Alexander - Oliver Wedding August 13, 2011

Not only was this one of my favorite weddings, but I gained an entire family along the way! It was truly an honor to help make this wedding day a dream come true for everyone! Here's to you, Sam and Elizabeth, Tom and Frances!

Readers: Enjoy a few gorgeous pics from the oh so talented Kevin Millard! Vendors for this fabulous occasion also included The Country Club of Landfall, Marshall of Beatty Cakes, Floral Design ~ Sam Haddock, South N' France Bon Bons, and the amazing Andrew Thielen Big Band!

A Shindig on Style Me Pretty

A Shindig & Style Me Pretty finally meet!

We had the honor and privilege of working from start to finish to help make our dear friends Jesse and Joanna's Wedding, their perfect day! The three girls, (Joanna, Hannah and Jessica) have known each other since the days of basketball, braces, and awkwardness, so seeing this day come to life was both amazing and emotional.

Using the Anthropologie Catalog for inspiration, we were able to transform 128 South to reflect the bohemian, vintage, southern elegant space much like the catalog, and deliver their dream day! Thank you to these amazing vendors! Jacobus Photography for all your hard work to put us on the "Style Me Pretty Map," A Tent Event for all rentals, Fiore Fine Flowers, Airlie Gardens ~ Lebanon Chapel, 128 South, Jeff Oaks 1936 Packard, Nye's Cream Sandwiches, and Hot Pink Cake Stand!

Enjoy! Jessica and Hannah

Walk A Mile In Her Shoes

A Shindig recently had the opportunity to serve as a sponsor for Walk A Mile 2010. This is a wonderful event that raises money for prevention education for the Rape Crisis Center in Wilmington. Jessica and I were honored to not only be able to help out with decorations and prizes at the event, but also to be around such wonderful men who were supporting the cause.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Walk A Mile, it is an event held around the country where men walk one mile wearing women's heels, or they carry heels around their neck, to raise awareness about sexual assault and violence prevention. Single ladies, this site was proof that there are still lots of good men out there!

A special thanks goes out to A Tent Event (we heart them) who provided the tents, tables, and linens to make the event beautiful!

We look forward to being even more involved next year and growing the event in size!

To learn more about Walk A Mile 2011, or to get involved, contact A Shindig. You can make a difference!

The shoes for a nurse from Dosher Memorial Hospital -very Gaga!

The husband and sons of Lauran Arledge, director of this year's event!

A member of the New Hanover County Sheriff's Department walked with his daughter's shoes.

Rockin' the farmer's tan!

The Best Wedding Movies!

Jessica's quote from Steel Magnolias last week inspired me to devote an entire blog entry to some of our favorite wedding movies, and scenes from wedding movies, of all time. If you are a bride, or just a lover of chick flicks, these movies a must-haves for you DVD collection! They are some of my go-to favorites for a rainy day inside, or when we are looking for inspiration for our lovely ladies!

Father of the Bride

How can you not love this movie? I remember when it first came out my dad and Uncle Bud watched it on VHS in Myrtle Beach on a family vacation. I was pretty young at the time, but apparently they both were very choked up by watching Steve Martin give away his little girl. In my family, and in Jessica's, it's nothing but girls, so a movie like this certainly tugs at the heart strings. I get particularly emotional watching the scene where little Annie plays basketball with her dad...it brings back some fond memories of games of "around the world" with my dad!

For inspiration in this movie, I simply love Frank. I love everything he does, and I love the way he talks! Considering this was an early 90s movie (I think), Frank was ahead of his time with all the beautiful flowers and the geese around the front yard. What can you learn from this film? A wedding at your childhood home sounds like a great idea in theory, but it is a lot of work! Make sure to hire A Shindig to make this dream come true!

My Best Friend's Wedding

This movie makes me laugh everytime it is on TBS! My particular favorites are the bridemaids/cousins who are less-than-classy. What was with those dresses they wore? This was a full-scale wedding weekend complete with multiple dinners, luncheons, and who knows what else before the actual big day. You may not want to go as all-out as they did in the movie, but having several events for your guests is a great way to make the weekend memorable. We are happy to help arrange luncheons, shrimp-a-roos, brunches, or any other type of event to keep your guests entertained!

The Wedding Planner

I'm not going to lie, this movie was part of my inspiration for pursing this career path! I love how organized Jennifer Lopez's character is as a wedding planner! She thinks of every detail for her brides and knows exactly how to give them the day they have envisioned. Please note that if you are a client of ours and you put me on a horse like they did with JLo, it will end similarly - with a runaway horse and a disheveled planner on her rear-end! I'm not cut out for it, but I am happy to give it a shot for any client!

