Little Rock Wedding Coordinator: Rebekah and Caleb Tie the Knot

Our 2010 year of weddings is off to a wonderful start, with the new Mr. and Mrs. Bloyd tying the knot on January 9th. This Bartlesville, OK couple presented us with one of the smoothest wedding days ever! I have to give TONS of credit to the bride, Rebekah, and her mom, Debbie, for planning this Little Rock wedding so well!

You can check out the gorgeous portraits of Rebekah and Caleb over on the fun, fresh, fabulous blog of Benfield Photography. This week, Dale will continue to post lots of beautiful images of this winter wedding so head their way to check those out!

In the mean time, I wanted to share our 3 favorite details from this wedding weekend (Ki snapped some quick pics). Rebekah and her mom completed all of the planning for this wedding on their own and then brought in our team to allow them a stress-free, enjoyable weekend with friends and family. We can't take any credit for these fun details!

My first favorite detail was one that was more than likely unnoticed by most guests, but perfectly displayed for those who loved it. On the bride's family table, we were able to display the cake topper from not only her parent's wedding (I am pretty sure they told me that it was about 30 years ago! Love that!) but also the delicate cake topper from her grandparent's wedding! If I remember correctly, Grandma shared that their wedding was in the early 50's, making this cake topper close to 60 years old. The candle figures on the left are the grandparents' and the bride and groom on the right are the parents'.



My second favorite detail was the way the food was displayed. Only a preggo wedding coordinator would set up shop next to the buffet line, so you know I noticed it! Just kidding... Pleasant Valley Country Club did a beautiful job of displaying the food so well. Be sure to ask your caterer about their presentation. The food can be just as much of a show stopper as any flowers or decor. You want it to look lovely! Check out these snapshots...




My third favorite detail is probably one of my favorite winter wedding details I have seen so far in my time planning weddings. The guests loved the Hot Chocolate Bar, and so did I!




For the real deal images, remember to scope out the Benfield Photography Blog this week. You can also catch this video that Dale captured as their wedding party entered the reception. What a great photographer--he captured a quick video while Meredith got the still shots knowing that Rebekah and Caleb would love to have this moment captured in motion.

Untitled from Dale Benfield on Vimeo.

Congratulations to Rebekah and Caleb and all of the Johnson & Bloyd crews! Thank you for making our job so easy & enjoyable, and for treating us so well as a part of your wedding celebration!

The Blog will be Back! Christmas Hours begin soon!

Hi everyone!

Thanks for checking back in after a nearly 3 month absence of new blog posts to read! Don't worry...the blog will be returning in early 2010! I have taken a break from the blog to focus on some other projects that snag up that little extra time in my day.

Just a few updates...
We have welcomed a new staff member, Julia, and couldn't be more excited to have her on board! She will be working with us on event days, as she has recently moved to NWA and previously worked with another event coordinator in Kentucky.

We have filled our full scale planning calendar for 2010 with 17 weddings and events. If you are interested in wedding weekend services, please check our availability at the right side of the blog and shoot us an email or give us a call!

We found out that Mark and I will be having a baby BOY in April. The work on the nursery is well under way, and yes, the shopping has already begun!

We wrapped up our 2009 year of weddings with Chantelle & Josh's gorgeous Pratt Place wedding and reception in October, as well as Mollie & Stephen's classic romantic wedding day in November. We will post more on these later!

In the upcoming months be looking for an updated website, a new look for the blog, and much more!

Our holiday hours will begin next week, with offices closed December 14th through January 12th. Yes, we have a wedding in there too! We will return phone calls and emails as promptly as possible during this time, but you may expect that some items will be tended to upon our return in January. Thank you for allowing us this time to celebrate with our family and friends, as well as giving my body the rest it needs to continue "growing" our precious baby boy.

Thank you for everything in 2009! It was our best year yet, and that is all thanks to the absolutely wonderful clients we had to work with. Each of you are a true joy to us and we are glad you are a part of our family. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Event Calendar Updated!

It was so much fun to meet so many excited brides this weekend at the Bridal Show! Thank you to everyone who stopped by and checked out our booth, asked questions, and told us about their visions for their wedding days. Ki and I love hearing all of your fun ideas about making your day your own! Check back this week for pics from our day.

I updated the Event Calendar on the right side of this blog page so that you can check our availability for dates in 2010. There aren't many dates left available so call us today to set up a consultation and reserve your date!

Jim and Pamela Wedding: Check out their photos!

