Lexington, KY Wedding Planner and Event Designer - Always Planned » lexington

Choosing dresses THEY will love!

Stephanie — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 01:20:31 +0000

So you’ve found your dress; that beautiful, one of a kind, once in a lifetime dress and now you are given the task of choosing the fashion for your beautiful attendants. This can be a daunting task going into it, but never fear. If you are anything like me, dressing just one person in the morning is stressful enough for many reasons, let alone multiple people! But don’t let this overwhelm you! As a rule, we girls tend to either have too many options we love, or sometimes you just can’t find that one thing that fits just right.

The last thing you want to do is put one of your amazing friends in the position of really disliking the dress or being uncomfortable in the dress she is wearing on your special day. As the recent trends in weddings have leaned towards personal touches, vintage affairs and eclectic style, new “rules” for bridesmaids’ dresses have followed suit. Consider choosing a color, fabric and length and giving the girls the option to choose their own style that they love. Brides have even gone as far as to pick a style and a few different colors or shades and let their friends choose a hue of their liking, (perfect for an outdoor vintage setting in pale pastels maybe?). Finding a dress that could be worn outside of the wedding would be an added bonus to any friend who is contributing financially to her own dress.

This day is about you and your honey, and your girls getting to stand beside you when you say “I do” is an added bonus and a special moment you will all share forever! Making sure they look AND feel great, while creating the “attitude” you want for your wedding will ensure that they are able to relax and enjoy those special moments with you!

Happy Planning!!

New Intern Jitters? Not Necessary Here!

Stephanie — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:50:25 +0000

Hey yall!

My name is Shelby Willen, and I’m the new baby intern here at Always Planned! I’m a Sophomore at THE University of Kentucky here in Lexington, but I hail from just north of Cincinnati, Ohio. Kings Island is literally in my back yard! While I’m the youngest of the Always Planned family, I am the oldest of three children, as well as the proud owner of my dumbo-eared rat, Cayenne, and the newest addition to my apartment, Rex, my rambunctious 10 week old kitten..

Back in July, I found Always Planned and immediately fell in love with Rayna and Mallory before I even met them! I think that I may have read every page on the AP website, twice. I knew that if I wanted to gain knowledgeable experience and credibility in this field, I had to become a part of this amazing team. (:

My marvelous and talented mother is who has inspired me to really chase my dreams of becoming involved in wedding planning. She started her own graphic design firm right out of college and has been growing her business ever since. While most consider graphic design to be all about logo creation, her company is so much more than that. Together we have hosted silent auctions and galas, and even created 7′x7′ giant stuffed spiders to hang on the Kings Island sign during the Halloween season! She has given me the ambition to really pursue what I want in my life, and for that I am eternally grateful!

Being in the Always Planned studio yesterday, I started to get chills thinking about how amazing this opportunity is for me and how truly blessed I am to have been offered this position. Wedding Planning is my true passion, and to see how much effort Rayna and Mallory put into each wedding demonstrates that it is their true passion as well. Seeing this compassion, I know that my semester here at Always Planned is bound to be one of the most rewarding experiences I will have in this business, and I cannot wait to truly begin!

Outsmarting Mother Nature in Style

Stephanie — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:14:08 +0000

Favors don’t just come in the shape of a small box or cute bag at your reception; you can also incorporate a little keepsake for your guest at the ceremony for an extra special touch! The ceremony is the moment of your wedding when all eyes and ears are focused on you and your beloved and you wouldn’t want anything to distract from that. In an outdoor wedding what a better way to help “beat the heat” by providing small fans that coordinate with your décor or maybe even provide small shawls or blankets for friends and family to snuggle up in during the evening hours. A cute pair of flip flops or small painters brushes would take a beach wedding to the next level so your guests could transition from ceremony to reception sand free. Flip flops could also be used as sweet relief for those tired feet while dancing all night long! With the focus of the day on you and your honey, you would never want to have a silly thing like Mother Nature distracting from any of those special moments. Adding a cute little touch in the form of a favor could make the ceremony experience even more special and flawless for you and your guests!

So Excited to Join the Team!

Stephanie — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:30:19 +0000

Hey! My name is Stephanie Carlon and I’m so excited to be joining the Always Planned team as an intern this fall!!! I’m from right here in Lexington and I am beginning my third year at the University of Kentucky. I am studying Hospitality Management and Tourism at UK with the dream of making a career out of my love for planning and design!

Growing up, both of my parents worked in the customer service and entertainment industry and I was lucky enough to get to be the little kid running around backstage. Watching the details and passion that went into each of these amazing events, it inspired something in me. I knew from a very young age that I would love nothing more than to be able to work in this industry and help someone else to have their “Perfect Day”!

I feel so blessed that Rayna and Mallory have given me this opportunity to work with them and I can’t wait to learn so much! I’m so excited about working with such a sweet and amazing team! I can’t wait to see what is in store for me this semester and can’t wait to get to help create a beautiful experience for you all!

