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# Flowers, Linens & Moore

March 25, 2015 Jessica Eudy

If you’ve met Chelish Moore, you’ll never forget her spunky personality and endless knowledge of events! Give her a color and a style and let her creative mind run wild. Chelish Moore, owner and designer of Chelish Moore Flowers, is a jill of all trades.

Her business name underestimates her inventory of linens, props, furniture, and gorgeous floral designs. The variety of her inventory allows her to be able to design any style of event – from vintage to bling and everything in between!

Q: What’s your favorite part of a wedding?

A: Every bride is different and that keeps me on my toes! I’m not happy unless my brides are happy!

Q: How did you become a florist?

A: I started working in the industry in high school. It’s all I’ve ever done!

Q: How have weddings changed in your years of experience?

A: When I started, wedding receptions were mints and punch. It’s VERY different!

Q: What’s your favorite flower?

A: Hydrangea… in any color! It gives arrangements size and texture.

Q: What do you need to get through a Saturday? (I ask because I already know the answer.)

A: Sundrop.

Chelish is providing florals, props, and some linens for all three days of our grand opening this week. I hope you’ll stop by to see her work in person!

A friend & happy bride of Ms. Moore,

Jessica

# Make it Classic!

March 20, 2015 Jessica Eudy

When we first began envisioning Ritchie Hill, before all else, we dreamed of the events that would take place there. Everyone has their own style and we wanted that to be reflected in each event. When we started exploring rental options we didn’t have to look far. We fell in love with Classic Party Rentals in Charlotte. Their customer service, love for events, and variety of rental options blew us away. They had a solution for every situation we threw at them!

CPR is the nation’s leading provider of special events rentals. They have even provided rentals for the Oscars! They specialize in large-scale events; everything from corporate occasions and fundraisers to back yard BBQs and weddings. Aside from tenting, CPR’s showroom also features linens, chairs, place settings, and anything else you might need for your event. The Charlotte branch alone holds over 100 years of experience in working in the event industry!

Meet Amanda and Andrew, our amazing representatives from Classic Party Rentals. Amanda is an Account Executive at the Charlotte location. Andrew is the General Manager of the Charlotte branch and previously owned a catering company. He, along with his entire Events Team, understands the challenges a wedding can create.

We asked them a few questions to help you plan your wedding and get to know your local CPR team:

Q: What is your favorite part of the wedding day?

Amanda: I am a big fan of color. Linens are a wonderful way to add shimmer and vibrancy to any wedding. If you plan to have catering tables, gift tables, a cake table, etc.; considering adding specialty linens to those areas to tie in all your flowers, décor & colors.

Andrew: When the bride walks down the aisle. I have over 20 years working in special events and I still tear up watching every wedding.

Q: If you could offer up one piece of advice to a bride planning her wedding, what would it be?

Amanda: Pay attention to details you like and/or your wedding planner suggests. It can really enhance your event & make it extra special in some creative & memorable ways. Remember the day is about you and your fiancé, enjoy it!

Andrew: Be realistic about your budget. Don’t leave yourself with buyer’s remorse after the Big Day. Work with your vendors to select items you love that will not break the bank. The bills should not overshadow the memories.

Q: What are some rental items clients commonly overlook?

Amanda: Lighting: creating ambiance can enhance your event. Whether you look into adding dim lights, up lights, rope lights, Tuscan lights and/or votives; changing the lighting can help you create a wonderful atmosphere. Up lights with color gels can be your most powerful pop to get the ooh’s and ah’s you are looking for. If you put the right lighting in your space the rest will be easy.

Andrew: Coat racks, power supply (generators), and trash cans.

Q: What are some ways to spruce up the inside of a reception tent?

Amanda: Swaging the tent ceiling with colored crystal organza or imperial taffeta. Swagging adds just the right amount of texture to your ceiling to excite your guests and lift their eyes. Colored trays for butler passed hors d’eouvres can help highlight your menu selection. Furniture placed in areas to give guest lounge seating. Look into using various styles & colors with accents.

Andrew: Swaging the interior roof with taffeta, organza or velon makes a bold statement. Lighting is also a great way to add drama to a tent – up-lights in particular. And, cover up those tent poles! Draping for tent legs is a must!

Q: And lastly, what is your favorite Southern tradition?

Amanda: I look forward to my “Supper Club” every month. I call it my favorite day of the month because it gives me the opportunity to have fun planning a get together with my dear friends.

Andrew: Taking a caramel cake to a funeral. You’ve been here for generations if you know to do that (and even longer if you know how to make one!)

Want to learn more? Visit their website or give them a shout! And be sure to attend our grand opening on Ritchie Hill March 28th & 29th to check out some of the amazing rental items they have available!

