Meeting the Team: Blair Eason

If you look at any 1930s picture of Virginia Beach you would see Blair's grandma dancing in the crowd at the Cavalier Beach Club down at the oceanfront! Blair is a true local and loves her hometown and due to this Blair has a running joke with the Emily Weddings team that she always knows several people at any wedding they plan! She brings a unique perspective to the team, as she has always loved entertaining and performing whether it be in cleats on the soccer field or in heels for big events!

She is a marketing graduate of Virginia Tech and during her four years of playing varsity soccer and winning a National Championship with the Hampton Roads Piranhas she understands how to prepare and plan so on those big days flawless execution comes second nature! Even though Blair loves athletics, she also loves fashion and the beauty and significance that surrounds a wedding, which is why Blair was excited to join the fabulous Emily Weddings Team in early 2011.

Blair comments, "I love to transform all the visions, dreams, and desires of a bride, groom and their families into a reality on a day that is enjoyable and stress-free! It is very easy to do that when you work with a group of girls like the Emily Weddings team. They are my close friends and are the most organized, professional and knowledgable team that I have worked with in my 8 year career."

Blair has great expectations for a wonderful and busy 2012 season!

Q&A with Blair:

What is your favorite wedding tradition?

"I love the father/daughter dance. It has brought me to tears more then any other part of a wedding."

What is your favorite EWT memory?

A few groomsmen were trying to get the EWT team on the dance floor all night and Emily was the first casualty! We could not stop laughing as it was a lively crowd. We had to format a covert operation for her removal without making the groomsmen upset.

Can you still surprise a bride on her own wedding day?

I love surprises but they are very hard to do these days without the bride knowing, especially when she is doing the majority of the planning! Personally I have chosen not to see my own wedding ring until the day of the wedding. Even when it was resized, I made the jeweler take it on and off my finger so I had no idea of the shape or feel of the ring. I can't wait to see it on my wedding day!

Sparkle and Shine

Happy New Year to all!! 2012 will most certainly be a year of change, progress and accomplishment. As we come off the peak of the holiday season, we can't help but relish in the flashy and "eye catching" trends of 2011. There's no doubt about it, glitter made a statement in the final months of the year. What's not to love about it? 2011 truly sparkled in our opinion and gave way to a wedding trend sure to catch anyone's attention.

Whether it's your makeup, your shoes, accessories or your dress itself there are numerous ways to make your wedding day sparkle! If you couldn't get enough of glitter last year, here's your glitter fix for the New Year!

* How will you make your wedding Sparkle? Share your thoughts and ideas here!

From all of us at Emily Weddings, Inc. Happy New Year! May 2012 be filled with unforgettable, shining moments!

Love,

The Emily Weddings Team

Meeting The Team: Meghan Gwaltney

Meghan was born and raised here in Virginia Beach but has strong Southern roots with a family history stemming from the mountains of West Virginia. She spent most of her childhood singing and dancing anywhere and anytime someone would listen, never wasting an opportunity to perform. Years of dance classes, theater seminars, and vocal instruction landed her at James Madison University to study musical theater. Four years later, she left my dance shoes behind and graduated with a degree in Speech Pathology then continued on to get her Master’s degree in the same field in order to pursue a career as a Speech-Language Pathologist at a local children’s hospital.

An unlikely wedding planner you say? Well, she may not be a jack-of-all-trades, but her experiences putting on big theater productions and the creativity and organization she utilizes as a speech therapist have given her a unique skill set that eventually found its way in front of Emily Petersen, and in September 2011 she gladly and excitedly accepted a position with the Emily Weddings team.

"My passion for weddings is rooted in my strong desire to give every bride, groom, and family a day full of smiles and free of stress," says Meghan. A wedding can be a tremendously overwhelming day and she loves being able to say, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” To give the family that sense of peace so they can relax and just enjoy the day is her goal from beginning to end.

"I’m really looking forward to a full wedding season with the Emily Weddings team and I promise I will do my best to control the urge to break it down at your reception!"

