Tri-Cities Dream Wedding Bridal Show

This video will give you a little tour of our booth at the bridal show this weekend.  The show was put on by Tri-Cities Dream Weddings, and was  top-notch!  The Carnegie Hotel, in Johnson City, hosted the elegant event.  Wait staff walked through the show with trays of canapes, drinks, and other gourmet food, for the brides to enjoy. 

This short video clip will show you a glimpse into what our, Pamela’s Event Design, booth was like.

Spring Wedding was Yellow

Ian is a volunteer fireman and Adrienne works for a vet.  It only made sense to build their wedding around the theme of a dalmation.  The black with white polka dot linens was a twist on the dalmation.  We sculpted a dog out of carnatiions.  That dog had so much personality, it practically came to life.  There were 394 flowers on him.

Going with that theme, a friend of the bride made dog bone cookies with yellow icing, and tied them with black, polka dot ribbon, as guest favors.  We purchased the fire hats at Everything for a Dollar store.

It was a cheerful and happy wedding, and a good time was had by all.

Photography by Julie Lawson

Adrienne and Ian’s Firehouse Wedding

How to Get the Most out of A Bridal Show

Attending a bridal show is fun, but can be overwhelming.  There are so many choices of vendors, and they all have good information for you.  With so many qualified vendors, it’s  hard to make a choice.  Many of them offer multiple services.  Most will offer ala carte services, and do not require you to hire them to do every thing that they do.  Maybe you love that Event Designer’s work, but you don’t think you can afford their services.  You don’t know until you ask, and you might be able to use only certain parts of their services.

To enable you to have a more enjoyable and positive experience, without becoming frustrated and confused, here are a few tips that will help you to navigate through the event:

• Take a walk-through and get an overview of all the vendors, then come back to the ones that first caught your interest to ask more questions.
• Many of the vendors will have registration forms for you to fill out for door prizes and give-aways.  You will save a lot of time if you take along some of your return address labels and stick one of those on the forms, adding your phone number and e-mail address, or the way you prefer for them to contact you
• Inquire about their availability for your wedding date.  There’s no need to waste your time, or theirs, by asking a lot of questions when they aren’t available to do your wedding, and you could be booking another one during the time you are asking this one questions.
• You will know immediately if you click with a vendor.  These are the ones with whom you should have a more involved conversation. Popular vendors often get booked through an entire year at a bridal show, so go prepared to pay deposits, if you want to make sure you get the most popular vendor. If you can’t give them a deposit to secure your date at the show, give them your contact information, or make an appointment for a consultation.
• Take advantage of all the free information you will receive.  Don’t just take the bag home and lay it down somewhere…read the info!
• Secure a wedding planner.  They can save you more money than they will ever charge you, and will be the most valuable person to you on your wedding day.  Your stress levels will significantly decrease by hiring a planner.
• Allow plenty of time to see everything, and to talk to each vendor.  Vendors are happy to answer questions for you.  That’s what they are there for, so don’t be timid.
• Don’t shop price only.  You could ruin your entire wedding day by basing all of your decisions on price alone.  Decide what is priority for you, and cut on other things.
• Linens transform a ballroom, a barn, a church rec hall, anywhere you will be.  It’s foolish to put $$$$ into amazing centerpieces only to place them on a short, ivory or white, blah cloth.  Choose your linen before you choose your flower colors.  The linen professional, or event designer/planner can make suggestions that will blow you away…things you have never dreamt before.   The vision for your reception should start with the linens.
• Take along swatches of your colors, and pictures of things you like to show the florist, linen specialist, anyone who would be assisting you with decor and/or flowers. 

Bridal shows will get you excited about your wedding!  You will get ideas and inspiration for new ideas.  You will leave wishing your day was sooner.  Enjoy this season of planning, because it is over all too soon.

For those of you within driving distance of Johnson City, TN, the ultimate bridal show will be Saturday, February6th, at The Carnegie Hotel, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.  For more details about this show and the vendors who will be there, check out Tri-Cities Dream Weddings.

Bridal Shows Are Helpful To Brides

January and February are big months for Bridal Shows, at least here in the South.  Anyone who is planning a wedding can benefit from attending as many of these as they can.  Vendors bring their flowers, photos, videos, cakes, virtually anything that has to do with a wedding is represented.

 

These trade shows are an excellent way to compare vendors, their services, pricing, and to have a chance to meet with them face to face.  More importantly, you will quickly know if this vendor is a fit for you.  A good fit is one who you feel comfortable with, and can catch your vision of your wedding.  They can guide you in making decisions that fit your budget, or if you don’t have a budget, they can help you with that, too.

 

The best vendors book far in advance, and many fill their calendars for the following year from bridal shows. If you have one that you simply MUST have to do your wedding, it would be a good idea for you to book them prior to a bridal show, or at least at the show, or you may not be able to get them.  Though we have a few dates open for 2010, we are already booking for 2011.  Other vendors are doing the same.

 

We are all here to help you.  Don’t hesitate to contact a vendor with any questions that you may have, prior to your appointment with them.  And, please contact them if you need to reschedule or cancel.  Not cancelling or rescheduling your appointment, results in lost income for them, as they could have scheduled another bride for that time slot. 

