Sunday, August 24, 2008

Congratulations James and Jennifer

As usual, the view from the South Shore Harbour Country Club was beautiful and the staff was excellent. If you’re thinking about having your reception there, definitely go by and visit with Jeannie. She’s been there for a long time and really knows her stuff – she’s great!

As for the details (don’t you know by now that I love this part?): the colors were dark red and white. Jennifer’s dress had a dark red band around the bodice and train with a dark red lace-up back and beautiful red embroidery down the train. The red color was carried through the wedding with red vests on the guys, red bouquets and boutonnieres, red flowers on the bride’s cake, and red décor in the room. Nicely done!

This reception was heavier on country music and we can see why. James and Jennifer could really country dance! From Jitterbug to Two Step to Waltz to Texas Polka, they were awesome. It was fun watching them dance. And for the exact opposite of country, I can’t forget to mention how amazing it was watching the groom and his friends dance to disco songs from Saturday Night Fever. Those guys were good! They were doing actual movements that John Travolta did in the movie. They had everyone gathered around watching and loving every minute! Then, later in the night, a bunch of guys serenaded the groom, singing along to “You Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” After the bouquet and garter, Jennifer changed clothes so she and James could really let loose on the dance floor, and boy did they! He was tossing her in the air, flipping her around, and doing all kinds of spins. She was flying all over the place. When I said this couple could dance I wasn’t kidding!

After a night of fun and sweet last dance that filled the dance floor, the newlyweds ran through a shower of bubbles and drove off in a car covered in cans and streamers. Congratulations and enjoy your honeymoon in St. Lucia!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Congratulations Kristin and Jonathan

For this reception, we were at the Kingwood Country Club. There is such a beautiful view from the room!

The details (as you can tell, I love this part): The wedding colors were white and sage green, which perfectly matched the colors of nature outside the windows. I loved the bridesmaid’s dresses: they were cocktail length with a pretty white and sage green print. They truly are dresses you can wear again.

The wedding cake was gorgeous: 5-tiers with sage green trim. The groom’s cake was amazing, as it was a replica of the Aggie bonfire. That cake must have taken a lot of time to create! The newlyweds also had one of those cool ceramic signature plates that the guests sign. Once you get it home, you bake it in the oven and the signatures are permanent. You can see how great the plate will look when it’s finished! They also had the photo confetti scattered on the tables. It has their pictures on both sides and is a great memento for the guests.

After viewing a slide show and eating dinner, it was time for the toasts. The father of the bride made a toast and it was so funny! He said something that came out differently than he intended. Everyone cracked up, including him. Later, not to be outdone, the father of the groom got on the mic and said a few words as well. He is apparently quite a comedian, as he was hilarious! He was saying something about the best man and a bull dozer….too funny. Then, it was time for dancing. The bride’s aunt and uncle were some of the first people on the dance floor, and they were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. Congratulations to them!

Of course, since Jonathan and Kristin are Aggies, we had to play the Aggie War Hymn. There were a lot of people on the dance floor for that one! So, after an evening of dancing and fun, and a great sparkler exit (sometimes sparklers don’t work very well, as the guests light them too soon and they’re burned out by the time the bride and groom make their exit. That didn’t happen this time. The sparklers were extra long, they didn’t burn out too soon, and the exit couldn’t have been better. I’m sure the pictures will look awesome!), Kristin and Jonathan headed out for their honeymoon in a truck that was well decorated by the Bridal Party. Congratulations!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Congratulations Jaime and Clayton

This reception was held at Bay Oaks Country Club, which always does a great job. The colors were white and turquoise, with accents of bright pink, and they complemented the tropical/beach theme perfectly. There were beta fish centerpieces surrounded by seashells, a cake decorated with edible seashells, and a beach themed banner with the newlyweds’ names hung under the candy buffet. The tropical theme was perfect for this afternoon reception.

One thing I must mention is that there were so many babies and young children there. I love the little ones: I always want to run over and play with them all night long! Jaime and Clayton made some cute bags for each of the kids to play with. They included a wedding coloring page, crayons, candy, and toys. It looked like the bags were a hit. We could tell that the kids were having fun at the reception, as they were on the dance floor all afternoon!

