SML Weddings Blog
by Kerry Keeney
Invitations
Just a note...
INVITATIONS
Now that you have picked your wedding date and venue you are finally ready to choose your wedding invitations - Wow!!! If signing your name on the wedding venue contract wasn't finalizing enough, seeing your wedding invitation with your names, wedding date and venue location definitely will make it all seam REAL!
INVITATIONS
Now that you have picked your wedding date and venue you are finally ready to choose your wedding invitations - Wow!!! If signing your name on the wedding venue contract wasn't finalizing enough, seeing your wedding invitation with your names, wedding date and venue location definitely will make it all seam REAL!
There are tons of invitation companies to choose from and millions of designs so where do you start. The internet is an excellent place to start because most large companies such as Carlson Craft will allow you to search through their selections by $, Colors, Style, Paper, etc so you can see alot of options very quickly. However, I always recommend either ordering a sample or visiting a local invitation store so you can see the quality of paper and actual color of paper and ink, remember computer monitors don't always show colors the same in different lights.
I recently came across a new line of invitations that I LOVE and they are wedding invitations by the fabulous Event Designer Preston Bailey. If you are looking to add that special floral touch to your invitation in a new way then view them at www.InvitationConsultants.com. The colors are gorgeous and the floral pictures are unique. Everyone loves weddings that Preston Bailey does, so if you can't afford Preston Bailey as your event designer then why not have him do your invitations?
I recently came across a new line of invitations that I LOVE and they are wedding invitations by the fabulous Event Designer Preston Bailey. If you are looking to add that special floral touch to your invitation in a new way then view them at www.InvitationConsultants.com. The colors are gorgeous and the floral pictures are unique. Everyone loves weddings that Preston Bailey does, so if you can't afford Preston Bailey as your event designer then why not have him do your invitations?
Colors Colors Everywhere!
Just a note...
Are you having problems choosing the colors for your wedding event?
Go buy The Knot - Spring 2010 magazine. I don't often recommend to brides spending alot of money on magazines and books but if you are needing that color inspiration they have some great color ideas in the latest magazine.
Are you having problems choosing the colors for your wedding event?
Go buy The Knot - Spring 2010 magazine. I don't often recommend to brides spending alot of money on magazines and books but if you are needing that color inspiration they have some great color ideas in the latest magazine.
You will find:
"4 fresh bridesmaids trends" in colors of Bold Green, Hot Pink, Slate Gray and Pure Purple
"color combos101" where they pair up combinations of colors with pink, brown, white, green, blue, yellow. These are great pages to tear out and take to your wedding coordinator, florist, cake baker, dress maker or linen rental company to show that color pallete you are choosing for your wedding.
"color combos101" where they pair up combinations of colors with pink, brown, white, green, blue, yellow. These are great pages to tear out and take to your wedding coordinator, florist, cake baker, dress maker or linen rental company to show that color pallete you are choosing for your wedding.
"hot hues" covers three colors that they are predicting will be huge in weddings in 2010 which include: mandarin, moss green, purple.
As you can see from these three articles the color we keep seeing over and over again for 2010 is PURPLE!!! I recently had a conversation with a bride where the conversation of purple arose and an attendant made the comment that she didn't want to look like Barney the Dinosour at the wedding. Brides, there are a ton of shades of purple so don't be afraid of the beautiful color. Another hot color for 2010 is YELLOW!!! Want a very hot wedding, pair up purple and yellow together - WOW!!!
So, pick up the knot - Spring 2010 magazine or go to www.TheKnot.com/color for more information on choosing your wedding colors.
Note: The rest of the issue is mainly filled with dresses, dresses and more dresses.
Coming Soon...2009 SML Weddings Awards
2009 is almost over and that means it's time to look back on the year and reflect on all of the wonderful moments that we shared with our Brides and Vendors. This year we have came up with some great categories for our couples and we look forward to sharing those memorable moments with all of our readers.
Do you want to know what wedding vendors we enjoyed working with the most in 2009? We have quite a few favorites and we'll be happy to share those secrets with you as well. Of course there are so many wedding vendors in our area and unfortnately we don't get to work with all of them but we'll share information on the ones that we did have the pleasure of working with.
Keep tuned...awards are coming soon!!!
Only 3 days left
Only three more days left until the the 2nd Annual Smith Mountain Lake Bridal Event at Mariners Landing. We are so proud to be bringing another bridal event to the Smith Mountain Lake area and hope all of the Brides getting married at Smith Mountain Lake and surrounding areas come to meet our local wedding experts. 
