Alex & Ashley ~ October 5, 2008

Simply Stunning!

Such an awesome couple with wonderful parents!

Ashley was referred to us from Megan at Crowne Plaza at Union Station about a month prior to her wedding. Ashley and her soon-to-be mother-in-law, Debbie were putting this wedding together and then decided to bring us in to pull everything together. We mainly corresponded with Ashley via e-mail, but we did meet with Ashley and Debbie a week or so before the big day to make sure all of the details were ironed out and to drop off the ADORABLE favors they made!

Obviously, their rehearsal day was busy for us because we had Phil and Hannah's ceremony and then drove downtown to Crowne Plaza. Everyone showed up on time, despite the fact that it was Circle City Classic and the streets were absolutely PACKED!

The rehearsal went awesome. Jaelynne, Ashley's daughter, was adorable because she had a fake flower that played "The Wedding March!" Too cute! Following the rehearsal we headed downstairs for the rehearsal dinner. We were contracted with them to coordinate the rehearsal dinner. We began with a really great speech about Alex and Ashley by Alex's dad, Mitch. From there, Jim (the officiant) said a prayer and then it was time for the AMAZING food! They had good down home cookin'! For dessert they served AMAZING cherry and apple cobblers! Yummy!

Not only was the food delicious, but the company was so GREAT! We enjoyed talking to everyone and getting to know their families and friends! Then, it was time for the best part ~ GIFTS! Alex even surprised Ashley with a gift ~ a Coach diaper bag...they are having a baby in April :). After gifts were handed out, Alex and Ashley gave a really sweet thank you speech to everyone.

The next day came quickly! My mom, Jessica and I showed up early in the morning to get everything set-up! Ashley and her girls arrived about 1 1/2 hours after us to get their hair and make-up done in their dressing room. Alex and his guys arrived about an hour after Ashley so that they could all eat, relax and get ready for the big day!

While everyone was getting ready we were making sure all of the details were covered and that the ceremony and reception sites looked AMAZING! All of the vendors arrived on time and the cakes and flowers looked GREAT! Ashley surprised Alex with a grooms cake that was a replica of his truck and in his favorite flavor, Red Velvet!

Alex's pictures went by quickly and then it was time for Ashley and her girls! Photos wrapped up, Jim (the officiant) was present, the trio (violin, cello & harp) was set and the ushers were in place! The guests were seated and then it was showtime! The ushers escorted the grandparents and parents down the aisle and to their seats. Then Jim (the officiant), Alex and his guys entered and took their place. It was then time for the bridesmaids to shine. Ashley's daughter, Jaelynne, was the flower girl and did an excellent job lining the aisle with leaves for her mom. The music changed and the doors opened to reveal Ashley and her dad, Gary!

The ceremony was beautiful! Alex, Ashley and Jaelynne performed the sand ceremony and are now never to be separated! It was too sweet :) Alex and Ashley were then pronounced husband and wife! The bridal party then went outside for more photos while the guests were released by the ushers and invited to enjoy the cocktail hour. Once photos of the bridal party were complete, they were treated to their own private cocktail hour downstairs. Once everything was set in the reception hall it was time for the guests to find their seats. The guests were treated to the sounds of a harp during the cocktail hour and the reception.

Once everyone found their seats, Alex's dad, Mitch, made the bridal party introductions. Jim (the officiant) welcomed everyone and said a prayer before the buffet bruncheon began. It was very yummy as well...waffles, sausage, hash browns, etc! Following the brunch it was time to cut the cake and then it was time for toasts ~ everyone did such a great job with their toasts!

Alex and Ashley spent the day really getting to visit with all of their guests. They envisioned an intimate gathering and I think they achieved their ideal environment!

