For Nikol

For Nikol

Not only was this an amazing present that holds so much sentimental value to me.

It is a great idea for a bridesmaid gift. As a wedding planner I am always looking for a different take or view of something. How special it would be to personalize different aspects of the bags that you commission for the special ones in your life.
Shared via AddThis

Yard Sale Epiphany

I love to go to yard sales!

It suits my personality so well. I love to asses the situation, see how I can be creative with what I have and be happy with the "great deal" I just got or made for myself. I love reusing things and I LOVE to save money.

This morning, I only had a few morning hours to hunt around town and there were over 50 yard sales in my tiny little town! I knew that it was not realistic to "hit" all of them, but I wanted to go to as many as possible.

My 4 year old, loves to go with me. I woke him up much earlier than he usually gets up and we crept out of the house. We started out and we hit a good stride. It takes him a minute to get out of the car now that he can fasten his own seatbelt and sometimes, I just wanted to quickly look at one thing. I was starting to panic that I wasn't going to see all of the sales that I could and I started to tell him to hurry up. As I heard myself, I also heard another voice. My "wedding planner voice" telling the bride and parents of the couple to "stay in the moment." Don't worry about what may not happen or how things are happening. All that matters is that you live this moment as it is happening. Enjoy it, savor it, remember it. It will go to fast and this is something that you do not want to miss. It doesn't matter that we didn't "hit" all the sales that I wanted to go to today. Slowing down and enjoying my time with my son this morning before my day started was such a wonderful gift. By letting him stay and look at "just one more toy", I was the fortunate one to see a great find for a neighbor. It wouldn't have happened if I had rushed.

Plan your hearts away, practice walking down the isle, remember that this is just the beginning and please... don't miss it.


Nikol Murphy, Raleigh Wedding Planner
Chantoosie Events
www.chantoosie.com

Schedules & Details

I am in the thick of details and schedules at the moment and...

I LOVE IT!

This is the dysfunctional side of me that makes me a wonderful planner.

I work individually with each wedding when I am creating the schedule. I take some time to un-wind from the days events, listen to some relaxing music. (Usually, John Denver. I know. I can't explain it. The John Denver thing. Moving on.) Then I totally immerse myself in the wedding events that will unfold. I love going through the day and evening in my head and seeing how one piece of the day and night will transpire to the next. When the cake is going to arrive. What amazing transformations the florists are going to perform on a room. What the reception table is going to look like when it's all put together. How will the guests enjoy it? Will the schedule we are talking about and the bride & groom's vision for the day match? I love getting the first draft done and then thinking of creative ways to address the "kinks" in our plan. There is always something to tweak. That's where the little touches and details come to life and make your wedding your own. I love when that moment happens and we all say,
"Yes! That's exactly it!"

Nikol Murphy
Triangle Wedding Planner
www.chantoosie.com

mcfarland designs - awesome wedding rings

(image from http://mcfarlanddesigns.com)

Check out these fabulous wedding rings! If only I had known about these when I got hitched!

Tell your friends about this wonderful option for engagement and wedding rings. You can't loose on this, re-cycled material and no "diamond drama". The price is right as well!

(taken from her etsy page)

mcfarlanddesigns's Profile

Bio

I am addicted to making jewelry! (Can you tell?) I hope you enjoy wearing my creations as much as I enjoy crafting them. To conserve natural resources and reduce waste, whenever possible I re-use bubble mailers, so don't be alarmed if your outer packaging looks a tad bit bedraggled. Rest assured that what's inside will be simply gorgeous. Please let me know if you would like your jewelry shipped in a gift box (purple box and tissue are made from 100% recycled materials) or if you prefer to keep packaging to a minimum. If you can't decide what to buy for that special someone, gift certificates are available. I also sell amazing gemstone beads and other jewelry components at www.bestbeads.etsy.com. Please convo me if you are interested in a custom piece. My website & blog: http://www.mcfarlanddesigns.com Proud member of the following Etsy teams - EtsyVeg - http://www.etsyveg.blogspot.com VeganEtsy - http://www.veganetsy.blogspot.com Etsy for Animals - http://www.etsyforanimals.com Nikol Murphy : Chantoosie Events North Carolina, Wedding PLanning www.chantoosie.com

What a day!

