Friday, April 24, 2009

Brides for the Cure Race Day Info

Did you know that there are over 18,000 participants in the 2009 Komen Ozark Race for the Cure? Here are some tips to make your experience a better one on Race Morning...

Arriving & Parking
Traveling NORTH on I-540, take Exit 82 and turn right off of the exit. Proceed to the light and turn left onto Promenade Boulevard.
Traveling SOUTH on I-540, take Exit 83 and turn left off of the exit, then turn left onto New Hope Road. Turn right onto Promenade Boulevard.

The Brides for the Cure Team Tent location will be in the Pinnacle Hills Promenade parking lot at the corner of Promenade Boulevard and Rife Medical/Crest. There is a stoplight at this intersection and our team area will be set up with white tents and chairs. This area is located on the Promenade Boulevard side of Dillards & the Texas Land and Cattle Restaurant.

Parking is available on a first come, first parked basis in the Pinnacle Hills Promenade Mall and in designated areas south of New Hope Road and the north side of the mall. We suggest that you park in the Dillards/Texas Land and Cattle parking areas OR across the street in the Best Buy parking lot. These lots are convenient to our Team Tent, as well as the start and finishing locations for the Race. We also suggest that you carpool with friends and family to ease the traveling and parking process.

Lane closures on the Race course will begin at 7:00 AM and slow traffic significantly. Please arrive EARLY! See the Race Morning itinerary for more information on what time to arrive. Please familiarize yourself with alternate travel routes in case of a late arrival.

Race Day Itinerary
To provide you with the best Race Day experience possible, please follow this Brides for the Cure Itinerary:

6:30 AM Arrive at Brides for the Cure Team Tent for T-Shirt and
Swag Bag Pick Up
6:30 AM Survivor Reunion Breakfast at Promenade Food Court*
6:45 AM Team Breakfast, provided by Rick's Bakery and your
Presenting Sponsors
7:15 AM Survivor Photo* through Komen
7:15 AM Team Photo at Brides for the Cure Team Tent
7:15 AM Elite Runners travel to Race Starting Line
7:30 AM Survivor Parade of Pink*
7:30 AM Elite Runners 5K Race Begins following Parade
7:30 AM Brides for the Cure travels to Race Starting Area
8:00 AM 5K Race/Walk Begins
10:00 AM Kids Dash in Komen Kandyland Zone for Kids 12
and Under
10:30 AM Prizes Awarded at Brides for the Cure Team Tent
You must be present to win!

*Survivors, please bring one co-survivor with you to these events to honor those who have walked through this journey with you. These are events coordinated by Komen, not Brides for the Cure. Please see the Komen website for more information.

What to Bring & What to Wear
Please wear your Brides for the Cure Team Tee for the Race Day! Remember to wear comfortable clothes for running or walking the 5K, including your tennis shoes.

You must wear your Race Number to participate in the 5K. Don't forget to bring it with you the morning of the Race!

*Pick up your Race gear on Friday, April 24th from 12-5:30 at Festivities in Springdale, located at 1374 Carley Road! (Located near the corner of HWY 412/Sunset and Carley Road.)

Have some fun with your Race attire! Are you a bride-to-be? Why not wear a veil, sash, or crown to show off your status? What about the groom, bridesmaids, moms & dads? Dress them up too with sashes, buttons, bouquets....anything to show our 'Wedding Party' style to the other 18,000 participants! Let's give 'em something to talk about!

Don't forget to bring your camera to document this exciting day with friends & family. Remember to keep your load light for the Race by leaving purses, bags, and other personal items in your vehicle.

Win Great Prizes
All Brides for the Cure prizes will be awarded by raffle-style drawings. Each prize will be displayed on tables under the Brides for the Cure Team Tent with registration slips. You are invited to register once for each prize that you are interested in winning. All team members are allowed to register for any prize that they choose.

There will be a very exciting prize given to the Bride with the largest 'Race Wedding Party' present at the time we begin to award prizes. Don't forget that you can still recruit your friends & family to join the team! Only Brides for the Cure team members will be counted in your 'Race Wedding Party.'

You MUST BE PRESENT to win all prizes at the time of the drawings.

Brides for the Cure is HERE!

