Couture Christian Jewelry

Maybe you've never heard of such, so that's why I'm here! Beya Jewelry, based in Charlotte, NC, is the world's premier designer of Couture Christian Jewelry. The Virtuous Woman and Blooddrop collections are just a couple of the gorgeous collections inspired by the Word of God. If you're looking for that special engagement ring that reflects the love you have and the faith you share this company could have something special for you.

Shown above is the PAVE and BAND setting, with the crossing bands representing the coming together of two- man and woman-joined together by the center stone which represents God. I absolutely love the thought behind the design as well as the rings themselves. This is definitely couture designing at it's best!

Two of my fav people...

have blogs now!!! Well those fav people are the domestic goddess herself, Martha Stewart and the extremely talented celebrity event designer Preston Bailey. I woke up this morning to blog about Martha's blog, but then I received my subscription of Blue Orchid Designs blog and the wonderfully talented Liene informed me on Preston's new one.

I am so excited to see what both of these icons will be sharing with us! Here's a sample of what Preston has posted now. He says these are "oversized wedding bells". Absolutely gorgeous!

Social Couture - I LOVE IT!

As I was doing my daily blog stalk, I ran across a wonderful company that takes "a party in a box" to a stylishly different level. Social Couture offers prepackaged custom designed theme parties for children parties, baby showers and even for a girls night out. I was so impressed with the bold colors and beautiful detail to each of the themes. Some of their complete sets even include cloth napkins, votive candles, silver charger plates, platters and even serving plates. So to all of you ladies who have been charged to give your girlfriend a magazine worthy bridal or baby shower, Social Couture has made it a simple task. And for those of you who are itching like me to have a party at a moments notice this company definitely makes it easy.

I keep thinking, what a great idea, why didn't I think of that? Run over and take a look at their site, but before you do here's a sneak peek.

Black Vine is the theme for this party and yes the candelabra is included. Gorgeous!

What a beautifully designed bridal shower! I love it!

Delightful Blogs

I am "delighted" to announce that my blog, The Event Planner of the Carolinas, has been added to the stylish and trendy Delightful Blogs! Yeah!!!

Just in case you aren't familiar with Delightful Blogs, it is a blog catalog filled with impressive blogs about weddings, event design, interior design, fashion and much more. Their tagline is, Cutting Through the Blog Smog. (Oh how I love cute tag lines!) I'm so happy that I have been included in this community. I'm personally inviting you to go on over to Delightful Blogs and enjoy some great reading.

Carolina Brides: Bridal Sample Sale!!

Last week I went over to Nitsa's, a lovely boutique filled with couture wedding apparel, to take a look at the new Marisa Baratelli collection. Which was a fabulous by the way! But anyway, I was perusing their website and I noticed something very important... a SALE!

I wanted to keep my Carolina Brides in the know, just in case you haven't heard, Nitsa's in Winston Salem will be having a Bridal Sample Sale on October 7th from 12-3pm. So, if you are dying to wear Vera Wang, Reem Acra or Anne Barge just to name a few, you need to make sure you pick up the phone today and schedule an appointment at Nitsa's- Winston Salem. Yes, you're welcome!

Wedding Receptions: Next Design Star Style!

Ok, guys you know weddings are my thing, so imagine my delight when I turned on my fav tv show, Next Design Star and lo and behold the challenge was to create a wedding reception. I was too excited to watch this episode. Oh. how I wished Scott Corridan was still there! I would've loved to see what type of drama he would've brought to that room. But anyway, I digress. I think this was probably the hardest challenge yet. Because being and event planner it is an awesome task to actually execute a couple's vision, much less to conceptualize it. But Robb not only saw their vision, but made it a reality. Although the other designers, as well as myself, hated the finished design, the bride and groom loved it and that's what matters. Because really whose wedding is it anyway? Theirs!! Here is how it turned out.


By the way, I'm rooting for Will to bring it home for Charlotte. I think by far he is the most talented. If HGTV is looking for someone who has a great eye for design, one whose down to earth and one who can create a fabulous design at any budget... Will is your guy!

Take a look at what he did with $399 from the Dollar Store. This takes talent!

It's Fashion for a Cause!

Hush: Fashion Speaks for itself, is the tag line for this great fashion show benefiting the Luke Pier Foundation. On Sunday September 23rd at Blue Restaurant & Bar, Charlotte's trendiest boutiques will be showcasing the hottest fall fashion. This show is being held to raise money for the Luke Pier Foundation which was created to help it's name sake Luke Pier raise funds to have a much needed surgery costing $500,000. The night starts with the fashion show and Redwood, band from Wilmington, NC will be playing the music as well as a live DJ for the after party.

If you are in the area and are looking for a charity to donate to please come out and support this event. Also, come say hi to me at the silent auction table!

If you are interested in being a sponsor or donating an item to the silent auction please contact me at info@sjbweddingsandevents.com.

