You may not see them the entire day under your dress, but shoes are the one item that can make or break how much fun a bride has on her wedding day. I’ve seen countless brides come in with the cutest pair of color coordinated heels that wind up killing their feet before they finish their pre-ceremony pictures! Here are my wedding day shoe tips and tricks-of-the- trade:

Make sure they fit! Nothing is worse than trying to glide down an aisle with a shoe slipping off your heel with every step. If the shoe doesn’t quite fit but you are absolutely in love with it, invest in a good pair of inserts that will help fill the extra space.

My Caparros heels are so comfortable! (Photo Credit: zappos.com)

Break them in. It may seem ridiculous, but start wearing your shoes around your house at least two weeks before the wedding to help loosen them up. Walk around outside on a sidewalk to scuff the underside and increase your traction.

“Are you gellin?” I am in love with the line of insoles and inserts that Dr. Scholl’s makes for heels! You can buy them at any grocery store or Target. I bought my first pair of gel inserts for my cousin’s wedding a year or so ago and still switch them in and out of my shoes. Believe me, they are worth the $10!

Dr. Scholl's come in many varieties to fit any kind of heel you may choose to wear. (Photo Credit: makeupandbeautyblog.com)

Bring them to ALL of your wedding dress fittings! Don’t rely on how high the heel is by measuring or looking it up online. I have a friend who was supposed to have her last dress fitting yesterday, and the company hemmed her dress too high for her heels. Luckily, she brought her heels to every fitting, so the company can’t charge her for the adjustments. Better safe than sorry!

Buy a different pair of shoes for pictures and reception. Who needs to know that you switched from your super cute, but super uncomfortable shoes after the ceremony? Buy a pair of jeweled flip flops or flat shoes to quickly switch in to during the reception and post-ceremony pictures. I bought this awesome pair of Toms shoes to wear during my reception. Comfort with a hint of bling! : )

Shoes with a cause! For every pair of Toms you purchase, the company sends a pair to a child in need around the world.

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.

When I first had the idea to turn Carl House into a spectacular event venue, I visited all manner of lovely venues. I was inspired by the variety I saw, the different approaches the various owners had toward running their businesses. I was impressed with the openness I found amongst the facility owners I visited. With open arms they would share their journey with me, what worked for them, the road traveled to get where they were. I was both moved and grateful for the input I received.

Now into my 6th year of business, I find we are embarking on new directions, partnering with great vendors and planning some terrific events for the public, including themed events and fundraisers for a variety of causes certainly dear to my heart, (our first in January to support the small entrepreneur and artist…stay tuned). In addition, I am talking with developers with the intent of having a hotel built on the back 28 acres I own.

With that, we are beginning to attract sorority formals, award banquets, holiday parties and all manner of events besides weddings which we are known for. It’s an exciting time and business is growing and growing.

Stay tuned to learn about a new team member. As always, we welcome comments, questions and certainly ideas.

If you’ve not yet visited my personal blog, BB Webb as BB Webb, I’d love to have you visit! Thank you for your support of Carl House. Stay tuned as we have lots of new and exciting things coming front and center!

We have some updates on our website. And click on the following Photo Montage, (created by Laura Stone at Artstar), to meet our Carl House team.

As always, please come visit….we have so much we can’t wait to share with YOU!

BB Webb

Bite me!!

WE’VE HAD A HUGE ‘AHA’ AND HAVE MOVED OUR GRAND VAMPIRE BALL TO FEBRUARY…..CREATIVE MINDS ARE BOILING AND TOILING AND DRUMMING UP ALL MEASURE OF EXCITEMENT FOR THIS TO BE ANTICIPATED AFFAIR! WE WILL KEEP YOU POSTED!

Trick or Treat… Boy do we have a treat for you! Looking for something fun and exciting to do on Halloween? (DATE TO BE DETERMINED)! Always wanted to experience Carl House but never had the opportunity?

BIG news…..we’re holding our first VAMPIRE BALL at Carl House on Halloween eve!! (DATE TO BE DETERMINED)!!!! Ooooooh, more fun than we might share at this juncture, but trust that we have a team of creative minds planning all manner of naughty, playful, exciting, daring, exhilarating, creative fun with shuttle service to and from Atlanta and Athens for anyone wanting to hoist down a cocktail or two.
(Provided by our partner Cooper Altanta Transportation…travel to and from in absolute style)!

More news upcoming….but gather your dancing shoes and best Vampire garb as there WILL be prizes and OH so much more.

You’re been forewarned!! Spread the good and scary word!

Come celebrate October 31st(DATE TO BE DETERMINED)!! with The Carl House Team! Go to our website link to the right of this post to sign up for our newsletter giving you all the gory and exciting details!!

Hello, Carl House owner BB Webb here!  I wanted to pop in to give you an update on some new things we are planning for this year and next! 

We’ve been having a ball planning some fun, up and coming events at Carl House.  Aside from our specialty, (weddings), we’re designing some terrific sorority formal packages, planning a Daddy/Daughter dance, an arts fundraiser in January and of course an event (we HOPE with Santa) in December!  If you don’t yet get our newsletter, please sign up by going to www.carlhouse.com  We’ll keep you posted on great new offerings for the public.  

We’re hoping you’ll attend an event and get a flavor of what we do here, taste Chef Melanie’s luscious cuisine, experience the ambiance, our gardens and meet my terrific team.

We are always open to suggestions, thoughts and ideas, so please, feel free to comment here or email us at ch_info@carlhouse.com  

And do view more photos of Carl House and our Facebook account or we’d love to Twitter and Tweet together. Visit our social networking sites on our website.

Please come stop in anytime!! We’ve always got some strong coffee brewing.

Warmly,

BB Webb

P.S. Please pass the word about our Winter Wedding Special. We’re offering a 12K wedding for 8K from October through March. Yep, almost too good to be true. (But it’s true)!!