Andrea and Andrew November 5, 2011

I have to say this fall wedding season was filled with so many loving, romantic couples. When I first met Andrea and Andrew, I would smile inside to watch the two of them. Andrea is business professional, so our first meeting was professional, but Andrew would say something to Andrea, and I would watch her look at him with a smile or laugh as if her heart was melting for him.

At our first meeting, they both knew what they wanted, but did not know the direction to go. I helped them find the ceremony location at Freemason Street Baptist Church, then the reception at Town Point Club. Every detail was very thought out and things turned out beautiful!

Andrew’s son had a special dance prepared at the reception, everyone was laughing and enjoyed his performance. I have heard many toasts throughout the years, but his 13 year old son had given the best toast I have ever heard. He is going to grow up to be an amazing person!

I was a blast to work with Leslie Hartig Florist, Eleise Theuer Photography, The Rhythm Kings Band, and Abby at Town Point Club.

Ashley and Nick October 22, 2011

Ashley and Nick…What a couple in Love! Watching them together on their wedding day was romantic. Their looks of Love lasted all night long; I would watch them whisper to each other all night. Sometimes followed by a giggle, other times a soft look into each other eyes.

They had planned the wedding from Richmond, with one trip to Virginia Beach to get all the details complete. It was so much fun to be with Ashley, Nick and her mom for a few days while we met with vendors. Ashley and Nick had so much going on while planning the wedding, I know many couples do a lot while planning a wedding, but truly, they did A LOT! However, the entire planning process, Ashley was so positive, happy and always seemed stress free.

Ashley and Nick had their wedding ceremony at the Wyndham Virginia Beach Hotel on the patio overlooking the beach. The reception followed inside the restaurant also overlooking the beautiful oceanfront. It was a neat atmosphere to have the reception inside; it felt and looked like a reception but had a fun feeling to it.

As always, it was great to work with Roger at Astro DJ, Alexander’s Photography, Wyndham Hotel, Distinctive Floral Designs, LeTempt Video Productions and Blue Steel Lighting.

Mary and Robbie May 7, 2011

Here are a few pictures from Mary and Robbie's wedding on May 7, 2012.

Danielle and Nate October 15, 2011

Danielle and Nate had been so much fun to work with from the beginning. Danielle is a laid-back kind of bride. She knew she just wanted it to be pretty; that was the most important thing to her. I do think her request came true for her.

On the wedding day, the both of them were so laid back. On a preschool table, Danielle was just smiling and waiting, while Nate’s groomsmen sleep in a small room with an 8” TV watching a football game. We enjoyed listening to Nate while he told us how he proposed to Danielle. The love he has for her is amazing, the love the entire family has is so strong!

They were married in Danielle’s family church in Portsmouth, and then celebrated with a fun filled reception at the Chesapeake Marriott.

I already miss our daily emails back and forth.

Melissa and Ryan October 1, 2011

I met Melissa at Pier One while she was working. I couldn’t help but notice her beautiful engagement ring! Then we started talking about her wedding. Her details sounded amazing! I was excited to get a call from her a week later to get things started.

When Melissa had come in, she brought me pictures of all her details, again just amazing! Her colors were pink, black, white and damask pattern. Daevid was her florist, so I knew her flowers would be amazing, as they were.

Melissa and Ryan planned on getting married on the deck at Dam Neck. Unfortunately, a few minutes prior to them walking down the aisle, it started to rain. So 15 minutes before the ceremony started, we had to move everything inside on the dance floor. I know it was not Melissa’s dream, but it was still absolutely beautiful and romantic.

Luckily, Melissa and Ryan had decided to see each other prior to the ceremony, so all of her wedding party and family pictures took place on the beach before the rainfall began.

Katie and Jake September 24, 2011

A friend of mine had referred Katie to me, and from the very start I know this was a bride who knew what she wanted. Katie had every detail planned out, so for me to be able to complete her wedding day was very exciting to me. If Katie could have, she would have started at 6am with me, but we had to leave time for hair and makeup, plus she knew she wanted to enjoy her entire day.

Katie and Jake had planned both their ceremony and reception at the Cavalier Beach Club outside. But due to the weather, we had to go to plan B inside. All morning, Jake was so cute trying to figure out a way to still have something outside, even the ceremony. He wanted this day to be so special for Katie. The wind and rain said no way, but it didn’t matter because everything turned out amazing anyways!

