The Merry Merry Month of May

Between sweet weddings, exciting graduations, and beautiful memorials, May has been another jam-packed month for us! Our staff worked hard to make each of these events a reality for our clients, and each party was better than the last. Check out a few high lights from May!

Elaine & Jason

What a fun wedding! Elaine & Jason’s casual personalities shined in every detail of their wedding, including their Cinco De Mayo themed rehearsal dinner the evening before the big day! Jason is a military man, and they had a lot of fun with their unique military traditions, like the sword arch. It was a beautiful day, and they had their ceremony in our elegant boxwood garden. They enjoyed herb encrusted chicken breast, green beans, and our famous Mac & Cheese at their wedding. Delicious! To add to the fun, their guests created ice cream sundaes at the Sundae Station (a common theme for our May weddings). We loved their perfect spring wedding!

Photos by Bone and Sol Photography

Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Graduation

There is a new class of doctors in Roanoke! On May 5, we celebrated the VTCSOM graduation at the Jefferson Center with a brunch-style menu. Graduates and their families enjoyed fresh pastries, parfaits, and fun food stations. Chefs created made-to-order omelets and waffles, as well as shrimp and grits. We even provided a salad station with fresh fruits and vegetables. Each table was covered in bold glitz linens that looked great in the Jefferson Center’s Fitzpatrick Hall. The students worked hard to complete medical school, and we were excited to be able to honor them on their graduation day!

Abigail & Steven

One thing that really stood out about Abigail & Steven was their love for ice cream! Along with their cake, they had a Sundae Station and our staff passed ice cream to their guests. They even encouraged their friends and family to feature their sundae creations in their Selfie Station! Abigail and Steven planned to get married in the Boxwood Garden, but the weather had other plans for them. Our staff was able to quickly change the plan and reset their entire ceremony under our beautiful covered veranda without missing a beat. The couple danced the night away with the people they loved most.

Photos by Kaitlyn Phipps Photography.

Kristen & Cameron

We absolutely loved the food Kristen and Cameron chose for their wedding and rehearsal dinner! Rehearsal dinner guests enjoyed breakfast for dinner, complete with chef-manned omelet and waffle stations. The wedding menu had a little bit of everything: passed hors d’oeuvres, buffet, and food stations. Guests especially loved their roast beef carving station, which really made their menu pop. Kristen had a clear vision for her big day, and we created creative centerpieces using flowers and our vintage tea cups, tea pots, and mirrors. We also designed and created the bouquets and boutonnieres for the wedding party, all 22 of them!! After the cake cutting, guests spent an hour toasting the bride and groom, making speeches, and sharing sweet words of encouragement. Although their wedding was large, the love in the room made the whole day feel cozy and intimate.

Photos by Jasmine White Photography.

Celebration of Life Event

In 2017, two sisters came to us wanting to celebrate the life of their father, who had recently passed. They chose a date in May 2018, which happened to be the week of their dad’s birthday. The sisters chose a casual heavy hors d’oeuvres menu paired with an extensive buffet of sweets! Sunnybrook was transformed with photos, people, and happy memories of their dad. We were thankful to be part of this unique celebration.

Thanks to all our brides, clients, and corporate partners who allow us to be part of their big moments!

How to Plan for Rain on your Wedding Day

You wake up the morning of your wedding, and look out the window. It’s raining. You take a deep breath and brace yourself for the next few hours full of people telling you “It’s good luck to have rain on your wedding day!” (NOT helpful, Aunt Carol). However, you are not worried about the weather! You followed these steps before hand to ensure your wedding day goes off without a hitch.

Have a Plan B before your Plan A.

Weather planning starts as soon as your venue search begins. Ask each venue about their back-up plan for inclement weather, and make sure you love it! There’s nothing worse than loving Plan A, and then feeling like you are compromising your vision for Plan B. Has your venue dealt with weather problems in the past? Ask them how they overcame the challenges. Make sure you are confident in your venue’s ability to be flexible when it comes to rain. Your peace of mind is at stake! Work with your venue and planner to create a Plan B that fits your needs. You may love Plan B so much, that it becomes your Plan A!

Coordinate your Vendors

Once you create your weather plan with your planner and venue, loop in your other vendors. Your photographer, videographer, and DJ should all be comfortable with your weather plans long before the big day. You may never even need to deploy Plan B, but coordinating your vendors ahead of time will make your wedding day run much smoother and save you a lot of stress!

Wait it Out

In many places, especially in Virginia, weather can change on a dime. On Monday, the Weather Channel app may forecast rain all day on Saturday. Resist the urge to change your whole wedding day plan right away. As hard as it is, wait the weather out for as long as possible. Discuss with your venue the “last possible moment” to make a call on executing your Plan B. Make sure you know all the vendor fees associated with last-minute changes. Because you have already coordinated your venue, planner, and other vendors, your event team should be able to seamlessly make changes in a timely manner and give you the wedding of your dreams.

When you spend a whole year planning for one day, changing plans due to weather can make you feel emotional and defeated. However, if you can be proactive by creating a weather plan that you love, you can navigate the weather in the least traumatic way possible. Rely on your venue, planner, and vendors to keep the event rolling so you can focus your attention on what matters most: marrying your true love and celebrating with the most important people in your life.