Looking Back 2009

We would really like to extend our gratitude out to each and every single person we have been associated with in 2009. Without the support of our vendors, clients, and family, this year would not have been as amazing as it was. A lot of great things have happened to Special Moments this year, some great new connections with vendors, our amazing new office, and some of the best weddings we have ever been lucky enough to be apart of.

As we look into 2010, and what we have accomplished this year, it almost seems impossible to top it next year, but we know with the amazing talented vendors, and unique and exciting events, this coming year will almost definitely surpass this great year that just passed.

Best Wishes always,

Tammy & Krissy

The “Dynamic Duo”

 

Magical Marriage Proposal

Found this great You Tube video from an article from National Wedding and Marriage Examiner Elizabeth Oakes … If this is not a Magical Proposal… I do not know what is…

Enjoy!

Featured Decor Inventory Item- White Bench

Special Moments offers a planning package ( Treasured Moment) that includes complimentary use of all of our Decor Inventory. We are featuring the New White Benches  in this blog post for you to get many ideas of what you can do with the New White Benches  for your next event. This is a great plus if you are planning a Beach wedding… These benches each hold between 4 or 5 guests per bench…. Beautiful ,clean and a truly “Out Of the Box” way to have a wedding that people will talk about…..  The Big Bonus is that you get to Use all 8 of the benches for FREE!!! if you choose the Treasured Moment Package for your Wedding Planning Needs… ( $ 250.00 ++++ Savings)

The photos below were supplied to us by Britt McAllister Photography and Rev. Virgina Bishop from Loving Unity…. Enjoy!!!!

What are your thoughts of the White benches?

Unique Wedding Processional

We could not resist sharing with you this YouTube video below that was circulating on Facebook today. If you are not a Fan of Special Moments on Facebook yet, What are you waiting for?  Enjoy!

50th Anniversary Party with a Twist

We have a few “Out of the Box” events that Special Moments helped with in the beginning of July. This is the first one we will be talking about. We were referred this event from our friends over at Orange Blossom Catering. Bruce was the host of this event. His parents were celebrating their 50th Anniversary in August and Bruce had the pleasure of Uniting with his Partner David in the UK on July 1st in a private Commitment Ceremony. So the theme of the party was:

“50 years of Bond(age) and a new Bond”

Bruce came up with the theme due to his experience in planning events in Hong Kong and his love for James Bond…. So the dual party became a James Bond Themed Event. We started with the concept of using the retro glam approach. This is what I call fondly Old School Style…..We decided to use the Black and Gold which is traditional for a 50th Anniversary, but added some caricature style of each of the guests of honor to the event.

 The menu/food was designed around our party theme. We choose food stations and the menu was “Food around the World” Bond Style. We different themed stations such as: Pad Thai and Asian Stir fry station that the guests were served in take-out boxes with chopsticks, The Italian station which consisted of a Make your own antipasta bar on bamboo plates with breadsticks and salad,The English Station which consisted of carved turkey and beef with cranberry sauce , yorkshire pudding, brussel sprouts and mini stuffed baked potatoes.                            

As the guests arrived off the elevator on the 28th floor of the Bayfront Towers they were greeted by James Bond music playing in the background and a banner that told you need secret agent credentials to pass that point. They entered the hallway and were greeted to martini’s( shaken not stirred) and glasses of wine. They signed in the original guest book from Larry and Renee’s wedding 50 years earlier and looked at wedding photos from that day also along with cut-outs of their original wedding photo on display. The room was decorated with Life size banners of the original invitation for photo ops and then the polaroids of the guests were placed in commemorative Keepsake frames that they took home with them at the end of the evening. We designed the room in black linens with Gold table candleabra’s accented with red roses. On the Cocktail tables we used small gold vases with red roses in the top for accent color.

After the guests were finished with the food stations, the program began for tonight’s entertainment. We had the “Shaken not stirred” dancers and there performance along with slideshows of  pictures over the years to an ad lib interactive audience participation that resulted in a story about Bruce and David where the guests had filled in the blanks to create a hilarious laugh for everyone. After the cakes were cut. Which we had a traditional anniversary cake for Larry and Renee to a Aston Martin Cake for Bruce and David. The dance floor opened up and the guests danced to we are family and a few select songs before calling it a night.

The white book of vendors:

Caterer: Orange Blossom Catering

Photographer: Britt Mcallister

Dj- Chuck Weirich- Tampabaydj.com

Plasma Tv rental- Rodney- Best Av

Rental items: Coast to Coast Event Rentals

Flowers: Alma Ingram Florist

Cakes: Cakes by Carolynn

Here are the pictures below from this unique event: Thanks  Britt for the pics!

Tips For Avoiding Wedding Blunders

Tips For Avoiding Wedding Blunders.

