The office of Southern Event Planners and Unique Event Rentals has been relocated. The great flood waters of 2010 have forced us out, but we’re excited about our new space!

Technically, it’s Thursday. But we couldn’t wait until next week to show you this fabulous beach wedding we did in April!

Inlet Beach, Florida. April 2010. Absolutely gorgeous!

Yes, Southern Event Planners does travel! We love destination weddings, and we’ve done some in Miami, Costa Rica, and now we’ve added a quiet little town called Inlet Beach to our list.

Bill and Tressa wanted a simple, clean, beach wedding. They wanted to share their moment with 80 of their closest friends and family while having good food, good music, beautiful scenery, and an all around good time! Anna’s Veranda was the perfect venue – a fun, open, elegant beach house.

We did a lot of research for their wedding (asking for referrals is a must when you’re not a local planner!), and all of the hard work paid off! We worked with some amazing, professional vendors who knew how to have fun. Kate Crafton Photography captured some wonderful images and she was a blast to work with! Just take a look at this amazing wedding.

A friend of Tressa painted this cute sign to direct guests to the ceremony:

 

 

There was a long boardwalk leading to the beach, and Tressa wanted a place for guests to de-sand their feet after the ceremony. She had paint brushes and washcloths that they could use, and the two buckets would house the discarded cloths! She also had a basket of fans in case the guests were hot. Honestly, it was the perfect weather for an outdoor wedding!

Aisle markers lined the rows of white benches. They were a great touch and kept with the clean feel of a beach wedding:

A bamboo canopy set the tone for this simple ceremony. We didn’t need a lot of decoration because the backdrop of the ocean and the blue sky did it for us:

During the wedding ceremony, Bill and Tressa wanted to include Tressa’s daughter, McLain. They bought her a necklace and Bill gave a really beautiful speech about how much she meant to him and how happy he was to be a part of life. Afterwards, Bill and Tressa gave McLain the necklace and they officially became a family:

After the ceremony, all of the guests headed back to Anna’s Veranda for some tasty passed hors d’eouvres, drinks, a wonderful meal, and fun music:

The flowers and decorations were exactly what Tressa wanted. They were a cool blue with little splashes of a dark coral:

See what we mean about a beautiful wedding?! Congratulations to the new family:

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

One of our local travel agencies, Travel Leaders & Cruises, was kind enough to answer a few questions for us regarding honeymoon destinations. Terri Neely is their Honeymoon Specialist, and her answers to our questions are below.

Photo by Kate Crafton Photography

1. Currently, what is the most popular honeymoon destination?
At this time, St. Lucia is my #1 honeymoon destination

2. How about the most popular US destination?
Hawaii

3. What seems to be the average cost of a honeymoon?
$3,000-$5000

4. What’s the length of time that couples are honeymooning?
5-7 nights

5. What’s the most unique honeymoon request you’ve received?
I had a couple that wanted to experience beach/adventure/woodsy-rustic , possible mountains/pampering. To accommodate their needs, I sent them to Costa Rica.  They went to a resort on the beach for 4 days then they went to a lodge in the middle of the rain forest  for 4 days.  For the pampering, I booked them plenty of Spa treatments, and for the adventure, I booked them zip-lining tour/wildlife tour/lagoon kayaking.

6. What is YOUR favorite location for a honeymoon?
The Caribbean

7. How long does it take to plan a honeymoon on average?
6  – 9 months

8. What are the pros and cons of an “all-inclusive” honeymoon package?  Like those found on cruise lines?
There are no negatives for booking an all-inclusive honeymoon package. An all-inclusive package is the most popular honeymoon package, because of all of the advantages. The main advantage of the all-inclusive package, is one stop shopping. Your all-inclusive package will include everything.  It will include roundtrip airfare, roundtrip airport-hotel transfers, hotel accommodations, all food, all beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), non-motorized watersports, taxes and gratuities.  Once your all-inclusive honeymoon is booked and paid for, there is no more stress , and you can relax and look forward to your trip.
Most people have the misconception that cruises are all-inclusive, however they are not. The additional charges that you will accrue when you go on a cruise: Port charges, taxes, sodas, alcoholic beverages, shore excursions, gratuities

9. If you could give couples one piece of advice for their honeymoon, what would it be?
Please contact a travel professional when booking your honeymoon, to ensure that it will be the wonderful experience that you are expecting.  You definitely want to deal with someone who has an in-depth knowledge of the locations/hotels that you are looking to visit, and who listens to all of your wants and expectations when customizing your package.

