Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) 2023 Educational Conference

Last week, I had the privilege to attend the Association of Bridal Consultants annual educational conference in San Jan, Puerto Rico. It was an amazing week filled with education, networking and inspiration. The amazing photos below were taken by the official conference photographer, Jesart Photos

Host Hotel - La Concha Resort

Host Hotel - La Conca Resort

General Session Ballroom

Welcome Reception

Welcome Reception Entertainment

Tuesday Lunch

Tuesday Lunch

Tuesday Lunch

Miss Dorothy Heart Award Presentation

Opening General Session

My Fellow Master Wedding Planners

Keynote Speaker David Tutera

Me, with David Tutera

Wednesday Breakfast

Wednesday Lunch

Wednesday Lunch

Perla - Farewell Party Location

Farewell Party Entertainment

Farewell Party Entertainment

Farewell Party

Farewell Party

Continuing education is so important! Conference topics included business management, legal and tax topics, marketing, and so much more. There is always something to learn!

The ABC World of Weddings conference is also a great way to reconnect with fellow wedding planners from around the world. Connections like these are invaluable! It’s so great to have a network of people to reach out to, whether it’s business related or not.

ABC Florida State Conference Recap #BeBoldABC

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.

ABC Florida Shine Conference 2014

I had such an amazing weekend last week! Not only did I get to attend the Association of Bridal Consultants' Florida State Conference - shine - but I also got to speak at the event. Here are a few images from Day 1 of the conference, taken by fabulous photographer Claire Pacelli. If you've wondered what happens when a group of wedding planners get together for continuing education, here's a little peek:

My fellow speakers, along with the conference co-chairs: Sharon Baragona, A Chair Affair; Kelly McWilliams, Weddings By Socialites; oh hey, that's me!; Mark Kingsdorf, ABC Florida State Manager; Coach Jenn Lee; Brian Joyce and Richard Streitler, Flourish Floral Productions; Elisa Delgardio, A Flair For Affairs

Oh, and did I mention, another fellow speaker: celebrity wedding planner Donnie Brown?

There are so many more fabulous photos, but this one I think is my favorite:

"The Speaker Selfie." This beauty was captured by Kelly McWilliams (and posted to Instagram) after we posed for a more formal group photo. Love it!

If you work in this industry, and you aren't attending conferences like this, you are missing out! And if you are a bride or groom, as your wedding professionals what they do for continuing education. It makes a huge difference!