XOXO, Liz

# Get Planning!

March 6, 2015 Jessica Eudy

When you first begin to plan your wedding, you start with the fun stuff: Where will it be? What will my dress look like? Who will make up my bridal party? You go buy wedding magazines and fold down pages with your bridesmaids, while simultaneously pinning more things than you have in, well…ever! You see potential wedding color schemes on your cereal box, make note of every hair style (good and bad) on your evening TV shows, and start purchasing notebooks like mad woman to list everything you could possibly list. While the entirety of the planning process should be fun, it doesn’t always work out that way. If you’re anything like me, you quickly find out how much you do NOT know about planning a wedding. So, one of those first questions should be, “Do I want a wedding planner?”

There are limitless positives to hiring a wedding planner. The only question is how it will fit into your wedding budget. But trust me, it is well worth it! When you are talking about a once in a lifetime event, it can be worth a little extra to make sure you actually enjoy it.

Read Lauren’s breakdown to help decide which planning services might be best for your big day!

Hi! I’m Lauren, Executive Planner and Lead Designer at Southern Savvy Events. Since no two brides are the same, there are a variety of planning and coordination services. The most common are Full Planning, Partial Planning and Coordination. Additionally, there are design packages, hourly consultations and A La Carte items often available to fit your needs. Though the package descriptions may vary from planner to planner, each service has unique characteristics and it is important to have an understanding of those to find your best fit!

Full Planning - I like to refer to this package as “all inclusive”. When you book a full planning package it includes design, as well as all aspects involved in wedding planning (venue scouting, vendor referrals, budgeting, timelines, etc.). Your planner is in constant contact with you and your vendors. Think of it as a personal assistant - you will most likely see your planner as often as your Maid of Honor! There are no maximum amount of hours or meetings and no part of the planning process we are not a part of. When you book full planning you are gifting yourself with a full time wedding assistant throughout your engagement. Now, go pour that glass of wine and relax!

Coordination - This service acts as a guide to finalize details for wedding day. It is for the bride who has booked almost all of her vendors and has plenty of time to maintain her budget, design/decor and vendor details. Your coordinator’s main role leading up to wedding day is tying up all the loose ends. We handle scheduling for your vendors and wedding party, setup and decor and ensuring that the entire day runs smoothly. The lead time on this package can vary from “30 days”, “60 days” or a set amount of hours.

Partial Planning - If you feel like you don’t quite need Full Planning, but Coordination isn’t hands on enough for you, Partial would be a good fit. Differing from Full Planning, Partial is based around a set amount of planning hours. For example, with this package I normally attend about 75% of my clients’ vendor meetings. This would be a good fit if you have a vision for your day in mind, but need assistance bringing it to life.

The most important thing to remember when selecting a planning package - everything can be customized to fit you needs.

Cheers!

To reach Lauren and learn more about Southern Savvy Events, visit her website!

Happy planning Ritchie Hill brides!
XOXO Liz

# 50 Shades of Overwhelmed

February 14, 2015 Jessica Eudy

You’re engaged! (Congrats!) You thought attending the area bridal shows would be the perfect solution to help kick start your wedding planning. You and your groom (or if your groom was lucky enough to get a pass, then your maid of honor…) geared up to hit the big show in our area and you set out to find the PERFECT wedding vendors.

You attended the show with almost 200 vendors, where I’m assuming you had a blast! You tasted caterers’ food, bakers’ cakes, watched a runway show with fabulous dresses, and got some great design ideas. You arrived home with a 10 pound (cute) bag from the show, stuffed with business cards, handouts and goodies. You sat on the floor, dumped the bag.., and the anxiety set in. You pulled out the goodies, including our Ritchie Hill koozie with delicious Ritchie Hill Bakery cheese straws (wink), and then realize there is a massive amount of information lying on your floor.

What do you do now? How are you going to organize all this info? Should you end the anxiety by just throwing it all away? No. There is hope. Below are just a few tips to help you organize your bridal show material…

1 – Get sticky notes, a pen and a trash can.

2 – Write a sticky note for each category of vendors: photographers, cakes, caterer, DJ, venue, dress, etc.

3 – Sift through the pile and stack them according to the categories.

4 – If you’ve already decided on a vendor for any of the categories, throw that pile away.

5 – Go through a pile, one category at a time and mark any card of vendors you remember talking to. (If you recall a conversation, amongst the hundreds you probably had, then you may have “clicked” with that vendor, which is a huge part of the planning process.)

6 – Check out the websites of each card in that pile and their reviews on WeddingWire. Only keep 1-3 of your favorites. This will give you options in case one is already booked on your date. Throw away the rest.

Now that you have smaller piles, you can start your planning! I hope this helps.

Happy (less stressful) planning!

Jessica