Whew!

I am just coming up for air since our fabulous "Brides & Brunch" seminar a couple of weeks ago.

Here are some of the beautiful pictures taken by Amy Rutche of Emory Lane Photography.

I also have to say that Swank Cake Design out did themselves and filled each cupcake flavor with a different filling! Oh. My. Goodness.

I LOVED what Flowers on Broad Street did to match my "vision" and check out the incredible invitations and paper products by The Paper Company!



























Nikol Murphy: Chantoosie Events
Raleigh, Wedding Planner

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

There is "standing room only" left, but we would still love to see you there!

Traci & David

When I think of Traci & David, I just think of "Winter Royalty".

What a regal couple. The love that they have for each other is apparent and strong.

Such wonderful personalities and such wonderful hosts as well.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day Traci & David!

Here is a sneak peek at their day...

Traci & David

The pictures are up!

Please stop by the blog of fun and talented Allison Davis of Sandfoot Photography for the photos. I don't think I could have described it any better.

::Blog of Note::

I rarely check out the blogs of note.

The last time I did, it was the blog Cupcake Takes The Cake. The post for that day was about a cupcake company, Simply Cupcakes based out of Naples, Florida. I lived in Naples for a few years and Key lime anything is amazing. So trust me when I say that their Naples Key Lime Cupcake will get to my house for a special celebration soon this year. I'm not quite sure how yet, but hey I'm an event planner. That's what I do best. ;)

p.s. If you are ever in Naples, any decent restaurant will have good Key Lime Pie. Where do the locals get it? Publix. Yup. The grocery store. In my eyes, the best grocery store on earth. It's always clean and they have everything. A mascot for the kids on Saturday mornings, a decent sized organic section, a cooking station with dinner ideas when you enter the store and a portable refrigerated section with all the items you would need to cook said meal including utensils. Sounds like they have it buttoned up? They have a covered alcove for you to pull your car up to load your groceries, they have giant umbrellas to loan out when it's raining, oh and if you need boxes for moving? Call them the night before, they will reserve what you asked for and load them in the car for you. Oh yes, it's the greatest store on. the. earth.

So. All of that above babble to say that I clicked on the blog of note today

synch-ro-ni-zing

http://ruthie822.blogspot.com/

and loved what she had to say here. A very intelligent, thoughtful and honest post. I will be sure to read up on what she has to say from now on.

Brides & Brunch! Be there.

"Warm Fuzzies"

I recently got a wonderful thank you card full of "warm fuzzies".
(the term came from a book called, "Warm Fuzzies and Cold Prickles", by Mary O Warren. It's out of print now, but please dig in your attic! If you find one, I will buy it!)

Here is an excerpt...

"...I didn't worry about a thing. It went like clockwork and I can think of nothing that would have made it better. Thank you for your attention to detail and great personality..."

Those sentences above are why I do what I do. :)

Ahhhh...

That's all I can say for my recent experience at

Syeni Salon & Day Spa
(pronounced "C-N-E")

in downtown Apex, NC

I darted out of the cold and into this tiny piece of Heaven on North Salem Street.

You are welcomed by a friendly face, light aromatic scents and calming music. After signing in, you are led to "the relaxation room" with big comfy round tufted seats and curtains around them that you can draw if you want to take a snooze. (Really!) Water, coffee and snacks await you.

Then after getting into the right frame of mind, I was greeted by Layla, my master nail technician that gave me a luxurious spa manicure that included an essential oil salt scrub, hydrating masque with a warm herbal wrap, followed by a moisturizing massage. essential oil salt scrub, hydrating mask and moisturizing massage. (Oh yes it did!)I left with soft beautiful hands, a calmness about me and OPI Passion on my nails. :)

Go visit the gals at Syeni Salon & Day Spa and pamper yourself a little! !

