The Art of the Wedding

The Art of a Wedding and Reception in a Gallery Atlanta is filled with fantastic wedding venues, limited only by the imagination. From train depots to roof top gardens to, one of my favorites, art galleries. These spaces tend to be very contemporary without a lot of frills, what better way for a bride to stand out on that special day? Another advantage of the spaces listed, you may bring in your own caterer (with approval) and beverages.
I would like to spotlight four Atlanta galleries for this particular post. I am listing them in alphabetical order:

ALAN AVERY ART COMPANY315 East Pace Ferry Road N.E.. This gallery has been a mainstay for the Buckhead/Atlanta art community for years and offers a warm intimate feel. Although contemporary in design there is a feeling of permanence to this space I really like.
If you are looking for a space for your wedding and reception, this one might be a bit tricky, especially if your guest list exceeds 100. I say this because, you need to have someplace for guests to go while the space is transformed from wedding to reception. If you are using the space for reception only I would say 200 would work very well with residential/lounge seating, dance floor and a few tables. The Gallery does have a second floor which is great for bridal party preparations or could be used for an intimate wedding of 75 with reception held in the gallery below. It also works if guests want to get away from the full party for a moment.
You may bring in your own caterer and beverages however, the gallery does have a list of preferred caterers with a favorite being endive www.endiveatlanta.com
The free standing building has a nice parking lot in front, ideal for valet parking. There is plenty of offsite parking available as well.
For more information and to view the rental agreement visit www.alanaveryartcompany.com

KAI LIN ART you cannot beat a Peachtree Street address and this one has it. 800 Peachtree Street, Suite A Atlanta, Georgia 30308. The gallery is located just south of Midtown on the West side of Peachtree between 5th and 6th streets. This is also a smaller space, 3,700 square feet. The space could be divided easily for a small wedding and open up into the reception area to the back. There is a track in the ceiling for draping and it would behoove the venue to go ahead and provide this drape effect for clients. The layout of the gallery is square and open, great space for dancing.
I strongly suggest valet parking for this venue. There is a parking lot in the back of the building and additional parking around the side streets, This could be a problem if any events are going on in town.
For rental information contact the gallery at www.kailinart.com


MASON MURER GALLERIES
325 East Paces Ferry Road, ATL, Ga 3035
199 Armour Drive, ATL, GA 30324 I said at the beginning that I would be covering four galleries and two of them are Mason Murer. Since I have been talking small galleries let’s get the Buckhead space out of the way first. Located on East Paces Ferry, it is a neighbor of Alan Avery Art Company. This space opens full out onto East Paces with plate glass windows running the length of the space. While very bright it could have a bit of a fish tank effect for an intimate wedding. The space drops down by three levels which is kind of neat because you do have the ability to overlook the party from the upper level.
This is a fine space for a wedding of 100 to 150 guests
Parking is available at the site and around the neighborhood. I still prefer Valet for this venue.
Now to the Big Daddy
Mason Murer at Armour Drive is the space for a great big wedding and fantastic BIG reception! With an abundance of square footage it offers many different ways to set up a wedding and a reception for with seamless flow from one to the other. The staff is experienced with large events and is very accommodating. High ceilings provide for excellent lighting and rigging points for décor and there is ample space for catering setup with easy access to loading docks.
If you are planning a big contemporary wedding and reception, this is the place.
For more information on both Mason Murer locations: www.masonmurer.com

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for more information on J Patrick Designs visit www.jpatickdesigns.com

Behind the Floral Curtain

The design and execution of Wedding Floral is an art

    Yes, anyone can take a bunch of flowers and tie them together as a bouquet, with varying results!

To gather flowers of different types and temperaments requires knowledge and training.  Some flowers, like Alstroemeria and Lilies, need light and warmth several days before they go into bouquets and centerpieces; while others, like Hydrangea, are kept cool and away from sunlight until the very last minute. 

Certain roses are known for their tight, bud-like characteristics while others have the capability of opening into big “fat” blooms.

Flowers from the wholesaler come in groups sometimes by the dozens, by the tens and by fives and even by the single bloom. 

For instance; if you only want to use three roses in your bouquet, the designer has to buy a bunch consisting of two dozen.  If they cannot use your color for something else on which they are currently working you will have to pay the price for the whole bunch.  Of course a good designer is going to encourage you to use those roses elsewhere in the full design of your event.

Other flowers need special treatment and preparation…Lisianthus, for instance, has a very delicate stem and so, they must be wired to go into a bouquet and stephanotis require special stems that come only from the wholesaler.

