We’re back and ready for 2010! We have so many exciting things in store and can’t wait to get started on what promises to be a fabulous year. I hope you are as excited about 2010 as I am and that this first week of the new year has been good to you.

Let’s make 2010 our best year yet!

I recently found out that my best friend did not ask me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding; unfortunately I did not find this out from her. I am compelled to share some of the do’s and don’ts of selecting, and not selecting, your bridal party that are strictly based upon my personal experience.

Don’t: Choose your venue before making out your guest list only to discover that the venue you’ve chosen is not large enough to accommodate all of your close family let alone extended family and friends, forcing you to cut more than half of the bridesmaids you originally wanted to be in your wedding.
Do: Sit down and make out your guest list and find venue sites that will accommodate all the family and friends you want. Have a good idea of the size of your wedding so that you don’t commit yourself to a venue and then realize that you don’t have room for Auntie Kathy or the12 bridesmaids you originally wanted.

Don’t: Pay for the bridesmaid’s dresses if the number of dresses you can afford is less than the number of bridesmaids you would like to have. Many things can determine how many bridesmaids you will have but the price of their dresses should not be one of the determining factors. Besides, it is not expected that you pay for the bridesmaid’s dresses and I won’t be paying for yours if you’re in my wedding so what are you trying to say here? Your bridesmaids will be happy to buy whatever dress you pick because they love you, of course this doesn’t mean you can pick a $500 dress.
Do: Choose the ladies you love the most to be there for you the weeks and months leading up to your wedding day. They will be honored, I promise.

Don’t: Take the decision you make lightly when it comes to choosing bridesmaids. Your friend who loves to be the center of attention at all times is probably not going to make any exceptions on your big day and that cousin of yours that thinks you’re making a big mistake by getting married might not be the person you want by your side on the big day.
Do: Follow your instincts. You know your friends and family, you’re aware of their strengths and weaknesses so go with your gut.

Don’t: Think that your friends aren’t waiting by their phones expecting you to call and pop the question “will you be one of my bridesmaids?” because they are. They will light up every time they see your name on their call display. If you have to cut down the size of your bridal party and some close friends didn’t make the cut they will be devastated to have to find out through a mutual friend via text message (speaking from experience here).
Do: Call your non-bridesmaids and make sure they know that you didn’t just forget about them throughout the process. There is a good way to share bad news and it will make all the difference to them. Be good to your non-bridesmaids!

The new Southern Weddings magazine has hit the store shelves!

As you can tell by the glamorous cover, shot by talented Jeremy Cowart, it is full of wedding goodness.  The official launch/kick off party was held last Friday in Atlanta, at Bridal Bar Atlanta, which started the celebration for the cumulative southern wedding planning resource. 

The issue has some great features, so I won’t spoil them for you. However, I will say—check out the 60 Ways to Have a Southern Wedding and our contribution!

It is with a sad, but happy heart that I inform you that we have closed a chapter on a former life.   I believe in fostering creativity and support in this industry, and in spite of recent events—I always will.  It was truly with a giving spirit that I attempted to appeal to a person’s better judgment, since they had just began their business two days prior to my contact and ask that they refrain from using the name I had spent so much time cultivating and using for years.  Instead of replying to my request, they filed for a trademark a day before my application made it into the system.  After building the brand that you have come to know and love, we spent the greater part of this past year embroiled in a trademark battle in an attempt to protect what we have.

This week, I received notice that the planner/designer won the trademark and we will no longer use the name that has come mean everything fabulous and luxurious in weddings.

But you know what?

I’m fine with that.

While we’ve poured our blood, sweat and vodka into the name, it’s a mere piece of what our brand is.  What is everlasting and true is our commitment to providing excellent client service to those who will work alongside us, both vendors and clients.  While I have decided not to pursue this any longer within the courts, I am completely and undeniably committed to pursuing the creation of outstanding events, supporting stellar professionals in this industry and keeping you in the know on everything fabulous.

Don’t cry for me, Argentina….

Alas, luxelings, when one martini is knocked over, another one is being shaken and ready to be poured.  This is a minor inconvenience, not a setback,  In fact, it seems like the perfect opportunity to reveal some of the awesome things we have in store under our new name, Cocktails & Details:

*  Be on the look out for our upcoming collaborations with some of the world’s best spirits companies!  I am so excited to bring you something special that you’ll possibly be able to buy in a store near you!

*  We will be collaborating with Houston’s hot destination wedding specialist, Precious Nuptials & Destinations to provide on-location coordination services for destination weddings in Mexico and the Caribbean.  Stay Tuned!

*  Due to demand, we have launched Details for a Day—our division that will solely handle the month of coordination  and elopements for couples having weddings  in Savannah, St. Simons, Jekyll Island and Jacksonville.  

*  …and so much more!

I hope you are just as excited about some of the new things we have in store!  I want you to keep in touch, so here are some updates:

*  If you linked to us previously, please make a point to change the former URL to our new one: www.cocktailsdetails.com and www.cocktailsdetailsblog.com.

