Favorite Wedding Moment:
Seeing Katie for the first time on her wedding day. I always build a close bond with my brides but I especially loved Katie. She treated me like more than just a wedding vendor - we were friends. She always asked how my day was and we really cared about each other. We spent a lot of time prior to the wedding talking about the wedding, life and love so when I saw her looking absolutely stunning in her wedding dress on the big day, I wanted to cry. She was and is so beautiful. Now I see one of the reasons Joe married her! I didn't have the pleasure of meeting Joe until the day before the wedding but I really enjoyed getting to know them both! They are just two super sweet people perfect for each other!

If you have a sweet tooth and live in the Wilmington, NC area then I bet you've heard of Creative Cake Design by Tammy Hodge. If you haven't had the pleasure of eating one of Tammy's pies, cake pops, banana pudding cups, cake or cookies, then you need to get out more!  Tammy's personality is sweeter than the best cakes! Everyone who meets her wants to be more like her. Tammy is a fellow wedding vendor and friend so when she approached me about planning her 40th birthday party, I was more than enthused. Tammy wanted to have a fun party with about 90 of her closest friends and family members to celebrate her 40th birthday. Then, she threw me a twist. She wanted to surprise everyone in attendance and renew her vows to her equally sweet husband, Eric. So, we got to planning and this is what we did.

Tammy hired her fellow photographer friend, Kelly with Anchored in Love, to take photos and baker assistant, Staci, to make lots and lots of desserts for this 1940's Old Hollywood glam themed party. We enlisted in ETC Party Rentals for additional tables, linens and plate ware. I loved the black and white damask print we chose to use on the tables. Bella Florals by Theresa made pretty white and green centerpieces and even incorporated one of my favorite elements - cotton! A Boxed Event designed the perfect Old Hollywood lounge complete with a photo booth from DJ Professionals + Video. 

As guests started to arrive to the party, they enjoyed sipping on coffee from the coffee bar provided by AM Coffee Bar and lots of delicious food from Middle of the Island. Tammy arrived through a red carpet entrance with her family in the fashionable British Taxi. They were introduced to the party by DJ Professionals and we all sang her "Happy Birthday". What happened next was completely unexpected. Tammy changed into a cute, white cocktail dress and came out as "At Last" by Etta James played over the speakers. The dress was custom made from her from Camille's of Wilmington! Everyone was on the dance floor with husband Eric front and center. Their pastor from Northside Church was also in the middle ready to surprise everyone with their vow renewal. Everyone stood around enjoying this special moment as Tammy + Eric experienced the wedding celebration they never got to have with everyone that mattered most to them. 

After they renewed their vows, it was back to dancing and eating more sweet treats. At the end of the party, The British Taxi took home our special cargo and we left with memories for a lifetime. It meant so much to me to be a special part of this day for Tammy and her family. I continue to work with Tammy during "wedding season" but it's always nice to see her outside of work too. And like I said in the beginning, if you haven't tried any of Tammy's made-with-love desserts, do so now! 

Favorite Party Moment:
The surprise, of course! Since I as a little kid, I've always enjoyed planning surprise parties. I think it started in 5th grade when we surprised our teacher with almost 5 surprise parties that year. We threw one on her birthday, holidays and the last day of school. We even got the principal to call her up to the office so we could set everything up. I have planned surprise parties for many friends and even a surprise wedding in October 2014. I recently found a list of things I want to do before I'm 30 written at the age of 13. Two of the items on the list were to throw a surprise party for someone and to have a surprise party for me. Soo...I'm still waiting on someone to throw a surprise party for me but I like throwing them for now ;)

Vendors
Venue: The RiverRoom
Music + Photo Booth: DJ Professionals and Video
Catering: Middle of The Island
Photography: Anchored In Love
Lighting: The Audio Visual People
Rentals: ETC Party Rentals
Flowers: Bella Florals by Theresa
Cake + Desserts: Creative Cake Design by Tammy Hodge
Chalkboard Bar Design: Southern Bee Designs
Dress: Camille's of Wilmington
Transportation: The British Taxi
Officiant: Pastor Mike Morley
Partial Planning Event Coordination: Knot Too Shabby Events
Attendees: 90 guests

Laura + Chris wed at 128 South in downtown Wilmington on November 7, 2014 but not before Laura's bridal luncheon and rehearsal dinner on Friday night at The RiverRoom. Laura enlisted Knot Too Shabby Events to help her plan an intimate bridal luncheon at The RiverRoom and a rehearsal dinner later in the afternoon with their closest loved ones.

The luncheon was laid back and sweet. We used navy chevron linens from ETC Party Rentals with teal napkins. Sweet N' Savory catered the brunch. YUM! Fiore Fine Flowers designed the floral centerpieces that we were able to use for the rehearsal dinner too. The ladies enjoyed a mimosa bar with three different fruit choices and then left to get their nails done! 

