Real Wedding - Lousiana
ABC Member Planner: Donna Brian, MBC™, Love in Bloom, LLC, Shreveport, La., dloveinbloom@aol.com, www.DonnaBrianEvents.com.ABC Member Businesses: Jemi Adcock (florist) and Pelican Tent.Non-member Businesses: Upper Crust (catering), Kelly Cathey Photography, Groove Agents (band), Quarter 4 Season, Katherine Putnam (pianist).The Couple: Jamie Wilson was Miss Louisiana in 2006. After attending law school, this princess met her prince in David Rivet. When they wed, his two beautiful children, Grace and Taylor, were the only attendants in the wedding. It was a beautiful, intimate ceremony as they united as one family at the bride’s family home.Wedding Date: Feb. 26, 2012.Inspiration: We loved bringing country-chic elements into the wedding theme. Jamie’s father purchased mini wine barrels for the guests to self-serve their wine. Her mother assembled burlap table runners, monogrammed chair sleeves, candlesticks, and door wreaths. Personalized coffee cups for a hot chocolate station with initialized stir sticks were priceless. Snuggle blankets around the fire pits were warm and cozy. The pool had floating candles with flowers.Most Unique Element: We purchased canvas photos of their engagement pictures and hung them in the theater area overlooking the pool, creating a dramatic effect.Color Palette: Lilac, pink, celadon, and purple.Guest Count: 250.Budget: $60,000.Biggest Challenge: We had two weddings to orchestrate this weekend in opposite directions of Shreveport—this one, in Minden, La., and the other in Marshall, Texas. To orchestra the vendors, rentals, and placements of tents, rentals, and décor, along with planning the Southeastern Conference in New Orleans was quite a job. It was a very hectic and long week.Hindsight: Letting go is the hardest task for a wedding coordinator. The weekend would have been impossible without my wonderful staff and colleagues. My first assistant, Penny Wainscott, is priceless. The investment of mentoring her through the years has been worth a million dollars. Taking time to invest in your staff is critical since you truly can’t be in two places at the same time![nggallery id=24]