*  The new feed for our blog has changed as well— please subscribe to stay up-to-date with the fabulousness

*  If you follow us on Twitter, be sure to send your @ replies or DMs to the new name CocktailTerrica (note, it is the same account, so if you were already following me, you still are!)  Don’t forget to follow Kim, too!

*  If you were a fan of our previous fan page, it is now closed.  Come by and show your support by becoming a fan on Facebook!

Thank you so much for your continued support and I look forward to creating bigger and better things with you, no matter what our name is.

But remember, it’s Cocktails & Details

Thank you so much, Eliana, Jennifer, Saundra, Liene, Precious, Mattie & Kim for your unwavering support, love and laughter.  I owe you more than I could pay and will adore you longer than I will live.  You are all talented, intelligent and beautiful people and I am gracious to have you in my brain trust.  Your inspiration and drive is not lost at any second of the day…this one’s for you.

When you’re a wedding planner, people think that your job is so much “fun”(!!!), playing in pretty dresses and linens, picking lush  flowers for a centerpiece and choosing delectable seven tiered wedding cakes.  Many don’t view this line of “work” as work at all, let alone hard work.  While I and my colleagues know that nothing could be further from the truth, the following post will not help my case.

In June, I attended the Engage!09 Luxury Wedding Business Summit in Grand Cayman, which is the brainchild of Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce of Engaging Concepts. There,  wedding professionals from literally across the globe were gathered to hear from experts such as the Wizard of Ahh’s himself, event designer Preston Bailey, wedding cake coutourier  Sylvia Weinstock, the fabulous Marcy Blum as well as editors of some of your favorite magazines such as The Knot, Brides, Modern Bride & Elegant Bride, as well as Martha Stewart Weddings.  The second day, we were able to have small group sessions with industry builders and advancers like former president of Preston Bailey Designs,  Sean Low, Randy Fenoli of TLC’s “Say Yes To the Dress” and Kleinfeld Bridal, beauty and brains Harmony Walton  of  The Bridal Bar (be sure to visit their new Bridal Bar Location in Atlanta, too!), the incomparable Michelle Rago, Bee Kim, the mastermind behind Wedding Bee, “style obsessed”  Abby Larson  of Style Me Pretty and so many more.  It was also great to see and support good friends who served as panelists as well like Liene Stevens of Think Splendid and Lara Casey of Southern Weddings and the new Lara Casey Reps.

As planner, and being naturally fabulous, I had all of my outfits planned—with a few wardrobe changes in between (yes, I’m serious…I ran into Randy Fenoli  at one of the dinner parties and he exclaimed, ‘”Girl!  Did you change again!?”).  So imagine my horror when my luggage was delayed prior to the conference’s welcome party on the beach.  So there I was, stuck with what I had on since 4AM and what I like to call my “TSA approved 1 quart ziploc makeup bag”.  I shudder as I reminisce… Nevertheless, it turned out wonderfully!  I had a fabulous roommate—Monica  of The White Box of Wedding Design, and her husband was equally fabulous— I had a cosmo and creme brulee delivered to my room as a gift for,  and I quote “Taking care of his baby” while we were in Grand Cayman.  I know.  I should ask them to adopt me.  Monica was fabulous—we sat up most of the nights talking (sometimes via Skype with her husband) and laughing!

The parties were absolutely gorgeous—it was so nice to be on the receiving end of great linens, design concept, florals and live music for a change.  It was funny, because during the beach party (which was literally on the beach, with a tiffany blue carpet to strut on and shoe valet), something dropped and I remember laughing as I and about 10 other wedding planners and vendors all raced to fix it and replace it before it was noticed.  Part of the job!  It was also great to meet friends I talk to daily but don’t get a chance to see often (some I had never met in person until now!)  and those that I consider friends after falling in love with them over martinis and 1 AM fries.  Yes, this totally includes my new BFF, Michael Landry of Gucci. Michael and I met serendipitously over a  Tortuga rum cake tasting, and I was just as lucky to have gone on to dinner with him and other professional at the exclusive dine-arounds, which ours was hosted by Randy Fenoli (Be sure to check out  Randy’s recap that includes pictures our dinner and fun times).

Ok, so enough chatting…how about some pictures?

You know I’m a total foodie—had to get pictures of our lunch!

Gorgeous arrangements and linen from La Tavola Linen were staples of the conference

Marcy Blum, Michelle Rago and Preston Bailey and myself

The final night of the conference was a stunning party with lighting, draping, huge hanging decor…you know, the things that a wedding planner or designer’s dreams are made of!

I

love this picture, because it pretty much sums up the night—fabulous shoes (noticeably off due to all the dancing) and an empty champagne glass!

I am so excited to be on the panel of experts for OneWed’s WeddingPreParty.com Launch Party on August 5th!  Anyone that knows me knows that I love all things party and tech, so this is the perfect concoction of my favorites! It’s your wedding planning meets social networking—so yes, it even uses Facebook Connect! Now you can connect with your bridal party on so many levels- allow them to meet each other before the wedding, issue tasks and duties and so much more!