If you need help planning your honeymoon, give Travel Leaders & Cruises a call! You can reach Terri at (901) 853-6200 or stop by at 305 New Byhalia Road, Suite 102; Collierville, TN 38017.

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

The month of May was crazy for us, but it was wonderful! We had some fabulous brides (and grooms!).

One such bride was Kim. She fell in love with the look of the mansion at the Pink Palace. The rain managed to hold off long enough for them to get married outside and have a beautiful ceremony.

Once the pictures were done and the guests were at their seats, the speeches began, and a sweet tribute movie with interviews and comments from the bride, groom, and family was played for everyone.

After the seated dinner was finished, guests made their way to the dance floor and the mansion was turned into a club complete with lighting, bar, and some hot dance music. They really kept the party going until the grand exit where everyone lined up outside and bid farewell with bubbles.

Kim was sweet enough to send us the link to the preview of her wedding video.

Canon 7D – Wedding Trailer – RODNEY + KIMBERLY from Fanion Media Group on Vimeo.

 We hope you enjoyed the preview and maybe you found a few things that inspired you!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Most brides and grooms will collaborate on the wedding plans – centerpieces, colors, photography style… but what about the “after” plans? Honeymoons are just as important to discuss with each other.

Find a time to sit down and talk about what you want out of your honeymoon (besides a little romance!):

1. Location: Do you get seasick? Then a cruise isn’t for you. Do you really hate bugs and creepy crawlies? I wouldn’t suggest camping or an outdoor excursion. These are the things you need to think about to maximize your honeymoon time! Even though the beach is a popular destination, if you’re fair skinned or you get really uncomfortable in hot weather, don’t give in to the beach hype! Find a place that the two of you will enjoy. Think of this as your first big project as a married couple (after the wedding planning, of course!).

2. Directly After the Wedding?: More and more newlyweds are waiting to go on their honeymoons. Gone are the days when you leave your wedding reception and go straight to the airport. Some will wait a week or so because of better rates or they need to ask for time off of work. You need to sit down with your honey and decide if you’re going on your honeymoon directly after the wedding or waiting a week or two.

3. Time of Year: To go along with determining  if your going on your honeymoon right after your wedding, you need to figure out what time of year you’re actually going on your romantic getaway. The desired location will help you figure this out. If you want warmer weather, wait until the summer months if your destination is in the United States. Do some research on weather patterns on different locales to make sure you’ll be there during your preferred climate!

4. Length of Honeymoon: The length of your honeymoon is also important to discuss. You may want to vacation for a week and your new hubby may have asked to be off of work for two weeks. The length of your stay will also depend heavily on your budget!

5. Honeymoon Budget: As you know, we’re all about budgets. And “budget” doesn’t translate as cheap or sub-par. A budget is simply a tool that will keep your spending on track so there’s no sticker shock when you get home. Decide on the elements of your honeymoon. First, figure out the total amount that you want to spend for your honeymoon. Next, break it down into categories: transportation (airline tickets, rental car…), lodging (hotel, cabin…), food and beverage (dinners, celebratory champagne, snacks…), and activities (hikes, theme parks, guided tours, spa days…). You can alott a certain amount per category. If you want to spend a little more on the room and fly coach instead of first class, go for it! Different aspects are more important to different people…all the more reason to sit down and discuss all of this together! Once you’ve created your budget, do your best to stick to it. We know that a few things may pop up here and there that you didn’t expect or you may find a last minute activity that you had no idea about. For these surprises, create a miscellaneous category. Trust us, once you get home and realize you can still afford the down payment on your first house, taking the time to create a budget was worth it!

Do you have any advice for honeymoon planning?