This years event will include local bridal experts including florist, photographer, videographer, caterer, cake baker, makeup artists and more to help answer your wedding questions. Take a tour of Mariners Landing and see the various ceremony and reception locations available. See an assortment of linens provided by Smith Mountain Lake Weddings to help you choose your wedding reception decor. Take a tour in the guest accomodations provided by Mariners Landing and the many amenities that they offer. Taste yummy food provided by Benjamin's at The Pointe and MORE!
Brides, be sure to pre-register at www.SMLWeddings.com to be entered into a special drawing for a FREE wedding coordinator for your wedding event provided by Smith Mountain Lake Weddings.
FREE admission for all Brides and their guests. Brides that means bring along your fiance, mother, future mother-in-law, maid of honor, friends, family, etc.
For directions to Mariners Landing please visit www.marinerslanding.com
See you at the SML Bridal Event!!!
Pure Spa at Mariners Landing
Quiet, relaxing and beatiful views is how I would describe the new Pure Spa at Mariners Landing. I had the pleasure of meeting with Christin Burdette, Marketing Director for Pure Spa and taking a tour of their new location at Smith Mountain Lake. As many of you know views of Smith Mountain Lake are breathtaking at Mariners Landing but when you ad relaxing furniture, tranquil decor, calming music, a warming fireplace and candles you get the perfect location for a spa.
Pure Spa offers numerous services including skin care treatments, massage therapy, hand and foot care, body care treatments, hydrotherapy treatments, just for men treatments, spa packages, makeup applications, waxing and more. Pure Spa is open Monday - Sunday 10am - 6pm which makes it very convenient for guests staying at Mariners Landing or local Smith Mountain Lake residents that want to take advantage of a local spa.
For Brides getting married at Smith Mountain Lake Pure Spa is the perfect location for your beauty and spa needs. Here are some great ideas for Brides:
- Plan a day at the spa with your bridesmaids to have manicures, pedicures, facials or massages.
- Treat the mother of the bride to a massage to thank her for all of the support that she has showed you during the stressful wedding planning.
- Be sure to schedule your makeup application for your wedding day with Pure Spa, they are educated on knowing the proper makeup applications for flawless wedding photography.
- Brides can treat their groom to a 19th Hole Leg Revitalizer or a Golfers Delight Pedicure after he has spent the day at Mariners Landing Golf & Country Club with his groomsmen.
- After the wedding plan a couples massage where you and your groom can relax together.
When visiting Mariners Landing at the SML Bridal Event on November 15th be sure to take a tour of Pure Spa at Mairners Landing and receive more information on the numerous services they offer. For Brides attending the SML Bridal Event brides will have the opportunity to win a gift certificate for a Couples Massage at Pure Spa at Mariners Landing so be sure to attend this event.
Pure Spa at Mariners Landing is located at 1217 Graves Harbror Trail in Huddleston, VA. You can contact them at 540-297-9860 or relax@PureSpaSML.com. Find more information about their services by visiting their website at www.PureSpaSML.com.
Smith Mountain Lake Bridal Event
2nd Annual Smith Mountain Lake Bridal Event
at Mariners Landing
Sunday, November 15, 2009
1:00pm - 5:00pm
November is here, which means our 2nd Annual SML Bridal Event is just a few weeks away. We are very excited about this years event at Mariners Landing and the many showcases we will have at our event. Come take a tour of Mariners Landing and even if you already have booked your wedding venue at another location you will want to come see our ceremony setup, reception decor and the many local vendors participating to meet our premier wedding experts.
We are excited to announce some of our great door prizes that a lucky Bride will have the opportunity to win. You could win a couples massage provided by Pure Spa at SML, after the stress of wedding planning enjoy a relaxing spa for the Bride and Groom to enjoy together. Brides that pre-register for the event have the chance to win a Wedding Director for their wedding day provided by SML Weddings, every Bride needs a wedding expert available to answer questions, fix problems and organize the event. And more great prizes from local wedding vendors.
Having problems choosing linens for your wedding reception? We will showcase numerous linen choices in various sizes, shapes, textures and colors. In the Blackwater Room you will be able to view the huge varierty of linens Smith Mountain Lake Weddings offers to rent for special occasions. Take the time to browse through hundreds of swatches and receive free linen rental quotes on site.
Here are a list of some of our participating vendors:
Smith Mountain Lake Weddings, Pure Spa at SML, CORSAIR Floral & Decor, Mariners Landing, Executive Town Car & Limousine, Benjamin's at The Pointe, Calligraphy by Rachel Snyder, Christi Austin Photography, Michael's Video, Billie's Cakes, Starlite Makeup Artistry & MORE!
Receive many special offers from our premier wedding experts, taste some yummy deserts and more!!! FREE ADMISSION!
