Wedding Memories Shared Every Day of the Week

 

BB Webb’s Wedding Wisdom.

Monika Williams, Carl House Weddings & Events Specialist

There’s a little secret about what makes Carl House such a wonderful home for weddings, and the secret is that our team is very special.  None more special than Monika Williams, our Weddings & Events Specialist.  We consider her Carl House’s #1 Bride, and here’s the first of 3 parts of her story that explains why:

Wedding Memories Shared Every Day of the Week

When Monika Williams comes to work each morning, she can’t help but remember one of the happiest days of her life: her wedding day at Carl House. 

Monika, The Bride, In the Carl House Bridal Suite

The Lawrenceville native and her high school sweetheart Kenny Williams were married in June of 2008, and soon after the wedding, Monika joined the Carl House sales staff.

“When I talk to prospective couples who are considering Carl House for their weddings, they often ask me whether I am genuinely as enthusiastic as I seem,” says Monika.  “I assure them that I love this venue so much, and had such a positive experience with my own wedding, that I am really excited to share the possibilities with them.”

Monika recalls the many reasons that she selected Carl House: the feeling of being in an elegant, private, historic home, and the flexibility of being able to choose between the spectaculargardens and the spacious ballroom, which can accommodate up to 240 seated guests, for her ceremony and reception. Monika expressed that the attitude of the staff also played a part in her decision.   

“The staff is so friendly and really cared about what I wanted,” she said.  “I didn’t feel like just another bride.”

NEXT CHAPTER:  “The night before the wedding, there was hail…”

Follow @carlhouse and make sure you LIKE our new Facebook page so you don’t miss the rest of Monika’s story.

Wedding Giveaway…..A resounding success!

You all know the story….Single parent Jenny Sims and her family were chosen for Bert’s Big Adventure last winter….a trip to Disney World, compliments Q100. Jenny’s darling son Riley has an illness which has challenged the family financially, leaving no funds for a wedding, (Bobby Cox, her Knight in Shining Armor)!

So, Carl House came together with some of our most generous and wonderful vendors (see our earlier blog entry), to give this terrific family a free wedding for 50 people. The event went off without a hitch on Friday November 5th. See photos below by Sarah Eubanks Photography.




Best wishes to Jenny, Bobby, their terrific kids, family and friends. We wish them ALL the best.

BB Webb

Fall in Love with Carl House

You’ve fallen in love with the man of your dreams, NOW it’s time to Fall in Love with Carl House– the wedding venue of your dreams.

Every quarter Carl House hosts a bridal event where we gather together some of our prefered vendor partners to meet with you lovely brides. This bridal event, aptly named “Fall in Love with Carl House” will have an autumn-themed menu in mind. For the first time as an evening event, you’ll be able to taste the culinary treats of our Executive Chef Derek Smith, meet the entire Carl House team, tour the estate, and meet vendors face to face.

Brides to be, and one guest are free! Each additional guest is a nominal $15. Reserve your spot today, by calling 770-586-0095 or by emailing diane@carlhouse.com RSVPs and prepayment requested by Thursday, October 14th.

To learn more about our participating vendors click the links below.

Carl House Florals

Atlanta Magazine

Savii Formalwear

Cakes by Mark Fitzpatrick

Forever Endeavors Photography

Courtyard by Marriot

Diversity Limo

Global Escapes

Hampton Inn Lawrenceville

Hilton Garden Inn

Marlon Galviz Photography

Tod Peavy Entertainment

Mary Kay by Crystal Rice

Matt Bowman Photography

Music Masters by Andrew Byrd

Perfect Wedding Guide

Rev. George Callahan

Sarah Eubanks Photography

A Sound Occasion

Your Story Starts Now

La Ti Da

We hope to see you there!

- Lauren, Director of First Impressions

(top photo by Krisi Odum, middle photo by Sarah Eubanks, bottom photo by John Campbell)

The Dazzling ‘Society Express Band’

The Society Express Band, from Atlanta, GA., is an amazing, hip “little big band” that plays a huge repertoire of songs. From Big Band swing, Motown, classic rock & funk to salsa, pop, beach, Dixieland and blues. This band, together for over 18 years, sets the party on FIRE with the Top 40 dance hits that are guaranteed to dazzle the masses, and get your guests out of their seats and onto the dance floor. (And if we may brag for them, Society Express recently received the honor of being voted one of the Hottest 150 bands in the USA by Modern Bride Magazine 2006, 2007 and 2008 and Brides Choice 2010 Wedding Wire.—CONGRATS!)

