CCP Intern: Megan

CCP Intern: Meet Megan

Well, it’s been a few weeks and I have LOTS to write about! In my last blog I hadn’t worked a single wedding yet, but now I’ve worked three weekends with sometimes more than one wedding. I can hardly begin to explain everything that I’ve been doing, learning, and what’s been going through my head all in one blog so here are some bits that stood out to me. My first weekend was at the Crowne Plaza and I didn’t know what to expect. But, I started out easy doing chair covers and sashes. Since then I’ve done other things including assisting the bridal party, jumping in to fix a fallen arch, tying dress sashes and pinning boutonnieres, delivering and setting up flowers, and stringing and then untangling orchid hangers.

I promised I’d fill you in on Diva Live and Tonya did an amazing job coaching and connecting with her students to find out their niche. In a room full of women who have already been in business for years but only needed guidance on how to do better, I was on a completely different level than they were. I had no idea what my niche would be because I haven’t experienced it all and I haven’t planned anything on my own other than my own wedding.

So, I started to write about it in my CCP journal and something kept coming back to me. I love doing the design boards. That was my favorite part of planning my wedding and that’s been my favorite part so far at CCP. I guess that in all of my organization skills I still get more excited about the creative side of things. I’ve also noticed in other weddings the past couple weekends that I enjoy the experience much more when I’ve met the couple and know something about them. As I learn and experience more, I will grow and develop into my niche. I may not know or understand what that is right now but it’s a start. I’m anxious to see how things turn out for me and I’m willing to work hard to always be at my best no matter level that’s on. Even though I don’t have it all figured out I do know that this is what I’m supposed to be doing and I’m going for it.

Here are some pictures of the Diva Live table decorating contest! Both teams did a fantastic job decorating their tables with the limited resources and fun/mismatched linen choices!!

Live your passion!

Megan, the intern

Megan and Nikki's BIG DAY!!

This past weekend, we had two very exciting weddings! At the Indy Roof, Megan had a crisp and breathtaking all white wedding. For the first time ever, we strung white orchids on fishing line to hang on curly willow for the head table. Although it took a while to untangle them, they looked awesome!

Secondly, we had Nikki’s turquoise and fuchsia wedding at Lumiere Du Corps in Lebanon. We spray painted white hydrangeas to match the turquoise theme of the wedding! Both were beautiful weddings and unique in their own way!

Adding fabulosity to your florals!

Tiffany

Frank & Sadie

A few months ago, CCP hosted a cutest pet contest! One of the prizes was a complimentary photo session with Dave Mason from ISPHOTOGRAPHIC. This adorable picture was taken at their photo session! Thank you Megan and Ben for participating in our cutest pet contest!!

Wedding Love and Hugs,

T

Meet Stacy, CCD Intern

This first week has already been such a great learning experience for me! I started out the week doing various tasks to get ready for the Diva Live event that took place at the Crowne Plaza this past weekend. Everything looked AMAZING!!! I was able to help out with the different centerpieces for the different days and various rooms. Next, Ashlee and I went to the Palomino in Zionsville to deliver flowers to an amazing wedding! The wedding looked great! On Saturday we delivered flowers to another incredible wedding at the Indiana State Museum. Even though it was rained out, they still had an amazing wedding inside and the flowers looked remarkable!

This weekend should be very exciting as we have more weddings! I can’t wait to learn and experience much more! I get to learn how to make rose petal hangers this week which I am very excited about learning how to do! I will be sure to take lots of pictures for everyone to see!


Stacy, CCD Intern

The Circle City Family is off to a GREAT Summer!

I just wanted to share how PROUD I am of my company this week! We have been mentioned in three different articles/blogs!

The first article actually came out last Friday. I was featured in an article by Sage Wedding Pros. The article gives tips to business owners and how to balance your career and family life. Check it out!

Circle City Designers was featured as one of the vendors in photo shoot on Style Me Pretty. The photo shoot was designed by April Foster Events (one of my students!!). Check out this adorable photo shoot and see all the beautiful flowers from Circle City Designers!

