People attending the
Carolina Inn Bridal Showcase were greeted by two handsome young men in tux and tails giving out beautiful red roses. I could not resist taking one and getting my picture taken with one of the gentlemen. Red Carpet treatment although I was not a bride!
Inside in the lobby was this beautiful arrangement of white flowers and candles. Mary Page Block of
Arioso Strings met me at the show. She had been given two tickets by Sally Oakley and she generously gave me one. I had never been to this one before although I do many weddings at the lovely Carolina Inn. This was probably the most elegant and well attended bridal fair I have every been to. A string quartet was playing and the wait staff was all around us offering drinks and goodies.
After collecting our gift bags full of stuff, Mary and I stopped at Sally's booth--
Sally Oakley Personalized Wedding Planning. She was really busy answering questions for brides and their parents. After many years of working for another wedding planning company, Sally recently went out on her own. Sally and Mary and I have worked together on many weddings and it is always a pleasure.
Around the corner leading to the corridor which opens into the ballrooms, was
Lana Addison Bridal Salon gals with all the mannequins donned with gorgeous wedding gowns. There were also models wearing bridal gowns strolling around the whole show.
First stop in the first ballroom we ran into Kristin with
KPO Photo. Kristen and I have done weddings together for many years. She was one of the first photographers I got to know 10 years ago.
Across from Kristen's booth was
Sugarland. They make the most spectacular cakes. Take a look. You know, peacocks have gotten quite popular recently. I see them in clothing, home decor and now cakes!
That is Rachel Hamm with
Bliss by Sam, wedding and event planning. Rachel is putting on a Bootcamp for DIY Brides this month. You can scroll down on this blog and see my post about it.
Angie Wright with
Chic Details was on hand to greet the brides. I love doing weddings with Angie and we have done quite a few in the past 10 years.
Here's
Dara Blakeley. She is so much fun. I think the first wedding I ever did, she was the photographer and that would be about 11 years ago.
Stunning wedding cakes by
Sweet Memories. Look at that silver one!
Then I spotted Erin McLean of
Erin McLean Events. We go way back too. I will never forget how she brought to life the dream wedding for a couple whose theme was "1001 Arabian Nights!"
It was good to see Mary Palmer of
Bel Canto Designs bridal jewelry. Mary and I took a class together several years ago called "Blogging Bootcamp."
I see that Cinda of
Cinda's Creative Cakes has gotten into the candy buffet business!
Around the corner I ran into Barbara Clark of
An Elegant Affair, wedding and event planner. Then Ryan Pflumm came over. Ryan recently left a DJ company and spun out on his own DJ business he so aptly calls
Spin! Ryan is a lot of fun and I enjoy doing weddings with him. He can dance too!
Randy Pulley and Jeff Simpson were there to represent
Simpsound Lighting Service. They both are DJs too. Jeff has really gone big time into the lighting field which can be so important to set the tone and mood of a wedding reception. He was the one who did the amazing lighting for the "1001 Arabian Nights" wedding. There is a post on this blog of that wedding.
Miel Bon Bons--what can I say. Their cake creations are some of the most unique I have ever seen. I am always amazed at what they come up with. Several of their cakes are on this blog.
These spectacular cakes were made by
Art of Cakes and they were busy serving them to brides.
Katie Hamister,
Katie Hamister Photography had a nice display. It was good to chat with her again.
Cinda Patterson of
Cinda's Creative Cakes was busy serving different flavors of her cakes to people. She does really beautiful work and appeared on Cake Off last year!
Randy Bennett and Joe Bunn (not pictured) were on hand to tell everyone about
Joe Bunn DJ Company, without a doubt the most popular DJs in the area. They all do great work and take care of me at weddings.
Taz and Cara of
f8 Photo Studios were there! They are really great to work with. We have done many weddings together.
Joy Edwards of
A Joyful Occasion, wedding planner, explains her services to a bride and groom. Joy and I go way back doing weddings together.
Megan Brewer Gillikin is one of my brides! I officiated her wedding last year. She used to be the Catering Manager at the Renaissance Hotel in Raleigh and we worked several weddings there. Shortly after her wedding, she took over the reins of
A Southern Soiree, wedding and event planning. I look forward to working with Megan in yet another capacity this year. Megan is on the left and Kailey Branham, associate consultant, is on the right.
Tre Bella Flowers are a popular provider of wedding flowers. I see them at a lot of weddings.
I caught
Neil Boyd explaining his photography services. He is really good and some of his wedding photos have become very well known. Hi Neil!
Floral Dimensions does very fine work providing florals for weddings.
Shane Snider is an award winning photographer who also shoots weddings. Sometimes he is tough to get he is so popular. Go Shane!
Two pretty young women manning the booth at
Alexia's Bridal and Vera Wang Salon. Gorgeous dresses! I did not dare ask the price!
One of my favorite wedding planners is Tracy Adams of
Adams and Events. She knows how to get a job done and does it!
Cristobal Perez of
Azul Photography sneaked up behind Tracy and gave her a hug. Their booths were right next to each other. Cris and I have worked several weddings together.
See that man who looks like he is hiding behind the column? Well, that is Lynn Graves, the flower wizard of
Fresh Affairs. He told me he liked to stand there and observe people looking at his floral display which is pictured just below.
Lynn is known for his creativity and unique floral arrangements. They are always something to behold and frequently copied by other florists, I've noticed. Notice the palm leaves interwoven into the golden branches.
I don't know whose gown this is but I thought it was so pretty and soft. A bride has to feel really special in this dress.
In the room across from the Old Well Room, Lynn Loomis of
Lynn's Traditions, dishes out samples of her delicious cakes. I don't often stick around for receptions and get to taste the cakes. But, I have had Lynn's and they are truly as delicious as they are beautiful. She is such an artist.
Southern Bride and Groom Magazine was represented by the owner, Donna Parks, and her daughter, Jenna. This is without a doubt the best and most popular wedding planning publication in this area.
Across the hall was Kevin Milz,
Kevin Milz Photography. I do a lot of weddings at The Umstead Hotel and Spa and Kevin does too so we see each other a lot!
Tucked into the Alumni Room was one of my favorite photographers,
Brian Mullins. I love his work and the header of this blog is currently one of his great photos. Thanks, Brian!
Another fun DJ, Brian McGuire of
McSound Productions. Brian gets around and is definitely one of the best around.
Jennifer Stevens of
Ambrosia Cakes was there. I see her cakes around more and more frequently. They are always beautiful.
La Fete Wedding Planning was represented by Rebecca and Katie Dunn but I did not get a photo of them. Rebecca and I did a wedding together last October.
Well, it was time for me to leave. I did not have time to sample the incredible food in the Old Well Room. I had allowed myself one hour to wander through the show before heading home for a meeting with prospective brides and grooms. It was so much fun to visit with all the friends I have made in the wedding industry.
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