WOW! How in the world is it already Christmas? It seems like just yesterday we were burning up outside while moving from downtown to our new location!  The past 4-5 months have gone by so quickly and I expect the next 3 to do the exact same as we have our Bridal Benchmark Series & Venue Hop coming up.  We also have 3 new confirmed vendors for the Studio and a few more that we’re meeting with in the next few weeks.  We couldn’t be happier with how our events went this Fall and the participation of all of our vendors and are excited to carry that through 2012.  We will also be at the Bridal Show on January 15th – so you’re welcome to stop by and say hi.

I just wanted to let you know that we will be in the Studio today and tomorrow, but out the rest of the week to share the holiday season with our families, but we’ll be back in next Monday!  Be sure to let all of the ladies you know that get engaged during Christmas about the Studio! We can help them from the very beginning to the end and it’s no charge to them!!

xoxo, Sarah

As my internship comes to a close with Simply Love, I felt compelled to write a blog post about my experiences. I have certainly learned a lot about the wedding industry while helping out here, it’s not always kittens and rainbows in running a wedding resource studio. One thing I would strongly suggest to any future brides out there is not to underestimate the importance of a visit to Simply Love. I wish I had heard about it before I had started to plan my own wedding. We pride ourselves on helping the brides with their wedding day time lines, choosing vendors and most importantly achieving their vision within their budget.

I had so much fun helping prepare for the events that Simply Love Studio host for their brides and vendors. The Bridal Benchmark series was a great way for brides to learn from our vendors the important things to look for and ask about when choosing a vendor. I imagine this informative series greatly helped to relive the bride’s stress, not to mention all the fun they had with the crafts. The Venue Hop was an awesome action packed day where Gold Shield Limos and Simply Love Studios chauffeured almost 50 brides around to Lexington’s premier venues. They were able to actually see the wedding locations and reception accommodations available at each site. Something you cannot get from pictures at a bridal show booth.

While a wedding resource center is a relatively new idea it is certainly a game changer in the wedding industry. We provide all the information of several bridal shows in one convenient location, where the bride can sit comfortably and talk about her wedding day vision without feeling hassled or rushed. We provide all of these services and more free of charge to the bride, something almost unheard of in the wedding industry. I have learned a lot from my time here, to run a studio like this you almost need several degrees, it requires you to be savvy in business, negotiations, public relations, communications, marketing, and much much more.

I have had so much fun with everyone here; they are the most wonderful creative group of girls I know. I was truly honored when they asked me to comeback and help out next year as well. Working in the wedding industry certainly keeps you busy and life interesting. I’m so happy I was able to meet everyone involved with the studio; hopefully I will be able to continue my relationship with everyone even after my internship comes to a close. Thank you SLS you have given me a wonderful, educational experience.

We are excited to welcome Studio Wed Nashville, Wedding Chic Boutique, 29:11 Studio and Bridal Suite of Knoxville to our studio this evening! We are collaborating together to help each of us be even better at what we do.  We are opening with a KY themed cocktail reception this evening with food from Gourmet Goodies by Thelma.  Our menu consists of: Mini Hot Browns, Benedictine Sandwiches, Mini Derby Pies, Bourbon Balls and Thelma’s famous chicken salad in wantons.

Tomorrow we will start bright and early and walk through the studio process with brides, vendors, marketing, etc. to see what we’re all doing in different areas.  We’ll break for lunch and on the menu is Chicken Pot Pies, Salad and Caramel Delights – yum.

Now, off to work on my bartending skills to perfect the strawberry shortcake drink for tonight, of course there’s sweet tea too!!

+Sarah

Hi everyone!  I am so excited to be writing for this blog!  Planning for my wedding has become one of the most enjoyable experiences I could ever imagine!

Let me give you a little insight as to how I became a Bride….

I met Chris at Southland Christian Church.  We were both playing sand volleyball with our friends and were placed on the same team! That summer was awesome!  If I had the option to build my own future husband I would not have been able to build a better man than Chris.  Needless to say, I am so thankful for sand volleyball!

This past summer we were about to celebrate our one year anniversary together.  That Wednesday night, before our anniversary on Friday, I came home to find a surprise on my coffee table.  There was a beautiful arrangement of flowers and a wrapped up box. When I opened the box I found a note explaining that we would be leaving in the morning for a surprise trip.  Little did I know we would be flying out of the Lexington airport on our way to New York City!!  As if the surprise trip to NYC wasn’t enough, I was then surprised with an amazing dinner Friday night.  Chris brought me to North Cove Marina at the World Financial Center.  He privately chartered a 60-foot sailboat to take us out on the Hudson River that evening!  Sailing past the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the New York City skyline at sunset was an amazing sight!  After our last course of sushi the captain brought out a tray with two miso soup bowls.  Right before I was about to ask for a spoon, I opened my soup bowl to find a little wrapped up Tiffany’s box!  Chris then got down on one knee and gave me the sweetest speech I had ever heard, he asked if I would marry him and with tears of joy in my eyes I said Yes!  He had even thought to hire a photographer to stow away underneath the deck to capture the entire night!  I didn’t know he was there until Chris proposed but I am so glad I was able to show my family every detail of the proposal!  It was by far the best night of my entire life!

I have had such a supportive fiance through my wedding process already!  Let me tell ya, ladies, it really helps!  Did I mention that he also scheduled a Kleinfeld appointment for me while we were in New York City?  I know, I have a keeper!!

Once I got back to Kentucky I was in full bride-erfly mode.  (You see, everyone has that awful term for brides out there, the “bridezilla”… They don’t credit the brides who love being a bride!  So in my terminology, I was a fluttering bride-erfly, still am!) I have had the mindset of enjoying every bit of this process as I can and that’s exactly what I’m doing.  Meeting the awesome ladies of Simply Love Studio has played a big part in that! I can’t wait to begin sharing with you guys!

Posted by: Nina Mullins Photography

Yesterday we participated in Simply Love Studio’s Extreme Venue Hop. Brides, grooms, and their family and friends cruised Lexington and beyond in beautiful limousines, visiting some of the most beautiful venues around. Our very favorite, Always Planned (an amazing wedding planning firm) and ourselves were set up at the Headley-Whitney. This venue is GORgeous, and an amazing location for a wedding. We had a blast with all the people that came through.  Good luck to all the couples that came through!  Happy Planning!