Bridal Show

Looking for the latest ideas for your wedding, feeling stressed that you don't have enough time to plan your wedding, just looking for someone to help you on your wedding day, then come see Social Butterflies at the Jan. 10th Hilton Bridal Show. We will be showing new trends in furniture, colors, flowers and lots more. We will be on hand to discuss how we can save you money and time by letting our qualified bridal consultants help you plan the most important day of your life. Not sure where to start or who is the best in the business, we do! Don't settle for someone who does this on the side and can't committ to helping you during the day. This is our FULL TIME job and we love it!

Calling all Recessionistas!

In this economy, many brides-to-be look at their budgets and to-do lists for the big day and think, "It's worth it to me to do all this myself and save money by not hiring a coordinator." Sound familiar? Well, at first glance that thought makes perfectly rational sense. These days, any way to pinch a penny is a good way. Right?

The surprising answer is: wrong. Even the most savvy, stylish, DIY brides could save a dollar or two by hiring a coordinator. You might think this sounds counter-intuitive, which I guess it is. Why would paying someone else to do something you could do by yourself save you money? Allow me to explain...

The first thing any new bride should do is construct a budget. This budget should be broken down in categories such as "catering," "venue," "invitations," "florals," etc. However, how does someone who has never planned a wedding before know how much to allot to each sub-category? In addition, how does the bride know she is getting a good deal on all of these aspects of her wedding? Or even whether or not who she hires is trustworthy and the best in the biz? This is just the beginning of where we come in. It is in any bride's best interest to call us before she starts one bit of planning. We have done this countless of times, and we know how a budget should be broken down like clockwork. We will listen to what is most important to you and arrange your budget accordingly. We will actually SAVE YOU MONEY through our insider's ideas and tricks of the trade. We have spent years building up fabulous relationships with all of the best vendors in town. Not only do we stand by the quality of the vendors we recommend, but we know their pricing down to the dollar and ensure you get the best deal possible. And, if for some reason you are not happy with any vendor, we will deal with them and save you the headache, and get you back what you deserve.

If all this does not convince you to sit back with a mimosa while we take care of your fantasy wedding- I have one more kicker. Because of our relationships with the best vendors in the area, we also get discounts from them. Discounts that, more often than not, end up paying our fee for us. Which means, in the end, you do much less work, have much more fun, allow us to take care of everything, have a transformed event that will WOW every guest, tighten your budget- all for the cost of your original budget. Call us. Now.

Fluttering About and Braving the Storm!

Photos Top to Bottom:

The Butterflies and L&Jay Productions at our Open House, The bar at the Germantown Bridal Show, The "Ice" table design before the storm in the polar bear exhibit at the Zoo

The Butterflies have been very busy over the past few weeks! In addition to transforming the events of our existing clients (LOVE!) we have been having fun doing extra event design and promotion for the company. Lately we have designed tables at the Zoo to be featured in Southern Bride Magazine, hosted an open house to celebrate our new showroom design, and participated in a bridal show in Germantown. Not to mention we have had a blast going to other open houses and social gatherings, including the NACE Gala at the Peabody! We love our fellow event industry people here in the Mid-South and have had a wonderful Fall so far.

Not only have our flutters about town been fun, but they continue to provide us with interesting and unique scenarios that we gain experience from. By this time, you should know from reading this blog that no matter how prepared you are, no matter how hard you plan and plot to execute a perfect look... there are certain things that can go wrong that you have no control over. For instance, the weather. With the years of event planning under the SB belt, we are obviously aware of this. We have come to realize that as long as there is a "Plan B" thought out, you will not need it. However, for the Southern Bride shoot there was not really an available "Plan B" as the tables were shot outside at Teton Trek and in the Polar Bear Exhibit at the Zoo (and there were no guests to consider for tent purposes). After hours of meticulous table design, set up, tweaking, moving wine bucket birds nests "a little to the left" and making sure every votive was lit- BOOM. Thunder pealed across the sky and the downpour hit faster than we could get the camera equipment under cover. This is when we have to put mind over matter and be troopers. We got soaked to the bone shielding the soup shots with our torsos and hands and realizing that barefoot was the only way to stomp through the puddles. Donny the photographer pushed through the storm, put his equipment at risk, and still managed to get the perfect shots. We were able to shoot the rest of the Ice Table looks inside the frigid Polar Bear underwater viewing area and shivered as we arranged white orchids around blue ice martinis. When it was all said and done, the shoot was a success. Just another day at the office, sacrificing whatever necessary to pull off a fab look!

