In my own life, I love celebrating milestones with my wonderful family and friends… and like to share them with all of you. This past weekend, we hosted a celebration for a special event in my life, my son Matthew was baptized. For us Catholics, this is a BIG celebration and so we threw quite a party… hey, why not?

After the baptism, we did a small dove release thanks to Wings of Love. The scripture tells about how God came down as a Dove…. “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” The beautiful doves from Wings of Love was such a special celebration for us… and it made it just a little more special!

Lee at Iron Hen was wonderful and catered the affair with some amazing comfort food. We had BBQ Chicken (which was so tender!), green beans, salad and rolls. But my favorite was the MASHED POTATOES BAR! It had all the fixins’ and was so tasty. I was planning on taking photos of the beautiful food, but it was devoured too quickly. It was so nice to not have to worry about cooking, and with such amazing food…. Why would we?!

Julie at Simply Scrumptious provided us with a beautiful and DELECTABLE cake. It was so special to have a bible and rosary added to it… and was a beautiful centerpiece as well.

My Mom, owner at Flowers By Candlelight, and “Mimi” to Matthew was gracious to open her gorgeous home for the celebration. She put everything together and did some beautiful centerpieces (of course) to give beauty to the occasion.

I would like to thank all of these vendors for being a part of my special celebration.

We love to throw a party, spend time with those we love and do it all with style. Give us a call if you have a special occasion you would like to celebrate… a little help from us can go a long way.

(C) Brandywine Photography

Michael and Gabbi are two of the most original people I have ever met. They are both very creative and unique and I knew as soon as I met them that I would love helping them on their wedding day.

I met with Gabbi a year before she decided to hire me. She did much of the planning and then quickly got overwhelmed and knew she needed some help for the wedding…. Sound familiar? It happens all the time!

Held at Castle McCullough, their wedding was full of personal touches…including centerpieces that the bride and groom made themselves as well as potted plants as wedding favors! Their wedding was “green” and the guests had a wonderful time. The castle was decked out with wrapped vines and a potted tree for their “Tree Ceremony”. The girls all wore 1940’s inspired hair do’s and the guys were looking good in their fedoras…. Did I mention how unique this couple was?

The couple’s family was wonderful as well. The bride’s father, a fire fighter, did a lot of the outside décor for dinner and the groom’s mother hired us to also take care of the rehearsal dinner at Steak Street.

It was a wonderful weekend that we enjoyed being a part of.

Congrats Gabbi and Michael, Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your day!

{THE DETAILS}
{Rehearsal Dinner} Steak Street, High Point, NC
{Rehearsal Dinner Décor} Flowers by Candlelight
{Wedding Venue} Castle McCulloch
{Hair and make-up} Updo’s
{Photography} Brandywine Photography
{Wedding Planner} Merrymaking Events
{DJ} Anything Music (Tyler)
{Cake} Edible Artistry
{Caterer} Visions Catering

Northern wedding traditions were incorporated into this event, starting with the receiving line. The ceremony took place in half of the beautiful ballroom… followed by cocktails and passed hor ‘dourves in the concourse overlooking the golf course. We then invited the guests into the beautiful reception that was ready for a party! Blue up lighting from K2 Productions and beautiful calla lily centerpieces from Flowers by Candlelight set the décor for the space. Once dinner service was completed, the Orange Krush band got the guests to the dance floor to party the rest of the night. Thank you to Ross Photography for the beautiful photos!

It was a wonderful event and I am thankful to have such wonderful clients. Congrats Stephanie and Collin… we wish you much love, luck and happiness in your life together!

Kat with her husband, Jimmy, and their son, Matthew

I love January. It’s the beginning of a fresh start. Every year in January, I get the overwhelming desire to clean and to organize. I throw things out… I store things away. I reflect over the past year and I set goals for the new year to come.

As I reflect on 2011, I am overcome with feelings of joy and of lightness. I had an incredible year, both personally and professionally.  It started off a little rocky with Kristin deciding to leave Merrymaking Events…. But we forged ahead and had some inspired weddings and awesome clients.  I have made many new contacts and have exciting plans for 2012.

I was blessed with a healthy pregnancy and in September, I was blessed with a beautiful baby boy, Matthew.  This makes me love my job even more. I have the freedom to work and be a Mom. My wonderful husband loves his “wedding days” with Matt and I feel lucky to have people to help me.

As you welcome the new year, we hope that you will also store away those things that didn’t go right in 2011, hold on to those things that did go right and look forward to a wonderful year ahead. We would like to help you in any of the goals you have set—just let us know how we can.

