Mona & Kristopher

Planning this week of multiple ceremonies... Thursday's Henna party, Saturday morning Hindu wedding ceremony, Indian luncheon, Christian wedding ceremony, and an evening reception and party...What an incredible experience! Going into my sixth year of planning weddings and events, sometimes I feel as if I could go on auto-pilot... not to indicate that I'm getting jaded...just comfortable. However, Mona and Kris' wedding certainly found me and my fabulous staff on our toes. This was my first Hindu-Christian ceremony and wow did we learn alot!

Thank you Mona, Kris and your precious families for entrusting such an important time in your lives to myself and my staff! We were blessed to be able to work with all of you!

The day started at 5:00 AM... My staff and I met at the Fairview Inn to prepare for the outdoor Hindu ceremony on the deck. Wendy Putt and her fabulous staff were busily transforming the wooden gazebo into a romantic and lush mundap, under which the couple would experience their Hindu marriage traditions. After the white wooden chairs were aligned, the custom painted aisle runner was in place, and the doli decorated with freshly strung orchids and jewels, we checked on the blushing bride. The festivities began with a festive and colorful ceremony on the front circular drive of the Fairview, as Kris was greeted by Mona's family and friends.

There was lots of singing and dancing!

The bride & groom

Under the mundap

The flowergirl baskets, created by Fresh Cut. They were one of my favorite details!

Mendhi (or henna) that is traditionally applied to the palms and feet of a bride. Once the henna dries, the reddish color underneath remains as a decoration on the bride.

The bride and groom and his family at the Mendhi party.

Mr. and Mrs. Graham

The bride and her bridesmaids before the Christian ceremony.

A beautiful ceremony at St. Matthews in Madison.

The bride and groom and her parents before the Christian ceremony.

One of my favorite moments, the bride and her father dancing...
with a very proud mama watching.


Special Thanks to all of the vendors
who worked very hard to make this wedding such a success...

Fairview Inn - Hindu ceremony and Indian luncheon

Fresh Cut - Florals for Henna party, Hindu ceremony, Indian luncheon,
Christian ceremony, and evening reception

KD Photographics - Photography

DJ Bally - Videography

Old Capitol Inn - Evening reception and party

Super Limo - Morning wedding transportation

Fondren Express - Evening wedding transportation

Style in the Sky - Birmingham

We are so excited to be in Birmingham, Alabama this weekend for Style in the Sky! Last night Hannah (my fabulous assistant) and I got into town just in time to attend the Rock the Runway Event at The Redmont Hotel. It was great fun. The models were rockin' out their Anne Barge, rock n roll inspired bridal gowns... accessorized with black leather gloves and black boots.

The models lined the roof top of the hotel with the night and city lights as the backdrop!

Tonight, we are getting ready for dinner with Sylvia Weinstock and we'll be able to see the fabulous cakes and finalist from the Style in the Sky cake competitions! what is it about cake competitions.. maybe it's because I can't make anything that's not out of a box... but I LOVE cake competitions! We'll of course post those pics tonight too!

Tomorrow... brunch with David Tutera... love him too!

Then, to cap off an amazing weekend, tomorrow night... a runway show featuring Anne Barge... we carry her Southern inspired fashions at A Southern Affair's bridal shop and cannot wait to see what's new in the line!

Featured on Southern Weddings Magazine Blog

I am honored to be featured on a blog post for Southern Weddings Magazine.

