Early 2013 Event Wrap Up!

The RiverRoom has had an amazing start to 2013. Although this is the slower season for weddings, we've managed to stay quite busy doing some other types of fun events! We kicked off the year with participating in the Bridal Expo at the Schwartz Center on January 13th hosted by Carolina Wedding Guide. Following the Bridal Expo, we hosted an open house for newly engaged couples to see the space after meeting us at the show! The wedding show was a great success and we met a lot of future brides.

On January 26, 2013, we hosted a 13th birthday party for Taylor! The teens had such a good time dancing, socializing and eating with friends. The birthday color scheme was white, teal and black. They hung lanterns from the ceiling and put a big "13" balloon in the big window. Taylor's mother, Robin, self catered the food and drinks. Robin order a really neat popcorn maker from a local rental company too! They brought in a couple Nintendo Wii systems so the kids could play games like Just Dance 4 and Mario Kart of The RiverRoom televisions.

On February 9, 2013, we hosted a prayer breakfast for Shanya Bannerman from 10:00am-2:30pm. Over 90 guest attended this inspirational event. They self-catered a yummy breakfast and had a guest speaker to preach about his personal experience living a Christian life. Shayna's mother, Angela is the minister at Guiding Light Ministries in Wilmington. Each attendee was given a raffle ticket for the prize table. The grand prize was a $100 gift certificate going to the best dressed! With an impromptu runway show, the winner was determined!

The following Saturday, February 16, 2013, we hosted a surprise 40th's birthday party for Jamie's husband. Bon Appetit catered the event and provided the bar, serving a selection of beer and wine. Jamie had a Jack Daniel's theme and even had a Jack Daniel's cake from Apple Annie's.

Then, on Wednesday evening, February 20, 2013, PPD held a Executive Networking Event from 6:00pm-9:00pm at The RiverRoom. This cocktail-style reception was home to 120 guest mingling in our beautiful space overlooking the Cape Fear River! Etc. Party Rentals provided additional cocktail tables and all table linens. Tiffany with PPD hosted the event. She hired Middle of the Island Catering to serve all of the guest a delicious dinner of marinated chicken bites, pasta alfredo, fried chicken, bacon-wrapped scallops, strawberry spinach salad and more! Middle of the Island was also responsible for the bar, which served beer and wine. Verzaal's Florist designed a beautiful floral arrangement for the buffet line! We were very pleased to host some of PPD's best employees and the CEO!

On Friday, February 22, 2013, The RiverRoom had an engagement party for approximately 50 close friends and family. Amanda and Lyle are getting married in May 2013 in Wilmington and we were excited to host this special party for them. Amanda's good friend, Anjanette, hosted the party and did a great job decorating the room with simple, white linens and burlap. Etc. Party Rentals provided the white linens and Anjanette brought the burlap to use as table runners. She used a mason jar with a floating candles as each table's centerpiece. Julia's Florist designed two floral arrangements for the bar area and one large arrangement! They asked a friend to bartend, serving beer and wine. Anjanette supplied the food with the help of some friends. One of the biggest benefits of using The RiverRoom is being able to bring in your own food! One of the bridesmaids is an amazing baker and made the vanilla cupcakes into the shape of a wedding dress for the bride-to-be.

Saturday, February 23, 2013, we hosted a chemistry-themed bridal shower for Hilary. Hilary's good friend, Katie Jane, was in charge of the decorations. She ordered cute chemistry inspired pins and cookies from Etsy and served easy appetizers like fruit and veggie trays. We also had cupcakes from Coastal Cupcakes!

On Saturday, March 2, 2013, Jessica, co-owner of Pomp hosted a bridal shower for her sister and co-owner, Rebecca, at The RiverRoom. The shower was from 2:00pm-5:00pm. Jessica brought in some of their gorgeous sectional couches from the Pomp store located on Kerr Avenue. For those of you unfamiliar with Pomp, they offer amazing event furniture rentals! Bon Appetit dropped off lunch for the ladies, serving chicken Florentine, strawberry spinach salad, vegetables and lots of tasty desserts! The girls enjoyed the space while sipping sparkling rose on this gorgeous day!

In other RiverRoom news, our waterfront deck underwent some renovations in January. A railing has been added to the top part of the deck! We'd like to share with you one of our favorite new ceremony set ups - the semi-circle! With the bride and groom standing at the opening of the railing, you can get overall seating for 80 guest with standing room for the rest! Thanks to Etc. Party Rentals for helping us stage the deck!

The RiverRoom has had an exciting start to the year. We have our first wedding of 2013 this weekend so stay tuned for more updates! Thank you to all of those who attending these great events! We hope to see you again soon!