The Speedway Club is a venue that is becoming quite popular for wedding receptions.

Located in Lowe’s Motor Speedway, I did not know what to expect when visiting this venue. Would there be beer stands and tshirts for sale? Would there be gas and oil cans strewn about? Well, the club was not at all what I expected.

Mainly for receptions, the Speedway club is two full levels of lavishly decorated space that can rival most upscale hotel or resort ballrooms. A huge stairwell with crystal chandelier acts as the centerpiece of the reception. Surrounding the Ballroom are floor to ceiling windows that give you and your guests a sky view look at Concord.

Ample room is provided for several hundred guests and the food offered buffet style is very good. The dance floor typically is adjacent to the space given for the DJ. Be sure your DJ comes with lights of his/her own, as the floor is lit by plain flat lighting.

One thing I did notice was the artwork on the walls. Paintings and drawings of race cars and race car drivers. This may be fine for a wedding reception filled with race fans, and I imagine only race fans would book a reception at the speedway, but if not you may want to look into options for changing the wall decor.

The Speedway Club Sales Department

704-455-3240

clubsales@lowesmotorspeedway.com.

Pack your bags, grab your photographer and stylist and take-off to your favorite city to shoot your bridal portrait session!  These days most local photographers are ready for fresh, new locations - especially when that city is reflective of you!  Whether it’s a quick day trip to Charleston or hoppin’ a plane to NYC (see a recent Charlotte bride example below), it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you won’t want to pass on!

Keep the logistics simple.  You’ll need a protective bag for your dress, one hotel room for hair/make-up (oh, and make sure it’s a cool hotel in the event of inclimate weather) and last but not least…some pizazz for that camera!

What are you waiting for?  Call you photographer now and get those tickets booked! 

Kristin Vining is a respected Charlotte Wedding Photographer and Crazy Fancy contributer.

Tucked away in Belmont, NC is one of the mosy popular wedding venues in the Carolinas. The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is the ideal choice for any bride who is looking for plenty of color in their outdoor wedding.

Bridal preparation typically takes place in a designated room adjacent to the garden office area. The room is large enough for a brides maid or two, but not much more than that.

Ceremonies can take place in a few different places in the garden. There is a large green lawn area and a smaller area that overlooks the fountains and main walk of the garden with stone walking path. Seating in the smaller area can accomodate roughly 100 people comfortably, give or take. The larger area can accomodate several hundred.

The garden offers many photo opportunities for the bride and groom which includes fountains and arbors, not to mention a large variety of colors from the blossoms available spring to fall.

Receptions take place in the banquet room. The dance floor is typically found in the middle of the room, with dinner tables surrounding it. A large screen and projector is available for any custom movies or slide shows you may want to show during the dinner or cocktail hour. Large windows surround this room, giving a great feel for cocktail hour or dinner if you can catch it just before sunset.

Word to the wise: Plan ahead. This venue books up fast.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

6500 South New Hope Road, Belmont, NC 28012

P: (704) 825-4490 | F: (704) 829-1240

The Peninsula Yacht Club, located on Lake Norman, is a popular choice for anyone who enjoys the lake and even sailing. The backdrop of the venue features a large boat dock filled with motor boats and sail boats.

Ceremonies take place in a grassy area next to the lake, with pine trees and a boardwalk surrounding it. There is enough room for a couple hundred guests comfortably. A nice option is that the bride typically waits in the club house until her march down the isle. When she exits the clubhouse, she is on the upper level and walks down a staircase to meet her escort. This makes a great picture.

The reception typically takes place mainly outside undeneath a large tent. A parquet floor is provided for dancing. Cake cutting varies from underneath the tent to inside the food preparation area where plenty of windows are available both for light and allow the cutting to be viewed from all angles.

Contact info:

Clubhouse: (704) 892-9858
Fax: (704) 892-0961
Ship Store (704) 895-8868 or (704) 895-8217
Email: membership@peninsulayacht.com

Address: 18501 Harbor Light Blvd
Cornelius, NC 28031

Jacob was born in Front Royal, VA and moved to Huntersville, NC when he was 11 years old. He graduated college from North Carolina State University and is now an Electrical Engineer. Alice grew up in Concord, NC. She graduated college from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and is now a Recruiter. Jacob and Alice both reside in the beautiful town of Greenville, SC. Together, we have two wonderful scottish terriers, Berkeley and Mckenzie.