So, when push comes to shove, we are your gals to brave the storm and make sure, that whatever the circumstances, your event is one to remember!

Social Butterflies Promotional Video

Thank you Donny Granger with Creation Stuidos (http://www.creationstudios.com/) for producing this great video of some of 2009 recent weddings. You can view the video at www.vimeo.com/6403595

Punch it up with color!

We have always been all about color. We also know all the tricks of the trade to get the most impact from your color scheme. We help punch up your palette with lighting, linens, florals, candles, light boxes, lounge furniture, throw pillows, chair covers, sashes... the possibilities are endless. The results are FAB.

But now that you know what we can do with the colors you choose, how will you go about choosing your colors? The colors for your event should express your personality and mood. They are a fun and creative way to communicate your own personal sense of style to your guests.

There are a few different ways to consider how to choose your color scheme. You can stick with your tried and true favorite color as the main statement, and then add complimentary accent colors and neutrals to tie it all together. You can go with more traditional subdued colors such as ivorys and creams, or the always classic black and white. However, for today's trendier, stylish brides, we would like to discuss Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 color trends.

The trend of the moment for weddings is bold bold bold. Think jewel tones, deep and bright. Orange is a stylish color for Fall 09, in vibrant hues from burnt to bright. Mixing in softer peaches with florals and accents is a great way to make this statement color more practical without sacrificing impact. Blue is also fabulous for fall, in cobalt, navy, and royal. Blues with hints of green were bigger in the spring and summer, so the trendy fall blues lean away from green undertones. Blues blending towards purple with accents of deep plums and bright pops of fuchsia are also on trend. For the princess bride in all of us, let's not ignore pinks. Have no fear ladies, this ultimate girly shade is still stylish for of-the-moment nuptials, but steer away from pastels and bubble-gum shades. Hot pinks erring either towards corals and tangerines or towards fuchsias and magentas will grab the attention and admiration of your guests. Bright lemon yellow shades are also a wonderful accent and compliment blues, oranges, and pinks, or are wonderful on their own.

Once you choose a bold on-trend color, we suggest you also choose a "base color." Many brides traditionally choose black, but chocolate brown has become quite popular in the past few years. Rich, deep shades of browns and espressos are a modern way to add style to your color scheme. Browns work well with pretty much any color scheme, and especially with greens, blues, pinks, purples, and oranges. A fresh new base color popping up in stylish weddings is slate grey or gunmetal. This color is an unexpected alternative to black and really works well when paired with deep purples and lilacs, hot pinks and magentas, cobalt blues, vibrant oranges, and my favorite, lemon yellow.

As you can see, color is the number one way to add umph to your wedding. Your guests will associate your colors with your event for years to come, and you will use it as the ultimate form of expression and decor. Get playful by using varying complimentary shades in the same color to mix and match in your linens, florals, and even bridesmaids' dresses! (No need to have all your friends in the same exact hue!) Choose wisely, and most importantly, have fun!

Come and experience the newly decorated Social Butterflies showroom located at 2148 Monroe Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104 on September 17, 2009 from 5:30 to 8:30. We will have culinary treats, music to delight the senses and of course a look into the latest trends. Come see the Butterflies and mix and mingle with the best special event professionals in the industry. Please rsvp to Jaime@sb-events.com or Michelle@sb-events.com. We hope to see you there!

A Lucky Twist of Fate!

