Main Regret?

The one thing our couples regret the MOST after their wedding is if they choose to not have a videographer.

WATC feels a VIDEOGRAPHER is a MUST!

Many people carry a stereotype of a cheesy 'wedding videographer' in their minds.......but we'll guarantee you this; the videos have come SUCH a long way. They are actually referred to in many instances, as cinematography.

There is no other way to truly capture that same raw emotion that you experience on your wedding day. Of course, we love photography; but firmly believe that a video captures things that a photo cannot. Plus, how special would it be on your 60th wedding anniversary, to flash back in time to hear your weddings vows spoken for the first time again.....to actually relive your day....see people that have passed on.....see the youth of your family and friends that may not be anymore.

Two of our favorite wedding cinematographers are DREAMLIGHT FILMS and SFS PRODUCTIONS. Check out their sites and examples. They truly bring a tear to our eyes even if they aren't clients of ours!

We strongly encourage you to find the extra budget to incorporate a wedding cinematographer. We PROMISE it will be money well spent.

Happy Planning!

QUIZ TIME!

Quiz: What's the one thing that our brides WISH they could change about their wedding?

Check back in a couple days and I'll reveal the answer! (comment on this post and let's see how many people answer correctly!)

Get your Wordle!

Wordle is a blast - give it a whirl if you have a blog!

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

the RIMANY's!!!

Do we have any Simpsons fans out there?!?

Well we definitely found some at our last wedding. I WISH I could post sound clips here! Ok, we all know the opening song to 'the Simpsons'......well how about our couple hired a friend to dub over the opening, where instead of saying 'the Simpsons', you heard, 'the Rimany's'.....it was HILARIOUS!!! The guests loved it.

Jamie and Josh were amazing. Two very strong willed people who truly love each other. When they first met, they couldn't STAND each other....but there's a thin line between love and hate, right??

Josh, our handsome groom, is a corageous cancer survivor (hence the Armstrong ice sculpture, which was a surprise by his bride). We are so proud of you Josh!

Jamie was a sweet girl who was quite the STUNNING MINX when she opened up to us!! We fell in love with her personality so much, she recently joined us for a girls' night out!

Enjoy these pics as they just scratch the surface of illustrating the AMAZING day on July 19th.

ALSO !!!

Josh and Jamie recently opened DILWORTH DRUG off of East Blvd.... PLEASE consider supporting your local community and using them for your pharmacy of choice!

Vendors: Kristin Vining Photography, the LOOK hair and makeup, Founders Hall, By Design, Cheesecake Etc, Ice Sensations, Elizabeth House, Sonoma Catering, St. Peters Episcopal

Economic Bruising.....

Ouch....

First it's fighting the gas prices and trying to organize car pooling to avoid driving.......now the economic 'cloud' has been felt in the wedding industry. Many of our brides are contemplating delaying their wedding because of financial uncertainty. Should they go with the Spring 2009 wedding which is their first choice, or should they opt for late Fall 2009 in order to save more?? Do they select the Prada shoe......or do they order online through a discounter? The parents that promised to pay for the daughter's wedding in full, are suddenly faced with the harsh reality that dad lost his job a couple months ago and can't fulfill his promise.

It's SUCH a tough call. A recent wedding of ours expected 175 guests (as they invited around 250) and were a little bummed that the reception showed 116. Many of the guests were quite apologetic but knew they couldn't pay thousands for flights, and the common economical 'drive' wasn't quite so economical any longer. It's sad and we at WATC make every effort to work with our couples and give them the AMAZING day for which they have dreamed of......while constantly trying to stick to the suggested budget and work every penny for all it's worth.

Meet Cortenay Matters!!

We are so pleased and excited to announce the newest member of Weddings and the City, CORTENAY MATTERS!

Here are a few tid-bits on this sassy mom of TWINS, Taylor & Hannah - 2yrs!

Why she is an asset to Weddings and the City...
* LOVES DETAILS...considers herself a perfectionist.
* Tremendous background; specifically regarding food and beverage.
* Crunches numbers and finds creative ways to work those budgets.

What she loves about the wedding...
* Exceeding bride & groom's wedding day expectations.
* Delivering on a promise.
* Father/Daughter Dance.

On top of everything else, Cortenay is also currently serving as the President of the Charlotte Chapter of NACE (National Association of Catering Executives)!!! GO GIRL!!

MyCharlotteWedding.com

As planners, we always look for fabulous avenues in order to help select prime vendors for our brides. For those of you who do NOT know about the website MyWedding.com, please allow us to introduce it - it's FABULOUS!

And we are now Proud New Members!!

Tons of resources on there and it competes neck and neck

with other popular sites.

Be sure to click on image to check out the site... let us know if you have any questions or would like to speak further about your OWN wedding details!!! It's your day to have ALL your dreams come true - we are available to execute just that.

~ Happy Planning!

We aren't ready to say goodbye!!!

