We were introduced to a new bakery in Memphis. Muddy’s Bake Shop located at 5101 Sanderlin.

These ladies make the best tasting cupcakes I have had in a while. Everything is homemade from scratch, just like Grandma use to make.

On a recent visit, we had the Thomas sammy - BLT and Pimento cheese sandwich. The pimento cheese was more cheese than mayo and super yummy.

We also did a sampling of all the cupcakes. I mean we had to, if we are going to refer a business and product we have to know what we are talking about, right? Our favorite was the Prozac. That little chocolate wonder cupcake was to die for, melt in your mouth, happiness.  I mean if a doctor wanted to write me  a prescription for one of these a day, I think I could manage, somehow, someway.

We have so many brides that are not interested in a wedding cake. They want lots of sweet treats for their guests to enjoy. Muddy’s is the answer.

All brides, regardless of your current planning stage. This seminar is designed to help with every aspect of planning a wedding: budgeting, hiring vendors, design, etiquette, menu selection, timelines, guidelines, and Do It Yourself projects. We know that wedding details are stressful, and sometimes you have more questions than answers. 

This is an open forum designed to educate brides so the wedding planning experience is a positive one. You can meet other local brides, discuss plans, share stories, and of course, ask questions. It will be a few hours of fabulous girly fun!

A 2 hour question and answer session, a 30 minute personal consultation to ask any questions you may have with one of our planners, a bridal swag bag, cake, food, drinks, a wedding checklist/timeline, and planning questions to ask your vendors. You also have the chance to win one of the 15 amazing prizes listed below. This is a $450 value, not including the prizes!

The seminar will be held inside the Chickasaw Oaks Village shopping center on March 8, 2009 from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. Registration and sign-in for the seminar will be at Southern Event Planners , Suite 18 from 12:30 P.M. to 1:00 P.M.

To ensure that each bride receives personalized attention, space is limited to 30 brides. This seminar is for brides that are serious about receiving wedding planning advice from a professional wedding planner. This is not a meet and greet open house with vendors trying to sell you their services. You will not be pressured in any way.

 If you would like to attend the Secrets to a Successful Wedding Seminar, you can call us at (901) 757-9339, email us at: weddings@southerneventplanners.com or stop by our store in Chickasaw Oaks Village at 3092 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111.

 The cost of the seminar is $100. A 50% deposit of $50 will be due by March 4, 2009. Once we receive your deposit, you will be sent a receipt via email or fax, whichever you prefer. This will ensure that your space is reserved.

 

It’s amazing to hear that over $120 billion per year is spent in the wedding industry. That is a significant share of the market in this economy. When Southern Event Planners first went into business, over $20 billion made up the wedding industry. The past decade has seen a significant increase in revenue as well as an influx of wedding planners. It seems like everyone is calling themselves a “coordinator.”

When Jennifer Lopez starred in The Wedding Planner, she made the job look glamorous and fun. But in reality, being a wedding planner is a lot of  hard work, long hours, and not to mention the job of owning your own business!

Every week, Southern Event Planners receives numerous inquiries and resumes from people wanting to enter the wedding planning field. We want everyone to follow their dreams, and if your true passion is to own your own wedding planning business, as a wedding professional, we want to provide you with the proper tools that are needed.

We have developed a series of seminars that will educate and inform you of all of the areas of being a wedding planner. These seminars will cover every aspect of wedding planning, from the definition of a wedding planner to actually directing the wedding day events. If you are serious about starting a new career as a wedding planner/consultant, then these seminars are a must!

 The first two seminars in our series will be about starting your business and how to direct a wedding ceremony and reception.

Starting Your Own Wedding Planning Business

The first seminar will focus on the following:

• How to choose the name of your company
• Market Research: Your competition and target market
• Defining your niche
• Creating a fee schedule
• What services and/or products you will provide
• What legal forms, business records, and licenses you need to run a business

This seminar will be on March 5, 2009 from 6:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. Light snacks and drinks will be provided. Registration and sign-in will be from 5:30 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. before the seminar at Southern Event Planners inside the Chickasaw Oaks Village shopping center at 3092 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111.

The cost of this seminar is $99 and it is limited to 15 people to ensure that each person gets the attention he or she needs. A non-refundable deposit of $49.50 is due by March 2, 2009 to reserve your space. The remaining balance of $49.50 is due the day of the seminar. We accept Visa, MasterCard, cash, or check.

 You Can be a Wedding Director

The second seminar will focus on the following:

• How to conduct an on-site check
• Creating a processional and recessional schedule
• Development of a timeline for the event day
• Handling hiccups on the event day
• What to include in an emergency kit
• How to direct a rehearsal
• What your job responsibilities are as a wedding director

This seminar will be held on March 7, 2009 from 8:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. Lunch is included, as well as an instructional book. Along with the knowledge of being a wedding director, you also have the opportunity to intern at an actual wedding, and upon completion of the seminar, you will receive a certificate.

Registration and sign-in will be from 8:00 A.M. to 8:30 A.M. before the seminar at Southern Event Planners inside the Chickasaw Oaks Village shopping center at 3092 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111.