Everything they had planned for outside, we did inside. The teams of vendors were on top of every detail, reassuring a beautiful wedding.

Katie and Jake enjoyed the entire evening, talking with guests and dancing almost all evening. They both were a delight to work with. I loved Katie’s calmness through both the planning process and on her wedding day.

Looking forward to sharing pictures!

Thank you to:
Blue Steel Lighting
Shockley’s Bakery
Fritz Pro Music
Trademark Band
Leslie Hartig
Rob at Astro DJ
Venture Tours
SETransportation
David Schwartz Photography
Kim Wadsworth BridesMade
And to all my fabulous helps that day: Caley DiPaola, Jasmine Gann and Jenny Novak

Michelle and Joe August 27, 2011

Well if you have already read my blog below about the August 27th Hurricane Irene Wedding, then you know the background. But enough about the Hurricane lets talk about the wonderful couple!

Little did I know, the groom is a meteorologist, so not only did we have a hurricane on his wedding day, but an earthquake during the week and a tornado during the hurricane. But with everything going on, the couple had a wonderful wedding day!

Everything first started when the mother and father of the groom came to meet with me. Tricia, the mom, had so much going on and so many questions. They wanted a little time to think about it, but a few weeks later they where ready to get things started. Tricia did so much for her daughter Michelle; she planned every detail she could for her without her being in Virginia. Michelle and Joe live in Hawaii. Michelle was fortunate to be able to make a couple trips home to plan as well.

Michelle and Joe had gotten married at her home church in Portsmouth; the lights flickered just a little. What I enjoyed the most was getting the bride, bridesmaids and mothers in and out of the church and NO ONE got a drop of rain on them, hair was perfect and everyone was happy. (I created a bubble around everyone as they walked into the church. Even the limo driver thought it was pretty neat.) Then we had to create a wall in the lobby area of the church to hide Michelle and the bridesmaids. The only way into the front of the church was from outside.

The reception followed the Hilton Garden in Suffolk. No power, wind, rain didn’t stop anyone from having a great time. Everything was beautiful as planned and every detail was complete as asked.

My family and I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn that evening, they had closed the roads due to 4.5 feet of water outside the hotel. But it was so much fun hanging out with Michelle and Joe’s close family and friends. We got to sit and talk about all the details of the day.

Tricia, like you said, we are family forever now!

Jacquie and Mike July 30, 2011

Jacquie had first called me several months prior to her wedding. Her sister told her it would be best for her to get a wedding planner so she could enjoy her day. I don’t think I ever met a family so excited to meet me. It was so much fun to meet her mother and sister, they even brought me cupcakes.

Jacquie and Mike had a beautiful beach ceremony at Ft. Story, with a reception to follow in the club. Jacquie had made a lot of her own personal touches throughout the reception. Everything was so nicely done. I asked her where she had purchased everything. She personally made so many of her reception items!

From the first meetings with Jacquie, Mike, family and friends, I knew this was going to be a fun evening. I didn’t think I could get anyone off the dance floor. Her sister Jess and brother in law Matt, photographers in York, PA, did a fabulous job!

Looking forward to posting pictures.

Regina and Michael July 9, 2011

Regina and Michael, I am sorry, but I have to give them the cutest couple of the year award! I know every couple is cute but this couple will always have a special place in my heart.

It all started with our first meeting, I was going over my list of questions while the both of them while Regina was giving me answers. Then I look over and Michael is starting to sweat a little. He puts his head in his hands and says, “I think I am starting to get nervous.” Then they both look at me and say, “This is normal, right?”

Now, here is a little background information about the couple. Neither of them has been married before. They had met in a cafeteria line, he lives in New York, and she lives in Maryland. When I asked them when they planned on moving in together, the answer was “Well, I have three more years left till I can retire.”

I have married nervous couples before, but I would have to say this was the most nervous couple I have ever walked down the aisle. But with the entire planning process, they did everything together even long distance. The guests enjoyed watching them exchange vows at Michael’s family church in Portsmouth, then enjoyed an evening of dancing at the Portsmouth Naval Station.

More to follow...

I know I have not posted anything in a very long time. My goal is to post all my wonderful couples of 2011 at once. I hope to have things up within the next few weeks.

Happy Wedding Planning
CMT Event Planning
Malissa Murphy

Hurricane Irene - From the Mother of the Bride

Malissa,

I hope you have had some time to rest and recuperate. You definitely deserve it! I hope your family wasn't too stressed out by it all. I know the Bright/Becerra families owe you a debt of gratitude from the bottom of our hearts.

