Posts Tagged ‘About Me’

Real Bride – Leah & Stefan’s Wedding

August 20, 2010

Okay, so I decided it’s finally time to share my story and pictures from my wedding! I’m a Solutions Bride myself! I started my gown search almost a year before my wedding because I was completely stoked! I found Solutions Bridal by just driving by because I lived in Winter Park at the time. I happened to have my first appointment during a Rivini Trunk Show, so I was given the chance to see all of the latest Rivini gowns at the time. And let me tell you, I was AMAZED!

I wore a full lace Rivini gown, with crystal and pearl beadwork across the belt line. The dress has five different layers of handmade lace and I had the neckline changed to a sweatheart neckline which is my all-time favorite.

I also purchased my amazing veil from Solutions Bridal. The overall theme for my wedding was a very vintage style theme, and my veil was one of my favorite parts!

The bridesmaids dresses were also done through Solutions Bridal and they were beautiful Dessy dresses. We did the dresses in a charcoal gray with a black banded waist. I thought they were super classy and super fun!

We were married at Williamsburg United Methodist Church, in Williamsburg, Virginia. My husband and I met in high school there and we started dating our junior year. Although we have moved away from our hometown since, we decided to have our wedding back in our hometown where all of our memories are held!

Our florist was Jennifer Litterst with My Favorite Things in Williamsburg, VA. She was absolutely amazing. She met with us before the wedding and did a mock of all of the table arrangements, and we were blown away. For my bouquet and for my husband’s flower we incorporated feathers, (without his knowledge) because my veil had feathers.

For our cake, we used Charlie Little out of Lanexa, VA. His company is called Cakes by Charlie and he too is phenomenal. He met with us and incorporated everything that we wanted for our cake. Unknowingly to my husband, I sent a picture of my gown to our baker and he incorporated the lace design on the tiers of our cake. He also incorporated pearls and made the cake look very vintage. The flowers on the cake were also done by Jennifer Litterst with My Favorite Things.

For our photographer, we had Beth McManus from Granite Bay, California. She used to live in Williamsburg, and I had seen her work and knew I had to have her. She was absolutely amazing and couldn’t have impressed us more with her photos.

There were so many amazing aspects about my wedding that I would love to share, but the blog couldn’t contain it all! It was the perfect day that I had always hoped for. I loved every second of the planning process. We really aimed to incorporate who we are into the wedding and I am blessed to say it was exactly what we wanted! We have been happily married since June 5, 2010 and I wish the very best to all of you brides planning your perfect day!

xoxo,

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Welcome Baskets

August 11, 2010

Whether your wedding is a destination wedding or it’s right in your hometown, welcome baskets are a perfect idea for all of your out of town guests. There are plenty of ways to get creative and treat your guests without exceeding your budget.

My inlaws offered to take on this task at my wedding, and I loved what they included in the bag, so I’m going to share those ideas with you.

My wedding was in Williamsburg, VA, a city rich with history not only as our hometown, but as the starting point for our country. Williamsburg has a lot of things that they are known for, so for our welcome bags, we included everything Williamsburg “esque.” In the winter time in Williamsburg, one of the many traditions is to stroll the streets through historic downtown and sip on hot cider. So in the bags, we included a small bottle of apple cider. Not just Williamsburg, but Virginia as a whole is known for their peanuts. The bags each included a small bag of the well-known spicy peanuts. There is a local eatery that everyone in town loves, so we included a small honey mustard dip and pretzel sticks from this local place. Along with Williamsburg labeled water bottles, each bag included our suggested hang outs and places to eat. With each suggestion, we included a small blurb with our history at each place. For instance, a local coffee shop we suggested was the same shop I sang in when I was in high school.

The bags don’t have to be too fancy or over the top. Include some of your favorite things or fun facts about the wedding location, and your guests will love it! It’s always a great idea to include a map and directions to and from the events for your wedding weekend as well!

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Treat Your Guests to Something Fun!

August 10, 2010

It is so important to let your guests know how much they mean to you and how thankful you are that they were able to make it to your wedding. How can this be accomplished? There are tons of creative ways that you can make your guests feel loved and appreciated. Aside from having great food and drinks to please your guests, you can show them the love by giving them each a little something to take home with them.

For an outdoor wedding in the middle of the summer heat, you can give your guests each a personal hand fan to take with them. That way it serves as their favor, and keeps them cool during the ceremony.

Think about the season of the wedding and the style of your event when planning for your favors. It never hurts to do something that goes along with your overall theme, and it’s always great to give your guests something practical. Practical favors will be kept and remembered. For instance, you can get cookie cutters that say “cut out for love,” and your guests will think of your wedding each time they use the cookie cutter.

Be creative and thoughtful and your guests will leave knowing that no matter the distance or effort it took for them to get there, it was well worth it! Show them that you care!

