And stay tuned to the blog for more great learning opportunities coming soon!  

Click here to see the posts!

Here are a few photos, but I will blog a lot more in the next few days!

Rene's bouquet was a combination of cymbidium orchids, ranunculus, billy balls, tulips, and hydrangea.

This photo is a great example of why I love Millie Holloman Photography!  Who else captures my details down to the button on the bride's bouquet?!

Boutonnieres were Billy Balls (one of my favs) and seeded eucalyptus. 

Rene and Jake were married on the third floor of The Balcony.  We used two huge dark grey vases filled with hydrangea to frame the alter area and lined the aisle with frosted cube hurricanes.

 For this photo wall, I brainstormed with Rene to come up with a list of things symbolic to them as a couple.  We found images of those things, framed them, and hung them over the lounge area.   

 For the guest book, Rene had some of their engagement shots framed for guests to sign.

 I love so many flowers, but these are definitely in my top 10-- oncidium orchids, tulips, and billy balls!  Such a happy group of flowers!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Candy bars are still big!  This one was coordinated with the bright yellow colors of the flowers. 

The night ended with sparklers!

Amanda and Justin love wineries and so we incorporated lots of wine elements into the day.  Flowers were a mix of more natural flowers like lavender, berries, veronica, and scabiosa pods and more formal orchids, fern curls, and hyacinth.

 Love this shot!

Bridesmaid's Boquets.

Amanda's son was the cutest ring bearer ever!  We sewed a tiny burlap pillow and added a few sprigs of lavender to coordinate with his boutonniere.

 The reception was held at the Balcony on Dock.

 We designed centerpieces in rustic wooden boxes.

For favors, Amanda bought these great copper wine bottle stoppers.

 For the guest book, we created cork boards from wine corks and guests pinned their wishes.

Last Friday it all came together and boy, did we have a blast!  We worked with Nicki's Cakes, South N' France, Flower and Flour, Party Suppliers and Rentals, Culinary Creations, Orton Plantation, NSalo Salon, Paper Doll, Black Bird Blue.  When that many creative people get in one place together, it is one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences! 

Style Me Pretty will be posting the photo shoot soon and we'll put it up here as soon as they do!

Ashley is a graphic designer for Coach in New York and has lovely taste, so she was very involved in the design process.  For her bouquet, she wanted bright oranges mixed with soft peaches and so we used a combination of ranunculus, garden roses, and regular and parrot tulips. 

For the bridesmaids, she wanted a softer palette of whites and peaches with some dark berries.  Privet berries (my normal dark berry of choice for fall) apparently did not mature in time this year and was still green.  So we went digging in the woods for dark berries.  Getting them to Bald Head in one piece was quite a struggle, but they were totally worth it!  

Ashley wanted something different than the traditional flower girl basket, so we made these little baskets out of linen and added a silver flower.  In my opinion, the white satin flower girl baskets from the craft store are NEVER acceptable, not when there are so many different possibilities. 

When you are an event designer, you get attached to some of your materials and vessels.  These are one of my favorites.  I found a whole bunch of these little tin pitch pots at a flea market in Raleigh.  I just love them!

For the reception, Ashley wanted a change of atmosphere and color from the ceremony.  So we lost the orange and peach and shifted to a combination of mustard, green, white, silver, and black.

Centerpieces were a mixture of white vases and silver candlesticks on printed fabric.  Ashley's family collected this linen fabric from Ikea's from NC to NY and sewed the tablecloths for the wedding.

This was one of my favorite guest books ever!  We draped the tent walls with white fabric and then hung cork boards of different shapes.  Guests wrote Ashley and Patrick messages and pinned them on the boards.  Again, no need for the the traditional white-covered guest book.  I love clients who let me think outside the box!

I will hate myself for posting this photo, but yes, we drug lounge furniture over to Bald Head Island for this wedding.  For those who are not familiar, Bald Head does not allow vehicles, just golf carts (except for contractors and only on weekdays).  So we had to hitch a ride on the commercial barge, buy road usage passes, and park the vehicle a very LONG ways away from the tent.  In other words, logistical nightmare!  But it certainly made for some good seating at the reception!  We draped the wall here too and hug photos of the couple's families.

Thanks Ashley and Patrick for letting us share your day!

• Southern Weddings Magazine comes out this week and not only will one of our weddings be featured, but we will also appear in the advice from the wedding experts section.  Make sure to pick up your copy at the local bookstore! 
• Style Me Pretty has developed a great design challenge, where readers of the blog are able to submit inspiration boards to have a group of Little Black Book members create.  This week Style Me Pretty will be posting a challenge that we, along with Millie Holloman and Orton Plantation, will bring to life the week of November 20th!  It will be featured on Style Me Pretty's Blog the last week in November. Click here to design an inspiration board and enter the contest!
• We are busy preparing for Orton Plantation's huge grand opening at the end of February, which is an absolutely must attend event!!  The Gardens will be staged with four different areas, featuring local wedding vendors working together to design an event.  Guests will be able to travel throughout the Plantation to experience four completely different styles.  We will be designing a tent on the new property that Orton has opened!  This is not your typical wedding show-- think design challenge + wedding + Orton.  The result will be amazing!  More information to come!
• Finally, we are working on a top secret project, which will be announced in a few days.  Can't wait to share it with you! 

I am not typically a fan of pink, but I loved this bouquet, a mixture of cymbidium orchids, garden roses, hydrangea, lily of the valley, lisianthus, ranunculus, poppy pods, millet, and blueberries.  We went to a blueberry farm a few days before the wedding and cut the berries for the bouquets.

The City Club is very formal, so the decor lends itself to candlesticks and traditional greenery.  Lura collected all kinds of antique silver from her family to use as vessels for the centerpieces. 

Outside of the City Club there is a huge four-level garden, perfect for lanterns and seating areas.  For a traditional Southern Wedding, you cannot beat the charm of the City Club. 

ANNA'S FAVORITES

Ranunculus & Viburnum

 ASHLEY'S FAVORITES

Scabiosa & Anemones

JILLIAN'S FAVORITES

Peonies & Oncidium Orchids

SARA'S FAVORITES

Gloriosa Lilies & Cymbidium Orchids

JENNIFER'S FAVORITES

Sweet Peas & Tulips

Click here to read the article!