Lastly, Circle City Weekender's was featured in a blog on YourLifEvents. This blog featured Chaslyn & Jason's special day on April 24th,2010 at the Crowne Plaza in Indianapolis, Indiana. Check it out!

Wedding Love and Hugs,

Tonya

Three More Lovely Brides Say "I Do"

Circle City Designers had a GREAT weekend with three lovely brides! All said “I do” to a different style, different color and different flowers, but each were SO fun to create! Allison had such beautiful, simple designs with her soft green and chocolate brown theme. We used modern, crisp green cymbidium orchids and green hydrangea to create some beautiful bouquets! Emily was sweet and “pretty in pink” with her orchids and luscious garden roses! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those Yves Piaget. And Christine, boy did she have some GORGEOUS stuff! This bride just loved peonies and was so fortunate to have been able to get them with such a small window of availability. Paired with a soft peach garden rose and pale pinks, we have a vintage-esque wedding with the State Museum as the perfect back drop. Here are a few of our very un-professional photographs, but will be sure to update when we get the professional ones in from Nathaniel Edmunds Photography!

Adding fabulosity to your florals,

Tiffany

The Griffin's

Leslie and Brian

May 14, 2010

Indiana State Museum

YAY!!! I had my first wedding of my wedding season on Friday!!! I was super excited for this one. Leslie and Brian are a wonderful couple!!! I was so lucky to get to work with them. Both the ceremony and reception were at the State Museum. The ceremony was outside!!! My prayers were answered when it DIDN'T rain. Leslie really wanted to have the ceremony outside and I told her that I would do everything in my power to make it happen, so THANK YOU wedding gods! Everything was perfect... right up until the mothers walked aisle. There was a gust of wind and the wedding arch fell over!!! Weddings aren't perfect they never are but with some quick thinking I was able to fix the problem. We grabbed the ushers and had them hold the arch so it would tip over again. Everything was back on track. Then came my favorite part, Leslie and her dad walked down the grand staircase!! Oh it was magical! Just thinking about it I get chills!!!

The dining room was so much fun!! The centerpieces were cakes from Sunshine Bakery. There were 3 different designs and each design was a different flavor (strawberry was my favorite). Brian Whitis was the DJ and he rocked the dance floor. Morgan Matters captured photos the entire day. Brandon and Cybil caught all on the special moments on film. Erica at the State Museum was FABULOUS. And Kara from AVI catering was wonderful. What a GREAT dream team. Thank you to everyone for making last Friday so special for Leslie and Brian. The couple is honeymooning in Hawaii right now.

Jocelyn And TC Pictures

We just loved Jocelyn and TC's wedding and had to share some amazing pictures that were taken by Carpenter Photography & Design! Check them out below! Thank you Melody for the beautiful pictures!

Wedding Love and Hugs,
Tonya

Golf Themed Wedding Cake!

A candid shot of the groom showing his "golf" grooms cake to his bride. The cake is a chocolate cake with chocolate gouache and surrounded by butter cream from Bountiful Bakery, the balls are red velvet cake from Austin Cake Balls. The look on the bride's face is just priceless! Check out the picture below!

Wedding Love and Hugs,

Tonya

Golf Themed Wedding Cake

Meet Ashlee!

CCD Intern: Week One

I have only worked one weekend so far, however, I think I might have picked the right, most chaotic, busiest weekend EVER to start my internship. This past weekend CCD had three weddings all on Saturday and I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous for the challenge. However, Tiffany and Carrie make it easy and allowed me to catch on and jump right on board in the design business. The first task I took on was helping with the centerpieces for Jocelyn's wedding, which let me tell you might have been the COOLEST flowers and arrangements I had ever seen. I had my first experience wiring and taping roses, which we came to find out I need a lot more practice in taping. I am looking forward to the many many weddings ahead of me this summer and really hope to learn everything there is to know about CCD from Tiffany.

