A Swanky Affair

Kristen and Mike: A Durham Wedding at Bay 7

aswankyaffairnc — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:16:28 +0000

Thanks to all the vendors that made this possible!

A Swanky Affair-Amanda Scott

Bay 7 at American Tobacco

Deborah Sawyer Photography

Color Salon and Day Spa

OnLoKtion Make Up

Get Lit Special Event Lighting

It was the perfect fall day for Kristen and Mike’s wedding! Outside the crisp air and colorful leaves only complimented what was happening inside Bay 7 in downtown Durham.

Kristen and Mike had a beautiful ceremony on the balcony and chose to keep the ceremony intimate with a small wedding party. After the ceremony guests mingled and enjoyed passed appetizers of mini beef short rib pies and amusette spoons of Boursin and crab. The decor in the room reflected the fall colors of oranges and yellows tied in with Navy blue. As a special touch at each place setting was peanut butter fudge made by Kristen’s mom! Joe Bunn DJ really got the party started when the guests finished with dinner. Kristen’s family and friends are avid dancers. The evening started with some classic beach music and then they pumped it up with some real party songs. The guests didn’t leave the dance floor all night long!

A big congratulations to Kristen and Mike! May you have a long and beautiful life together. Thanks for letting A Swanky Affair be a part of your day.

Christina and Ryan: A North Carolina Farm Wedding

aswankyaffairnc — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:37:05 +0000

A big thanks to all the vendors that made this wedding happen!

A Swanky Affair-Amanda Scott

Durham Catering Co.

Swank Cake

Caitlin Jamison Photography

Musica Musicians

Liquid Pleasure

Tre Bella Florist

Park Inc.-Valet Parking

Party Reflections

Total Productions

Makeupforyourday

Unity Counseling and Consulting

Only Burger

Inigo Envelope

When I sat down with Christina and her incredibly fun mom, Shirley, it was clear they wanted a wedding for Christina and Ryan that their guests would not soon forget!

The family’s farm was the perfect backdrop for this sophisticated and lively summer affair. The evening started off with a lovely ceremony where Christina’s adorable dog, Sebastian, served as ring bearer. After the ceremony the guests sipped Shirleyritas (Shirley’s very delicious and dangerous margaritas) by the pool. Durham Catering offered passed appetizers of bacon wrapped scallops, sushi, and the best fried green tomato and pimento cheese sandwiches ever! For dinner guests moved into the main tent overlooking the rolling fields at sunset. It was simply gorgeous! This is where Christina’s theme of horseshoes and butterflies really played out. From the guest name cards tied to miniature horseshoes to the butterflies hanging in the centerpieces no detail was overlooked. Ryan even got his wish for a little Carolina blue, in homage to their alma mater.

After dinner it was time to kick it up with the amazing band Liquid Pleasure! This crowd danced all night long. They worked up an appetite just in time for some delicious food provided by the Only Burger food truck. For this wedding there was no big send off. Instead the guests were invited to keep the party going in the pool!

Cheers to Christina and Ryan! You certainly had a wedding that no one will ever forget.

Jen and Lev: A Nasher Museum Wedding

aswankyaffairnc — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:36:29 +0000

Thanks to all involved:

A Swanky Affair

Nasher Museum

Cafe Parizade Catering

Jen and Lev planned on a small wedding reception at a restaurant near their home in Manhattan. But, after a bit of discussion it was moved to Jen’s home state of North Carolina and became something much larger. That is when they approached me to help plan their wedding in only three months!

For the decor we kept it clean and elegant with white linens for the dinner tables and used Jen’s favorite shade of blue in the accent linens. We brought in subtle touches of the fall through branch arrangements,orange flowers, and mini pumpkins and gourds. Jen also loves all things that sparkle. So the table numbers and the escort cards were the perfect sparkly touch.

Jen and Lev thought so much about their guests. They chose an incredible buffet menu provided by Cafe Parizade. And for dessert who wouldn’t love the lemon curd and white chocolate truffle butter cream cupcakes? They also wanted to make sure the guests had a good time the entire evening. Between the ceremony, the shtick, the hora, and the dancing there was never dull moment!