About 40 guests returned around 5:00pm to enjoy a catered dinner by Middle of the Island. This black + white reception looked beautiful with the addition of hanging Edison lights from The Audio Visual People. The amazing Carolina Hurricane's hockey groom's cake was designed by Imaginary Cakes. The hockey player was even made to look just like Chris!

We had a great time dining on the River before their big day. Congratulations Laura & Chris! KTSE loved being a part of your day before the big day! 

Favorite Event Moment:

Vendors
Venue: The RiverRoom
Music: venue house sound system
Bridal Luncheon Catering: Sweet N' Savory
Rehearsal Dinner Catering: Middle of The Island
Lighting: The Audio Visual People
Rentals: ETC Party Rentals
Flowers: Fiore Fine Flowers
Cake: Imaginary Cakes
Month-Of Coordination: Knot Too Shabby Events
Attendees: 8 guests; 40 guests

Caitlyn + Robbie are two people that you meet that you instantly want to become friends with. Their caring, outgoing yet laid back attitudes clearly brought them together. They love to travel and both have fun, adventurous spirits. It was no surprise when they wanted to have a wedding on Halloween. Caitlyn was very clear that she wanted there to be certain aspects of Halloween but she didn't want it to be a "Halloween wedding" where everyone dresses in costume. She still wanted it to be elegant so we focused on the "til death do us part" component. The wedding cake was white with classy chocolate bones along the edges and read, "til death do us part". The funfetti cake was created by Creative Cake Design by Tammy Hodge. It was a great way to tie in the theme for their special day.

The couple wed on the riverfront deck at The RiverRoom in downtown Wilmington. Matt McGraw was there to capture everything on film and we couldn't be more happy with his images shown below. A family friend and local pastor, Clif Harris, officiate the ceremony. We used white benches rented from ETC Party Rentals for guest seating with pumpkins lining the aisle. 

After the ceremony, guests headed inside The RiverRoom to enjoy a candy bar, appetizers from Middle of the Island Catering and drinks at the bar. Brooke with Southern Bee Designs drew an amazing chalkboard bar saying "Pick your poison" as the drink menu title. The room was set up perfectly with tan linens, alternating yellow and burnt orange napkins atop a cute lace doily with a thank you tag. Caitlyn purchased wild flowers at a local wholesaler and created the flower centerpieces herself. She did hire a professional to make her bridal bouquet and bridesmaids bouquets - Bella Florals by Theresa. 

We danced and laughed all through the night. DJ Professionals + Video had everyone on the dance floor. Caitlyn + Robbie's last song was "Monster Mash", another great way to embrace their holiday wedding. At the end of the night, we did a bubble send off and they were driven away in style in The British Taxi. The wedding couldn't have been any better! Congratulations Caitlyn + Robbie. KTSE wishes you many, many more years of love, happiness and good travels!

Favorite Wedding Moment:
Caitlyn + Robbie shared with me some extra special news on their wedding day - they were now newlyweds and newly-expecting! Today, Caitlyn + Robbie have the most adorable baby boy. I love seeing pictures of him via Facebook as he grows up. Caitlyn is a petite girl so I would have never been able to tell she was pregnant if they had not told me. I was so happy to know that they have such an exciting and loving future together!

Wilmington Weddings + Events is Wilmington's premier one-stop-shop for planning weddings in and around the Wilmington area. The area's top vendors have joined together to offer an association where you can connect with vendors, read blogs about real weddings and tips, seek advice from other brides on the forum and even sell your gentle used wedding decor on the forum. Wilmington has needed something like this for a long time and we finally have it. Knot Too Shabby Events is a proud member and honored to host the October mixer at The RiverRoom last year. We teamed up with one vendor of each category to show off what we could do for a vendor mixer. The theme was a modern day farmer's market complete with fresh produce and goodies for the vendors to take home. One of the favorite items at the farmer's market was the hangover kit. Crucial for the day after any wedding!  Haley from Studio Wilde spoke to us about branding your business. The other half of the mixer was spent mixin' and minglin' with some of our fav vendors over yummy food paired with mini cocktails and lots of photo booth fun. Thank you to all of the vendors who attended and a special thank you to those vendors who invested their time and money to put this fun event together. If you haven't checked out Wilmington Weddings + Events and are a bride in the area, do so now!! 

