Beyond Events, Inc.

It has been over a year since I last blogged. In the past year so much has happened that I wanted to share with you all; I got married, which was really awesome (and beautiful, if I do say so myself), there were several gorgeous weddings that I got to help plan, coordinate and enjoy, and we’ve started working on 2012 weddings already. Life took me away from blogging, but now I’m back.

I’m excited to announce that Chelsie Green, one of my former brides, has agreed to join Beyond Events to help plan, design and direct weddings. While I worked with her on her wedding last September I realized how creative, self-motivated and organized she is. To say that I was impressed is an understatement. It is rare to find this combination of traits in one person, but she pulls it off quite nicely, I must say. I am so excited to have her on board and look forward to creating some amazing weddings with her!

Stay tuned for more info, gorgeous event pics and updates. I’ll be posting some great stuff soon and you won’t want to miss it.

On Friday, October 22nd my boyfriend of 3 years proposed! We had packed a picnic, climbed up Stone Mountain, and were enjoying our feast. The sun was setting in the West as a Full moon was rising in the East. The entire skyline was a beautiful rainbow; wide bands of color enveloped the sky (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet). It was a breath-taking sunset. As we finished our meal and chatted nonchallantly about our days, the food and our plans for the weekend, he reached into his pocket. To my complete surprise he pulled out a beautiful brilliant diamond and asked me to marry him! I was stunned. After I recovered my breath I answered with a loud “yes!” and sealed the deal with a kiss. I am very excited to be planning my own wedding and cannot wait to share the detials with you all.

A couple of weeks ago I hosted a baby shower for one of my dearest friends. I had seen cake pops at a baby shower several years ago and thought they were adorable and delicious, so I knew I wanted them for this shower. But I also knew that I didn’t have an interest in learning how to make them myself. So, I ordered the cake pops from Sarandipity Sweets in Alpharetta, (and they were perfect). I’m always looking to get them most bang for my buck, so I decided to incorporate them into the centerpieces. The picture above shows the finished product. The cake pops were three fold at the shower; centerpieces, dessert and favors. They were a huge hit! I highly recommend them for your next shower, party or event.

On Saturday, September 25, 2010 Christy Parker married Nick Eberts as the sun set over the Atlanta Skyline. It was an elegant affair at the Piedmont Room. With Plum and pewter accents throughout the venue and the romantic glow of candle light, it was truly a breath-taking scene. For the ceremony Amadeus Strings provided beautiful music, Dr.Jon Payne performed the nuptials, and the bride groom both laughed and cried.

Christy and Nick entertained their guests with both slow (lessons from Ballroom Dance Club) and fast dancing. And they weren’t the only ones on the dancefloor.Their reception was truly a great party. The groom was from New York and the bride from Atlanta, their favors: suckers- an apple and a peach.

A couple of weeks ago I assisted with the event coordination of the Atlanta Food Rave. The event itself was remarkable, 5 of Atlanta’s top chef’s competed to prepare food (live) for guests and to benefit the Atlanta Food Bank. But, the scene-stealing portion of the event was..Butt Sketches! What are “Butt Sketches” you ask? They are a pieces of art, charcoal sketches in live time of your entire back side. See the picture above. These artists are based in Austin, TX and take about 2 1/2 minutes per butt. Additionally, the artists incorporated sass, personality and accessories into the sketchs. Truly an entertaining and memorable part of any event, not to mention that you get to take the artwork home! Mine is framed and post on the wall of my living room. I absolutley love it!

Have you ever wanted to have your crazy wedding story told? Well this is the opportunity to get the tale heard. If you have a wedding disaster or mishap story from your or a friend’s/family member’s event we would love to hear it.

Below is a list of the topics (12) that we are searching for true stories about. If you have any personal experiences or know of anyone that has had any of them, please send me the story. All names, relevant details,etc. will be changed to protect the identity of the actual bride or groom. Please feel free to pass this request along to any of your friends, family, co-workers, etc.

