Old Exchange Chic

Mandy and Jerry were married at the beautiful St. Luke's Chapel on the Medical University's campus on the very warm day of Saturday, August 15th. Their reception followed at the Old Exchange Building where guests were entertianed by the Joe Clark Band while dining on Mediterra Catering's delicious eats. The entire day and all the details that most of us missed were captured by the amazing Chris Smith of Chris and Cami Photography. Some of my favorite parts of this event were Mandy's Father's toast - it really came from the heart and gave us outsiders some insight on to how Mandy became the beautiful woman she is today, Mandy's accessoreis - her dress, her veil, the hair piece that she put in after she took off her veil, her jewelry that was perfectly put together - she looked like she was put together by Rachel Zoe, and lastly - the bride and groom's laid back attitude when things did not go exactly as planned. Congratulations and best wishes to Mandy and Jerry!

Some budget tips from my D.I.Y. Chic Bride

"BUDGET WEDDING WISDOM!!"! by Jen Koshorek Rader

"Track your expenses!!! Even little purchases add up. If you're keeping track, you're less likely to over-spend!

Keep it simple! Decide what is most important to you and spend the bulk of your money on those things! (For us, it was FOOD, PHOTOGRAPHER and MUSIC).

Choose a venue that has some amenities (ours included tables). Also, choose a venue that lets you have all-day access and does not charge for additional hours if you have a longer reception.

Go with vendors you can trust! Up-front pricing and service will SAVE you cash! No surprises!!! Also, pick vendors that are willing to work with your budget and be willing to say "NO!". If you didn't want it when you walked in, you don't need it!

Know when to spend money! Time and sanity are important, too! Printing is relatively inexpensive and home printing jobs can be a headache. Know when to "fold 'em". If you're doing complicated or precise folds (like our programs) leave it to the professionals.

If you pay attention to the things that matter, people won't notice the things that don't! No one mentioned the fact that we got the most basic chairs because they hadn't noticed! They were on the dance floor with us!

Pay attention to the details that show your love and care of your guests. Yes, the day is about you, but that little extra effort shows and if your guests are happy, your day is even better! It doesn't cost a lot to show people that you care.

We stayed true to who we were and what we wanted out of the day. We were happy and because of that, no matter what little things may have gone wrong, the day was perfect and our guest noticed. If you're having a good time, your guest will, too!!!

Finally, our wedding motto "Good enough"! Its one day...it should be fantastic and all you've ever dreamed of, but in the end, its about getting married to the person you love. Make all of the other decisions once...changing your mind takes time and in the end will cost money and sanity!"

Detailed Chic

Where do I begin? I LOVED this wedding. Tara McLees and Brad Clark were married at St. Luke's Chapel on a rainy day in May. They had a beautiful candlelit ceremony that was followed by an elegant and toast filled sit-down dinner at the Historic Rice Mill Building. Tara was referred to me by the amazing Juliet Jones who owns Juliet Elizabeth Photography. Before I met Tara, I had already decided I was going to take the event just to work with Juliet (not only is she incredibly talented but she is also one of the kindest and most inspirational people that I have ever met). Fortunately, Tara and I clicked from the start. She has this aura about her - sweet, cute, and real - it's infectious. Tara made things extremely easy for me - she was always organized and on top of things - she really should be a coordinator herself. Her attention to detail is what set things apart - she had everything from custom table runners to fabulous wedding shoes - she did not miss a beat. No detail was left untouched. Some of my favorites ideas that Tara had me implement were a beautiful display of desserts which were kept on an awesome unfinished wood table that was provided by OOH Events, a cigar rolling station for the last hour of the event (this was a huge hit and I loved that the bride took the time to partake in the festivities as well), the faux floral pieces that were placed on top of each menu card (which matched the bride's hair piece), and of course the tree that was set-up to hold well wishes from guests on its branches and eventually become ornaments for the new Mr. and Mrs.'s Christmas tree. I really enjoyed being a part of this event - from the easy and organized planning process to the finale filled with dancing, drinking, cigar smoking guests, and fireworks - it truly was a SUPERB event!

East Bay Street Chic

Melissa Garcia and Austin Mosier were married on Saturday, June 27 at the historic Palmer Home on East Bay Street (technically East Battery). Their beautiful indoor ceremony was followed by a reception at the Old Exchange Building which is also on East Bay Street. Melissa was a very easy bride to work with. She had done the majority of the wedding planning on her own and just hired me to help her out with a few of the last minute details. Her organization and attention to detail made me picking up things late in the game very easy. Melissa was one of those brides that we could all learn a thing or two from - she made her decisions based on what would make her friends and family most comfortable - not herself. These decisions paid off as her guests stayed late in the night despite the crazy thunderstorms that were taking place outside. All in all ... a beautiful day for a beautiful couple.