As Megan said in last weeks blog, Diva Live is this weekend and Tonya will be sharing all her knowledge on weddings with everyone. The other CCD intern, Stacy, and myself had the honor of picking out the necessities to finish the table decorating contest. Although neither of us knew exactly what chargers were and whether we should choose gold or silver. Once we did figure it out, it was so fun being able to choose everything from candles to menu cards for the event. I am really excited for Diva Live and to learn so much from Tonya this weekend! I will make sure that we let everyone know how the event goes this week and take many cool pictures!

Ashlee, CCD Intern

Visit www.divaweddingcoach.com for more information regarding Diva Live and other educational programs!

One Blustery Day in May!

Earlier this week we posted some pictures from our "Pretty in Pink" Crowne Plaza wedding from Saturday, so today I wanted to showcase the other wedding from this weekend. Traci was a sweet bride with some SERIOUS style!!! Love the vintage feel to her jewel toned wedding. This took place in a tent wedding out at Cox Hall Gardens in Carmel (Catering and set up managed by the Ritz Charles) on the world's WINDIEST day!!! The smile on Traci and Andrew's face shows that everyone at the Ritz Charles, Circle City Designers, and friends and family did a GREAT job of dealing with the weather and put on a great event! No one expected it to be 56 degress and blustery on the second week of May, but Traci was a smart bride and had a plan B. That tent created a beautiful backdrop for the couple's reception. Thank goodness she planned for that!!!

Adding fabulosity to your flowers, Tiffany

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Owen!

WOW! It finally came, Jocelyn and TC got married. Jocelyn couldn’t stand it one minute longer. She was so ready to get it over with (in a good way)! After planning for over a year, the anticipation and the anxiety of everything falling into place is now over. It went so smooth and everyone had a ball.

From the beginning of the planning process, every detail was planned out as the dream team was formed. There were a few hiccups along the way, but that’s to be expected in any planning. Melody and Jeremy from Carpenter Photography (www.carpenterpd.com) captured the day as it unfolded. Tiffany, from my very own Circle City Designers (www.circlecitydesigners.com) put together the cute FUN centerpieces to make the room complete. The famous floral ball was hung by Scott and his team (www.evansav.com). Jocelyn’s mom and dad surprised her with the floral ball (she wanted it sooo bad). Not only was this a surprise, but it made her cry when she walked into the room. I love that! The Tiffany blue sashes with hot pink accents were the perfect colors for this fun loving couple.

The cake and the cupcakes by Emily were to die for, as the guests didn’t leave a morsel. And last but not least, Dave and Rae (www.daveandrae.com) kept the crowd on their feet and dancing all night long. They have got to be my favorite band (am I allowed to say that?) Randi and Kelly shut down the evening for me after a 12 hour day! Thanks ladies. (a special thanks to my interns Danielle and Megan for the chair cover help).

I will miss the Eglen’s, what a fun dynamic family. They are so sweet! Now, Mr. and Mrs. Owen can officially move into their new home in Carmel with Braxton (their family dog/baby)! Good luck! Call me when you get back from the Bahamas.

