This past year has gone by so fast but at the same time it feels like there is no way just a year has gone by with all the changes that have happened in my life. A year ago at this time I had only worked at one wedding and in January I was starting to get excited for all the weddings to come. Little did I know that by October I would be taking over for Layla and continuing on trying to build the company she started. It really puts into perspective that life is short. Super short. I mean shorter than me, and I am only 5'2. But seriously, this past year has really showed me how important it is to make each day worthwhile and live your dreams now because it really is never too soon to start following your dreams. I know that might sound cheesy, but I truly believe it and am so grateful that I had the opportunity to start living my dreams at such a young age. Anyway, I wanted to put together a look back at 2012 and all the weddings Layla and I did together! I hope you all will enjoy!!
Whitney + Rene {3/3} I think this wedding was foreshadowing life as a wedding planner... and by that I mean there is
never a dull moment. While setting up for this wedding at the
American Legion photographed by
DreamWeaver there were tornado warning sirens going off and it was raining harder than you have ever seen. The ceremony was supposed to be in Greene Square but instead we had to go with Plan B and move the ceremony inside. Fortunately it was still a gorgeous event and I loved all the vintage details, the burlap, the blue mason jars & the mismatched china! Whitney & Rene are a young couple in Savannah that own the local foodie magazine,
Well FED, make sure you check it out!!
Andrea + David {3/16} This wedding photographed by
Shannon Christopher at the
Mackey House was absolutely incredible. We literally took over the entire venue, from their outdoor swings to their bookcases inside... everything was decorated and personalized for the couple. I know this was only my 3rd wedding but it really showed me how passionate I am for styling events. At this wedding I got to have some freedom styling the event & I knew from that moment I was doing something I really loved. This wedding will always be memorable to me because it was the first wedding I helped out at that was published! Check out the publication here on
Style Me Pretty Georgia!
Jenny + Robin {3/30} This intimate wedding at Wormsloe Plantation photographed by Alexis Sweet was so sweet and special. It was also my first time ever checking out the gorgeous historic site. The setting is positively breathtaking with the mossy trees that form a pathway. This was another event where I got to have some fun styling the decor of the "Love is Sweet" table! I loved their bee theme and thought it was perfect for a Savannah wedding!
Cassie + Paul {4/7} Our second wedding at
Whitefield Chapel was such a charming wedding photographed by
Concept A Photography! I think Whitefield Chapel is by far the cutest chapel in Savannah. It has that Savannah charm that comes with the mossy trees and it is so rustic and quaint tucked inside Bethesda. I am excited because we are in the process of moving and now we live about 10 minutes from here so I will be real close to home when we have our next wedding here!
Blaine + Will {4/14} BIGGEST wedding we have had with a bridal party of 18 and over 250 guests at the
Savannah Station. This wedding showed me just how much extra work is necessary for guest counts larger than 150... oh and how gorg are these pink bouquets by
Garden on the Square photographed by
Beacon Photo!!
Dani + Craig {4/21} Our first wedding at Tybee Island!!! I loved the quirkiness of this couple and their bridal party!!! This wedding was also at
10 Downing and was photographed by
Andrea Mate. I cannot wait for another wedding out at Tybee Island, such a lovely location for a wedding!
Angie + Tradd {4/29} All I have to say about this one is don't you wish you had that gorgeous bouquet of peonies by
A to Zinnias on your dining room table? I know I do...
Oh & another way a wedding planner can save the day?? When your saxophonist,
James Rinalducci, decides to start playing the Star Wars theme song we are there to make them stop before you even notice, but did a great job playing their ceremony music and after. James even played at another couple's elopement ;)
Katy + Adam {5/5} I am not going to lie... this wedding was a blur for me for two reasons. One, because this was when we had a wedding every single weekend and two, because we had like 4 different weddings at
10 Downing and they all seemed to blur together. It's funny though because the pictures from
Memories n More are some of my favorite wedding detail pics! I love the navy and yellow color palette & seriously think the lemonade stand was the cutest!! I also love love love how they used lemons to add some color to their decor!
Towanna + James {5/12} Remember up there how I said the life of a wedding planner = never a dull moment? Well, another example given here mostly just because I am a dog lover. I got to babysit the little yorkie terrier after their wedding & transport the little guy back to the kennels where he was staying. Seriously though how cute is this little guy in his little tuxedo!?!?! He loved being apart of the wedding at Forsyth Park... but too bad he couldn't make it to the intimate reception at
109 West photographed by
Don Wright Photos! This wedding felt more like a big house party especially when the bridal party brought out the Patron for shots time...!!
