• January 2015 Archive •

There’s an adorable video of four-year-old me singing “If I Had a Little Black Box” for my friends and family. Even at a really young age, I loved performing and being in front of a crowd. I was fortunate to have a best friend growing up who enjoyed the spotlight as much as I did and the two of us devoted all of our free time to writing songs, creating routines and dominating whatever talent show we possibly could with our in-sync dance moves and blended harmonies. (Shout out to the Hudson Middle School and South Caldwell High School cheerleaders who forced us to sing “Plane of Love” repeatedly on every bus ride.)

We honestly didn’t care what anyone thought about our performances. Hence the reason we dressed up as jailbirds and performed “Jailhouse Rock” or decked ourselves in army attire and performed “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” We frequently sang at local festivals, at church and even auditioned for a reality TV singing competition on CMT when we were in our twenties. Although we only made it past the second round, I was incredibly proud of us for trying and for putting ourselves out there.

I’m a bit more critical of myself than I was back then. It’s easy to watch yourself on camera and pick apart the flaws because they’re so visible. I cringed when I showed this pre-edited video to a friend to get their opinion. I was legit sweating. Like sweating to where the armpits on my shirt were wet. I’m a professional at hiding behind my words on a blog but a video blog is different.  It’s exposing. It’s vulnerable. It’s easily subjected to ridicule and judgement. It’s challenging. And that’s the very reason I’ve decided to embark on something that pushes me outside of my comfort zone.

So here it is. The very first of many video blogs. Go easy on us. We’re newbies and still learning how this is going to work. I can’t promise perfection. We’re going to stumble over our words, make weird faces and our country twang is going to be very evident. But I can promise we’re going to give you some helpful information with a fun delivery style in order to help you plan your wedding or maybe even just plan a weeknight dinner. Every month we’ll post a new short and sweet video for your viewing pleasure or perhaps for your comedic relief. Since we’re in the midst of engagement season and lovebirds are in the beggining stages of planning their wedding and more than likely going to bridal shows, we’ve decided to center our first video around our “Top Five Tips for Attending a Bridal Show.” We filmed this video while participating in a local bridal show and sincerely hope it gives couples some tips before they embark on the wedding show frenzy. Until next time.

I wish I was brave enough to post a picture from the first bridal show I ever participated in. It’s incredibly sad. I had one little tabletop display made from left over wood at a landscaping company with only a handful of weddings to display. But at the time, it was all I could do and I was proud of it. My business and brand have gone in a completely different direction since that tiny show in 2009 and we’ve grown and matured and honestly, it’s better than I could have ever imagined.

Some things haven’t changed since that first debut. And that’s the passion to do better and be better than the year before. I want to be the most responsive person on the planet but sometimes I’m drowning in emails and running out of non-sleeping hours and I need time to detox before imploding.  I want to be the most efficient communicator and spell out all of the expectations for the process and give more information than what’s needed but sometimes I get caught up in trying to get things done and forget that the only person I’ve told is myself.  I want to be the most creative and hippest and progressive planner in the market but then there’s finances and contracts and tedious day-to-day operations that consume my time and stall my artistic juices.  I’ll never be perfect or even close to it but dang it I’m going to try.

I know what works and I know how to fail. And this year, I’m going to strive to implement the processes I know are fool-proof and skip over the ones that have caused me to crash and burn. Our plates are full. Spilling over really. Too heavy to carry alone. So we’re seeking your help. The search for the perfect Spring/Summer Intern has officially begun.

We’re looking for an intern who is highly motivated and looking to learn all about the wedding and event industry. We need help with the boring stuff like excel spreadsheets and budgets out the ying yang. We need help with the hip stuff like posting to Pinterest and creating social media initiatives. And we need help with the real stuff like working alongside us at weddings and events.

Don’t get it twisted. It’s definitely exciting to work a wedding but it’s not all fun and games. You have to be cool with working 14-hour days, taking 20,000 steps, climbing on ladders, babysitting the flower girl and figuring out how to apply icing to a 3-tier wedding cake that has toppled over onto the floor. We want someone who wants to learn and who is accepting of a career that requires you to work nights, weekends and literally around the clock.

If this is you or someone you know, please send them our way. We’ll be accepting applications until January 23rd, interviewing the week of January 26th and will have someone in the office the first of February. See below for specific requirements and instructions. Bonus points if you love Sun Drop slushes.

Requirements

Must receive college credit or real-world experience as this is an unpaid position.

Miminum commitment of 4 months.

Weekly schedule is to be determined but you must be available to work weekend weddings.

Must be able to multi-task, problem solve and communicate efficiently

Must love working in a rad office space in downtown Raleigh with the cutest little Westie you’ve ever seen.

Instructions

Please send your resume along with a brief introduction to info@orangerieevents.com.
Applications are due Friday, January 23 at 5pm.