As a designer I, of course, want to know your wedding colors but, please don’t expect your floral to be exactly the color of the Bridesmaids dresses.  Mother Nature does not consult with the latest fabric colors when creating her color palette.

You may be looking for a special container in glass or other material for you wedding and you do have the choice of buying all of these yourself but then you have the added responsibility of getting them to the designer and picking them up after your ceremony not to mention, what are you going to do with fifteen 22” tall vases after the ceremony.

                One last thing to consider when hiring a floral designer;  they have office and warehouse space, salaries and insurance to pay and all of this must be factored in to the pricing that guarantees you a beautiful wedding and memories to cherish for a lifetime. 

Home depot

This company is in serious need of an overhaul in the way they run the tool rental department!  45 minutes to rent a pressure washer and 20 minutes to return it.  Seems they could give you anumber and page you.  Would be great for the store wth customers having an hour and ten minutes to shop.

This is a test of my mobile blog app

Great New Product

AT LAST! for years we have been promiosed a siran wrap that would actually STICK. GLAD Press'nSeal is the product. if you, like I have seen the ads and dismissed them take heart. this stuff is GREAT! Ya know. it's the little things in life.

Easy Steps to a Beautifully Decorated Tree

This post may be too late for many of you to take advantage of this year but, maybe some of these tips will assist you in your tree challenge for next year.

To pick up extra holiday money, while living in New York, I got a job with a holiday decor company.  we traveled all around New York and the Burroughs installing tree displays for Macy's.  We worked in teams of four and each team member had five trees to decorate every day.  These tips will allow you to work your magic in no time with professional results.

LIGHTING

Break your tree into three sections and light the tree one third at a time starting at the top and working your way down.  This saves walking around in circles getting the tree lit and should you have a strand of lights burn out during the season it is much easier to replace with this configuration.

How Many Lights Do I Need?

If you are lighting just the outside of the tree I suggest at least 35 lights per foot of tree. To deep light a tree, lighting the branches all the way into the trunk, you will need 70 to 100 lights per foot of tree.  the extension cord for your lights should have multiple plugs.  Two years ago I bought a cord at Home Depot just for the tree, it has four outlets placed along the cord so you can plug your lights in in several places.  Remember, no more than three strands of 100 lights linked together.  some of the lighting this year state no more than five, do not take the chance.

ADDING THE DECORATIONS

First, turn off the lights!  This may seem strange but, it makes it much easier to find where to put the ornaments.  You will also achieve a tree that looks very nice in the daytime when the lighting is not as effective.

I always start with the top of the tree and work my way down.  Fill the inside of the tree with inexpensive glass ornaments in a color or colors of your choice working with smaller orbs at the top and graduating to the larger orbs at the bottom. 

Now it is time to place all of the novelty and keepsake ornaments to the outside of the tree.  also, do not be afraid to bend the ornament hook around the branch so that the top of the ornment comes in contact with the tree.  not only is this a polished look, it will also secure your ornaments from falling off should the tree be brushed against or climbed by your pet cat!

Make sure your tree is easy to turn on and off.  plug your tree into a power strip with an easily accessible on, off switch.  If you really want to have some fun, pick up a table top, lamp dimmer from your local Hardware store to control the brightness of the tree. 

While you are at the store pick up plastic bins with snug fitting tops and label them for glass ornaments and others for novelties. 

Last Tip on Lights

Throw them away!  you have twisted them around branches and if you try to save them you will be twisting and tugging again.  If you shop the weekend of Thanksgiving you can get lights as low as $3.00 per box for 100 lights.  For around $30.00 you can save yourself a lot of hassle and frustration.

Merry Christmas to All

NOT GONNA DO IT NO MORE

Yes that is a double negative,  I was taught that using a double negative in a sentence canceled out so chances are that you probably will want to cancel on some part of your event contract after reading this.

 I have had it with adding tables and chairs and linens for the DJ, the photographer, the balloon artist and on and on and on.  As a designer I must add this to my contract and it comes out of my allocation for design; consequently, my client gets less floral, less lighting, less decor because they want to stay within their decor "budget".

These other industry "professionals" are signing contracts with great profit margins; it is time that they become responsible for their own gear.

Please do not come to me anymore at an event and ask "where is my table and linen?"  Put it on your contract and take it out of YOUR profit margin not my decor allocation!

while I am ranting: this is the kind of topic we should be discussing at NACE, MPI, and ISES instead of how to shake hands or take a long walk...

I more than welcome discussion on this!!!