All of the lack of blogging will be worth it tomorrow after all of the extra time lately has been spent devoted to our big community project for the year, Brides for the Cure! The Race Day is tomorrow, and I couldn't be more excited!

For those of you who are racers, don't forget to pick up your t-shirts and goodies today from 12-5:30 PM at Festivities. The tees are absolutely the most fun t-shirts ever!

For all of the Race Day details for tomorrow morning, please visit the team website at www.bridesforthecure.net. Click on Details, and then Race Day and you will see all of the info that you need.

We also have Amanda & JR's wedding tomorrow evening, so as soon as BFTC shuts down we will be headed to the church and reception. We are really excited to bring this day to life!

Next week we will be recovered from the crazy-busy schedule that comes along with Brides for the Cure and will be back to blogging! Look for our really fun green t-shirts tomorrow at the Race! You won't be able to miss us!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Day 3 of Wedding Trends: Chandeliers and Lighting

And I'm back...who knew that there would be 11 whole days between Day 2 and Day 3 of how to bring theknot.com Wedding Trends to Arkansas (or your wedding anywhere!). Thank you to my faithful readers who have not complained! So, back to it...

TheKnot.com is a great resource for anyone planning a wedding. I love their abundance of Real Wedding photos. {Remember that magazine pics aren't always the best place to find wedding inspiration...they are usually well out of reach for the typical bride's budget.} The Knot has reported 9 really great wedding trends for 2009, and I am on Day 3 of how to bring those trends home to you.

SO, Day 3 is all about Chandeliers and Lighting! I am a chandelier girl myself, and always tell my clients that lighting can change EVERYTHING! I was pretty tickled to see that The Knot is encouraging their brides in the same way. Here are some photos from The Knot's suggestions on lighting & chandeliers.


Let's bring this home. You may be thinking about your budget and how lighting and chandelier options can fit in.

With lighting there are many options to transform your room. One of the easiest and most affordable lighting options is canned lighting, or uplighting. These are large lights (almost looking like spotlights) that sit on the floor. Without a gel they shine white light, and with a gel you can choose just about any color of the rainbow. These rent for about $20 each with a gel in Northwest Arkansas. You can focus 2 or 3 of these lights behind a primary focal point, such as your cake or dance floor, for the biggest impact. Two words of wisdom on these lights...they get HOT and they pull TONS of power, so if you overload your room you will indeed blow the breaker. Working with a lighting professional or someone from your venue is a great way to ensure that your plan will work.

LED lighting is a bit pricier but has many "pros." First, they are small and do not get hot and they can even be wireless! This means more strategic placement around the room for you! The fun part of LED lighting is that the colors can change throughout the night. So, think soft amber lighting for dinner and bold magenta walls for dancing!

Another lighting effect that many brides would like is the monogram on the dance floor. You will need a spotlight and a custom GOBO to make this happen, all for about $200 and sometimes even less. This is a great way to personalize AND make a statement in your wedding for just a little bit of spending. It's definitely well worth the splurge in my book! Here is an example (image by Stephen Thetford and GOBO design by Sincerely Yours):


My favorite lighting option that EVERY bride should use is candlelight. What a quick way to bring some romance into your wedding! All you need are some votives and voila...romance, lighting, and sparkle all for pennies.

For more info on your lighting options, I want to refer you to this great document produced by Got Light? Click here to check it out!

Moving on to chandeliers...these can be a bit trickier, but if you are up for some DIY they can certainly be a reality for your Big Day. Chandeliers can be made for unexpectedly, and thankfully, less! With a vision, some hardware, fishing line, and crystals/flowers/fabric you can do it yourself.

If you aren't up for DIY, consider pre-made crystal chandeliers, iron lanterns, paper lanterns, or even hanging mason jars as options for chandeliers. These can all be combined with lighting to make one fabulous reception! You can rent black chandeliers, iron lanterns, and much more from us here at J.Bailey Occasions.

Here are some photos from a recent event that we designed for Benfield Photography that had the priorities of lighting and a fun chandelier treatment. All photos by Benfield!

This DIY chandelier that we made cost UNDER $100!




See how a simple tea light changed this centerpiece? We bought the teal tea light holders at Hobby Lobby for less than 99 cents each!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Sorry Readers!

