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What I learned in 2019 and what 2020 holds…

January 7, 2020

How much I loved 2019…

2019 was one of the highlights of my career. I adored every wedding we had, and we had some that challenged every part of my being and my team; and lots that gave us so much joy! Let’s focus on the highlights of planning, designing, and coordinating every wedding we had this year. Its a big accomplishment to me, because I truly love designing a wedding. I adore taking my clients wants, styles, and personality; and turning into a visually stunning gift on their wedding day. Part of my design aesthetic is incorporating materials beyond tablecloths, flowers, and food. I love creating and building wood aspects, tile table tops, and more. If you have viewed me on Instagram you know I love a Lowe’s trip! 2019 let me run free with my designs. My custom designs went from small to super sized last year, and I can’t tell you how much wood I used. For a few weddings I got very lucky with a father of the bride and a groom willing to construct my crazy ideas! My team thought a few times I had lost my mind, but when it was all set-up it was worth it. Thank you to all my 2019 client who let me do what I do best, and trust me with their wedding designs.

Photography by Suzy Collins
Flowers by Sassafras
Chairs and Rentals by Luma Designs

One significant lesson I learned in 2019 was how valuable a wedding team is; not just a now and again helper, but a team. I now have hired 3 girls (Sarah, Erin, and Teddy) who work with me regularly on wedding days, and wedding day prep. I can’t imagine doing a wedding without them. They make the behind the scenes work so much easier and allows me to focus more on moments with my clients. They have taught me the proper and effective way to prep for a wedding day (don’t do it by yourself); and have forced me to get even more organized in the office. I love that my fellow vendors have come to love the girls and consider them part of every wedding.

Our 3 basic rules:
1. We don’t do ugly weddings
2. Sugar coating belongs on cakes
3. if we can’t buy it we build it

What 2020 holds…

My 2020 year gives me hope for more amazing adventures for Live Laugh Love Weddings. Of course Me and the team will be creating amazing weddings, and working with wonderful clients. You will see our work at some of our favorite venues: Kincaid House, Dara’s Garden, RT Lodge, as well as some private homes. I hope to continue working with Marblegate Farms, Mill & Mine; Cherokee Country Club, Holston Hills Country Club, Church Street United Methodist Church and more as well. I know we will cherish all the vendor relationships we have with caterers, photographers, florists, rentals, and everyone who puts their heart and sweat into our clients’ events. We also hope to offer more to more clients and vendors.

Photography by Traci Ancelet

Now there is Lefty Designs. I have found a love for custom creations, including signs, table top items, and some woodwork. Lefty Designs grew from the artist side of me wanting to create ideas that aren’t mass produced, that can go on to live in my clients’ lives and homes after their wedding. I have produced tabletop planter box centerpieces, wood herringbone accents, various seating charts, Tufted fabric centerpieces (see below), tile chargers for custom designed place settings, and more! I found many clients love the custom designed and built items, and many more asking for signs. Thanks to my very good friends at The Happy Envelope and Katherine Michalik, I also discovered a love for lettering. I have even provided signs to many wedding vendors including: The Spindle Tree, Southern Belle Beauty, Marblegate Farms, and many on display at Samuel Franklin Florist. I offer custom signs for weddings, businesses, everyday home decor, and of course Christmas! I am excited to keep building this side of my business, and making weddings even more amazing! Please note Lefty Designs, like me, go big or go home. So these designs are designed to make an impact. Our lettering is not for wedding invitations. If you are interested feel free to contact me thru our current website and reference Lefty Designs.

Photography by Danielle Evans
Rentals by All Occasion Party Rentals
Location: Marblegate Farms

Happy 2020 to all, and we can’t wait to see what this year holds for us! For inquiries please visit us here, and schedule a coffee date!

*We are welcoming to all cultures, religions, and genders,

What does a wedding planner do?

August 14, 2018

Erin Morrison Photography www.erinmorrisonphotography.com

At my first bridal show the #1 question I was asked is “What do you do?” Now 10 years later I am still asked “What do you do?” The term wedding planner has been used so many times in different wedding scenarios it is hard to tell what a bride & groom do, and what a wedding planner does. So I am here to lay it out for you;  Wedding Planner vs. Wedding Designer vs. Wedding Coordinator.