How we met:

Well…it is kind of hard to explain how we met in one small paragraph, because if you ask our friends it was months in the making. Alice’s friend/bridesmaid and Jacob’s friend/groomsman who also happen to be married thought we would make a great couple and tried for months to get us to meet each other. All of their hard work finally paid off and we are very greatful that they never gave up! We went out and immediantly hit it off. Alice was living in Charlotte and Jacob in Greenville. After a few months a long distance, Alice decided to move to Greenville, SC and it was the best decision she has ever made!

Engagement:

It was right around my birthday in May and for my birthday present Jacob gave me a spa treatment at a spa in Wilmington, NC. He also booked a night at a Bed and Breakfast in downtown Wilmington, it was very romantic. It was memorial day weekend. So friday night we drive down to wilmington and the B&B was wonderful. Saturday morning we wake up, eat breakfast, and we have some extra time before my “spa treatment” so Jacob asks if we want to go to the beach. I am like suuure. So we drive out to Figure Eight, where my grandparents have a beach house and I grew up going to the beach, it is one of my favorite places in the world to be. We start walking on the beach and he waits for the perfect time, turns in front of me and I lost it before he even started talking. He then got down on one knee and proposed. It was perfect. We spent the rest of the weekend traveling and visiting family and friends. Turns out the spa treatment was just a lure to get me to the beach. I told him I would take him over the spa anyday.
How we envision our wedding…

We want our wedding day to be everything we have ever imagined. I keep making a list of ideas and details to make sure the small things do not get over looked. We want the room to be filled with our family and best friends. People who have meant something to us and have made us who we are today. We want everyone to see the love that we have for each other and this is our big day to shout it out loud how happy we are.  We want people to have lots of fun and to dance the night away. I am trying to make it as unique as possible, but still keep old traditions.

The Ranson House is a wedding venue in Huntersville, NC suitable for small weddings. The house itself is fantastic with a large white porch with rocking chairs. Inside the house are large rooms for dining and mingling.

Ceremonies at the Ranson House are typically done on the front lawn facing the house. In case of rain, the ceremony can be moved inside or onto the porch, or a tent can be utlizized. The only issue with the ceremony location is its proximity to highway 115. Brides would be well advised to have their ceremony later in the evening to minimize traffic noise.

Receptions at the Ranson House take place both inside the house and under a large tent behind the house. The back yard has one of the oldest oak trees in the area, it is absolutely enormous. Again, with outdoor receptions, be sure to hang paper lanterns or other ambient light sources.

The Ranson House
412 S. Old Statesville Road
Huntersville, NC 28078

704-948-4445

info@theransonhouse.com

River Run Country Club, located in Davidson, NC, is a popular choice for brides living from North Charlotte all the way to Mooresville. Hidden away in a huge neighborhood, it offers a large green area for ceremonies, and a banquet room for receptions.

Bridal Preparation is usually done in the ladies locker room, as it is a golf resort. There is plenty of room for the largest of wedding parties. No worries there. Lighting is adequate and mirrors are plentiful. Seating is available for mothers and grandmothers while the bride prepares.

The ceremony area is adjacent to the country club. It is large enough for almost any sized wedding and offers a nice view of the golf course and pond with wooden bridge. A tent can be used as a contigency in case of rain.

The banquet room is very nice with a wooden ceiling and a large fireplace. A dance floor is typically placed in the center, adjacent to the DJ/Band area. Cake cutting is typically done in front of the fireplace and is an excellent photo opportunity. The room is very dark once the sun goes down, which is great for dancing, but make sure your photographer is capable in shooting such low light conditions.

River Run Country Club Wedding

He proposed, you said yes, now what?  I’m sure that question has run or is still running through many of your heads.  The best advice I have to is relax and have fun.  If you don’t have fun planning your wedding you’re going to get stressed and that’s not good for you, your relationship or any others helping you plan this special day.

I started planning by finding a handy-dandy monthly checklist leading up to the big day.  It can be found at http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/gallery/0,21863,1705005,00.html (click on the 16-month wedding planning calendar PDF) - it was a lifesaver.  This helped me figure out my top priorities.  I was also told to do ’nail down’ the following in this order: Venue for ceremony and reception, photographer, caterer, and florist, and members of the wedding party. I did just that.

