Chesna & Matt's Wedding

It's our day off, but I thought I would share this fun link to a slideshow of Chesna & Matt's beautiful wedding we were a part of earlier in May. Julie, the M.O.B., and Chesna, the wonderful bride, brought our team in to execute all of their great wedding plans. We had a great time with their wedding week and were thrilled to be a part of it!

Thanks to her hardworking photoagraphers, Dana & Mark, at Stone Ridge Photography. Enjoy the slideshow by clicking here. Check out the photos on Stone Ridge's Facebook page here!

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Out of the Office

Beginning today, our team is out of the office and will be returning Tuesday, May 26th. I will have no internet access at my weekend destination, so your patience with blogging and email messages is greatly appreciated! My time away allows me to refresh & renew and be a better coordinator & wedding professional for you. Hopefully I will come back with a really nice tan...

Have a wonderful week and a safe & fun Memorial Day weekend!

Win a Dream Wedding

Check out this fun chance for you to win a wedding like the celebs! If you win, you have to let me tag along!



Click here to enter now! Remember that the deadline is quickly approaching. You must enter to win by midnight on May 26th, only 8 days away!

A Little Help

Are you a bride who sees her wedding design immediately, attends appointments wearing your wedding colors and knows the name of every last poesy in your bridal bouquet?

Are you a bride that has no clue about her wedding design, what the difference between lavender and eggplant is and is quickly settling for something that isn't 'quite right'?

Are you a bride with 10 different styles that you can't decide between, bringing 10 color swatches and 10 internet print-off inspiration boards with you in your bridal binder?

The design of your wedding is the first introduction to society of your "couple style." Your wedding could set the pace for all of the parties that you host in the future, according to some etiquette books. Most importantly, though, is that your wedding style reflect the kind of wedding day you want to experience! Style rules these days have been practically chunked out the window, so as far as the "look" of your wedding...make it as simple, sassy, or sophisticated as you like!

Back to the top of the post...did you answer "yes" to any of my questions? If so, we can be of help to you! No, you may not need a full scale planner, but you may need someone to put your mind at ease that your style is going to work & is headed in the right direction. We design & execute weddings full-time, for a living. A little reassurance from the pros can sometimes stop the spinning circles and get you moving along the path to wedded bliss.

If you're still spinning, call us today to set up an hourly consultation. We can help you determine a style, narrow down your options, or create a style for you (for those brides who think they are style-less, but most definitely are not!). We can talk about what will work best with your venue, what is realistic within your budget, and the steps to pull it all off.

Don't forget to take care of your mental health, girls! We're only one quick call away!

A Candy Buffet with a Twist

This Sunday we had the opportunity to work with Chesna & Matt for their "Old Hollywood with a Modern Twist" wedding! It was simply elegant, and a truly classy wedding. More to come on the wedding later....

Chesna and Matt set up a candy buffet for their guests late in the evening that was different from the usual jars of sweets that we typically see. They had containers of:

~Pretzels
~Hershey's Kisses
~Peanuts
~M&M's
~Raisins

What does this sound like to you? Read the list again & think about it....TRAIL MIX! How fun is that! We saw so many guests snacking on this sweet & salty delight during dancing. Everyone loved it!

Chesna and her super-creative mom, Julie, also created the bags for guests to fill with the goodies, and they were an adorable addition to the table. They purchased small white paper bags, and then found a super-cute wedding themed rubber stamp and stamped each bag. How creative! This is a great money saving idea, rather than purchasing pre-designed bags.

The table was displayed beautifully. Apothecary jars of different shapes & sizes held the treats, each container had a silver scoop with a tiny ribbon tied to its handle, and the bags were displayed on a gorgeous silver tray. Once we had set all of the "necessaries" we added the bridesmaids' bouquets, photos, and a cute 'Thank You' note from the bride & groom to complete the set up.

Think outside the box when it comes to things that you are seeing more frequently, like the candy buffet. What's your favorite snack, and how can you turn that into a personal touch for your wedding?

How have you taken an idea for your wedding & given it a sweet twist?

Robyn & Todd Tied the Knot: A Mother's Day Beach Wedding

When I opened my email this morning I was thrilled to find wonderful images from my dear friends, Todd & Robyn's beach wedding. They were married on Sunday oceanside in Florida, and as you will see it looks like they had better weather than us!

Todd & Robyn will be celebrating with more friends & family in a few weeks with a fun reception here in Fayetteville. I am truly excited to get to assist them with their reception, bringing a "little bit" of the beach back to town.

If Todd looks familiar, it is because he and his brother Brian are the guys behind Groove Productions...my favorite Fayetteville DJ's!!!

Enjoy these beautiful images that Brian took. Robyn & Todd did a beautiful job planning this stunning, simple, and sophisticated beach ceremony and party!












Congratulations Robyn & Todd! I am so thankful for our growing friendship and I am so excited for you all to begin your marriage together!

Summer is Here!