When I sit back and think of everything that happened over the week-end, I am amazed at what took place. It is overwhelming! It took such a team effort to pull it off. And if you had not been the captain of our team, I don't know what we would have done. You are amazing!! You definitely have a gift for working with people under the most difficult of times - no matter what the circumstance. Your organizational skills and your ability to remain calm saved our wedding. Words cannot describe how grateful we are for what you did. We just can't thank you enough.

I feel like you have become our friend for life and if my family can ever do anything for you please let me know.

With love and appreciation,

The Bright/Becerra Families

Serving Hurricane Irene with a Wedding

I cannot begin to describe how thankful I am. To each vendor-thank you, not only for being there for the couple and family, but for me as well. Unfortunately, there were more than enough reasons why we could not change the wedding date. If it were a possibility…I guarantee we would have changed the date. After I sent out an e-mail with the updates to all the wedding vendors, I was overjoyed with how fast everyone responded. To my surprise, everyone was ready to get the job done, no matter what. No one complained, asked “why?”, or “is this REALLY going to happen?!” I had even prepared myself to begin the phone calls in search of a Plan B. Luckily, because of each and every one of you; you took a HUGE amount of stress off of me. Thank you!

My greatest appreciation goes out to Astro Entertainment and their great team. Astro is the reason Danny rocked the house with the music. Credit also goes to Astro for the photo/video booth that the guests were able to enjoy. And also, for the last minute TV screens that had supplied, which allowed the couple to see their video montage for the first time. The Hilton lost power very early in the day, and Astro was not aware of this. Luckily, Astro Entertainment took it upon themselves to bring a backup generator to the Hilton. The guests that were able to make it had a great time because of Astro.

Another special thank you goes to the chef at the Hilton Riverfront! She was able to provide amazing food, even without power! I’m not quite sure how she did it, but I did hear something about a grill, generator and a roof top? Courtney at the Hilton was wonderful as well. She let me in very early on Saturday to begin my setup, and even let vendors come back on Sunday to take down their equipment. Thank you!

I did stay at the Hilton that night, so I spent the rest of the evening with the couple and their family. We had a little hurricane party in the lobby. I was with the mother of the bride and the bride herself for sometime. They both went on and on about how they could not believe how well everything had turned out. I must say, they where in shock. Even though the event was over, they still could not believe how everyone pulled together to assure the couple had the wedding day of their dreams. Michelle and Joe had just been married, and like the mother of the bride said, “If you didn’t know a hurricane was going on, you wouldn’t have – because EVERYTHING was just amazing!”

Thank you to Caley my assistant, she stayed with me the entire time. Scary driving, crazy wind and rain - she still had a smile and helped me make it happen!

Again, you are all great vendors and I owe it to you for pulling through for me! Thank you, and thank you again!

LeTempt Video Productions
Catherine's Distinctive Floral Designs
Ice Art
Classy Covers
Astro Entertainment
Tropicare Plants USA

Congratulations to Michelle and Joe!

Lauren & Bill Enchanted Wedding

As a child, Lauren dreamt of having an Enchanted Butterfly wedding day. It was so much fun to see her dream come true! Lauren incorporated butterflies throughout the entire celebration. Her bouquet was a butterfly surrounded by flowers, the centerpieces were adorned with sparkling butterflies, and even her Godchildren were dressed as fairy butterflies.

I first met Lauren, Bill, and Peggy (aka Mom) at Something New when I helped them select their save the dates and invitations. Lauren had seen how much her Mother put into her sister's wedding and how busy she was throughtout the day. Lauren wanted her Mom to be by her side all day, and to relax and enjoy the wedding. At one point during the recpetion, someone had asked Lauren how she was doing, she had a big smile and said "this is just amazing, I am having such a great time". I knew then that I had made Lauren's dream come true.

Lauren and Bill own Meyer Fitness, so it was fun to see this fit, field hockey, tough-girl become a princess on her wedding day. Bill was the comedian of the group, you never new what he was going to come up with at each meeting. Let's just say...our appointments were never boring.

Thank you Cari Photograpy.

Kate and Marc May 29, 2011

The "cutest family of the year award" goes to the Tworeks! When I first met Ed and Virginia, the parents of the bride, I could tell that all they wanted was an amazing wedding for their daughter. Before they gave me an answer to any question I had, they would always say, "let me check with Kate".