1.) A bride that changed her mind a millions times (about flowers. colors, dresses, etc.)
2.) A (wedding) weather disaster that did not have a rain plan/alternate plan.
3.) Confusion or misunderstandings on who was paying for what in the wedding (parents, B&G, grandparents, etc.)
4.) A wedding that resulted in much more credit card debt than initially planned for.
5.) A bride that due to on-going wedding related communication: deleted an e-mail account, refused to answer her cell phone, etc.
6.) A bride that encountered less than supportive relatives, friends, co-workers, etc. concerning her wedding.
7.) A wedding mishap that resulted from a lack of communication between family members or wedding party.
8.) A bride that did not speak up about what she wanted and ended up: being dragged to a strip club for her bachelorette party, allowing a distant relative (cousin, etc.) to be in the wedding party despite preferring otherwise, etc.
9.) A wedding day beauty fiasco from having a grooming/ beauty service provided a day before the wedding (disastrous haircut. orange skin from spray tan, etc.)
10.) Any bride that set out to lose a large amount of weight or save an unreasonable amount of money (for the wedding) and was not able to accomplish the goal in time and thus there was a consequence (had to buy a new wedding dress, took on $15,000 in credit card debt, vendors did not show for insufficient payment).
11.) A wedding that was or was not saved by having wedding insurance.
12.) A bride that took on too many DIY projects for the wedding day and is showed (dead flowers in the bouquets, place cards that were sloppily hand-written, etc.)

I am planning to include these tales in my project and really appreciate all of you contributing or passing the request along. As stated before all story details will be changed and the contributor (and bride/groom) will remain anonymous. Please send all information to amber@beyondeventsatlanta.com

Thank you all so much!

Best,
Amber

Tomorrow, August 22nd Endive Catering, Circle of Love Weddings, Sublime Photography and several other wedding vendors in Atlanta will be hosting the 2nd “From Now to Wow” bridal experience. This event will feature interactive elements, pampering and a discussion panel with professionals. The information and experience available to guests will be immeasurable.
Space is limited. If interested in attending visit the event’s eventbrite page to register. Tickets are $15 and the event will be held at the Endive location in Midtown.It is sure to be a spectacular event!

On Sunday, August 1st 2010 Vanessa Preiss married Brett Meyer at the King Plow Arts Center in Atlanta. It was a beautiful event, with over 150 guests in attendance, filled with jewish tradition and infused with the personalities of the Bride and Groom. The details of the ceremony and reception truly showed the uniquiness and originality of the couple.
Vanessa and Brett were wed under a gorgeous chuppah that was lined with hundreds of feathers and twinkle lights in front of their friends and family. The ceremony was performed by Rabbi Steven Lebow and filled with humor and entertainment. The couple and wedding party exited the ceremony to the theme from Star Wars and provided a wedding cake topped with Hans solo and Princess Leiya figurines at the reception. As the dancing commenced at the reception the bride and groom participated in the traditional Hora and were hoisted onto chairs and bounced up and down by the guests, it was quite a ride. But, the most poigniant moment was when the groom serenaded the bride in front of the entire crowd, it was beautiful. An affair to remember for sure.

When you’re planning a wedding it is easy to get overwhelmed by the big stuff like staying within your budget, maintaining a count of your RSVPs and selecting service vendors, but the little details that go into your event are what truly make it spectaclar. The most recent edition of Brides’s magazine features a list of 100 things to do for under $100 (each) that will really upgrade your wedding. This extensive list had tons of great ideas and fabulous websites that they recommend.
Of the ones mentioned my favorite was “Just Married” car banners. I love these! In addition to making a statement to everyone you pass on the road, even after your formal departure, they are a beautiful finishing touch for your fabulous event (not to mention a great photo opp). Check out A bride’s ride for great do it yourself packages that start at an affordable $47. The they offer a variety of “statements”; hitched, just married, I do, we did it! & forever. After you’ve wed it’s time to tell the world, why not do it with an eye-catching, elegantly decorated get away car?

For the past 5 years Cheap-chic-weddings.com has hosted a “Toilet Paper Wedding Dress contest.” The picture to the left is from this year’s 2nd place winner. They offer cash prizes of $1,000 for the winner; $500 for the 2nd place and $250 for 3rd. The effort and energy the contestants put into these projects is simply amazing. To see many more of these artistic creations from bathroom products you’ve got to check out the website (www.cheap-chic-weddings.com). From paper birds to ruffles, bussels and flowers made or toilet paper these dresses have it all. There is even an “official rules” guide, these ladies take this contest very seriously and it shows in the detail of their artwork.