This week, I had the pleasure of working with my dear friends and fellow Master Wedding Planners Carmen Mesa of Carmen Mesa Events and Tammy Waterman of Special Moments Event Planning to produce a fabulous conference for wedding professionals. The Association of Bridal Consultants' Florida State Conference is always a labor of love, but hearing each and every attendee walk away saying how much they had learned makes it all worth it! Here's a little recap: Saturday night, we treated our amazing speakers to a fun evening at Sweet Pete's and The Candy Apple Cafe and Cocktails.
Sunday morning kicked off with brunch, where I got to tell everyone some interesting facts about Jacksonville. (#ILoveJax)
(thanks to Rose of Sharon European Florist for the centerpieces, Beachview Event Rentals for the chairs, and PRI Productions for the super cool Jacksonville backdrop)
After brunch, we went into our general session room for lots of great educational content:
Steve Kemble -Revitalize and Re-Energize Your Brand
Lauren Sarnoff Atwaters, Ten23 Designs - Creating a Unique Event Experience
Meghan Ely, OFD Consulting - From Stressed to Streamlined: Creating an Organization Syste that Works
Tamatha Cain, Choux Cake Studio - Emergency Wedding Cake Fixes
April Knight, Jos. A Bank - How To Tie A Bow Tie and Fold A Pocket Square
Donnie Brown, Donnie Brown Weddings and Events - Reading the Red Flags: Don't Let This Happen To You
And then it was on to the poolside cocktail reception! The weather could not have been more amazing. As event planners, we always worry about the weather when planning outdoor events - especially in August in Florida! But there was not a drop of rain that day, and the breeze made the rooftop deck quite comfortable.
Day 2 of the conference started with a casual breakfast. How cool are these centerpieces from Rose of Sharon European Florist?
And the Omni Hotel Jacksonville staff created the letters "ABC" out of the parfaits!
For Tuesday's lunch, each speaker was assigned a table. Lauren from Ten23 Designs created these adorable signs with their names! She also made tons of other cute decor pieces that were used throughout the conference.
Monday's educational sessions were just as amazing as Sunday's:
Meghan Ely, OFD Consulting - Attaining Expert Status: How to Become on Expert Industry Leader
Susan Southerland, Just Marry! - Selling to Couples at Every Planning Phase
Charlene Shirk, C. Shirk Productions - Pitch Perfect: How to Deliver A Great Media Interview
Bryan Glynn, BGPictures - Critical Website & Internet Tips for Your Business and Making $$ with YouTube
Donnie Brown & Steve Kemble - Social Media As Your PR Consultant (Round Table)
Sadly, it was time to say good bye to all of our friends, new and old. These little snack packs had water, chips, and sweets for the drive/flight home.
It was an amazing (and exhausting!) three days, and I am so thankful for everyone that attended. Want to see more photos? Check out the ABC Florida Facebook page.