Vendors who helped create the atmosphere include:

• A Little Bit of Heaven ~ Provided the cakes! The replica of Alex's truck was AWESOME!
• Sharon Watson Music ~ Sharon did an EXCELLENT job with the music! For the ceremony the guests were treated to the violin, cello and harp and then Sharon stayed to treat the guests to the elegant sounds of the harp, creating the intimate atmosphere Alex and Ashley desired!
• Hendricks County Florist ~ They provided GORGEOUS bouquets, boutonnieres, candelabra pieces and cake topper!
• Reverend Jim Rogers ~ He did such an EXCELLENT job officiating! He is so very animated and has such a great personality! He really made the ceremony fun and yet meaningful at the same time!
• SB Childs Photography ~ Stephanie and Brock were so much fun to work with and just look at the AMAZING pictures and moments they captured! They are so very nice and easy to work with! They really do take the time to make sure they get AWESOME shots! We hope we get to work with them again soon!
• Crowne Plaza at Union Station ~ Always, always, always AMAZING and nothing but the BEST! Megan and Cambrie were out-of-town, but of course made sure that everything was in order with us and their banquet captains! Mark was our banquet captain for the rehearsal dinner and Tina was our banquet captain for the big day! Everyone is always so AWESOME to work with and we just LOVE working at this venue! AMAZING all the way around ~ building structure, staff, accommodations, and of course the food (Chef Randy and his team are masterful at what they do!).
  

Here is an AWESOME sampling of photos provided by Stephanie & Brock of SB Childs Photography:

The rings

Ashley's daughter, Jaelynne

Ashley :)

Ashley and her girls

The girls having a good time

So cute...mom and daughter

Ashley's shoes

Alex

Alex and the guys

The beautiful bride escorted by her dad, Gary

One of the sweetest shots...Alex's dad, Mitch

I just LOVE this picture!

Everyone on stage in prayer

They are now...husband and wife...Congratulations!

Mr. & Mrs.

Group shot

The happy couple!

Another GREAT shot

The wedding cake and the reception hall

Their ADORABLE favors!

The grooms cake...a replica of Alex's truck

The DELICIOUS food

Jaelynne and Alex...she absolutely ADORES him...it is so precious

The happy family!

Alex & Ashley ~ Thank you so very much for letting us share in your AMAZING wedding weekend! You are both such nice people and you are surrounded by such awesome family and friends! We really enjoyed helping you pull these events together. We truly enjoyed being a part of your events and getting to know your families as well. We wish the two of you a long and very happy life together filled with lots of LOVE and LAUGHTER! We are so very excited for the two of you and your family as you get ready to welcome that precious baby in April! Jaelynne will be such a GREAT big sister! Thank you again for sharing your wedding weekend with us and please keep in touch!

Phil & Hannah ~ October 4, 2008

So Sweet...

These two were so sweet! Their ceremony was at Lakeview Christian Church, where my mom is the church coordinator.

In the morning of rehearsal day my mom arrived early to get out all of the candelabras, the archway, the unity candle table, the podiums, etc. A little later, Hannah and her family and bridesmaids arrived to decorate the youth center where the ceremony took place. Kelly (Flowered Occasions) also came and placed tulle and bows down the aisle. Once decorating was complete, everyone went home to change and later returned for the rehearsal!

Wedding day came and the girls began their day getting their hair and make-up done. All of the wedding party arrived at their designated times (making sure that Phil and Hannah didn't see each other) and everything went according to plan from there on! Phil and his guys ate some food that Hannah's mom provided for everyone, got dressed, got their boutonnieres pinned on and then had lots of photos taken by Britton (The Perfect Shot). Once the guys photos were complete we put them back in their hangout room and then it was Hannah and her girls turn!

Once photos concluded we put Hannah and her girls in their hangout room and we lit all of the candles (probably 100+ candles) and dimmed the lights! It was then time for the ushers to seat the guests. The guests were serenaded by piano music played by one of Hannah's bridesmaids.

Once all of the guests were seated it was time to seat the grandparents and then the parents. Pastor Burks, Phil and his groomsmen entered following the lighting of the unity candle and then it was time for Hannah's bridesmaids to make their way down the aisle. The ring bearers were Hannah's twin nephews and they were pulled down in a wagon by Hannah's brothers. Then, the guests rose and Hannah and with her father, Barney, made their way down the candlelit aisle to Phil.