It was a pleasure working with you Jen and Lev. Congratulations to you both! Thanks for letting A Swanky Affair be a part of your wedding day.

Jessica and Nate: A Snipe’s Farm Country Wedding

aswankyaffairnc — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:28:54 +0000

Thanks to all the vendors involved:

A Swanky Affair-Amanda Scott

Snipe’s Farm Retreat

Thrills from the Grill

Party Reflections

Jenna Lee Photography

Greenway Transit

Mad Hatter’s Bake Shop

Anything Music

Posh Salon

It was a gorgeous October day for Jessica and Nate’s country wedding! Snipe’s Farm offered the perfect scenic backdrop. The ceremony took place in front of a gorgeous oak tree as the couple were surrounded by family and friends. The bride wore a beautiful dress made by her sister, Olivia, that just finished design school in Australia! After the ceremony guests were led into the old dairy barn where Thrills from the Grill provided some good ole’ Southern cookin for the guests and delicious cupcakes were provided by Mad Hatter’s Bake Shop. Jessica did an amazing job with the do-it-yourself details. She made all the yarn balls that hung from the tree during the ceremony and made all the tissue paper balls that hung in the reception area. Definitely one of my favorite weddings of the year!

Best wishes to an amazing and loving couple!

A Spanish Wedding:Ana and Bernardo

aswankyaffairnc — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:12:01 +0000

I am fascinated with foreign weddings. So over the last few months I have asked my friend Ana about her wedding that took place last year in Spain. It is so interesting to see the similarities and differences in American and Spanish traditions. And it’s also interesting, that like here in America, couples are creating weddings to reflect their own personal style and tastes while keeping long-standing wedding customs. Read on to get a some inspiration for your big day!

Ana and Bernardo reside in Madrid, but like many Spanish couples decided to take their wedding outside of the city. They chose to have the wedding in Ana’s family’s hometown of Jerez de la Frontera. The couple also chose to have the wedding during the town’s annual festival La Feria del Caballo (Jereze popular horse-fair). During that week the town was decorated and festive with lots of activities that the guests could enjoy during their stay.

For the ceremony and reception the couple chose an old Spanish home which has been converted into an event venue.

What a view from the bar!

American weddings are typically six hours, but the traditional Spanish weddings are twelve hours long! They usually start in the early afternoon and go until midnight or start in the late evening and go until the wee hours of the morning.

Ana and Bernardo’s wedding started at 1:30 in the afternoon.

What a gorgeous entrance for the bride!

Anna arrived from her family’s home. In Spain it is traditional that the bride get ready at her family’s house and depart from there to the wedding venue.

Entering with a horse and carriage is typical of Spanish weddings in the area.

Ana and Bernardo have a passion for movies and their soundtracks. While guests were waiting they heard the quartet play songs from The Wizard of Oz, James Bond, Pearl Harbor, and Gladiator. Once the ceremony started the groom walked into The Godfather soundtrack, the wedding party entered to Life is Beautiful, and the bride entered to She from Notting Hill.

Notice how the bridesmaids don't wear matching dresses. In Spain they can wear whatever they want! And they don't carry a bouquet. The men wear matching suits, but choose their own ties.

Notice that seating is located all the way around the ceremony. What a great idea to give more guests a close up view. Also, love that in Spain everyone gets very dressed up, even for a daytime wedding.

In Spain there are not as many options outside of Catholic ceremonies. So if a couple wants anything else they usually have a civil ceremony at the courthouse. But, Ana and Bernardo worked hard to find a magistrate that was willing to go on site for their ceremony.

The program with a painting of the old house at the venue.

During a Spanish ceremony the wedding party does not stand with the couple. Instead the bride’s father and groom’s mother are by their side.

Notice that Ana is wearing long sleeves. In Spain they don't wear the strapless dresses as much as American brides.

The bride's bouquet

After the ceremony guests were given hand-made paper flowers filled with rice to throw at the bride and groom as they exited. You rarely see this anymore in America, but it used to be customary as the bride and groom left the church.

