I have known Bob for over ten years and was so excited when he asked me to help him and his fiance Cathalene (Cat) plan their destination wedding here in Savannah. I had never met Cat since they live Herndon, Virginia, but after many phone calls and e-mails I knew her and Bob were perfect for each other. They came to me only after booking the Chapel at the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum in Pooler, Georgia, and a reception site. Although Cat and I had never met in person, I felt like I had a good sense of her taste and was pretty sure she was not going to like the reception site she had chosen. So, as I awaited her first visit back in February I had plan A, B, & C all ready for her! But, I knew she would fall in love with the Chapel at the Mighty 8th…it is the sweetest chapel!

And I was right! She loved the Chapel, but the reception site she had chosen (from a few online pictures) was not part of her dream wedding! So on a dreary, rainy day, Cat, Pam (her sister), & I hit the streets of downtown  Savannah in search of THE place. Every place she fell in love with was booked…after all she was getting married in October, one of the busiest months in Savannah for weddings! We spent the entire day going from venue to venue in what seemed like a fruitless search. It was probably nine o’clock by the time we managed to stop for dinner. Now you may be thinking, how could you have visited venues that late…well, when your clients are only here for the weekend, you show them the venue and call the venue later in the week. Our goal was to find what she liked and go from there. So, Cat and Pam headed back to Virginia and I spent the next week following up with the venues we had visited late night! We finally settled on a wonderful venue….Belford’s in City Market…a great venue with an outdoor space. Now Belford’s is great to work with and you can rent the entire restaurant for your event based on the revenue they made on that date the previous year. it was settled. Our first obstacle had been overcome! I thought…..

But sometimes, things are just not that easy. A few weeks later, I got a call from Karen at Vic’s on the River www.vicsontheriver.com , Cat’s #1 choice. October 11th was now available. I was excited for Cat, but a very small part of me thought…should I even tell her!? She is finally happy with her decision…but I knew I had to. And so that is where the story of Cat & Bob’s wedding really begins….with the signing of the contract with Vic’s on the River.

Karen & Sarah at Vic’s on the River were a hoot to work with! We had so much fun with them and they were always available to discuss the wedding and answer all of our questions. It is just so much more fun when you get to plan a wedding with other people that truly enjoy what they do! Cat even wanted to do her cocktail hour in Reynolds Square, something VIc’s had never done before, but they were up for the challenge. It did end up raining on their wedding day, so the cocktail hour was moved inside, but it was so nice to know that they were willing to go above and beyond to make their clients happy! And their staff was wonderful! Every detail was attended to!

Julie at Garden on the Square, Minette at Custom Cakes http://www.savannahcustomcakes.com/ , Jenn  Jessup of Christine Hall Photography http://www.christinehallphotography.com , and Mike Miller with Hilton Head Entertainment http://www.hiltonheadentertainment.com , Old Savannah Tours www.oldsavannahtours.com , & Greg Rolf with Southern Comfort Limousines http://www.socolimo.com completed our star studded list of Vendors! Have I mentioned lately, how the vendors you choose can either make or break your wedding! Choose wisely…these are the people you are entrusting to make your vision come to life!

Julie at Garden on the Square is a sweetheart and I absolutely love working with her! Her flowers are always beautiful, but the best part is that she listens to her clients and works with them to give them exactly what they want! Julie and I love to create our clients dream floral list and then dwindle it down within a budget they can work with! In the end, the dream vision still always seems to come through! I know she is working on getting a webpage…its a daunting task! But her and her wonderful team can be reached at (912) 233-7227.

Minette worked her magic again with not one, but two delicious cakes! The wedding cake was a simple square three tiered cake with merlot colored ribbon on the bottom and real orchids scattered on each tier. More importantly, there was a tier with chocolate and a buttercream filling and a tier with vanilla and a strawberry filling. Delicious! Then for the grooms cake, the airplane theme continued and was a runway with an airplane topper! And it was chocolate all the way….cake and frosting!

Jen Jessup, Christine Hall’s cousin, was the photographer for the day! She did a great job capturing all of the moments of the day! All of the pictures in this post are her wonderful works of art! I will bore you with my own photos later this week! There were just so many wonderful details in this wedding, that I can not share them  all in one post!

Mike Miller from Hilton Head Entertainment kept the party going! You may recognize the name…yes, he is the morning radio personality with Laura Anderson on Gator 106.9. He had everyone, young and old, out on the dance floor all night long! Even during the sit down dinner, I kept hearing from people…I love this song or he is playing the best music! And if you wanted to hear something right away, well your wish was his command! Some of them had a tradition that after Brown Eyed Girl, Cecelia MUST be played…so when they heard Brown Eyed girl they yelled Cecelia to him…and it was cued up for the next song! He was awesome…definitely a DJ that likes to please the crowd!

