I am currently packing for my mini-trip that will take me out of the office Friday, June 26th through Tuesday, June 30th. We will be back in the office on Wednesday, July 1st and Thursday, July 2nd and then gone again for the holiday weekend.
This weekend I will be enjoying something that I have loved for about 8 years now. What is it? Pi Beta Phi!! Yes, my college sorority. I am traveling as the Alum Advisor for the collegiate girls who will be attending and learning so much at the National Convention, and hopefully bringing home some BIG awards. {They have been the #1 chapter internationally for the past 2 years!} It will be great for me, as I will get to sit back and watch the workings of this Convention planned for the masses.
It may seem geeky to still care about my old college sorority, but there are so many things I "owe" to it. It brought me some of my very best friends, above all else, but for my business it brought me a lot as well. Not only did I begin planning events while I was an officer in the chapter, I also took on a great leadership role as the President of the house. While in this role I learned so many things that I use in my business today, and can look back and attribute many of my successes to the things I learned during those days...
People Management
Budget Management
Risk Management
Social Event Management
Evalutaion
Confrontation Skills
Encouraging Others
Servant Leadership
Representing a Company, People, and a National Organization
And SOOOOO much more!
It is an honor to be an advisor for the girls who are in college today, enjoying the fun of Pi Phi. Through volunteering for the chapter I am also getting to put my Masters Degree to good use every now and then, which is great! So, yes it may be a little geeky to still get excited for the girls and sing the Ring Ching loud and proud, but I love it and always will & I am thankful for all that Pi Beta Phi taught me. What groups were you a part of in the past that, at the time, you may not have realized how much they were teaching you? If you learned something from them that helped you get to where you are today remember to GIVE BACK and encourage those who are in that oblivious learning period now.
If you are an aspiring professional, seek out the opportunities that you can learn from in your organizations. Remember that these are resume and character builders, and many times can work as great networking tools for you.
Enjoy your weekend!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Find us on Facebook & Follow us on Twitter!
Want more of our good stuff? We have launched a Facebook page that will hold lots of wedding & event galleries, discussion boards, giveaways, and much more! Check it out and "Become a Fan" today. We are giving away some fun prizes to our fans who join this week, so click HERE & become our FAN!
If you want more up to date info on what is going on with J.Bailey Occasions, you can follow me {Jenessa} on Twitter. I am constantly updating about what is going on in my day, tips, things to check out, and even sometimes about my chocolate labrador Jack. It's a fun way to keep everyone "in the know." Click HERE to find me on Twitter. Please note that my Twitter name is jbaileyoccasion with no 'S' on the end.
If you want more up to date info on what is going on with J.Bailey Occasions, you can follow me {Jenessa} on Twitter. I am constantly updating about what is going on in my day, tips, things to check out, and even sometimes about my chocolate labrador Jack. It's a fun way to keep everyone "in the know." Click HERE to find me on Twitter. Please note that my Twitter name is jbaileyoccasion with no 'S' on the end.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Outdoor June Wedding: Lauren & Matt
Exactly one year ago to the Saturday I was setting up for another client's June 14th wedding at The Inn at Carnall Hall. While we were setting up, this stunning blonde came by to check things out, and I just so happened to give her my business card that day. One year later, I had the wonderful opportunity to send that blondie down the aisle to marry her sweetheart!
On June 13th of this year, Lauren (a fellow Pi Phi) and Matt (a childhood friend of my sister) tied the knot on the most perfect June day for an outdoor wedding on Old Main Lawn. This bride and her mother brought me in early in the planning process to help execute each detail along the way. We had the pleasure of working with the Inn's awesome staff, the uber-creative Pam from Flora, and a new photog friend Sarah Bussey Adams(who, might I add was 9 months pregnant!) and her assistant Mitzi. All in all, it was a wonderful day! Check out some of these fun details (all photos by the talented Sarah Bussey Adams team)...
First, Lauren's gorgeous bridal gown was TO DIE FOR! It was made up of beautiful lace details, and was so wonderfully feminine. Check out the Jimmy Choo's too!
Lauren & Matt made the wise decision of seeing each other prior to their ceremony. I have a thousand reasons why this is a great idea, and one of those is that you have plenty of time to get great portraits together like these.