I have been slacking on my blogging this week, but promise to get back into the swing of things next week!

This week was exciting with a trip to LR on Monday, a baby being born in the middle of the night (and me at the hospital at 4:00 AM), my sweet hubby's birthday, interviewing for internships, planning for Brides for the Cure, and a trip today to Joplin to see my bride and judge dance team tryouts tonight, and Good Friday tomorrow. On top of all of that, we were of course up to business as usual planning weddings, so unfortunately the blog has suffered.

I PROMISE to be back at it next week. Have a wonderful weekend and Easter celebration!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Day 3 is Coming Tomorrow!

Day 3 of bringing The Knot's trends for 2009 will be up tomorrow. Today we are out of the office in Little Rock meeting with our Central Arkansas clients. Can't wait for you to read about how to make lighting & chandeliers a reality for your wedding!

Here is a sneak peek...see you tomorrow!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Day 2: Ball Gowns are BACK!

Continuing in my theknot.com trends for 2009 series, I am excited to announce that the Ball Gown is back! Hallelujah!

I have loved the days of the sexy, mermaid gown or the lacy fitted dress but I have to admit that the ball gown is still my very favorite wedding silhouette! I will also, in the same breath, say that not every bride is a ball gown girl and that I have yet to have a bride whose dress didn't match her personality perfectly. That's one thing I LOVE about my job---each bride gets to express her personality through her bridal style.

So, if you are a Southern ball gown kind of a girl, here are some tips to consider when selecting your dress...

A ball gown doesn't just work for a ballroom wedding. It can work in many different styles of weddings!

Choose a fabric that suits the style for your big day. Are you an outdoor bride? Choose a ball gown with a cooler fabric, like cotton or a light tulle. I love these dresses for an outdoor ball gown style...
Dresses by Priscilla of Boston, J.Crew, and Renella De Fina Couture.

Inside of a beautiful ballroom for a more formal affair? A silk satin dress may be a better fit for you.

Dresses by Anne Barge, Priscialla of Boston, and Anne Barge.

Remember that ball gowns can get heavy and hot. (Trust me on this one ladies. I speak from experience.) Have cold packs on hand, eat lots of grapes, and take some Tylenol when you wake up that morning.

You can also go with the trend of having 2 (sorry dads!) dresses for your wedding day. The ball gown can act as the more formal piece for your ceremony, and after you've cut the cake you could change into a sassier, sleek sheath dress for the dancing.
Reception dresses by Priscilla of Boston.

And, finally here are some of my favorite ball gowns from my brides...




Photos by Memories by Jody, Benfield Photography, Focused Exposure, and Family Photography.

Want to shop for fabulous dresses in Arkansas? Check out She Said Yes Bridal in Rogers and Low's in Brinkley.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Day 1: Bringing Wedding Trends to Your Wedding in Arkansas

According to theknot.com there are 9 new wedding trends for 2009! Many of them are GREAT for Southern Weddings...and I'm going to show you how to bring them home to Arkansas over the next 9 days!

The first trend they list is Rustic Details. Are you kidding me? Arkansas should be a HOT wedding destination! Don't you agree? Here in Fayetteville, the classiest (and my favorite) rustic venue is the Pratt Place Barn. It has become a very popular wedding spot, especially in the Spring when the leaves are green and the Fall among the beautiful changing leaves atop a Fayetteville hill. You should also stop by and check out their DREAMY new Inn!

Some rustic details might include incorporating iron lanterns lining the path to your wedding, or acting as your centerpieces, or my fave idea of all...have your bridesmaids carry small iron lanterns with a glowing candle inside and decorated with a few small orchid blooms. These could then act as decor for your reception once girls arrive at the party.

You could even carry a gorgeous wheat bouquet like this bride did recently. Did you know wheat is a symbol of fertility? Check out this bridal portrait by Benfield Photography. Gorgeous!


Don't forget about outdoor or home weddings. I love them! You can do so much with a home wedding since you aren't paying a venue rental fee or sticking to their rules. We could get VERY creative together!

Let's all embrace the joy that rustic details are HOT for 2009! We live in the right spot! Tomorrow's trend? All about color!