Tips For Avoiding Wedding Blunders.

When planning your wedding, you try to think of every tiny detail until you are absolutely sure that you’ve covered all the bases.  However, there are things that most newlyweds wished they could do over, if they could.  Below are 10 wedding blunder prevention tips that recent brides share so you would not have to share the pain.

  1. Don’t go overboard on the diet.Many brides get so caught in up looking perfect on their big day that they can take their diet a bit too far. This can result in a tired or even sick-looking bride.  Not to mention the biggest danger in excessive dieting after you last fitting – having a wedding dress that does not fit!
  2. Keep the costs in perspective. Your wedding is a very special event.  However, it’s not necessary to break the bank on this one day or max out your credit cards to create your dream wedding.  The most important thing about your wedding is that you get married to the person you love – not that every detail be expensive.
  3. Pay attention to your guests.At big weddings it can be especially difficult to take the time to speak with everyone at the reception. However, it is only polite to make the rounds and try to thank each guest personally for coming.  You should take special care to thank guests who have traveled a long distance for the event.
  4. Have a rain plan. If you are planning an outdoor wedding, it is essential to have a rain plan.  It may be a happier thought to believe that it can’t possibly rain on your wedding day – but plan for the worst and have an alternate location ready and waiting.  Even if you don’t have an outdoor wedding, you should still consider the possibility that it will rain on your grand exit from the church or on outdoor photos.  Plan accordingly.
  5. Use make-up that stays.Even if you think you won’t cry, be prepared as though you will be sobbing.  At the very least you may have to worry about sweat under the bright lights in a warm room, especially if you’ve decorated with candles.  Be prepared for a look that won’t smear, melt, or shine.
  6. Get to know your officiate. Though wedding counseling is optional for some, it is still vitally important to get to know your officiate.  You should be aware of the exact vows that will be read as well as any additional passages. Trusting your officiate to say the perfect thing may backfire if you aren’t familiar with this person.
  7. Try samples.You will want to sample the wedding cake, as well as all courses being served at your reception.  You should also insist on hearing your musicians ahead of time, going over your vows with the officiate, and seeing your bridesmaids in their dresses.  Don’t leave anything up to chance.
  8. Partake of the champagne sparingly.If you are fortunate enough to have an open bar at your wedding, leave this luxury for the enjoyment of the guests.  There are many places and times better suited to have one too many drinks.  Participate in the champagne toast and leave it at that.  This is one day when you want to be able to remember every detail.
  9. Keep track of all your gifts.The last thing you want to do is thank the someone for the wrong gift.  Keep very detailed lists for each gift and guest so that you can thank them properly.
  10. Stay light-hearted.The most important thing on your wedding day is to keep a sense of humor.  As long as your vows are said and you are pronounced man and wife, no other mishap can ruin your day.  So someone tripped, the ring bearer refused to walk down the isle, and one of your bridesmaids’ dresses ripped, be concerned, but make light of the scene, laugh it off, enjoy your memories, and refuse to let anything ruin your day.

This week’s posts May 11th thru May 15th are reprinted articles from the Completely Weddings Blog. We hope you enjoy them and if you want to read more interesting posts by BellaB  you can also visit their blog at CompletelyWeddings.com. Thanks Bella for letting us share these with our readers also….

Mahaffey Theater Wedding Ceremony & Reception

Tuyen and Tuan Tuyen and Tuan were married on May 2nd, 2009 at the Mahaffey Theater in Downtown St. Petersburg. The day started with a traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony in the morning, followed by a Western Ceremony in the late afternoon on the Lawn of the Mahaffey Theater. Tuyen and Tuan chose Orange and Navy as the colors of their wedding. For the Western Ceremony they had a Bamboo arch decorated with ivory fabric and accented with orange Mokara orchids and lilies. The aisle was accented with Orange Floral Pomanders with navy and orange ribbons braided for the handles. The final touch was the Orange rose petals trailing down the outer edges of the aisle. After the ceremony the guests moved indoors for the reception in the Grand Ballroom overlooking the water. After picking up their placecards at the entrance to the Ballroom, they entered the room to Navy floor length table linens and a beautiful centerpiece in the center of the table with ivory ribbons on the outside and beautiful Orange Mokara orchids inside. The Ballroom was uplight with different colors of blues, purples and ambers supplied by Josh from Inspire blue and white wedding cakeEntertainment.The wedding cake was placed on top of a glass block cake stand and the Groom was suprised by the Bride with a replica of his dog for the Groom’s Cake.The guests were treated to a 10 course Vietnamese meal by Hao Wah Catering. After some dancing to work off dinner, they guests sent the Bride and Groom off with a fireworks send-off. Thanks to the great vendors for helping pull off such a great day for Tuyen and Tuan.

