Real Wedding: Kelly + Charles: Duke Gardens

Last summer I had the privilege of being a part of Kelly and Charles' wedding at the always beautiful Duke Gardens! They had such a fun, laid back attitude that made planning so enjoyable. We worked with a great vendor team to bring their visions to reality - and they sprinkled in a few fun DIY elements that made the event super unique! I especially loved their giant tissue paper daisies as a photo booth backdrop! What you don't see in these pictures if the night before - when they hosted their rehearsal dinner at the Duke Fencing gym that Charles trained at while in college. The whole weekend was so much fun and unique - which is how I would describe these too!
























Thanks to all our awesome vendors!
Photography: Casey Rose Photography
Planner: Courtney with C&D Events
Rentals: American Party Rentals
 Ceremony and Reception Music: Arioso Strings



Brigitte & Jimmy: Barn at Valhalla

I am so excited to share this wedding with you all! I met Brigitte last fall and we instantly clicked. I loved her vision and her laid back attitude. We knew her day would be interesting, fun, and of course gorgeous. It did not disappoint! Half the wedding was from out of town and they all came to have good time. Brigitte had painstakingly made all her bouquets out of paper and the result was stunning. We loved the mix of cultures and the food was seriously ah-mazing! Rocky Top knocked it out of the park. I could not eat enough of the Korean Short Ribs. It was so yummy! The day was flawless and went so smoothly. A lot in part to my awesome vendor team (listed below). I love when the team is comprised of not only professionals, but friends! We had a blast chatting with AJ and Kyle and watching JD do his thing DJ'ing the night away. Thank you Brigitte and Jimmy for letting us share in your special day! It was perfect!

Enjoy Pictures from the talented AJ Dunlap.





























Vendor List:
Caterers- Rocky Top Catering
Rentals- CE Rental
Photography- AJ Dunlap Photography
Event Planner- C and D Events


Top 16: Clients!


Welcome back to our series "Top 16 in 2016"! Today I want to speak about our clients! We LOVE our clients over here! For many of them, by the end of the planning process, we have become quite good friends. This year is no exception! We have some pretty awesome clients that are throwing some spectacular events this year! Let me list the top 3 reasons we love them!

1. They are so creative - Our brides have such great style! I am digging all the looks we have going on this year from clean and crisp to moody and bohemian. I love it when you first start talking design with a clients and you hone in on their vision and you can see it in their eyes when you have nailed it! You know at that point you are speaking the same language and the end product is going to be incredible but most of all you know they are going to love it on the day!

2. Quality over quantity - We have been seeing this great shift over here both at the Bradford and with C and D clients toward smaller weddings. Let me tell you how much I LOVE this trend. Not only does it make clients think about who is really important to them and who they really want to witness their wedding but it allows for so much room in the budget for amazing food and over the top details. As a planner of details this makes me so excited!

3. Guest focused - Our clients this year are super focused on their guests! While the day IS about the Bride and Groom - we have noticed how grateful our clients are for their friends and families making the trip to celebrate with them on their wedding day. This translates into great welcome bags, shuttles to and from hotels, creative favors, and personal Thank you speeches that make guests feel special and honored at the wedding. We love a thoughtful client!

While there are many more reasons we love our clients - we thought we would just share the top 3 with you and maybe give a few ideas for your own events! Have a great weekend, Courtney

Ruth and Matt

Hello again! Hope everyone is enjoying this Tuesday - today I want to share with you one of my favorite weddings from 2015! First of all Ruth was GREAT to work with - she is funny, smart, and has realistic expectations! A planner could not ask for more - Secondly she made the sound decisions of booking the Bradford, Hiring C and D to coordinate, and Bushel and Peck to design - I mean clearly the girl has taste:) All that aside - the day was dreamy - one of those days where you love what you do and everything goes perfectly! She was so happy all day (As you can see in the pictures) and her family and friends were the sweetest people! I loved her romantic blush and grey color scheme with vintage overtones - it complimented the venue perfectly! My favorite part of the day was the ceremony! Ruth's Dad, who is a local pastor, officiated and it was the sweetest ceremony I have ever witnessed (and I have seen a lot!) You could tell how much he loved her and how much prayer and nurturing went into making Ruth the gorgeous woman that she is today! Enjoy the pics to follow - they were captured by Cole with Blest studios and he was the icing on a beautiful cake of a day!

Do they make happier brides??

Handsome groom!

Seriously my favorite picture taken at a wedding EVER!

The day was filled with prayer and celebration - you left there feeling blessed to be a part of it!

Sweetest ceremony in our back garden area!


Gorgeous Bridal Party 

SO much fun!

Adventuring in our woods...

Appetizers!

So good....
Loved all the gold details sprinkled about

Seriously a fairytale on our terrace!
My Favorite Rose featured here!


Sweetheart table centered on the door

Happy Couple!

Is this not the prettiest sky?!

Beautiful ending to a perfect day!

Vendors

Venue: the Bradford
Coordinator: C and D Events
Flowers: Bushel and Peck Designs
Photographer: Blest Studio
Caterer: Green Planet Catering