Wedding & Event Planner and Stylist, Morgan Gallo Events (MGE) LowCountry Event Firm: November 2013

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Future Savannah Wedding: Amanda + Emmanuel

Amanda del Busto and Emmanuel Suriel

Date Engaged:

April 20, 2013

Where did you meet?

The workplace.

How did he propose?

In New York City.

When is your wedding date?

October 18, 2014

Why did you pick Savannah?

I love Savannah and think it is very romantic.

Where do you reside now?

Miami, Florida

We're so excited for the big day! Can't wait for this beautiful celebration.

The MGE Team

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Future Savannah Wedding: Kelly + Ian

Kelly McLaughlin and Ian Middlemas

Date Engaged

March 31, 2013

Where did you meet?

We actually met 12 years ago in high school, and dated for about two years. We went our separate ways for college and got back in touch about 6 years later, and we've been together ever since.

How did he propose?

Easter is my favorite holiday (it has something to do with dying eggs, hunting eggs in the yard, the pretty colors, candy and a bunch of little presents to open in our Easter baskets), and Ian knew this well. This Easter also happened to fall on my birthday, so we drove from our home in Orlando to visit with our parent's in Jacksonville, and decided to stay at his parent's house (usually both of our parents make us baskets for Easter, so we stay with one set and visit the other later in the day). The day before Easter he had the excuse to not join me and my friends for lunch because he had to go shopping for my birthday gift. Waiting until the last minute wasn't really a surprise considering how much we travel on the weekends and work during the week, so I didn't think anything of it. During lunch my best friend mentioned how funny it would be if Ian hid the ring in my Easter basket, as there was an ongoing joke about Ian waiting to propose until after I graduated with my Bachelor's, which was a few months prior. The following morning Ian woke up around 8 or 9, which was usual for him, and he let me sleep in. Around 11 he woke me up and told me my Easter basket was waiting for me in the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen, where Ian's mom was waiting, and our baskets were sitting on the counter at the bar. I sat down and noticed that my "basket" was actually a pink bundt cake pan, which was amazing to me because I would actually use the pan! I assumed his mom picked it out, so I made a big deal about how thoughtful that was and how useful it would be. I started in the back of the pan and worked my way around to the front, shaking and opening each egg to see what's inside. The first one had chocolate, the next one was filled with jelly beans, the third had chocolate and so on. The last one didn't make a sound when I shook it and I looked at Ian's mom and jokingly said something along the lines of "What the heck. You gave me an empty egg?". I opened it and there sat the most perfect ring I had ever seen. I set it on the counter and looked at Ian and said "You're kidding, right? This isn't for real" and I started eating a piece of chocolate. Ian (who apparently had not touched his basket) turned to me, took my hands, and, as I'm told, said some really romantic things followed by "Will you marry me?". Once I saw the ring, I kind of blanked out on the rest of the proposal, so I don't remember exactly what he said or that I said yes!

When is your wedding date?

June 14, 2014

Why did you pick the area you are getting married in?

Pretty soon into our relationship, we jokingly/not jokingly said we were going to get married in Vegas at one of those drive-thru churches, since I'm not a girly-girl and I never wanted a big wedding. The first time we visited Savannah, which was in March of 2011, we fell in love with the city! It quickly became the place we wanted to get married, at Ian's suggestion, and our tiny Vegas wedding has grown to become a full fledged southern wedding.

Where do you reside now?

We live outside of Orlando, FL, but travel to see our families in Jacksonville, FL and Hilton Head, SC often.

Anything interesting or out of the ordinary you are including in your wedding day?

We are having our favorite BBQ place, Wiley's Championship BBQ, cater the wedding, having lawn games for our guests to play during cocktail hour, and having a few famous Savannah trolleys take our guest down to River Street after the reception for an after party. Anything else you would like to add? I've waited 12 years to marry Ian, and I can't believe it will be happening next year!

You guys were obviously meant to be from the start! That 12 years is about to pay off :)

The MGE Team

Thursday, November 14, 2013

{thirsty} THURSDAY :: a cocktail for your autumn dinner party : the autumn smash with homemade ginger simple syrup.

{image and recipe via 100 layer cake}

if you love yourself {and your friends}, you will do the following:

{} plan a dinner party. or just a cocktail party. whatever floats your boat.