The atmosphere was total ROMANCE! Everything looked gorgeous and there were some really special moments during the ceremony. Two of Hannah's bridesmaids sang a worship song followed by a prayer circle led by a family friend. It was very unique and a very nice touch to the ceremony.

Following the recessional, Hannah and Phil along with their parents formed a receiving line to greet all of their guests. Once all of the guests had been greeted it was time for more photos and then they were off to their reception.

Vendors who made Phil and Hannah's day amazing:

• Lakeview Christian Church ~ It is such an AMAZING church with such amazing people!
• Pastor Steve Burks ~ He has been a longtime friend of Phil's and he was nice enough to travel from his home in Kentucky to officiate this wedding
• Flowered Occasions ~ Kelly and her team did a good job with the tulle, bows, boutonnieres, corsages, and bouquets
• The Perfect Shot ~ Britton was very nice and easy to work with. She took lots of photos!
  

Phil and Hannah~ Thank you so much for allowing us to share in your special day! You both looked amazing and the ceremony site looked AWESOME with all of the candlelight! We wish the two of you the best of luck as you begin your lives as husband and wife in Evansville! You both have amazing families and friends!

Erik & Anna ~ September 27, 2008

So Adorable!

How cute are the two of them? Erik and Anna and their families were so much fun to work with. The planning of this wedding actually began with Anna's mom, Julia. Erik and Anna live in Texas so we corresponded with Anna through e-mail and met with Julia numerous times to recommend vendors and discuss the wedding details!

Anna arrived in Indianapolis a week before her big day, so Julia and Anna had a few loose ends to tie up, but nothing major! Everything was virtually in place and we had one last meeting the Wednesday prior to the wedding to actually meet Anna in person and to review the timeline and details one last time!

Rehearsal day came quickly and everything went well. Christ the King Catholic Church has a church coordinator, Stacey, who typically runs the rehearsal, so we let her do her thing and made adjustments as we went along to make sure that everything went as planned! You have to have teamwork to make a couple's day be SPECTACULAR! Following the rehearsal they all made their way to The Claddagh for dinner.

Wedding day came quickly as it always does! Anna and her girls began the day early with hair and make-up. We arrived at The Rathskeller to drop off the reception decor and to station our assistant, Jessica. She made sure that everything and everyone arrived on time, that the room was set properly, the favors were out, the escort card table looked fabulous and that everything looked IMPECCABLE when the guests began arriving!

My mom and I made our way to the church to meet Angie (Bokay Florist) and assist her with anything she needed so that we could ensure that the church was just as picture perfect as Julia had envisioned! It was then time for the guys to arrive, receive their boutonnieres and take photos! Kevin (Kiley Studios) and his wife had a nice location outside the church set-up where everyone could go to get their pictures taken. Once the guys were finished it was time for Anna and her bridal party! All photos went quickly, which allowed Kevin to get shots he normally doesn't have time for. He had told us at a prior meeting that pictures generally don't run on time and we told him...they do on our timeline! :)

The guests began arriving and it was then time for the ceremony. The ceremony was beautiful and everyone did a great job! Once the ceremony ended the guests made their way to The Rathskeller and Kevin had more photos to take ~ group shots, signing of the marriage license, etc. Those additional photos went quickly and then a limo came to pick up the wedding party and take them to The Rathskeller.

Once at The Rathskeller, we got the wedding party drinks and appetizers (ballpark pretzels with cheese ~ yummy!). It was then time for introductions, Anna's brother Patrick was the DJ for the evening. Then, Anna's dad, Mark, gave a very nice welcome speech and then it was time for prayer and dinner. Yum...the food was so DELICIOUS...it was all German food! Following dinner, Erik and Anna cut the cake. Anna surprised Erik with a "Cats" groom's cake ~ he was so surprised and loved it! Then, the Maid-of-Honor and Best Man, as well as Erik and Anna's fathers gave nice toasts to the couple. Following toasts, it was time for the first dance and they danced to "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid. It was so cute, because they slow danced the slow parts of the song and then busted a move when the chorus played! It was so sweet and made it unique unto them. Then, they had the father/daughter and mother/son dances followed by the bouquet and garter tosses. The rest of the evening was filled with dancing, talking, smiling, laughter and love! Everyone had a wonderful time, everyone & everything looked GORGEOUS and everything went flawlessly according to plan!

