Sparkle fun!

The hustle and bustle of Christmas is over, but now is the perfect time to take advantage of after holiday sales at your local stores like Pier 1, Kirkland's, Kohl's, and Home Goods.  Stock up on votives, vases, and other decor you can use for your wedding.

Lay on a table for a centerpiece or hang behind the sweetheart table.

Gorgeous votives!

Card box

Fill a large vase with ornaments for a silver and gold  themed centerpiece.

• 
  

Giveaway- Dudley's Desserts sweets basket!

Dudley's Desserts is back again! Like this post for a chance to win a DESSERT BASKET!
Don't forget to check out Dudley's Desserts and like their page!

Wedding planning package giveaway!

It's my turn! Book a full planning package with A Sweet Affair Events and receive 10% off!  Let me  take the stress of planning a wedding so you can fully enjoy the experience.

Like this post on Facebook for a chance to win!  Good luck!

Giveaway- Complimentary Bridal Hair Style!

Purchase 5 or more bridesmaids hairstyles and get the bride's free with the beautiful and wonderfully talented Andrea Heinlein from Salon 8736. She specializes in wedding style, though she has been doing my hair for over 10 years. I am so excited to share her with a lucky bride and her ladies!
LIKE the post for a chance to win!

Giveaway- 10% off Dudley's Desserts

I've teamed up with some great local vendors for some great giveaways.  The first giveaway is 10% off your dessert order at Dudley's Desserts.  If you are thinking about having a sweets table at your wedding, this is the way to go.   Go over to Dudley's Desserts and see all the mouth-watering sweets they have to offer.  And believe it or not (because I didn't) all of the sweets are dairy-free and vegan!
"Like" this post on Facebook for a chance to win.  Don't forget to "Like" our pages too.

A BARCS themed wedding

I had the honor of assisting my cousin in law and fiancé with their Thanksgiving weekend wedding. Friends and family travelled into town for a Thanksgiving rehearsal. What a way to express your thankfulness than with a wedding!! To add to the festivities, the bride and groom decided to share their day with some very special animals. Liz, the bride, works closely with the BARCS(Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter) with the adoption of many animals. They had people write in stories about their adoption experience so they could share a pet and his/her story as the table names. There were so many stories that Liz created a gorgeous book, Rescued Souls, showcasing all of the stories. They also had a Wishlist drive. Guests were asked to bring wishlist items to the wedding that were displayed in a dog house. As you can see below, it was a great turn out. Stay tuned for more from the wedding.

Another great baby shower craft...DIY hair bows!

I recently got together with some creative ladies for a baby shower. We decorated headbands and barrettes for the new baby girl and her big sister. We can't wait to see them in action! (This is also a great gift idea.)

What you need:
Plain headbands and barrettes
Ribbon
Flowers
Rhinestones
Buttons
Hot glue gun
Anything girly
All of the supplies can found at Walmart, target, Michael's, and the dollar store!

*make sure the small pieces are properly secured so they don't become a choking hazard.

Spa-themed Baby Shower

I recently hosted a baby shower for a friend.  She is pregnant with her second baby and as a massage therapist does the pampering so it was her turn to be pampered.  I also wanted to do something different than your typical dirty diaper game playing shower, so I decided to do a Spa-themed event.  The ladies of OC Spa on the GO brought the spa to us in Baltimore from Ocean City!  They set up reclining chairs, towel warmers, and even had relaxing spa music.

 While some of the girls where being pampered, others decorated onesies for the new little man...

 and the rest enjoyed a tasty(if I may say so) brunch of mini quiche, quinoa bites, french toast casserole, mini muffins, Chinese chicken salad, and a yogurt bar.  I wanted to have food that the ladies could munch on throughout the day, that's why I love making everything bite size.

And don't forget the refreshments...citrus infused water and mimosas!

For something sweet I made mini cupcakes topped with chocolate "little man" mustaches, 

though they turned out looking a bit like Ws. 

 I wanted to stick with the Spa theme and made a sugar scrub in these 

cute jars made decorated with paper and mod podge.

This is such a great idea for any baby or bridal shower, bachelorette party, or a get together with the girls. OC Spa on the Go offers many services and bring the spa to you! I cant wait to do it again!

Bringing back the Receiving Line I've been thinking about this and want to know why no one does receiving lines anymore. It seems to be a tradition of the past.  It was proper etiquette to stand in a line typically after the ceremony with the bride, groom and both sets of parents (and sometimes the bridal party) and greet every guest, thanking them for attending the wedding.  These days more brides and grooms choose to greet guests by walking around to each table during the dinner hour.  I have found that most couples want "just 10 more minutes" to visit a last few tables. And even with that they feel rushed and don't make it to the all of the guests. Let's think about that,  if you have 150 guests and spend 30 seconds per guest you will spend 75 minutes greeting everyone.  But there is only 60 minutes for dinner.  How are you expected greet everyone and eat your own dinner? So why not do it?  You are guaranteed to see and thank every guest.  The line will move quickly and the bride, groom, and the guests will be able to relax and enjoy the reception.   Traditional line up: Mother of the bride Father of the bride ( optional) Mother of the groom Father of the groom (optional) Bride  Groom Maid/Matron of honor (optional) Bridesmaids (optional) Groomsmen (optional) 

Hello blog world!

I have joined the blog world! I am excited to share my experiences and things I have learned along the way. I have a take charge yet laid back personality which has helped me get to where I am. With over ten years in the service industry and assisting friends with their planning is how is got started. The hardest wedding I ever planned was my own. The planning was great, the day of was a bit nerve-racking. I was anxious about the day and I was the only person that knew every detail. So when the shuttle to pick up my groom and groomsmen didn't show up when it was supposed to, my phone began to ring. I tried not to freak out, but it was hard. Let's just say I wish I would have hired a coordinator to take care of the slight mishaps. I have learned so much from then and am excited to be a part of couple's special day, helping making it as memorable as possible.