{} check out this recipe. make it for said dinner party.

{} enjoy, as you bask in the warmth of your friends' gratefulness for both your gracious hosting and drink-making skills;)

have a beautiful thursday & XO,

jennifer

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

{real wedding} WEDNESDAY :: megan + kyle, part 1 : getting ready.

prepare to be jealous, y'all. this couple is not only breathtakingly gorgeous but also had a fabulous duo of photographers - jade and matthew - to capture their wedding day.

{to read their sweet engagement story, check it out here!}

sparkly and glamorous - this bride's after my own heart with these accessories!

how often have you seen a wedding gown just casually hanging up on a branch in the middle of savannah? love it!

a little assistance with the veil...

and the buttons on her gown!

meanwhile, the groom reads a sweet note from his bride...

... before adjusting his cuff links!

a final glance in the mirror {ring bearer, you look too adorable}

looks like she finally got her veil on, and to stunning effect!

a close-up of the lovely little details that complete the bride's look...

final adjustments for the groom...

... and the bride!

oh, groomsmen.

i adore poufy flower girl dresses! don't all the ladies look lovely?

a close-up of the beautiful bouquets...

funny story about the limo sent over to pick up the groom + groomsmen {and then ferry them to the reception afterward} : it had a gas leak! yiiiikes. the sweet little ring bearer doesn't seem too bothered by it, at least. but yes - that was a bummer.

and finally... they arrive at the church for the ceremony! but you'll have to wait 'til next week to see those pictures ;)

all photography courtesy of the ever-amazing jade + matthew - thanks, you two!

have a beautiful wednesday & XO,

jennifer

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

{tips & tricks} TUESDAY :: wedding gown shopping, part 1.

in case y'all weren't aware {which i honestly wasn't until recently}, it takes anywhere from four to six months for a designer to create your wedding gown.

when i decided to move up my wedding date from november 2014 to may 2014 {that's another story}, i realized that - oh crap - i needed to go wedding dress shopping, stat.

being that i have seen my share of wedding gowns at this point in my life, i was reasonably sure what i wanted though not positive and pretty open-minded about trying out styles i hadn't considered before.

i also knew that i did not want the experience of going to a huge bridal warehouse where i'd be overwhelmed with options - i'm bad enough at making decisions as it is!

my only other requirement for my wedding gown was i didn't want it to show any cleavage or cling to my tummy. that's surprisingly difficult to find these days, y'all. don't ask me why.

so anyway, knowing all of that {and this is where tuesday's tip comes in ;) }, i limited my search to two bridal boutiques:

first, bleu belle bridal here in savannah. these girls are so sweet and so helpful! courtney is forever donating gowns for us to use in our styled shoots and i knew that i'd get plenty of personalized attention during my appointment, which i did. i also knew from being in their shop before that all of their gowns are gorgeous and fall into a variety of budgets - they have everything from vera wang to lusan!

while i did not end up purchasing my wedding gown from bleu belle, it is where i found my "second place" gown, this lovely lace gown designed by lusan:

this gown by lusan mandongus reminded me so much of something that jacqueline kennedy or grace kelly would have worn - its stately, classic silhouette is flattering without being over-the-top. you can just barely see the back in the mirror, but it's a low-cut ordeal that i just loved!

my second {and final, as it happens} stop was at the sentimentalist in atlanta. i found this fabulous little boutique while searching for sarah seven {my dream designer, or so i thought;)} stockists, and when i saw their website i just knew i had found my wedding gown shop soulmate!

the best thing about shopping at the sentimentalist was the fact that their taste in gowns - feminine, classic, romantic - so perfectly meshed with my own that i was confident i needn't continue my search anywhere else. choosing from their short list of curated gowns was a relief, actually; they had already done the hard work of sorting through the myriad options on the market today and presented me with only the prettiest, most tasteful options.

yay! i finally got to try on a lovely sarah seven gown, even though i ultimately did not choose to go with one of her gorgeous designs.

this leanne marshall gown was gorgeous {i would've worn it with a little bolero jacket or somesuch if i'd chosen it}

oh, and a bonus of shopping at the sentimentalist?

i started my appointment by taking afternoon tea, complete with lemon tea cakes, in the social room adjacent to the wedding gowns. perfect? i think yes.

in sum, then, here are my wedding gown shopping tips for you all based on my {admittedly limited} experience:

{} make an appointment at a smaller, locally-owned boutique that you know will give you personalized attention. preferably, find a boutique whose owner's style meshes perfectly with your own.