Vendors
Venue: The RiverRoom
Music + Photo Booth: DJ Professionals & Video
Catering: Creative Cuisine
Bar Service: On The Rocks Bartending LLC
Photography: Erin Whittle Photography
Videography: Brick Street Cinema
Lighting: The Audio Visual People
Rentals: Etc. Party Rentals
Hair + Lash Bar: Tyler Kent Salon
Event + Floral Design: A Boxed Event
Cake: Creative Cake Design by Tammy Hodge
Dress Shop: Camille's of Wilmington
Speaker: Studio Wilde Design Company
Event Coordination: Knot Too Shabby Events
Attendees: 60 guests

Laura + Matt live a few hours outside of Wilmington but they chose Wilmington as their wedding destination city for it's charming downtown, coastal beaches and fun activities. The wedding day was intimate and cozy with a total of 19 guests. They invited mostly family with a couple friends. The ceremony took place at the lovely Kenan Chapel in Landfall and the reception took place at The RiverRoom in downtown Wilmington. When meeting with the couple to find out about their vision and wishes for the big day, they expressed that they just wanted a nice atmosphere on the water for an intimate dinner so they could relax and hang out with their most cherished loved ones. The RiverRoom gave us just that.

The reception space was absolutely gorgeous decorated in navy, white and gold. A long table was set for a tasty dinner from Thyme Savor Catering. Laura bought a variety of blue and gold candle holders while we mixed in floral arrangements from Bloomer's. The navy linens with a white runner and gold plate chargers were the perfect combination for an elegant table setting. Laura, Matt and their guests shared a lace two-tiered white wedding cake from One Belle Bakery. After we ate, Laura + Matt took time to chat with each guests and catch up on the latest news. We did a first dance and a few other group dances but it was more about enjoying the time and talking with loved ones. I loved the relaxed vibe throughout this entire wedding day.

Laura is no stranger to the "wedding world" since she works with a wedding publication. I had no doubts that she picked and planned everything throughout her one year engagement to the tee so that when I was there on the day of, even I was relaxed and stress-free. Matt + Laura are such genuinely kind and sweet people. They truly deserve each other. I definitely enjoyed getting to know them both of pulling off another Knot Too Shabby wedding! 

Laura + Matt's wedding was featured on Trendy Bride too! Check it out! 

Favorite Wedding Moment:
Watching Laura walk into the reception and seeing her reception prettier than she had ever imagined it would be. We chose to do one long table for all of the guests to sit together for dinner and it turned out so beautiful. The table was lush with flowers and candles and I just loved it! 

Vendors
Ceremony Venue: Kenan Chapel of Landfall
Reception Venue: The RiverRoom
Music: Custom wedding playlist on ipod
Catering: Thyme Savor Catering
Photography: Keepsake Memories Photography
Lighting: The Audio Visual People
Rentals: ETC. Party Rentals
Flowers: Bloomer's 
Cake: One Belle Bakery
Officiant: Bob Glasgow
Chalkboard Design: Southern Bee Designs
Day-Of Coordination: Knot Too Shabby Events
Attendees: 19 guests

What do you get when you want a spooky Halloween wedding without having "too much" Halloween decor or actually being on Halloween? I think we found the perfect blend of Halloween charm with classic wedding fun. The bride, Jessica, and her mom used lots of black, white and orange branches with various vases to create this edgy look for the reception. The ceremony set up was fairly simple but in the shape of a circle so guests could watch from all angles. 

Matt McGraw is one of Wilmington's most talented wedding vendors so I am thrilled to share him images with you below. Matt has a super creative and innovative style. The couple decided to do a "first look" where they would see each other before the wedding and have that big reveal moment with only the photograph there to capture the raw emotion. After the first look, they were able to get photos of the bridal party together. There was even time for a little bar hopping. One of my favorite photos was one captured in a nearby popular bar, The Blue Post. This was all done prior to the ceremony so they had plenty of time to enjoy the reception with their guests. I love it when couples do a first look. I am very pro-first look, although I know it is not ideal for all couples.

Once the reception began, the guests enjoyed delicious food from Bon Appetit Catering with lots of sweet treats at the candy bar after. Guests were assigned to a table by picking a ouigi board escort card off the spooky tree. For the guest book, everyone signed two ceramic pumpkins with black markers. Jessica told me she wanted a headless horseman at the wedding from day one. Although we may not have had an actual headless horseman, we did have one bad-ass life size statue. Guests enjoyed taking photos with it, including myself! 

All of the elements for this spooky wedding day came together just right. Jessica + Jamie had a great time hanging out with their loved ones and so did Knot Too Shabby Events. We hope you find a spooky yet romantic way to celebrate your one year anniversary coming up! Here is to many, many more years of happy marriage! 

Favorite Wedding Moment:
Jessica + Jamie "warned" me in one of our planning meetings that they have a friend who notoriously chair dances to "Bye, Bye, Bye" at every event and wedding they have with their group of friends. We were not let down. We all witnessed what I must say the best, slightly awkward, extremely hilarious solo dances to one of my favorite boy band songs. I will never, ever be able to listen to that song without thinking of this day and that dance but I'm okay with that. There are a couple pictures of the dance above if you want to see what awesomeness I'm talking about.