Look closely to the woman on the right. You can see her holding one of the paper flowers.

After the wedding guests enjoyed cocktails and appetizers on the lawn. The town of Jerez is the original birthplace of Sherry. So in following with local tradition Ana and Bernardo started off the cocktail hour by breaking open a barrel of Sherry and toasting.

During cocktails the couple took many more pictures with family and friends. Here you see them with the page boys, similar to our tradition of the ring bearer. They walk down the aisle just before the bride.

A couple of the groomsmen couldn’t make it to the wedding, but Ana and Bernardo didn’t want them to feel left out. So they made giant blow up cut outs of them in suits so they could still be a part of the big day!

For food the guests enjoyed Iberian ham, seafood cocktail, Parmesan sirloin bites, and goat cheese with honey and raisins on toast. For entertainment the couple chose to show off the local culture with some flamenco dancers.

Finally it was time for a late afternoon lunch. For guests to find their seats they looked for their names on the seating chart.

Each piece of paper was a table with the guest's name listed below.

The reception hall.

The tables were all named after the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

In typical Spanish style the guests are served courses. They started off with a chilled Cod salad and then had Duck risotto. Dessert was immediately following lunch. But, in Spain they have no wedding cakes! It’s considered old-fashioned. Instead they have a buffet of assorted pastries and sweets.

There was even candy on the bar!

But, even though there Ana and Bernardo had no cake, they had a cake topper! They wanted to give it to their friends that they wanted to see get married as a sign of good luck.

The other Spanish tradition is for the bride to give away her bouquet to someone special in her life. There is not bouquet toss for the single ladies like here in America.

After the luncheon the couple had a charanga (brass band) arrive playing typical Spanish and Andalusian songs dressed in funny clothes as modern flamenco dancers. They guided the guests to the dance floor.

After the guests were up and moving the couple shared a slideshow of their lives growing up and their lives together over the years. It made everyone emotional!

Love the fan!

Then it was time for the first dance!

To continue with their theme of movie soundtracks the couple dance to "Elephant of Love Medley" from Moulin Rouge

If guests wanted time to relax they could go outside and write some well wishes and advice for the couple and pin it on a clothesline.

Later in the evening the couple had a DJ. Ana provided flats for all the women attending the wedding to keep them dancing all night!

Red with white polka dots is a pattern traditionally seen on the local flamenco dancer's dresses.

They also had lots of funny wigs for later in the evening!

After lots of partying, dancing, and drinking all day it was finally time to end the wedding at 12:30 in the morning. As the big send off the guests went outside to light Chinese lanterns and float them into the night sky.

But, that still wasn’t the end! The guests all rode buses back into town for the festival and stayed out until 4:00 AM!

I just had to write about this wedding because it is a real example of following your culture and your traditions, but personalizing your wedding to reflect yourselves as a couple.

Katie and David: A Duke Gardens Wedding

aswankyaffairnc — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 21:31:08 +0000

A big thanks to all involved:

A Swanky Affair-Amanda Scott

Duke Gardens

Just Music DJ Services

Nancy Donaldson Photography

Arioso Strings

James Ryan Films

Meredith Powell Hair and Make Up

Scarborough Fare Catering

Simply Cakes

Katie and David’s wedding took place on a beautiful Sunday afternoon Memorial weekend. The couple wanted a wedding that incorporated Jewish traditions, soft spring colors, and most importantly a fabulous dance party!

In following with Jewish tradition the couple saw each other before the ceremony at the Ketubah signing.

It was beautiful the way they held hands during the signing.

After the Ketubah signing it was time for the wedding ceremony in front of their friends and extended family.

As a personal touch the bridesmaids created their own bouquets for the wedding.

The couple provided all the men with Kippahs inscribed with the couple's names and wedding date.

The Kiddush Cup

After the ceremony the guests went to the reception area to enjoy sun-dried tomato and garlic seared scallops and pancetta wrapped dates and drinks followed by an unbelievable buffet provided by Scarborough Fare Catering.

After dinner it was time to get the party started!

The Hora!

The send off!

Congratulations to a wonderful couple! Best wishes Katie an David.

