A Party to Perfection

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

What they're saying

I received this wonderful email from Jackie and Bobby! It is wonderful to work with such wonderful clients who you end up calling your friends!!

My husband and I had the privilege of working with Shannon Langston in
planning our wedding. As Bobby and I are both full time students and live about
10 hours away from Fayetteville, AR where our wedding was taking place, Shannon
was invaluable in coordinating and facilitating our wedding plans. She worked
closely with my mother and consolidated detailed lists for me when my opinion
was needed for decisions. She was incredibly patient with the frequently delayed
responses that I sent when school was overwhelming and never made me feel
pressured or stressed :) . She really saw the vision I had for my wedding and
helped refine the ideas in my head so that they could be made into reality
through the bouquets, rental pieces, table linens and overall flow for the
reception. Her experience and contacts with vendors in the area was extremely
valuable as the majority of our planning was accomplished in the last 3 months
before the wedding. She kept us organized and on track and really helped lift
some of the burden of planning from my mother. The day of the wedding
came and Shannon was everywhere making sure everything went smoothly so that we
could just enjoy our day. My mother got to simply enjoy being the mother of the
bride and I got to spend that special time with her while Shannon managed the
details. Her positive and calming presence meant a great deal to me before the
ceremony as I was suddenly overcome by emotion before my walk down the aisle :)
Shannon was a tremendous help during the reception where she helped us stay on
track to do everything we planned to do. She made us plates for our sweetheart
table so that we could visit with family, guided us to the cake table at the
right time for toasts and cutting the cake, let us know when it was time to
change into our Lao outfits for our special dances and overall just made sure
that everything went as we'd planned. I absolutely cannot thank her enough for
all of the time and effort she put into making our wedding more than we even
hoped for. Thank you Shannon! Bobby and I will always treasure the wonderful day
you helped create for us.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Real Wedding: Jackie and Bobby

I often tell the story of my trip to London in 2000 and how small the world truly is and that the degrees of separation are less than 3 in my world. Here's the story: I was outside the Queen's Theatre at 2:00am after seeing "Phantom of the Opera" where I ran into someone I knew from the University of Arkansas some 3,000+ miles away! What are the chances of that and how does this story relate to Jackie and Bobby?!

While in our initial consultation, Jackie mentioned that she was currently living in San Antonio, Texas finishing her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. I mentioned that my son was currently in therapy while we were meeting to find out that her mother is a therapist at the same clinic! I loved Jackie's sweet spirit and her mother as well, so I'm so glad they agreed to let me share in their family's very special day!

There were hundreds of wonderful photos from their wedding, but I wanted to show you some of my favorites!

These are the emotions I never get to see!

Her beautiful bouquet of cream roses and calla lillies wrapped in white lace and a crystal brooch.

This guest book touched my heart! The guests were asked to sign Jackie and Bobby's Family Bible or sign by their favorite verse in the bible!

The reception was lit with over 150 candles for a very intimate glow.

I love the arieal view of the tables that were taken by the photographer, also the brides brother-in-law!

The couple did a wonderul job of bringing together both of their cultures as the dinner began with a Laotian prayer by the groom's grandmother.

The couple did a costume change during the reception and re-entered in Lao dress and then got the entire crowd involved!

A family friend of the groom's carved out these incredible watermelons and created the gorgeous fruit display! Incredible!!

These are priceless memories! The flower girl (also the bride's niece) had danced her heart out!

The guests were treated to a boutiful candy buffet to keep them fueled for hours of dancing!

Vendors:

Reception Venur-Fayetteville Town Center

Florist-Jules Design

DJ-Groove Productions

Bartending-Premiere Bartendening

Caterers-Noodles Italian Kitchen and Twin Kitchens

Cakes-Rick's Bakery

Photographer-Felix (Bride's brother-in-law)

Rentals-Festivities

(Blogger won't let me link to these vendors, but they did a wonderful job on this wedding!)

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Defining the terms: Wedding Planner and day-of-coordinator

Most wedding planners (including myself) are asked this question: What's the difference between a wedding planner and a day-of-coordinator?

The Winter 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings directly answered this question!

Acutally, they're all planners. but their roles change depending on what you hire them for. If you want help with pretty much everything-from setting a budget to sourcing favors-this is considered full-service planning. You'll need to bring someone on months in advance, and they'll work with you all the way up to the big day, which they'll spend finalizing last-minute details and troubleshooting unexpected problems.

If you'd like to handle most things yourself (DIY bride), but want someone to setp in when the date draws close, most planners also provide day-of services. In this situation, theyll come onboard a few weeks early. First, they'll wrap her head around the plans you've already made and create an itinerary for the day. Then, they'll become the point person for your vendors. Day-of, they'll be on-site to make sure people and objects are where they need to be.