English Garden Romance

We recently teamed up with some great companies to put together a display table in

The Wedding Show 2009
Table Top Design Gallery

These are just my piddly photos. Great ones to come soon.

"The Mom" song

It's funny... I too was a young, bride, hopeful of my future and looking forward to making a home together with my soon to be husband, hopefully having a family of our own. I envisioned, well groomed children, a well rested mommy, cookies baked, projects on the wall, story time and an easy bed time.

I recently saw "The Mom" song, sung to the William Tell Overture, by Anita Renfroe and couldn't help
1. understanding everything that she said, and 2. finding the incredible humor in the fact that we indeed do turn into "The Mom" at some point.

My transformation is not this far, but who knows my kiddos are still little. And cute. And almost everything can still be solved by a tickle. (thank goodness)

We are pleased to announce our first seminar for 2009!

It will be hosted by: The Paper Company.

Cake will be provided by: Swank Cake Design.

Flower designs will be provided by: Flowers on Broad Street

Photographer: Amy Ruchte with Emory Lane will be documenting the event.

So. Of course I went out this weekend and saw Bride Wars!

I enjoyed the movie for what it was and definitely wished there was a bit more eye candy for me... in the terms of wedding details. What else would I be talking about?

I saw the linen color that I am planning to use for my upcoming seminar on January 25th. I still may use it depending on my mood when I go to the rental company.

I also, saw a dress imperfection! YES. A dress imperfection. Hey, what can I say? It wasn't a horrible offense, but one that I would have attempted to fix.

Go. See the movie. Then let me know if YOU saw it too. ;)

modern with a twist of girly

I love a modern look, but always love to throw in a girly twist (of course).



Here are some shots of the table in our booth from the show.




The menus and Invites were printed at The Paper Company, the cake was designed by Swank Cake Design and the flowers were by Flowers on Broad Street.



You'll have to forgive me, but these are from my little camera. Fancy pictures to come soon!

We had a blast!

The Wedding Show 2009
was a blast!
We met so many fun brides and friends.
We are looking forward to a great 2009!

Here are some pre-lim photos of our booth.
We had the great Allison Davis of Sandfoot Photography shoot the booth.
Those to come later!

EVENT READY!

Here at Chantoosie Events, we have been working our little tails off to get ready for

The Wedding Show 2009
Saturday, January 3rd 9am-4pm
Sunday, January 4th 11am-4pm


Here is a sneak peak of what we have been up to...

Can't wait to see you there!

the holidays...

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

Ok- I actually like Thanksgiving more.
I like that the focus is on being thankful. Celebrating family, making the world (or just the US) stop for a day to let us catch up with loved ones near and far. There is no excessive spending on things that people do not want or need. I like that.

Now... the reason why I love Christmas is because I love the magic that accompanies it. I have two little ones and there is nothing that I enjoy more than looking at life through their eyes.
Life in December with visiting Santa and making cookies and going to parades, is pretty darn cool.

I love how it feels when you find the perfect gift for someone. That doesn't mean it's expensive, just that it's right. It's something truly useful that they have not asked for. It's something that you noticed would make their everyday life more enhanced. It's something that they will remember years to come.

This past weekend, my family and I took time out from the business of Christmas (buying gifts) to just enjoy the experience of Christmas. It was... the perfect gift.

So on that note, I wish you a

Merry Christmas

Happy Chanukah

and a

Happy New Year!

Did we mention?

When everybody else will be relaxing and recovering from the holidays, Chantoosie Events will be gearing up for:

The Wedding Show
It's the place to be on January 3rd & 4th.