Vendors who helped to make this day magical include:

• Taylor's Bakery ~ The cakes were beautiful and tasted delicious!
• Christ the King Catholic Church ~ It was a very nice church. Stacey Hoaglin was the church coordinator and Angela Peterson provided the wonderful ceremony music. Reverend Anthony Volz did a good job performing the ceremony.
• Bokay Florist ~ We can never say enough wonderful things about Angie and her staff! The flowers are ALWAYS gorgeous! Angie has so many great ideas and does such a great job of taking care of her brides!
• Kiley Studios ~ Kevin and his wife did a very good job with the pictures. Julia, Anna's mom, was so very pleased with the final pictures! Great job Kevin.
• The Rathskeller Restaurant ~ Josh and his team did a FABULOUS job! Everything looked beautiful, the food was awesome and the staff was great to work with! Chad was our banquet manager for the evening and he was superb and so accommodating!
• Paper By Appointment ~ Michele did such an excellent job! She did their wedding invitations, programs and escort cards all which flawlessly coordinated with red roses! BEAUTIFUL! Michele is so very awesome and we always get the nicest feedback about her and the service she provides our clients!
• Carey Indy Limo ~ You can't go wrong with Carey Indy Limo! They are always so great to work with and provide excellent service, cars and drivers!

Their programs

Erik, the groom!

Erik with his AWESOME parents

Isn't this a beautiful picture?

Anna...the beautiful bride!

Anna and her AMAZING family

Christ the King Catholic Church

Anna's dad, Mark, giving Anna a kiss

The wedding party

The happy couple!

Place setting at the head table...this china was given to Anna by her grandmother and she thought it would be meaningful to use it on her wedding day!

Personalized M&M's

The cakes

Busting a move during the chorus of "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid

Love...it's so sweet!

CONGRATULATIONS ERIK & ANNA!

Erik and Anna ~ Thank you so very much for allowing us to be a part of your special day! You two are so adorable together and the love between the two of you radiates and lights up your faces! You are two of the nicest people we know! Your families were so great and you have an amazing support system and wonderful role models for a long and happy marriage!. We wish the two of you the best as you go on this adventure called life together!

Julia ~ We enjoyed collaborating with you to help make Erik and Anna's day all that you and they envisioned and more! You were so great to work with and we enjoyed getting to know you and your amazing family. Stay in touch!

List of Events

Hi All,

On the right-hand side I went ahead and listed the dates that we have already booked for 2009.

We have been getting a lot of inquires for 2009 wedding dates, so we thought we would go ahead and let you know the dates that are already taken!

We look forward to hearing from couples!

If you have questions on pricing or how we can add "A Touch of Elegance" to your day please let us know!

Scott & Trisha ~ September 13, 2008

Lucky In Love!

Scott & Trisha..."Lucky In Love!" We met with them toward the end of May. They booked with us immediately and together from there we made their dreams come to reality!

When we met with Scott and Trisha they told us their vision and they had hired a good deal of their vendors. They are such a creative couple and came up with so many great ideas to make their day uniquely theirs! Their colors were green, peach and white...so pretty together! During the planning process we met numerous times and spent a great deal of time e-mailing and talking on the phone! One of the neat things about this wedding was that it was to be held at Fort Benjamin Harrison (where I got married!). So, we were familiar with the layout and how the day should flow in order to be flawless! Scott and Trisha wanted an outdoor ceremony and that is what we planned for...of course, we had a rain plan as well!