NBC Chicago showcased  the WeddingPreParty and even Mashable did a great writeup. To quote Ben:

…That’s why OneWed’s approach intrigues us. The wedding planning website has launched Wedding Pre-Party, a new website that essentially creates your own private (and organized) version of Facebook () where friends and guests can share tips, add photos, and keep informed about all the fun (and terror) leading up to the big day.

Check out some screenshots:

You’ll be able to win some fab prizes as well as gain advice and learn all about Wedding PreParty.

How to Win:
Choose any and all of the options below. And let us know in the comments what ya did!
1. RSVP here using Mr Linky
2. Crash our wedding, register with OneWed and leave us a Toast
3. Tweet about OneWed’s Wedding Pre-Party & Twitter party
4. Blog about OneWed’s Wedding Pre-Party & Twitter party
5. Become a Fan on Facebook
6. Follow us on Twitter
6. Answer or ask questions during the Twitter party
7. Visit the blogs of our expert panel & come back and comment
8. Let every engaged couple, single friend looking for love, wedding vendor, wedding party member know about Wedding Pre-Party!

I will be joining Dana of Broke Ass Bride, wedding blogger Jaime of It’s A Jaime Thing, Chris of The Man Registry, as we unveil the awesome new WeddingPreParty.com.  Join us on Twitter and use the hashtag #preparty and join the fun!

Be sure to follow me on Twitter–  can’t wait to clink glasses with you   See you on August 5th at 9PM!

As many of you know, I absolutely love where I live and work.  Surrounded by gorgeous islands and beaches, and so many other awesome parts of nature and history, it is a wonderful place to live.  I keep up with the happenings of all local wedding and event professionals with blogs and social networking.  The Jekyll Island Authority had a brilliant campaign on Twitter: a picture would be posted, and if you recognized where it was on the island, you would win a guest blogger spot on the official www.jekyllisland.com blog.  Having met so many beautiful couples and planned so many gorgeous destination weddings here, it was so nice to let everyone know why I love this area so much.  Check out our guest blog post on the Jekyll Island blog!

I had the best time! I was honored and humbled to speak at Eventology this year in Indianapolis, IN. Planned by Katasha Butler of K. Sherrie + Co, I was able to speak alongside two women who I am so proud to call colleagues, but also lovingly call them friends: Saundra Hadley of Planning…Forever Events and Liene Stevens of The Smart Planner.

We’ve got some extra special planners for Thursday’s Virtual Soiree.  These planners have made their marks, not only in their respective areas, but also in the industry. In addition to learning so much from these ladies, I am also privileged to call them friends.  I know that our invitees will benefit greatly from their advice, humor and candor!

Saundra Hadley of Planning…Forever

The industry’s first event engineer, Saundra has created a following with her blog that encompasses her quick wit, attention to detail and boundless creativity.  Planning and designing out of Evansville, Indiana, she and her staff cater to their clientele by providing practical, yet fun and personal solutions for their events.  As she strives to make all of her couples feel “like a guest at their own weddings”, she also enjoys the purpose of her work. Her beautiful smile, creative ideas, infectious laughter and drive to execute her clients’ weddings to the best of her ability makes her a wonderful addition to our Virtual Soiree.  In addition to seeing Saundra as FOX 7’s wedding planner, she will also be speaking at Eventology in Indianapolis, Indiana in April.

Emilie Duncan of Emilie Duncan Event Planning

Our Virtual Soiree attendees will benefit from Emilie’s personal attention and passion for color and creativity.  Emilie feels that it is an honor to participate in each of her clients’ weddings, thusly blowing their minds about any preconceived notions about what it is to have a wedding planner.  Having received training in floral and cake design and decoration, photography and more, Her clients are able to benefit from the many experiences of this talented planner.  Emilie has been a featured expert in such publications as Bridal Guide, Columbus Monthly, Weddings in Cleveland and Weddings InStyle.

Katasha Butler of K.Sherrie & Co.

As the brains and beauty behind K.Sherrie & Co. and Eventology, Katasha seeks to infuse her brand of couture luxury service into each event her company takes on.  Possessing the artistic flair, creativity and drive it takes to pull off a fantastic wedding, Katasha began her own boutique wedding company in 2006.  With impeccable taste and an acute attention to detail, she truly adds a different touch to each client’s event.  In 2009, Katasha will launch her first conference for wedding professionals, Eventology , in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Laura Auer of Wish Special Events

One of the freshest faces of event planning on the East Coast, Laura Auer and her fantastic team execute flawless events with plenty of personality.  Understanding and providing the high level of customer service that she feels her client are entitled to, Laura draws not only from her education at James Madison University’s Special Events program, but also from her experience as a former bride.   Her access to vast resources and some of the best vendors has made her an invaluable asset to her clients.

Invitations have been sent out to a select number of brides!  If you would like to get in on our next virtual soiree, be sure to send us an email at blog {at} cocktailsdetails.com.

Want a team of the hottest wedding planners to help you with your wedding? Done!