I am so excited to offer a new line of linen rentals to Brides in our area.  If you are bored with solid polyester linens, plain overlays that have been around for the past fifteen years and haven't changed or the plain white linens that your venue is providing then come see Smith Mountain Lake Weddings!

We are happy to offer a new line of linen rentals that are sure to add that special touch to your wedding event decor.  We are offering even more unique fabrics with original designs, colors and textures that will make your wedding "POP" or add that elegant touch. 

Smith Mountain Lake Weddings also offers excellent customer service which can include setup and removal of linens so that you don't have to do the work.

Don't forget we also offer a wide variety of chair covers and chair pads as well. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

With over 500 miles of shoreline and gorgeous mountain views Smith Mountain Lake is a dream location for Brides. Smith Mountain Lake has many wedding ceremony and reception locations that can offer locations from intimate weddings to grand events.

Smith Mountain Lake Weddings has had the opportunity to coordinate weddings at a majority of the Smith Mountain Lake wedding locations and can assist you in choosing the best location for your wedding event. If you need assistance in finding the best venue for your wedding, contact Smith Mountain Lake Weddings at kerry@SMLWeddings.com or 540-493-0928.

Below you will find a list of the preferred wedding venues at Smith Mountain Lake. When contacting any of the venues listed below tell them that you received there information from Smith Mountain Lake Weddings.

Smith Mountain Lake Wedding Venues:

Bernard’s Landing Resort & Conference Center – www.bernardslanding.com  

Love Stone Inn - www.lovestoneinn.com  

Mariner’s Landing – www.marinerslanding.com  

Parkway Marina – www.parkwaymarina.com  

Virginia Dare Cruises – www.vadarecruises.com  

WE Skelton 4-H Center – www.skelton4hcenter.org  

Westlake Country Club – www.golfthewestlake.com  

More information regarding these venues and other wedding businesses can be found at www.SMLWeddings.com  

The other day I was cuddling with my one year old watching the rain pouring down when I thought how much we need the rain since Smith Mountain Lake is so low right now.  So then the idea of todays blog popped into my head...rainy day weddings.  The majority of weddings at Smith Mountain Lake are outdoor weddings due to our beautiful scenery, however, an outdoor wedding can add a lot of stress on a Bride when planning her wedding day.

When you plan an outdoor wedding you MUST ALWAYS have a back up plan in case it rains.  Depending on your venue location and your budget there are a few backup plans that are available to the majority of Brides. 

Venue - If your venue has a large enough banquet room (such as Mariner's Landing Boardwalk Room) that you are using for your reception then you can have your wedding coordinator combine ceremony and reception location into one place.  Another option is to have an additional room reserved for a ceremony location if the venue has one available. 

Tent - A tent is another option in case it rains on your wedding day, however, this usually takes a little more prep time and will again depend on the location.  Please remember that you can't just call up a tent company on a Saturday afternoon and have them set up a tent 20 minutes before the ceremony, well you could but it probably wouldn't happen that soon.  Most tent companies require that they set up the tents a couple of days prior to the event so the decision to use a tent must be made a few days in advance.  Be sure to determine the location of the tent in advance so that any changes to the aisle/walkway can be made.  Be sure all of your vendors are also aware of any tent plans so that they can make any required changes that will need to be made.

Optional Venue Location - A third option is to have a venue in "standby" just in case your ceremony or reception is rained out.  You may want to contact a few churches to see if they would be available for your ceremony location, however be sure that you are able to contact all of your wedding guests so that you won't have guests arriving at the wrong location.

If you are having an indoor ceremony and reception and it happens to rain on your wedding day then just be sure your wedding coordinator has brought along extra large umbrellas, lots of hairspray and a few extra tissues to pat away any rain drops.  

A professional wedding coordinator has the ability to make weather backup plans and has probably dealt with rainy wedding days before (I know that I have) so be sure review the backup rain plan with her/him.  Just remember that in many cultures rain on your wedding day symbolizes good luck!   

Now that the Christmas decorations are packed away and the New Year's Resolutions have been made the 2009 Wedding season is beginning!  Yeah!!! 

For those Brides planning on getting married in 2009 if you haven't booked your ceremony and reception locations and wedding vendors yet, I would urge you to do so very quickly.  Myself and  other local vendors that I have spoken too have suddenly seen a huge increase in emails and phone calls from Brides for 2009 and 2010 weddings.

If you haven't decided on a wedding location for a Smith Mountain Lake Wedding feel free to send us an e-mail at kerry@smlweddings.com with your wedding details such as date, budget, how many guests and what type of location you are looking for and I will contact you back ASAP with locations available in our area.  If you are looking for a specific type of vendor such as photographer, caterer, florist, etc. for your wedding be sure to visit our website at www.SMLWeddings.com to find a list of local wedding vendors.  Of course you can also find more information about Smith Mountain Lake Wedding services at www.kerrykeeney.com as well.

Here are a few quick tips when planning your wedding:
1.  Decide on a wedding venue but be flexible on your dates.  It's much easier to change your wedding date rather than find a wedding location so if you have fell in love with a wedding location and they aren't available for your date see if you can get married on a different weekend or possibly even having a Friday evening or a Sunday morning wedding, both can be beautiful times at the lake.  Friday and Sunday weddings are typically at a lower rate as well.

2.  If you are not familiar with the Smith Mountain Lake area but plan on getting married here contact a wedding coordinator.  I'm not just saying this because it's my business but because you can get lots of free information from wedding coordinators so it doesn't hurt to schedule an appointment or give us a call.  All Brides should have a wedding coordinator because we are professionals and have done many more weddings than a Bride has so we can help in ways that you have never imagined.

3.  If you have found a wedding vendor that you love but they are slightly out of your budget ask for other options.  Wedding professionals want their customers to be happy and get what they want so it never hurts to ask on ways to save money. There may be things that they can do to save you money but they need to know that you are in a tight budget situation. 

4.  Use local wedding vendors.  I have done quite a few weddings where a Bride has hired a photographer, DJ or other vendor from out of the state or a few hundred miles away.  Typically the couple then has to pay for overnight costs as well as travel expenses - Shop Locally!!!  We have excellent wedding professionals here in our area so if you are thinking of hiring an out of state vendor give me a call and I will help you get a list of excellent local wedding professionals.

I want to close by saying Happy 2009 Planning!!!  Don't get stressed, stay calm, get organized and enjoy the wedding planning process - it is supposed to be FUN!!!