Real Wedding Wednesday

We are all very well aware of the tragedy that struck Alabama; tornadoes that destroyed homes and lives.  It’s one thing to see it on TV, and yet another to when it hits close to home…

We as Wedding and Event Planners were called upon by Kelly McWilliams, of Weddings by Socialites, to help her bride Martha, who lost absolutely everything in the storm; including the things she had been collecting for her Southern Heirloom wedding.  She had nothing but the clothes on her back and the ring on her finger.  I was eager to assist and it just so happened that I had a lot of the items on her list just sitting in my garage, from a previous wedding I had done.

 

For Real Wedding Wednesday, I wanted to write this post to see how the items that I’ll be donating to Martha will be transformed from the Cabin Wedding that I had done.  As planners and designers, we look at things with a different set of eyes than most.  My color scheme was lavender and pale green; hers is blue and white.  But both brides will have used (by the time Martha’s wedding is here) mason and water jars, hay, galvanized buckets, Hydrangea, and plenty of lace!  How will my bride’s items play a role in Martha’s Southern Heirloom Wedding that’s she’s most deserving of?

I’m sure that the outpouring of help has been enormous and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out!

To learn how you can contribute, visit http://weddingsbysocialites.blogspot.com  for more information.

Flowers That Last

Many of us watched the Royal Wedding with great anticipation of the same details we look for in the many weddings that we see on a regular basis.  What’s the style of her dress?  What will the bridesmaids wear?  What will the cake look like and even the flowers.  We all know that the bride is the star of the show.  But how many of us stop to think of what happens after the wedding day is said and done?

If you’re like me, you love flowers; the look of them, the smell of them, and the way that they can put a smile on a face or transform a space from nothing to something so easily.  But we pay a pretty penny for these wonderful works of nature; yet they don’t last forever no matter how hard we try.  Or maybe they do…

I literally stumbled upon Freeze Frame while researching for a gift basket.  I was hooked from the beginning!  To be able to send your flowers to them and have them preserved and turned into necklaces, bracelets, rosaries, men’s jewelry, and much more is totally amazing.  Or if you were anything like me, you’d have the entire bouquet framed!  With the extra work that goes into the bridal bouquet; from the flowers to the way that it’s wrapped.  It’s often a masterpiece all on its own.  Who wouldn’t want to keep the whole thing???

Many of us keep with tradition and exchange gifts during the rehearsal dinner.  Who’s to say we can’t break tradition and give a small token after the wedding to your bridal party that says “Thanks for being in my wedding” by preserving the bridesmaids bouquets or groomsmen boutonnières.  Bridal fashion has improved over the years but I’m sure that a piece of jewelry will be a greater addition to their wardrobe and one that would be definitely be used again!  Let’s face it, how many times have you re-worn your bridesmaids dress?  And anyone who knows me knows I have an obsession with jewelry; just as I do with shoes and chocolate, so this would be a gift that I would surely appreciate.

Freeze Frame was also contacted to preserve the flowers for the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner.  So they just don’t preserve wedding day flowers!  If you’d like to have any of your flowers preserved, you may visit their website at www.freezeframeit.com or www.bloombeads.com or contact Carli Dixon at 800.822.9273.