Q&A with Meghan:

What is your favorite current wedding trend?

"My favorite wedding trend comes from the recent influx of “just be yourself” weddings. Who says you have to do the first dance to a slow song? Who says the bridesmaids have to hold bouquets? I live down at the oceanfront in Virginia Beach and the culture here is all about riding beach cruisers – to the grocery store, to the beach, to the 7-11 down the street, why not to a wedding? I’d love to see a bride and groom leave the reception with their wedding party in a parade of bikes!"

What are your favorite wedding colors?

"My favorite color is lime green. Heck, my living room is painted lime green… for real. And it goes with anything… brown, pink, turquoise, yellow, orange, navy. It’s the new black. Use it. Love it. Then paint your living room with it."

What is your favorite wedding cake flavor?

"I’m a beach girl through and through so of course my favorite cake flavor is any combination of coconut with other fruit fillings."

Meeting the Team: Brittany Cooper

High School was the start of it all for Brittany Cooper and her wedding planning career. While attending school in Florida, Brittany found herself coordinating the Prom festivities for her and her friends, everything from dinner to the limo and the after party. "I remember it being a "no brainer" and enjoyed every minute of the planning and coordinating." When she attended college in Gainesville, FL (Go Gators!), she reached out to Melissa DiStefano of Masterpiece Weddings in hopes of shadowing her and learning more about the wedding industry. "The experiences I had while assisting Masterpiece Weddings were truly catalysts for my growing curiosity and passion for event planning." Those experiences also supplemented her degree studies in Event Management at the University of Florida.

Brittany moved to Virginia Beach in the summer of 2010 and immediately began reaching out to area wedding professionals. It wasn't until February of the following year that she met Emily Petersen, owner of Emily Weddings. "It was truly a blessing to sit down and discuss my potential with Emily Weddings. Emily was so warm and welcoming and I felt that we connected both socially and professionally."

Currently, Brittany is completing her Professional Wedding Consultant certification. Upon completion, she will join Emily Petersen and her team members as a professionally certified consultant under the Association of Bridal Consultants.

"I am forever grateful for the Emily Weddings ladies. They all have good hearts and good intentions. The memories we have made and the success we have shared together will always stay with me. You are all my inspiration."

Q&A with Brittany:

Are you a fan of the "first look" or keeping it a secret?

"First Look definitely. I consider myself a very traditional person so it would seem appropriate for me to prefer keeping it a secret, but the pictures and the emotion in the "first look" far surpass any classic tradition."

What is your favorite wedding tradition?

"While it is very traditional...I'm a bit nostalgic and truly love the "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue". Marriage in my eyes is about love and the joining of lives, not just for the bride and groom but for their families as well. Passing on family treasures or keeping with an age old family tradition is what truly hits home for me."

What is your favorite part of a wedding?
My favorite part is definitely when the bride makes her entrance into the ceremony. Everyone always stands and watches the bride make her way down the aisle, but I instead turn to look at the groom (after admiring the bride's gorgeous dress of course). His expression says it all.

Meeting the Team: Christina Williamson

Christina joined the Emily Weddings team in April of 2010, and has sincerely loved every minute of it.

She graduated from Old Dominion University in 2005 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. The knowledge she gained in these areas of study have truly helped in understanding the different types of people and families and cultures she comes across when working on a variety of weddings.

Christina is a “girly girl” in every way and has been obsessed with all things wedding for as long as she can remember. “My DVR is constantly overflowing with wedding shows. It sometimes takes me months to catch up, but I record everything because I don’t want to miss anything that has to do with weddings!”

She is very organized and loves making sure all of the details are in place for the bride’s special day. “It is such a rush to see the months of time and preparation come together and make our bride’s dreams come true.”

