After a wonderfully productive week, we are wrapping up this week on a high note. Decatur Living featured the I DO Thank You wedding on the cover and included a four page editorial inside. It was a labor of love for the Atlanta Wedding Loft vendors and we are proud Decatur Living choose to not only feature the wedding but Amanda and Chris’s story. Click here to see the digital issue.

The number one question we get the most is “What or who is Atlanta Wedding Loft?” Because we are a newer concept to the wedding industry, we have people wondering if we are a venue or a retail store. We absolutely love sharing all the great things that we are, but sometimes that can get lengthy so we wanted to share with you a little definition of what Atlanta Wedding Loft is…..

1: A collection of distinctive wedding professionals seeking to create a place where brides and grooms can experience wedding planning in a relaxed environment.

2. A planning studio with 16 Individually owned wedding related companies that share a space to meet with brides & grooms, offer classes, provide inspiration and make wedding planning a whole lot easier….

3. Simply – your “all in one” location to find Atlanta’s best wedding vendors. Make an appointment for a cake tasting, a make up trial or to meet with one of our planners, photographers, florists and so much more…

We invite you to come see first hand why our motto is “sit back, relax and let the planning begin…”

The Atlanta Wedding Loft vendors include:

Wedding Planners: A Flawless Event  and  Circle of Love Weddings

Florist :  Tulip  and  Faith Flowers

Caterers:  Sun In My Belly  and Zest Atlanta

Stationary: Tickled Ink and Exquisite Events

Photography: Christine Gallagher Photography and The Decisive Moment

Videography: Blue Orchid Production

Event Rentals: Peachtree Tents & Events 

Wedding Cake: Frosted Pumpkin

Wedding Favors and Desserts : Dreamy Gelato & Chocolates

Hair & Makeup Artist: POSH Hair & Makeup

Photo Booth: WOW Photo Booth

For those newly engaged over the holidays, January seems like a month of rushing around to lock in all the great Atlanta wedding vendors before they are taken. What if you have never hosted an event before, how do you know just where to start and who really is the best? You can search the internet or ask your recently married friends but even then, they can only give you a few names compared to the 100′s of vendors that are out there. The best and most recommended way, is to hire a wedding planner.  Here are just a few key reasons why hiring a wedding planner should be the first step in your wedding planning:

1. Finding The Right Vendors: An experienced wedding planner has a plethora of knowledge about Atlanta’s wedding vendors, from wedding dresses to venues to wedding cakes, they know them all! As Amy DiLoreti from A Flawless Event suggests,  ”Instead of googling for Atlanta wedding vendors, a wedding planner can provide you a list of pre-qualified vendors that will match your style and budget.” This will eliminate driving all over town interviewing multiple vendors that may not be what you were looking for. Additionally, your wedding planner can join you on the appointments to insure all your questions, concerns and desires are addressed.

2. Creating and Maintaining Your Budget: Just like any other personal service industry, prices can vary based on quality, style and demand. The same is true in the wedding industry and rates also can vary based on experience and creativity. One of our wedding planners, Daria McGregor from Circle of Love Weddings offered this helpful tip, “A wedding consultant will not only create a budget, but create a realistic budget that takes into account all the details, your preferences & special needs and not to be forgotten, the service fees. This eliminates surprises and allows for smoother planning process .”

3. Organizing The Details: The average wedding has anywhere between 8 to 20 different vendors involved which can be quite overwhelming when you already have a busy work schedule. A wedding planner will organize appointments, negotiate rates, place orders for items, outline deadlines and create a working timeline for your wedding day. On the day of the wedding, they will meet with all your wedding vendors, oversee all the setup and ensure that everything goes just as planned. Last but not least, when the wedding is complete, they will assist in making sure everything is returned to each vendor as well as make sure you didn’t leave anything behind so you can relax on your honeymoon!

I could go on and on about the importance of a wedding planner but these three key areas are where planners help you save time and peace of mind!

Happy New Year and Congratulations to all those who are newly engaged! As 2012 kicks off and your planning process begins, we wanted to share some insider tips on how to make your planning process as smooth and seamless as possible.

Over the next couple of months, I will be blogging helpful and practical tips to assist you in selecting your vendors and how to manage all the details involved in planning a wedding. As the new director here at the Atlanta Wedding Loft, I am extremely lucky to be surrounded by so many creative and  professional wedding vendors who have a vast knowledge of all things wedding. I will be tapping into that knowledge to share with you ways to help you stay organized, inspired and most of all, stress free! So please keep checking back with us here on our blog as well as on our Facebook page, for your wedding planning tips.

Additionally, we are bringing back the popular series called Wine, Cheese and Wedding Planning. These events hosted at the Atlanta Wedding Loft are  designed to allow you to relax in a comfortable environment with other brides and grooms much like yourself, view wedding trends and inspiration boards as well as ask questions to our panel of wedding experts. This is your chance to get to know more about each wedding vendor on a one on one basis as well as discover your own personal style for your wedding. Our next event will be held on January 19th from 7pm to 9pm. The events are free but we kindly ask you to RSVP through our event page. We hope you will be able to join us and look forward to helping you create a wedding that is uniquely you!