The ONLY bad thing about the actual wedding day is.......... IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR US TO HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE TO OUR BRIDE/GROOM AND FAMILY!! We feel a sense of abandonment during the honeymoon as we don't get the daily calls/emails from our sweet couples. Separating is TOUGH!

WATC just has the BEST brides.... Lindsey Clark and Derrick Morgan proved that point.

What a FUN couple....did I mention they are both just gorgeous too?

Lindsey and Derrick married at the Dairy Barn in Fort Mill...outside under the big oak trees draped in white paper lanterns.........the guests had a BEAUTIFUL view as it overlooked a rolling pasture. The rain was so kind to hold off until most everyone was in the reception!

Another perk to Lindsey and Derrick.... ROBIN! (the vivacious jewelry guru mother of the bride who I initially thought was her SISTER!!) Then there was TWO BEER TOOL MAN TOM - the Father of the bride. We love you guys!

This couple is surrounded by love and smiles and it made our job seem so easy. They get the prize for the MOST COOPERATIVE bridal party EVER!! (except for when groomsman Tripp hijacked the reception centerpiece.......)

~ Congrats to Lindsey and Derrick Morgan ~

You were truly a favorite to work with....

All images courtesy of Kristin Vining Photography

Decor & More...

We have recently become OBSESSED with Style Me Pretty. Be sure to check out the latest on Paper Lanterns, Parasols and more...

Luna Bazaar - FUN STUFF!!!

Fun with Save the Dates!

So, you just got your ring and you've set the date! Why not share it with all your friends and family!? Sending Save the Date cards is a FABULOUS way to begin setting the tone for your special day and it allows your guests to clear the calendar to ensure their attendance.

TIPS...

- Use fun ideas and be creative.

- Make it PERSONAL!

- Don't feel like you have to send 'typical' cards or stick to a certain 'look'.

- Send smaller notes/sizes to save on postage!

- Use fun fonts and bright colors!

- Use picture montages from your engagement shoot....

don't feel like you have to use only one photo!

Another fun personal idea is used with stamps!

YES, you can actually upload your own photo

to a stamp with a short message! Your guests will love it!

Another great trend is MAGNETS!

You can include calendars on the personalized magnets too to help

your guests count the days until your event!

Happy Planning!

Cover Party!

We LOVE parties...especially when they are
a celebration of success!

We hosted our first 'mixer' at the studio on April 22nd.
A special thanks to all of the vendors who participated;
La-tea-da's Catering, Cheesecake, Etc, Party Blooms,
Classic Party Rentals, SFS Productions,
Kristin Vining Photography.

AND an extra special thanks to the parents and
grandmother of the Cover Bride, Kali Cofer-Daetwyler,
for stopping by! Kali & Ralph are currently in Chile,
but we all had a drink for them!

All images are courtesy of Kristin Vining Photography
Delicious!The Weddings and the City girls, Heather & Jill!Kristin Vining & her husband, Ken...with their 8 month old twins, Bray & Addy!Scott with SFS Productions holding Bray. Casey with Casey Cunningham Photography and Bray. Little dude made his rounds!
LOVE THE HAIR GUYS!

Go Green!

Anything goes with the current trends in weddings so why not do your part while creating a smart and stylist "Go Green" wedding!

These days, more couples have been requesting green weddings not only with the color, but the "Go Green" theme incorporated into their day. Here are some ideas for your "Go Green" wedding:

1. Hold the events in one location

2. Use locally and organically grown food and flowers

3. Embossed recycled paper for invitations

4. A variety of green hues for your color theme

5. Recycled bottles and wine bottles used for vases and candle holders for your table decor

6. Pure bees wax candles

7. Edible container for serving food so the use of water is lessened

8. Give your guests a packet of seeds or a potted plant that they can take home as the favor

Want to WOW your Out-of-Towners?

Do you have lots of out-of-town guests coming to your wedding? Are you trying to decide what to add to the welcome bags at the hotel?

Here are a few ideas that we've found in the past have really worked well!

• Welcome letter - Along with the details for the weekend, include a personal note from the bride and groom offering your local hot spots! You can include your favorite eateries (think of drink specials and live music!) along with some tourist ideas & info to maximize their time. If you create the bags near your weekend, including a brief description of the weather forecast is always nice.
• Provide a contact phone number - we do NOT suggest the Bride or Groom's number, but perhaps a best man/MOH/member of bridal party, who can answer any detail or direction questions.
• Map of area (ie a downtown/uptown map if staying in Charlotte)
• Bottled Water
• Crackers/Chips
• Something Chocolate!
• Travel size pack of Tylenol
• a Small bottle of Wine or Champagne
• Stickers or a small toy for any children
• a Disposable camera - they can take pictures all weekend just in case they forgot theirs. Plus it's a cool way for you to see a recap of their trip since you'll be so busy!

If you have any other ideas or questions for us, please feel free to email us at info@weddingsandthecity.com