Make It Your Own!

We all know that a wedding is the most important day in a couple's life. It should also be one of the most personal events of their lives also.

There are millions of ways to incorporate personal touches into a wedding. Personal touches aren't just making sure that your color theme is carried through everything from the bridesmaid dresses to the favors. It's adding those little things that scream "YOU!"

Using your own skills is a great way to put a personal touch on your wedding day. The centerpiece and favor to the right are from a wedding I attended last spring. The bride designed the artwork on the favor bag: two birds kissing under a heart. These love birds were tied into every part of the ceremony and reception from the save-the-date cards to the favor bags. In addition to the bird graphic, an ornamental bird cage was used to collect cards from guests on the gift table. By carrying the bird imagery throughout the wedding, the bride and groom put their own stamp on their big day.

Including a personal story is another great way to make your wedding say "you". The roses to the left are actually an example of how one couple was able to tie their history into their wedding. When the couple met, the groom wanted to bring the bride a gift on their first date. The groom taught himself how to make the origami roses seen here and took them to the bride as a gift. On their wedding day, the couple chose to share this part of their history with friends and family by making origami roses as favors. The roses are red and yellow to match the day's color scheme. In this way, the couple was able to both honor their own love story and share it with those they care for.

Remember that your wedding day is ultimately yours. It should reflect who you and your fiance's tastes and the little things that make you the couple you are.

Franklin Hotel's 2nd Annual Bridal Boutique

I went to the Franklin Hotel's 2nd Annual Bridal Boutique in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, yesterday. This was the first time I'd ever been inside the Franklin Hotel. The hotel itself is beautiful! The lobby is inviting

The expo featured some of the area's best vendors. I sampled foods from Saffron of Chapel Hill, an Indian restaurant in Chapel Hill. It was AMAZING! The flavors were astounding and really popped. I was shocked at variety flavors, spices, and just plain deliciousness of their dishes. I didn't expect so much flavor to be packed into such a small bite. Saffron offers catering for weddings and is willing to travel. If you don't use them for an event, definitely try out their restaurant. I'm sure you'll like it!

For desert I sampled cupcakes from The Chocolate Door on Franklin Street. I tried the Mayan truffle cupcake. SO delicious! The Chocolate Door can take any of their chocolate truffle flavors and turn them into cupcakes. They can also do truffles in a variety of colors to create favors for events.

The best thing about Saffron and The Chocolate Door, as well as almost all the other vendors at the Franklin Hotel Bridal Boutique? They're all local. What better way to add a personal touch to your wedding than by buying local and supporting your town?

Our First Event!

This was our first event as Natasha F. Wayne Events! It was a dance marathon fundraiser for UNC and Duke Children's Hospitals. We were hired by the Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle School SOS Club to assist with publicity, contracting, and logistics. The dance marathon took place on Friday, June 4, 2010 at The Factory in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

This was the line to get into the dance. People were waiting outside the building! Everyone was so excited!

The evening featured a laser light show during dancing.

Check out that crowd! The event drew over 500 students from the Wake County School District.

Here all the students are waiting to hear the grand total raised in 2010 ... $18,033!

To see more event pictures, visit our Facebook album.

Awesome Raleigh Venues: North Carolina Museum of History

We're still exploring Raleigh's coolest and most unique venues. This time, it's the North Carolina Museum of History.

The building itself is amazing. Built out of marble and glass, the museum looks sleek, clean, and elegant. Even the steps entering the building are impressive. Imagine yourself walking down these all decked out in a wedding gown, or your guests milling on the landing while they sip cocktails. Pretty great image, isn't it?

The museum allows the use of the lower level of the building for large seated receptions. Your guests walk up marble stairs and through giant glass doors to enter the lobby. This venue is the ultimate is elegance, making your guests feel like stars before they even get inside. The lobby opens up to reveal the staircase and seating area.

While the museum exhibits are usually closed after hours, you can arrange for your guests to have special access during your event. Right now the museum is featuring an exhibit of a 1920s Drugstore. The picture to the right is of an old fashioned drugstore counter. The photo opportunities are endless!