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The Bridal Bouquet

August 9, 2010

The bridal bouquet serves more than one purpose during the wedding ceremony. The true meaning of the bridal bouquet has sadly been lost over time. Traditionally, the bride carries her bouquet as a symbol of purity and fertility. Although a lot of brides are unaware of this tradition and the meaning of the bouquet, most brides still carry their bouquet for aesthetic purposes.

It is important to pick the right size for your bridal bouquet. If you are small framed, petite girl, it is important not to have a bouquet that overtakes you. If you are a taller girl, you can have a proportional bouquet. For aesthetic purposes, take time to choose the perfect flowers for your big day!

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Groom’s Cake

August 8, 2010

The Groom’s Cake is a Southern tradition that has come and gone, and come again! A lot of couples have different opinions about this tradition and whether it is a necessary thing or not, but it truly can be such a fun addition to your wedding! Typically, the groom’s cake is a gift from the bride to the groom on their wedding day. The groom’s cake is usually displayed next to the “bride’s” cake and often given out to the guests to take home as a favor at the end of the night.

A legend about the groom’s cake is that any single woman that takes a slice of the cake home is supposed to sleep with it under her pillow. Legend says that if the woman does this she will dream of her future husband. This would be a really fun thing to print up and include with the slices of cake, so that your wedding guests can enjoy this legend/tradition as well!

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An Untraditional Wedding

August 7, 2010

It’s not that often that you hear a bride say, “I really just want a very UNtraditional wedding.” I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a wedding that is totally opposite of traditional. What might that look like?

Well for starters, you can start by being untraditional through your wedding gown choice. When I think opposite of traditional, I think something bold and colorful instead of white or ivory. But lets think of it in an even more untraditional sense. What if you decide not to do the big white gown, but instead you wear a simple sundress, or white pant suit? Maybe  that’s for you. You can definitely get creative when you are trying to go for a very untraditional look for the attire of the wedding.

The next thing to think about when planning your wedding is location. Traditionally, brides choose to get married in a church or somewhere that will accomidate a ceremony and reception. But why not plan your untraditional wedding at the zoo or a theme park?

This might sound crazy to the traditional bride, but for those of you who just love to live outside of the box, don’t be afraid to carry that through for your wedding as well!

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Solutions Real Bride

July 28, 2010

On July 17, 2010 Solutions bride Ana-Carolina married Jean-Pierre at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida. Ana-Carolina was a stunning bride in “Romantic” by Kenneth Pool. Thanks to Damon Tucci Photography for the beautiful pictures!

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Meet Shannen!

March 19, 2010

Hello Loves~
     My name is Shannen, and I am a Bridal Stylist and Special Events & Marketing Coordinator for the Winter Park ~ soon to be~ Orlando Location. I love everything about the wedding industry. I feel like I have the best job in the world because I get to help brides find the most important dress of their lives!! How exciting is that???!!?? One thing I love about my work is meeting amazing brides every day. I enjoy learning about their relationships, engagement stories, and wedding plans. Sometimes I feel like I am their little wedding planner, because I help them find their dress, pick out bridesmaid dresses and help with vendors. Every day I learn so much about my brides and develop a close relationship with them and they will ask about my life in return, so I decided to create an inspiration board
to better display about who I am~ hope you enjoy and I look forward in working with you!

Starting from the upper left corner and then going Clockwise-
One of my favorite details of a wedding (besides the cake) is the venue. The Venue is crucial for setting the tone for the wedding. It creates a narrative that the entire event follows. I would love to have an outside wedding such as the one in this picture.

I am a typical girly-girl. I love getting dressed up, make up and shopping~ especially for shoes and purses! My favorite food is Mexican food, I could probably eat it everyday. My style icon would have to be
Jessica Simpson.

Now, for my favorite part of a wedding- the cake! I absolutely adore this wedding cake, isn’t it precious?

One of my favorite things to do is laugh, I enjoy watching stand up comedy and one of my guilty pleasures is watching Chelsea Lately every night. My favorite movie of all time is Dirty Dancing- “No one puts baby in the corner” and my favorite T.V. show is Sex and the City. And for my celebrity crush, Channing Tatum, I am obsessed with him….but don’t tell my boyfriend :)

My favorite Bridal Designer hands down would be Marisa by Tamara Kristen. All of her gowns are gorgeous with enough detail to WOW the bride without overwhelming the bride. Now, I am not engaged however; working in the bridal industry a girl is going to think about her wedding dress a time or two…and  this gorgeous high neck, mermaid, all over lace gown makes really makes my heart melt. LOVE IT!

When I’m not at work, I enjoy scrap booking, running, working out, going to the movies and hanging out with friends.

And now for my background. I moved to Florida from Nashville, TN this past August to live with my boyfriend of almost four years. We met in College at Tennessee Tech University and have been together ever since. My favorite flower is a sunflower, and I think it describes my personality as well, bright and fun! My family and friends are the most important people in my life, and of course my Morkie Poo~ Lilly. I am so happy with everything in my life right now and am truly blessed.

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