Jill and Michael: A Duke Gardens and King’s Daughters Inn Wedding

aswankyaffairnc — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:49:57 +0000

Thanks to all involved!

A Swanky Affair-Amanda Scott

The King’s Daughters Inn

Duke Gardens

Reverend Mary Mooney

Thorpe’s Limousine

Bernard’s Formal Wear

American Party Rentals

Durham Catering

Cinda’s Creative Cakes

Tre Bella Flowers

Amber Harris Images

It was such a pleasure to work this past May with Jill and Michael. They were such a sweet couple and so obviously in love! They first met at the University of Texas in Austin and then moved to NC for graduate school, Jill at UNC and Michael at Duke. When looking around for a wedding venue they found no better place than the King’s Daughters Inn. They loved the historic charm and the great location in downtown Durham. It was a great way to show off their new home city. The ceremony took place at Duke Gardens just when the spring flowers were in full bloom. The ceremony was simple, but gorgeous. One of my favorite details of the wedding was that Jill wore her grandmother’s wedding dress. What a rare and special opportunity for a bride!

Jill chose bright yellows an creams for the wedding colors with a pop of bright blue in the bridesmaid’s dresses. The flowers were beautiful with seasonal peonies combined with yellow roses, daisies and lemons. A fresh look for the spring wedding. The food was an important element to the day. The couple chose small plates to be served to the guests throughout the evening. The menu included sautéed grouper with asparagus and beet salad, house-made chicken and apple sausage served with German potato salad and crispy onion ring, and a fennel braised pork served over cheese grits.

Congratulations to a wonderful couple! May you have a long and happy life together.

Who Let the Dog’s Out?

aswankyaffairnc — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:18:44 +0000

I love my dogs! And having a career where I work from home means that I get to share a lot with them. We have afternoon naps, long walks, and even after work cocktails with friends at local restaurant patios. When it was time to do some professional photos for my business I included them in the photo shoot. They are my babies.

Duchess and Henry

Many couples love their pets just as much as I do. From dogs to cats, horses and birds there are so many ways to include them in the wedding day. Here are some ideas!

1. Include your pet in print material. There are so many options from save the dates, invitations, wedding programs, table numbers, places cards, and more. You can incorporate your pet with a photo, a drawing of them, or even a symbol such as a paw print or horseshoe.

Adorable save the date

This wedding was at a horse farm. To keep with the theme a horseshoe design was used throughout the print materials.

2. Include them in your photography. The wedding photos are even more special with your beloved pet. But, the engagement shoot is also a perfect time to include them, especially if they can’t attend the wedding. You can use these photos for your save the date, have them displayed at the wedding, or incorporate them in some other fun way. Photos are also a great time to add some cute staging into the mix. For dogs top hats and dresses are adorable. But, if they are an animal that doesn’t like or can’t wear clothes, a simple bow tie or flowers around their neck can add that special touch.

3. Have a guest book representing your pet. If you have a dog, purchase a photo book about dogs. You can do the same for birds, cats, reptiles or any other animal. Have a cute picture of your pet asking guests to sign the book and leave well wishes and advice for their “mommy and daddy.”

4. Include them in small wedding day details. If you can’t have your pet at the wedding, be sure to include a photo of them on a charm attached to your bouquet. Another fun idea is to replicate them for the cake topper! There are lots of creative ideas. For one wedding we did “doggie bags” the guests could fill with human treats and dog treats to take back home. Be creative!!!!

Make replicas of your favorite pets as the cake topper.

5. Include them in the ceremony. This is a great idea, but certainly doesn’t work for all types of pets. If you have a horse it’s the perfect grand entrance. Dogs can walk down the aisle as a ring bearer or flower girl.

Here is the bride with her adorable ring bearer!

6. Let them party!!! This certainly isn’t an option for most weddings. But, given the right circumstances it can be a lot of fun. At this farm wedding several dogs came onto the dance floor and the band played, “Who let the dogs out?”

Doggie on the dance floor!!!!