When it comes to starting your wedding planning, do you wonder where to begin? What vendor should you call first? Or maybe you are half way through the planning process and you realize that there is something else you need or you have more questions than answers lately. Well, we have the perfect evening for you! Come join us for an evening of  Wine, Cheese and Wedding Planning! Bring your Mom, best friend, groom or bridesmaids with you for an evening of relaxation, inspiration and information. Grab a glass of wine, peruse our displays and discover everything you need to know about weddings. Our wedding experts panel will be on hand for a Q&A session that will give insider information to the hottest locations, themes, and details. Join us on January 19th and February 23rd from 7pm to 9pm. Each event will have new themes and topics of discussion so we invite you to come to both! Each event is FREE but RSVP at Eventbrite.

It’s been some time since we last blogged and quite honestly, we have had good reason for the delays. October was such a busy month for all our vendors but November was the month we were all waiting for, so we could finally put in to motion what we have all been working so hard to make happen: The I Do Thank You Wedding. I may be a little biased but it was gorgeous! Every detail showed just how much dedication and appreciation each vendor had for all that Amanda and Chris do for our country. There wasn’t a single detail that wasn’t review over and over again to insure perfection. I can go on and on but we would rather let you see it all firsthand so without further delay, The  slideshow of Chris and Amanda’s wedding.

I Do Thank You Contributors:

Rehearsal Dinner Provided by Agnes Scott College

Hair & Makeup: POSH Hair & Makeup /  Wedding Dress: E. Lebron Bridal / Bridesmaids Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids & The Dessy Group

Formalwear for Men - Savvi Formalwear / Location: Agnes Scott College / Officiant: Rev. Deanna D. Lancaster / Pianist: Diana Pand

Florist: Faith Flowers / Florist: Tulip / Catering: Sun In My Belly / Speciality Furniture and Equipment: Peachtree Tents & Events

Photography: The Decisive Moment / Videography: Blue Orchid Productions / Table Linens: Graceful Tables

Entertainment/DJ: Event Performance / Favors: Chocolate South / Photo Booth: Wow Photo Booth

As the updates pour in, we will do our best to keep you updated on the details. With so many vendors volunteering their services, we are overwhelmed with all the information coming in but the excitement is infectious and we want to share it with you! To stay updated on all the details, check out the I DO Thank You website and leave your well wishes for the bride and groom in the comment section. We would love to share these with them! 

We are very excited to announce that The Atlanta Wedding Loft has a new director – Suzette Hart!  After two fantastic years, The Atlanta Wedding Loft is thrilled to add a full time director that can continue to guide our group of vendors, take excellent care of our clients and dream bigger than ever!  We truly believe we have found the perfect person for the job!  Suzette brings 17 years of expertise in the wedding and marketing industries to the table and I can’t wait to see where she takes the loft!  Suzette was most recently with Conde Nast and BRIDES Magazine and has been a supporter of the loft since our doors opened! Prior to working with Brides Magazine, Suzette was a fabulous wedding planner with Gooseberry Events and a director of events at Chateau Elan!  Suzette has incredible and invaluable expertise when it comes to creating magnificent events, working with brides and shaping businesses within the wedding / event industry.  Exciting times lie ahead and we are thrilled to say {Welcome Home}!

Dinner among the Wild Flowers

Anchoring AWL’s vignette was the bright and vibrant table-scape built under the guidance of Laura Iarocci from Faith Flowers. The table was designed to lend the feel of dining in a field of wild flowers.  With unpredictable temperatures of the  Georgia summers, what better way to give your guest the feeling of being outdoors all while staying within the climate controlled indoors. Basked in sunlight from the windows, the centerpiece was beautifully arranged to create a burst of brightness to contrast the dark mahogany table, provided by AFR (American Furniture Rental) . Peachtree Tents and Events provided the the elegant dinnerware, glassware, serving-ware and the mahogany chivari chairs that completed the overall look.  The booth was beautifully framed with gorgeous drapery by Event Drapery!  Our table numbers, menu and event guides picked up the paisley accents beautifully and we were so impressed by Exquisite Events‘s incredible work!

Flanking the corners of the room were beautiful furnishing from AFR, an elegant floral cake from Frosted Pumpkin and artistic photography displays from The Decisive Moment .

And of course, no wedding is complete without an amazing menu and Sun In My Belly did not disappoint. Guest dined on the decadent menu and couldn’t help coming back for one more Smore mini cupcake. These little treats are just as yummy as their campfire counterparts but without all the mess.

When looking up the definition of bohemian, I found this: “A person with artistic or literary interests who disregards conventional standards of behavior.” No better definition describes our featured designer’s view toward bridal so what could be more fitting (or more exciting) than seeing the new E Lebron Bridal collection featured on the runway with other designers such as Anne Barge. The E Lebron Bridal collection brings art to bridal in fresh new ways and the dresses show the range of options, from varying bodices to short and long skirts. One of the dresses featured was the gown called Maggie, named after Efran’s mother’s nickname.  Maggie is an alternate version of the dress Miguelina, showing the flexibility of the line by choosing a different bodice and crystal belt than it’s original design featured on their website.

Our fabulous model, Bonnie was expertly prepped with hair and Make Up by Raney O Keefe!  We were SO excited to work with Raney for this event and always enjoy her talent and company!

The event was a success and we are so thankful for all the brides and vendors who stopped by to check out the Atlanta Wedding Loft’s vinginette. A special Thank you to The Atlantan Brides for including us in such a great event. We look forward to the next one.

UPDATE: Check out the coverage of the Evening of Bridal Luxury in Modern Luxury’s latest issue of Atlantan Brides magazine, pages 80- 83