I had such a blast doing the Heart Ball with the American Heart Association last year that I had to do it again!

The Charleston event has been growing and last year, its fundraising was ranked third in the nation.  Knowing the large amount of people affected by heart problems, this is such an amazing cause with which to work.

West Frasier’s amazing painting was the backdrop for our color palette this year, and the super crazy amazing carpets of the new Crystal Ballroom at the Downtown Charleston Marriott helped imagination run wild!

Floral and event designers all over town were nice enough to help me out by dropping in donated centerpieces based on the overall them and palette, and the ever-so-lovely hat ladies greeted everyone with style!

I cannot begin to thank some of my fave vendors who were just perfect to kick the night off from Homespun Hoops and Technical Event Company to the AMAZING imagery of Karson Photography.

Palmetto Soul kept everyone partying and Event DRS handled all of my whimsical rental needs for satellite events and our wine cellar.  Those stinking gorgeous linens are from my BFF’s at Connie Duglin linen.

While everyone seems to have had a blast, the best part of the night was raising record-shattering dollars for the American Heart Association.  If you’re wondering, yes, I am soo signed on for next year

So what am I doing blogging about a baby store?  Because it’s my blog and I can!  With so many Yoj babies (we are proud of so many happy marriages in our midst, lol), I am lucky enough to have a dear friend who moved here from Chicago and from the wedding industry to open the hippest spot in town for the young crowd called Sugar Snap Pea.

When Zhenya asked if I could help out a little with setting up her swanky digs and inviting some friends (which is hilarious, because this girl needs NO help in this area), I was flattered!

Throw in the gorgeous florals from Charleston Stems, photography by Matt Daniel Photography, sweet treats by D’lish Desserts and some of the most adorable tots in town, and you have a recipe for fun!

Stop by 161 1/2 King and check out Sugar Snap Pea soon.  If you’re a Yoj couple, expect your wee one to be receiving a treat from this cute spot soon!

All Images Charlie James copyright 2010

So what is more fun than a surprise party?  Quite possibly nothing!  The look on the faces of the honored guests at this surprise party in particular was priceless.

Some notes on this one:

-Use the landscape when you’re outisde!  Trees, water features, and a good lawn all make for gorgeous party elements

-announce the arrival in fun ways!  As Natalie and David crossed the bridge with a bevy of good friends in tow, they were welcome by none other than the infamous vuvuzela

Natalie and David have a big day coming up this Sunday, so a few weeks ago, some dear friends and family got together to honor them on a private spot called Daisy Island.

Not only is it fun to have a venue that is all yours, but their friends amped up the personal touches by making sure I knew all of their favorite things.  They even announced the arrival of the couple fresh off the plane from the World Cup, with the ever-entertaining vuvuzela.

While I’m looking forward to their fun nuptials this weekend in Greenville, I had to share some memories of the most fun engagement party I’ve ever attended!

Who can resist lounging under the trees or relaxing by the lake at a decked out bar?!

In honor of that, we have opened an Etsy shop! You can now order custom runners, table linens, overlays and wrapped candles from Yoj for your big day! Message us for Custom Linens here!

One thing Charleston is not short on is amazing artists, and to see so many amazing pieces auctioned for the cause was invigorating!  Rare finds of specialty wines and jewels were also placed on the block for this incredible organization.

Couldn’t make the evening, check out the memories captured by our dear friends at Hyer Images.

Many of our industry friends lent their support in the form of volunteer time and original centerpieces to show their interpretations of our awesome theme (if we do say so ourselves, lol) “Art Growing Wild.”

Thanks to such an amazing outpouring of support, the 2010 Heart Ball raised six figures over last year, and we had so much fun we are already looking forward to 2011!

As I mentioned, a lot of amazing vendors gave time to this wonderful cause, so here goes:

Thanks to Other Brother Entertainment and Technical Event Company.

The following amazing members of our industry took our request for centerpieces inspired by the featured painting and went above and beyond: Cafe Catering, Country & Lace Florist, Wildflowers Inc, Petals by Pamela, Eventa Bella, Events by Duvall,  JW Weddings and Events, inventivENVIRONMENTS,  Stem/Southern Protocol, Simply Eventful, Branch/Susan Gough, Luke Wilson Special Events, and yours truly.

We also had some great silent auction monitors in volunteers from: Newton Farms Catering, Ergonomix PR, and Katherine Miller Events.

The rain held off until the bitter end and everyone had a great time! Volunteers, sponsors and runners alike kept warm with the help of bonfires (started by a fabulous volunteer!) and yummy shrimp and grits from Charleston Bay Gourmet. The festival consisted of the Hunley Hustle 5k, a 10k and a half-marathon, and boy did it start off with a bang!

PBC Sports Photography, LLC

PBC Sports Photography, LLC

PBC Sports Photography, LLC

How cute are the members of the North Charleston Dolphins Track Team?! They led the way in the Hunley Hustle 5k, and we loved watching them!

PBC Sports Photography, LLC

There were bands set up throughout the course to encourage the runners, while the amazing Sol Driven Train stayed behind to entertain the volunteers and finished runners. We’ve never seen someone pull off a track suit quite like the men of Sol Driven Train!

PBC Sports Photography, LLC

We had a great time at the Riverfront Race Festival, and we look forward to working with them again next year!

There is no location better suited for the culmination of a “Mozart in the South Festival” than Calhoun Mansion.  It’s hard to walk into a garden area like that and find any way to make it more beautiful, so for me, that means keep it simple and let a diamond like that shine on its own. For the day-to-night flip outside, keep it simple! Play up the beautiful afternoon light for all it’s worth.  While guests enjoyed a private concert in the house, we set for a standing room only cocktail in candlelight. We had a great time supporting the arts in Charleston!  Special thanks to Stephen Parris for spending the evening with us and supporting the cause.

What do you get when you combine a crazy, huge Greek family and a group of rowdy Steelers fans from Pittsburgh–one heck of a party!  On July 25, 2009, after a beautiful ceremony at Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, 225 guests packed the dance floor of the Country Club of Charleston to break it down.  1st Class Band played a mix of Motown favorites and traditional Greek music was intertwined to please the crowd.  Crystals hung from the centerpiece trees and created a romantic backdrop for all the guests as they danced into the night.  Even after the candles had burned guests stayed to send off the couple as they drove away in their vintage model T.  What a night–all the guests got their workout in for the week!

Click here for more pictures: megan and brian’s wedding

Under a cloudless sky, the Forsyth family rang in a few 70th Happy Birthdays for their grandparents.  Yoj ensured the family, vacationing from New Jersey and several other states, had a relaxing a fun time and relieved the stress of throwing an intimate gathering in a town where they knew no one.  Deep South fare was served aplenty by Regal Catering and everyone toasted and enjoyed a great atmosphere of beach music and salt air on the Isle of Palms.  Dessert was served up by Le Gateau, and a fabulously flawless time was had by all.