There was a surprise during the bouquet toss (which we were in on, of course). We called up all the single ladies, as usual, and then gave Jamie the count of 3. But, instead of tossing the bouquet, Jamie turned around and handed it to her mom. She then used the mic to explain that she wanted to give the bouquet to her mom to thank her for all of her love and support in life and in planning the wedding. How sweet!

After a fun afternoon of food, cake, and dancing, the newlyweds wrapped up the reception and headed out to their honeymoon. Congratulations!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Should Children Participate in the Bouquet and Garter Toss?

We know that it’s your wedding and your choice, but it’s not always a good idea, and here’s why: The tradition behind the bouquet or garter is that the lucky catcher is the next to get married. Obviously a child won’t get married anytime soon, so why would they participate in this tradition? Secondly, children get easily hurt when grown adults who tower over them, are jumping in the air, diving for a prize. We’ve seen kids get hurt when they were accidentally knocked down onto the hard dance floor. We’ve seen an adult, caught up in the excitement, land on top of a child. And, we’ve seen small children cry when they didn’t understand why they didn’t get a prize like the lucky winner.

There are a few other points to remember. If you have a real floral toss bouquet, it costs money. Wouldn’t you rather that it went to a woman who appreciated it and couldn’t wait to put it a vase on her table, rather than a small child who would probably end up hitting her little brother over the head with it? lol And, it’s unlikely that a small boy will treasure a garter, but the lucky guy that catches it will probably hang it on his vehicle’s rear view mirror with pride (or his girlfriend will – hint hint)..

So, of course, allowing children to participate in the bouquet and garter tosses is a choice that’s up to you. We’ve worked with plenty of families who couldn’t imagine including children in every aspect of their wedding, and they had no problems. It just comes down to what is best for you and your guests. Happy planning!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Congratulations Terra and Mike

To start off, one good thing about this wedding for me was that I could talk! I got sick earlier in the week. I sounded by a frog by Wednesday and had totally lost my voice by Thursday. I spent all of Friday sleeping and resting so I’d be in good shape for Saturday night. I woke up Saturday morning and my (somewhat hoarse) voice was back – hooray! (Although I like to think it was kind of sexy, like Demi Moore… Ha ha) I spent the reception sucking on cough drops, just in case my throat thought about doing the disappearing act again.

The reception was held at the Petroleum Club, which has a fantastic view of downtown Houston. Terra and Mike’s wedding colors were white and a beautiful shade of turquoise blue (I think it’s called “Pool”). The blue accents were on place cards and in the chair ties. Also, the floral centerpieces were gorgeous. The room was so pretty!

Terra and Mike had a signature blue cocktail during the cocktail hour, and it matched their colors perfectly. I found out the drink is called a Blue Paradise. Mike had a big surprise for Terra, as he had planned the whole honeymoon and she didn’t know a thing about it. So, right before the first dance, he read a poem he had written that revealed the honeymoon destination: St. Lucia! Way to go Mike (and great poem too!) Then, the newlyweds had an anniversary dance, and the longest married couple in the room was Mike’s Grandparents, who have been married for 64 years. Isn’t that awesome? What a great example they are setting for all young newlyweds.

Dancing was fun, as usual! The guests had a great time jumping up and down to “Jessie’s Girl” and “Tonight and the Rest of My Live” (all the Bride’s and Groom’s friends were in on it, so there must be some kind of special meaning behind these songs – it was fun to watch!) At one point, of their guests did the snake. He could move! The “Cha Cha Slide” packed the floor and so did “Shout”. “Don’t Stop Believing” had everyone singing along (at the top of their lungs, of course), 2 weeks in a row. We even had some mean air-guitaring going on! The biggest partier and dancer of them all was the Groom, Mike. He was running all over the floor, dancing, jumping around, and having a blast! We love watching Brides and Grooms having so much fun – it makes us enjoy our job even more. (And to meet Mike, you’d never suspect that beneath that sweet exterior was the life of every party.)

So finally, after the guests showered the newlyweds with petals as they made their exit, the night was over. We had another fun wedding, with another great couple. Enjoy your honeymoon in St. Lucia!!