It certainly was a blessed year for me and for Merrymaking Events. Thank you to all the wonderful clients, vendors and friends who took this incredible journey with us this year. Hang on for the ride, 2012 will be ever better!

Games:  I don’t mean charades or monopoly. Plan games that will be easy and fun to get to know everyone a bit better…it will also help entertain people while waiting for midnight! Make cards that have different statements and fill in the blanks on them. 

The bad habit I want to kick this year is ―――.
The good deed I want to do this year is ―――.
The person I want to be more like this year is ―――.
The skill I want to master this year is ―――.

Then, read them aloud and everyone must guess who wrote it!

Snacks: There is no need to spend a ton of time cooking! Pick up some pre-made sushi rolls, an onion dip or a cranberry cheese log. Go to your favorite specialty grocer and get something from their deli. Once you put it on your beautiful tray, you can claim you made it.  If you are asking your guest to arrive before 8pm, a meal should be served.

Drinks: Make sure you have plenty of Champagne! For a refreshing alternative, try wine spritzers or nonalcoholic Twelve, a fizzy blend of fruit and herbal tea (twelvebeverage.com). Just make sure all of your guests have a safe way to get home at the end of the night.

Dessert: What is more fun than a Chocolate Bar Fondue with fruit and pound cake for dipping?

Favors: Give guests parting gifts of good fortune. Pack up black-eyed peas (which bring good luck, according to southern tradition) in a box or cellophane bag and a recipe.

Music: Make sure you have a mix ready to play for the night! Here is one I found on RealSimple.

• “Fly Me to the Moon,” Frank Sinatra
• “Golden Years,” David Bowie
• “It Had to Be You,” Harry Connick Jr.
• “Mas Que Nada,” Sergio Mendes, featuring the Black Eyed Peas
• “Night Time Is the Right Time,” Ray Charles
• “Put Your Records On,” Corinne Bailey Rae
• “Rock Steady,” Aretha Franklin
• “Save the Last Dance for Me,” Michael Buble
• “The Best Is Yet to Come,” Tony Bennett
• “Twiggy Twiggy,” Pizzicato 5Sample and purchase these New Year’s Eve songs, head to the Real Simple-generated iMix on iTunes.com.

Decorate! Keep it simple by using party favors as décor. Stacked top hats, wazoos and confetti in glass bowls! If you want something more, try grouping numerous clocks together for a classic centerpiece! You can also add instant fun with silver and white balloons floating on the ceiling with long swirly ribbons! Whatever you do, make sure you have a television setup where your guest can watch the countdown at midnight!

Want to plan a New Year’s Eve Wedding! Read my post on that!

The cooler weather in North Carolina brings with it the joy of many county and state fairs… and the opportunity for a very creative photo shoot!

That’s right, a photo shoot! As one that likes something out of the ordinary, I am drawn to the colors, the unique looks and even the tacky giant stuffed animals. It all makes for some interesting shots that offer more that a pretty park setting.

 I found this photo session on the Nichols Blog that is super cute… and this one from Indigo Photography in Charlotte. If you’re like me and want something different that will offer personality and “spunk” to your photos…. Why not try a FAIR PHOTO SHOOT?!

1. Put your return address on the back of the envelope. Return addresses are on the front upper-left corner when writing a business letter, but if you’re writing a personal letter or invitation, you should put your return address centered on the back of the envelope. You could also invest in a personalized stamp, like this one, to use for the back of your invitations.

2. Write out the full addresses. Don’t abbreviate “St.” or “Ave.”, don’t abbreviate states (e.g., CA or NY), and don’t write “&” between two people’s names. Write out the full words each time.  Even “Post Office Box” should be written out.

It is one of those great imported ideas from Japan and comes from washi paper, which is a thin, semi transparent patterned paper. When transformed into a fun decorative tape, the possibilities are endless! Tape isn’t for just wrapping gifts and tacking photos up anymore.

Washi tape is super hot all over paper crafts, especially cards. But, it can also be quite interesting for use in weddings. Think about how easy it would be to use a patterned tape throughout your entire event…. from taping your invitation envelopes shut, to wrapping a band around the top of your official invite. The same could be done to your menus, or along the bottom or top (or both) of escort cards to tie together the suite.  I love having it along the spine of the ceremony program, and even wrapped around the handle of the flower girl’s basket!

Find a pattern that you love, in a color that goes with your event and use it all over! Also, don’t be afraid to use more than one pattern or color!

Some Washi Tape sites that I love:

Cute Tape
Pretty Tape {on etsy}
Happy Tape