Trust the Creative Process: A Tale of Hollywood Meets Not-So Hollywood

All professionals have notable milestones in their careers. For surgeons, it may be the first time they perform a surgery as lead; for pilots – the first flight alone and for firemen the first time they make a rescue. Often for wedding planners, it’s the first time we begin to work with clients other than family and friends. While Tempest Bleu reached this exciting milestone years ago, there’s still the thrill of building a relationship with a new couple that neither Venetia nor I know at all. Add to that the milestone of working outside of the city you’re headquartered in and it makes for an exciting time.

In late March, we had the opportunity to assist May Lugemwa and Kenneth McKether in planning their Birmingham wedding. You may think, an Atlanta based company planning a Birmingham wedding – where’s the adventure in that? Here’s the catch. The couple resides in LA, the sister of the bride in New Jersey and both the bride and groom’s family were located all over the US. Needless to say this kept us busy. Yet, we had a blast coordinating all of these parties from our headquarters in Atlanta.

Our first wedding in Birmingham proved to be as interesting and enjoyable as the Lugemwa and McKether families. Using “Hollywood Glam” elements (both the bride and groom work in Hollywood) proved to be as exciting as it sounds. From an actual red carpet with paparazzi (wedding guests) and a life-sized cut out of the bride and groom for photos to entertainment by a former American Idol contestant and gourmet popcorn as favors – this wedding was all things glamorous!

While everything had elements of Hollywood, the bride and groom were anything but. They were one of the most laid back couples we’ve worked with. All they wanted was an organized, stress-free and creative atmosphere. Beyond that, they trusted us and the bride’s sister, Petronella (who spent countless hours working with us to coordinate many of the pre-wedding details), to manage the myriad elements for the big day. I wanted to bottle their calm and store it in cases for distribution to future couples who may not be so serene. May and Ken are an example of how you can be madly in love, have numerous elements of creativity and surprise, supreme organization and take it all in stride. Encore May and Ken! Encore!

Check back for more wedding details and photos, including photos from the couples Kwanjula Ceremony in Uganda!