Our resident bride, Sheila Motley, was recently featured in The Hook’s wedding issue. The bride-to-be would be writing this post herself if she wasn’t off to Mexico for a bachelorette weekend with her ‘maids of honor’! Have a great time (and a margarita for us!)
Thank you to Allegra for the wonderful images she sent us from the wedding of Nancy & Heyward, May 24th at Washington & Lee in Lexington, Virginia. What a spectacular weekend of wedding festivities they had, and what a lovely couple they were to work with. Our whole team here at The Event Company loved every minute of the planning process. The ceremony was set at the historical Lee Chapel on campus and provided a magical entrance for Nancy and her father. We teamed up with The AV Company for lighting to create a spectacular atmosphere in Evans Hall for the reception. Our friends at Floral Images Design Studio created a world of amazing flowers from simple green hydrangeas at Alumni House where guests enjoyed cocktails and catering by The Event Company; to amazing white orchids transforming Evans Hall. Guests finished the evening off with a sweet departure provided by Cakes Unlimited! We miss you guys, stay in touch!
The Event Company provided catering for the Pink Ribbon Polo fundraiser at King Family Vineyards on June 14, 2008. The AV Company also provided sound for the event. As you can see, our team had a great time! Thank you for having us!
Thank you to the UVA Alumni Association for partnering with us again this year on the 2008 Reunions Weekend Gala, an event on the Lawn that kicks of a weekend of class reunions. The event company provided the catering & event planning services. We partnered with the AV company on our favorite touch- large screens displaying yearbook photos from the guests years at UVA. During the event, photographer Will Walker took photos which were then added to the screens for a mix of past & present. Pat’s Floral Designs provided beautiful centerpieces to coordinate with the coral linens and guests were entertained by The Three Waiters & The Adrian Duke Projek.
Over the past year we had the pleasure of working with Kristin & Brian on their May 10th wedding at Clifton. We received the pictures from Adam Barnes Photography today and WOW…they are a great representation of what a fun, unique weekend it was! When Kristin approached us about creating a wedding in bold colors- including oranges, greens, reds and yellows- we were very excited. Floral Images perfectly complimented the mix of round & square tables with trios of various arrangements wrapped in ribbon. Thanks to Cakes Unlimited Kristin & Brian had one of the most unique wedding cakes we have seen! Their ceremony on the croquet lawn at Clifton was awazing thanks to Rev. Claire Goodman & The Serenity Gospel Choir. Thank you to Kristin & Brian and their families for including us!
Last year I did a wedding for a couple who selected The Adrian Duke Projek to perform at their wedding. I was so impressed with Adrian’s voice that I always kept him in mind for future events.
This past weekend we had the pleasure of working with him again and were once again very impressed. Sheila, the event company’s resident bride, really liked them too and sure enough…I received an e-mail from her last night that she has officially booked Adrian for her very own rehearsal dinner. Hmmm…how many bands are we up to? Just kidding, Sheila & Dan! This combination of musicians are truly going to “rock it” as our friends and Sam Hill Entertainment would say! I can’t wait!
Adrian is described as a ”funky gumbo of New Orleans soul, jazz, rock and blues” and Sheila thought that he would be perfect for their reherasal dinner & after party. Check him out at www.adrianduke.com or www.samhillbands.com
We’ve just received images from Jennifer and Michael’s early May wedding at Delfosse Vineyards in Faber, Virginia. What a lovely Spring day they had, filled with lots of friends and family who traveled to celebrate with them. University Florist worked with us to provide the flowers for the pondside ceremony and the reception tent was provided by Skyline Tent Company. Teri Edwards from Cville Cakes supplied not only a gorgeous cake, but also a custom decorated Carvel ice cream cake as a surprise for the groom! Thanks to Meg Runion and Rob Garland for the photos and being so great to work with!
I am happy to report that we have finally put together all musical aspects of the wedding that we would like to have be part of the big day! Being a big music fan myself, and having a fiance who is very music savy, this element of the planning process was very important to us and we wanted to achieve just the right energy and feel throughout the entire wedding with the music we were incorporating. Before ideas on colors, food, dresses we knew what types of musicians we wanted involved…..and there are lots!
So, here goes. For cocktail hour and our ceremony, the Duke Merrick Band will be playing their individual style of southern rock and honky tonk. They are just back to Virginia after playing a little rehearsal dinner party in Texas you all may have heard of. (psst Jenna Bush and Henry Hager) We’re so excited to have Duke be part of our celebration; he’s been a family friend and played almost every milestone birthday of mine since I was a little girl.
Next, we’ll be leaving our ceremony and entering the dinner tent to the tunes of a favorite Motown band we’ve had the opportunity to use in the past, Horizon. We’re counting on them to fill the air with well known favorites and get the crowd of friends and family up & dancing. I have no doubt it will be a packed dancefloor. Our first dance will be sung by a very close and special friend who has suggested a wonderful song she wrote just for a wedding. We can’t wait for this moment. I’ve handed over the duties of the bride/father dance to my dad, and he will be surprising me with this selection! I’m not too sure what to expect here, but this should make for a great surprise!
Last, we’ve added in a special group of musicians that will be hosting the late night portion of the evening, Mystic Vibrations. Being reggae lovers (we met at a local reggae show in Charlottesville) we’re all looking forward to adding this unique spin on the finishing hours of the evening and continuing the celebration!
I walked into a tile shop today and tried to explain what I was looking for : I wanted them to take a frosted glass shower door, smash it into pieces and then sand the rough edges so I can put cucumber cups with spicy Ahi tuna, mango , crisp apple on each of the 100 pieces to create a mosaic food station And I got that puzzled look from the lady, why ?
Chef puts so much effort to what his food looks like when it is in the kitchen and I think it is upon us to make sure it is presented in a unique way that is eye catching and that blends with the theme of the event. It is about the senses.. First the eye and then the palate.
For example, our shrimp “on the lawn” which is a favorite of UVA clients. Thanks to our team for coming up with the name, because anything else would not do justice to the presentation of this dish. When it is a ‘mowing day’ in the office, which typically happens a day before the event with the “shrimp on the lawn” canapé on the menu, it does get pretty intense. It has to be perfectly even just a great hair cut! It is almost a surgical procedure. :) You just have to love what you are doing…I do…
Defne, the event company Catering Manager