The North Carolina Museum of History is an awesome Raleigh venue, and a great place to spend an afternoon. The staff are very helpful and willing to share information and photos of past events. During my visit, they allowed me to view pictures of previous events as well as watch the set up for a wedding taking place that evening. The building is exquisite, modern and can accommodate large parties. The lobby can hold up to 200 people at a seated dinner or 500 at a standing reception.

Keep this venue in mind the next time you're in the market for an event space, or drop by when you're looking for something interesting to do on a Saturday afternoon.

For more information on renting the North Carolina Museum of History, visit their website.

Irish Vow of Unity

I'm researching traditional cultural vows for one of my clients, and came across this one:

We swear by peace and love to stand,
Heart to heart and hand to hand.
Hark, O Spirit, and hear us now,
Confirming this our Sacred Vow.

This is the Irish Vow of Unity (found at Irish Celtic Jewels).

I like this vow because it's beautiful but simple, saying everything that needs to be said without going overboard or being too gushy.

I wanted to share this with you all in case you're looking for something to add to your ceremony.

Awesome Raleigh Venues: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Every city is filled with amazing museums, landmarks, parks, and garden, and Raleigh is no exception. While these places are fun to visit, they are also amazing event venues. Looking for a cool place to host a company cocktail party, wedding reception, or book release party? Before resorting to a hotel conference room, check out some of the more unique area venues, starting with this museum.

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

First of all, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is really cool to visit. Just go hang out there for an afternoon; you won't be disappointed. You'll be equally impressed with this museum as an event venue.

The Museum of Natural Sciences has four levels available for rental space. The first floor is home to the museum's oceans exhibit, complete will full whale skeletons! This long, thin room offers a spectacular space for a cocktail party or buffet line. Surrounded by ocean-scapes and aquariums, guests get to interact with the exhibit while enjoying your event. The second floor features a balcony overlooking this space, creating pretty awesome photos taken through the skeletons. We took a few here during our adventure.

A short ride up the escalator opens up an entirely different world. This floor features event space in the Mountains to the Sea exhibit. Reception tables can be set up right along the border of this exhibit, overlooking an indoor waterfall. How is cool is that? Overlooking a mountain scene while eating dinner in downtown Raleigh! The second floor continues to include the Underground North Carolina exhibit. While this area isn't really designed for events, part of the exhibit forms a natural dance floor. These two areas combined create an awesome seated reception or cocktail party space.

The third floor can be summed up in one word: DINOSAURS! The exhibits are called Terror of the South and Prehistoric North Carolina. Part of this exhibit includes a tunnel through which visitors walk to see prehistoric aquatic life. While this space isn't ideal for a seated reception, this would be a great place for a standing or cocktail reception. And, if you're looking for a unique place to take photos, this would definitely be high on that list. Between the Tyrannosaurs Rex skull, Acrocanthosaurus skeleton, and aquatic tunnel, you and your guests will have a blast exploring and snapping shots on this floor of the museum.

The fourth floor of the museum features the Living Conservatory and Anthropod Zoo exhibits. The Living Conservatory features live butterflies fluttering throughout the space. Personally, I think this really awesome, and provides a beautiful natural background for photos and events. The Anthropod Zoo exhibit is filled with interactive bug themed activities, including some live bugs in cases. For the right people and personalities, this could be a truly amazing event space.

Take some time to explore the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences when planning your next event. The museum's rental spaces allow you to throw an event requiring very little decoration, as you can use the amazing exhibits already around you. An added bonus to using these spaces is that your guests will not only get to experience your event, but also the museum exhibits at the same time. For your guests, it's like two events in one!

This article is the first of many more to come. Keep checking back for more cool venues, starting in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' website for more information, or call the museum for rental pricing information.

We're Now on Facebook!

Natasha F. Wayne Events is now on Facebook! Check us out for DIY wedding ideas, venue pictures, and events in the news. Got a wedding or event question? Post it and we'll answer. Share what's worked in your wedding too!

Click here for our Facebook page!