What an amazing weekend it was as Erin Chambliss and Hayden Tanner began their new life together.  I had been looking forward to this wedding for nearly 1 1/2 years as we planned the entire celebration together.  It was so much fun and so fulfilling to work so closely with this bride and her family on so many facets of the wedding, bridesmaids luncheon as well as rehearsal dinner.  As you will see the details unfold below, this is a bride who loved creativity and the family paid such close attention to the special little details that made each unique event a work of art.  Fountainview assisted in the many details for each event including custom invitations, a beautiful wedding program, linens, florals, catering coordination, and event tenting and lighting.  The overall result was shear magic!

The Bridesmaid’s luncheon was hosted by the bride’s grandmother.  She too loved the unique details to make this an extra-special affair for her granddaughter.  I want to adopt her.  She is precious.  The inspiration for the luncheon was the Royal Albert china in the Old Country Roses pattern.  We were able to locate custom invitations for the luncheon which were some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.  The moss green crinkle taffeta linens and luxurious raspberry colored lamour napkins provided the perfect accent to the china pattern creating an overall color palette which blended so beautifully into the formal dining room.  It evoked an aura of shear elegance and femininity which would be completely different from the other events to be held in conjunction with the wedding.  The florals selected for the table also provided the perfect complement to the china and its respective color palette bringing in gorgeous hues of ivory, raspberry, hot pink, red and hints of golden yellow.  The overall look was simply magical!

Feminine style and elegance were the hallmarks of the Bridesmaid's luncheon hosted by the bride's delightful grandmother.

The Rehearsal Dinner held on Friday, Dec. 17th was another facet of this wedding that I had looked forward to for many, many months.  Since the bride’s overall theme was “A Holiday to Remember” and since the couple would be travelling to Mexico for their honeymoon, it inspired a basic them of “Christmas in Mexico.” which was a huge success and much enjoyed by all in attendance.  The entire menu was Mexican food which was such a unique change of pace.

The linens selected for the rehearsal dinner were some of the most show-stopping linens ever used at Fountainview.  The set-up featured a rich shade of purple lamour base linen to the floor topped with a striped sequin hologram overlay which brought in accent colors of gold, sapphire blue, red, teal, and purple.  To complement the look, the bride selected alternating napkin colors in red, sapphire blue, teal, and purple.  They were folded in an elegant custom fold and placed on the elegant gold chargers.  The centerpieces featured red amaryllis and holiday greens in a simple wrought iron container surrounded by multi-height red votive candle containers and Mexican instruments like maracas and jingle bells.  The groom’s mother had also made beautiful gift bags for each guest.  It made each guest feel so special.  Again, it was the attention to detail that created an event that was over the top!

The stunning table settings for the rehearsal dinner.

The wedding too was a joy to help create.  The ceremony was held at Auburn UMC which is such a stunning facility for a wedding – especially at Christmas time.  The bride and the bridesmaids met at Fountainview to dress and for hair and make-up in the palatial Buckingham suite.  The bride and groom then saw each other for the first time and had their private moment as Erin glided down the staircase in her fabulous silk gown.  It featured some of the most beautiful lacework I’ve ever seen.  The gown was perfect for Erin in every way.  Erin’s bridal bouquet was such a joy to create and featured more than three dozen exquisite red roses.  It evoked a feeling of simple classic elegance as well as romantic extravagance. 

Erin's stunning bridal bouquet with more than 3 dozen perfect roses.

Erin Chambliss - the quintessential classic Fountainview bride. What a delightful and beautiful young woman!

In a departure from traditional wedding color palettes, the bride had all the color and the bridesmaids had elegant and subdued shades of white and cream with only a few tiny hints of color brought in the by Picasso parrot tulips.  Other florals in the hand-tied bouquets were green cymbidium orchids and hydrangeas, vendella roses, majolica spray roses, white lilac, white freesia, Casablanca lilies accented with fragrant Christmas greens and the stems wrapped in luxurious gold ribbon. 