Shelley and Michael: A King’s Daughters Inn Wedding

aswankyaffairnc — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:14:05 +0000

Thanks to all involved:

A Swanky Affair: Amanda Scott

The King’s Daughters Inn

Parizade Catering

Penny Noell Photography

Sweet Memories Bakery

Calligraphy by Carrie

Paperwhites

Alexia’s Bridal

Shelley and Michael were married this past spring at the King’s Daughters Inn in Durham.

They chose the inn because they wanted a beautiful location where they could share the entire wedding weekend with their closest friends and family.

The ceremony was held in the parlor on a gorgeous spring afternoon.

What an adorable alternative to the traditional pillow for the ring bearer!

The bride's bouquet.

Check out the blue shoes Shelley was hiding under that dress!

The first kiss!

After the ceremony guests enjoyed cocktails and delicious passed hors d’oeurves of goat cheese and brown sugar stuffed tartlets, bourbon sausage stuffed mushrooms, and New Orleans Muffaletta bruschetta.

Shelly and Michael had several unique touches to keep the guests busy during the cocktail hour.

Instead of the traditional guest book they had a cutting board for guests to leave their well wishes. They would later hang it in their home.

Instead of typical favors the couple made donations to the LIVESTRONG Foundation. The guests received bracelets in honor of the donation.

The guests wrote well wishes and advice on cards and then dropped them into a box with a bottle of champagne . Shelley and Michael plan on opening the box and wine on their anniversary and reading all the cards.

Shelley added special touches that made the inn even more beautiful. She chose blues and silvers to compliment the inn’s already existing colors.

Love the mirror head table!

The menu for the evening was at each place setting.

For dinner the guests enjoyed potato leek soup with fried oysters, Parizade salad with strawberries and raspberry vinaigrette, followed by pork tenderloin, grouper, pasta Primavera, sweet potato au gratin, and vegetable ratatouille. No guest left hungry!!!!

Parizade salad

To finish off the evening the guests enjoyed a plethora of desserts. They not only had wedding cake, but also chocolate covered strawberries, Key lime fruit tarts, mini carrot cake cupcakes, Pecan bars, White chocolate frangipane, Triple layer brownies, and Kahlua bars with chocolate crust.

Everyone had a great time! Congratulations to Shelley and Michael. We wish you a long and happy marriage.

Shoni and Nicholas

aswankyaffairnc — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:22:03 +0000

Thanks to all involved:

A Swanky Affair

Portofino

It Speaks to Me Fine Art Photography

Party Reflections

Skyline’s Cafe

Simply Cakes

The Central Park Band

I was so exited to work with Shoni and Nicholas. After being together for many years in Ohio, they decided to relocate to North Carolina because of its amazing opportunities. Even though they had most of their friends and family back in Ohio, they couldn’t imagine a better place to have their wedding than their new home state.

Shoni and her bridesmaids started off the day at the historic Morning Glory Inn in Clayton.

The flower girl wore an adorable black dress with yellow and white flowers. What a great idea to switch up from the usual white dress!

The couple decided to have an intimate wedding of about fifty of their closest friends and family. They chose Portofino, a horse community, in Clayton, NC as the backdrop for their wedding day.

They were surrounded by family and friends with Shoni’s brother Amefika acting as the officiant. It was right down to business for this ceremony. They went straight into their vows, exchanging of the rings, and they were hitched!

The bride's parents stayed cool with a parasol.

Shoni had a lot of do it yourself touches including bouquets made by the bridesmaids!

After the ceremony guests went into the reception area. Shoni choose a fabulous color scheme of yellow and black.

Check out the gold flatware and gorgeous yellow and gold trim plates!

Instead of the usual floral centerpieces the bride chose to have small wedding cakes as the centerpiece at each table!

For the head table the color scheme was flipped with yellow linen and black napkins.

Another fabulous floral detail made by the bridesmaids.

The first dance!!!!

For dinner the couple chose fresh seasonal food with local ingredients.

After dinner guests went outside to the covered patio for dancing and fun.

They were entertained by the amazing Central Park Band!!!!

At the end of the evening it was time for the bouquet toss.

May you have a wonderful and long life together Shoni and Nicholas!!!!!