Click below to link directly to the site.
Real Wedding: Amy + Ben

Have we got quite the southern wedding for you today! Not only does it include a southern gentleman groom, a wedding theme of "southern funky formal" and southern cuisine, but a tornado the day before and a venue change a month before the "I do's". Got your interest right? Read on to hear from Amy about the venue change and the tornado that hit Jackson, Mississippi. The couple was married at {St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church} with a reception at {Providence Hill Farm}. The bouquets, table arrangement and flowers were all done beautifully by {Garden District}. The Southern cuisine was created by {VIP's Grand Events} with the wedding cake by {The Cake Diva}. This southern soiree was planned by the amazing Shanna of {A Southern Affair}. Like the bling Amy wore? All from {Adorn Brides}. This wedding was captured by {Kevin Beasley Photographer Inc.}. Check out Kevin's blog post to see all the photos {Ceremony Post}, {Reception Post} and {WE TV Post}.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Ben and I meet in ninth grade at a friend’s house. I thought he was your typical jock type with an attitude. I introduced him to a friend as “Ben Bolton” he was quick to correct me. I thought ‘What a jerk’ and didn’t speak to him for ten years. While rooming with two guy friends after college this guy kept crashing on our couch. I was upset when I found out it was Ben but he hung around and asked me out. That was five years ago, and we have been together ever since.Describe the proposal: Ben asked me to be his wife among the ruins of St. Andrew Cathedral on a cliff overlooking Scotland’s North Sea. It was a long time coming but, totally worth the wait. It was the most perfect romantic wedding proposal I could have ever dreamed of. What attracted me to my husband was: His dapper good ole southern boy looks with the charm of a Southern gentleman. Plus he makes me laugh!!Why do you love your husband? He is a true Southern gentleman with a heart of gold. What attracted me to my wife was: She was beautiful, but she was just one of the guys. I can be myself around her.A date we went on that we’ll always remember: Ben and I disagreed on a lot of things at first, but one thing we did agree on was the blues. We went to a blues club once and I started singing the song aloud and Ben looked at me and said “You know the blues.” I said “I love the blues.” We go to blues clubs together as much as we can and dance the night away. Those are always some of my favorite dates.The weather on our wedding day was: Overcast. We had one of the most damaging tornados that has ever hit Jackson, Mississippi storming on the day of our wedding. What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Southern Funky Formal.Favorite design element of your big day: The “Southern influence” throughout every detail

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I could not find anything that I was just totally in love with. So I put several wedding gowns together and a local wedding dress shop, {The Bridal Path}, had it made. {Adorn Bride} provided the jewelry I wore, which was magnificent!

Describe your wedding flowers: Cymbidium orchid sprays, orange French tulips, pink peonies and green hydrangeas.

Describe your wedding cake: Four-tired square cake features hand-painted cherry blossoms and branches reaching toward the top tier boasting a bouquet of sugar cherry blossoms.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: All the touches of our favorite things. From the Southern cuisine of raw oysters, fried catfish and lobster ravioli to our signature Southern drink of mint juleps. The music was good old Southern blues, which is mine and Ben’s favorite.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? We originally had our wedding reception booked at another venue and they would not let us film for the {WE TV}. They were putting stipulations on everything, and I did not want anyone telling us what we could or couldn’t do on our wedding day. So our fantastic wedding planner {Shanna Lumpkin} proposed {Providence Hill Farms}. There had never been a wedding out on the privately owned farm, but she called and rushed us out there the next day. It was wet and freezing, but it was breathtaking. It had Ben written all over it with the gorgeous outdoor landscape and the laid back atmosphere. I loved the architecture and the way you felt like you were on a resort somewhere, but you were still in Jackson, Mississppi. We decided to move it to Providence Hill Farms (it was meant to be once we saw it) so we changed venues a month out and reprinted over 500 invitations.Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? I carried a blue rosary around my bouquet for a symbol of my Catholic upbringing. I also wore my grandmother’s wedding ring.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? It was all so much fun and beautiful, but the moment we saw each other for the first time was pretty surreal. Of course the fact that our wedding was also being filmed for national television was pretty memorable as well.

Funniest moment? We lost our entire wedding party for about an hour during pictures. Someone had told them to load on a bus, and they were driven about 20 minutes away from the location. We still don’t entirely understand what happened.Hardest decision you made in planning? To switch venues so close to the wedding, but I knew in my heart it was what I needed to do.

The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: The devastating tornado that came through the day before. We had guests flying in from all over and none of the hotels or our homes had power. Roadways were shut down and it took hours to get anywhere.

Three adjectives that describe the day are: Grateful, Loved, Perfect, Unbelievable, Magical. Wait, that’s more then three.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase/verse/or line? We did not write our own vows but did say a prayer asking God to give us the strength to be good partners to one another and to be good parents.

What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? To remember what your wedding day actually is. It is a celebration of your love for one another, and for the people coming out to support that love. It is not a contest or production.

Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration. Enjoy your day!! Take it all in and remember every moment!

Who was your most honored guest at the wedding? Everyone who attended this occasion was an honored guest. We wanted for everyone to have a fun time and walk away with an everlasting memory of a Southern wedding.

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Well we moved right on to the next step in our life about two days into the honeymoon! We welcomed a healthy baby boy on Christmas Eve 2008. Benjamin Jackson Boteler II. He is an absolute joy and definitely the best thing that has ever happened to us. Life has been one grand experience after another for the both of us, but it is much better having the love of your life to share it with.
Congratulations to Amy + Ben. We wish you the best as you enjoy newlywed life and the wonderful moments you'll share as new parents!