Wedding Crashers

This is probably the only movie on this list you didn't have to force your fiance to watch with you! Every guy on the planet instantly memorized quotes from this movie as if their lives depended on it! Aside from the all the humor and girl-catching, there were some beautiful decor ideas in this movie. The "house" where the family went following the wedding was actually The Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels, Maryland. They do plenty of weddings on the property and I can see why! What a beautiful location for a traditional wedding!

Sex and the City

So maybe the Big wedding didn't happen in the movie as planned, but you gotta give it to Carrie, Charlotte and Anthony for planning a spectacular event! However, the lesson to be learned from Carrie's catastrophe is not to let the day overshadow what it is you are actually doing! I have said this time and time again to brides. It is so easy to get caught up in the dress, the venue, the music, etc. Remember that you are making a committment to a partner for life, and this is the most treasured part of that day. So if you want to do that in a vintage suit at the courthouse, by all means do it. Never be pressured by friends and family to have an event you are not truly interested in! This day is for you and your fiance, and nobody else! But if a swanky wedding in a library or any other venue is more your taste - you've come to right place. We can give Anthony Marintino a run for his money! :)

The Wedding Singer

What a great way to pay homage to the weddings of the 80s! I know that fashion has a tendency to repeat itself, but can we all agree to never wear poofy sleeved wedding dresses again - ever?! Adam Sandler cracks me up in this film! But one of the best moments is at the very end when he sings "I Wanna Grow Old With You" to Julia. What a sweet moment! That song truly captures what a marriage is all about...it's being with someone who will help you with the dishes, share the remote, and take care of you when you are sick or feeling down. Who knew Adam Sandler would teach us one of the most important lessons about life and love?

That's all for now! Have a great week everyone!

Cheers!

Hannah

COLOR, COLOR, COLOR!

"My Colors! My Colors! My colors are blush and bashful."
- Shelby, Steel Magnolias

Oh how we love those wedding movies! Whether you are absolutely sure of your wedding colors and have been since you were five, or maybe you need a few hints to send you in the right direction: This Post is for you! A fun and informative look at color and style for our brides today!

Thankfully, today we have amazing websites and magazines such as In Style and The Knot that provide our brides with breathtaking visuals to help get those creative juices flowing! From what we've heard, many of you, even with these tools, still need assistance from a team like ours to bring it all together! So we present the quick and easy color combo list to get you started!

The first color presented is the main bulk of color to be displayed with an accent color to compliment!

PINK: pink/turquoise ~ pink/champagne ~ pink/sunset

ORANGE: orange/royal blue ~ orange/violet ~ orange/yellow

LIME: lime/royal ~ lime/raspberry red ~ lime/pink

PURPLE/PLUM: plum/pink ~ plum/sunset ~ plum/navy

RED: red/pink ~ red/aqua ~ red/eggplant

YELLOW: yellow/steel ~ yellow/celery ~ yellow/gold




A Shindig loves helping our brides develop that one tiny must have detail or color into a full design plan, turning their wedding dreams into reality right before their very eyes. We can't wait to be a part of your BIG Day!

Happy Tuesday!
jessica

A Clinton Style Wedding in Wilmington!

With all the chatter about Chelsea Clinton's wedding in New York over the weekend, I thought I'd put together my own version of her beautiful, and very classy, wedding right here in the Port City. What made Chelsea's wedding so amazing (from what little I can gather from the pictures) was the level of elegance in every detail. So let's look at how you can re-create that look...

Ceremony and Reception Location - Cape Fear Country Club

To achieve the "White House" look from Chelsea's wedding, select a classic venue like Cape Fear Country Club. Your guests will be impressed as they drive up the circular driveway to the Hampton's-like country club. Once inside, they will be impressed with the opulent, yet tasteful, decor and the amazing food!

Wedding Dress

Chelsea's dress was Ah-Mazing! However, not everyone can have Vera Wang design their dress, and then have her at the ceremony to fluff before they dash down the aisle! For the same look that Chelsea had, check out the Blue by Enzoani dress "Croatia." I love the crystal detail around the bodice, and the gathered skirt. This line is carried at A Carolina Wedding in Wilmington.

Bridesmaid Dresses - Dessy Collection Style #2503

Pictures of the wedding party have not been released yet, and it's doubtful that they will be. So, I used the look Chelsea was going for to come up with what I would pair with the rest of the elegant theme for the wedding to come up with this bridesmaid dress. I think the lace overlay exudes class and elegance. The tea-length skirt is the perfect combination of class and sass. This dress is also available at A Carolina Wedding in Wilmington.

Flowers

Again, the color palette for the wedding isn't really known. The only flowers shown in the few photos released were Chelsea's all white bridal bouquet. If it were up to me, I would use a mixture of whites, ivories, and yellows to integrate into the rest of the color scheme. Here are some flowers I would have picked for the bride, the maids, and centerpieces. Island Florals by Roxanne in Wilmington is a great local florist to go to if you want to achieve this look, or anything else!

