The Knot Best of Weddings 2011

A huge thank you to all of our current and past brides for voting us as The Knot's Best of Weddings for 2011!


As we close out another year, we take a look back on the past 12 months and realize how wonderful it is to work with not only the best brides and grooms but the very best Savannah has to offer in wedding vendors. Here's to another great year of beautiful weddings in 2011!

New Jewelry Line from Designer Liancarlo

Liancarlo designer Carlos Ramirez, and father of our own Genina Ramirez, has a new line of bridal jewelry that is just as beautiful as his gowns! Genina recently gave us a sneak peek of the first pieces and I think I can speak for the rest of us when I say, "I don't have to be a bride to wear these, right?!?"

Selecting just the right bridal jewelry to compliment your dress can be just as daunting of a task as choosing the dress itself. With this new jewelry line, Ramirez makes this decision much easier with such beautiful necklaces, headpieces and bracelets. In addition, these pieces will be ones you'll go back to long after the cake has been eaten and the guests have given their final "Congratulations!"

Necklaces

Headpiece

Bracelets

Cuff

We can't wait to see more from Liancarlo's jewelry line!

A Royal Engagement!

What a wonderful way to start a Tuesday with news that Prince William and Kate Middleton have made it official with the announcement of their much anticipated engagement! So many little girls spent their Saturday mornings dressed up in tiaras, pearls and white gloves attending a tea party surrounded by stuffed animals pretending to be a princess. To actually become a princess is quite an exciting prospect and it seems that Kate will transition beautifully into Princess Catherine! She certainly already looks the part in one of her many unique hats.

Photo Credit: Ian Jones/Telegraph UK/Zuma Press

After keeping the engagement a secret for nearly a month, the couple looked relaxed and happy to share the news with the press at St. James's Palace in London earlier this week.

Photo Credit: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

William presented Kate with his mother's stunning sapphire and diamond ring because he wanted to be sure that his mother was part of the engagement.

Photo Credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

BBC News journalist Tom Bradby was granted the only interview with the couple following their announcement, and it is one of only a few times in which the public had a chance to hear from Kate herself. The soft spoken couple talk about the development of their relationship from friends to fiances, the romantic proposal, and why William waited so long to propose.

Like many in the wedding industry, we are eagerly awaiting news of more details as they unfold. Martha Stewart Weddings recently interviewed Mark Niemierko, a top London wedding planner, about what to expect for a royal wedding. Check out the full interview Here.

We plan to tune in and see what this wedding looks like for ourselves, no matter what time we have to get up...will you?

Clever Ways to Personalize Your Wedding

I recently received an invitation to my cousin’s wedding in the mail and once I got past the absolutely impeccable calligraphy, I noticed something that I wish I thought to do for my wedding. In the upper right corner were two stamps with my cousin and her fiancé smiling at each other!

With so many invitations printed on heavier weight paper and in shapes needing more than your typical 44 cent stamp, this is a great way to showcase you and your fiancé even before your big day begins! Zazzle.com has tools to help you create a personalized stamp by uploading your own photo, or you can select from one of their many wedding themed designs.

Another great way to personalize your wedding is to design your own stationary as it sets the tone for what your guests can expect on the wedding day. Now, I know that many brides these days don’t even have enough time to plan a wedding, let alone design their stationary...but, with the help of online resources, designing your wedding stationary isn’t just for your amateur Martha Stewarts out there.

For those of you who are hesitant to embark on this potentially time consuming task, start with your Save the Dates. You may uncover a new talent you never thought you had!

The same cousin who put her face on a postage stamp used a great online resource for her Save the Dates called Premium Postcard. This website is a USPS Approved Postal Provider, so not only are you able to design a beautiful Save the Date card with just a few clicks of your mouse, but you can also upload your guest list to the website and they mail everything out for you...talk about a time saver!

To create a one of a kind post card, simply upload your favorite photos of you and your fiancé to the available spaces on the card and add the particulars using the site’s text editor. Now, I have to admit that my cousin is a professional graphic designer and the image on her card is her own design, but you don’t have to be a professional to create a lovely design using the website’s available tools.

Here is a sample announcement post card I quickly created:


As an added bonus, using post cards instead of the traditional card and envelope cuts down on your paper consumption…and Mother Earth appreciates the gesture!

By designing your wedding stationary, programs, menu cards, etc., you can also tie together a common theme from start to finish. As you can see with these invitations, my cousin was able to carry the bird theme from the save the date to the invitations and through to the overall wedding design, and this gives her guests a little taste of what to expect on the day of your wedding.


However you choose to personalize your wedding, it should be a reflection of you and your fiancé and the love you share together.