 The cost of this seminar is $249 and it is limited to 15 people to ensure that each person gets the attention he or she needs. A non-refundable deposit of $124.50 is due by March 4, 2009 to reserve your space. The remaining balance of $124.50 is due the day of the seminar. We accept Visa, MasterCard, cash, or check. 

You can call us at (901) 757-9339 for more information, email us at weddings@southerneventplanners.com, or stop by our store inside Chickasaw Oaks Village at 3092 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111. If you would like to know more about our business or view our portfolio, visit www.southerneventplanners.com

Southern Event Planners has been asked to participate in this amazing event.  In addition to providing some of our unique rental pieces we are also donating a wedding planning swag bag valued at over $250.

The Children’s Museum’s annual fund raiser, Cirque du CMOM, is sure to be magical, delightful and enchanting! The event this year will be held inside the museum and features a winter evening of dining, dancing and delights. Guests will enjoy exquisite hors d’oeuvres by Chef Cullen Kent of Cafe Society and an open bar. There’s also the famous Big Toy Auction, a live performance by Valerie June and lots of dancing to the beat of DJ Mark Anderson & His Party Train. Individual tickets are $125. All proceeds benefit the museum, its exhibits and educational programming. Tickets can be purchased by calling 901-458-2678 and pressing “0” for the attendant. Chairman for the fund raiser is Lucia Heros.

As I am doing my evening web purusing  I came across the most amazing chapel to host a wedding. It is called the Infinity Chapel at the Conrad Hotel Bali.

The Infinity was designed by architecture firm Pt. Divi Tunggal Mandiri, Jakarta Indonesia. The building is described as “the building’s simple off set triangle shape represents a romantic angle towards the heavens, while its physical attributes of marble, glass and steel are each metaphors for the male and female bodies and their interactions with each other as a couple. The remarkable steel framed glass wall that makes up the north side of the triangle embodies the delicate and nurturing characteristics of the bride as she supports the equally impressive marble south side, the stoic groom”.  I don’t think I have ever read a more beautiful description that has such relevant meaning.  Now I want to get married in that building!!

So I dug a little deeper and found out that the guest rooms are really very reasonable, $200-$500 a night. Considering you pay that for a night at the Peabody Hotel, a lagoon side king size room in Bali sounds great! 

 We even checked out airfair from Memphis to Bali on NWA and the flight was $1700. Sounds like alot, but I have been quoted almost that for Paris and Italy.

So whether you are thinking of eloping or looking for a romantic exotic honeymoon I think this might be a place to consider.  And if you are thinking about a destination wedding – don’t forget about us. We wanna go!!!!

Angela

I found an interesting offer in the Sunday edition of the Commercial Appeal. It seems that a wedding for April 10, 2010 has been called off.

Okay I am sure you are thinking “why is she blogging about this?” Keep reading and you will soon know.

The couple had decided to have their wedding and/or reception at the Cadre Building in downtown Memphis, TN. The ad is for a $4,500 gift certificate for the Cadre Building. The seller is offering the $4,500 certificate for face value or better offer. If you are interested, the contact number is 901.461.4916.

There are no other details listed. If you decide this is something you are interested in, make sure you contact the Cadre Building, as well as the seller, to have a new contract written transferring the funds and details to you and your event.

Good Luck,

Angela

I was contacted by the MTV show True Life. They are casting for a new episode, True Life: I’m a Newlywed and are looking for young people to be on the show. True Life is MTV’s award winning documentary series has told remarkable real-life stories of young people and the unusual subcultures they inhabit.  Whether documenting the lives of gay marriage activists, individuals dealing with obesity,or teens in high school– the True Life series tells its stories solely from the varied voices and points-of-view of its characters–putting the series in the unique position of reflecting the state of youth culture at any given moment. 

They are looking for people between the ages of 18-28 who are soon to be married, or very recently married and have a good story to tell. So if you are interested or know someone that is please email me at weddings@southerneventplanners.com. I have a casting sheet that I will send to you.

Happy Planning,

Angela

In January, I propose we have an employee/client retreat to further investigate the mindset of competitive brides.

Bride Wars, starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway, will be in theatres on January 9, 2009. This movie looks hilarious, and we’re really excited that a new wedding movie will be on the big screen.

The backstory is this:

Two childhood friends get engaged at the same time. They both have their eyes set on a single PERFECT wedding venue they’ve wanted since they were little girls: The Plaza. However, one of them will have to either change her wedding date, or change venues.

Go to the movie website to watch the trailer. Maybe you’ll laugh as hard as we did!

Need a little retail therapy to get you through the holidays? So do we! 

Come by to sip, see and shop at our HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

Friday October 31, 2008 10am-5pm and Saturday November 1, 2008 10am-5pm

Cocktails, Charity Raffle, Prizes, Snacks, Girls’ Day Out, Fun New Holiday Merchandise

We have spent the whole week giving the store a face lift and stocking the shelves with a ton of new items. Here is a sneak peak at some of the things you will find. Hope to see you next week.

Happy Holidays,

Angela