Annsley Machen promoted to General Manager SOHO Birmingham

It is with great pleasure that we announce Annsley Machen's promotion to General Manager of SOHO Birmingham, effective April 17th. Annsley began her journey with SOHO as an intern at our Fairhope location and has since climbed the ranks, holding positions such as Sales Manager, Director of Sales, and General Manager in Training.

During her time at SOHO Fairhope, Annsley played an integral role in training and developing our team, building numerous relationships with key partners, and cultivating the fun, can-do culture that SOHO is known for. Her efforts have been invaluable to our growth and success as a company.

"Annsley has been a key player in SOHO's growth," said CEO Josh Kohn. "She epitomizes the values Amy and I seek in our team at SOHO. She genuinely cares for the growth and development of all team members, prioritizes our clients' needs before, during, and after their events, delivers honest feedback, and executes with excellence.”

"It’s a bittersweet moment in my career leaving the Fairhope area and the team we have at our main campus” Annsley said. “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to transfer to Birmingham, AL with a company I truly love. I am excited to lead at our Birmingham office and continue to be a part of the growth happening at SOHO”.

“To the SOHO team, clients, and industry partners who I have worked with over the years: thank you! You are the reason I love what I do. I look forward to continuing to work together no matter where my home base may be.”

We have no doubt that Annsley's expertise and experience will be crucial to the success of SOHO Birmingham, and we are excited to see her bring her skills to this new role.

Please join us in congratulating Annsley on her new position as General Manager of SOHO Birmingham.

Wedding Wednesday: Mayes Wedding

Hey y’all and welcome back to the blog! This week we are looking back on a beautiful wedding from June of 2021. The wedding of Jennifer and Conner Mayes was a joyful and colorful celebration of love. The couple and their planner Chelsea Crawford Designs were striving for a midcentury modern tropical vibe which came together beautifully on a Saturday morning in June.

The lush landscaping of The Grand Hotel’s Lagoon Lawn set the perfect tropical backdrop for a mid morning ceremony. Wildflowers Fairhope provided stunning ceremony florals that helped create the ambiance. Mother nature also did her part to add to the tropical feel, surprising guests with a light sprinkle of rain during the ceremony. How fitting, right?

The reception was held in The Grand Hotel’s Sky Lounge with windows overlooking Mobile Bay. To go with the mid century modern tropical design, the couple choose rentals that fit the rich color scheme. Guests were greeted with a boxwood champagne wall adorned by Wildflowers as they entered the Sky Lounge. The blush velvet furniture lounge was another focal point in the reception space. Chelsea Crawford sourced custom pillows to help bring in the tropical feel.

For their guest seating, the couple choose a mix of two specialty linens, alabaster Lucca and rose Lucca. Both linens feature a circular pattern adding to the mid century modern deign. Gold chameleon chairs with ivory cushions provided guests with a beautiful and comfortable seat for the day time reception. The ivory cushions complemented the specialty linens on all of the tables. Wildflowers continued the tropical feel with a mix of short and tall arrangements on the tables.

For their place settings, the couple choose to preset the ice hammered gold band chargers and the brushed gold arrezzo silverware. The gold in their place settings complemented the gold in the chameleon chairs and coffee tables in the lounge area. For a tropical pop of color they choose the Amalfi plate for their specialty cake plate. This beautifully complemented the existing colors of Sky Lounge as well as the other rentals and florals.

What a beautiful day made possible by a great team of vendors!

Vendors:

Planning and Design: Chelsea Crawford Designs

Venue: The Grand Hotel

Photography: Faraday Photography

Florists: Wildflowers Fairhope

Invitations: My Lady Dye

Event Lighting: Showbiz Theatrical Services

Ghost Chairs

Hi y’all and welcome back to the blog! This week we are continuing on with our event chair series with our ghost chairs. These chairs are super fun and modern and can be used for a variety of different events.

If you are looking for a modern feel then the ghost chair is a great option! These chairs pair beautifully with our acrylic tables. They are also a great option if you are wanting to have a fun linen that makes a statement. An unexpected place the ghost chairs also look great is in an outdoor setting. The chair being clear allows the natural elements to pop. They also come in a bar stool height. This allows you to strategically place chairs at bistro tables for additional guest seating.

Another fun element of the ghost chairs is they can be customized for your specific event. We have added company logos or branding for corporate events, duograms for weddings, or other designs to enrich your overall event design. This is a fun element you can do for all your chairs or for a select few.

While the ghost chairs are acrylic, they are still quite comfortable. So whether your event requires guests to be seated for extended periods or if seating is going to be open and flowing, your chairs will be comfortable and welcoming.

So now you know a little more about ghost chairs, we want to know, how would you use Ghost chairs for your event?

Till next time, Cheers!

Cross Back Chairs

Hi Y’all and welcome back to the blog! Today we are continuing our series on event chairs with another great option, the crossback chairs. Cross back chairs have grown in popularity over the past few years as natural elements have become a feature of event design. Event designers and clients alike were wanting to design events that felt natural to the area and venue while enhancing the natural elements present with their rentals. 

Here at SOHO we offer two different wood grains in our crossback chairs,  the wine country and the oakwood, as well as a white wash option. All three options are beautiful options for any event. All three chairs use the woven chair pad that can bring in some added warmth and texture as well as add comfort. 

The wine country wood grain is a lighter wood stain. This gives them a beautiful rustic feel. The oakwood is a medium wood stain giving them an elegant and natural look. Both chairs work beautifully in a multitude of venues and events. We often mix the two stains to give an organic feel to the event design. We love them with our Sailcloth tents and farm tables.

The white wash crossback chairs are our newest addition to the crossback collection. The white wash color gives these classic chairs a beautiful coastal feel. Because they are white they will coordinate with many venues and rentals. We especially love them in a coastal setting or at a table with a beautiful linen. 

Now we want to know, which crossback chair is your favorite? 

Till next time, Cheers!