{} don't overwhelm yourself with choices. consider a few key factors, like the time of day you're having your ceremony, budget, the location, etc. and choose a dress that fits your vision {or, if you're open to building your vision around your dress, feel free to do that too!}. visit two to three shops with that vision in mind, see what options each has, and then just make your decision. there will always be more

{} shop early. to avoid rush fees, purchase your gown at least six {though preferably eight} months prior to your wedding date. at just over six months out, i was actually cutting it very close with mine - it should be shipped by the end of march, which will give me a little over a month to get it tailored before my wedding at the end of may.

{} budget. don't try on a $10,000 gown if you are not able or willing to spend that much money on your wedding dress. straight up don't even look at gowns outside of your budget because you will just end up making yourself sad. trust me on this, y'all.

what do y'all think? have anything to add? be sure to comment!!

have a beautiful day & XO,

jennifer

Monday, November 11, 2013

{make it your own} MONDAY :: photobooth backdrop : the written word.

happy veteran's day, y'all!

thank you to all of our men and women in the armed forces, past, present, and future, whose personal sacrifices do so much to ensure our nation's safety at home and abroad.

{image via pinterest}

i'm sure many of you all have seen this photo/idea by now, but i feel like it deserves a mention on here, too, particularly after seeing the following that made its way into the latest edition of southern weddings magazine:

{via southern weddings}

while this is a great photobooth backdrop, it could also be a sweet addition to your ceremony space, particularly if your ceremony is going to be inside.

if your song lyrics don't speak to you {or if they seem weird written out}, i'd suggest writing out love poems {pablo neruda, anyone? e.e. cummings? YES}, your vows, or even scripture that you have read at your ceremony.

{via southern weddings shop}

this gorgeous rendition of traditional vows would be even prettier blown up full-size and displayed at your wedding

after the wedding, you'll have a lovely memento to preserve and display in your home - just cut the paper into manageable chunks, frame & hang it up in your bedroom as a daily reminder of your pledge to love one another for better or for worse.

have a beautiful day & XO,

jennifer

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Future Tybee Island Wedding: Megan + Bobby

Megan Gaertner and Bobby Smith

Date Engaged

 December 15, 2012

Where did you meet?

We met in the 5th grade in Mrs. Keller's 5th-grade class, we were reunited over Facebook many, many years later while Bobby was home on leave from Afghanistan. Bobby had many missed connections when he was home on leave, but we did reconnect when he was stationed in Egypt. We promised each other that when he came back home from Egypt that we would grab a drink and catch up. On June 4, 2011, Bobby and I met up at Rita's Roadhouse in Downers Grove, IL. It was a night we will never forget :)

How did he propose?

 Bobby's side of the story: It was the day after finals had ended and I had planned a special night out to celebrate the semester being over. At least that is what I had told her that week. I had planned the

proposal for a few months and went over several options. Finally I decided I would propose at the

restaurant where we had our very first date. I planned where I would do it, what I would say, and even how to get someone to take a picture of that special moment without her knowing that it was coming. When the moment came I got down on my knee and completely forgot what I was going to say. At that same moment I looked down at the ring box and saw that the ring had fallen into the lid of the box. I picked it up as quickly as possible and put it back in place. Then I just remember looking up at the most beautiful girl in the world and asking, "Will you marry me?" and she made me the happiest guy in the world when she said, "yes!"

Megan's side of the story: We just had finished up our yummy mediterranean bread, when Bobby asked our waiter if he could take a picture of us while we were waiting for our pizza pot pies to be served. I honestly didn't think anything of it, because Bobby and I always take a picture when we are at