Next up, we were super grateful for the program fans {designed by Amy Hannon of Sincerely Yours Paper inc} during the portraits. Here are the bridesmaids in their classic, mature black dresses from J.Crew keeping the bride nice and cool. (Great tip: Lauren let the girls choose the dress of their liking, which they all appreciated & looked great in!)
One moment I loved during the day was when Lauren's mother and her siblings walked out to the sidewalk just past the ceremony area to find their own mother's name on Senior Walk. (If you don't know about this University of Arkansas tradition, it is one of my favorites and I am proud to have my own name donning the sidewalk twice!) They surrounded her name with their cute feet and Sarah got this picture that they will all cherish. I love it!
The Class Act String Quartet performed the ceremony music on the Lawn.
Here is a sweet shot of the ceremony on Old Main Lawn. We hung white paper lanterns in the trees for a very natural, simple look. It was stunning...of course the best Old Main Lawn ceremony I have ever seen!
This crowd was definitely ready for the reception! The Travis Kidd Band rocked the reception and kept the crowd dancing all night long...even after the bride & groom left! Lauren & Matt enjoyed their first dance together as husband and wife with everyone outside under their charming tent.
These lush centerpieces, created by Flora, adorned each table inside and outside of the Inn. The peonies were dreamy!
We continued the look from the ceremony by incorporating white paper lanterns, this time lit and in varying shapes, in the reception tent.
After about 30 minutes of the reception and a broken bustle (that just wouldn't stay put despite our pinning & rigging), Lauren snuck upstairs and changed into a cute party dress for dancing. The black belt worked perfectly with the other black and white details. Can you spot her in her new dress?
The night continued with hours of dancing, but to top it all off we brought in 50 (yes, 50!) warm, delicious pizzas for the guests to enjoy as a late night snack. If you want to make about 100 new best friends really quickly, just carry a giant stack of pizza boxes through a reception close to midnight. I just didn't know how much I was loved until then! :) After the bride & groom got their 2 cheese pizzas "to go" we sent them off in style.
Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs! It was a wonderful day, and I want to say thank you again for allowing me to be a part of the planning process and making it all happen on your wedding day!
On June 13th of this year, Lauren (a fellow Pi Phi) and Matt (a childhood friend of my sister) tied the knot on the most perfect June day for an outdoor wedding on Old Main Lawn. This bride and her mother brought me in early in the planning process to help execute each detail along the way. We had the pleasure of working with the Inn's awesome staff, the uber-creative Pam from Flora, and a new photog friend Sarah Bussey Adams(who, might I add was 9 months pregnant!) and her assistant Mitzi. All in all, it was a wonderful day! Check out some of these fun details (all photos by the talented Sarah Bussey Adams team)...
First, Lauren's gorgeous bridal gown was TO DIE FOR! It was made up of beautiful lace details, and was so wonderfully feminine. Check out the Jimmy Choo's too!
Lauren & Matt made the wise decision of seeing each other prior to their ceremony. I have a thousand reasons why this is a great idea, and one of those is that you have plenty of time to get great portraits together like these.
Next up, we were super grateful for the program fans {designed by Amy Hannon of Sincerely Yours Paper inc} during the portraits. Here are the bridesmaids in their classic, mature black dresses from J.Crew keeping the bride nice and cool. (Great tip: Lauren let the girls choose the dress of their liking, which they all appreciated & looked great in!)
One moment I loved during the day was when Lauren's mother and her siblings walked out to the sidewalk just past the ceremony area to find their own mother's name on Senior Walk. (If you don't know about this University of Arkansas tradition, it is one of my favorites and I am proud to have my own name donning the sidewalk twice!) They surrounded her name with their cute feet and Sarah got this picture that they will all cherish. I love it!
The Class Act String Quartet performed the ceremony music on the Lawn.
Here is a sweet shot of the ceremony on Old Main Lawn. We hung white paper lanterns in the trees for a very natural, simple look. It was stunning...of course the best Old Main Lawn ceremony I have ever seen!
This crowd was definitely ready for the reception! The Travis Kidd Band rocked the reception and kept the crowd dancing all night long...even after the bride & groom left! Lauren & Matt enjoyed their first dance together as husband and wife with everyone outside under their charming tent.
These lush centerpieces, created by Flora, adorned each table inside and outside of the Inn. The peonies were dreamy!
We continued the look from the ceremony by incorporating white paper lanterns, this time lit and in varying shapes, in the reception tent.
