Posts Tagged: nc wedding magazines
Southern Bride & Groom Floral Inspiration — Flowers by Gary
This is the first installment in our Floral Series from the 2013 magazine! Today, we’re featuring the table and bouquet by Flowers by Gary, a Durham shop owned by Gary Corsi-OConnor. Gary is an award winning, North Carolina Certified Professional Florist through the North Carolina State Florist Association with over 25 years of experience. He is also a member of the Society of American Florists and President of the local Northern Piedmont Florist Association.
For the 2013 Floral Shoot, Flowers by Gary put together a sweet, quintessential Southern tabletop and bouquet, complete with blue seersucker (swoon!), magnolia leaves, and hydrangeas — it doesn’t get more Southern than that, y’all! We set up in Rose Hill Plantation‘s Blue Room, and took to the stunning front lawn of the historic estate house for some model shots (including our beautiful Summer/Fall cover!) If you’re seeking floral inspiration that’s soulfully Southern, look no further than this shoot!
Enjoy these beautiful photos — some never-before-seen! — all shot by the talented husband and wife duo, Photography by Walters & Walters.
Thanks to everyone who made this segment of the shoot so wonderful, including: American Party Rentals, Cute Buttons, Lana Addison Bridal, Bailey’s Fine Jewelry and Bella Trio Day Spa.
This Week’s Raleigh Durham Bridal Events
It will officially be spring this week – and wedding season officially commences! What Durham and Raleigh bridal events are happening this week? Southern Bride & Groom magazine has the scoop – read on to find out!
Wedding Story Writer Official Launch
Mike Bayley Photography
Thursday, March 21, 6:00-8:00PM
Saks Fifth Avenue, 7700 Old Wake Forest Road, Raleigh
Wedding Story Writer is new, one-of-a-kind business, founded by local writer Michelle McMurray. Have your wedding story written and created into a masterpiece book to last a lifetime, complete with original sketches. Learn more at the launch party at Saks this Thursday evening. A storybook will be on display, as well as samples of the original artwork. There will also be a perfume bar, and guests will enjoy champagne and light bites. RSVP to press@weddingstorywriter.com or 919.434.9179.
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Highgrove Bridal Open House
Saturday, March 23, 2013, 10:00am-1:00pm
Stop by the beautiful Highgrove Estate on Laurel Lake in Fuquay Varina to tour the gorgeous wedding venue, and taste the delectable creations of their catering staff.
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Cotton Room Open House
Sunday, March 24, 2013, 5:00-8:00pm
Visit The Cotton Room in Durham’s hip Golden Belt area to visit this hot wedding venue, taste amazing food from Triangle Catering, and check out the new neighboring venue, Belt Line Station.
SB&G Team Shoot Downtown Durham
Southern Bride & Groom Magazine is growing, and the full crew gathered for a fun photo-shoot last week with our good friends from Brian Mullins Photography. We wandered around near our office in Downtown Durham on a crisp sunny afternoon – one of the last cold days of this winter! Read on to learn more about the ladies behind Southern Bride & Groom magazine – aka, SB&G!
SB&G is a small team of Southern gals who are passionate about the Triangle NC wedding industry, and providing our local brides with inspiration, advice, and fabulous, reliable wedding vendors! 
Donna Parks founded Southern Bride and Groom magazine twenty-six years ago as a wedding planner, etiquette guide, and roster of the best of the best in local wedding professionals. The magazine really became the beautiful product that you see today when Patricia Campbell came onboard as our Art Director. Donna’s daughter Jenna Parks Olender joined the team in 2010 as her mother’s partner. Leah Campbell joined the roster last summer as our Blog Writer, and to help out with the ever-growing social media platform. And now, this week, we are pleased to announce the addition of a new Sales Associate, Allison Clarke.
Allison grew up in Chapel Hill and has always had an affinity for weddings and fashion – the industry in which she holds her degree. She lived in New York City after college, working for a woman’s contemporary showroom and Badgley Mischka, where she was the assistant to the PR Director. (Apparently Jenna, who lived in NYC for several years post-college herself, has a bias for Tarheel fans who lived in NYC for awhile- Leah also shared this path) After moving back to North Carolina, she worked at several high-end boutiques, but she is excited to be back in the wedding industry – her lifelong passion for the field has only grown in recent months, as she plans her own wedding with her fiancé, Bryan!
We are so excited to welcome Allison onboard, and can’t wait for everyone in the SB&G family to meet her! A big thanks to Brian and Jenn of Brian Mullins Photography for the fun photoshoot!
Upcoming Wedding Event: “Altar Ego: An Event All About You” is This Friday, March 1
The 4th Annual Altar Ego Event & Fashion Show is this Friday, March 1 at 6:30pm at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club.
Tre Bella and the Washington Duke Inn have been working hard all week to get the space ready and finalize last minute details for this amazing night of food, fashion, fun and philanthropy. Check out this video by Twenty-One Films for more information, and get excited!