Oven Grinders on the north side of Chicago. Oven Grinders was our "occasional celebration" spot so I never thought anything of when he asked if I would go to dinner that night to celebrate our finals week and fall semester being over with. Bobby stood up, and came over to my end of the booth where he bent down to take our photo. After the photo was taken, Bobby never left his "kneeling" position, and turned away from me as if he was hurt. In my mind, I was gathering that he had fallen and he couldn't get up. I felt so horrible for him! How embarrassing, I thought. I finally said to him after a few seconds of wondering if he was okay, "Did you fall, Bobby? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Bobby looked up at me at that moment, and gave me a huge smile, and pulled out a little blue box from behind his back. He said with a stutter, "Will you marry me?" I was so filled with excitement, I immediately looked down at the box and noticed that the ring was missing, and started to laugh. Bobby looked at me to see what I was laughing at, and he said, "Oh no!" Bobby panicked and saw that in the back of the box was the "missing ring". After he quickly placed the ring back in its place, he smiled and asked again, "Will you marry me?" Ring or not, I said yes!!!!!! Our waiter was so filled with excitement, that he was snapping pictures on my iPhone the whole time. He told us after Bobby proposed, he had no idea what was going on, but was so excited. The whole restaurant congratulated us, and sent us over drinks. It absolutely was unforgettable!

When is your wedding date?

 June 12, 2014 at the Tybee Island wedding chapel in Tybee Island, Georgia

Why did you pick the area you are getting married in?

Bobby and I were driving down to Miami to see NIU play in the Orange Bowl over NYE. We decided to take a detour to savannah, as we both had never been, but heard nothing but beautiful things about it. When we arrived it was love at first sight. The history, the buildings, the people. Because we are both beach bums, we decided to take a drive towards Tybee, and see what our family and friends raved about when they would come home from spring break vacation. It truly was breath taking and

unforgettable. We decided when we came home from our long trip that we were going to have our

wedding in either Savannah, or Tybee Island, Georgia. We searched and search a million different

places to get married at but none of them truly fit who are until we stumbled across the chapel. The

Tybee Island wedding chapel was everything we ever wanted. We had the beach right around the corner, and the architecture and the history behind the chapel was everything Bobby and Megan were all about. We are counting down the minutes and days until our wedding next year. We simply cannot wait!

Where do you reside now?

Dekalb, Illinois in the heart of Northern Illinois University - Huskie nation! We both

are current Huskies at NIU.

We can't wait either! It's going to be such a special day and we're honored to share in it.

XO

The MGE Team

Friday, November 8, 2013

{floral} FRIDAY :: the second week of november, 2013.

well, dear ladies & gentlemen, another week has come to a close and with it - more lovely flowers! i tried to be a bit more selective than i typically am {who can blame me?} so this post should be a little less overwhelming in scope than you all are used to ;)

enjoy!

{image via green wedding shoes}

{image via green wedding shoes}

a single bloom is understated and a lovely addition to any place setting!

{image via green wedding shoes}

natural, organic and oh-so-pretty as a bouquet

{image via ruffled}

feathers! oh my. this tied in fabulously with the bride's bird theme ;)

{image via ruffled}

mixing spiky, oversized blooms with rounded smaller ones is never a bad idea, y'all.

{image via ruffled}

such a sweet idea for escort cards - hang them from a tree! i'd throw in a few blooms too.

{image via southern weddings}

oh my stars i just love this clematis bouquet!

{image via southern weddings}

so this bride's theme was {clearly} peonies. heck yes. i'll never get tired of those suckers!

{image via southern weddings}

my absolute favorite part about oversized blooms is how fabulous they look as single stems in little bud vases. undeniably gorgeous, no?

{image via wedding chicks}

and to end on a seasonal note, these arrangements just scream "fall" to me - love it! the tin vases aren't half bad themselves, either ;)

as always, have a beautiful weekend & XO,

jennifer

Thursday, November 7, 2013

{thirsty} THURSDAY :: champagne grapefruit mojito.

some people don't particularly care for champagne, i've found.

i am certainly not one of those people, y'all, particularly when there is cause for celebration!

sometimes bubbly is simply required, and sometimes - just sometimes - it deserves to be fancied up with a little something extra.

perhaps gussied up with some grapefruit, like in the craft cocktail below?

{image via style me pretty}

... um, yes please!

find the recipe for the delicious cocktail above {and nine others!} here.

as always, have a beautiful thursday & XO,

jennifer

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

{real wedding} WEDNESDAY :: heidie + jacob, part 3 : the reception.

i'm sure y'all have been waiting to see this lovely reception with bated breath since last week's gorgeous ceremony details hit the blog, so i'll go ahead and let smitten and hooked's fab photos of the ever-breathtaking roundhouse railroad museum speak for themselves once again.

{see part 1 here and part 2 here}