Wedding Love and Hugs,

Tonya

10 Tips for Looking Great in Your Wedding Photos!

1. Do a trial run with your hair stylist & make-up artist before the wedding. Look through the make-up artist's portfolio and really look at each image. Does the client's skin look flawless? Are they shiny in photos? Is the make-up blended well? Do the brides in their portfolios look the way you want to look? If so, then you've probably found a great make-up artist for your wedding day make-up. Have them do your make-up before the wedding though so that you can see if you enjoy working with them and so that there are no unpleasant surprises. Some make-up artists include a trial run in their wedding day fee, others charge extra, but I think it's an extra expense that is well worth it. (This goes for your wedding day hairstylist too) Peace of mind is everything when it comes to your wedding day!
2. Find a make-up artist that specializes in airbrush make-up. Airbrush make-up is no longer reserved for the red carpet stars! Brides all over the country are seeking airbrush application because not only is it light weight make-up that makes the skin appear flawless, but it lasts much longer than traditional make-up and it helps avoid the forehead shine in your photos. Karen Hall & Company specializes in airbrush make-up in Indianapolis and travels all over the Midwest and beyond for weddings, contact her today for a consultation and trial run!
3. Avoid red lipstick on the wedding day. Unless you are doing a very specific, themed look for your wedding (old Hollywood glam, for example) I always suggest that my brides avoid red lipstick, especially if they like the look of black and white photos. Not many people think about this, but the red pigments in the red lipstick will actually turn your lips black in black and white photography. Just another tip from a seasoned pro. ;)
4. Hire a full-time professional photographer. Everyone is looking for ways to save money on their wedding nowadays, especially in our current economic climate, but fabulous photography is absolutely priceless. A professional photographer will guide you through the entire wedding process with ease, know what to expect on the wedding day, have back-up equipment on them, be able to handle all kinds of lighting situations, and know how to pose you to make you look your absolute best. Did you know that by turning your body at an angle and shifting your weight to your back foot while pointing your other foot forward, you can instantly lose 10-20 pounds through the camera? Yep, it's true. A seasoned pro should be able to tell you these kinds of tricks and secrets so that you look AMAZING in your photos.
5. Avoid salty foods at your rehearsal dinner. The night before your wedding is not the time to begin to feel like you're retaining water! We all know how awful that feels so just remember to keep your salt intake low the night before the wedding so that your dress fits perfectly the next morning.
6. Remember to eat breakfast and stay hydrated! So many brides forget to eat the morning of their wedding or they don't stay hydrated throughout the day. Most people get pretty cranky when their blood sugar is low or they begin to feel dehydrated so don't forget to take care of yourself. We always bring a small cooler of cold waters and some granola bars with us to take care of our brides and grooms in case they forget to eat or drink, I think it's the small things that mean the most. ;)
7. Bring a touch up kit with you on the wedding day. We always suggest that our clients include powder, lipstick, lip gloss, a comb and a mini can of hairspray in their touch-up kit or purse. Have your maid of honor be in charge of keeping it nearby in case you need a quick touch-up after the ceremony.
8. Wear comfortable shoes! I can't tell you how many of our clients have been overly appreciative of the extra slippers that we include in our emergency kit once they realize that their shoes are killing their feet half way through photos. Make sure you wear your wedding day shoes around the house to break them in, and don't forget to put grippy steps on the bottom of your shoes so that you don't slip and fall down the aisle. Some brides opt to bring a second pair of shoes (or slippers, flip flops, etc) to the reception so that they can change their shoes after the grand entrance into the reception, which I think is a great idea!
9. Have someone carry your garter for you. Most of the garters that we've seen are really tight and totally uncomfortable. Put it on your leg for a photo during the getting ready process and then give it to a trusted friend (or put it in your purse/touch-up kit) to carry with you throughout the day, and then put it on right before the garter toss at the reception. That way you aren't uncomfortable all day long.
10. Smile and have a good time! Laugh and let loose in front of the camera; just be yourself and show off that wonderful love that you have for each other. The happiness and affection will show through in the photos that you'll treasure for a lifetime!

Guest Blogger,

Erin Hession- Wooton

www.erinhession.com

CCP Intern: Week 3

The past few weeks have been a great learning experience for me. This week I learned about linens. I had the opportunity to sit in on a meeting with one of our linen representatives, Lori Kochendorfer, from Connie Duglin. I could not believe how many options there are for linens. Sure, I knew there are different colors, sizes, and a few patterns, but there is much more to it. There are different fabrics and textures and different styles of chair covers. You can create any combination and design exactly what your bride wants!

We have Diva Live coming up which is a weekend-long event where Tonya will share her expertise with up and coming wedding planners, including myself. One of the activities at Diva Live will be a table decorating contest and I had the honor of choosing the linens. I picked some fun and colorful linens so it will be interesting to see how the tables turn out! Also, I will be helping with my first event this weekend at the Crowne Plaza! I will be sure to let you know what it’s like and how the weekend goes!

Megan, CCP Intern

Live Your Passion!

Connie Duglin Linens