Ceremony: Rev. Tom Greene

Ceremony Chairs: Coast To Coast Event Rentals

Arch & Decor: Special Moments

Bouquets- Alma Ingram

Music: Gwen Greene

Reception : Mahaffey Theater Grand Ballroom

Caterer: Hao Wah Catering

Dj & Lighting -Inspire Entertainment- Josh

Video- Artistic Media- Mike & Dave

Photographer- Van Tran

Linens: Connie Duglin Linens

Cakes- A piece of Cake- Laurie

Centerpieces: Special Moments

Menus, placecards & Table numbers- Special Moments

Below our the non-professional Pictures that we captured during this event to share. Look forward to the professional pictures and video.

The After Party

Even though you may be prancing off with your new spouse to live happily ever after, all your bride-and-groom-leavingguests have to look forward to is the upcoming work week. For the guests that want to linger, or those who just do not want to throw in the towel, think about having an after party for them! After parties comes in more ways than just one. Here are a few ideas if you are thinking about doing a little something for your guests.

 

 

Late Night Lounge
So, dinner is finished and the toasts have been said. You have made your grand exit but your guests just can not say goodbye! Creative a club vibe and let your late-night guests dance the pink-and-white-loungenight away. Mix it up by creating a completely different style than that of your wedding. Pump the music and let the drinks flow.

 

Coffee Bar
coffee_barMaybe your reception will be coming to a close just in time for an evening pot of coffee. Or, perhaps, everyone will have partied so late that the morning will get there before they know it. Help your guests get back into the swing of things by creating a relaxed atmosphere and serving some coffee, tea, and some light snacks. Create the space from scratch, or talk the owner of a coffee shop near to your venue into opening up extra early.

Nighttime Picnic
Do you think your guests would like to just kick back, relax and chill out under the stars? For a less formal event when the weather is perfect and the sky is clear enough to see the stars, lay out some blankets and let your guests gaze. Serve a sweet drink or treat and have some sparklers available.

picnic-under-the-stars

In the end, your wedding and reception are more than enough. These ideas can all be translated into reception themes as well. Hope these get your ideas flowing!

 

 

 

Keep it Original

bride-groomGetting married is one thing. Planning a wedding is another. We will just assume you are getting married for the “right reasons” and that you’ve put all that serious thought into the life-changing decision. On to the “fun” part!

We believe that to some extent, everyone wants to be original when it comes to her wedding. It can be difficult to come up with original ideas when you get inspiration from magazines and tv and the Internet (and let me tell ya’, there is a LOT of wedding stuff out there). Then throw in designers that lead and follow trends and a few vendors that lack a bit of creativity, and you’ve got bland, done-before wedding that’s more ew than you! How do you avoid such a catastrophe? A few things to keep in mind:

If it doesn’t reflect you and your personal style, it’ll be less memorable.
Ever been to a wedding that was just so/so? You don’t really remember it much because there wasn’t much that tied the day to the Bride and Groom. Letting your personal touches show throughout the day will leave your stamp, and will be something that your guests will remember.

Think outside of the ring box in everything from fashion to food to decoration. candy-centerpieceWorking with a tiny budget? You don’t have to spend lots to get something “unique”. Buy feather-centerpiecesimple dresses and spice them up with hand-made accessories or “extras”. Get a simple cake and add your own personal decorations. Reception centerpieces don’t need to be made up of flowers and candles! And you definitely don’t need to serve chicken and green beans for dinner!

Do what feels comfortable to you…and most of your guests. Love your pooch to dog-ringbearerpieces? Insist that Fifi walk down the aisle as the flower girl, or Fido as the ring flower-girl-dogbearer? Do it! Always dreamed of getting married beneath the stars, late at night? Don’t let anyone stop you. As long as it’s what you want and something that won’t make your guests uncomfortable (ie asking all your guests to throw on an air tank so you can tie the knot under water….probably asking a lot unless they are all diving enthusiasts), go for it. If nothing else, it will be memorable.

bride-groom-with-darth-vaderDon’t be afraid to go for something a little unexpected. Just because your brilliant idea isn’t “traditional” doesn’t mean it won’t be fabulous!

 

Keep a secret or two from your family, friends and guests. Thinking about making your helicopter-ridegrand exit in a helicopter? Planning on singing a song for your new spouse at the reception? Go for it! If it doesn’t happen, no one will know!

Not Your Average Aisle Runners

The Original Runner Co. makes personalized aisle runners with monograms, flowers, aisle-runnersbutterflies, quotes, borders, etc. in many different colors. They’re based in NYC. This is a great way to add decor to a church aisle when they do not allow flower petals on the aisle. If you are also worried about a way to dress up that long trip down the aisle. 

 

I put together a little montage of just a few of my favorites (it was hard to choose!):

aisle runner montage

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