FREE Custom Invitation Design Winner!

Congratulations to Jamie Looney! Her and her finance David have won FREE custom invitation design for her June 13, 2009 wedding at Cambridge Place! I will be working with Jamie and David to design their one-of-a-kind invitations and I can't wait to get started!

Jamie has told me a little about her wedding; it will be black, white, and petal pink and the whole occasion will have a "Love" theme. Her table names will be the definitions of beautiful words like Love, Honesty, Marriage, Happiness and so on and she's chosen some natural branching with soft pink blooms as a decorative accent. I'm so excited to start on Jamie and David's wedding pieces because I think she's made some unique and stunning choices.

Announcing the Improved Mt. Vernon Room!

It's finally finished! We spent the last few months reconstructing the Mt. Vernon Room to better accommodate your event. The dance floor is now surrounded by stunning pillars that mimic the grand ballroom. Draping white swags with white lights create a glowing ambiance above the dance floor. The room now has two separate sides and we've added a wet bar making it even more flexible for your event layout and guest numbers without effecting your space. And a large window now opens up the Mt. Vernon foyer into the dance floor as you arrive.

The Mt. Vernon Room is perfect for weddings from 50-200 guests and is perfect for other events like:

• Corporate events
• Bridal and baby showers
• Organization celebrations
• Holiday gatherings
• Anniversary parties
• Birthday bashes
• Collegiate events
• and more

Visit us at our Parkway Open House every Friday evening from 5 to 7 so you can see The Mt. Vernon room for yourself!

What's In Your Emergency Bag???

When I got married, I had no idea how much I would rely on my amazing bridesmaids. I like to think that I'm prepared for anything but boy was I glad my best friends were there to help out that day. Things were going great while getting ready for the ceremony... until I needed scissors, a safety pin, clear nail polish, and a swiss army knife (long story involving the mother's candles). Lucky for me, my bridesmaids had gone out a few days before and assembled an Emergency Bag with everything we might need! They had pins, polish, and scissors ready to go!

In a Vera Bradley handbag the girls had collected everything from bobby pins, to pain killers. They were so thoughtful and creative about every possible situation we might have to endure! I couldn't have been more grateful! In their kit they packed:

bobby pins
safety pins
perfume
IB Profane, Midol, Tylenol
Tums
Band Aids
Neosporin
sewing kit
mints and gum
deodorant
scissors
nail clippers
nail file
clear and white polish for french manicure touch ups or panty hose rips!
tissues
hair spray
mouth wash
lotion
razor for those missed spots :)
baby wipes
brush and comb
hand sanitizer
lip gloss
baby power
face powder for touch ups
tweezers
eye drops
cash and coins (you never know)
extra earring backs
tape
stain remover
camera
matches
contact list (all vendors, wedding party, and parents)

Thank goodness I had them to take care of me and each other! I was worry free. And guess who was the master mind behind the Emergency Bag... none other then Parkway Coordinator, and my bridesmaid, Elizabeth Simon! This girl is good.
Don't have time to create your own bag? Order a Wedding Day Emergency Kit here.

What would you add to your Emergency Bag?

New Premier Package from Parkway

Parkway is now offering a full service Premier Wedding Package for Parkway hall. Check out some of the services and elements included. This is definitely a package that will ease your mind and cover everything for your big night.

Premier Wedding Package
DJ Service
Wedding Cake
Chair Covers
Appetizer Trays
Water Goblets or Wine Glasses
Alcohol Purchase
One extra hour with no charge
Cake Cutting
Wishing Well
Visual Projector
$100.00 towards the your photographer fees
$100.00 towards the florist of your choice

Also includes all the Basic Package features:
Soft Bar
Deluxe Buffet
Coffee and tea station
Uniformed buffet servers
China service and stainless flatware
Linen tablecloths and napkins
Decorative backdrops
Extra portable bar

Call Parkway Place for more information on this Premier Package.
419-794-2121

You've got to check them out!

Ok, I had to share...
If you've browsed through the list of companies we recommend, you may have stumbled upon JP Photography by Julie Paszczykowski. My husband and I wanted to do a "Trash the Dress" (or Honor the Dress) session after we were married. I friend of a friend, her name is Echo, is a photographer at JP and I thought we might feel comfortable with her so we booked a session there. Both Julie and Echo shot our session and after seeing the photos, we are just glowing! We had no idea we could look so good! We aren't models, but we had so much fun with Julie and Echo. Check out their blog to see some of our many photos.
These woman were so much fun to be around and they made us comfortable. They are incredibly talented and creative to boot. I can't say enough about how pleased we are with are care free and fun post wedding photos!
Thank you Julie and Echo for such a wonderful time and the priceless images you've given us.

FREE Custom Invitations!!!!

Okay, I'm dying to know who's out there and keeping up with our blog and I want to encourage your interaction with each other. So here's what I'm going to do...

The Prize
As a graphic designer and custom invitation designer, I'm offering FREE Custom invitation design for your event! Your only cost is materials. I will design and assemble your invitations at no cost and you'll be sure to have unique and perfectly coordinated invitations for your event. (Up to 200 invitations. $1.00 per invitation over 200.)

The Catch
I want to hear from you! All you have to do is start commenting on the blog. Share your advice, your ideas, and your questions on the blog. I think it's so important to help one another and to share your thoughts. Then I'll do my best to answer your questions and find the information you're looking for. I want to know what interests you.

After you post, send an email to mail@saraheshriver.com with your:
Name
Blogger user name
Phone Number
Type of Event
and Event Date

(You only need to send me one email the first time you post.)

On September 1st and October 1st I will be choosing 1 winner based on their genuine participation and contributions.

So start commenting! I'm excited to hear from you.

Naming Your Wedding Reception Tables

Elizabeth called me while setting up for a wedding at Parkway last weekend. She just HAD to tell me about the creative table names the bride and groom had used and I had to agree that it was a such a wonderfully personal idea.

The bride and groom had assembled a list of facts and details about their relationship and used them to name each table. For example, "365 Miles" was one of the table names and represented the number of miles they had to travel to reach each other for their first meeting. So cute! It would be really neat to include a small paragraph explaining the name for your guests to read. The names could come from anywhere! Some ideas may be:

• where you first met
• had your first kiss
• favorite vacation spot
• favorite song
• an inside joke
• favorite restaurant
• how expensive your first date was
• where you went to school together
• the date of your wedding day!

I like the idea of breaking away from the numbering system. Let your table names help tell your wedding day story. If you have a theme, consider expanding the theme into your table names. For example, a wine themed wedding could use different grape names or a winter wedding could use winter words like "Frost", "White", "Icicle", or "Snowflake".

Some other fun ways to name your tables:
• photographs
• favorite activities and adventures
• favorite movies
• hobbies
• honeymoon destinations
• Bible verses
• Celtic Symbols
• words of admiration

Do you have other ideas? I'd love to hear them!