So, about a week prior to the wedding we were all watching the radar and it showed rain all week long and about a 40% chance of rain! As the week progressed the chance of rain increased from 40% to 80%! So on Wednesday Scott and Trisha made the decision that we were going to go with the rain plan, which was a covered tent on the patio outside of The Garrison overlooking the golf course (still GORGEOUS). I could totally sympathize with them because it rained the entire week up to my event as well! I had told my mom that I just had a feeling that they would have a day just like I did...it would rain all week, rain the morning of the rehearsal, be PERFECT weather on wedding day and pour down rain the next day! Guess what...that's what happened for Scott & Trisha's big day! But, even though we went to the rain plan it turned out BEAUTIFULLY!

So, rehearsal day went well. It was a bit soggy, but we were under a tent so it really wasn't bad at all! Following the rehearsal everyone went out to Bynum's Steakhouse!

Wedding day came and it was AWESOME! I love the feeling of seeing a blank room and then seeing it transform minute by minute! We arrived early in the morning to make sure that we got everything done! We tied the bows on the chairs, made sure all of the tables were set properly, put all of the favors out (personalized M&M's in a round tin, personalized champagne toasting flutes, personalized matchbooks, a lottery ticket and scratcher for each person), helped the florist decorate by scattering rose petals EVERYWHERE, made sure the bar was set and that their personalized cocktail napkins were in place, set up the reserved tables escort cards (I love the pin-wheel set-up) and much much more! One of my favorite touches of the reception hall was the one peach rose that was placed in the bow on the back of every other chair...it just looked so elegant!

I will tell you that when everything was set up...it was STUNNING! The ceremony site was so rustic and romantic looking and the reception hall looked amazing with rose petals everywhere and glowing with candlelight placed all around the room!

So, on wedding day...Peace, Harmony & Hair came to the Kendall Inn to do Trisha and her girls' hair and make-up, which allowed everyone to be in a comfortable atmosphere so that they could relax and grab a bite to eat! Scott came over to inspect the room and hangout before it was time for all of the festivities to begin! But, as it always does...the day moved along quickly and it was time for Scott and all of his guys to get ready in their room at the Kendall Inn! Once everyone was ready, it was time for photos to begin for Scott and the guys! Normally, once the groom's photos are finished it is time for the ladies, but Trisha was not quite ready so we ended up completing her photos once the ceremony was finished! Everything moved along WONDERFULLY and all of the vendors were there on time and ready to go! About 45 minutes before it was time for the ceremony to start we stationed the guys downstairs in a room and we brought Trisha and her girls over from the Kendall Inn (we had Carey Limos mini-bus get the guys and girls to have from the hotel to the ceremony & reception location) to see the room! Trisha's reaction is why we do this job! Her face just lit up and it brought tears to her eyes! LOVE to see that :)

The guests began arriving and then it was showtime! The ceremony was so very sweet and intimate. Grace String Quartet really set the mood for the ceremony! Trisha was escorted down the aisle by her son, Rayne! Because they were blending two families together they conducted a sand ceremony that included all of their children (everyone had their own color and it made a great piece of art for their home)...it was so sweet! They had a really cool unity candle. Instead of using actual candles, it was oil based and it was just breathtaking! When guests were being escorted to their seats we had the ushers hand each guest a program and a takeout box filled with rose petals and a "thank you" charm so that once Scott and Trisha were announced the guests could shower them with rose petals!

Once the recessional was over Scott, Trisha and the wedding party went out to take more photos and the guests made their way into the reception hall. It was nice, because the way that we had it set up, we made sure that each guest that was present signed their guest book, which was a photo mat with a picture of Scott proposing to Trisha! Once inside, the guests were treated to a roaming violinist, Mrs. Jenny Powell. The guests had amazing passed hors d'eouvers, including shrimp shooters!

Once the wedding party returned from getting their additional photos taken they took a little bit of time to regroup and get a bite to eat in their own private cocktail hour. Then it was time for introductions and dinner! Steve and The Garrison staff did an excellent job with the set-up of the venue and the very delicious food! Following dinner the best man, Scott, gave his toast and then it was time to cut the cake! The cake was made by the best man's wife, Amy, and it was her first wedding cake she had ever made...she did an EXCELLENT job and along with one big wedding cake she also made two additional heart-shaped cakes that were a BEAUTIFUL compliment to the main cake! While the cake was being served the special dances began...Scott & Trisha's first dance, Trisha & her father's dance, Scott & his mother's dance and then parent/child dances...Scott & his daughter Ashley's dance, Scott & his daughter Alexandria's dance, Trisha & her son Rayne's dance and Trisha & her new step-son Aaron's dance! It was so sweet to see all of their dances and it is so great that they gave each child their own special moment with them!