Kelli Boyd Photography

WEDDING PLANNER:

Jennifer Lopez first set a standard for what a wedding planner does. Everyone remembers the rescue kit strapped to her abs, and her feeding the best man a beautiful toast thru an ear piece. She was amazing, but Hollywood made her that way. Lets face facts most weddings don’t have a $100,000 wedding budget, and most weddings don’t need a 30,000 sq foot tent. Most weddings need to be planned, organized, orchestrated, set-up, directed, and finalized. This where a wedding planner thrives.

A wedding planner is someone there to help you plan your wedding. We help you select vendors best for your wedding needs; we tour venues with you to help see conflicts and benefits of each location; We help you choose the right number of tables for your guest count; We tell florists and rentals companies how many centerpieces, or linens are needed; We work with a cake bakers to make sure your cake will feed everyone and look amazing; we speak to your DJ about what kind of music you like and what should be played during the right moments; we make sure all mothers and grandmothers have a corsage and your bridesmaids have bouquets; we make endless timelines for your planning, your invitations, your vendor deliveries, and your wedding day; We help select a well balanced flavorful meal for your and your guests; we double check bartenders are licenses and insurance; we make sure someone will cut the cake; we even make you eat and drink the day of your wedding. A wedding planner’s list is endless. If I actually listed everything I have planned for my clients this blog post would never end.

I think of being hired as a wedding planner in 3 ways:

  1. to plan anything and everything for the bride & groom- for those who just want to show up at their wedding
  2. to plan help the bride and groom plan all aspects of the wedding- for those wanting to be a part of the wedding planning
  3. to plan details of the wedding with vendors which have already been hired- for those who thought they could do the wedding planning, and then life happened.

Wedding planners are great for any planning you need. Most will focus on specific tasks you need help planning. Choosing a wedding planner means choosing someone who you trust with your wedding. Who will make the best choices for you?

By the Way, the best movie wedding planner will and always be “Hanz” from Father of the Bride.

   Jennifer Crook Photography

WEDDING COORDINATOR:

A wedding coordinator has one of the most important jobs, executing all the wedding plans on the wedding day. Whether you had a wedding planner or not, a wedding coordinator is the best investment you can make. Who wants to set-up 20+ tables, put linens on, set-up 200+ chairs for a wedding ceremony and another 200+ chairs for the wedding reception, then get dressed, slather on make-up and look perfect in photographs? Not many. A wedding Coordinator takes your plans, takes your vendors contracts and oversees all of it: Setting up tables, chairs, linens, cake displays, guest card displays; communicating transportation, following a timeline; fluffing a bridal gown about 50 times; dispersing last vendor payments; go over reception events with DJ or MC; making sure the band is comfortable and fed; directing the wedding processional; making sure the mother of the bride  has tissues; knowing which song is played for whom; filling champagne flutes; transporting ceremony decor to reception; triple checking the bride & groom have food readily available; cueing the DJ/MC for all announcements: triple checking the vegetarians receive their veggie entree; packing up guest books and photos; lining up guests and lighting sparklers; breaking down tables & chairs; stuffing tablecloths into a linen bag; saran wrapping left over cake….and it goes on and on and on. A wedding coordinator is there to be your voice on your wedding day. To make sure your plans actually happen they way you planned them to.  The job of a wedding coordinator is sweaty, back aching, foot swelling, adrenaline pumped, passionate love that we adore.

Waldorf Photographic Art/ Kelli Boyd Photography

WEDDING DESIGNER:

A wedding designer is the most modern term you will hear. Not all wedding designers are planners and not all wedding planners are designers. A wedding designer creates the environment for your wedding. Think of an interior designer for your wedding. Will those linens coordinate with those chairs? Is it best to spend the money on centerpieces or on chandeliers? Where should the bar and buffet go? A wedding designer can go as far as selecting furniture for a lounge area to arranging the flowers laid on the head table. They are there to make sure the location your guests will walk into looks amazing!

Floor plans are one of the best ways to use a wedding designer. How do you want your wedding to feel? Make your self at home, mingle & dance, or a formal dinner? Arranging the tables, chairs, and furniture within your wedding location can immediately change how your guests feel. Also using certain items can change the floor plan: farm tables or linen tables, Bench seating or dining chair seating, assigned seating or just find a seat? All can change the way your floor plan is constructed.

