Welcome!

I am glad you chose to visit! My blog is a compilation of the many hats I find myself wearing. On any given day I may be an encourager, an instructor, or just a lady who is venting. You, dear reader, will probably identify with my triumphs and my tribulations! These snapshots fit into my Life Scrapbook I have named A. McInnis Artworks. I hope you will find something worth your while.


Saturday, September 24, 2011

Here Comes Another Bride!

How do I catch up with all that has gone on my "little" world? I've been caught in a whirlwind of activity. Two wedding rehearsal dinners to decorate, grandchildren with us during the week, knee physical therapy, work, caring for parents, breathing, etc. I was cruising along yesterday and whamo! (What was that sound? )Oh, yes that was the sound of my car mirror (the one I tore off the car by hitting a sign a few months ago, remember?) Well, I just barely "touched" a concrete pillar in the parking garage...barely. I was trying to get close to the elevator with a car full of decorations for a rehearsal dinner (see below) and the only space was for "compacts"...well, neither my car nor I am particularly compact...so, the strategy of trying to force it into a too small space is a lot like trying to get into jeans that don't zip up well.....let's keep this little "bump" a secret, ok?

While driving to downtown Jackson yesterday to decorate for a friend's son's rehearsal dinner..(Wait! Is this a repeat of last weekend's post? No...it's not...it's another friend!) I was trying to make my destination time of arrival..3 p.m. We have a problem Houston. My car was literally packed to the roof of the car. I could see out the front windshield and my left window. Do you see a potential problem driving this way on the interstate at three-ish on Friday afternoon? I did a heap of praying every time I had to change lanes...especially the lanes to the right...all I could see was boxes of wreaths. However, I did arrive relatively intact...except for the slight collision with the concrete pillar. Another friend, Sheri, arrived at the same time, but she had sense enough to park in the right size space. When we arrived, the buffet line was being set up.

The buffet was great, guests gave sentimental toasts, and a video of the couple as they grew up was shown at the end of dinner. Of course, that had all mothers present looking in their purses for their hankies.

We had beautiful views of downtown Jackson. It was a pleasure to decorate and dine in such lovely surroundings. Two weekends in a row of lovely surroundings!

The assigned staff was great! We especially liked Amanda and these two gentlemen, who said we had the prettiest fall decorations they had seen! The one on the right even helped us load up in the deserted parking garage after un-decorating.

I promised them that they'd be internationally famous by Saturday night.

Decorating this venue was a lot like decorating a fine old home. It's big and spread out and I must have walked 15 miles between all the unloading and fluffing. My only complaint was the weird elevator setup. I never could get that figured out...thank goodness, my "helper" did. (Thanks, Sheri...you were a lifesaver. There is NO way I could have done it without you...and I sure couldn't have found my way home!)

Long view of dining room.

Of course, you know that lanterns are hot, hot, hot this season (both literally and figuratively speaking.) Around the lanterns, we used some of the prettiest autumn wreaths I have ever seen. Chapman's Florist was extremely helpful and had these shipped in just a few days. If you've never visited their shop in Pearl on Highway 80...run, don't walk to see it...their set ups for fall are the best! (Another blog for another day.)

TIP: I used tall prayer candles in glass containers for the lanterns...no messy wax to clean up and it looked very much like a glass cylinder in the middle of the lantern.

Vignette that greeted guests upon their arrival. Love that table!

Table numbers were in small matted frames and helped guide guests to their seats.

In the hallway was a long table that held pictures of the bride and groom. (May I say that I taught the sweet groom how to cook when he was in high school and he was a super nice fella! And so is his sister...and his dad...and naturally, his mom.) Also on this table was a bronze container to hold Best Wishes cards for the couple and the cute plate pictured below that all guests signed.

The statement above is my wish for all the new couples featured on my blog! Thanks for asking me to be a part of such a happy time in your life.

Join me at Beverly's Pink Saturday Party!
Eat lots of cake today,

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