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!!!

Aztec Rental Center is a very popular local business in our area.  I have had the pleasure of working with Aztec Rental Center on many weddings with my Brides in the area.  Lori is a wonderful person to work with at the Salem location so be sure to visit one of the local showrooms to see what items that can provide you for your wedding.

What is the name of your business?

> Aztec Rental Center>>
>

What services do you offer to Brides?

>Rentals for weddings, reception and showers. Everything from tents, tables and chairs. to china, stemware and flatware. Also a large variety of linens in many colors and fabircs, not to mention centerpieces  and serving items!
>

How many years have you been in the rental business?

>Since the 1970's
>

Do you only offer rental items in our local area or do you deliver out of state?

>We typically service south western virginia and surrounding areas.
>

What types of items are typically rented for a wedding?

>Tents, tables chairs, linens and china, flatwar and stemware
>

Do you offer items to rent for other types of events?

>We have rental items for parties , such as bounce houses, dunking tanks and other games. We also provide concession items, such as cotton candy , sno-cone and popcorn machines, and a large variety of costumes. Also items for theme parties,  such as western, nautical and tropical. >

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>>Where can a Bride find out more information about your business?

>Visit our website at www.aztecrental.com or visit one of our showrooms. We have locations in Salem, Lynchburg, Blacksburg and Smith Mountain Lake >

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>>How can a Bride or Groom contact you?

>We can be contacted by phone or email or in person at a location near you. We are open 7:30 am till 5:30 pm Monday thru Saturday.
>

Any additional information you would like to include?

We are locally owned and operated.  We have knowledge to share about most venues in our area and have good  working relationships with many caterers, florists and event planners.

Here is a great interview with John McCormick Photography

What is the name of your business? 

In the past few weeks I've had Brides come to the boutique from various states to start planning their 2009/2010 weddings.  After our meetings if they aren't familiar with our area the last question of the day is - where can we go eat???  My obvious answer is Joe's Pizza since they are right next door to us but there are a ton of locations in our area so I thought I would help out the economy a little bit by giving some free advertising for our local dining spots.  I haven't listed every location but some of the more popular and my favorite locations are listed.  I'm sorry if I missed anyone, feel free to add comments about your favorite place to eat as well.

The Blackwater Cafe - 4730 Scruggs Road, Moneta 721-4333

Cassa D' Amici - 1100 Celebration Ave., Moneta 296-1391

Mei's China City - 400 Scruggs Road, Moneta 721-2646

Chopsticks Chinese Restaurant - Bridgewater Plaza, Moneta  721-8839

Downtown Pizzeria - 1100 Celebration Ave, Moneta  297-1269

Fallon's Restaurant - 15812 Moneta Road, Moneta  297-4562 (Closed for Remodeling)

Harrison's at Sunset Cay - 1336 Campers Paradise trail, Moneta 297-3444 (Closed during Winter)

Hot Shots - Route 122, Moneta  719-1547

Joe's Pizza & Italian Restaurant - 130 Scruggs Road, Moneta  721-2422 (Located right next to us)

Landing Restaurant - Bernard's Landing, Moneta  721-3028

Mexico Viejo - 404 Crazy Horse Drive, Moneta 719-1000
                    - 16547 Moneta Road, Moneta  297-5900

Michael's Pizza & Pasta - 16483 Moneta Road, Moneta  297-8900

Moosie's - Route 122, Moneta  721-5255

The Sportsmans Restaurant - 16111 SML Parkway  297-7900

The White House Restaurant - Huddleston  297-7104

New York Pizza - 13314 BTW Hwy, Moneta  721-4880

Benjamin's at The Pointe - Mariners Landing  297-4900

Reds, Wines & Blues - 400 Scruggs Road, Moneta  721-6445

Vierra's Restaurant - Morewood Road, Hardy  721-2058

Virginia Dare Cruise Boat - 800-721-3273

Westlake Golf & Country Club Restaurant - 360 Chestnut Creek Drive, Hardy  721-4215

MacDaddy's Seafood Restaurant - 1050 Hendrick's Store Road 297-7650

We also have the following restaurants opening in Spring/Summer 2009:
- Japanese style steak house and sushi bar opening in Downtown Moneta
- El Torito Mexican Restaurant will be moving to Lake Watch Plantation
- Jonathan's coming to Lakewatch Plantation which is an American fusion restaurant
- Smith Mountain Lake Smokehouse
- Hadley's Coffee House & Cafe
- Burgers & Dawgs

The Pointe at Mariners Landing has entered into a partnership with Ben McGhee, owner of Benjamin's in Forrest.  Benjamin's at The Pointe will oversee food and beverages service for the restaurant and conference facilities also offering off site catering.  Benjamin's at The Pointe will offer a new look and new style to Mariners Landing.

Some of our larger restaurants can also be a perfect location for your rehearsal dinner so be sure to ask me which ones may be suitable for your event.  Smith Mountain Lake Weddings is just a phone call or click away.

Are you looking for table linens for your wedding reception?  Linens are a must for wedding décor and Smith Mountain Lake Weddings is proud to offer fine linens at affordable prices.  No matter what your budget, style, color choices or location for your wedding we have what you need to enhance your wedding décor. 

Here are some linen tips:

- White chair covers aren’t the only option to cover unsightly chairs for your ceremony or reception.  Smith Mountain Lake Weddings offers chair covers in various colors, fabrics and sizes to choose from.  Make sure that you have your venue or wedding coordinator measure the chair size for you so that you will be sure to have the correct chair cover.  >> 

- When choosing chair covers you will also be able to choose from a variety of chair sashes in various fabrics, colors.  Smith Mountain Lake Weddings also offers stretch chair bands which are very stylish to use with chair covers or on white folding chairs at the ceremony

 - Going Green?  If you are an environmentally conscious bride who wants to keep things "green" for your wedding consider our new table linen made from recycled plastic bottles.  For more information send us an email at kerry@SMLWeddings.com.

 - Don’t choose your wedding linen from only seeing a picture on a computer screen.  Always request to see a fabric sample in person before placing your final order with a linen company because colors on a computer screen can be very different then the actual color.  We offer fabric swatch books at our boutique so Brides can see and feel the fabrics before they are ordered.

- Table linens at your reception should go to the floor, don't let your table legs be seen by your guests.

- White linens are not always cheaper than solid color table linens.  Smith Mountain Lake Weddings offers solid colored linens for the same price as white linens so opt to add color to your tables.

Smith Mountain Lake Weddings not only offers table linens, chair covers and table accessories we also offer full service delivery, setup and takedown for your wedding linens.  We proudly service the Smith Mountain Lake area as well as Roanoke, Lynchburg, Martinsville and surrounding counties.  We will make sure that you receive your linens on time and are setup properly to reduce stress on your wedding day. 

>>

For a free linen quote for your wedding event go to www.kerrykeeney.com/Linen_Rentals .  To schedule an appointment at Smith Mountain Lake Weddings to go through our linen swatches or to see samples of linens, chair covers and other linen accessories contact us at kerry@SMLWeddings.com or 540-493-0928.