We are excited that summer is here, which is when the majority of our weddings come to life! It is such a fun, busy time in our office and we LOVE it!

Beginning today, our office will be closed & we will not be scheduling appointments on Mondays during the months of May, June, and July.

We also will be closed on the following dates:

May 20-27
June 25-July 6

We can't wait to see the 8 fabulous summer weddings our clients have worked so hard to plan turn into a reality over the next few months!

If you are a 2009 bride looking for a coordinator, we are only accepting a few more clients for the year so call now to set up a time so we can dream about your big day together.

A Great Videographer Deal

Are you looking for a wedding videographer in NWA? My fellow Southside High School classmate, Mike Dennis, is getting started in the videography world in our area and has a great deal to offer you! His business is Mike Ryan Creative.

Mike is currently working on building his portfolio and is willing to work for less while doing so. You can contact Mike and "make an offer" on what you would like to spend on videography for your wedding, and he will consider all offers! Isn't that nice??

Here is some more info on Mike...Mike worked at First Baptist Church in Fort Smith overseeing audio & video for 6 years, and also worked for Kanakuk Kamps producing the Kamp video. Mike is also a recent groom, so he understands & appreciates the wedding day. He can provide you with wedding videography, photo montages, and more!

Contact Mike today 479-461-1583 or mike@mikeryancreative.com.

The Knot's Wedding Trends Continued

We're back to The Knot's wedding trends for 2009, and I am excited about this very budget-friendly trend for the creative bride!

Day 4 is devoted to new ideas for centerpiece vessels. What is a vessel? Traditionally, you would see clear glass vases acting as your centerpiece "vessel" but we are hoping to see brides "think outside the vase" in 2009. Mixing & matching is certainly the way to go this year! Here are some fun, creative ideas to make this happen:

Look through your mother's, grandmother's, and friend's collection of pitchers for a more home-styled look. Flowers spilling out over the lip of a perfectly particular pitcher is very interesting! This option won't cost you a penny! If you need to find more than what is in your cabinets, head to garage sales, antique shops, and vintage stores for inexpensive finds. Here is a great example that sits in the Sincerely Yours Paper studio each day.

Any bowls, boxes, or unique containers you can find make great mix & match options.


Think about jars...mason jars are hot items for Southern weddings! Mason jars might run you a dollar or two each, and are perfect for smaller centerpieces for cocktail tables or accent pieces for your guest book or cake table. OR think about grouping several together for a centerpiece on a round table. Line them up in a straight line down the center of a long table for a mix of modern and Southern.



I hope you like your canned goods, because one of The Knot's most popular photos for centerpieces has been used cans wrapped in brightly colored, patterned paper and accented with ribbon. So cute! This would also be a great, inexpensive centerpiece for a shower or a party. Vintage cans are pretty adorable too!




An idea that I love for the bride who wants to use crisp white linens with a pop of color in her centerpieces is all about paint. Head to Hobby Lobby and choose some terra cotta pots or other ceramic containers that could easily be painted. (Again, a very inexpensive option!) Next, head to the paint or spray paint aisle. If you are a modern bride, look for bright colors in high gloss finishes. If you are a more traditional bride, look for softer tones with a matte finish. Next stop...home! Spread out the newspapers on your crafting area and get to painting. These colorful vessels can be filled with even brighter flowers, or if you are REALLY bold with your container you may choose to stick with neutral colored flowers. Remember that you could choose smaller pots or containers to paint to act as accent pieces to your main centerpiece. (Also remember that terra cotta pots have holes in the bottom and need to be sealed off before filling with water & flowers!)


Or, flip the idea and have brightly colored linens with a glossy white container and bright flowers!




If you are going for a more rustic style, think about wooden craft boxes. They are great naturally, or could be stained to fit the color you desire.


For a casual outdoor wedding, think about galvanized buckets as an option.


Wrapping a clear glass container with fabric, ribbon, or paper is another inexpensive way to transform the "same old" vase.



Garden urns can be romantic, rustic, and elegant all in one!



I hope you've enjoyed these images & ideas! You can find these centerpieces and many more in The Knot's Centerpieces Gallery.

What have you used to "think outside the vase?"

Brides for the Cure: The Recap!

Brides for the Cure 2009 was a huge success! Dale & Mere, Amy and I could not be more pleased with the results in only our 2nd year as a team.

The results are fun to hear about! We are so thankful for all of the brides & grooms, moms & dads, bridesmaids, flower girls, groomsmen, family and friends that joined in our effort. We are also grateful to the wonderful NWA businesses that gave away over $7000 in great prizes to our team members. Check out Amy's blog post on all of the fun stats!

Dale has posted some great images for you to check out here. And this really great slideshow is from Dale, too...