Welcome to the year 2015. My parents were right. Time flies by so much faster the older you get. It’s really unfortunate we can’t push a pause button on life. With every new year comes a sense of reflection, refreshment and revitalization. But don’t worry, I’m not going to waste my breath or your time by posting any of my resolutions. I am, however, making some impressive progress with my 30 Things to Do for 30. Like seeing Billy Joel in concert. The real Billy Joel playing his real piano in New York City at Christmas. It sounds too good to be true and in all honesty, it was almost exactly that.

My cousin and I took a really quick trip to New York City before the holidays for the sole purpose of seeing Billy Joel in concert. It didn’t frighten me that we were in the cab on the way to our hotel and didn’t yet have tickets to the show because I almost feel like scouting out the best ticket deals on StubHub and online is my second profession. During the 45 minute drive, I found an individual on Craigslist selling the exact tickets I wanted for significantly less than what I had been able to find. Now I know that immediately sounds sketchy and trust me, I had my reservations. So I stalked the guy. Before I sent the money via PayPal, I knew when this guy graduated college, where he worked and his favorite TV shows. If he tried to scam me, I was going to hunt him down Catfish-style.

It wasn’t a scam. Within minutes, I had legitimate tickets on my phone and excitement in my bones. Our hotel was right across from Madison Square Garden so the night of the show, we got all dolled up and headed to the bar next door for a quick pre-concert adult beverage. The show started at 8pm so at 7:40pm, we left the bar and started the exhausting process of getting through the two security lines to enter the venue. I know this totally sounds like a police report but details are extremely crucial in order for you to fully appreciate this story.  After searching our purses and then scanning our bodies for metal, we made it into the arena. And then we enjoyed a blissful night of listening to all of our favorite Billy Joel songs. The end.

Just kidding. This story wouldn’t be good if I didn’t pull a total Priscilla. After passing through the second security line, I retrieved the tickets on my phone to prepare for the final leg of the entrance process. It was in that very moment, at 7:55pm that I realized the tickets I had purchased for Billy Joel were for 2/18 and not 12/18. Are you comprehending that? I flew to New York at the busiest time of year to see one of my favorite artists only to realize five minutes before the show that I had bought tickets for the wrong month.

Cut me a little slack. I was only one (very important) number off and in my excitement must have totally overlooked the date. So at 7:58pm and in a matter of one minute, I got on StubHub and bought the first set of tickets I could find. The new and correctly dated tickets were on my mobile by 8pm which is the exact moment StubHub closes all sales. After a mild panic attack, we were finally in the last line and had the correct tickets only to be told by the attendant that for that particular show they wouldn’t accept mobile tickets and that we would need to have ours printed.

I would now like for you to picture the two of us running out of Madison Square Garden, into the crowd of people trying to get in, across the street, into a wrong locked building where the security officer thought we were crazy, back across the street, into the right hotel, searching aimlessly for the business center, finding the business center and having to enter a card into a machine to get a card to then enter into a computer in order to use the internet. And might I add, all of this while wearing 3-inch heels and the most fabulous glitter jumpsuit you’ve ever seen.

After going through the entire security process again, we grabbed a drink for each hand and planted our sweaty butts in our seats before the opening act finished. And for the following two hours, I watched an idol and reminisced about the impact Billy Joel had on my life at such an influential time. Such an impact that my love for his music will outlast the very reason I listened in the first place.

Was it the most amazing show I’ve ever seen? No. Was it one of the most memorable concert experiences? By far. Am I a total blonde? Absolutely. In the words of the Piano Man himself, “And so it goes.”

In case you’re a Billy Joel fanatic like me, there’s presently an amazing set of tickets on StubHub for his February 18th show in New York City. Not to be confused with his December 18th show. And just as a selling point, hearing him sing “New York State of Mind” while in New York is pretty surreal.

1. See Billy Joel in concert.
2. Visit a theme park I’ve never been to.
3. See Garth Brooks in concert. Garth’s concert ranks as one of my all-time favorite shows. It could have something to do with the fact that the drummer gave me both drumsticks at the end of the show. 
   
4. Go to a hookah lounge. 
   
5. Step out of my comfort zone for an experience.
6. Take piano lessons.
7. Go camping.
8. Pay off my credit card.
9. Take pole dancing classes.
10. Volunteer.
11. Start a journal.
12. Indulge in an unusual spa service.
13. Go fishing.
14. Own a Louis. Happy Birthday to me! By far, the best present Chase has ever given me. (Runner up was the three oil change coupons he gave me one year.) 
15. Go have an eye exam. 
    
16. Attend an aerial class. I’ve never been so sore from a class. It was incredibly fun and one I’ll definitely want to go to again. In Raleigh? Give Cirque de Vol a try!
17. Send my grandmother flowers unexpectedly. 
    
18. Go to church.
19. Get in crazy good shape.
20. Go to hot yoga.
21. Write a letter to myself to open in ten years.
22. Plan a fun trip with my close friends. 
    
23. Pay a stranger’s restaurant bill.
24. Go skinny dipping.
25. Swim with dolphins.
26. Transfer old home movies from VHS to DVD.
27. Host a dinner party.
28. Ride a train. 
    
29. Create a family recipe book.
30. Dance in the rain.