Suggestion for Sparkler Send Off

A "Sparkler Send-Off" makes for great photos! If you're getting married within the next year and are planning on using sparklers as you leave your reception, I suggest you visit your nearest fireworks tent next week. They'll have their sparklers marked at least half off, maybe even 75% off. Buy up sparklers for your big send off and save some money!

Rachel and Matt's Wedding

Rachel & Matt's wedding photos are now up on our website! This wedding was posted about a couple of months ago. It was an incredible night! Read about the details in our previous posts from May 3rd and May 4th.

I had a REALLY difficult time choosing, but here are my top 10:

Rachel and her brother (the bridesman) before the wedding. The wedding party made the best of the possibility of rain with white umbrellas and blue rainboots for the bride to match the wedding colors!

This is absolutely my favorite photo of Rachel and Matt! The image really captures such a happy moment and my favorite moment of most weddings: after the ceremony, when it is just the bride and groom, they are finally relaxed and you really see how happy they are together!

Let the party begin: Red Ambition kept the dancefloor packed all night long and it didn't hurt that their family and friends were a blast!

These are just a small percentage of the amazing wedding photos by Shannon of A Moment Captured Photography! Check out more on our website.

As a little added bonus, here are some of the amazing details from the wedding:

The bride and groom using the photobooth.

A photobooth by Dancenhance Entertainment was a huge hit! I highly recommend Dancenhance! Your guests will love it, the Dancenhance staff is very professional and will put together the guestbook beautifully, and they offer a CD of all of the images taken during your event.

top, left: Custom wedding sign created by Finishing Touch.
top, right: Bridesmaid bouquets made of ivory roses and wrapped in blue satin ribbon crisscrossed with thin black ribbon. Bouquets created by Finishing Touch.
2nd row, left: Centerpieces were created using 8" cube vases filled with clear deco cube vase filler and ivory roses arranged pave' style. The vases were finished with blue satin ribbon and the couples logo. Logo designed by RB Graphic Design.
2nd row, right: "Something Blue" specialty drink recipe cards were printed for the guests to take home and recreate the delicious martinis! Recipe cards designed by RB Graphic Design.
3rd row, left: Bride and Groom signs for chairs created by Finishing Touch.
3rd row, right: Shelby Lynn's Cake Shoppe of Springdale created the beautiful blue damask cake. The cake is set atop a cake stand created entirely of pave style carnations. Cake stand created by Finishing Touch.
4th row, left: The bridal bouquet was wrapped in satin and lace taken from her mother's wedding dress. It was finished using the same thin black satin ribbon as the bridesmaid bouquets. Bouquet created by Finishing Touch.
4th row, right: The bridal bouquet consisted of gorgeous ivory roses and white anemone with black centers. Bouquet created by Finishing Touch.

My obsession comes to life: the dessert bar! Instead of a grooms cake, this couple chose a variety of desserts (petit fours, chocolate covered strawberries, cookies, and M&Ms) all created by Shelby Lynn's Cake Shoppe. Finishing Touch presented them in a modern way using white serving trays and pedestals.

One more huge recommendation goes out to Shannon of A Moment Captured Photography. She is incredible! Every image you see here was taken by her and her team. They do an amazing job and are entirely professional throughout your wedding festivities. Her prices are unbelievable and she is an incredibly talented photographer. You will be blown away by her work. Check it out today!

Fantastic Engagement Shoot!

I absolutely love these engagement pics! I love the colors, the lottery cards, the slushie! If you aren't adventurous enough to use just this location for your engagement pics, why not just pop in for a few shots on your way to that gorgeous sunset location?
It doesn't get more fun than this. Thanks to The Knot for posting it.

Chic Art Gallery Opening

New York City has come to Little Rock! Greg Thompson Fine Art has officially opened its doors to the public. In a beautiful historic building in Argenta, this new gallery uses discriminating taste to choose only the best local artists to adorn the walls. Along with local and regional artists, we also are the only gallery in the area to carry nationally and internationally known artists. Come to the gallery and on any given day you may see the work of Pablo Picasso (on exhibition now), Salvador Dali, and many more.

The inaugural exhibition contains the work of prominent Arkansas artists along with a few important southern regionalists. Here are a few photos from the evening:

This incredible drawing by A J Smith hung above the sign in table which was topped with a subtle yet elegant arrangement of white dendrobium orchids.

The art:

top, left (from left to right): "Mountain Mirror" by Matt McLeod, "September Aspens" by Barry Thomas, "Corner Connection" by Al Allen.
top, right (from left to right): "Passage" by Mark Blaney, "Yellow Canoe" by J O Buckley, "The Lesson" by J O Buckley.
bottom: "Main Street Trolley" by Matt McLeod, "Widows' Conversation" by Mark Blaney, "Birth of Venus" by Mark Blaney, "Cookie" by Donald Roller Wilson.

The food and drinks:

The delicious passed appetizers were prepared and served by Reno's Argenta Cafe, North Little Rock and guests enjoyed fantastic Cote du Rhone wines.

Family and Friends:

Anyone in the Little Rock area stop by tomorrow evening (6/19) for this month's Friday Night Art Walk. Come enjoy some good wine and some great art!

