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

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

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

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.

 

 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

Kate and Joel were married near the end of July and they were an absolute blast to work with. Studio J Photography was there to capture some amazing moments.

The ceremony was held at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, and everything went so smoothly. It was a beautiful ceremony, and there were definitely a few tears that were shed. After they were pronounced husband and wife, guests went downtown to the Westinwhere they were met with some great cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. After mingling and watching a slide show of Kate and Joel’s memories, a buffet dinner was served.

Kate is in the Navy and they decided to slice the top tier of their “cake” with actual swords. It was great! Muddy’s Cupcakes had the guests coming back for seconds. The ice cream sundae bar was a huge hit. Once the guests had satisfied a sweet tooth or two, they danced the night away!

We continue to wish them all the best!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

This week, we’re introducing you to Myia and Thomas. They were true wedding troopers. Their wedding was the night of those horrible storms. Luckily, the storms calmed down by the time their ceremony was scheduled to start, and it was a wonderful night!

Myia and Thomas were married in a little known chapel, and unfortunately, the power was knocked out from the crazy weather. This didn’t stop the wedding. Guests actually stood and sang “Amazing Grace” as Myia walked down the aisle to her future husband. It was such a breathtaking moment.

After the ceremony, guests headed to the reception where a four piece band entertained them all night. The food was delicious, drinks were flowings, and the cakes were devoured. Yum! There was an “uh-oh” moment with the groom’s cake – it almost didn’t make it! Since that was the day of the bad storms, a tree actually fell on the baker’s kitchen! She was a wonderful trooper and showed up in the nick of time with the cake. Here’s just a sampling of the fabulous night:

We truly wish them all the happiness in the world! They were wonderful to work with.

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Tiffany and Dan were featured in the fall issue of Premier Bride. You can see the full article here. We loved working with them!

Tiffany had a great idea to remember the guests at her wedding: make a quilt. She had everyone sign square pieces of fabric instead of signing a guestbook. People could write messages and good wishes for the new couple. After the wedding, Tiffany was going to sew the squares together to make a keepsake quilt. It’s such a cute idea, and it’s something that can be passed on to their children and grandchildren.

The food was definitely something to remember. Tiffany decided to do food stations instead of the normal buffet. She had a Southern Station that featured baby back ribs, cheese grits, and a sausage cheese tray. There was also a Caribbean Station with Jerked Chicken Brochettes, Cuban Meat Pie (in empanada form!), grilled fruit, and of course, black bean and corn salsa with homemadechips. For the spicy food lovers, she had a Creole Station with chicken and seafood jambalaya, jalapeno duck poppers, and smoked catfish quesadillas. Guests were coming back for more all night long!

On to the pictures!

 

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Wedding season has calmed down, and we had some really amazing brides this year. We’re starting “Wedding Wednesday.” It’s a little series to pay tribute to our brides and to show you what we’ve been up to. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspired by something you see!

Brittany and Richard are going to kick off our series. Their wedding was the weekend of those horrible storms this past summer. Setting everything up was a challenge, and we were almost water-logged. Did that stop us? Not at all! We got a Shop Vac and cleaned up the stormy mess. We were concerned that guests would get their shoes muddy, so we put a bunch of flip flops in buckets for them, along with a separate bucket of water so they could wash their feet.

The night was a complete success! Everyone had a blast, and the atmosphere was fun and energetic. Take a look:

What do you think? All of the photos were taken by Southern Design Studio. She did a wonderful job!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners