I could not have been more thrilled to have been a part of such a lovely couple’s big day. I’ve known Matt’s family for a large part of my life, and it’s hard for us to remember a time before Lauren. They’re a fantastic couple and were so easy to work with and please!

  

Lauren and Matt, along with his brother Marc, make up the band Mickey Finn. Music is a huge part of their lives, and as a huge music fan myself, I knew I had to pull through on the little touches as much as possible.

After researching weddings for so long on the Internet, I knew Lauren was seeking something more than the rustic theme that has been in style for so long. We brainstormed with as many ideas as possible trying to reinvent the wheel. I’d like to think it was a huge success, and the wedding had this really cool chic and elegant vibe.

  

The head table and the altar decor had to be my favorite part which both sparkled at opposite ends of the room really tying everything together.

    

You can’t imagine what a little pop of color from cotton candy favors can add to a room, but believe it or not, it really helped intensify the ambience Lauren was seeking.

A couple ceremony shots!

  

A huge thank you to Mom, Dad and my Grandpap Foster for working so hard to get the top of the bar finished. It is so much easier to transport! Not to mention, it looks fantastic! Also, a special shout out to Janna at Babycakes with her always phenomenal cupcakes and displays!

A special thank you to all of the Carey and Baker family members that helped get everything set up and tore down! And a huge thank you to Ms. Loretta Goddard for spending her day off to help Mom and I set up, she doesn’t realize how much her help was needed and appreciated!

One final candle-lit shot of the night!

Thanks for letting me be such a huge part of your big day, Lauren and Matt. I wish nothing but the absolute best for you both!

60 years is 21,900 days. 60 years is four children, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. It is lots of laughter, tears, struggles, and triumphs. 60 years is how long my sweet, amazing grandparents have been married. On a late February Saturday, the 25 of us gathered to celebrate and honor such an accomplishment.

Married on New Year’s Eve in 1954, my grandparents have accomplished something that seems so unheard of these days. Lots of love and hard work is what it has taken, and their love story will always remain the one I certainly adore the most.

Of course, no anniversary party can go untouched by Mom, Aunt Dawna and I! I’ve been so excited to share these diamond details with everyone since we started planning, even if it didn’t end up exactly how we planned.

 

Nearly last minute on that Saturday, we had to scramble to find a replacement venue when the original venue cancelled on us a very unprofessional six hours before the dinner! Not only did we have to find a place that was able to provide dinner, we also had to find a place willing to accommodate 25 bodies and mouths! We want to thank Guest House in Moundsville for willingly accommodating us on such short notice, and allowing us to bring in our decorations and beautiful cake we had made. Also, thanks so much to the ONLY waiter working for the night who not only cared for our large party, but also each of the other patrons that night. He also did so without removing a smile even though I am sure he wanted to a time or two with how busy he was that evening. (Excuse the poor quality photos, they were taken with my very old and very crummy Windows phone. Also, please excuse the delay in posting. I’ve been waiting to get my iPhone so I could flawlessly make this post since my computer is also not cooperating. We just have to love technology, right?!)

  

 Originally posted May 7, 2015.

I have a lot of neat opportunities that have popped up lately. I am so excited to be taking on my very first full wedding. Lauren and Matt are the sweetest, cutest, funniest couple. It probably helps I’ve known Matt’s family for quite a long time, but I cannot express how excited I am to help Lauren and Matt bring their visions to life.
We’ve already met a handful of times, and the ideas bouncing around in this little group are already awesome. Creating tablescapes and centerpieces has to be one of my favorite parts of the job. I got incredibly lucky to have that creative eye for such things. I am so anxious, I already want to share the ideas and brainstorms with everyone, but I cannot wait until the big day so we can reveal all of our ideas and surprises.

So as my mom and I were out and about doing some research for the Carey-Baker wedding, we stopped by Full Circle Wedding Consignment shop in Elm Grove Terrace. We met the owner, Carrie, and she was absolutely wonderful. The more we talked about what I was doing, the more excited the both of us got. She said if I was looking for a part time job while starting the business, she’d love to offer me a job when and if she could. I gave her my name and number, and she sent me a message that night to set up an interview! That was on a Thursday, I had the interview on Monday, she offered me the job on Tuesday, and my first day was Wednesday!

I can not even begin to say how excited I am to begin this chapter as it will expose me to more brides and hosts of other events. I had a woman the other day tell me she knows what she likes, but doesn’t know what looks good and doesn’t want to have to decorate. I was excited to share with her my ideas because that is the part I love. It reassured me that I am doing the right thing with life and it is what I truly love. I can not wait for my business to take off, and I can’t believe I am finally pursuing something I love.
Originally posted January 30, 2015.

So far, you’ve seen nothing I’ve done before. I’ve helped with and/or done a few different events leading up until now, and I was originally planning on a separate post for each. Realizing that I haven’t sat down before now to do individual blogs for each, I don’t know what would make me have time or patience at this stage of starting my own business, I’m going to combine it in to one post with pictures and small explanations along the way.
I would pinpoint the first true event that piqued my interest as my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary party. I had helped my mom and aunt plan and decorate. Unfortunately, I am unable to locate any pictures from their party at this time. Hopefully I will come across some later, and post them as a throwback Thursday post. Then Mom and I can look back and see our many improvements!

