Just Keep Pinning...Just Keep Pinning!

Are you a part of the Pinterest craze? If you aren't and you are a bride-to-be, you should be!! Pinterest (a social media virtual pin board) is the PERFECT tool for a bride to get amazing ideas for her big day...and SHOW her ideas to her planner! What an amazing way to develop and communicate your vision!

Check out the Charleston Celebrations Pinterest page to see what WE like! Just search for Melissa Lunsford and look for our logo!

As always, happy planning, AND happy PINNING!

~The Charleston Celebrations Team

It's All in the Details!

This past weekend was full of weddings! Our two brides had some really cute details incorporated into their wedding that really made it their own.

Heather and Beau got married Friday evening at Founder's Hall with a movie-themed wedding. Their fun detail was a game for the guests to play to find their seats. Placed at each table was a movie title, and on the name cards for guests, were quotes from one of the movies. There were two quotes per movie so everyone at the table didn't have the same. It was a little difficult for guests who hadn't seen their movie, but luckily we had a cheat sheet!! Going along with the movie theme, we wrapped one of the three cylinders in each centerpiece with real movie film, and they gave out popcorn for favors! What a fun wedding this was!

The wedding on Saturday was at the Lighthouse on the Creek, and Marc and Sarah had a lovely Charleston-themed reception. For their table names, we found post cards representing historical Charleston landmarks like Rainbow Row, Middleton Place, and the Morris Island Lighthouse. They also had a single barstool on the patio. On the barstool was a sign "Ed's Chair" for Marc's father. There were strict instructions that it was only for Ed, and it was to stay on the patio, because they knew that Ed would want to be outside by the view of the creek, taking in the sweet Charleston air.

Remember to add your own personal touches to make it YOUR celebration!

Happy Planning!

~The Charleston Celebrations Team

Bride VS Metabolism

I was chatting the other day with my personal trainer, Ryan Thiele, about how we can jointly educate brides who have fitness questions, as I know many brides of mine have been frustrated as they try to look their best on their big day.  Ryan has agreed to be a Charleston Celebrations guest blogger, and we are SO excited that we have his wonderful expertise and knowledge to tap into!   Please see below for Ryan's credentials and contact info, and stay tuned for more great blogs!  As always, Happy Planning...and Happy Training too!   ~Melissa

The Metabolic Rate...What You Don't Know

by Ryan Thiele

So this weekend I was in the gym and saw another group of overweight people just ripping it up on the treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals. I HATE THIS!!!! So obviously the majority of you are already puzzled…Cardio training is great for blood flow, heart health, and endurance…but I promise you, as sure as I am sitting here typing this that you will never see tremendous results from this. This is so for a few reasons…


1.)  My guess is you have been doing cardio for a long time, and consider yourself to have great endurance but you don’t know why you can’t get a flat stomach or six-pack that you want so badly. The answer is your body has already adapted long ago to your cardio routines that you put so much effort into; you haven’t changed your workout- so your body isn’t going to change. If you want results from just cardio, you might as well make it 3x harder than the last time you did cardio, so I’m guessing by doing the math in your head, tomorrow you’d have to run a triathlon to keep seeing results…


2.)  The next reason is that since there is no resistance to other muscles and no new resistance to the same muscles that you have been training, nothing will ever grow…


3.)  Which leads me to my introduction of the all-important metabolic rate… You’re not creating any new muscle because you haven’t changed your workouts to provide muscle confusion (the basis of muscle growth) your body will never be forced to change for the better. Improving your METABOLIC RATE (the rate at which your body burns calories during normal daily routines based on the amount of lean muscle mass one carries) is the only way you’re going to break through that stubborn plateau…SO GET OFF THE TREADMILL AND START BUILDING MUSCLE!!!!

After playing Baseball and Golf at the Division I level in college and working with the Texas Rangers professional baseball team, Ryan has learned from and acquired knowledge from the some of the best trainers in the world today. In addition, Ryan is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS Certified) and is AFPA certified.  You can contact Ryan at nextlevelfitness1127@gmail.com.

Charleston Celebrations on The Wedding Row ~ Sarah and Mark

Check it out, we're on The Wedding Row again!

Click here to see the article on The Wedding Row!

We blogged about this one back in June (scroll down for more details)!  Sarah and Mark got married at The Sandcastle on Kiawah Island.  This one was fun and unique!  The bride wanted to use peacock feathers, shades of teals and limes, but she was afraid of it being too bright.  With our guidance, this is how it all turned out.  We think it was really stunning and fun (just like Sarah!), don't you?  And we were so excited have the amazing duo of Amelia + Dan Photography capture the day!

Enjoy, and happy planning!

Fun With Table Names

Yes, I'm sure we can all agree that the task of deciding who will sit next to whom at your reception is a daunting one. But choosing how to "name" your tables doesn't have to be!

The most important thing, is to have FUN with it and make it a reflection of you! Choose a theme that means something to the two of you, like places that you've traveled together, your favorite movies, or numbers that are significant to your relationship (the date you got engaged, your address, etc). And if you get stuck (probably because you need so many different names to accommodate your number of tables), you can always do what Travis and Katie did for their September 2011 wedding!

Travis and Katie live outside Chicago, so Charleston was a destination wedding site for them. They loved the water, and The Charleston Yacht Club was the perfect setting for this Labor Day Weekend Wedding. And since the wedding was to be at the Yacht Club, Travis and Katie decided to name their tables using nautical terms. Brilliant!

Since Charleston Celebrations was handling the printing for the table names and place cards, I loved the idea of the nautical terms, but I was afraid that guests wouldn't know what terms like "bosun" and "bollard" meant! So I asked Travis and Katie if they wanted me to put the definitions on the table cards also! At the reception, the guests really loved searching for their table and learning about the nautical terms too! I even named Travis and Katie's sweetheart table "hitch", since it's a type of knot!

Remember, it's YOUR wedding, so remember to have elements that are a reflection of you!

As always, happy planning!

~Melissa

Charleston Celebrations on The Wedding Row

Charleston Celebrations has been published!  Check out Ashley and Robert's BEAUTIFUL wedding this past April at Founder's Hall.  Ashley and Robert were SO AMAZING to work with, and we are certainly honored to have one of our events featured on The Wedding Row!

Ashley and Robert on The Wedding Row

Just the Two of Us ~ Elopement Ceremonies in Charleston

Did you know that Charleston Celebrations performs elopement ceremonies too?  We recently rolled out our "Just the Two of Us" elopement package, and Christy and Wade--our newest newlyweds--did just that yesterday!  We make eloping in Charleston super easy, especially since there is only a 24-hour waiting period for your South Carolina marriage license!

Talk about full service...that's me, Melissa, officiating Christy and Wade's customized nuptuals, and I also made their bouquet and boutonniere! So if you're searching for that perfect place as for your wedding's destination, consider beautiful Charleston, and contact Charleston Celebrations to handle all of the details, from elopement to full-service planning and coordination!

(A special thanks to Kate McKinley Photography for capturing Christy and Wade's special moment!  And we LOVE that Christy's "something blue" was her dress!  Gorgeous!!)

Happy Planning, and Happy Autumn!

~Melissa