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

A few months ago, we were contacted by the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation™ to help host the Brides Against Breast Cancer Tour of Gowns Sale. We were thrilled to participate because this is such a great cause. The Foundation raises money to help grant wishes to Stage IV Breast Cancer patients.

We were honored to help put together a birthday party a few months ago for Coral, a local patient. We actually got to see the end result of everyone’s donations and hard work, and to meet such a wonderful woman like Coral just made us even more pumped to help with the gown sale!

The Brides Against Breast Cancer Tour of Gowns Sale will stop in Memphis the weekend of May 28th at Esplanade in Cordova. So what does this mean for our local brides? Discounted wedding dresses!

The sale will feature donated gowns from designers, bridal shops, and even brides! The dresses are discounted, and every cent that is made from the gown sale will go to the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation™. That means YOU will help grant wishes to Stage IV Breast Cancer patients.

To kick off the sale, we’re having a VIP Night! There will be a fashion show, fun music, a lounge area with food and drinks, and swag bags full of great vendor info and goodies! We will also have an area set up so you can meet some local wedding vendors and ask questions.

Tickets for the VIP Night are only $25 per bride and $15 for each additional guest. Admission will not be charged for Saturday or Sunday, but remember, since these are donated gowns, there may be only a few sizes available in certain designs! To get an exclusive first look at the gowns, make sure you come to the VIP Night! To purchase tickets in advance for the Memphis VIP night, you can go here: http://babcmemphis.eventbrite.com/. Memphis has had the most girls sign up for the VIP Night earlier than any other city!

We’ve created a Facebook Event for the Gown Sale: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=115389888477670&ref=ts. Help us spread the word! Even if you already have your dress, you may have a friend or two that is engaged and looking! Make a girls night of it and support a great cause.

If you own your own business and would like a poster to display (it’s the one pictured above) in your shop, let us know and we’d be more than happy to drop one off for you!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Jennifer came to us and wanted to have a bright, colorful wedding. She had mini burger, mini fries, and mini milkshakes. Brandon went to Mississippi State, so of course cowbells were involved! Guests enjoyed the evening while they took in the great view of the Mighty Mississippi. Take a look at the pictures and let us know what you think!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

As a wedding planner, we’re always involved with the “wedding” aspect of our brides’ and grooms’ lives. But what about the happily ever after part? This usually starts with the honeymoon – a nice, romantic, relaxing (or adventurous) vacation where the newlyweds have fun and enjoy each other’s company for the first time as husband and wife.

At the wedding, guests are inclined to bring gifts, money, cards, and well wishes. Most couples receive the infamous toaster from Aunt Ida, but what if they already have a toaster? In fact, what if they have everything they need for a house because they’ve been living together? Wouldn’t they want to have that money go elsewhere??

Well, now brides and grooms can combine the traditional gift registry with a  honeymoon. How so, you ask? Simple. A Honeymoon Registry! We’ve teamed up with Honeymoon Wishes, an online honeymoon registry.

 Brides and grooms alike can sign in and create their registries. You can include activities, airfare, travel, dining, or customize an item! Once the registry is created, it can be e-mailed to family and friends. They can purchase whole items or contribute partially, so everyone’s price range is covered!

To learn more about it, go here: http://southerneventplanners.honeymoonwishes.com.

We’ve had some brides sign up in the past, and we wanted to share this idea with our readers!

Happy (Honeymoon!) Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Your best friend just called you and asked you to be the Maid of Honor (MOH) for her wedding. You’re ecstatic and you immediately accept the offer. As you hang up the phone, you brain goes in to overtime: what do I do?!

Here’s a simple list of what your duties are as the first hand lady:

1. Your main focus is to be there for the bride. If she’s crying, make her laugh. If she’s stressed, help her out and ease her mind. Sometimes just sitting there with her during a moment of chaos is enough support. Don’t take this task too lightly: a happy bride makes a happy wedding!

2. Make sure all of the bridesmaids have their dresses, shoes, and accessories. The MOH can help schedule the fittings and have everyone go as a group, or she can make sure everyone is fitted a few weeks before the wedding. Follow up with everyone to see if they have their shoes and jewelry.

3. The MOH should offer to help with the “little things” for the wedding. This can be anything from assembling invitations to picking up the wedding programs from the printer.