Christina was so excited when she got the opportunity to meet with Emily and begin working in the field she loves. When she got engaged in June of 2010, it only heightened her interest in planning and coordinating all of the details that go into a beautiful event. Christina had the opportunity to be the lead coordinator for a fellow Emily Weddings team member in November of 2010, and was lucky enough to have her fellow team members coordinate her own wedding just this past September 2011!

From the flowers to the linens to the wedding dress itself, Christina loves everything that goes into a wedding, and it is absolutely a pleasure for her to work in such a fun environment, with such great people!

Q & A with Christina:

What is your favorite part of a wedding?

"My favorite part of a wedding is absolutely when the bride and groom see each other for the first time. Whether it is a “first look” or its as the bride is coming down the aisle to meet her groom, watching the looks on their faces always puts a smile on my face and tears in my eyes."

What is your favorite season for a wedding?

"My favorite season for a wedding is in the fall. The temperature is mild, the leaves are beautiful, and you can dance outside all night without breaking a sweat. Just make sure you always have a backup plan in case of rain!!!"

What is your favorite bouquet flower?

"My favorite flower is hydrangea. They come in such beautiful colors, and they are classic and beautiful, but also big and bold enough to make a statement. I used hydrangea in my wedding centerpieces and bouquets and they looked absolutely stunning."

Meeting the Team: Paula Lipsey

When Paula moved to Virginia in 2010, she knew exactly where to send her resume. While reading the Virginia, Maryland, and DC edition of The Knot, Paula was drawn to an interview with wedding planner and coordinator Emily Petersen. "My love for weddings and events had grown during college, and when I started planning my own wedding (May 19th, 2012), I picked up a local issue of The Knot. The article on Emily Weddings was the first thing I read, and I took it as a sign."

Paula joined the Emily Weddings team in February of 2011, and has enjoyed every minute of helping brides bring their dream wedding vision into reality.

Paula graduated from the College of Charleston in 2010. During her college career, she majored in Media Communication Studies and was a public relations intern for fashion designer Brian Reyes. "I have always had a love for fashion and being able to combine my major and one of my passions was a great experience. Every time I get to help a bride with a fashion decision I get excited!"

Paula's love for the industry was a given while going to school in such a large wedding destination city. "In Charleston, there are planners on every corner, custom dresses on every street, and weddings happening every hour in the beautiful churches of our holy city. I think that every girl that graduates from our school has an interest for weddings and events from just seeing them around town. I got to meet designer Carol Hannah at an alumni event and was a little star-struck!"

Paula also has experience in the interior design field. "When brides can tell me what colors they are leaning towards and the overall feel they are going for with their wedding, I can run from there. I love to see brides get inspired by decor ideas that I put together for them. Whether the client is starting with a blank canvas or if I am helping them give life to an exact vision, I love the whole design process."

Paula says that she is thankful for not only the experience she has gained from the Emily Weddings team members, but the friendships and memories she has made. She can't wait for an exciting 2012 season!

Q&A with Paula:

What is your favorite wedding tradition?

"I was in a sorority, and in the south, we have a tradition called a sorority sing. Your sisters give you your sorority's flower and sing one of your songs before your send off with your new husband."

What is your favorite wedding day accessory?

"I love big statement pieces. Chunky necklaces or cuffs can make a big impact. You only need one fabulous piece to really stand out."

What is your favorite bouquet flower?

"I love peonies. They're big and fluffy and look gorgeous in any bouquet."

Stephanie and Matt: September 16, 2011

Today we are celebrating one of our beautiful fall weddings. Stephanie and Matt were married September 16, 2011 at Old Donation Episcopal Church with a reception at the Lesner Inn. Below are their amazing photos by Echard Wheeler. Other fabulous vendors included Palette of Petals, Distinctive Event Rentals and Incredible Edibles! We hope you fall in love with this couple's photos as much as we did!

Are you planning your fall wedding for 2012? We would love to help!

Don't forget to like us on Facebook to keep up with all of our wonderful weddings just like Stephanie and Matt's! Congratulations again you two!!

Love,

The Emily Weddings Team