I guess what really made me decide I thought I could do this was when we began to plan my cousin Karah’s wedding. We spent countless hours meeting and planning for both the bridal shower and reception. It was blast and turned out perfect. Karah and Mark had their wedding ceremony in Maui, Hawaii and that is why they decided on the tropical theme. To this day, I still think it’s the best reception I have ever attended.

Bridal Shower

          
Just a few from the reception.

        
Next, we did a few decorations within the same month for a family friend’s wedding.

    
This is all some pretty early work (2004 and 2008). I am going to wrap this post up now because the very next post includes events four years later. I’m really hoping this four year break in between significant events doesn’t become a trend!
originally posted November 12, 2014.

I’m back. One nearly defeating experience, one bad break up, one career in another aspect of this business, one year submerged in my other love (live music), and one year later, I’ve got new-found confidence and love for this business. Reading through countless other blogs, I’ve realized blogging is mostly very personal which is why I know it is alright to share my frustrations. Making them public for everyone to see helps you put it all behind and not go back to those old habits.
I’ve learned a lot over the past year:
1. Doing business with family isn’t always in your best interest.

2. You can’t fix everyone even if you think that is what you were put on this earth to do. A pessimist and an optimist in a relationship only results in a toxic relationship that will never get better. (Unfortunately I wasted over half a year post-relationship realizing that.)

3. You have to take time away from everything that is stressing you and do the things you love.

    I’m a social person; I always have been, always will be. I’ve learned that I always attract those of the opposite sex that don’t understand my kind. I absolutely love my outgoing personality, and it makes working with the public much easier. My favorite form of social media is Twitter. I am an avid tweeter, and I have Twitter to thank for bringing many people into my life. We share a common love for live music, and I have met many fans and musicians alike by simply tweeting about what I love. Music brings people together, and music heals. This past year has proved to me exactly why I love the music I do. I have made so many friends and created so many bonds, and I am forever thankful. The best times of my life have been spent at live shows with amazing people just this past year. I do not regret for one second that I took a year to travel to different places to experience all this. It is just what my soul needed, and now I am back on track.

I am going to continue to travel for music. I’ve found my true friends. I have found someone who is the same kind of different as me, and things are looking great for my future in all aspects of life. Looking forward, I am so glad I have re-found my love for this business. This past week I have really delved into it all, and I am feeling so happy and rewarded already. I met with my very first “official” client this weekend and that consult gave me just the confidence I’ve been seeking. My biggest worry isn’t necessarily failure, but I am scared to death to leave a client unsatisfied. Customer service is my biggest concern, and I am frightened that I will leave someone unhappy.

Having said all that, welcome on this journey with me. You’ll be reading about weddings and all sorts of events, mostly, but you’ll certainly hear about the friends I’ve met, the music I adore, and most of all, my endless pursuit to make every person that I encounter feel a little bit better (and customer service). You’ll read about frustrations (which I have learned not to be scared to share), and you’ll read about mistakes, goals and achievements. I am excited to have my whole career and life ahead of me!
Originally posted November 10, 2014.

About Me
I’ve always been fascinated by parties and events. I have a wild imagination, and when I was a child, I loved pretending to be someone else. I had imaginary friends, and “we” often put on plays. Doing that allowed me to feel like a movie star. It is such a glamorous idea, and from the outside, it sure looks like a glamorous life (even though I do realize they are just regular people, too.) But honestly, I credit that to where it all started.

See, when having parties or events, the person the event is being held for is the center of attention. They should be allowed to feel like a glamorous movie star, rock star, celebrity, what have you. To me, there is nothing like that feeling of fulfillment (and luckily, it comes without media attention 24/7, 365.) I would absolutely love to be able to create that type of atmosphere for others.

When I was about seven, my mom purchased a book for me called “Slumber Party Book.” It had so many different ideas for sleep over parties, and I would daydream about those parties. I honestly believe that book has much to do with me becoming an event planner.

  
 And here are just two of the parties listed in the book:

                                   The Cowgirl Party

  

                                  The Music Video Party 

  
This one was by far my favorite, and I was convinced it was going to happen. Sadly, it never did, and I always had seemingly normal sleep over parties.

I loved school dances. Getting dressed up to go dancing all night was so appealing to me. Every time I would come home, I would tell Mom each one was “the best one ever.” She still makes fun of me for it. Anyway, it seemed they always got better. I loved being around large amounts of people, and trust me, I was always hosting or going to after parties.

When I was a junior in high school, I begged my parents to let me host a dinner party for all of my “couple friends.” It was around Christmas time, and it was the perfect backdrop for my dinner party because I didn’t have to do any more decorating; it was already done for me. But I honestly love to decorate as long as Mom doesn’t nag to the point of annoyance about helping her. The point is I highly doubt that any other of my friends were begging their parents to allow them to host a dinner party for a group of high school students. I loved it though. I love entertaining, I love decorating, and I LOVE getting dressed up.

I truly believe everyone should be able to feel that way. A chance to escape the real world for a little while and pretend our lives are a little more glamorous than we tend to think they actually may be. That is what I hope to achieve with every event I help to create. I want you and yours to feel special, if only for a small time because you deserve it whether you live in Hollywood or not. No one ever said those are the only people allowed to feel that way. I mean, after all, I can’t be the only one who pretends she could walk a red carpet. Or maybe I am, and I am totally crazy, but I wouldn’t be here without the crazy imagination I have. And I certainly would not be able to create dream events. I’m a dreamer, and I do believe dreams can come true.
Originally posted August 1, 2013.