A couple of weekends ago we had the great pleasure of working with the lovely bride Pam and the calm, cool groom Jim. They were a treat to share a wedding day with! Just wanted to pass the news along that their portraits are up today on the traveling Arkansas wedding photographer blog of Dale Benfield. Looks like tomorrow he will be sharing the photos of how the day unfolded, so be sure to check out the gorgeousness over at his blog!

Bridal Fair: Book Now or Later?

For our next post in our bridal fair survival guide, we want to help you save money! We are participating in the Bridal Show this Sunday, so be sure to come and check us out!

As you browse through the wedding pros' booths keep an eye out for special deals and savings for 'booking now.' Many vendors want to earn your business at the event, and will offer you great incentives or a fun gift for signing with them the day of the event.

If a vendor you love and are ready to book does not have any special posted, you can always ask them if there is incentive for booking them on that day. You just might be surprised with their answer.

Also, if you are looking at a very popular vendor in your area and you aren't sure if you are ready to book right away, ask them how their calendar looks for your wedding date. If their weekend is quickly filling you might just want to go for it.

One last pointer...many brides attend bridal fairs months before their weddings, and many aren't even engaged just yet. Don't forget that prices can change from the rate you saw at the bridal fair. If you put off booking for several months after the event, you may find yourself dealing with increased prices or package changes from the info you received at the showcase.

Don't be afraid to BOOK NOW if you are certain of the vendors you would like for your big day! All vendors love seeing new clients at these events...why else would we do them?

Don't forget to check us out Sunday, September 27th at the Arkansas Democrat Gazette Bridal Event, held in Rogers at the John Q. Hammons Center!

A J.Baby Occasion

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139: 14



After a month of keeping the biggest secret ever, I am excited to let everyone know that my sweet, handsome hubby and I are going to be parents! Yep, that's my little one above! We saw Baby Bailey for the first time yesterday and fell in love instantly. The little one is quite a wiggler, and we got to see it roll and flip and "run in place" (as Mark says). We also were able to hear its strong heartbeat at 160 beats per minute. Baby Bailey is due to arrive on April 7, 2010.

We were definitely intrigued by how quickly, in just 11 weeks, the baby has developed. Even though I had told Mark that the baby had arms & legs, a head and a torso already...he kept saying "It has arms and legs and a head!"

We are truly blessed with the miracle of a baby. It is amazing how the Lord has designed the coolest way of how a baby develops and how much He is providing for us through the whole process. Mark and I certainly can't take credit for the work that is going on in my little pooch.

The picture above is certainly not the best view of what we saw yesterday. The baby was moving so much that the doctor just snapped the best pic that she could. Just so you know, the top right part is the baby's head, then attached is its little pot belly, and below are its feet. You can't see the arms in this shot, although I think the little dot just left of the head is a fist pump! The measurement line goes from the top of the head down to the bottom of the feet.

You may be wondering how this will affect J.Bailey Occasions and all of the fabulous weddings we work on. Yes, things will be changing, but not too much. For 2010, I am limiting the amount of weddings that we will be taking. This is to benefit both the clients and myself and the baby. Since this is my first little one, I know there will be adjustment in my schedule and availability. I certainly want all of our clients to have the service that they deserve, and not fall short on our end of the deal because I did not plan ahead for this big change. Ki, my wonderful rockstar Assistant Event Director, will be stepping in more and helping out as needed to make sure that no one sees a lag in the service they receive. Please call or email if you are interested in working with us for 2010 and we can chat more about the details.

I look forward to sharing more with you about the little one as it grows and develops!

Bridal Fair Pointers

It's bridal show time! I am going to be re-posting some tips to help you brides-to-be survive the crazy rush of attending a Bridal Event. Check it out!

As we prepare for the upcoming season of bridal events in our area, we want you to prepare as well! Here is the first of our pointers for surviving a bridal event.

When you register for the bridal fair you will probably be given a bag of goodies. Almost always there will be either a map of vendors or a booklet listing all of the participating wedding pros included in your bag. With most bridal events hosting lots & lots of vendors, you might find yourself confused or overwhelmed as you make your way through the sea of florists, photographers, and DJ's.

Take a pen or pencil with you in your purse. After you leave each booth, make a note on your map or in your booklet about that vendor. If it is someone you definitely want to meet again, or even book, circle their names. If it is someone you are not interested in for your wedding, strike through their name.

Since there will be various booths for the same service (for example, 5 photography booths), you might want to write down a visual cue that will help you remember their booth, their faces, or their product. When you get home and start to discuss who you really liked, and your mom or groom can't remember exactly who you are talking about, you can say..."the ones with the hot pink booth" or "the ones who gave us cookies."

Hopefully these bridal fair strategies will create the best experience for you both during the show, and when you get home and get to work on your planning.