We will have a table in the

Table Top Design Gallery

We are creating something luscious and decadent and will be featuring

Cakes by:: Swank Cake Design

Invitations and Paper Products by:: The Paper Company

Flowers by:: Flowers on Broad Street

Come see our booth, and vote on our Table Top!

See you on the 3rd & 4th!

Delicious Swank Cake

If you ever get a chance to serve a "Swank Cake", you should! They are not just wedding cakes.
Wayne can make anything that you can think up.

I was lucky enough to serve a Pumpkin Spice Cake, by Swank Cake Design to my guests this year at Thanksgiving.

It was a HUGE hit! It complimented my table beautifully and was delicious. Everyone oh-ed and ah-ed about how pretty it was and then they descended on it.

It was half gone in about 20 minutes. Almost everyone had two helpings, leaving my pumpkin pie, apple pie and rice pudding feeling a bit inadequate.

I have to say, that it was heavenly and it will be my first dessert choice the next time I entertain!

Sandfoot Photography

When I began to think of who I would like to take our 2008 family photos the answer was immediately Allison Davis with Sandfoot Photography.





Our boys are 4 & 1 and are into everything train and firetruck related. So what a better location to shoot at than the Salem Street Apex Fire Station and the caboose located directly behind it!

A quick call secured us an arrival time and the firefighters were amazing. They were attentive to the boys and were very helpful to Allison. They even polished their prize possession, the original, 1st Firetruck that the town of Apex owned and open the bay doors so Allison had enough light to shoot it.





Allison's relaxed manor was immediately the right fit for my two little ones and it will be forever a special day in our memories.

Thank you Allison, you captured my family beautifully.

Heather & John

I had an absolute blast with Heather & John on their beautiful day on October 3, 2008.
It's hard to believe that so much time has already passed since then!

I truly feel like I came out of that wedding with a new bunch of friends.

Here is a link to Andrew Bryant Photography. He posted some of his beautiful pictures of the wedding on his blog. There are so many talented photographers in this area that I sometimes have a hard time paring them down. Andrew is always one that rises to the top of my list when pairing brides and photographers. Check out his work! It's stunning.

Thank you to Heather, John and Terri for allowing me to be a part of your day.

so busy.

I had this great idea. I would re-locate my business from Colorado to North Carolina. It went well. It went fast. The last couple of months have been a blur! I am starting to figure out what kind of schedule I need to keep and where I need to focus my attention. That is good news. I am having a new blog designed and will be posting a lot more.
Look out for cool new happenings!

My famous neighbor!

Ann Loving was our neighbor across the street where I grew up in Ridgewood, N.J.

We would go over often so that my Mother and her could have tea together and chat while we ran around the house and played. She is a great artist that drew a beautiful picture of our house for us when we moved to Allendale, N.J. My parents still have it framed in their house.

What Ann didn't know about me is that I am a germ f.r.e.a.k.
First she did a study on what was the most used stall in women's public bathrooms. I remember my Mother calling me up and asking me if I would like to track which stall I used when I went. My answer, "Um...MOM! Geez! No."
When the study was over I believe it was determined that the second stall is used the most and the first is used the least. I remember this every time I am in public.

Between the years Ann has been featured in many different way for her work and art.

Recently, Ann did a new study about restaurant lemons in water. Oh boy! I would like to say that I am forever grateful that I am not a "lemon in my water" kind of girl, but always get a bit grossed out by the lemon in my cherry/Lemonade slush from Sonic now. (By no means am I saying that there is anything wrong with any lemons anywhere in the universe. I'm just saying that it doesn't take much to gross me out.)

This ad by the college she works at, by all means has to be the coolest thing to happen to her (in my mind anyway). Other than being on the Today Show.

Congratulations Ann! You are on the side of a BUS!!!!!!

First Dance

Every time I get the chance, I tell my couples to get their first dance choreographed.

While, I am not implying that they go this extreme, you have to admit, it adds an entertainment value!

sneak peek

Here are some pre-lim photos of the Table Top Design that I designed for The Paper Company for the Southern Bridal Show & Expo.
It was fun!