After about 30 minutes of the reception and a broken bustle (that just wouldn't stay put despite our pinning & rigging), Lauren snuck upstairs and changed into a cute party dress for dancing. The black belt worked perfectly with the other black and white details. Can you spot her in her new dress?
The night continued with hours of dancing, but to top it all off we brought in 50 (yes, 50!) warm, delicious pizzas for the guests to enjoy as a late night snack. If you want to make about 100 new best friends really quickly, just carry a giant stack of pizza boxes through a reception close to midnight. I just didn't know how much I was loved until then! :) After the bride & groom got their 2 cheese pizzas "to go" we sent them off in style.
Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs! It was a wonderful day, and I want to say thank you again for allowing me to be a part of the planning process and making it all happen on your wedding day!
Friday, June 19, 2009
How to Make a Pomander Ball, Steps 2 and 3
We hope you enjoyed this "How To" video blog series from J.Bailey Occasions! Have a great weekend!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Roxi and Ryan Tied the Knot
On June 6th we had the fun honor of working with Roxi and Ryan, a laid back, easy going, fun couple. Roxi and Ryan completed all of their planning themselves and brought our team in to execute those details so they could enjoy a stress-free day. We had perfect weather, a gorgeous bride, and one hoppin' reception on Dickson Street.
I had the fun of working with my super-over the top-talented photographer friends, Dale and Mere, from Benfield Photography. {Did you know that we offer a special package now when you book both of us together? We love working together THAT MUCH!} Check out these great detail shots, shared on their blog today.
And, here's a silly shot of me working. What was I doing? Wrangling this rowdy wedding party for their grand entrance into the reception, collecting bridesmaids bouquets to redistribute as decor, helping the bride with her veil...and much more. Just a simple day of multi-tasking!
Stop by the Benfield Blog to check out their GORGEOUS portraits of this fun couple. Congrats to the Mr. and Mrs.!
I had the fun of working with my super-over the top-talented photographer friends, Dale and Mere, from Benfield Photography. {Did you know that we offer a special package now when you book both of us together? We love working together THAT MUCH!} Check out these great detail shots, shared on their blog today.
And, here's a silly shot of me working. What was I doing? Wrangling this rowdy wedding party for their grand entrance into the reception, collecting bridesmaids bouquets to redistribute as decor, helping the bride with her veil...and much more. Just a simple day of multi-tasking!
Stop by the Benfield Blog to check out their GORGEOUS portraits of this fun couple. Congrats to the Mr. and Mrs.!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday Fun Day!
It's our day off! Saturday was the perfect day for Lauren & Matt's outdoor wedding, and we will be sharing lots of details from their Big Day soon.
In the mean time, this photo is from Tyler & Sara's wedding day {May 30th} and just makes me smile today. It's how our team is feeling as we are drawing near to the end of our summer season, full of fabulous weddings completed & couples married! Have a Happy Monday! {Photo courtesy of Ray Peoples' Blog}
In the mean time, this photo is from Tyler & Sara's wedding day {May 30th} and just makes me smile today. It's how our team is feeling as we are drawing near to the end of our summer season, full of fabulous weddings completed & couples married! Have a Happy Monday! {Photo courtesy of Ray Peoples' Blog}
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Unique Boutonnieres for the Stylish Groom
Wow! I never imagined how hard it would be for so many of my brides to select a boutonniere for the guy in her life. We go round about with flowers, trying to select one that isn't too feminine or too big. Sounds like Goldilocks and the 3 Bears...but now I've found something that could be Juuuuust Right for your handsome hubby-to-be. Check out Fritts Rosenow Bespoke Boutonnieres!
So think about that unique side of your man. Is he an outdoorsman, a golfer, a chef, a rockstar? Does he love Star Wars, the Cardinals, or computers? Surprise him with a boutonniere fit just for him. The Fritts website has MANY more options to choose from, and they do custom design!
Don't be afraid to take a "risk" and think outside the traditional box on elements like this for your wedding. Details that are truly personal are appreciated & talked about by guests.
So think about that unique side of your man. Is he an outdoorsman, a golfer, a chef, a rockstar? Does he love Star Wars, the Cardinals, or computers? Surprise him with a boutonniere fit just for him. The Fritts website has MANY more options to choose from, and they do custom design!
Don't be afraid to take a "risk" and think outside the traditional box on elements like this for your wedding. Details that are truly personal are appreciated & talked about by guests.
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