4. As the designated MOH, you’re basically the bridesmaid wrangler! Keep everyone working towards the same goal, ie: the wedding. If there are any issues between the girls, you’re the mediator. Keep things light, calm, and fun while being productive.

5. This is usually the fun part for most of the MOH’s: planning the parties! The bride will need a bridal shower and a bachelorette party. Make sure you ask the bride what her ideal bachelorette party would be. She may surprise you and say she wants a soothing day at the spa instead of a wild night on the town. It’s her night – go with what SHE wants. At these events, you need to arrange to keep track of who brings which gift so the bride can write Thank You notes.

6. One of the most important aspects of the wedding ceremony is the exchanging of the rings. What does have to do with you? We’ll tell you. Usually, the Maid of Honor will hold the ring that will go to the groom during the ceremony. Very few people actually put the wedding rings on the Ring Bearer’s pillow because they might fall off or get lost. The pillow is just for show. The best place to put the groom’s ring is on your thumb. Once the officiate asks for it, then you can hand it over. That’s also the point in the ceremony where the bride will hand you her bouquet to hold.

7. If you get the responsibility of bustling the bride’s dress, make sure you go to a few of the fittings with her so the seamstress can explain and demonstrate how it’s done. Some dresses are really simple with a few hooks disguised as sequins or pearls, and others may have a whole ribbon tying system to make the train fall just right. Either way, make sure you pay attention. The dress will need to be bustled right after the bride arrives at the reception, but before the newlyweds are announced. Make sure you keep up with her whereabouts during this time so you can meet her at the door.

These are just a handful of activities that the Maid/Matron of Honor will encounter during the wedding planning process. The main thing is: be supportive and patient! Weddings are supposed to be beautiful and filled with love. We know it doesn’t always happen that way, but just this once, let the bride come first!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

“The Last Fling Before Wedding Bells Ring”

If you are a bride, hopefully you have creative bridesmaids that are going to throw you the best last hoorah of your single life. If you are a bridesmaid, it is time to ante up, step up to the plate and pull off an amazing night. After all, you are the chosen one that the bride, your best friend, picked. She has total faith in your abilities to stand beside her, support her, believe in her, listen to her, and put together her final single fling.

There are all types of bachelorette parties. It could be anything from a laid back, pamper yourself spa night to a full fledged weekend of debauchery. One word of advice, whatever you decide to do – do it with style and do it right.

Bachelorette Party Necessities -

1. Libation:
A bachelorette party isn’t complete without drinks! You can theme the drink, pick the bride’s favorite drink, or choose a drink to match the wedding colors.  

3. Activities:  
 If you’re having a local Memphis bachelorette party, Beale Street is always an option. There are numerous bars, places to eat, clubs, and neat little shops. However, there are brides and bridesmaids that aren’t into drinking or bar-hopping. You can have a day of putt-putt, batting cages, bike riding, playing kickball, or a picnic at Shelby Farms if you’re more active and like the outdoors. If you’re into the supernatural, there are tours of haunted buildings downtown. You could even have a cheesy Memphis tourist day where you hit all the typical spots: Graceland, Peabody Hotel, Beale Street, and Sun Studios.  End the day with dinner on one of the famous riverboats, and have fun laughing and talking with everyone! There are also several concerts and shows that come to Memphis, so you can plan your party for a night when John Mayer comes in town, or when the latest tour of Wicked hits the Orpheum!

4. Destination:
Having an night out on the town in your town is great fun, but a quick weekend escapade is surely the ticket for a swanky time. A few common destinations for the ultimate throw down are Las Vegas, NV and New Orleans, LA. But what if you just want a relaxing experience to ease the tension from all of the wedding planning? Napa Valley, CA could be your serene destination. In Napa Valley, you can explore the wineries via limo. After your see and sip, book a massage and facial at a local spa followed by a wonderful dinner at one of Napa Valley’s premier restaurants.

5. Picture-ization:
You can guarantee the paparazzi will be out in full effect to capture every moment of the evening, so why not end the party with one final gift? Take your favorite photo of the party gals, frame it and give to the bride and all the girls.