 

Tri-Cities Dream Weddings Bridal Event will be held at The Carnegie Hotel, February 6th, from 11:00 – 4:00.  Come see the Tri-Cities élite and highly sought after vendors, and enjoy some delectable food while you book these amazing, and talented vendors.

 

Best wishes for planning your wedding.  Pamela’s Event Design  is at your service!

Check out: Tri-Cities Dream Weddings

More Wedding Favorites

A Few Wedding Favorites

Wedding Etiquette Extends to Vendors

There are so many things to think about when planning your wedding  that proper wedding etiquette can sometimes be overlooked.  A wedding planner can assist with crossing all the t’s and dotting all the i’s, but if you don’t have a planner, it is a good idea to purchase a wedding etiquette book or do lots of on-line research.   You will find all the information that you need with regard to when to seat your mom and grandmother pre-ceremony, or how to properly address your invitations. 

I would like to add an etiquette tip to the list.  Consider your vendors!  When you make an appointment with them, be sure to keep it!  If you can’t make it, or need to reschedule, be considerate by calling them.   They have set aside their valuable time just for you.  How would you feel if they stood you up?  You could have scheduled another vendor during that time slot.  That’s exactly how they feel.  They could have scheduled another bride or groom during the time they had set aside for you. 

I once had a P.E. teacher who said such actions were “rude, crude, and socially unacceptable”.  I used to laugh at that as a teen.  I now clearly see her point.  Your vendors will bend over backwards to exceed your expectations.  All it takes to get them in your corner is to show some respect and etiquette.  Your efforts will be rewarded.

Emily Post Etiquette Books

Elegala

Brides

Wedding Outs and Ins for 2010

There will be a fresh new face for weddings in 2010.  Gone are the trends of the past few years.  The brides for 2010 and beyond, are bolder, brighter, and more casual. 

I’ve been doing some comprehensive research into new wedding trends.  Here is what I discovered:

• Home Sweet Home – is the desired location for many weddings.  The guest list will be smaller, and both casual and lavish weddings will take place at the bride’s home.
• Destination Weddings – are within driving distance from the bride’s home.  Due to the economy, 2010 brides will be staying closer to home, as opposed to asking guests to fly to a location.
• Eco Friendly- Brides are becoming more aware of protecting our natural resources.
• Homemade Guest Favors – making something for your guests is treasured by them, and is a great way to express your personality.
• Specialty Lighting – is gaining favor.  Today’s brides realize how important lighting is to creating a romantic ambience, and to highlight a room.
• Monochromatic Color Schemes – various shades of the same color, with the colors for 2010 being bold and vibrant.  Orange, purple, pink, and a revival of yellow will be seen.  Also popular are muted shades of copper, silver, gold, and pewter.  Black and white, or black, turquoise, and red are hot.
• HD Video – integrated with photos will replace the standard photography photo package.
• Red Wedding Dresses – along with mini-wedding dresses and vintage looks with birdcage veils.  Check out Maggie Sottero’s collection of red wedding dresses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZTtZyMCslI 
• Mismatched Bridesmaids Dresses – You choose the color, they choose the dress.
• Landscape Centerpieces – as opposed to multiples.  Trees, plants, etc. replace the custom flower centers.

Trends that are Gone:

• The Color Chocolate – the trend of the past three years of chocolate bridesmaids dresses has past.
• Fondant Cake Icing – Buttercream is IN.
• Line Dances – with the exception of the Cha-Cha Slide, are out and choreographed bride and groom dances are IN
• Strapless Wedding Gowns – while still popular, are being replaced with one-shouldered, off the shoulder, or dresses with cap sleeves.

Your wedding is still your wedding.  Personalize it to fit your style, personality, and budget.  You have lots of options, so let your creative mind flow freely to create your special day.

Here are a few of my sources: 

www.theknot.com
www.marthastewartweddings.com
www.instyleweddings.com
www.getmarried.com
www.wedding-day-ideas.com
www.perfectweddingguide.com
www.weddingwindow.com
www.perfectoutdoorweddings.com
www.theweddingreport.com
Bride and Bloom magazine
Grace Ormonde magazine

Communicate with Your Wedding Vendors

If you are a bride who has taken on the role of wedding planner, please allow me to offer some advice.  Communicate with your vendors!  During your initial consultation with them, they will ask you the time and date of your wedding.  This is the time and date they will go by when planning their schedule and hiring their staff.  If your are planning pretty far in advance, it isn’t unusual for the time to change an hour or two.  While you might not think it important to notify your vendors, believe me it is!  Not telling them can result in you not having your caterer arrive on time, or even have the food ready for your reception.  If your florist is going by the original time, then you may not receive your bouquets in time to walk down the aisle with them, or the florist may still be decorating as your guests arrive.  

One bride changed the day of her wedding the week before the wedding, but she failed to tell us.  Another one never signed a contract with us or told us she wanted us to do her flowers.  She called me from the church that morning!!!  You can call us miracle workers, or you can chalk it up to one more good reason to hire a wedding planner/coordinator, who is used to dealing with details like this on a daily basis.

For helpful guidelines and tips for saving money, go to:

 

 

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