The distinctive and elegant bridesmaid's bouqet - classic elegant perfection!

The men’s boutonnieres featured a red rose with a peacock feather for the groom and white spray roses and pheasant feathers for the other men in the wedding party.  The stems were wrapped in black ribbon and gold cording providing a very elegant yet masculine custom look.

The wedding party was then whisked away to the church in the Fountainview white stretch limousine.  I was also honored to be in attendance at the wedding ceremony as I was privileged to be a soloist along with my beautiful daughter, Jacquelyn Klarenbeek Cruz.  What an honor and a privilege to be with the family during every part of this journey.

Since all photographs had been completed prior to the wedding ceremony, the couple came down the aisle and quickly climbed into the limousine for the private ride back to the mansion.  This offered them some private time to dine together while the guests were arriving.  The overall flow was so smooth.

Erin awaits her groom.

Hayden greets his beautiful bride for the very first time. Shear magic....

We were blessed with really great weather for the reception.  Although it was chilly (one would expect that in the middle of December) the heated tents provided great guest comfort and the entire reception came together beautifully.  The big tent (40×80) featured a large stage for the band, a black and white checkered dance floor, dramatic red up-lighting for accent on the ceiling, and also plenty of room for guest tables which were dressed in sumptuous black crinkle taffeta.  The look was elegantly platinum.  Again, the attention to detail was present with a custom monogram illuminated on the side of the tent. 

Inside the mansion, additional details were present with rich gold beaded chair ties and dramatic floral arrangements featuring a plethora of red and cream (vendela) roses, hydrangeas, amarylis, picasso parrot tulips, star of Bethlehem, Casablanca lilies, green amaranthus, dendrobium orchids and other gorgeous seasonal flowers.  What fun the florals were to work with.

The elegant set-up of the Grand Salon for the Chambliss wedding.

The wedding cakes were a delight to behold and created by our favorite, Robbyn Fowler of Sonshine Cakes.  The classic design of the brides cake was then highly ornamented with considerable florals using dozens of red roses and accented with hints of white and green.  When I was getting started on the cake, the bride asked “Do you have any extra feathers we could maybe put on top?”  I was thrilled to say “YES!”  It made for a perfectly dramatic winter look just like she wanted.  The groom’s cake, too, was a work of art and covered with decadent Reese’s peanut butter cups and unique icing treatment.  As always, the guests couldn’t get enough of Robbyn’s fabulous cakes which are always a work of art and always the best cake people have ever eaten.  Thanks for taking such good care of our bride’s, Robbyn.  You are one very special and talented lady!  The cake was displayed upon a stunning beaded English lace table cloth over classic white satin.  Again, these details make such a striking difference.

The stunning bride's cake covered in dozens of roses.

Erin and Hayden, Mr. and Mrs. Chambliss, Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins, and Mrs. Bozeman, thanks so much for the honor and privilege of working with you on this exciting time in your family’s life.  We hope and pray the memories of these special times shared with your family and friends will always help you always think fondly of “A Holiday to Remember.”

Good morning friends.  It’s rather difficult for me to share words of praise we receive from clients.  Truly, every client’s happiness is paramount to us.  But when you receive a note from the mother of a bride like we received below, it just brings tears to our eyes.  I had to share it with you. 

The wedding business is not easy.  Schedules are demanding, hours sometimes grueling, and also, very labor intensive.  When you strive so hard to make every bride’s day perfect, we truly try not to just meet the client’s expectations but to exceed them.  A note like this is something we really cherish for we know that we were a part of making a wonderful family memory that will last a lifetime.  You see, this isn’t just a business for us.  We consider it a ministry to our clients.  Mrs. Allen, thanks so much for sharing these kind words with us.  We will cherish them always.

Gary Klarenbeek

Mr. and Mrs. Allen on their daughter, Ashley's, wedding day.

Dear Gary and family,

God Bless all of you!!
Cheryl Allen