Welcome to the Alison Howard Events blog! This is my little piece of internet real estate to share with you who I am and what I do.
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Great food matters. It effects the overall aesthetic and enjoyment of your event. There is nothing better than arriving at a gorgeous event where the food is equally as pleasing to the eye and tastes phenomenal. The quality of the food at an event is just as important as the entertainment, decor, and company.
I recently wrote about my time at engage!13 here, but after seeing all the photos of the decadent fare, I decided the food of engage!13 at The Biltmore Estate needed a post of its own.
Enjoy!
I really enjoyed these! Watermelon, blue cheese, and beef. Great combo.
I could’ve eaten that bread all day. It looks really crunchy, but it was slightly buttery and soft. So good.
Pulled Pork Sliders, branded and all.
A build-your-own ice cream station. Seriously?! Adorable!
Who doesn’t like mini gourmet pop tarts?
I restrained myself from indulging in one (solely because I had already had about 16 mini pop tarts).
Yogurt with fruit and granola. I loved the little sprig of lavender in each.
I love sugar cookies and these were amazing. And cute.
Honestly, this wasn’t even all of it… Thank you again to Maura Scarmack for everything and The Biltmore Estate for the delicious food (and gorgeous presentation)! Oh, and I only gained one pound. WIN! ; -)
Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes at a wedding? In today’s video I take you all with me as we set up for Lauren and Eric’s wedding!! And let me just admit that having a reality show would definitely be more challenging that I originally thought. As always, there are a few hiccups, but nothing that we can’t handle and certainly nothing that the couple ever knew about. Enjoy Part One of this three part series and tune in next week for a behind-the-scenes-look at Lauren and Eric’s wedding ceremony (which I had the pleasure of officiating)!
Last week I was so blessed and excited to attend Engage!13, a luxury wedding business summit for wedding professionals. This was my third time attending Engage and it is easily one of the best experiences I participate in every year. Engage was held at the stunning Biltmore Estate in the mountains of North Carolina. I haven’t been so captivated by my surroundings in a very long time. The estate was the vacation home of the Vanderbilt family (I wonder what their permanent home was like if this one was just the vacation home). It was breathtaking.
Engage is all about inspiring, encouraging, and supporting wedding professionals who are and seek to be the trend-setters in the industry who provide the absolute best in client experience. Fantastic information was presented by accomplished professionals such as Colin Cowie, Mindy Weiss, and Simon T. Bailey (to name a few). In addition to the outstanding content, the attendees are treated to such a decadent experience. Everything is branded, no detail is overlooked, there are surprises at every turn. It is so incredibly awesome that I had to provide you with a little recap of my experience!
First of all, the SWAG! Upon registration every attendee receives a swag bag and the swag never disappoints! Thank you SO much to Gifts for the Good Life for the gorgeous custom goods!
I love sharing my swag with the world! Check out the video below to see all the things included in this years swag bag.
Here are a few of my favorite details and moments from the week:
Got my coffee and my water and my friends…
I could seriously do a whole post on the food alone. I was SO excited to try the mini fish tacos and mini Patron’s by the amazing Peter Callahan, especially since I did a “What’s Trending In Wedding’s” blog post on them here.
I had THE BEST roommate and that made the week that much better! I could write an entire post about God’s blessing and provision here.
Lunch was delivered by horse and carriage and we had a picnic. I love the south.
This was Day 3 and we had a little dance party.
One of the most exciting parts of Engage for me this year was being asked to host the Red Carpet Event before the Gala. The Gala is like the most gorgeous wedding reception you’ve ever been to and its the main event at Engage. This years Gala was Great Gatsby themed and it was one of the most beautiful events I’ve ever seen. I was so thrilled to participate and interview guests as they arrived.
Being the Instagramer that I am, I had to take a #selfie before the red carpet.
Check out this awesome video by I Do Films of Red Carpet and Gala highlights.
Some of my favorite Gala details by lovely friend and extraordinary event designer Karen Tran, who I have the pleasure of working with on a gorgeous wedding next month. Thank you, Karen, for the most lovely Gala!
The Gala was in a tent behind the Biltmore House itself.
This is what the entrance to the tent looked like. Amazing, huh?
To add to the complete opulence that was the Gala, Elán Artists provided the 1920′s themed entertainment which included professional dancers, burlesque dancers, fire dancers and fire blowers. AMAZING!
The night literally ended with a bang with a spectacular fireworks show.
A huge thank you to Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce of Engaging Concepts for facilitating such a top notch experience as well as The Biltmore for hosting us and having the kindest, most accommodating staff. Also, thank you to photograghers Allan Zepeda, Carla Ten Eyck, and Jeremie Barlow for all your hard work capturing Engage.
XO,
Alison
(For more specific photo credit hover your curser over each photo.)
As always, there are a few hiccups, but nothing that we can’t handle and certainly nothing that the couple ever knew about. Enjoy Part One of this three part series and tune in next week for a behind-the-scenes-look at Lauren and Eric’s wedding ceremony (which I had the pleasure of officiating)!