Many thanks to my cousin, Beth, and her soon-to-be-husband, J.R., for allowing me to post their clever ideas, and to Jade McCully Photography for the announcement card photos.

Welcome Fall!

It is the first day of fall today...well, not officially until 11:09pm, but I am known to celebrate early! Like many past autumnal equinox in Savannah, it doesn’t necessarily begin to feel like fall until October and sometimes even into November. Even though the weather may not cooperate until later in the year, the change of seasons from summer to fall brings with it an excitement that radiates throughout the city. Kids return to school, another football season is well underway, and I don’t get heat stroke walking from the front door to the mailbox!

Here at TH&Co, fall means we kick it into high gear as the days of 95-degree weather turn into weekends filled with weddings! Rich, bold colors make their return to wedding design, and to help you get in the mood for fall, here are a few great ideas for autumn weddings.

An easy way to infuse fall themes into your wedding is through your floral design. Whether you opt for a bold mix of colors or select a single color in various shades, fall hues create a rich, warm atmosphere for celebrating during the cool months.




Many brides are opting to forgo a floral table design and autumn is the perfect season to do this. Fill your tables with fall favorites like pumpkins, squash, cranberries, and finish it off with lots and lots of candles. Pottery Barn has wonderful inspiration for non-floral designs.



Using wheat as an alternative to flowers is always a popular choice, especially for a casual, outdoor affair or at a location with a rustic ambiance. Wheat can be used in lieu of flowers for nearly any aspect of the wedding, including aisle decorations, bridal bouquet and boutonnieres.

I am a big fan of the not so “matchy matchy” look for wedding parties, especially when a bride is faced with the prospect of dressing women with varying hair colors and skin tones. One way to combat this is to dress each woman in a different shade of the same color, but I found another suggestion on Real Simple’s website that I loved, especially if you have a mixture of blonde, brunette and redheads…pick the same dress, just change up the colors! These beautiful fall colors look great individually while still providing a cohesive color palate for your photos.


Let’s not forget about the men! To give the groomsmen a sense of individuality, choose a range of colors like these from vibrant red to soft peach.

Food plays a huge part in many autumnal activities and what better way to incorporate the season into your wedding than with food and drinks! Cocktail hour is a great way to provide your guests with signature fall treats like these mini candied apples and caramel apple martinis.

These cakes exude the warmth of fall without being too overly themed. The brown orchids and bold reds and oranges provide a lovely contrast against a traditional white cake. I especially like the idea of using chocolate icing for fall bridal cakes.

Pecan and apple pies are staples of many a Thanksgiving table, so why not share these crowd pleasers with your guests and send them home with a miniature version!


Photos courtesy of: Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, Pottery Barn, Good Life in the City, Geoff White Photography, Melias Floral, Williams-Sonoma, Real Simple Weddings, Francoise Weeks , The Wedding Bee

Tricia Huddas & Co. Real Savannah Wedding: Claire and Joseph

Claire and Joseph were married under the beautiful chandelier and draped tent of The Mansion on Forsyth Park’s Marble Garden Courtyard this past August. The bride and groom were surrounded by friends and family as they exchanged vows under the lightest of rain showers. I think the sound of light rain on a tent provides a romantic backdrop to a ceremony, though most brides would choose to forgo the romantic atmosphere for a dry day! Claire and Joseph could not have been a more relaxed, easy going couple. Even the sudden arrival of rain did not phase these two.

Claire's father was bursting with pride the entire day!

A to Zinnias provided the colorful flowers and lined the pool behind the couple with candles and magnolia leaves to enhance the intimate ceremony as a string trio from New Arts Ensembles provided the music.


Many thanks to Memories n More for providing such beautiful photos from their special day. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. McPhail!

Tricia Huddas & Co Real Savannah Wedding: Emily and Justin

Emily and Justin were married this past July at the Telfair Museum of Arts Academy Building - WOW is all I can say! Emily was such a joy to work with. She is Southern to the core, polite and had a very specific vision for her wedding. We spent hours picking the perfect linens, discussing the exact layout to fit her vision and putting the finishing touches on the overall day. Well, those hours paid off in an absolutely stunning wedding that took my breath away.

Emily and Justin have been together for 8 years - a perfect couple who share a strong faith and love for their families. It is always so special to be a part of such an important day - and when you end with results like this - it is just an extra reward!!

AND Check out the dress - Vera Wang!! Stunning!! Thank you Ashley Brokop for sharing these images!




A clean, simple color palette and classic flowers from Garden on the Square complimented the space brilliantly, and that amazing cake was done by the one and only Minette Rushing of Savannah Custom Cakes!

Congratulations Emily and Justin - thank you for allowing me to share in your wedding day!