Katrina + Matthew {6/9} The coolest part about their wedding (other than how breathtakingly gorgeous the European style brunch wedding at the
Olde Pink House was) is that the bride has now started her own luxury invitations company,
Nina Barrow Designs. I had the pleasure of collaborating with Katrina on the last styled shoot I designed, she did the faux invitations, escort cards and a really neat bar tray! I love her work and you definitely should go check it out as soon as possible so you can swoon over it too! Ooh and this wedding will always be memorable too because this was the second wedding we had published on
Style Me Pretty Georgia!
Carrie + Shan {6/27} This couple had a very sweet elopement in Whitefield Square photographed by
Studio Gap Photography! I can still remember going to their hotel to meet up with them and in downtown there was some film production going on. Well, turns out... the guy who plays Snape in Harry Potter was in town filming and Carrie & Shan saw him walking around! I thought that was pretty cool although I highly doubt I would have been able to recognize him unless he were wearing a black cape...
Melanie + Barren {7/7} This was by far the hottest wedding we worked in the dead heat of July. Biggest lesson learned here... bring water, water & more water for couples who decide to get married in the summer in the south!!! Although it was hot it was also a very sweet wedding at the
Botanical Gardens photographed by Life's Stories. By the way, if you haven't been to the Botanical Gardens I would definitely recommend checking it out... I've actually been wanting to go back to check it out while not working. I hear it's pretty big and there are neat paths that walk back and all the flowers are gorgeous. I bet it's perfect to go in the springtime when everything is blooming...
Elizabeth + Joe {9/2} This couple was awesome because their first dance was the tango. It was amazing & everybody loveeeed it. This wedding marks a milestone for me because it was at the
Mansion on Forsyth Park. When I first moved to Savannah, the first job I could find was as a Hostess at the Mansion. I really wanted to move up while working there and eventually get into working at weddings and events... I can still remember standing at the hostess stand watching the event coordinators and being very envious that they had the job I so badly wanted. Working at a wedding here was so huge for me because it showed me that whatever I put my mind to and work hard at I can do. And now here I was doing what I always wanted to do! On a side note... don't you wish you had an awesome headboard like that??? (photographed by
Dragonfly Photography)
Lindsey + Blake {9/3} And here is another example of how wedding planners lives are never dull... for this wedding at
Reynold's Mansion on Sapelo Island photographed by the very talented
Traci Arney, Layla and I got to ride a ferry boat to the island! It was a blaaaaast. The bride and groom had a very intimate wedding and they even let us take a little break and ride bikes & golf cart down to the beach. It was such a fun and memorable day! But maybe the most memorable part was getting to try Blake's incredible gluten-free pineapple wedding cake... delish! However, I am 90% sure that Reynold's Mansion is haunted... there is a creepy circus room upstairs and a bowling alley in the basement. Oh and these creepy halls where the freezer is... which I unfortunately had to go down to several times to refill the wine!!! So scary...
Hope + Matt {9/22} I don't have any images to share from their wedding except for the one of me above... That picture was taken 5 minutes before I was supposed to be at Garibaldi's to start setting up for their wedding. So the story behind this is... I also work at a bridal shop and had to work that morning so I brought a protein shake with me to work so I could have a snack between there and the wedding. Once I got to work I put it in the freezer so that it would stay a shake... Well, I took it out a little while before leaving work but on the drive to the wedding it was still kinda mushed together. Needless to say while driving and attempting to drink it without a straw or spoon this is what happened to me. All down my shirt & pants... super cold. I called Layla laughing hysterically... Thank goodness I had a change of clothes in my car. But seriously... lesson learned, always bring a spare change of clothes & shoes wherever you go. You never know when you'll need them!
Dana + Jason {9/29} I loved this wedding,
especially the flowers done by
A to Zinnias! The arrangements were so gorgeous & unique!! I wish I had more pictures of this wedding to share because it was such a beautiful event with a beautiful bride & groom!
Courtney + Harry {10/6} I quickly fell in love with the
Roundhouse Railroad Museum at this wedding. Such a gorgeous and unique venue... I absolutely loved how they even had a train ride for their guests. I cannot wait to share the rest of the photos from their wedding with you all because they are so breathtakingly gorgeous! They had their ceremony in front of an awesome brick wall in the courtyard then had their reception inside one of the larger rooms. They had cafe lights strung up for nice casual lighting. Their band were the cutest old guys I have ever seen! They even told me that they were featured in The Last Song, filmed at Tybee Island!