“Altar Ego…An Event All About You!” Fashion Show from Twenty-One Films on Vimeo.
This year’s event will include a presentation by Emily Giffin, a New York Times Best Selling Author, a cocktail hour shopping experience, a book signing, and of course, a high-end fashion show. Emily Giffin has touched the hearts of millions of readers through her emotionally charged and endearingly flawed characters. Of her six novels, three have been optioned for the big screen, and the film of her first novel, Something Borrowed, premiered in May of 2011.
During the cocktail hour, attendees will be treated to a signature cocktail and delectable hors d’oeuvres prepared by the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club catering team, while getting the opportunity to chat with Emily Giffin. Participating boutiques will also be selling accessories and clothing! The boutiques include: Adorn Boutique, Hadley Emerson, Scout and Molly’s of Chapel Hill, Smitten Boutique, Bella Bridesmaid, Bernard’s Formalwear and Tre Bella Bridal.
Southern Bride & Groom is so excited to be a sponsor and part of this wonderful event benefitting a local charity — Girls on the Run of the Triangle. Girls on the Run is a life-changing character development program for girls between the ages of 8 and 12. Volunteer coaches inspire the young women to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum in which the girls are taught values that lead to a positive sense of self.
Thanks to all of the other sponsors who are making this wonderful event possible: Joe Bunn DJ Company, The Catering Company, CE Rental, Durham Magazine, Bella Trio Day Spa & Salon, Weddings Unveiled, Get Lit and Models for Charity.
Tickets are $50 per person, and are available now. Don’t miss out on this one, y’all!
Welcome, Newly-Engaged NC Brides
Happy New Year and welcome to Engagement Season! Lots of sparkling new diamond engagement rings were doled out in the last few weeks; December is the most popular month of the year for US engagements.
Dara Blakeley Photography
Congratulations to all of the newly-engaged couples!
Southern Bride & Groom is here for all the new NC brides, to help you plan your Triangle Area wedding, or nearby NC or Southern destination wedding. We have served the NC Triangle for over 25 years with our annual wedding magazine, which offers brides a selection of the finest wedding venues and top wedding professionals in the area.
Our blog is full of regular advice columns, inspirational photo posts, and real NC wedding features (we accept submissions from brides like you!). Also be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to hear about our monthly contests and bridal giveaways, and on Pinterest for more eye-candy.
SB&G’s annual Triangle NC wedding planning magazine was recently-released and is now available for free at all of the top Triangle wedding vendors and storefronts you will find when perusing the PLANNING section of our website. If you are out of the area and would like to order a magazine to help you plan your NC wedding, visit our Magazine page and submit a postal payment and we’ll get one out to you!
We’ll be posting the online version soon as well, so stay tuned for that.
If you do not have plans for this weekend, a great way for the newly-engaged to get cracking on that wedding planning is to attend The Wedding Show, the state’s longest-running bridal show, which takes place in Raleigh THIS WEEKEND – January 5 & 6, at the NC State Fairgrounds. The show will include fashion previews, cake and food tastings, and lots of amazing Triangle wedding professionals that you will get to meet under one roof. SB&G will be there – look for our booth and stop by to pick up the brand-new 2013 magazine, and register for a couple of trip giveaways that we’ll be gifting.
Southern Bride & Groom 2013 Magazine Launch and Release
Christmas came early this year, y’all! Southern Bride & Groom 2013 is here, and we are thrilled to release our biggest and best issue yet!
SB&G 2013 contains everything you need to know about planning a wedding in North Carolina’s Triangle area. This 26th edition of SB&G is full of more inspirational style shoots than ever, 10 real NC weddings, and tons of articles with etiquette and planning tips that every bride needs to know for her big day — whether it’s here in the South or beyond the Mason-Dixon!
As always, SB&G recommends only the best of the best wedding venues, bridal salons and wedding professionals to our brides. With SB&G, you will be able to plan a Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill or Greater Triangle Area wedding from engagement to honeymoon, and rest assured that each vendor you select is reliable and top-notch. We have also expanded our Destination Wedding section this year to include more NC and nearby Southern wedding destination locations.
We are so pleased to reveal our 2013 cover — a fresh and modern look that we are absolutely over the moon for! This moment was captured by Dara Blakeley of Dara Blakeley Photography during our Fashion Shoot at The Umstead Hotel & Spa. The stunning gown that our model (from Directions USA) twirls in is a Jenny Packham design from Tre Bella Bridal. Hair and makeup was done by Lather Hair Salon, and the stunning jewelry is from Anfesa’s Jewelers.
Be sure to keep track of the SB&G blog, as we’ll be sharing our various photo shoots and releasing the online version of the magazine in just few short weeks! Well also be delivering the magazines this week to many of our vendors throughout the Triangle — but one of our first stops (and a great place to snag your copy of the newest edition!) will be the various Triangle Area Belk Bridal Registries — at Southpoint, Cary Towne Center, Triangle Towne Center, and Crabtree Valley Mall.