Pinterest has contributed alot to wedding design. Some brides find exactly what they want, but have no clue what it costs. Some brides love what they see as wedding trends, but want to add their own personality. A wedding designer is able to understand what you want and like thru pinterest, but then adjust it to your location, your budget, and your personality.

I am fortunate to call myself a wedding planner/designer/and coordinator. I love making weddings happen. I love designing a wedding that expresses the bride & groom’s personalities, traditions, favorites. I love planning weddings  and bringing the wedding design to life, and I love being trusted with coordinating the wedding day, making every plan actually happen.

For more about what I do check out my website livelaughloveweddings.com and schedule a coffee date!

 

Wedding Designs Brought to Life

September 19, 2017

I am a wedding designer, and proud of it. In fact it is my true passion in this world of wedding planning. I adore the puzzle of linens, centerpieces, furniture, colors, and floor plans that makes a wedding come to life. I am known for having a vision, or a directed path when designing a wedding, but I am always tweaking, researching, experimenting to really make the design as perfect as it can be. The opportunity for me to attend a lecture by my wedding designer/planner icon, Tara Geurard, came about. I don’t think I could have jumped in my car faster on the day of the lecture. Still, it was one of the best days of my career, and for many reasons. The main reason that this day, this lecture was the best is because it ignited inspiration in me.

Before Pinterest there was imagination in creating wedding designs. There was creativity in deciding the centerpieces and place cards. Since Pinterest my wedding world had become a world of “replicate this lanterns, with this greenery, and these favors.” Personalization was falling away and replication was taking its place.  After listening to Tara, and hearing about her creative process, I was asking myself “why am I letting Pinterest dictate my talent? Why shouldn’t I let Pinterest turn off my creativity and imagination?” So away I went to sketch, build, and spray paint. In a matter of just 24 hours I had 5 designs in my head. Over the next 5 months I tweaked, twisted, defined, and edited these designs. on August 22, 2017 I saw them finally come to life.

On August 22nd a bandwagon of vendors came together, and made my wedding designs, my ideas come to life. Now it wasn’t easy, and it came with challenges, but in the end I was proud of all the work and effort. I was extremely proud and thankful for my family and friends who sweated and paid a physical price for me and my creativity. I could not have done all this with out you! I couldn’t have asked for better colleagues who joined in, and gladly tried to make the design in my head come to life. Many times I was asked “do you have a photo of this idea, or a point of reference?” I would smile and simply say “nope, its in my head!”

I’m not a simply designer, I’m not a cookie cutter planner. I am a “go big or go home” person. So, I was determined to produce all 5 designs, photograph them, and break it all down in one day. Thanks to the Kincaid House in Clinton, TN and its coordinator Melissa Charles, we were able to do it! The Kincaid House’s  property allowed me to set-up all the designs in different areas but still in the same location.

Here is just a taste of the different designs. I will blog about each individual one later. There is too much to say about each design. The designs were created from a love of home improvement; the life of broke newlyweds; the infatuation of the blush color; the hospitality and trends of southern women; the celebration of family; and the styles of bold classic fashion.

 

 

Bill Waldorf Photography

 

Thank you to JoPhoto, Bill Waldorf, And Katherine Birkbeck for their gorgeous photography! Thank you to All Occasion Party Rentals for your generosity in supplying with a huge order! Especially Cindy for organizing my crazy rental list on a weekly/daily basis. Thank you to Bradford Catering for making wonderful food, and going with my crazy ideas! The list goes on and on including: Unique Settings of Knoxville, The Happy Envelope, White Lace and Promises, Regal Tuxedos, Southern Sirens, all the models: Adaira, Hannah, and Katryn, 

 

I want to especially thank Samuel Franklin Florist. Sam and his staff have been an amazing team to work with. Sam is my go to, see it through, no idea is too crazy guy. He has been such a support thru my whole career, and continues to be my main man. Sherri and his crew go above and beyond any of my requests. They were out in the heat helping set-up chairs, moving props, and doing anything I asked of them. I can’t say thank you enough to Sam and his amazing crew!

If you are interested in more about this photo shoot; more wedding design; how your wedding can be personalized, or how we can help you in anyway with your wedding event go over to livelaughloveweddings.com. I would be happy to your wedding memorable to you and to your guests!

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