Flexible in size, The Society Express Band consists of a core group of five band members who all sing and play more than one instrument. You’ll enjoy sax, stand up acoustic double bass & electric bass, guitar, keys, trumpet, trombone, drums and you’ll be thrilled with all the variety and lush harmonies of their male and female vocals! And with over 15 staff musicians, they can easily add additional players to create the exact sound you are looking for, or scale down and play as a smaller quartet, trio or duo.

Band Leader, and lead vocalist, Jeni Michelson has captivated audiences with her exquisite vocals and powerhouse beltings. She is an internationally published songwriter who has also written numerous award winning advertising jingles for radio and television as well as played for President Jimmy Carter, and Governors’ Zell Miller, Roy Barnes, and Sonny Perdue.  For samples of Society Express Band’s work visit YouTube here or here.

Carl House owner BB Webb met Jeni Michelson several years ago….’Jeni is an AMAZING woman and a leader.  As a business person I admire her tenacity, her drive and her incredible leadership.  As an artist, I am enthralled with how she can transform a room with her presence, her style and oooh, that voice.  She appeared on my former television show, ‘Living Life with Style,’ which people are still talking about.  She’s a soul sister for sure and I’m fortunate our paths crossed when they did!’

If your preference is live music, at your wedding or holiday party, be sure to consider Society Express Band- you WON’T be disappointed! For booking information, feel free to contact Jeni at 770-579-6967 or by email, jeni.michelson@mindspring.com.

Lauren, Director of First Impressions

Mind if we share?

Carl House bases its success on providing the BEST service in the Southeast. According to a recent Mother of the Bride, a wedding held here on August 14th exceeded even OUR goal. Here is a testimonial from Ms. Alexander, Mother of the Bride:

I had my daughter’s wedding at Carl House on August 14th.  It was simply amazing.  Aside from the gorgeous venue, the staff treated us as though we were royalty!  During the set up our every request was granted, and we had one of those ‘specialty’ table settings.  During the event itself a staff member was always close at hand.  I don’t know the staff to guest ratio but it was gracious.  Everything was pristine, the food was EXCELLENT.  Simply put…it was worth every penny.”– Sharon Alexander

Thanks, Sharon, for the raving review—we’re always excited to learn we have not only met the expectations of our clients, but exceeded them. Meghan was a BEAUTIFUL bride, and the choices she made with the table linens and settings WERE gorgeous! Mother Nature had in making this particular ceremony a success– thankfully the rain held off, making the plans for a garden ceremony come off without a drop.

It was a joy to be the host for your family and guests. We wish Meghan and Justin a lifetime of love and happiness together. CONGRATULATIONS from the entire Carl House team!

Lauren, Director of First Impressions

photographs by Kim Dill

Back by Popular Demand

For those of you watching your spending plan, Carl House is bringing back our most popular specials:

* Specials from $7500 for up to 100 people available Friday night, Saturday day and Sunday

  • * And $6500 for up to 75 people on Sundays!

ALL specials include a 3 hour wine and beer package OR chocolate fountain, 2 passed hors d’oeuvres and full buffet!

Please visit our website  www.carlhouse.com or call the office at  770-586-0095 to schedule a tour.

photo by Kristi Odum

Yummy Chef Derek

Carl House Executive Chef Derek Smith’s culinary passion began by baking cakes and pastries alongside his ‘mum’ when he was 10 years old.  By age 15, he was working in a kitchen and entering into a formal apprenticeship program in his native Australia.  (That’s right ladies; the man has an accent which is to-die-for!)

In his 20 years as a chef, Derek has worked in hotels, restaurants, private clubs, and catering facilities, including Australia’s largest private club in Melbourne and the prestigious Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta.  He has also been featured on ‘Good Day Atlanta’ television show and at the ‘Atlanta Home and Design Show’ as “the Green Chef.” When looking for a new chef for Carl House, Chef Derek stood out amongst the crowd and owner BB Webb was thrilled to bring him onboard earlier this year!

When Derek’s not busy DELIGHTING Carl House guests with his mouth-watering culinary creations — MY personal favorites are the brushetta with home-made bagel chips, mini-beef wellingtons, grilled vegetable platter, and chicken picatta–can you say YUM?– he’s busy with his catering and private organic meal delivery business (the first in Atlanta, by the way) Organic Eatz, which specializes using local and organic ingredients and also offers vegan, and vegetarian menus as well as.

We hope you’ll join us for our upcoming Wine Tasting September 16th (details to come) to taste first hand what I’m talking about!  Please call our office and we’d be delighted to give you the full scoop!

