Another Crazy Fall

Oh I wish I could say I am looking forward to fall but just thinking about the next couple of months brings me nothing but anxiety. I have a full plate. I realize having a full plate means I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a job where I am in demand. However, just looking at my schedule gives me an ulcer. No kidding, I really think I’ve developed a stomach ulcer. When I think about my upcoming week this week makes me want to run to my momma’s house. You know because running to your momma’s house means no responsibilities and no real worries. First off, this work week is going to be like 60 hours! And it is my birthday. Doesn’t that sound like a lot of fun? Oh my birthday…. That brings another load of anxiety to me. If I skip the presents and cake can I skip getting older? It’s a deal so don’t worry about writing on my Facebook wall on Tuesday because I am skipping it this year. I do not know why I am having such a hard time as I inch closer and closer to the big 3-0, especially when my friends who have already reached that milestone birthday take it in stride and make it look not so bad after all. Each year just goes faster than the one before. I need things to sllllooooowwwww down a little. I cannot believe how fast the months fly by.

I am also very grateful that in the midst of my crazy fall schedule that we have some really fun things planned.  In ten days (if I survive hosting Business After Hours and a football team) we leave for the beach.  And just not to any beach. I am going to my happy, happy, happy place which is Saint Simons Island, Georgia. I must keep my eye on the goal. I am so excited that our friends Trina and Marshall will be joining us. While we are there Trina will turn 30 (which adds to my own anxiety about getting older but this is the part where I am supposed to focus on the positive… ha ha). We are also planning to attend the UT vs. Auburn game in November. Plus my best friend is getting married at the end of this month. I cannot wait! I must keep focused on all the good and exciting stuff and not how overwhelming and almost impossible my schedule seems. I would appreciate any prayers and support. 

A Bridal Tea

I hosted a bridal tea for my best friend Andrea last Sunday. It was the first tea that I've ever hosted. I had three teas when I got married (one from my church in Florence, one from Greyson's church in Hartsville and one given by my bridesmaids in Murfreesboro). I've learned that bridal teas are not as popular here as they are at home in Florence. I've found myself having to explain the difference between a tea and a shower to a lot of people the last couple of years. Here are the main differences in a nut shell.
1. For showers there is normally a set arrival time but at a tea it is flow event. Teas are usually an hour and half to two hours. That is why tea invitations have a start time and end time listed and showers mostly have just a start time.

2. The honoree doesn't open her own gifts at a tea. The hostesses unwrap the gifts as they come in (typically in another room) and records the gift and who it is from and then takes the gifts in the main room and displays them on a table.

3. My favorite difference. There are no games at teas! Sorry gals, there is no toilet paper bride or how well do you know your groom games. I know, I am no fun. Your time at a tea is just spent visiting with guests and eating.

So now about Andrea's tea.

I absolutely loved her invitation. Ignore the black line, I had to black out my address. 

Now my favorite part... THE FOOD. Her menu was as follows.

I worried myself to death about coming up with the perfect menu and the perfect recipes. I am not sure if it was perfect but it was pretty close in my "humble" opinion. A huge shout out to my mom for coming up early to help me prepare all the food. 

In typical Amy fashion I used several recipe specs to come up with my very own and great chicken salad recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup light or regular mayonnaise

1/2 cup light or regular sour cream

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 pounds skinned and boned chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

3 cups red and white seedless grapes, halved

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

½ cup celery finely sliced

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together adding the grapes last. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving. We scooped the chicken salad into little puff pastries. 

I also found this amazing recipe for chess squares. They were a hit at the party. We actually followed this recipe exactly how it is listed. 

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/chess-squares.html 

The last recipe I want to share with you is Almond Tea. I fell in love with this stuff at my bridal tea in Hartsville. I think it is a must to any bridal tea. 

Almond Tea

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar or Splenda (I’ve used both)

1 gallon water

8 tea bags

2 TBSP almond extract

Directions:

Brew tea, add sugar to warm tea to dissolve and add almond extract

 

There you have it folks. It was a great tea for my best friend. Let me know if you decide to host a tea of your own. 

Cranking Out More Designs

I am having a blast designing invitations and custom prints for friends and family, in addition to making more samples. Here are a few of my latest projects. Please remember custom designs just start at $5! Please contact me for more details.

Boost of Creativity

I've recently had a boost in creativity. I do not know what has gotten into me. I've been designing custom monograms, invitations, blog headers and annoucements. Right now, it is just a hobby that I love but I can see this turning into something more. If you have an upcoming event and need an invitation or would like a custom monogram, please feel free to comment below or e-mail me. I would be happy to help! Since I am just starting off the price is ONLY $15 per file.

 

Personal information removed for privacy above.

Roden Tidwell Wedding

This weekend my dear friend, Lara got married. I was honored to serve as her wedding coordinator. Lara is the girl that keeps up with all the happenings of her friends (and this girl has a lot of friends). She also has a gift of making everyone feel special. She is by far the most thoughtful person I know. I was actually thankful to have the opportunity to give back to the girl who has given to so many, including myself.