Real Wedding-Laura and Jake

mallory — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 06:12:26 +0000

From the moment Laura walked into our studio we fell in love with her… and then a couple weeks later we met Jake and realized she was marrying a gentleman who was just as precious as she was:-) Throughout the planning process we had a lot of fun (we even switched venues a couple of months out) and looked forward to Laura’s meetings where we knew if she was really excited or nervous about something she would be talking really, really fast:-) I’ll never forget the one day Jake stopped in by himself to book a suprise for Laura on their honeymoon and we fell in love with this couple even more.

The day of their wedding was a little rainy that morning, cleared up for pictures outside and then started sprinkling again for the send off , but it’s good luck to have rain on your wedding day and we wish them all the luck in the world! Check out the great group of vendors involved in the wedding of this special couple and the pictures taken by Amber Bridges Photography.

Venue: Carrick House

Caterer: Lundy’s

Coordinator: Always Planned

Flowers/Decor: A Perfect Posy

Photographer: Amber Bridges Photography

DJ: Complete Music

Cake: Tinkers

Hair: Top Knotch Salon

Makeup: Laura Young

Programs: Affordable Invitations

Transportation: Gold Shield

Real Wedding- Stacy and Chad

mallory — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:12:32 +0000

We got an email from Stacy a few months ago after she had become a little overwhelmed with the planning since she was living in California, but getting married here. Her sweet mother (who the whole AP team fell in love with) was helping her with a lot of it, but we came in and gave them all a little more peace of mind. The day was just as beautiful as the bride with perfect weather except for being a little warm:-) The ceremony was very traditional held at Crestwood Christian Church and from the reception followed at Keeneland where guests, family and bridal party danced the night away. Below are the vendors who made this day happen and some absolutely gorgeous pictures from Stacy and Chad’s wedding taken by the amazing SB Childs Photography.

Church: Crestwood Christian Church

Venue: Keeneland-Entertainment Center

Coordinator: Always Planned

DJ: Bluegrass Beat

Florist: Crist Creona

Photographer: SB Childs Photography

Cake: Sweet Magnolia

Transportation: Thoroughbred Limousine

Band: The Swells

Hair/Makeup: Cha Chas

For more breath taking photos please visit SB Childs Photography blog: http://sbchildsphotographyblog.com/?p=21178

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIMPLY LOVE STUDIO!!!

mallory — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:19:01 +0000

Simply Love Studio-Lexington’s only wedding and event resource studio- just celebrated their one year anniversary!!! Over the past year they have held two Venue Hops (a bridal show on wheels) and two educational series for brides known as the Bride’s Night Out Series with bigger and better things to come!!! So, if you are a bride out there who is feeling completely overwhelmed with the planning… stop by SLS and LeAnn, the Studio Manager can put your planning anxiety to ease— and it’s completely free!!!

CONGRATS Simply Love Studio!! Keep up the good work!!

Simply Love Studio is located at 128 North Broadway in downtown Lexington, KY.

Contact LeAnn, the studio manager at leann@simplylovestudio.com

First Wedding of the Season!!!

mallory — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:00:44 +0000

Always Planned completed our first wedding of the season this past weekend and I must say it was absolutely fabulous. Everything was perfect from the gorgeous bride, the radiant mother of the bride, stunning decor by Perfect Posy, smoothly ran pictures by Bella Grace Studios, on-top-of-it service from the Lexington Country Club and amazing musical performance from the Mighty Kicks. Below is the link to catch a sneak peak of the pictures. More to come on this wonderful couple and wedding once we get all the pictures in the next few weeks:-)

http://bellagraceclients.com/blog/2011/04/kristin-scott-i-lexington-ky-wedding-sneak-peek.html

Yellow Wedding Inspirational!

Rayna — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:17:42 +0000

I must admit that I adore the color yellow! While it doesn’t look totally fabulous on everyone, it comes in so many shades that you can find the perfect fit for every complexion.

As I sit in my office, with snow still on the ground and the sun slighting beaming through the clouds – I realize I love yellow even more. It is bright and cheerful, fun and sunny, happy and totally a feel good color. That being said, I have some amazing etsy.com finds to show you. I think all of these go perfectly together and would make for a totally lovely wedding.

These gorgeous invitations are a steal at $9 each and of course you can customize as well as finish your complete paper ensemble with menu cards, programs, place cards and table numbers. From Etsy.com seller JoyMerrymanPaperie

Three words – vintage, gold and bling. Yes, ladies these amazing earrings are on etsy.com by seller BeadzNBling for ONLY $18!

WOW! Would this not be totally gorgeous for a summer garden party or a ultra chic southern outdoor wedding – we do tons of those here in Kentucky!! Seller sohomode could be in the running for my all time fav etsy.com seller…. just saying. And at $120 this dress may just be in my closet very soon!

What a fabulous gown for any bride! And why not? Bride’s these days are using every color in the rainbow for their wedding gown, so yellow is the perfect choice for a happy happy day. Seller is GreenTeaVintage and seriously if I could fit into the tiny 25 inch waist, I would have to have this one too!

Brandi and Chris! April 3, 2010

Rayna — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:03:39 +0000

Hard to believe that it is almost July! Where does the time go?? We have been working some super fantastic weddings lately and I wanted to show off our first wedding of 2010.

Brandi and Chris were so much fun to work with when planning their wedding, and in the process we became friends! Here are a few pics from their photographer. A full post will be up very soon!