Charlotte Wedding: FAMU graduates at The Duke Mansion

Ok, well for those of you who really know me, know that I LOVE my school Florida A&M University. I am a very proud Rattler. So imagine my delight to book a couple who met and fell in love at FAMU. This May wedding was truly a labor of love for me. During the planning process I hardly spoke with Candace + Daniel (CanDan), but worked directly with the mother of the bride, Mary Wilson and enjoyed every moment. I got a glimpse of how detailed I'll be when helping my own daugher (Ronni) plan her wedding, many years from now of course. :-)

Critsey Rowe Photography captured the Asian-infused details from the hundreds of handmade and strung orgami cranes to the Asian inspired food served in bento boxes. There were soooo many wonderful images so here are just a handful of my favorites. Enjoy!

Photographer: Critsey Rowe Photography

Florist: Carey Roberts Design Co.

Cake: For Goodness Cakes

Wedding Planning & Coordination: SJB Weddings & Events

Venue: The Duke Mansion

Real Wedding Feature: The Wedding Row Charlotte

We were so excited to have one of our weddings featured on The Wedding Row Charlotte . For those of you who are addicted to wedding blogs, this is a great one to have in your reader. This gorgeous blog features weddings, events and amazing vendors from The Queen City. It's a wonderful reminder that Charlotte is doing excellent things and producing some fabulous events. I am so appreciative to them for wanting feature some local talent!

If you can't get enough of The Wedding Row Charlotte, click on over to the original The Wedding Row {Charleston} and enjoy more wedding goodness.

SJB Weddings & Events Real Wedding: Laura and Rob

I was so excited to receive these images from Chris Taylor of Umbra Studio (so much better than my snapshots), who by the way is an amazing photographer and a family friend of the bride and groom. This wedding was held at the bride's parents Lake Norman home and it was simply beautiful. Actually that is what I would theme it!

The bride was dedicated to making this wedding as green as possible. So, their flowers were locally grown, their dinner was 90% locally grown and their cake was made with organic and local ingredients.

Even though we had a down pour shortly after the bride and groom were pronounced married, this wedding was enjoyed by all who were there. At least I think so, they were still on the dance floor when we left. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Laura and Rob and of course my favorite MOB (mother of the bride). :) Enjoy the images.

Planning an Eco-Friendly Wedding

I was so excited to see in this morning's issue of the Charlotte Observer an article featuring an SJB Weddings & Events wedding from this past Saturday. The article highlighted two of my favorite food vendors Tastemakers of Charlotte and Cloud 9 Confections and their use of local and organic foods to prepare what was a delectable menu for this Lake Norman wedding.

These days everyone is attempting to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint and a wedding should not be any different. There are so many ways that you can add a "green" flair to your event. None of which should effect how stylish and unique your event ends up. Remember, every little thing helps, when looking at the effect of our environment. Here are some things you can do to help reduce your events carbon footprint:

• This is an obvious one, but by reducing the amount of paper used for your event you will save so many trees. Do you really need wedding programs?
• Take a note from my bride and groom and look for caterers and cake designers that utilize local farmers and growers. It makes an amazing statement when you can say that 90% of your menu was from local farmers. Check your local farmers market for foods in your area.
  
• Skip on disposable anything. You want to use items that can be reused and recycled. So, go ahead and rent those linens, glasses, plates, tables and chairs or better yet use what you have already. You will find that a lot of linen companies are using a special process to clean their linens that do not negatively effect the environment.
• Use local flowers. Believe or not there are local flower growers in your area. Unfortunately, it may be tough to find them, but they are out there. You may have to be flexible with your selections, but it is possible to have a beautiful bouquet with local flowers. We also used stems off a cypress tree out of the brides own yard to help add some color to the tables.
  
• Believe it or not, but having your ceremony and reception in one location is an excellent way to reduce gas emissions. At least for a few hours you would have helped to reduce a few cars on the road.
  

You do not have to look at being eco-friendly as an elaborate project, but try to look at little ways you can help the environment without sacraficing the beautiful style of your event. You can do it. Trust me.

Here are a few amateur snapshots from this weekends event. I can't wait to get the professional pics!

Real Wedding of the Week

Happy Friday! I am excited to post this beautiful wedding sent to me from Thomas at GG-Images Photography, International Photographers based out of Charlotte, NC and Munich, Germany. This wedding definitely appeals to all of the five senses! This is why you should not cheat yourself on a fabulous photographer. Take a look at these amazing images.