The night ended with a limo ride from Greg Rolf at Southern Comfort Limousine! Not only does he have THE cleanest  limos in town, he is the nicest person! I love working with him! Admist the drizzle before the wedding he kept Cat dry and during the downpours afterwards…well he did his best to keep them both dry! A true Southern Gentleman! And people say chivalry is lost…not when Greg is your driver!

There is so much more to write about! But I must call it a night! Next time I will tell you all about the airplane theme…yes, I said airplane theme…I was scared at first too! But I must say, it was was the classiest airplane themed wedding you will ever see! And then there was the bridesmaids tea at The Savannah Tea Room, the rehearsal dinner at Lady & Sons, & the details…oh how I love details!

Well enjoy the pictures from Christine Hall photgraphy….and I’ll show you my wanna be photographer pics later this week!

Oh….one more thing…are you wondering where the beautiful pictures were taken before the cermony? You guessed it, none other then the exclusive boutique hotel, Mansion on Forsyth Park www.mansiononforsythpark.com ! This hotel makes every girl’s fairytale wedding come true with their beautiful rooms and exquisite grounds! It is definitely THE place to stay on your wedding night!

Martha Stewart Luminarias

Give the decorations at your wedding reception the romantic look of lace. The intricate patterns shining through these luminarias (paper-bag lanterns illuminated by votive candles) are courtesy of doilies glued inside. Place a grouping of the lanterns in different sizes on the guest-book table or dinner tables for a beautiful, glowing display. We chose ivory paper bags for an understated look, but you can use thin paper bags in any light color. Set the candles in heavy-glass votive holders to help anchor the bags.

Tools and Materials
Light-colored paper lunch bags in various sizes
Ruler
Scalloped rotary cutter
12-inch gold-colored doilies (white ones won’t show through as well)
Utility knife
Scissors
Glue stick or Xyron sticker-making machine
Votive candles in glass holders
Utility lighter

Luminarias How-To
1. Lay each bag flat; use a ruler to guide the scalloped rotary cutter as you cut a new top edge 1 inch below the bag’s original edge.

2. To cut doilies to fit the bag, lay a bag flat on the work surface. Lay a doily on the bag, and determine where to cut in order to create a pleasing design. Cut straight lines with a ruler and a utility knife; use scissors to snip along curves. The final size of the doily should be 1/8 inch narrower than the width of the bag so the doily will lay flat inside.

3. Coat the gold side of the doily generously with glue from the glue stick, or coat it with self-adhesive using the Xyron machine. Attach doily to the inside of the front of the bag, positioning it as desired. After gluing, close the bag, and run your hand firmly over the design to seal. Open the bag, and let dry at least 1 hour.

4. Set the bag in desired location, and then put the votive candle, in its holder, inside. Light the wick once the candle holder has been securely placed; do not carry the lit luminaria.

Some brides have dreamed of their wedding cake since they were little girls or have envied those of celebrities with the ten tiers and lavish flowers! In reality your cake may not be that grand, but who’s to say that it can not be beautiful & delicious! Minette Rushing and her team at Custom Cakes www.savannahcustomcakes.com definitely can make this happen. My first experience with Minette’s cake was when I got married three years ago. My husband was not able to go to the cake tasting so she packed him up some cake, frosting, & fondant covered in plastic wrap and in a Styrofoam box. For some reason, he did not gobble it down in  five minutes flat. Again, a concept I do not understand! A few days went by and he remembered he had not tried the cake! So he sat down to test them all and they were all still moist & delicious days after they had been boxed up for him! I knew in that instant that we had found the best “cake lady” in town!

Many brides fear that their cake may taste good, but will not look good, or vice versa. This is NOT an issue at Custom Cakes. Your cake will taste scrumptuous and look devine! MInette is not just a fabulous baker, she is an artist. Her and her team have the ability to take your vision and design it on your wedding cake…whether it be the style of your dress, your favorite flower, pattern or color! Her sugar flowers look as real as the ones that come from the florist. One of the techniques used to make the cakes some seamless and beautiful is in the art of fondant. Many brides know that fondant will have to used to make their dream cake…but many dread having to eat it! Well….I am hear to tell you, Minette makes the best tasting fondant I have ever had. And this is not just my opinion. I have taken brides to tastings and they have left amazed! Minette layers her fondant on top of a nice layer of frosting. This makes it even yummier and for those who want to peel it off at the wedding reception they can…but they still have yummy cake and frosting to eat! I on the other hand…well, I eat it all!

Minette not only creates wedding cakes, but also cupcakes,  mini individual serving cakes and her favorite whimsy cakes. There is nothing Minette and her team can not accomplish with some cake batter, frosting and lots of creativity! I will try to post some pictures that I have of cakes she has done for my clients sometime soon! But in the meantime, take a minute and check out her website at www.savannahcustomcakes.com to see many of her wonderful designs. If you want to read her blog go to www.minetterushing.typepad.com .

Anyone hungry for cake now….