Dustin and I knew that we were going to have the ceremony at the church I’ve grown up in and now he is also a part of this church; this was the easiest decision we had to make.  The church was open for any date we wanted.  We had orginally planned a fall wedding in October 2009, but my father quickly turned that down and said that he could not live with two women - my mother and myself- planning a wedding for a year and a half.  So, with that being said, we moved the date to February 7, 2008.  One thing we learned was that in wedding off-season venues, flowers, caterers are cheaper because they need your business.

We had it narrowed down to the Magnolia Room ( http://www.magnoliaroom.com/) and the Palmetto Room (http://www.palmettoroom.com/), both in Rock Hill, SC.   I loved the Magnolia room - it is a large open room seating about 300 people.  Grand chandeliers line the ceilings, a permanent dance floor located in the center of the room, and a beautiful mahogany bar were just a few of the things I fell in love with.  The Palmetto Room is a brand new facility located in downtown Rock Hill.  I was not as pleased with this space.  The walls are a light sea-green color which could possibly clash with a color scheme.  The main draw-back were the 4 columns that ran directly down the middle of the space and split the room.  With that being said, we chose the Magnolia Room and are thrilled!

After choosing the church and the reception venue, we began looking at photographers.  I had pulled a few names and Dustin had a few names.  We spent several weeks browsing their websites and figuring out what we liked and disliked about each.  We wanted a photographer that would capture the moment without the ‘moment’ having to be posed.  We narrowed it down to Fort Mill Photography and Jeremy Igo. FMP ’s photographs were good, but most seemed to be very posed.  With them you got two photographers, 500 or so proofs, all for a decent price, but it just wasn’t what we wanted.  We found exactly what we wanted with Jeremy Igo.  He is able to capture the moment is every single picture.  We met him at his studio, looked through several storybooks and hired him for our special day as well as for my bridal portraits.  (http://www.jeremyigo.com/blog/)

As for flowers, I had a reccomendation from a friend to check out the Flower Diva located in downtown Pineville.  I knew what color palette I wanted to use and knew I wanted roses and calla lilies.  My mom and I met Carrie at the shop and I loved every minute of it.  Carrie is spunky as spunky gets.  I told her what I wanted and that I wanted something a little different that people might not have seen yet.  She ran with my colors and ideas and came up with something wonderful.  She showed me an example of one of my centerpieces and a bouquet - I loved it!  (http://theflowerdiva.com/index.shtml)

As for our wedding party, I knew that I wanted my best friend since middle school to be my maid of honor, and three of my other girl friends to also share in this day.  Dustin asked his brother to be his best man and three of his closest friends to be his groomesmen.  This was a tough decision for both of us.  We didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by not asking them to be a part of the ceremony, but knew that we did not want a huge wedding party.

This is just the beginning.  Next comes invitations, my dress, bridesmaid dresses, and the smaller details.  Check back soon for more!

I was just reading an interesting conversation about children at weddings on our bridal message board. Its a subject that I think is not discussed much, but a very interesting and important one. I have seen weddings in both extremes. Last year I worked a wedding where the DJ was geared towards the 30 kids or so at the reception. He wore funny hats and wigs and even walked around the dance floor wearing huge rubber feet.

I have also worked plenty of weddings where children were no where to be found. Children do have a way of injecting unexpected moments into a wedding day.  It is up to each bride to decide ifthose moments are a distraction or a moment of levity.

Feel free to register on the message board and sound off on your opinion!

Children at Wedding

Photo courtesy of Jeremy Igo

The Anne Springs Close Greenway Dairy Barn is one of the most popular wedding venues in the Fort Mill / Rock Hill area.  It features a large converted barn that is suitable for rustic weddings with southern charm.

Ceremonies often take place in the loft of the barn, which has solid wood floors and wood rafters. Even though the area is lit by large windows on opposite ends, the loft remains very dark. Make sure you retain a photographer that has either worked the venue previously or have previewed the venue before your wedding day.

The food service area is a beneath the loft and is also where the cake cuttings are usually done. The bad news here is that the lighting in this area has a green hue. Again, make sure your photographer knows this, there are ways around it it as far as photography goes. The cake cutting is usually done in this area as well.

The dancing and mingling takes place in a large white room with high ceilings and windows. This is a great area for small to medium sized receptions (up to 200 guests). There is ample room for mingling and dancing. Some of the most energetic and exciting receptions I have seen took place in this room.