Lemon & Chocolate Table Top Design

As I was going through my mental checklist for the table top design, I am creating for The Paper Company, for the Bridal Show this Sunday, I realized that I never posted the pictures that I begged to have right away from Sandfoot Photography! (sorry Allison!)

These pictures are from the Wedding Seminar that was held on June 19, 2008.


Aren't these mini cupcakes from Swank Cake adorable?!
They were a tiny taste of heaven...



I love the look that Flowers on Broad Street and Swank provided for our company colors.

It looks like a whimsical summer wedding to me!

when to work out...

One of the challenges that I have come across from being a business owner, Mom and wife, is that it really is hard to find the time to work out.
Before I had kids, I used to think, "oh c'mon, how hard can it be to schedule ONE hour in a day?" Ha! I stand humbled. It's hard.
So, I am on a week break because of travel schedules, meetings and bridal shows. A good problem to have, a hard schedule to juggle. :)

The Jonas Brothers

(thanks to Jonasbrothers.com for the photo)


So.
I was at a tasting for Prestonwood Country Club the other day and who do we see while tasting their delectable appetizers?!
The Jonas Brothers

I got so excited. I didn't have my camera OR phone! Seriously?! What am I 16?!
I must tell you that I know of them because they were on Oprah the other day. Is that sad? Don't answer that.

Southern Bridal Show & Expo

One of the amazing business opportunities that I have come across is partnering up with
The Paper Company, Invitation & Gift store.

Lori Burns, the owner has welcomed me as their In-store Wedding Specialist and it has been nothing but fun and excitement since I started.
Our clients have all enjoyed the added bonus of being able to call up anytime to ask advise on invitation wording, to decor ideas, budget questions to proper etiquette procedure. It's a value that actually can be measured in dollars and it's a big bonus!

The Paper Company will be at the Southern Bridal Show & Expo on Sunday, August 17th in the Jim Graham building at the fairgrounds and will also take part in the new feature, Table Top Design Gallery. I have been having a blast planning what we are going to do and are excited to say that we have partnered up with Donna once again from Flowers on Broad Street.

Look for our table! It'll bring a chill (hint, hint) to you when you see it! :)

Ahhh...the good sore

Today marks the first day that I feel the "good" sore.
The one that makes you feel a tiny bit of pain just to remind you that you did a good job working out. :) Hooray for small victories!

who knew?!

Hm...
Who knew that when I started to work out, stretching would feel like a day at the spa?
When I walk on the treadmill, it feels like someone is massaging my legs.
Who knew that my muscles would get excited at the idea of doing more than lifting a one year old and centering a floral arrangement.
Who knew that those same muscles would cry out in agony later that day for trying so many exorcises so "gung ho".
Who knew that in group personal training, you can't complain as much?
Who knew that after waking up at 6:30am with 5 hours of sleep and working out to the maximum that it would fell so good?
Who knew?!

MAMMA MIA!

(thanks to imdb.com for the image)

What can I say?

It's a new passion.

I laughed.
I cried.

I learned that if you just don't look, Pierce is still hot while he's singing. :)

Go. See. The. Movie.

okay, maybe 20

I have recovered from my bronchitis, my sprained ankle, (don't ask) and I'm back from my eight day vacation.

So, I called Paula at Circ Fitness and trotted into her studio for day one of training! :)
Let's see. I woke up this morning and had to find workout clothes that actually fit. Hm...challenge #1.
Then I had to find my sneakers....challenge #2.
I did ask my husband if I could show up with out them. He said, "no." Darn.

One thing you need to know about me. I am 5'0 and I weigh 155.
The first thing that I started to do in my consult before I even started to work out was back peddle and say, that maybe I only need to loose 20 pounds because I was 135 when I met my husband, and well, he thought I was cute! Can you smell the fear? Sense the desperation?! It was pa-the-tic!