Ceremony: St. Matthew Catholic Church, Charlotte, NC

Reception: Ballantyne Resort
Cake: Decadent Designs
Catering: Ballantyne Resort
Chocolate Fountain: ChocoLynX
Flowers: Studio Flowers
Hair Stylist: Fuzion Hair Design
Band: Summer Daze
Videography: Catch The Moment
Wedding Gown Designer: Demetrios
Shoes: Stuart Weitzman
Bridesmaid Dresses: Bill Levkoff
Tux: Calvin Klein, Men’s Wearhouse
Rental Provider: Connie Duglin Linen

Southern Weddings Magazine: Simply Stunning!

I blogged about Southern Weddings Blog last May because I simply loved the blog. It was so pretty and full of beautiful photos from real weddings. So I was excited to finally find the magazine today and I must say it is simply stunning!

The ladies of SW Magazine have truly produced a beautiful magazine that is sure to inspire any bride, whether they are from the south or not. What is so impressive about this magazine is the number of actual real weddings featured. Unlike any other wedding publication currently accessible, Southern Weddings Magazine is the ultimate wedding inspiration!

Today, I bought Southern Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings and Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazines. I have not been able to read the other mags yet, because I can not put Southern Weddings down!

So listen brides out there, if you are in the planning stages of your wedding and you can not find it in your local bookstore, please order it from the site it is well worth it. The internet is wonderful, but it still does not compare to a great magazine that you can flip and dog ear the pages!! :)

Southern Wedding Style Magazine {the blog}

I was once a southern bride. I was married in my hometown of Tallahassee, Florida almost seven years ago, so I can say I know a little something about being married in the south. I'm always so excited when I stumble upon something GREAT! The Southern Wedding Style Magazine blog is just that! The blog lays out wedding after beautiful wedding done in some of the most beautiful locations in the south. The photography is beautiful. The content is great. I'll be placing my order for the magazine this week! Kudos to the Southern Wedding Style Magazine crew. You are doing a fantastic job! This blog makes me want to re-do my southern wedding! :)

Obama Real Wedding

Last month I blogged about the bridesdecide website, a site that was designed to keep young women engaged and more informed in the electoral process, also, I posted a few pics of the candidates on their wedding day. There was unfortunately not a picture provided of Senator Obama and his wife Michelle. However, Lauran at the Embassy Suites Charlotte sent this photo to me after reading my blog and I had to post it right now. Thanks so much Lauran! What a great surprise!! (By the way, Lauran has started a blog for the Embassy Suites Charlotte, so go over and check out all of the events they have going on.)

I wonder if Michelle Obama ever thought that her husband would be running for the President of the United States of America?? Well we know for sure she wasn't thinking that on her wedding day!

Real Wedding - LaToya and Gerard

We happily assisted LaToya and Gerard with their wedding in December. The ceremony and reception were very simple and very personal, which I totally love. LaToya walked down the aisle to Israel Kamakawiwo Ole's version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What a Wonderful World. It was absolutely wonderful to see the faces of her guests as she walked down the aisle. The song fit her and I loved it. I wish them much happiness as they walk together in marriage. Here are some of my favorite pics from the event.



Images Courtesy of Cheyenne Schultz Photography

My September 15th Brides (and Grooms)!!

Yesterday was a whirlwind double wedding day for SJB Weddings & Events. We successfully and happily got The Hardens (Karon and Kevin) and also The Somozas (Jaime and Mason) down the aisle and they are on their way to many years of happiness. Both were beautiful weddings and wonderful receptions. I hope they each enjoy their tropical honeymoons! I can't wait to see all of the professional pics. Here are a few of my amateur photos.

Neicy & Troy

Time is going by so fast! It seems like just yesterday I was discussing Neicy's vision for her wedding over a Starbuck's Caramel Machiatto. Neicy has been a pleasure to get to know and I can't wait to get her and Troy down the aisle. I have spent so much time with Neicy and it's great to work side by side with a bride who is so detailed. Troy has left the wedding planning to us, but he did show up to the most important meeting...the cake tasting. Their wedding is set for August 11th, less than 2 months away! I hope they are ready. Posted are engagement photos taken by Amanda Pryde.