Here are a few pictures that I managed to take during the hectic day.

 

I was reminded this weekend of why I love weddings so much. It’s all the love and excitement…. And not just between the bride and the groom. I love that friends and family come together for two people. I always tell my brides at work to cherish their entire wedding weekend. And that the next time all of their friends and family are together celebrating them will be their funeral so soak it all in. It sounds a little harsh but it is so true. I love the closeness of everyone. I can honestly say that Lara and Tim did take the time to cherish everyone who attended and one another. So brides and grooms, take note. Walk around and talk to all your guests. Take moments to steal away with one another and your loved ones.


Mother Nature wasn’t very kind to Tim and Lara on their wedding day but seeing her and Tim’s love for one another definitely shined through the rain clouds. Lara selected some amazing vendors. I honestly have nothing but great things to say about them all. So here’s the scoop on her wedding day. E-mail me for any of their contact information.

Venue: Belle Meadow Farms, Lascassas, TN

DJ: Live Media Relations

Florist & Decorator: Emily Beals Moshopoulos

Bakery: Cedar City Cakes

Rentals: Stewart’s Special Evens

Caterer: Slick Pig

Bartender: Jesse George

Photographer: Rebecca Walker Photography

I can’t wait to see more pictures from Rebecca Walker Photography. Oh and if you Instagram check out the #tidwellweddingtn . So many great moments and details were captured.

Lastly, I leave you with this picture that I stole borrowed from one of Lara’s friends. It flash flooded all day on Saturday so it was pretty muddy plus it was sprinkling when it was time for Lara to walk down the aisle. I couldn’t let her dress get muddy so I carried it in the back. I love this photo. I actually, kind of, blend in.

Tips from This Event Pro

I’ve wanted to do this post for some time now. I just haven’t had the time lately. On average, we plan about 24 weddings a year. I’ve worked at DoubleTree now for three years. That means I’ve oversaw over 70 weddings. Whew, I am tired just thinking about. Over the past few years I’ve seen mistakes that my brides often make. Some of these mistakes I made as a bride. So here are some of my top wedding planning tips. I plan on doing a series of wedding and event planning tips. I hope they are helpful to you.

1. After you determine your budget, rank items in order of importance to you. Let’s face it weddings are expensive. You can try with all your might to be as conservative as possible but there’s not a bank account that won’t feel the impact of a wedding. My top priorities planning my wedding were a great band, unique location, and wonderful food so that is how I prioritized my spending. I also booked those items first. I spent more on my band than I did on flowers and decorations. By starting with what is most important, you are more likely to stay within your budget because you are more willing to compromise on items that aren’t as important to you. If I had picked out my flowers before booking my caterer, location and band, I would have blown my budget.

2. Have a timeline for everything. And yes, I mean everything. There is so much to get done the day of the wedding. Start a timeline for the day before and day of the wedding. Weddings involve lots of people and people need structure. Share these timelines with your bridal party, close family members and friends. If you want to make mom mad then cut your cake while she is in the bathroom. (I have seen this happen twice.) Make sure all your key people are aware of the timeline of the pre-wedding activities, pictures, ceremony and reception. (Reminder to myself: post wedding planning timeline template.)

3. Take pictures of you and the groom before your wedding. I would have never believed I would be saying this three years ago. G and I were adamant on not seeing each other until I walked down the aisle. Everyone told us to do pictures before but nope we weren’t doing it. I had this fairy tale pictured in my head. I would walk down the aisle and G’s lip would tremble as he saw me for the first time. It would be a magical moment. Then we would go to the reception and our guests would let us eat and then we would have a wonderful time visiting with everyone there. That’s not how it happened….at all. G’s lips didn’t tremble. I don’t think he shed a tear when he saw me. He actually looked away a few times. I think it was his tactic for his lips not to tremble or to cry. I guess he didn’t know that what I wanted. By the time we got married, I had already planned a few weddings at the hotel. I had seen how guests get restless without food so in order to not have any hungry guests and to appease my mom because she hated the idea of pictures afterwards, I decided to let our guests go ahead and start eating without us. The entire time our photographer was taking pictures, we were rushing her because we wanted to get to the party. By the time we got to the reception, everyone had finished eating dinner so we decided to cut the cake. You don’t want to keep a bunch of Baptist away from their wedding cake. Therefore, we never ate. And to add to this never ending point… a bride drinking wine on an empty stomach can be a not so great combination.

4. I am so glad Pinterest didn’t exist when I was getting married. It would have been the death of me. Ladies, if you are planning a wedding get off of Pinterest. While there are some great ideas, I keep seeing brides get caught in a Pinterest fog. They are so focused on the details; they forget the big picture and forget logistics. So don’t waste your time on the favors that will go into someone’s junk drawer and that’s if the favor makes it home.  Focus on the big items and the flow of the day, then add those finishing touches and personalized details.

5. The best piece of wedding advice I was given was once you make a decision about something move onto the next item. Don’t second guess yourself or nothing will get done.