On August 14th we were preparing for a fabulous wedding at St. Mary's Cathedral for some clients.
Rehearsal was set for 4:30pm and upon arrival I greeted a panic stricken Bride and Groom- "We don't have a marriage license! We forgot to get the license!!" So we immediately ran out the door to my car and raced downtown to Washington Street to try and get a license last minute before 5pm! The rest of the family and bridal party remained at the church to rehearse with out us. The couple no longer lives in Memphis- and flew in from L.A. for the wedding the night before. Things were so hectic that they just forgot to take care of the most important thing- which can happen to the best of us :) I'm trying to come up w/ plan B for them because I knew that it was highly unlikely that we were going to have success in getting a marriage license on Friday at 10 til 5pm! The couple was so upset with themselves for forgetting such an important element- the very document that makes them legally married!
Once we got to the Gov. building they raced to the door to find it locked. Some by- standers asked them what they were doing and directed them down the street and around the corner to another building that was possibly still opened. I proceeded to try and follow them from my car- going down all these one way streets! In the mean time an undercover cop saw them and stopped to see what was going on. They explained everything to her and she said that Mullin Station office was going to be open until 5:15pm- which is all the way in East Memphis and they had about 15 minutes to get there! The police woman said she was headed there and that she would take them! So they hopped in her car and before leaving she went through the run down of documents and info they needed to have. Unfortunately they did not have their social security cards with them. She said that there was nothing she could do to help them w/ out those so they got out of the car, disappointed and sat on the courthouse steps. A few minutes later the same police woman came around the corner honking her horn and yelled out the window- I just found out I'm the only one who can access your info through your drivers license! I have called in some favors- get in the car!! So they all raced to Mullins Station and around 5:45pm they had their marriage license! What a miracle and as the Bride put it- "A Lucky Twist of Fate!" In the mean time I had gone back to the church to give everyone a report of what was going on and to continue the rehearsal. I only wish we had all of this on video! It is undeniable that these two are supposed to be married-there was Divine Intervention to make it happen :) And to top it all off- the angel of a police woman took them to the rehearsal dinner to enjoy the rest of their night.
We pride ourselves in being good planners but there are just some things we can't do for our clients and getting the licenses is one of those things! Thank God he provided a way and we have a wonderful story to tell and a happily married couple as our ending. Cheers!

...and that's where we come in!

So now you have a strong example of a real-life event and all the mishaps that come along with it. It's only natural that a certain amount of things go wrong when working with such a magnitude of vendors and details. However, just as no venue is flawless, no mishap goes un-fixed with The Butterflies!

Yes, we work tirelessly to secure every detail, light every votive, book every vendor... in short, bring every last vision of your event to a gleaming fruition. However, that's just the start, the warm up. One of the biggest reasons you need a coordinator is damage control. Do you want to stand under a leaking ceiling, Vera hiked up, missing the Cupid Shuffle, holding a vase to catch the water droplets? We think not. Or do you want to send your favorite Aunt Lizzie on a Crown Royal run when the top shelf bar runs low on supplies? Nuh uh. And forget about asking the best man to be on "martini patrol" if the ice luge is not as functional as you intended.

Enter: us.

This is why we are here! We can do our best to make sure we go over pictures with the florist and pastry chef, book the transportation, and type up six copies of a minute-by-minute itinerary to give the band. But with that many people working together on that many things, mess-ups are inevitable. Good thing you hired us to smooth everything over, confront the vendors, and pour you more champagne. We'll even find the spare key on your front porch and locate the forgotten marriage license on your book shelf in the nick of time. Just another day at the office!

No Such Thing as a Perfect Wedding

So is there such a thing as a perfect wedding with no mishaps? There are probably a few, but for the most part, there is always, at least one thing that will go wrong during the wedding weekend. For instance, take a recent wedding we had.

The clients were from out of town and so when they got to town they were going to apply for their marriage license. However, because they had so many things to do when they got to town, and had to added stress of dealing with a troublesome transportation company, they forgot to do it until the night of the rehearsal, when it was to late. There is a great story to this (and it will be in the next blog...so stay tuned).

Anyway, so that was the first thing to go wrong, then the next day as we are setting up the reception site, the elevator goes out an hour before the guests are to arrive. WHAT! Oh no, we have to get 200 people up a fire escape to get to the sit down dinner, are you kidding me! The elevator man said that the oil had leaked out and that the hydraulic system that pushes the elevator up would not work without oil and it would have to be fixed after the wedding.