Wedding Day Emergency Kits...

Since the airing of our series of Wedding Central: The Wedding Planners, I get numerous requests for details on the wedding day emergency kits we use at A Southern Affair. To share the 411, I decided to create a post featuring where they come from. They are actually professional make-up train cases from http://www.yazmo.com/. We LOVE them! They are a little pricey, but have lasted me since I began my company in 2003. That's going on 6 years!

This is the type of case we use at A Southern Affair.

We stuck with the classic silver, but you can choose form a variety of colors and designs.

They have a soft shell version as well.

Smaller versions can easily be carried as you are coordinating any wedding.

What do I put in my emergency kit?

I don't go to a wedding without...

·Asprin/Tylenol
·Band aids

·BlackBerry(with numbers for all of your wedding vendors already programed)
·Black socks… at least one groomsmen (or your groom) always forgets theirs.
·Bobby pins/ponytail holders
·Breath mints (not gum)
·Cash/change
·Deodorant (spray... men's& women's)
·Eye drops
·Floral pins & tape
·Hem tape
·Lint brush
·Nail file, clippers, and clear nail polish
·Needle and thread (white/ivory, black, and color of bridesmaids dresses)
·Peppermints (not cough drops)
·Pepto-bismol tablets (not the Liquid)
·Safety pins (small & large)
·Scissors
·Scotch tape
·Snacks – pretzels, granola, crackers
·Static guard… especially for winter weddings.
·Super Glue
·Tampons/pads
·Tide to go! It’s the best for little wedding day messes!
·Tissue
·Umbrella
·Water

Hopefully, this helps all of you do-it yourself brides and beginning wedding planners.

VIP Jackson - The Wedding Planner

To read our feature coverage in VIP Jackson's January edition, follow the links below...

Wedding planner 88.jpg - Gmail Wedding planner pages 89.jpg - Gmail

Bride & Bloom: Spring 2009

To view the article on a larger window, follow this link:

Bride And Bloom Winter 2009 Coord features-Shanna.jpg - Gmail

Featured planner for Bride & Bloom Magazine: the photo shoot

Now on newsstands...

"A whimsical garden wedding with a Southern charm. The luscious decor of the garden can be the perfect setting for a calming reception."

I was honored to be chosen as a featured planner in national magazine,

Bride & Bloom Magazine

for their Spring 2009 edition. If you haven't seen this publication before, it is definitely something you need to start following. They have such a fresh approach to event decor with a great emphasis on floral. I love it... and was so honored to be chosen to be featured.
The theme for the tablescape was a Spring Palette of pale blues and silver, and I chose... Southern Garden Charm. The most sincere thanks to the vendors that helped me to put this together!

Wendy Putt & Fresh Cut
Garrett Merchant Photography
Maria deLaBarre, The Cake Diva
Fresh Ink
The China Cupboard

I think the shabby chic look is so fun and we were able to put our Southern flair the scenery. Enjoy the sneak peek...

The tablescape was created on a piece of furniture with a round glass topper. Then, we covered a glass topper with moss and had the base for our Southern Garden Wedding.

The place settings were from The China Cupboard in Flowood. We created floral skewers which made a beautiful accent to the table.

Loved the invitations!!! Fresh Ink (our new neighbors!!!) created such a whimsical look with over sized calligraphy on a pale blue cardstock, mounted on a silver back.






This magical creation was designed by Maria deLaBarre, The Cake Diva. The pintuck design mimicked the fabric we used through-out the scape. We placed the cake in a silver container filled with pale blue hydrangea.


So beautiful... yes it's real! Ask Garrett (the photographer) and my husband's office.

Trust me, none of it went to waste!

Such a simple, classic boutonniere and I LOVE this shot!

I also liked the wire treatment. It adds masculinity into the mix.

Truly a garden inspired bouquet, finished by the blue pintuck chair tie.

Doubling as the guests favor, this table card holder can be filled with any flower and any style table card. This table card was created by Fresh Ink to complement the whimsical garden style of the invitation. The table card holders can be found at Place Settings, in Highland Village.

Me & Wendy Putt (of Fresh Cut)

It was a crazy morning... freezing and the wind blew the center candelabra and candles (and the lighting equipment for the photographer too for that matter), but we got through it! And it turned out more charming than we could have imagined. Make sure to pick up a copy of Bride & Bloom magazine, on newsstands now!