Pre-Register for the event at www.smlweddings.com
If you have any questions regarding the SML Bridal Event please contact Kerry Keeney at kerry@SMLWeddings.com
Here are a list of some of our participating vendors:
Smith Mountain Lake Weddings, Pure Spa at SML, CORSAIR Floral & Decor, Mariners Landing, Executive Town Car & Limousine, Benjamin's at The Pointe, Calligraphy by Rachel Snyder, Christi Austin Photography, Michael's Video, Billie's Cakes, Starlite Makeup Artistry & MORE!
Receive many special offers from our premier wedding experts, taste some yummy deserts and more!!! FREE ADMISSION!
Pre-Register for the event at www.smlweddings.com
If you have any questions regarding the SML Bridal Event please contact Kerry Keeney at kerry@SMLWeddings.com
SML Bridal Event
Smith Mountain Lake Weddings is happy to be a sponsor of the 2nd Annual Smith Mountain Lake Bridal Event. This years event will be held at Mariners Landing, one of Smith Mountain Lake's premier wedding venues in our area. The theme for the SML Bridal Event is "Educating Our Brides". As a bride you may have attended past wedding shows where you receive business cards from tons of wedding vendors and leave the show puzzled over seeing too many vendors. At our SML Bridal Event the focus will be on educating brides in each vendors expertise so that brides will be able to make educated wedding decisions.
Admission to the event is FREE for Brides and Guests!!! We will have numerous areas at Mariners Landing set up for guests to view. In the Bedford Room brides will register for door prizes and will be able to chat with local wedding experts. On the Pointe Lawn brides will be able to view a wedding ceremony setup so that you can gain ideas on how to set up your wedding event. In the Blackwater Room guests will be able to see numerous table setups provided by Smith Mountain Lake Weddings and CORSAIR Floral & Decor. Here you will also be able to go through tons of linen choices so that you can make decisions on what will look best for your wedding reception. Mariners Landing will also have condiminiums available for guest to tour to see what overnight, weekend accomodation and bridal suites are available at Mariners Landing.
Our vendors have contributed many wonderful door prizes for this event so be sure to mark November 15th on your calendar. Pre-Register for this event and you will be entered in a special drawing to have a chance to win a FREE Wedding Director on your wedding day provided by Smith Mountain Lake Weddings. To pre-register and find out more information about the 2nd Annual SML Bridal Event go to: https://www.smithmountainlakeweddings.com/show.php.
Erin & Jay's Wedding
Erin & Jay's Wedding - October 10, 2009
First Baptist Church
Shenandoahh Club
I had the pleasure of directing Erin Edwards and Jay Barry's wedding this past Saturday at two locations I have never worked at before. It's always nice for myself to work in new locations because not only do I get to see new gorgeous venues but I also get to meet new people that are wonderful to work with. I was hired by the Mother of the Bride - Bonnie just a few short weeks before the actual wedding. This can be quite a challenge for a wedding coordinator like myself because it doesn't allow me the opportunity to meet with the Bride and Groom or get to know their style and personality. However, because they did such a terrific job with choosing great vendors I was able to fit right into their wedding plans.
The couple were married at the beautiful First Baptist Church for their ceremony, a very popular church located in downtown Roanoke. This was my first time at First Baptist Church and for those of you that have not been there it is HUGE, definitely a church that you can get lost in.
Many Brides ask for ideas they can use to make a church wedding a little unique and I always tell them it's the little things that make a big difference. For example since the couple got engaged in Washington DC they had a large coffee table style book about Washington DC used as their guest book. They simply had their guests sign their names, words of wisdom or best wishes on whichever page they chose in the book. That way when guests visit their home or they decide to flip through their favorite coffee table book they will have memories of the special friends and family members that joined them on their wedding day. Excellent idea!!!
Since one of the flower girls was a little older and they didn't have a young ring bearer they had a "Bearer of Rings" which was a young lady that carried a special family bible that was decorated with flowers similar to the bridesmaids which the rings could be tied to. This is a great option for a girl that may be a little too young to be a junior bridesmaid but too old to be a flower girl.
Of course nobody will forget the gorgeous antique Rolls Royce that was positioned outside of the church entrance where wedding party members (and even a few guests) took numerous pictures on a beautiful day.
Once the ceremony was completed guests were able to walk to the gorgeous Shenandoah Club for the reception. The reception was decorated with splashes of coral and green throughout the many rooms of the Shenandoah Club where guests mingled, talked, danced and ate. The gorgeous linens added pops of color throughout the large event space to tie all of the rooms together. The guests tables in the main dining room were draped with Fern Traditional Damask while the various bistro tables, food tables and other accent tables were draped with Coral Lamour and Apple Green Bengaline. Many of the tables were accented with gorgeous floral displays by Creative Occasions and lit votive candles which are an excellent touch to make a large space seem more intimate. The guests were also offered coozies with the Bride and Grooms names and wedding date, they chose to different colors to accent the coozies - burgundy in honor of Erin who attended Virginia Tech and Blue in honor of Jay who attended Duke.
