Brides Against Breast Cancer

I'm always excited when Brides Against Breast Cancer comes to town. They are a non-profit organization that travels from city to city with designer wedding gowns. For brides, it's a chance to find the perfect wedding dress, save up to 85%, and help those impacted by cancer. 
I have volunteered the last few years when the tour came to Atlanta. This year I am super excited because I have been asked to be the city coordinator. Once again, I get to be a part of a unique and rewarding event. 
The gown sale takes place April 6th and 7th. Brides, please visit www.bridesabc.org for more information and to register to attend. Happy shopping!

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Brides Against Breast Cancer Gown Sale

Brides if you are looking for a wedding gown and want to help a great cause at the same time, then come to Brides Against Breast Cancer Gown Sale at Atlanta Marriott Northwest this weekend. See you there!

Turn up the lights in here....I want you to see this!

A recent Association of Bridal Consultants Atlanta meeting is my inspiration for this post. I enjoy being an active member of this organization so much so that I assist in planning our regular meetings. This particular meeting was about transforming a room with lighting.



You have several options to choose from such as break up patterns, pin spotting centerpieces or washing the walls with color. Here are some beautiful pictures I found where lighting did just that at wedding receptions.



Remember to include lighting in your wedding planning budget.
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Wish Upon a Wedding Atlanta Launch Party

Last Thursday night, I attended the Wish Upon a Wedding Atlanta launch party.



Wish Upon a Wedding is the first non-profit wish granting organization that provides weddings for terminally ill individuals. The organization was founded in January by Liz Guthrie of California. Since then, many chapters have started in cities all across the United States.



The Atlanta chapter's launch was at The Mansion Elan. The board of directors put together a very entertaining event for attendees. The entertainment included aerial artists.



The guests, which included industry pros, volunteers, and future wish recipients, were also entertained by fire artists, and stilt walkers.



There were so many choices of hot food to eat as well as some great desserts. Including this tempting smores station.

ABC at Georgian Terrace Hotel

I love it when it is time for our Association of Bridal Consultants meetings. This time, we decided to go the the Georgian Terrace Hotel in Midtown Atlanta.

The busy hotel was recently renovated, but still remains a classic in Atlanta.

There are several ballrooms in the hotel and private dining rooms in the hotel's restaurant the Livingston to choice from for your next event.

A big part of our meetings is education. This week, our guest was Maxine from Edge Design Group who did a wonderful emergency flower demonstration for us.

ABC Regional Conference

Last weekend, I traveled to Huntsville, Alabama to attend the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) Southeast Regional Conference at the Westin Hotel. I am proud to be a member of ABC, which is the oldest and largest group of wedding professionals in the world.

We enjoyed two days of wonderful activities starting with a book signing and networking session, a welcome reception, and a priceless round table discussion in our pajamas Saturday night!

Sunday's session was jam packed full of great food and wonderful speakers. First up was David Wood the President of ABC. We also heard from Shinar Hurd, Shay Freeman, and a representative from Sandals Resorts. Our headline speakers were the very talented author and wedding planner Mary Dann and author and magnificent designer Sasha Souza.

I had to take a picture of this adorable cake before they cut it. It was the perfect end to an exciting experience.

Tablescapes

As a member of ABC (Association of Bridal Consultants) I get to participate in wonderful educational and networking meetings. At our March meeting, we had an exciting tablescape competition at 550 Trackside.


If you are environmentally conscious, you can do great things with a green themed table. Notice the cute party crashers at the table?

In February, I had the pleasure of being invited to Get Married A Toast to the South Soiree at Opera. There was a breathtaking mirrored table designed by Bold American Events & Catering.

As you can see from these great designs, you don't have to have a boring standard table design for your wedding, rehearsal dinner, shower, or any other event in your plans. Be creative!

Brides Against Breast Cancer Gown Sale

Brides,
It is that time of year again!

Who: Brides Against Breast Cancer
What: Gown Sale
Where: The Defoor Centre located 1710 Defoor Avenue NW Atlanta, GA 30318
When: Sneak Preview Event! Thursday 01/28/2010: 6:00pm - 10:00pm (Reservations required for this ticketed event)
Friday 01/29/2010: 10am - 8pm (Free and open to the public)
Saturday 01/30/2010: 10am - 6pm (Free and open to the public)
Why: The gown sale allows brides-to-be a chance to find the gown of their dreams at a great price, while helping to make wishes and memory-making events come true!

Shrimp and Grits

A great southern style dish for your wedding reception is shrimp and grits. It is a very tasty combo. Comfort food is a wonderful name for food that everyone knows, loves, and is comfortable with. Serving it in a martini glass makes it even more stylish and allows your guests to mingle while enjoying every bite. I enjoyed every bite of mine at an ISES event earlier this year.

Happy Birthday ISES!

Last week I attended the Atlanta Chapter of ISES 20TH birthday celebration at Hotel Palomar. It was wonderful to see 19 of the 20 presidents in attendance. I have been a member long enough to see three of them in action.

We rolled out the delicious birthday cake and watched the first president and the current Atlanta chapter president blow out the candles to call an end to the awards, dinner, and dessert celebration downstairs. Then it was time to head up to the rooftop for the rest of the night.

I absolutely love the hotel's fire pits and cabanas!

Walk the Dinosaur

Last week, I attended an International Special Events Society (ISES) meeting at Fernbank Natural History Museum here in Atlanta. I took this picture of the partial table set up because I wanted you to see the fabulous chocolate brown and hot pink color combination.



The meeting was held in the Great Hall Atrium under a glass ceiling. I walked up one of the many spiral staircases and enjoyed a beautiful view of the room and the trees outside.

I had a great time networking, eating dinner at the table with, and listening to our personal productivity expert speaker Peggy Duncan surrounded by two very large dinosaurs.

At the end of the night, everyone got to enjoy a delicious piece of the chocolate Valentine's centerpiece. It was a delicious end to a great night.

Holiday Social

Last night I attended an International Special Events Society (ISES) holiday social for members at Atlanta Woman's Club. This was my first time visiting the facility formerly known as Wimbish Mansion, so I was excited about finally seeing the inside.


Located on Peachtree Street, I have passed by the building hundreds of times and seen event going socializing on the southern porch many times.

The facility has three levels. The main ballroom is on the lower level and has beautiful decorative gold moldings. This is a wonderful place to have an event right in the heart of Atlanta.

Sweet tooth

Earlier this week I attended an Association of Bridal Consultants meeting at Chocolate Pink. I have a bit of a sweet tooth so I could hardly wait to get to this trendy pastry cafe. Let's just say that I was not disappointed.






First, we had fun taking silly pictures in a photo booth that was brought in just for us to enjoy. Then we were treated to fantastic chair massages from a local massage therapist . I have not had a massage in awhile, so I really needed one.

The food by their exclusive caterer Taste was delicious. I enjoyed a Chocolate Pink martini and of course I made several trips to the pastry table.

When you enter on the street level, you may not even notice that they have a great event room upstairs. This cozy spot is perfect for intimate bridal showers, birthday parties, or corporate meetings. The downtown Atlanta skyline can be enjoyed through their floor to ceiling windows.