This inagural exhibition will run until September 5th and will be followed by a solo exhibition featuring the work of important Arkansas watercolorist George Dombek.

Converse Crazy!

I love this great trend in weddings! Let your groom & his groomsmen be comfortable! It won't hurt anything, in fact, I think it adds a relaxed, fun atmosphere to your big day. It's not a trend that is for everyone, and if it's not you, you shouldn't try to force it. But if you are a laid back couple who enjoys doing things a little differently, why not?! It's especially fitting for an outdoor wedding.

above: from Flights of Fancy's "Trendspotting" blog post.

And here are a few of my favorite converse shots:
above: Infocus Studios Photography, Santa Barbara, CA

above: Galvan Photography, Whittier, CA

above: Anne Ruthmann Photography, Boston, MA

You vote: Is this trend a do or a don't? Are you daring enough to try it?

A Wine Tasting: Good Food, Great Friends, and Good Wine

Last month, my husband and I hosted a wine tasting party for a small group of friends and I have some great info to share for weddings, small dinner parties, or anyone who loves a DIY project!

A wonderful friend of mine had just begun working for PRP Wine International selling amazing wines and champagnes from all over the world. These wines are available by the case and are absolutely perfect for weddings because the labels can be personalized with your wedding logo and date! They also sell adorable miniature champagne bottles that are the perfect wedding, bridal shower, or bachelorette party favors!

Here are some photos from our wine tasting:

Wine Cork Labels - I create my own labels for everything and these were adorable!
Materials: White Cardstock, Wine Corks, Potato Pealer, Steak Knife, Scissors or Paper Cutter, and Sharpie Pen.
I began by shaving down one side of the cork with the potato pealer so that the corks had one flat side. Next, I used a steak knife to cut a slit opposite the flat side - cut about half way through the cork. I cut cardstock into small pieces approx. 1.5 x 2.5 inches. Using a sharpie pen, I wrote the names of the wine and food dishes that we served along with a little flourish. Insert the cardstock into the cork and display on the table.

The beautiful floral arrangements.
Materials: White Spider Mums, Wine Corks, Artichokes, Ribbon, Various Glass Vases.
I am in love with Spider Mums lately! They're a great, inexpensive bloom that comes in a wide variety of colors. I placed these in different glass containers throughout our home. Some of the arrangements contained wine corks, or artichokes, or both. The containers were tied with ribbon and everything looked pulled together and stunning!

I love cheese and it is a must have for a wine tasting! But I don't do cubed cheeses. All you need to do to make it absolutely gorgeous, is to buy large blocks of a variety of cheeses. Cut some into slices, some into cubes, and leave some whole with knives for your guests to cut and serve themselves. Display on rustic wooden pedestals as we did or use trays, mirrors, etc. Add labels for each type of cheese to match the wine or the rest of the food you are serving. The result: a beautiful and delicious cheese display!

Other items we served:
left: fruit display served on white pedestals from Macys.
center, top: Peanut Butter Munchies. I found this delicious recipe on the Hostess with the Mostess blog and they were a huge hit! They were delicious and everyone was completely impressed that I made them from scratch.
center, bottom: Sour Cherry Oatmeal Cookies from Boulevard Bread Co in Little Rock, AAR
right: Romaine salad with sliced roma tomatoes, topped with fresh grated parmesean cheese.
All of the food was served on white dishes. It was gorgeous!
(My husband also cooked some amazing pork loin, NY strip, and bacon wrapped scallops on the grill, but for some reason I don't have photos of these!)

All you need for a gorgeous party is a little creativity and continuity.

Check out PRP Wines for a list of avilable wines and for all of your party needs! Email me if you would like to contact her for your event and I'll be happy to send you the information.

Congratulations Kitty & Charles!

Kitty & Charles have just booked their wedding in Conway for October 16, 2009! I am so looking forward to working with you for the week of your wedding to make sure everything is absolutely perfect. Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding!

"Midsummer Night's Dream" Come True

Kari and Greyson's wedding photos are up! Melissa Claborn Photography, of McAllister, OK, did an amazing job capturing the stunning wedding and the breathtaking views! Not to mention had the images edited and ready for us within 2 weeks! Visit their full gallery at our website.

Here are my top 10:
See more of the gorgeous wedding photos on our website: Kari and Greyson's gallery

Lyndi & Tony's wedding gallery is up!

I've just added a new wedding to the website! These gorgeous photos, by Brian Armas Photography, really show you everything you need to know about this wedding: Lyndi and Tony are SO happy. It shows in every picture.

Here are my top 10! There is a much larger gallery on our website.

See....So happy!

The custom arbor was created by Finishing Touch and adorned with white organza and fresh rannanculus and spray roses

The beautiful bridesmaids bouquets were also created by Finishing Touch and consisted of ranannculus, spray roses, and green hyacinth berries.

Again....the happiness is contagious!

After the reception they went out to an old barn to take a few photos in between rain showers. These images are incredible!

Lyndi and Tony were married in a beautiful ceremony in April. All of the details are in a couple of earlier posts. Click here or here to read all about it.