So surely there shouldn't be anymore problems right, wrong! Right after the guests arrive, a water leak is coming from the 3rd floor where the dinner is. A water fountain is leaking water all over the floor. The water is coming down in a steady stream into the ballroom in the middle of the room! The best part, the door where we you go to turn the water off to the fountain is locked. Yep, you heard correctly. Can't turn the water off because we can't get to it! We had to have a catering server kick the door in so that the plumber could get into the room. We finally get it to stop and about an hour before the event is over, it finally stops raining water into the ballroom, where we are having the rest of the reception.

I hesitate here, because honestly, I don't want to scare you anymore, but alas, we had a couple other problems. One of the bistro bars fell while guests were sitting at it and all the glass vases came crashing down to the floor. Had to clean that up and fix the bistro. Then I'm informed that you can't get a martini glass underneath the martini luge because the glass is to big and the space is too tight. So your telling me we can't even use the martini luge because the ice carver didn't carve a big enough space to put a martini glass under? Does this make sense to anyone else? If you ask for a martini luge...you assume you are going to use a martini glass, right! Of course, we turn our new intern into a Tini-server, whereby she stands by the luge, fills up a highball glass and then pours the contents from the glass into a martini glass. The upside, the ice carving was beautiful.

So I conclude with this, are weddings perfect, not every time. As much as we want them to be and even though great planning is involved, there is always some small glitch in the day. Please understand that usually not this many things happen. It just seemed to be one of those days where it seems nothing is going to go right. The bride and groom had a wonderful night despite the problems we encountered. So be prepared and roll with the punches!

New Butterfly added to the SB Team

So this past week we have been busy expanding our team of two butterflies to three. Social Butterflies, LLC would like to announce the newest arrival to the Butterfly Team - Ms. Addie McGowan.

After growing up here in Memphis she attended Trinity University in San Antonio, TX to major in Communication and Sociology. She returned to the Mid-South after graduating in May 2008 and started interning with Social Butterflies in August 2008. She has since worked on over fifteen weddings and is very excited to be a more visible and involved member of the Social Butterflies team! She is enthusiastic about event design, customer service, day-of coordination, marketing and public relations. She is the “go-to” for the more budget-conscious bride, as she is excited to provide our services at a more introductory rate. She looks forward to meeting with you to transform your event!

Thank you Addie for your time and dedication to the Butterflies over the past year. We look forward to having her on our team and know that she is one of our biggest fans!

Now's the Time!

Alright, newly engaged couples... (congrats, btw!)

So the rock is in place, the champagne has been popped, and the congratulations from friends, family, co-workers, and seemingly your entire social network are pouring in. Your head is spinning with your childhood wedding fantasies, new trends, color palettes, florals... dresses... save the dates... so much! What now? Where to start?

Breathe. Call Social Butterflies.

Our specialty is fluttering in and creating the WOW factor you have always dreamed of... and more. We will organize your swimming thoughts and take care of everything you want and need. Whether you want to sit back, enjoy your engagement and let us handle it all... or want us to guide you and advise you on all the plans you already have, we are your gals! We contact all our favorite vendors so you are guaranteed the best in the biz. We deal with all the scheduling and appointments and technical details that you shouldn't have to. We add a creative and experienced design eye to your event to take it up a notch, or several, if you prefer! We offer ideas to wow your guests and make your event the one they will remember. On your big day, you won't have to worry about a thing besides having a blast with your new hubby and being surrounded by family and friends.

Now is the time. If your date is set for Spring or Summer 2010, you need to start us on the planning right away! Check out our updated website and the fabulous '09 Spring/Summer wedding season we just wrapped up. Give us a call, let the stress melt away, and get ready to enjoy the best day of your life.

Facebook

If your not already on facebook, it is time to enter the 21st century. This social website can keep you up to date with all your clients, friends and family. You can even post your wedding or event on there and get rsvps! So stop the madness and get on board, join the facebook nation. Don't forget to add me as a friend!

Jaime Arnold Newsom (facebook name)