Diane Burdick, Event Manager and foodie

(Photo at bottom jaxonphoto.com)

Bridal Brunch Buzz Goes as Far As Britain!!

….Well, if it didn’t, it SHOULD have!!!

FIRST of all…. thank you to Ms. Cyndi from Coverups– we work closely with this fabulous company– table linens made Carl House pop!  Just look at the pinks and lavenders.  It’s official, I want to get married all over again!!

YES, Carl House’s Summertime Bridal Brunch was a HUGE SUCCESS, thanks to our lovely bride participants and their guests as well as our preferred vendor partners!  We were thrilled that our new Candy Station offering was a hit– I mean who doesn’t love Whoopers and Peanut M&Ms??  And although it was a hot summer day in Georgia, the Carl House Gourmet Coffee Station was a loved as well, with all those sweet mixings, (coconut and carmel being my favorite)…..and of course whipped cream.

Guests enjoyed visiting the wine tasting at the beautiful granite Carl House bar, (I love the look of that bar) and sampled of the second and third-tier wine selections at Carl House.  Several commented that they loved the Rodney Strong Merlot, although Carl House Owner BB Webb prefers  the Oxford Landing Savignon Blanc, which came in as a strong second.

The DJs Andrew Byrd, Ted Crowder, Louie Londono kept the house abuzz with fantastic music throughout the day! And one of my favorite features was the live BAGPIPE music provided by Winter Taylor!  Who knew that bagpipes could rock a room? And the young Darrien Davis on fiddle was a delight as well– passion and talent for SURE!!

Perhaps the biggest hit (TO ME) at THIS Carl House bridal brunch was the FOOD!  The menu was prepared by the incomparable Chef Derek Smith, (Carl House Executive Chef) and executed by Carl House Sous Chef David Hull.  I spoke with several brides who were ‘ga ga’ about the coconut shrmip appetizers, (butler passed mind you) though my favorite (and I did go back for seconds) was the beef brisket which just melted in my mouth–honestly, it was BEYOND yummy.  And I adoree how the shrimp and grits were displayed in pretty martini glasses where you could add fresh scallions or bacon as you pleased!  Sweet potoatos and orzo pasta made it on my ‘yum’ list as well.   And of course, I had to go back to the chocolate fountain with fresh strawberries two or three times.  

Owner BB Webb officiated the event and Cornelia Powell shared her wisdom and thoughts with the crowd, giving away many of her books and CDs. Most guests walked away with one (or more) door prizes, ranging from the beautiful floral arrangements displayed on the tables (compliments of Debbie Garmon Florals, European Floral Design, Perfect Stem, and Truso Weddings), a free hour of limo service (compliments of Diversity Limo), discounts on photo packages from Sarah Eubanks, John Campbell, and Matt Bowman, as well as discounts on DJ services from DJ Louie and Ted Crowder with Atlanta Bands and DJs. Hotel accommodations were also offered by our friends at Courtyard by Marriot and Hampton Inn!

Carl House had goodies to give away as well along with GREAT incentives for booking a wedding by the end of the month– contact our Bridal Sales Consultant Monika Williams (pictured below) for more info.  By the way– the next three brides who come in to tour Carl House will receive a complimentary copy of Cornelia Powell’s CD “Open Your Heart- Meditations for Brides!”

All told, it was a great day at Carl House and fun, fun, fun to visit with great bridal talent, terrific people and brides, brides, brides!

Stay tuned for the next Carl House Bridal Brunch, planned for November 14th!  And no, maybe the people in Great Britain didn’t catch wind of the big day, but with the buzz of those bagpipes, they just MIGHT have!

Diane Burdick, Carl House Event Manager and Bride Wanna-Be!

(see our last blog for a complete list with vendor contact info)!

Carl House Summertime Bridal Brunch is this Sunday!

What’s better than a party with great food, homemade lemonade in a summertime gazebo, a wine tasting, great music (yes, fiddle and bagpipes) and PRIZES, PRIZES, PRIZES!? – Inviting your friends of course!

This Sunday Carl House is proud to invite the public to our Summertime Bridal Brunch, a time where brides gather to meet some of Carl House’s most-preferred vendor partners, to meet the team that produces our lavish events AND, (of course) to experience Carl House! (We do love putting on a party)!

Photo: jaxonphoto.com

At the Bridal Brunch you’ll be able to stroll through the gardens  and ceremony site (with your icy cold lemonade) while listening to live music, imagining what it might be like to have YOUR wedding on our pretty grounds.

