1 Bridesmaids dress 12 WAYS!

I heard about this dress for the first time sometime last year- I think maybe on a blog. And I had almost forgotten about it when it appeared on the Martha Stewart show yesterday and again, I was amazed. This one dress can be worn- I kid you not- TWELVE different ways! I wouldn't believe it either, but I saw it with my own eyes! This dress was created by Arian Goldman of twobirds bridesmaid as an answer to finding a dress that each of your girls will feel comfortable in as well as something they will wear again. And I honestly believe that you could wear this again to a variety of functions {something I have never said about a bridesmaids dress to date!}. And it gets better: the dress is made of jersey spandex {it's comfortable!}, travels well and you can wash it by hand. It comes in 10 colors including the popular navy, black and espresso. The dress is "one size fits all": size "A" fits sizes 0-14 and size "B" is for plus sizes. There are two lengths- calf length with a "butterfly hem" {longer in the back} and floor length. This dress is a bit of an investment at $27o for the calf length and $290 for the floorlength dress, but will all of the possibilities to wear the gown again, it is very worth it!

Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend...

Looking for an affordable way to wear REAL jewels on your wedding day? Look no further than Bag Borrow of Steal. Many of you will recall their rise to popularity for allowing their clients to "borrow" luxury handbags. They have now applied the same concept to jewelry. These particular jewels are from the Vera Wang 'Victorian' collection -- Earrings: diamond-studded bows of 18-karat white gold top delicate Japanese Akoya pearls. Total diamond weight: 0.72 carats. Necklace: Japanese Akoya pearls adorn this delicate 18-karat white gold necklace, set with a diamond-studded bow. Total diamond weight: 0.485 carats. You can borrow both of these for one week for less than $150! And check out the fun couture jewelry {think big bangles in a variety of metals and colors} from the likes of Chanel and Kenneth Jay Lane as a great addition to your maids look.

Sarah & Derrick

Sarah and Derrick were married at First Presbyterian on August 11th. Their reception followed at the Imperial Ballroom at the Biltmore. The church is conveniently located next door to the High Museum, so there was just enough time between the ceremony and reception to snap some amazing shots in front of the High. Sarah wore her mother's veil {it matched her Alvina Valenta gown perfectly!}, which she later swaped for a chic feather hair accent. Sarah chose a traditional, timelesss and elegant look: a neutral palette of white, ivory, champagne and pale pink pulled together with calla lilies, roses, stephanotis, hydrangea and the occassional ranunculus. And one of my favorite details of the day were the adorable, cake-shaped cookie favors with the new couple's monogram from The Little European Bakery- Yum! Laura Negri and her amazing team of three! photographers captured these beautiful images- thank you for sharing them with us, Laura! See their complete slideshow.

The Special Event: Trends

The Special Event is the Premier Annual Tradeshow and Conference for Event Professionals in the United States and this year it happened to be right here in Atlanta. So, last week we headed to the Georgia World Congress Center to check out the trade show floor and the "latest and greatest" in design and decor that the event world has to offer. We saw A LOT, but some of the reoccuring design elements included {from top to bottom} Louis, Victoria {not pictured} and La Marie "Ghost Chairs", opulent and unique linens, crystal details, versatile lounge and seating options- including seating at high top tables, and lit furniture {bars, tables, etc.}. We look forward to seeing these trends continue to translate into fabulous wedding decor! All photos courtesy of taylor creative events

Chae & Mike

Amanda was on hand as Chae and Mike were married on October 27th at Peachtree Presbyterian with their reception to follow at Capital City Club Brookhaven. Chae looked stunning in her Lazaro gown and cathedral length veil, both with gorgeous alencon lace detail. The reception had so many elegant details such as the sushi station {complete with a sushi chef making rolls by request for the guests!}, a fabulous lounge area with sofas on the terrace and a Jazz band. Chae chose neutral tones for her bouquet and punched up the color with tonal pink blooms for her maids who wore classic black dresses with white sashes. Fall tones were pulled into the ballroom and lounge area with rich red and orange flowers and chocolate brown linens. And look at that Groom's cake- by far the most luxurious we have seen! Thank you Christine Gallagher for these images! See the complete slideshow here: http://www.christinehatfield.com/Chae&Mike/

Save the Date!

One of our super creative clients, Adrienne Lee of Frolick Jewelry, sent out the cutest Save the Dates for her wedding on May 4th. She lives in San Francisco where she came across Toby Simon's company "Savour the Date." Toby creates custom illustrated Save The Dates and announcements for weddings and bridal showers. As you can see from the example above, you can create a Save the Date that features cues about your wedding location as well as your personality and favorite things (note Adrienne is holding her passport to reflect her love of travel and Zealous has his Starbucks- even their dog is in the pic!)! What a fun way to add a personal touch to stationary that can otherwise be ordinary!

Hannah & Jason

After 6 short months of planning (out of state!), Hannah and Jason were married at King Plow Art Center on August 18th. Hannah had a very clear vision of what she wanted- gorgeous and bright Fall colors done in a unique and modern way. Her vision came to fruition with Apple Green Silk Dupioni linens and some of the most vibrant flowers we have seen! Hannah chose Dahlias, Celosia, Orchids, Thistle, and Fiddleheads as well as lemons, oranges and green apples in the centerpieces to complete the look. As the ceremony began, the ring bearer stole the show- it was their dog Barney (his official title on the program was "Ring Security")! He did a great job, although he shook all of the flowers off of his collar before he got own the ailse! In another unique touch, Hannah and Jason chose not to have a wedding cake, but instead had an ice cream sundae bar complete with brownies and Bold American's signature cheesecake on a stick! and all of the toppings. Guests signed in by dropping their wedding wishes into a "Wishing Well" where they also learned that Hannah and Jason had made donations to two of their favorite charities- the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and Atlanta Pet Rescue- in lieu of favors. Guests danced the night away to the fabulous sounds of The Neons until it was time to send the bride and groom off with a sparkler exit. And this laid back couple chose the most suitable get-away car- a classic yellow taxi cab! Thank you to Marc Climie for these beautiful images! See their slideshow here: http://climie.com/_shows/070818_hannah_jason/

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of our wonderful clients as well as all of the incredibly talented vendors we work with on a regular basis! What else says "New Year's" and "celebration" like champagne? We have worked with multiple brides to create fun and unique champagne bars and specialty drinks featuring the always festive bubbly. Today I had a thought- instead of always adding specialty purees, fruit and creative touches such as lavender (featured here) and roses to champagne, why not give your guests an education in a variety of sparkling wines with a sparkling wine bar, cocktail hour featuring different varieties, or multiple course menu paired only with sparkling wines? A lot of people know that the only type of sparkling wine that can be truly called Champagne is made only from grapes of the Champagne region of France. Not only that, but French law dictates that all sparkling wines made in that region must be made by a special process called the "méthod champenoise," or traditional champagne method. Bubblies produced in other parts of the world, even if they are created by the traditional method, should be referred to as sparkling wines. And there are some fantastic sparkling wines from other regions of the world: Cava from Spain, Prosecco from Italy, Cremant from regions of France outside of Champagne, and Cap Classique from South Africa. Cheers! Photo: Martha Stewart