The Lost Art of the Thank You Note...

There is something so wonderful about opening your mailbox to find a beautiful piece of stationery containing a heartfelt note of gratitude! It is such a simple act that brings such joy to the person receiving it but it seems these handwritten notes are starting to be few and far between! Here are a few tips straight from Peggy Post that will hopefully make this task easier for you!

Ten Do’s and Don’ts of Thank You Notes

1.Do personalize your notes and make reference to the person as well as the gift.

2.Do remember that a gift should be acknowledged with the same courtesy and generous spirit in which it was given.

3.Do be enthusiastic, but don’t gush. Avoid saying a gift is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen unless you really mean it.

4.Don’t send form letters or cards with printed messages and just your signature; don’t use email or post a generic thank you on your wedding web site in lieu of a personal note.

5.Do promptly acknowledge the receipt of shipped gifts by sending a note right away or calling and following up with a written note in a day or two.

6.Don’t mention that you plan to return a gift or that you are dissatisfied in any way.

7.Don’t tailor your note to the perceived value of the gift; no one should receive a perfunctory note.

8.Do refer to the way you will use a gift of money. Mentioning the amount is optional.

9.Don’t include photos or use photo cards if it will delay sending the note.

10.Don’t use being late as an excuse not to write. Even if you are still sending notes a year later, keep writing!

The bottom line is, we have all let Emily Post down at one point or another! Just remember to keep it simple, be sincere, write from the heart and send it out as quickly as possible!

Happy Writing!

*The "Thank You" Note featured above can be found on www.paper-source.com

Furry Friends at the Wedding...

Let’s face it – we all love our animals way too much!
I am crazy about our dog – General Patton!

So when my bride’s start to plan their most special day, they always ask, “How we can incorporate our family pet into the wedding?” Sometimes people want to have the pet at the wedding to participate in some way however logistics don’t always make this possible. Here are a few fun ways to include your furry family member in your most special day without having to break out the leash…

1. Postage: Perhaps you have an adorable photo of your pet that you can upload to www.zazzle.com and make it into custom postage for the save the dates or the invitations. This way each guest will receive the invite from the “whole” family!



2. Wedding Party: You could make the pet an honorary Bridesmaid, Groomsman, Flower girl or Ring bearer! You could take photos of the pets and frame them with a sign that says “Honorary Bridesmaids” and place them on the guestbook table where each guest can see your important family member!





3. Favors: Instead of having a traditional favor you could make a donation to your local animal shelter and then have your baker provide cookies in the shape of your pet with a tag that says “In Lieu of a favor, we have made a donation in your honor to Pet Helpers.”

Sarah and Matt - Lowndes Grove

Today's mixture of sunshine and rain made me think back to a beautiful wedding that I planned last June! All day the setup for Sarah and Matt's wedding had gone so smooth then one hour before the outdoor ceremony the sky opened up. It was pouring rain but thankfully about 15 minutes before the guests were set to arrive the clouds broke and the sun came out. We brought out brooms, mops, towels and began the quick clean up and ceremony flip. We moved the ceremony chairs to a dryer location and with the beautiful background of the Ashley River we were able to still give them the outdoor wedding of their dreams…

Thank you to Renee Brock for sharing these beautiful images!
Check her out at www.reneebrock.com

L-O-V-E...

Today is Valentine's Day and everyone has different ideas about how to celebrate! My husband and I usually do a card and nice dinner as our celebration! But on a holiday all about LOVE, I definately think back to our wedding day and how Blessed we were to be surrounded by LOVE! LOVE for each other, our families and our friends! Here are a few of my favorite images from our wedding day!

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you day is full of LOVE!!

Super Bowl Sunday Snacks that work at Saturday Night Affairs...