Bridal Bouquet

Bridesmaid's Bouquet (the yellow will really pop against the black!)

Centerpiece 1 - Low, tapered, and all white

Centerpiece 2 - Tall, colorful, and flowing. This provides a great contrast between the two tables.

Cake

To coincide with Chelsea's classic elegance theme, I would select a cake that is simple, yet sophisticated, with just a touch of pizazz. The look of this white fondant round tiered cake gives you exactly that when the band of Swarovski crystals is added to each layer, and then topped with roses. Contact Crumb de la Crumb in Shallotte to get this amazing look, and a cake that tastes phenomenal!

Music

For a classy wedding, you can't go wrong with The Wilmington Big Band! This 17-piece orchestra will keep your guests dancing all night with classics like "Under the Boardwalk" and "Summertime Is Calling Me." I also love that the band is always decked out in tuxedos, which adds to the atmosphere you will be creating with a wedding like Chelsea's!

Remember to call A Shindig to achieve this wedding look, or one that is completely different! We love creating events for our clients that are as YOU-nique as they are!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hannah

Tip of The Week - Unexpected Dress Deals!

Hey Everyone!

I was browsing the Internet today for a cocktail dress for myself for a girl's night out, and came across so many stores that are now jumping on the bridesmaid and wedding dress bandwagon. Thanks to retailers like JCrew and Ann Taylor who started the trend, many big-name clothing chains are cashing in on this industry.

What does this mean for you? It means fabulous coutoure-esque dresses at bargain prices! It also means for your maids the opportunity to order their dress on-line without having to deal with the hassel of being fitted in a bridal store. Here are some of my personal favorites I came across today! Let me know if any of your have purchased one of these! I'd love to hear your opinions on their quailty and style!

Wedding Gowns

The Limited - I have loved this store since I was 6 years old and shopped at The Limited Too. Don't lie ladies, you also had the matching flower t-shirt, shorts, socks, belt, and of course - the scrunchie! Now that we are grown-ups, they have stepped up their style and created gorgeous wedding dresses any gal would be lucky to wear!

Romantic Wedding Gown - $298

White House Black Market - Another favorite store of mine, it's always my go-to location for the perfect LBD (little black dress). Now they have created a limited edition bridal gown that reminds me of something you would see on the runway, except it's only $498! Now, I will tell you that this look is not for everyone. I can't promise you that in 20 years you will be loving this dress as much as you might a more traditional look, but for all you trendy ladies out there, this is one to check out!

Limited Edition Bridal Gown - $498

JCrew - As I said before, JCrew pioneered the traditional retail clothing outlet crossing over into the bridal market. I must warn you, however, not all their dresses are inexpensive. Some cost as much as $3,000! But, they are beautiful! Here's a gorgeous one I found that would be so perfect for a beach wedding. I can just see the chiffon flowing in the breeze...

Silk Chiffon Arabelle Crinckle Gown - $425

Nordstrom - Nordies has a great selection of special occasion dresses that you can totally rock as a wedding gown, especially if the idea of a train has you tripping (get it? tripping? hahaha). Here are some of my favorites from the department store guru.

Sue Wong Drop Waist Embellished Lace Gown - $598

JS Boutique Beaded Crisscross Matte Jersey Gown - $178

Bridesmaids Dresses

We have already done one feature on inexpensive bridesmaids dresses, so today I am only going to focus on 2 retailers - Target and Forever 21. Never in a million years did I think these two retailers would be able to create cute bridesmaids dresses, but they have, and you will love them!

Target - Who doesn't love this store? If you are like me, every time you go in there for toilet paper, you walk out with $100 worth of items and you have no idea how they got there! I am in love with these two adoreable looks - and even more in love with their prices! Consider pairing them with a fun colored shoe, such as an emerald green for the navy dress or an eggplant purple with the yellow!

Merona Collection Party Dress With Sash in Navy Voyage - $29.99

Mossimo Black Strapless Dress in Yellow - $24.99

Forever 21 - I love finding deals at Forever 21! From their dresses to jewelry, it's a great way to capture what is in style at the moment without spending a fortune! I was surprised, however, to see them create some dresses that are the appropriate length for a bridesmaid. After all, your wedding shouldn't be about who can show the most leg! Save that for the bachelorette party!

Floral Sheen Dress in Charcoal $27.80

Dashing Duo Dress $34.80

Strapless Trophy Dress $34.80

Pleated One Shoulder Dress $32.80

That does it! If you find other dresses that would look great on this list, send them our way and I will post them! Hope everyone is having a fantastic week!

Cheers!

Hannah