Holiday Giveaway Facebook Contest
Southern Bride & Groom Magazine is excited to announce a very special holiday giveaway Facebook contest!
Jekyll Island Club Hotel, GA
On December 24, we will pick one winner to receive a 4 day, 3-night stay at Jekyll Island Club Hotel. All you have to do to enter is follow this LINK to “Like” our page and sign-up!
SB&G’s Facebook page is great for any NC bride or wedding professional to follow, as we regularly post wedding inspirations, news & events, special contests, and real wedding features. Please note that with the new Facebook settings, if you want to see our posts, it is best to select “Show in Newsfeed” via the “Like” tab after you become a fan.
Jekyll Island Club Hotel is a stunning property in Jekyll Island, off the coast of Georgia. From the NC Triangle it is about a 5-6 hour drive, but upon arrival you’ll feel like you’re in another world, with one of the most spectacular and unique beaches in the country- Driftwood Beach. Bike around the jungle inland throughout the day, lounge around the pool, and enjoy delicious meals onsite at the hotel. Jekyll Island Club Hotel also hosts several stunning weddings each year and is an ideal destination wedding location.
So be sure to enter the contest this month by liking our Facebook page and following the steps for our “Holiday Contest”, and share with anyone you know would benefit from following the NC wedding new and inspirations source!
Holiday Winners and More Bridal Giveaways
SB&G has selected its Facebook Contest winner for 25 custom holiday cards from Charlotte’s, a boutique in Raleigh at North Hills and Cameron
Swank Photo Studio
Village, which carries clothes,jewelry, and gifts. Visit the Cameron Village location where they have a full service stationery studio.
Congratulations to Shelby; she and her new husband were married in Pinehurst this year. Here is a photo of them on their wedding day by their fabulous photographer Stacy Borelli of Swank Photo Studio.
To hear about all of our special social media contests, LIKE US ON FACEBOOK and FOLLOW US ON TWITTER.
You can also REGISTER with SB&G and be in the running for our monthly prizes, including dinners around town, spa days, and even stays at beach resorts.
We will be drawing our December winners this Monday, so be sure to sign up by Sunday, December 2nd!
Giving Thanks
Another Thanksgiving and holiday season is upon us!
This time of year marks the winding down of our annual production season at Southern Bride & Groom magazine. So naturally for my mother and myself, we feel pretty mushy about now – and not just because we are nearing the end of our busiest season!
We are all so blessed to live in this country, where we have the freedom to go after our dreams. Our SB&G family is made up of so many individuals who have chosen to pursue careers for which they are passionate. We know how privileged we are to be in such an amazing industry, but even more so, we feel that the community of wedding professionals we work with here in the Triangle Area of NC are not only the top vendors locally, but some of the most talented professionals in their fields nationwide.
It is because of our relationships with the strong wedding community here that our own company been able to flourish – and even more importantly, grow and evolve – over the past 25 years. We are grateful to every business and individual who has supported us, and been a part of the SB&G family at any point over the past two and-a-half decades.
We are also grateful to every bride who has used our magazine to help plan their wedding – especially to those who have passed the word of SB&G to their friends, co-workers, family, and even daughters of their own.
We’re excited to be wrapping up our 26th Edition of SB&G magazine. Thanks to our growing family, it will be our best issue yet, with more content than ever, including inspirational photo shoots, real weddings and planning articles.
Team SB&G hopes everyone feels thankful for something this week, and has a warm and loving Thanksgiving!
~ Donna and Jenna
Silver Anniversary Style Shoot Video Premiere
Southern Bride & Groom achieved a major milestone in 2012 — our 25th Anniversary as the NC Triangle’s most trusted bridal resource.
We commemorated the occasion with a Silver Style Shoot, set at The Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill. The shoot, photographed by f8 Photo Studios, will appear in Southern Bride & Groom’s 2013 edition, which releases mid-December and will be free to brides and available at locations throughout the Triangle Area, as well as to order online. In addition to the commemorative spread in the magazine, f8 in Motion was onsite to film the shoot, and created this beautiful behind-the-scenes tribute video.
Spheres of blossoms designed by Fresh Affairs bubble up around a stunning hand-painted silver cake custom-created by Sugarland, and continue a cascade that spills into a pool of petals. Our bride sparkles in a glamorous gown from Lana Addison Bridal. Its silver and crystal embellishments add to the theme. Our team also included Sally Oakley Personalized Wedding Planning, Charlotte’s, Party Reflections, Douglas Carroll Salon & Spa, and Paper Cafe.
Both The Siena Hotel and Douglas Carroll Salon and Spa are also celebrating their 25th anniversaries, so a big congratulations to them as well!
And now, please enjoy the premiere of our Silver Anniversary Tribute Video by f8 in Motion!