You might visit our bar to partake of our wine tasting, highlighting some of Carl House’s select 2nd and 3rd tier wines. Most importantly, you’ll have the opportunity to meet our vendor partners in person to get to know them and what they do, an opportunity to see if together you might be a fit!

Our event begins at 2pm so don’t be late!!   Owner BB Webb will host the event and will be raffling off door prizes which will include floral arrangements, gift certificates to hotels, books, CDs DVDs, gift baskets, special savings with various vendor partners and so, so, so, soooo much more! Around 3PM we’ll also have a brief presentation from Cornelia Powell, author of the book “Bride’s Ritual Guide” where she’ll talk about how to savor every moment of this unique time in your life.  (She’s terrific)!

Carl House will of course be presenting fabulous culinary delights, with the menu created by our in-house Executive Chef, Derek Smith.  (You might check out his personal catering site where he is known for his green and organic selections.  Visit www.organiceatz.com for more info on Derek)!

And it wouldn’t be a real party without the famous Carl House chocolate fountain!   So, come one, come all and indulge, indulge, indulge!!

Admission is free for the first bride and one guest, with a nominal fee of $15 per person for each additional guest thereafter.  The deadline for registration has been extended to Friday by noon.  Please call our offices at 770-586-0095 to speak with Monika, our Bridal Consultant, or Diane in Marketing, for more information!

This summer’s participating vendor partners include….drum roll please!!

Author Cornelia Powell

Atlanta Bands and DJ

Bagpipes by Winter

Bowman Photography

Cakes by Originals

Courtyard by Marriott

Creative Video Moments

Debbie Garmon Florals

DJ Louie Productions

Darian Davis on the Fiddle!

Diversity Limo

European Floral Design

Hampton Inn at Sugar Hill

John Campbell Photography

Music Master

Officiant Reverend George Callahan

Perfect Stem

Sarah Eubanks Photography

Sherri Zellers

Sugar Kneads Bakery

TruSo Weddings

We look forward to seeing you at Carl House this Sunday July 25th at 2pm!

Horray for the DJ!

At Carl House we now that a beautiful wedding would be incomplete without MUSIC! The talent of a GREAT DJ goes unmeasured! Music CLEARLY sets the mood and tone and helps keep things lively during slower times in an event…..when there is no dancing or scheduled ‘happenings’.

Carl House Owner BB Webb knows the importance of setting the mood well; her background is in theatre and she likens all weddings to a performance, with the importance of timing, synergy with the players, (vendors). The culmination of the night is the “splash ending” of the show- the grand departure of the bride and groom which is often accompanied by sparkers or bubbles, making for fantastic photos, and of course, incredible memories!

Professional DJs offer an initial consultation to become familiar with your vision of the wedding as well as a final consultation. Most DJs, (we have found), have a suggested song list and encourage you to provide a ‘wish list’ of your favorite songs to play throughout the evening.

The benefit of professional DJs is that he or she can offer a wide variety of genres, and should be available to take special requests from guests (if that is deemed acceptable to you). A good DJ will take note of the level of dancing on the floor, and adjust the song list order to draw out more dancers when necessary. When choosing a DJ, make sure that you are in sync with their ‘style’.

Your DJ should of course be savvy speaking in front of a crowd and be an adept announcer when introducing your wedding party, (and meticulous about getting the pronunciation of all names correct). Assure that his attention to detail is in concert with the service you insist upon from your facility and other vendors.

Getting references from former clients is a GREAT idea as well as references from other facilities where your proposed DJ has worked. At Carl House, we refer only professionals who work well together with our team of OTHER service providers and who deliver the same level of customer service and detail as we do!

Of course!

Remember….the major intent of all vendors is to make YOUR event seamless and memorable! It’s all about YOU!

We work with a great variety of talented DJs at Carl House. DJ Louie Productions has been working with Carl House since the day we began July 5th, 2003….seven years ago. He has been in the industry for more than twenty-two years and has worked with hundreds of satisfied brides! Louie’s preference is to have two DJs at each event, enabling one to be with the guests, getting things moving, walking throughout the crowd while the other DJ focuses on the music. He’s a bilingual company, offering Spanish to his Hispanic clientele. And, we love the way he and his team can ‘rock the house’ at Carl House!

But yes, music…..the very thing that can transform a room, move a crowd and certainly bring a tear when desired!

For a list of suggested questions to ask a prospective DJ, or more information on DJ Louie productions, please visit www.djlouie.com

Photo at bottom taken by Gallis & William V. Larsen, Jr.

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