So, what's my final word on Brides for the Cure for this year? I think my reflection on the whole project has been how everyone is affected by the terrible disease of breast cancer, or any type of cancer, and this is why we put in the long hours and creative brainstorming sessions for our team. We had an inspirational team member dressed in pink who is a 2-time breast cancer survivor, and her friends & family decorated their Brides tees to represent their support for her. So cool to see! Personally, I have 2 aunts who are breast cancer survivors, one of my mother's best friends is currently fighting the disease, and I had a couple of scares myself at the age of 23. Amy found out just days before the race that a dear friend had been diagnosed, and Dale's daughter's grandmother is a survivor, too. It affects everyone! I am glad to see that we can have a fun morning to raise awareness and support for our local effort in the fight against breast cancer, but I hope more than anything that we are getting closer to a cure. I hope that my daughters, nieces, and grandkids (someday!) don't even have to worry about breast cancer. In the mean time, we will continue to pray for those who are fighting the good fight and support them in any way that we can.

If you are a bride looking for more ways to get involved with this great cause, check out these resources:
Brides Against Breast Cancer
Our local Susan G. Komen Affiliate
Young Survival Coalition
National Breast Cancer Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Scholtes & The Mayhalls

This Saturday the rain cleared up, just as I had asked the Lord, from about 2-5PM for the wedding ceremony of Erin and Jeff. This was a couple that had brought our team on board to ease the stress of the wedding day by using our Wedding Weekend Services.

I was excited to have my first ever ceremony at the adorable St.Catherine's at Bell Gable chapel. The afternoon ceremony was an intimate time with family, about 40 guests total. It was a sweet ceremony with the bride & groom sharing special words for each other, and then completed with traditional vows. Not a dry eye in the house, including mine! This picture, by Benfield Photography, is not of this couple but I wanted to share how GORGEOUS this "best kept secret" in Fayetteville is!


The reception was also full of "firsts" for me. The first first was working at The Garden Room on Dickson for a reception. Many of my clients have used this venue for rehearsal dinners, but this was my first reception experience there and it was a GREAT one! The second first was the reception entertainment. The groom is quite the musician, and he brought in his band of friends and kept the crowd moving with blue grass music all night! It was a lot of fun! And the last first was that the bride & groom sang a song together to entertain the crowd. Absolutely adorable & hillarious all in one! I leaned over to Ki & Gina and said "they're meant for each other!"

It was a pleasure working with Philip and Kristen from NOVO Studio. This was our first wedding together and I loved their laid back attitude when the day wasn't keeping quite on schedule. I will be excited to share their pictures soon!

Here are a few iPhone photos I snapped of the flowers by Thea at Rose of Sharon. She did a beautiful job of pulling the blue & green color selections together in the arrangements and bouquets. Great job!



In other J.Bailey Occasions exciting news, it was 1 year ago yesterday that Lauren & Dusty tied the knot! Congratulations to such a fun couple, and thanks for being a part of my family. Lauren & Dusty's wedding was also the first wedding that I worked with Dale & Meredith...who knew the fun that the year ahead would have in store for us! Check out Dale & Mere's photos from the Mayhall wedding here.

Amanda & JR Greene

Happy Friday! It's been a busy week of catching up and working hard after Brides for the Cure and Amanda & JR's wedding, all last Saturday.

Brides for the Cure was a huge success and we would like to send an enormous THANK YOU to everyone who participated...from our team members, to our sponsors, to the Komen crew who helped us out... Everyone played a vital role in the success of our team. We finished in the #4 fundraising spot out of 328 teams, with close to 200 team members and $5955 raised for the fight against breast cancer. You couldn't miss our sea of green tee-shirts as our team proudly ran and walked the race. Even more noticeable was team member, former J.Bailey Occasions groom, and my good friend Stuart Baber who ran (yes, ran) the race in a bridal gown, complete with the veil on his head. He was our team mascot and gave the crowd something to enjoy! Thanks Stuart for your creativity and energy for Brides for the Cure. (I stole this picture from my friend Chelsea's blog, who came up from LR to run the race with us. Love you Chels!)


Next up on the list for that day was Amanda & JR Greene's wedding! It turned out to be the perfect wedding day, and they were surrounded with exciting family & friends. One of my favorite wedding moments ever happened as they were walking out of their ceremony. With tears streaming down her face, the bride looked at the groom and said "I'm just so happy we're married!" You see, while the reception might be the place for the fancy designs and all the fun, I LIVE for the ceremony. It's the most important part of the wedding day, and having couples who value and appreciate the marriage ceremony just makes my heart jump, and this instance filled my eyes with tears!

I had the pleasure of working with wonderful vendors, including Jamie at Pinnacle Country Club and The Rockets, one of my very favorite wedding bands ever! They re-energized the party at about 11 PM with a rendition of "Rocky Top" for all of the Tennessee crew at the reception, and ended the night with the crowd cheering for "one more song!" (Which they did!) The bride & groom didn't want to leave, which speaks volumes about the fun they were having. I also was tickled to work with Ricki Chester, their photographer from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Check out these stunning "sneak peek" photos from Ricki.



Enjoy this slideshow from Ricki's Blog of more images from the beautiful day. Great work Ricki!!!