The Bride and Groom were on the dance floor all night long with their family and friends dancing to TFC Band out of Norfolk. This band was EXCELLENT!!! When choosing a band for a reception I always tell my Brides to choose a group that can play a wide range of music, your guests will want to dance to different types of music so make sure you have listened to the band playing various songs. TFC was able to play many of the guests requests and they were very interactive which everyone loved - Great job to the whole band!!!
We had the pleasure of working with many great vendors on this wedding, which always makes my job more enjoyable. Thank you for all of your excellent work!!! Pictures will be posted soon!
Cake Baker - Linda Adams
Photographer - Magnifico Photography
Flowers - Creative Occasions
Reception - Shenandoah Club
Band - TFC
Harpsichord - Kaye Young
Vocalist - Robin Scott
Trumpeter - Jeff Kresge
Violin - Carolyn Peterson
Piano - Shirley Pustelak
Cello - Carol Sawyer
Transportation - Limo Joe
Playing Catch Up
Wedding season is slowing down here at Smith Mountain Lake which means I finally get to play catch up on my blog. I apologize for the delay on seeing some of the fabulous weddings we were involved with this year but I'm finally getting around to updating this blog. I hope you enjoy seeing some of our 2009 weddings.
Kristen & Landon
Kristen Gates & Landon Smith
October 3, 2009
Mariners Landing
I had the pleasure of being the wedding coordinator for Kristen and Landon for almost a full year before her wedding day. Kristen and Landon had met while students at Virginia Tech and were living in Charlotte, NC. The couple chose Mariners Landing for both the wedding ceremony and reception.
During the week of the wedding, the weather forecast looked like it would rain on Saturday but the good news came on Thursday when the weather man announced that the rain would skip our area so a beautiful wedding day was planned for their outdoor event. The ceremony was on the Pointe Lawn with beautiful Smith Mountain Lake and mountains as the backdrop for their wedding. The Danville trio was placed under the gazebo which added a classic touch to the event.
The Blackwater Room at Mariners Landing was decorated with ivory and brown to accent the bridesmaids cinnamon dresses. The guest tables were draped with a mixture of Ivory Classic linens with Chocolate Lamour table runners and Brown Classic linens draped with Ivory Lamour table runners. Instead of the typical guest book, the Bride and Groom had a record made with their picture on it and matted for guests to sign which will add a unique decor piece to their home.
A few months ago I had received a phone call from a friend of the couples with a surprise that she needed help with. As a wedding coordinator when someone wants to do a "Surprise" for the Bride and Groom on their wedding day, I'll admit it scares me. However, without a doubt after meeting Kristen and Landon I knew the surprise would turn out terrific. After the guests had finished dinner the Bride and Groom had their special dances with their parents and then the party began with a huge hit. The DJ made an announcement about how the Bride and Groom had met at Virginia Tech and VT had one their away game that day, then all of a sudden the Virginia Tech Hokie Bird decked out in a tuxedo jacket and a boutonnière made an appearance and the guests went wild!!!! The Hokie Bird danced with the couple to Sandman and various other songs, had his picture taken with the happy couple then left for a short time to take pictures with other guests in a nearby hallway. He then revisited the Bride, Groom and their guests on the dance floor for a few more dances and slow songs. The couple was definitely surprised and everyone loved having the Hokie Bird at the wedding. One of the grandfathers at the wedding was extremely happy as he was the first of many generations of people in their family to attend Virginia Tech and had fun see the dancing with the Hokie Bird. The grandfather also shared with me that when he had attended VT there was only 3,000 students in attendance and he was so proud of how the school has grown.
Other special moments in the night included the Groom singing a surprise song to his Bride and a slideshow of pictures of the couple that was played after guests were done eating. Without a doubt it was a fun night for everyone and we were happy to be a part of Kristen and Landon's special day. Pictures will be coming from Christi Austin Photography soon!
Ceremony & Reception: Mariners Landing
Catering: Benjamin at the Pointe
Photographer: Christi Austin Photography
DJ: Sandi Conner
Flowers: Budget Designer Florals
Cake: Billie's Cakes
Ceremony & Reception: Mariners Landing
Catering: Benjamin at the Pointe
Photographer: Christi Austin Photography
DJ: Sandi Conner
Flowers: Budget Designer Florals
Cake: Billie's Cakes
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