our snow didn’t. We filled the club with Insta Snow-to-Go and added our famous crystal trees to the mix. We had just ordered some snow boulders and figured they would be perfect to add in darker corners. We threw some light bases under them and they were a great addition!

The floral sheeting was the challenging part of the setup. We hung it from floor to ceiling in the entryway and the main hallway. The look was well worth it. If you see anything you like and would like to use at your event, let us know!

Annabella from Asian Bees Photography was great enough to come out and take some amazing shots for us!

Curtis Winter Party

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Media Madness!

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

It’s only February, and we have already been bit by the media bug!

Angela wrote an article that was featured in the newest issue of MidSouth Magazine. It was even mentioned on the cover! Click the picture below to view the full article.

MidSouth Magazine 2010 Article

She was also featured in the  February issue of the Special Events Galore Newsletter. You can click the picture below to read “Seating Charts Avoid Day-of Problems, Put Guests at Ease.”

Special Events Galore 2010 Article

Also, be sure to watch out for the February issue of At Home TN magazine. We have a featured wedding! We’ll post as soon at it hits the stands, which should be in the next week or so.

We have four weddings (three that we planned and one that we did flowers) in the latest issue of Memphis’ Premier Bride. Those are available now, and they’re free!  Here’s a link to their web-site: http://www.pbmemphis.com/ 

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Wedding Wednesday #5: Jessica and Ken

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Jessica and Ken had a beautiful wedding at the Memphis Zoo! This location was close to their hearts because Jessica’s mom volunteers there and they’ve always loved the zoo. 

Jessica and Ken said their loving nuptuals on the sealion stage, and afterwards, the guests chatted and watched the polar bears swim around in the Northwest Passage Exhibit.

Jessica and Ken had a lot of vegan and vegetarian friends, so food was definitely important to them. Jessica is a pastry chef, so an ordinary wedding cake was out of the question. She opted for orange cupcakes arranged on a three tiered stand. She mixed mini-cupcakes with regular sized cupakes for those who wanted just a bite of dessert.

Jessica and Ken Collage


 

 This wedding was beautiful, simple, and focused on the guests. Jessica and Ken were wonderful hosts and we know they’ll have a great life together!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Meeting with Wedding Photographers

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Photography is an important element for any event – it captures little moments in time. When we sit down with our brides and ask them about the importance of certain areas of their wedding, photography is usually about an 8-9 out of 10. With so many great photographers to choose from in Memphis (and the rest of the country!), you need to sit down with your fiance and talk about what you want. Here are some things to think about:

Photographer Style:
Do you like a more journalistic approach? Less posing, more sporadic, real moments? Or maybe you want more planned poses. What about a photographer who’s more involved with the shots as opposed to a photographer who captures the moments that just happen? Each photographer is different, as is his or her level of involvement.

Photo Style:
Do you want your wedding photos to look more colorful? More vintage? Black and white, color, or a mix? Do you want artsy photos or personal ones? This will also help to determine your photographer. Check their portfolios and let them know which photos you like and why.

Photos Captured:
Think about which moments you want captured during your wedding. Are there certain family members you want included? Certain design elements? Let the photographer know! If you want great bouquet and centerpiece shots or more shots of you and your guests having fun, let him or her know.

After-Elements:
What do you want done with your pictures? An album? Framed canvas? Slideshow? DVD? Make sure the photographer knows up front what you want. This will save time and heartache if he or she can’t fulfill what you’re wanting.

When you meet with photographers (and really any vendor) for the first time, be specific. They don’t know what you want or expect unless you tell them. Communication is key!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Bridal Photography Tip – Camera Shy?

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Some brides absolutely love being in front of the camera. Others are a little camera shy and they aren’t really used to the attention. That’s perfectly ok!

Camera Shy, Jessica and Ken

So how do you fix that? Easy! When you hire your photographer, use him or her for the engagement pictures too. That way, you can try different looks and poses with less pressure to get the “perfect” shot. This also gives you a chance to get to know your photographer and his or her shooting style.

Once the day of your wedding arrives, you’ll know what to expect from your photographer, which angles work and which ones don’t, and you’ll be a lot more comfortable. We don’t want you to feel awkward on your wedding day!

How did you deal with being camera shy at your wedding? Leave a comment and let us know. Hey, it may even help other brides out there!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

How to Shop for Your Wedding Dress

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Since the moving of offices took up a lot of our time in December, we skimped on the blog posts (sorry!). So we’re going to post one more about shopping for your wedding dress. Now, on to the post!

All brides are different, and the method of finding a dress for one bride may be completely out of the question for another. Nevertheless, we have advice for each type of bride.

We mentioned in a previous post about scheduling a dress consultation during the week, earlier in the day – preferably in the morning. Take pictures that inspire you. It doesn’t have to be of a dress necessarily. It can be a pattern, design, color, or shape. This will give the consultant an idea of your style and personality.

The next, most important thing that we tell our brides for just about anything: be open! You may think you like one style, color, or fabric, but once you try it on, it may not be what you thought it was. Some brides think they want a full ballgown, but once they actually wear it, they opt for an a-line shape instead. So don’t completely shut out an option when looking around.

If you’re not sure what type of dress you want, go to a larger store to try on a variety. They have more dresses in stock than a smaller, specialty boutique. Once you narrow down the dresses you like, you can go to a smaller store to find “the” dress if you didn’t find it there.

Image from MadBrewLabs.com

Image from MadBrewLabs.com

Always remember to take the price of alterations into consideration for your budget. We can’t stress this enough! If your wedding dress budget is $2,500, don’t buy a dress at $2,500 expecting that to be it. You need to include alterations which can run from $30 for simple corrections, all the way up to $300 or more for complicated changes.

And if you don’t find your dream dress at the first few places, don’t worry! You’ll find it. Like everyone says, you just know when it’s your dress. If you can’t see yourself as a bride walking down the aisle in it, that dress is  not yours.

Happy Searching!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Valentine’s Day Gift!

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Some women don’t know what to get the man in their life who seems like he has it all. Southern Design Studio has solved your problem!

Sara Beth is offering “Free Teaser Cards” with your Boudoir Session! You can have a fun, sexy photo shoot, and these little cards are sure to drive your handsome love wild! They are wallet sized, silver cards with your photo on the front and a cute message on the back.

You can e-mail her for more information at: info@southerndesignstudio.net or call her at (901) 652-6224. You can also see her work at www.southerndesignstudio.net.

Happy Valentine’s Day!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis Wedding Planners