Lake Lanier PineIsle Pointe Wedding

Ivy and Chao contacted me to plan their wedding from scratch with less than 4 weeks' notice. It was certainly challenging but we worked together and made it happen together with a great team of vendors!

We visited several venues and settled on Lake Lanier's PineIsle Pointe because of its gorgeous lake site view:

There is really not another venue close to Atlanta with such a lake view that made for stunning photos:

Here is a portrait of the beautiful bride:

Ivy had picked her something blue to be on her feet:

The Bridal Bouquet had a tiny card pendant because the couple had met on a Texas hold'em card game:

The couple also chose a card table design for the Groom's Cake:

For a playful fun decoration, the florist surprised the couple with a pair of dice on the Head Table:

Although this was a weekday wedding, more than 60 of Ivy and Chao's close friends and family made it to the 6pm ceremony on time and partied until the end of the reception!

Congratulations to Ivy and Chao! I enjoyed working with you two love birds to put together the gorgeous affair in 26 days!

Vendor Team:

Baker: Artisan Cakes and Wedding Design by Julie
DJ: AAA DJ Services
Florist: Laurens Floral Arts
Makeup & Hair: Mimi Kuang
Officiant: Rev. John Keenan
Photography: CQuences Studio
Videography:  Peerless Weddings

Atlanta Venue Spotlight - Historic Academy of Medicine

I went to the Open House for the Historic Academy of Medicine on August 6, 2015. This was my first time visiting this venue although I had drove by the mansion numerous times. If you have ever driven down Wet Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta, you had probably wonder to yourself what this building is all about as it looks like it is from a different era (built in 1941):

Photos courtesy of Historic Academy of Medicine from the Celebration Society

The venue has several spaces including a 230 seat auditorium that is surpringly intimate. For those who want some drama (in a good way), this is definitely the non-traditional way to walk down the aisle:

 

Photo of Auditorium from Georgia Tech 

One of the major attractions of the Academy of Medicine is its famous chandelier in its Rotunda (the same one seen in the movie "Gone with the Wind"):

Photo by Cindy Brown Photo

I was told that most couples chose to do their first dance under the famous chandelier which is definitely very romantic.

Note that there are also several spaces that can be used for cocktail hour/bridal suite/groom's room as well as 2 banquet spaces. Overall, I like the upper level of the venue much better than the terrace level because it has a lot of historical architectural details on the upper level but I can see why a bigger party will need to utilize the terrace level space as well.

The Academy of Medicine has a list of Preferred Caterers so if you are planning an event here, there is definitely flexibility for you to find one that fits your budget and style. 

Valet service was quick and easy at the back of the building which is definitely welcome and needed in Midtown Atlanta.

I highly recommend checking out this venue if you desire a historical venue that is elegant, intimate, and if you just cannot resist the urge to dance all night under that chandelier.

Georgian Terrace Wedding

Caroline and Jamie Sturm were my first long distance couple. They were working in Beijing but wanted to have their wedding in Atlanta (Caroline's home town). We worked over emails and phone calls across the time zones to plan the details of their January 19,2013 wedding. I only met them one month before the big day when they came back to US for the holidays and to prepare for the wedding. Somehow I wish we could have met earlier because they were such a fun couple to work with!

Caroline and Jamie wanted to incorporate two important wedding traditions that honor Caroline's Chinese American Heritage:

(1) Bridesmaid Challenge (Traditionally called "Opening Door Ceremony")

The bridesmaids normally have tasks for the groom and groomsmen to perform before they will open the door for the groom to see his bride.  In this case, the guys had to go through a waxing session!

(2) Tea Ceremony

This is for the bride and groom to present tea to the bride's parents and grandparents as a way to honor the elders and for the bride to formally say goodbye to the family before the wedding. The elders provided red packets containing money as gifts for the couple after they drank the tea.

For the traditional church ceremony at Atlanta Chinese Christian Church Northwest (Caroline's parent's home church), the couple chose to have a foot washing ceremony. It was a touching moment when they took turn washing each others' feet to show their commitment and sacrifice for each other in the marriage.

Caroline was escorted by her Dad into the sanctuary at the beginning of the ceremony.

Foot Washing Ceremony - Jamie did it first!

Now it is Caroline's turn.

I was very glad to be able to secure a group of fabulous vendors for Caroline's wedding. The church decoration and bouquets for the bridal party by Cathy Brim from Bloom Floral Design were amazing. The photographs by Christopher Helm Photography were stunning. I also love the makeup and hair design by Nia Tran!

Pew Decoration

Altar Decoration

Bride's portrait

The bridesmaids chose different dresses with blush/pink tone.

During the reception at the historic Georgian Terrace Hotel in Midtown Atlanta, I also had the honor to work together with their great catering sales manager, Ms. Hannah Bradley. Check out some photos of this gorgeous venue below. The staircase and the rooftop provided really pretty photo backgrounds.

Below are some photos of the ballroom before reception begins with all the different centerpiece designs by Bloom Floral Design) :

The wedding cake was provided by Frosted Pumpkin

Finally, I was super happy that the talented 5 members Band of Gold led by band leader Kris Bayne was able to keep the dance floor full all night (and even had an impromptu jam session with one of the guests who played the saxophone!).

Grand Entrance to the reception. I love Caroline's cheongsam (Chinese Traditional Dress). It was the same one that her Mother wore during her own wedding years ago. What a great family tradition!

Jamie's grandfather said the prayer before dinner.

A guest played saxophone with the band

Caroline and Jamie dancing

Jamie's brother Brady was having a great time on the dance floor!

I love this photo between Caroline and her sister Virginia dancing together!

 
Besides the group of vendors, Caroline and Jamie's families were also involved in the wedding. All the paper products such as menu cards, place cards, invitations,and wedding programs were designed by Caroline's Sister Virgia Shou! The favors were home made bourbon balls (Jamie's from Kentucky) packaged by Jamie's grandparents!

As a planner, I felt bad having to ask the band to play the last song for the crowd (who very much could still go on for a few more hours on the dance floor). However, someone's got to keep the time and make sure the event does not run over time!

At the end, the couple left the reception with a sparkler exit which was a hit among the guests despite the cold winter night. My guess is they are warm from all the love, laughter, and dancing from the great wedding celebration!

Caroline and Jamie had returned to Beijing but I feel like now I have a friend in Beijing! It was such a fun time working with you two and I wish both of you nothing but the best in your marriage.