Following the dances it was time for the bouquet and garter toss and to kick the evening of dancing off they played an Anniversary & Married Couples Dance - "Babe" by Styxx! It was so AMAZING because the dance floor was PACKED and it was so great to see how long everyone has been married! The night was GREAT and the kids had such a great time dancing the night away!

While the party was going, we snuck over to the Kendall Inn and spread rose petals all around the room and made a heart on the bed as well as put votive candles in the foyer, bedroom and around the bathtub! The room looked AMAZING and so unbelievably romantic :)

Here are a list of vendors who helped to make Scott & Trisha's dreams come true:

• Grace String Quartet - Powell Music and all of their musicians are beyond AMAZINGand really know how to set the mood to make an event spectacular!
• Party Time Sound (DJ) - Mark & Scott were great to work with and provided a great atmosphere for Scott and Trisha's guests! The groom, Scott, actually put his whole playlist together himself on his IPOD, so he really made their job easy!
• George Thomas Florist - Ahh...Melissa and her staff are AWESOME! They were so GREAT to work with and truly did an OUTSTANDING job of transforming the ceremony and reception site to make all of Scott and Trisha's ideas come to life! Melissa is a GREAT person and was just amazing!
• Reverend Matthew Skiles - Reverend Skiles did such a GREAT job for Scott and Trisha! He made the ceremony unique to them and was so easy to work with. He is so nice and you can tell he truly cares about the couples he is marrying!
• Ancient Monkey Photography - Bob did a wonderful job with the photos! It is always fun to see how each event comes across in print and I think Scott and Trisha are very pleased with Rob's work!
• Paper By Appointment - Michele once again did a GREAT job! She spent time with Scott & Trisha to pick out a very BEAUTIFUL invitation! She made the process so easy for them and we, of course, love to work with her!
• Carey Indiana Limousines - Always FANTASTIC service and drivers! They provided a mini-bus for the wedding party to get to and from each of their destinations!
• The Garrison (Fort Benjamin Harrison) - Steve is AMAZING at what he does and he was such a pleasure to work with! He provided us with endless floor plans and was so knowledgeable about what his venue had to offer to make Scott and Trisha's day perfect! It is definitely a venue to consider...I, of course, am a little partial, but truly it is beautiful and with a little imagination it turns into a spectacular venue! Thank you Steve for all of your help :)
• Movietyme Video Productions - Jessica did a great job of capturing their special day! We can't wait to see the finished product, but she worked her butt off to make sure that she got as much footage as possible!

Here are some photos from Scott & Trisha's big day!

Trisha getting her ribbon tied and looking STUNNING!

Grace String Quartet!

The GORGEOUS ceremony site! It was so rustic and romantic looking! It was overlooking a golf course and just looked AMAZING!

The BEAUTIFUL flower girl, Celina!

Trisha being escorted down the aisle by her son, Rayne!

The sand ceremony set up for seven :)

Scott & Trisha being showered with rose petals!

Picture Perfect

The wedding party!

The reserved tables escort cards! I LOVE the pin-wheel set-up!

Cutting the cake!

A Touch of Elegance...our team...Deborah, Jessica B., Cassie & Jessica A.

Cheers To You!

Scott & Trisha...the two of you are so AMAZING! We cannot even begin to tell you how much we enjoyed working with and getting to know the two of you and your families! Thank you so much for allowing us to share in your special day and we are so happy that it came together even better than you envisioned! We truly believe that we found great friends in the two of you and we hope to continue to get updates on your family! They had a baby girl, Ivey, in July and she is just adorable and so darn sweet! Truly, we can't say thank you enough and we wish the two of you and your families nothing but the best, because you all deserve it!