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.