When considering the menu, I encourage brides not to over think it! If you are drawn to a classic menu item then ask the caterer if there is a way to take that item, dress it up and serve it during cocktail hour! Your guests will appreciate a classic and you will get to eat something you love on your wedding day! Here are a few examples of some of my favorite snacks that could go from super bowl Sunday to a Saturday night affair…

Pigs in a Blanket…FISH Catering serves this favorite as Franks in a Puff Pastry served with whole grain mustard!
http://www.patpropllc.com/

Chicken Fingers…Good Food Catering serves this favorite as Pecan Encrusted Chicken Breast Strips marinated in bourbon & brown sugar, served with honey mustard sauce!http://www.goodfoodcatering.net/

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches…Granville’s Catering serves this favorite as Mini Vermont White Cheddar Pimiento Grilled Cheese Sandwich!
http://www.granvillescafeandcatering.com/

Chips and Dips…Hamby Catering serves this favorite as Hot Artichoke Dip with Melba Rounds! http://www.hambycatering.com/

The sky is the limit on this so be creative!

Once you have determined your menu with your caterer then it’s time to schedule the tasting! This is meant to be a fun part of the planning process and to give you a sneak peek at what you can expect to see at your wedding! On TV the tasting goes like this…the bride and her future spouse arrive, the caterer brings out each item, the happy couple takes one bite and everything is perfect…well here in real world every tasting is not going to go that smooth, items are not always going to taste just as you thought and you may decide you want to adjust the menu! THAT IS OK!! I always encourage brides to speak their minds at the tastings because this is the last time before the wedding to make sure everything taste perfect for your big day! For example, if something is too salty or not salty enough, say so! If you thought the size of something would be smaller or larger, say so! Any good caterer will appreciate the feedback because they want your wedding to be perfect for you and for you to be happy with the final product!

These are a few of my favorite things...

I love taking an everyday item and repurposing it! It is fun to be creative with items and make them work for you! I tend to be drawn towards the pieces that feel more eclectic and vintage. Here are a few of my favorite things…

1.Mason Jars…they can be used as candle holders, favor jars or specialty cocktail glasses!

2.Cake Stands…they can hold centerpieces, family photos or favors! This would be really cute for a wedding, bridesmaid luncheon or rehearsal dinner too!

3.Tea Cups….they can be used as cake toppers or you could float a single bloom in one as an accent on tables! At my wedding, I used my grandmother's teacup as my cake topper as a way to honor her on my wedding day! I like to think she was there the whole day!

4.Birdcages…they can be used to hold cards on the gift table or as a guest book where each guest can leave wishes for the bride and groom! And thanks to spray paint we can make them match or compliment any color scheme!

5.Postcards…they can be used as fun save the dates, left in a welcome bag with the itinerary for the wedding weekend, or they can be at the wedding for guests to leave a message to be mail to the bride and groom later! It is always fun to drop those messages in the mail while the newly weds are on there honeymoon knowing that when they return they will have tons of loving messages waiting on them at their new home!

Have a Blessed day!

Something Old, Something New...

If you have ever been in an bridal suite hours before a wedding then you have probably heard some variation of the saying "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue." Since this is a older tradition very few people these days realize that there is actually another sentence at the end of this saying. The whole saying is "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue. And a silver sixpense in her shoe."

The Something Old is meant to symbolize the bride's link to her family. Generally the "old" item is a piece of family jewelry or a piece of a family garment. Any bride would be luck to receive this pair of antique earrings.

The Something New is meant to symbolize good luck and success in their new marriage. Generally the "new" item is the wedding dress but can also be a wedding band or new jewelry that was purchased for the wedding. I adore this Anne Barge dress...

The Something Borrowed should be "given" to the bride by a happily married friend which will symbolize the friend giving some of their marital bliss to the bride to carry into their new marriage. It can be a piece of jewelry, a sorority pin to be pinned into the lining of the gown or a hankerchief that all of your friends have carried on their wedding day. I was a Kappa Delta at the College of Charleston so if I had "borrowed" a sorority pin it would have looked like this.

The Something Blue is meant to symbolize faithfulness and loyalty towards your husband. Traditionally the garter has the blue detailing but these days it can be found on shoes and under garments too!


The Sixpence in her shoe is meant to symbolize wealth and finicial security in the future. It is said that for the sixpence to bring the most luck it should be in the left shoe!

Have fun putting your "somethings" together!