Come on Over!

My blog has moved to my website!!!

Come on down to www.CherishedCelebrations.com for all the info!

Thanks for visiting!

Candy Buffet

So you've decided to do a candy buffet for your wedding reception. Take a big, big hint from Cherished Celebrations and many other wedding planners... hire someone to do it for you! When you think about 150 (just an average number) of people taking candy, do you know how many pounds of each candy to get? Do you know how many types of candy to get? Do you know where you can go for the freshest candy at the least price in the right colors?

I'd bet the answer is no. You also must, I'll say it again, must have an attendant. If not, Uncle Bob will take 4 pounds of chocolate covered espresso beans and your bowl will be empty for 30 minutes before your friend who promised they'd help notices it. Those of us who like to do the candy buffets (and there are many wedding planners who won't touch them with a 10 foot pole!!!) know how to gently suggest that Uncle Bob leave some of the $10.00 a pound items for other guests. You can even have the attendant serve your guest, ensuring an even distribution.

The picture above is from the Apex, North Carolina Chamber of Commerce Expo. I designed this buffet for the Womens Business Owners Network of Cary. It was incredibly well received and people loved it! I was the attendant for the first 2 hours, but there were other people there for the remainder of the expo.

What did they run out of while I was gone?

Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans.

Have a great day!

Catherine

The Happy Dance!

Before you started planning your wedding did you ever have a time when a simple linen sample could make you jump up and down and squeal with excitement? I'd bet the answer is no. At least since you started having birthdays in double digits!

I can't stop smiling since this morning when I showed one of my brides a sample I found this weekend. She was so happy because it was just right for her.

That is absolutely one of the biggest reasons I plan events. I love to make people happy! When you look for a wedding planner, ask them why they decided to do what they do? A lot of people say they love weddings - which is true - but what is underneath that statement. Do they like to organize? Do they like to coordinate? Or do they like making people happy?

There is a big difference. I hope your wedding planner likes to make people happy!

Brides Against Breast Cancer Recap and Info

If you’re getting married, and you’re a bride, you’ll need a dress of some sort, right? It’s one of the few things that usually remain a surprise for the groom and mothers, sisters, and bridesmaids actually like helping the bride find the perfect dress! So, in late February, many brides chose to find their dresses at a special charity gown sale sponsored by the North Carolina Branch of the Association of Bridal Consultants. ***Spoiler Alert*** Pictures from the weekend are below, so check for your picture before sharing with your fiancé!

In space generously donated for our use by the Wyndham Hotel Raleigh Durham, hundreds of dresses awaited their perfect bride. The best part of this sale is that all proceeds went to grant wishes of men and women with Stage IV breast cancer. With the fabulous staff from the Making Memories Foundation and Brides Against Breast Cancer, we raised about $20,000 through our gown sale!

There was also a small show to introduce some wedding vendors to the brides that attended. Some of those vendors were:

Trendy Heels to Totes **An ABC Member!!

Bowties and Lace/d’essence **An ABC Member!!

Celebration Photobooth

Carolina Cake Company

Wyndham Hotel Raleigh Durham

Without the help from the following Association of Bridal Consultants members from North Carolina who generously donated their time volunteering before and during our sale, we would not have been successful – so thank you!!

Catherine Katz - Cherished Celebrations

Veronica Foster - Behind the Scenes, Inc.

Thomasina Whitley - Bowties and Lace

Carol Lassiter - Beautiful Details Wedding Consulting

Veronica Nelson - Weddings 2Day, Events 2Morrow

Jolaine Hjardemaal - Remarkable Celebrations

Malika Becton – Weddings of Grace

andAlex Newton – Alex Newton Photography -- with an extra special thanks for all the wonderful pictures of this fantastic weekend!

We’re planning another gown sale for next year, keep us in mind for either buying your gown, donating your old wedding dress, or volunteering at this event! It will be held Friday, February 5 through Sunday February 7 at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel. More gowns, more events, lots of fun and for a great cause!

Oops...

Well, despite the best intentions, when you get involved with lots of local events and the crazy part of the year (for me) with volunteering, my blog has kind of gotten left behind.

That's not to say I haven't had excellent ideas - upcoming posts will be really good! - but I just haven't had time to write them. And, honestly, I think my clients have appreciated that I was actually working on their events!

Anyway, I'm still here and still working. I will post tomorrow with a BABC update - next year is rolling along - and then we'll get back to business. I'm not going to stick to my original plan (things can and do change, right?!?) so I'll be blogging about things I hear, things I read, and things I'm asked.

I'm excited to share some new things I've learned and can't wait to continue!

Thanks!

Catherine

Brides Against Breast Cancer Gown Sale

This is usually the day I write about a Planning Kickstart – but today I want to let you all know about a fantastic opportunity to help a great organization!

This weekend, February 28 and March 1, there is a Brides Against Breast Cancer Gown Sale at the Wyndham Hotel RTP. Come down and find a designer dress, pay 25% of retail, and help individuals with stage IV breast cancer.

If you would like to register for the Power Hours – which is a limited entrance for the first look at the gowns – please follow this link {REGISTER}.

Hope to see you all there!

Catherine

Planning Kickstart – Lights!

First, so sorry I missed last week. Sometimes, getting well trumps blogging, but I hope not very often! So, back to what I actually adore doing – planning and talking about events! One of my favorite things that can be done on a budget is lighting. You don’t have to hire a lighting designer (but if you have the money, please do so) to plan and create some truly beautiful lighting.

I love lit tables at events, but I’m not a really big fan of open flame. So many places have so many restrictions on candles and how they can be used, sometimes it is just easier to plan for lighting with different sources of illumination. Now, don’t get me wrong, candlelight is stunning, and used in hurricanes or bowls, I can and do still use it. One of my favorite places to look for lighting ideas is Save On Crafts {http://www.save-on-crafts.com/}. They have the coolest selection of LED and glow lighting I have found, and their prices are really good, too. Just look at the pictures from them below.

I love the glowing look from these lights. I have used them before and people think they are absolutely beautiful. You can combine them with candlelight as well, as shown in the large Brandy Snifter picture. Some of the lights are also submersible in water, so you can use them with fresh flowers, too. Look in Celebrate!’s top pictures for a sample!

Whatever you do with your tabletops and centerpieces, don’t forget how powerful simple lighting can be – and it doesn’t have to break the bank, either!

Catherine