*Did you know that I offer both services, but specialize in day-of coordination?!

Monday, January 9, 2012

2012 Arkansas Razorback Football Schedule

Well, the Hogs wrapped up a great year on January 6th as they beat Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl!! We know how serious football is here in the south and we definitely don't want your guestlist to dwindle by scheduling your wedding on a home Razorback game! (I've seen it happen all too often!)

2012 Arkansas Razorbacks Schedule (1 game to be added)

Sept. 1 Jacksonville State Home

Sept. 8 Louisiana-Monroe Home

Sept. 15 Alabama Home

Sept. 22 *Potential Home/Away Game or Open Date (TBD)

Sept. 29 vs. Texas A&M# TBD

Oct. 6 at Auburn Auburn, Ala.

Oct. 13 Kentucky Home

Oct. 20 * Potential Home/Away Game or Open Date (TBD)

Oct. 27 Ole Miss Home

Nov. 3 Tulsa Home Nov. 10 at South Carolina Columbia, S.C.

Nov. 17 at Mississippi State Starkville, Miss.

Nov. 24 LSU Home

* Additional non-conference game will be added on Sept. 22 or Oct. 20. Other date will be open date. # Texas A&M will be the home team at site to be determined

Friday, December 2, 2011

What they're saying

I always enjoy working with my brides to make their weddings as perfect as they imagined AND stress free! I think my favorite part is being able to share in their special and most memorable day so far! Here is what a recent bride had to say:

“Shannon did a great job coordinating our wedding!  During the planning process,  she was very easy to work with and was quick to respond to any questions or  concerns we had.  Shannon provided a number of services for us, including  creating a floor plan and timeline for the reception, organizing the rehearsal,  orchestrating the ceremony, and coordinating with the vendors and bridal party  to make sure every detail was taken care of.   Shannon was there on our wedding  day to make sure that everything ran smoothly which allowed our parents and us  to be able to fully enjoy the celebration. She is great at her job, and we  highly recommend her!”

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Trend Alert: Color Blocking

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: The wedding industry follows trends in the fashion industry. There is a new trend that hit the runways earlier this year that is "popping" up in weddings across the United States. So what is this trend? It's color blocking. I had to do some research myself, but here is what I found via Kathy Romero. Your guests will definitely be in an awakened state as they take in all of these colors!

What is Color Blocking? It is a combination of colors that support and compliment one other (BizChick Blog). This style technique may be intimidating for some but with a few good tips and dash of bravery you will be color bold in no time! It’s a playful trend that doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon.

There are two important concepts in color pairings, the analogous and the complimentary colors. Analogous colors are three colors lined up next to one another on the color wheel that pair well together such as red, orange, and yellow. Complimentary colors are those opposite to one another such as yellow and purple. Whether you’re choosing blocks of colors that compliment or analogous colors that support both cater to the prominent trend of color blocking.(For more on Color Blocking see BizChick Blog and The Curvy Fashionista)

Using this trend for a wedding can be fabulous if you choose your colors wisely and edit down. Pick 2-3 blocks of colors that pair well together according to the color wheel. You don’t need to use the blocking everywhere, use it in doses. Every dash of color counts! Use it to make a statement at the escort card table, in your flower arrangements, on your invitations, and it never hurts to add a pop of color with your shoes. Ignite your senses and that of your guests with just enough color to be swooned not overwhelmed.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Real Wedding: Rachel and Tony

I knew that when I first met Rachel she had incredible vision and knew exactly what she wanted to incorporate into her wedding. Look at the result of months of searching, spray painting, crafting, and pounds and pounds of pumpkins!

(These were all taken from my iPhone, but the photos from Yocum Photography will be gorgeous!)

Rachel wanted something fun for the guests to do during the reception, so I created these fun Mad Libs for the guests. I hope they enjoyed reading them when they came home from their honeymoon!

The ceremony took place at 6:00 pm, just moments before dusk. Everything was gorgeous as it was lit by hundreds of candles!

The steps at Old Main lawn were covered and stacked with pie and Cinderella pumpkins and lit by lanterns and mason jars wrapped in burlap and grapevine.

A full table was important to Rachel so they were covered with burlap and filled with rustic lanterns, cut logs, mini pumpkins, photos and more!

An outdoor fall wedding with a pumpkin theme calls for this kind of decor! Roses, spray roses, seeded eucalyptus, celosia, button mums, hypericum berries and more fill these large Jack-o-lanterns.

We rented two actual wine making barrels from a functioning winery and placed an old door on top as our cake table.

The cake stand itself was an ingenious idea from Jennifer at Kruton's Catering. We couldn't help but incorporate it! Have you ever seen a cake on top of a Cinderella pumpkin?! :)