Amber + Patrick {10/19} This wedding at the
Trustee's Garden photography by
Viktoriya Erich Krudu was one of the funnest for me because we did all their flowers!! I loved learning more about flowers from Layla and I think this really helped me decide that in the future I want to start offering flower services to more and more brides because it is such a fun way to get creative and decorate! I loved the unique florals we did for this wedding... especially the artichokes in the blue mason jars... that was the best.
Melissa + Antonio {10/27} Whenever I think of their wedding I am going to think of how sweet their last dance was. All the guests got in a circle and held hands while Melissa & Antonio danced in the center to the song "What a Wonderful World." Partway through he picked her up and carried her in circles. It was the sweetest moment and I know they will cherish it forever. So glad I got to videotape!!! Also,
I loved their wedding because I got to really be apart of helping with the design. I created the programs, escort cards, and other decor for their event. It was a really gorgeous fall wedding at Whitefield Square and
Richmond Hill City Center photographed by
Alexis Sweet. Layla did the amaaaaazing flowers for this wedding and I love love loveeeed the bridal bouquet!
Natalie + Reid {11/3} I absolutely loved this wedding for several reasons. First, because it was green and handmade (bridesmaids crafted all week to create garlands & buntings... super adorable). Second, because I got to photograph their wedding. They did not want to hire a professional photographer and so I got to use my new camera to take pictures. I am no professional but I love how they came out! Third, because their wedding was like an impromptu event at Fort Jackson (i.e. in the woods). Fourth, because she wore a floral halo. Fifth, because it was our first wedding that was in 2 languages (English & Polish). Sixth, the young people stayed super late, had a blast, partied with good company, and danced in circles holding hands. I loved it and obviously got an awesome video of it. <3
Yliana + Nicholas {12/23} An evening luxury styled elopement in Forsyth Park in December? What more do I need to say! This was such a glamorous and gorgeous event. I cannot wait to see the professional pictures from
Taken Photography (those above are from my iPhone lol). It was really fabulous though. They had a chuppah & a gorgeous 3 tier cake by Carrie at
Two Cakes. Everything about it was gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! What a perfect way to end the year with our 21th wedding...
But that's not all...
Mint + Gold Styled Shoot @ Southern Pine Company: This was such a fun day!!! I can't even describe to you how fun it was to put this together with Layla &
Izzy Hudgins, our photographer. This shoot was not easy... it was hot outside and the venue is a reclaimed wood furniture making company so it is very dusty. We were dirrrrrrty by the end of the day. We spent about 8 hours out there setting everything up then moving everything to the next shoot location. It was so rewarding though because our shoot was featured on
Green Wedding Shoes & will also be in the next magazine _______. Oh yes it is a secret until it comes out & then I will reveal!!!! Oh and another cool thing is we had Vitor Lindo from the
Institute of Cinematic Photography do a behind the scenes video... super neat...
Oh yeah... and there's meeeeeee, not so sure how comfortable I feel about sharing this side profile shot of me with yall but I do think it's a neat pic Alexis snapped while I was lighting the candles for this love shoot. I am 90% sure I was dropped on my nose as a child because I have an unfortunate bump in the middle and well there are other reasons too... ;)
This love shoot was for none other than me & my man!!!! It was a blast!
Alexis Sweet braved the marsh with us while we set up a desert inspired lounge area. I put cactuses in recycled tin cans & used vintage antique coca-cola and sprite bottles that my boyfriend had as candlestick holders. Everything else was from one of my favorite stores, Target. Best part is I spent less than $100 on all the decor but it was perfect. Simple, charming and showcased my favorite style so perfectly! I will be sharing the rest of the shoot soon with yall!
Last, but most certainly not least... I styled a small inspiration shoot at the
Dresser-Palmer. I have added on a team member to do flowers for us and could not be more excited at how amazing she is! Kelly is really talented and quick... I was shocked at how fast she put together a gorgeous bridal bouquet. I cannot wait to see how the professional images from
Diane Dodd turned out!!! I would say all in all it was a success... and of course it's always fun to have an excuse to eat 5 French macarons...
Phewwwww. Glad that is all done now. This is most definitely the longest blog post I have ever written or taken the time to put together. I hope you all enjoy checking out all that Simply Savannah Events has accomplished this past year! It has been an amazing year and I am so excited that we have come this far, helped so many great couples get married, and started to get published! I am even more excited to see where this company goes in 2013! With already 10 weddings booked I know it is going to be a great year!!! Cheers and hope you all have a Happy New Year's Eve and even happier New Year!!!!!