So, Paula asked me to do some push-ups. I did 25.
Then she asked me to do sit-ups. I did 20.
THEN we did hamstrings.

Apparently, I haven't used then in the past couple of years because I walked funny for the rest of the day. When I told my husband about it, he looked at me with a severity reserved for "listen to me and don't argue" statements. Then he said, "stretch."
I will. After I finish my post. :p

So all in all. I had a fabulous first day. I was only told to "watch my portions" and we would address the disaster of my eating habits in two weeks.

the perfect lemon

How do you argue with that?



I took home a lot of lemons from my lemon centerpiece that I designed for our seminar on June 19th. So what do you when you have a load of lemons?

You make lemonade!

We hand squeezed about 15 lemons for possibly the best homemade lemonade that I have ever had. I put it in my margarita pitcher and enjoyed it in the sun on my chase lounge in the back yard... ahhh.

Pure heaven.

30 pounds

Okay,
If you know a bit about me, you know that I have always been a bit chubby. But passable chubby. (You know what I'm talking about. Don't pretend you don't) I wasn't happy about it, but I had a couple outfits in my closet that made me look skinny. (in dim light)
So, fast forward. I got married, gained a bit, had two babies, gained a whole lot more...I now need to loose 30 pounds. Yikes!
Part of my problem is that I only work out with a trainer. a.k.a someone making me do it. If I take a class, I'll get a drink of water and then decide to "stretch" (or sit on the floor until I'm not dizzy anymore) I am the person that tried martial arts and kept giggling through the class. I got to do a lot of push-ups and then when sparing with someone, got kicked in the head. I tried yoga, I laughed. I tried kick boxing, this went better! But still didn't last long. So needless to say, this is not something I enjoy. I only enjoy the result. Kind of like cleaning my bathrooms. :)
I am also passionate about eating carbs. Carbs are my friends. I have a special relationship with them. They understand me, and they really get sad if I don't eat them! What can I do? So I eat them.
So after setting a goal to loose 30 pounds by January, I found a GREAT trainer. Her name is Paula Quinene. She is the owner of Circ Fitness, she is educated, talented and passionate about exercising. Who knows? She may rub off on me. I'm going to take you through my journey, it's not going to be pretty. I'm warning you now. ;)
The good news about my decision to work out is that I promptly got bronchitis and am not able to work out, so I am currently mentally preparing for my start... The soon as I get the go ahead to work out I'll let you know.
Check out her website. She is right here in Holly Springs!

Our website is live!

check it out

A smashing success!

We had a great time at our seminar!

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and we noticed some color trends for this upcoming year...

We'll post the pictures the soon as we get them from Sandfoot Photography.

Can wait to see them Allison!

Event Ready!

Whew!

We have been busy preparing for our first seminar in North Carolina on June 19th.

We are excited to say that Swank Cake Design is going to provide some of their delicious cake samples, Flowers on Broad Street is providing beautiful floral works of art, A Special Event is providing all of our rental needs and Sandfoot Photgraphy will be there to capture it all for prosperity.

Don't forget to reserve your spot in advance and receive an extra entry for our fabulous door prizes and $500 Chantoosie Gift Certificate!

See you at The Paper Company!

Seminar Thursday, June 19th, 6:30pm

I am proud to announce...
our first

Chantoosie Events Seminar!

How To Make Your Wedding Truly Memorable.

It will be held at The Paper Company, Invitation Store in Sunset Lake Commons
5273 Sunset Lake Road, Holly Springs, N.C.

In this seminar we will talk about... you guessed it!
The real ways to make your wedding memorable.
There are many myths and misconceptions regarding what you do and do not need to make your day perfect.
Come learn what to focus on and what to "just let go!"
We will have a few select vendors on hand to answer any questions that you may have.
There will be door prizes and one lucky couple will win a $500 gift certificate to Chantoosie Events!
The seminar is free
Reserve your space today by e-mailing Nikol at nikol@chantoosie.com