Kate lived in the DC area, so planning wasn't the easiest. Luckily, her mother and father stepped in to make the day happen. I loved that even though they were planning the wedding, they ALWAYS stopped to make sure it was what Kate wanted. Virginia made several trips to DC to show Kate centerpieces, décor and anything else that needed a final approval.

Virginia designed the reception room beautifully; and, on the day of the wedding it was fun to watch Kate when she finally saw everything put together. Even though they used Kate's ideas and she approved everything, she didn't really know what the final look was going to be. It was nice of Kate to take a moment out of her reception to thank her parents for all of the hard work they had put into the wedding. It was well shown and well deserved!

I have seen many brides enjoy their wedding day by dancing and having a good time. But, Kate has topped them all. She was on the dance floor for almost the entire time. Every song had a special “move” she had – it was so much fun to watch.

Susan and Ryan May 21, 2011

There is nothing like a Chrysler event! I first met Susan and her Mother during the invitation process at Something New. They had selected beautiful but yet very different invitations – a great first impression for their guests. Our invitation relationship soon grew into a coordinating relationship. I was very happy to hear they wanted me to help with their reception.

Susan and Ryan had an amazing reception at the Chrysler Museum of Norfolk. The color and theme came from a Scottish Tie; at least, that's how it all started. The Chrysler was beautiful with square and round tables, a beautiful grey overlay, personalized beer mugs for the men and wine glasses for the women.

The guests enjoyed “Pringles” as they left, for a late-night snack. The Groom's last name Pringle, how fitting!

Mary and Robbie May 7, 2011

Mary and Robbie were referred to me by a couple that I had planned a wedding with over six years ago. At the first meeting, I knew this was going to be one of those 'fun weddings'! Without fail – it was a blast!

The ceremony was held on the beach at Dam Neck. A bamboo arch, tiki torches, and lots of friends and family helped to create the perfect setting. The reception was held at The Dam Neck Club. Roger, from Astro, kept the dance floor filled all night! The centerpieces were were designed and decorated by the Mother of the Bride and a close friend, they did a fantastic job creating a one-of-a-kind design.

Mary and Robbie will be missed dearly-I know the love they have for one another will last a lifetime.

Mary, I will never forget your final words to me at the end of the night. I am still laughing :)

Andrea and Jeremy April 23, 2010

First, it was a great honor to be asked by another wedding professional to help with his soon to be daughter-in-law’s wedding. Thank you, Jim from LeTempt Video Productions for sending Andrea, Jeremy and Cindy (the bride’s mom) my way.

From the very beginning, Andrea and Cindy trusted me to lead them in the right directions for vendors, design, stationery and all the amazing details of a wedding. It was so great to see a very close mother and daughter work so well together in making this very important day happen. There was never an appointment the two of them were not together.

Every detail of the wedding had been thought about and planned out. Her colors were navy blue and yellow – these two colors together at the Contemporary Art Center were just stunning! Andrea and Jeremy married in the Atrium Room at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia Beach. While her guests enjoyed cocktail hour in the Rodriguez Room, we changed the ceremony to the reception. It was fun to watch her guests’ reactions as they entered into the beautifully decorated, transformed room!

Roger from Astro DJ kept everyone on his or her feet dancing all night long, while Cathy from East Beach Catering made sure everyone enjoyed dinner. I am really looking forward to sharing additional pictures from Veronica Dana Photography. Thank you to Catherine from Distinctive Floral Designs for the beautiful flowers and arrangements. Ampa Events, the specialty lighting made the already stunning room look even more stunning with the navy blue lighting.

Brooke and Chris March 26, 2011

It all started with one of the most endearing phone calls I have received. Dad called me with many questions regarding his only daughter’s wedding. I could tell from the hello he wanted this day to be perfect for her. I was happy to help with any questions he had to help ease his mind. The planning began right away; we booked the reception at the Cavalier on the Hill and the ceremony at First Presbyterian Church in Norfolk. Brooke mentioned she was not the little girl who always dreamed of her big day, but she had visions of the church, and when she first walked into First Presbyterian Church, she knew right away that this was it! Brooke and Chris were so easy going and a really fun couple. The reception showed their personality with a fun band, beautiful décor and nothing but good times! What a great way to start weddings in 2011 with such a wonderful couple and family! Thank you Alexander's Photography!