Help Me Find the Most Beautiful Locations in the Carolinas to Tie the Knot

I am on the hunt for the Most Beautiful Locations in the Carolinas to Tie the Knot. I want to find those venues that are off the beaten path that totally take your breath away. So, if you own or manage a beautiful wedding location in the Carolinas or if you know of a place that fits this criteria please send me an email at info@sjbweddingsandevents.com. So don't be shy, if you think it is a whimsical, charming place to say "I do" send me a message and let me know! :)

Brideorama: The Brides' Guide to Wedding Planning

I was reading the DIY Bride a blog by the wedding guru Khris and she mentioned Bride-O-Rama so I thought I would run over and check it out. Wow what a wonderful site! It's tag line is "Her Story. Your Inspiration". That’s what Brideorama offers. This site is filled with great info from past brides offering advice to those of you who are in the planning process of your nuptials. It's main draw is the web tv with different Wedisodes to show what other brides did to make their events fabulous. Also, Preston Bailey, the ultimate wedding designer of the stars actually takes time to show how you can add your own Preston inspired details to your event. Take a look at a sample of what you'll see at this great site!




Definitely, great stuff!

My Growling Stomach Thanks You Luna!

Thanks to my friend Jenny, I was introduced to my favorite snack... Luna Bars! Yes, I know I may be late on the Luna Bar bandwagon, but better late than never. Yesterday, as I was running to and fro checking on the bride, checking on the sound guy, checking the cake and checking on the progress of the decorator, needless to say I didn't have time to eat. Oh, but luckily I had my little Luna Bar in my emergency kit and I am so grateful that I did. I know this is beginning to sound like a Luna Bar commercial, but seriously I was hungry!!! My stomach just wants to thank you Luna!!! :)

What do you see?

Boy do I love a challenge! On my fav networking board, this photo was posted for inspiration and we were challenged to design an inspiration board out of it. Now, what do you see? Well I saw, a South Asian Wedding full of vibrant red, green and gold tones.

Realistically, you just need one item to inspire you and you can design an entire event from there. Now some of you may have seen a more Oriental decor, but that's why this is great. Two people can look at the same item and come up with something totally different. Whether, your inspiration is your dress or a piece of china, you can come up with an event that leaves your personal stamp on it!

Charlotte's Next Design Star

Well, a couple of weeks ago HGTV began it's reality contest for finding the Next Design Star. The winner of this title receives their own tv show. Last year's winner, David Bromstad, is the host of Color Splash. I love this show!

Well this season, we have someone representing Charlotte, NC and I must say he's representing very well! He is Will Smith, is an interior designer who also owns and operates Interior Motives. Will says that he deserves to win because he has a unique design style and the ability to stretch the common budget into upscale design. Take a look at some of his work, along with Sparkle Josh, from the first challenge.
Before Will and Josh work their magic!














I wish Will all of the luck, but I don't think he'll need it. So far he has shown he is an amazing designer. So...when you come back home Will, contact me so we can plan a wonderful party to celebrate your Design Star success! :)

Now that is a makeover!

I've Been Tagged!

The wonderfully talented Saundra Hadley of planning...forever weddings and events, based out of Evansville, Indiana tagged me in her blog last week. Go over and check her out, she's doing beautiful things in the Midwest!

Here are the rules: Players list 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, players then tags 8 people by posting their names and makes sure they know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at the tagee’s blog.

1. I am addicted to Big Brother, Amazing Race, all game shows (and I mean all game shows) and The Young and the Restless!
2. I've been happily married for five years and have a very ENERGETIC daughter, Ronni.
3. I have a undergraduate degree in Health Care Administration and a MBA. I was determined to be a hospital administrator. But after working in corporate America for seven years I knew I was on the wrong path.
4. I am a devout Christian. I love going to church. I live everyday determined to please God!
5. I am extremely technologically challenged!! : ) Basically, I am the person the Help Desk hates to talk to.
6. I love planning events! I think it's an obsession. I already have my daughter's 3rd birthday planned for next April!
7. I am extremely friendly. I'm that person talking to everyone in the line at Starbuck's or at the grocery store.
8. I love interior design. My fav interior designer is Laurie Hickson-Smith. I love her style, it's so me!


OK, you guys are next! Your blogs are amongst my favorites!

1. Becky with Sugar Plum Invitations
2. Vane with Brooklyn Bride
3. Emily with Eco-Chics Weddings
4. Kelly with Weddings by Socialites
5. Cary with Lasso'd Mood
6. Tabitha with Dantzler Designz
7. Susan with Wilrich Bridal
8. Mark with Mark Eric Photography
   

The Hot Colors for Fall 2007!

Pantone, Inc is the world renowned authority on color and they have released their annual Fashion Color Report for 2007. If for some reason you are getting married this fall and you have not developed your color scheme for your event, first give me a call because you are running out of time and second take a look at the colors that will make your event magazine worthy! Not only are they great colors they have uber-cute names. These are my favs :

• Carafe which reminds me of my favorite beverage coffee.
• Lemon Curry which is a deep yellow that would a great accent color.
• Chili Pepper which is sure to add a little spice to your event.
• Purple Wine which is truly not your Barney purple. This color is not one people would normally choose for fall, but if used correctly could make your event breathtaking.
  

Remember when picking colors for your event make sure they are colors that you truly love. When your guests walk into that venue to see you tie the knot, the space should be filled with details that has your personal stamp on them and that includes your colors as well.

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

I have been so busy lately, with four wedding in the next two months let's just say I've got my hands full. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to blog much in the past couple of weeks, but I'm definitely going to make up for it! So with this new found state of busy that I'm currently in, I think it's time to retire my cell phone and calendar and move on up to the technology of 2007. I am eyeing three phone/email/PDA combos:

Here is my fav! The Treo!
My second choice would be The Blackberry.
My last choice and the most unrealistic, is the iPhone! I love this thing, but honestly I'm scared of it. It totally looks like I'll break it or just won't be able to operate it.