Surrounding the dairy barn are many photo opportunites including trees, white fences that span long distances, and a log cabin just a short walk from the main building.

Wedding Band shopping is an often overlooked aspect of the wedding preparation, but one of the most important ones! Gold or Platinum? Pricing? How can you be sure you are getting the most for your money and where in Charlotte are the most reputable places to buy?

All good question, but we want to hear from you! Please comment below on these questions!

Want something completely different for your wedding?

The Carrigan Farms Rock Quarry is about as different as you can get in the Charlotte area. Located in Mooresville, NC it is a venue tucked away behind the Carrigan Farms peach orchard.

Bridal Prep is done in a small wood cabin that is dripping with character. There isn’t a alot of room in there, maybe for 4 people, but the old worn wood and antique stove make great photo opportunities. Surrounding the cabin are many outdoor possibilities for photos including a wheat field and small natural pond.

The wedding ceremony takes place on the edge of the water filled rock quarry. It is the only actually blue lake you will find in the area, as the bottom is stone and not red clay. The ceremony area is large enough for small to medium weddings. Your guests will view your ceremomy with an amazing backdrop of stone and water.

The wedding reception area takes place under a large wooden covering and additional tables set to the side of it underneath a large tree. There is ample room for a live band or DJ under the covering, with a concrete floor for dancing. After dark, there is not much light offered. Brides would be well advised to plan for this. I recommend hanging paper lanterns on the shelter and even the trees.

All in all if you are an earthy couple looking to enjoy your wedding day with mother nature, you can’t go wrong here.

For those who don’t know what an “After Session” is. These are romantic portraits taken of the bride and groom in their wedding attire, and it can occur within the first year of marriage (sometimes even the day after the event). The portraits can be taken anywhere you want- at your honeymoon location, your engagement location, or just a fun place you want to go. Over the last year this has become a popular trend. In an after session, the couple and photographer don’t have the time constraints associated with a typical wedding day, so the couples are more relaxed and look more natural in their photographs. The dress has already been worn and is a little dirty, so there are no worries about getting it even dirtier. The groom does not have to rent a tux, he can wear a suit. The after session only takes one or two hours, but the memories will last forever. Because of the relaxed atmosphere of the photo shoot, these photographs capture the deep love and connection the couple has for each other.

Sophia + Peter’s After Session by Indigo Photography

We photographed Sophia and Peter’s engagement session in Chicago so we wanted the “after session” to be just as cool…we didn’t make it past the airport this time but the photos turned out rocking hot! Thanks Sophia and Peter for being such an amazing couple to photograph!

Critsey Rowe is an accomplished Wedding Photographer based in Charlotte, NC.

Are you scheduling your wedding day down to the minute? If so, you are probably a project manager or have a like minded way of thinking.

Your day’s schedule may look great on paper, but trust me when I tell you, it will not go as exactly as planned. On your wedding day there are an average of 20 people working to put it all together. From makeup artists to DJ’s, they are all working independently for a common cause, YOU.

A few weekends ago a bride brought with her a precise timeline of events down to the minute of things that were going to happen. During our prewedding gameplanning consultation, I warned her that the schedule, while a good general outline of the day, would most likely not go as scheduled down to the minute. I told her not to stress about it, it is part of every wedding and to just enjoy her day.  She assured me that she had it completely under control and the timeline would be followed.

I arrived at her house on the wedding day, on time and ready to work. No answer at the door. A quick phone call confirmed the makeup session took 20 minutes longer than planned, and that hey were on the way. We had a nice laugh about it when she arrived.

Moral of the story? Do plan your day. Do not plan your day with no room for deviation. You will be putting more stress on yourself than you need. Instead give a general timeline of events with 30 minutes wiggle room. You will feel much better.

Chris “Chub” May is a guy you should definitely check out if you want to have an exciting reception with plenty of dancing and craziness going on. Chub is very entertaining to listen too, and has a knack for getting everyone going on the dance floor. I have witnessed two of his receptions, and both left all the guests exhausted at the end of the night with huge smiles on their faces.

Chub offers a variety of dance floor lighting and years of experience working local venues. He can accomodate both indoor and outdoor events in addition to a wide variety of musical tastes.

Highly Recommended! Here is his contact info….

Chris “Chub” May

336-263-2842