An Excellent Open House

It was a great night last night as The Wedding Party, Jacksonville's only wedding mall, welcomed dozens of brides and grooms to our open house.  The passion and energy that you feel walking through the doors of The Wedding Party really lets you know that all the businesses inside strive for excellence in everything they do.  If you missed it, watch the blog for announcements about the next one! The food by Serenatea was delicious - especially the Pina Colada dip!  (these are my snapshots, stay tuned for pro pics from Kevin Winter!)

I could eat a hundred of these truffles!

Ham rolls, stuffed olives, sausage wraps, oh my!

And of course to top it all off, fabulous wedding cake from Simply Delicious!

These cake truffles live in the freezer just two doors down from my office...very dangerous indeed!

Another fun treat for the night: a photo booth!  This is "glamour girl" Kimberly, a former client and now friend, goofing off for the camera.  I would highly recommend this for a wedding, birthday party, any even really!  This one from Photobooth To Go, a division of Dan Harris PhotoArt.

There is so much more to write about!  But I'll wait to get Kevin's photos...

Open House at the Wedding Party

You are cordially invited to attend anOpen House Reception to explore Jacksonville's first wedding mall

It's like a bridal show every day!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm 8640-8 Philips Highway, Jacksonville

Special Contest for Blog Readers!

This Sunday, September 7th, we will giving away a great prize to the first bride or groom that comes to our booth and mentions this post!

FREE WEDDING WEBSITE FOR 6 MONTHS from Wedding Window!

Wedding Window offers the best customization and easiest setup of all the sites we have previewed.  This $59 value goes to the first bride or groom that comes to our booth (look for us with The Wedding Party) and mentions this post!

How much easier could that be?!

A Comment on Comments

As the CBA (Chief Blogging Addict) for First Coast Weddings, I am always reading other blogs looking for inspiration.  I even went to a seminar last weekend at the Association of Bridal Consultants' Florida State Conference about blogging.  Super-sweet Orlando coordinator Kerline Docteur gave a great presentation about the basics of blogging to an audience ranging from experienced bloggers to newbies to the completely clueless.  What a challenge! Kerline brought up a point about comments on blogs.  When I set up the FCWE blog, I outlawed comments.  Not only did I use the "don't allow comments" within the blog framework, I went so far as to delete all references to comments in the layout.  A good friend and local magazine publisher agreed with my decision and I never thought twice about it.

Well thanks to Kerline, I have now reconsidered.  She talked about what a great network you can create by commenting on other vendors' and brides' blogs, and how comments can really add to that sense of community that we tend to lose on the internet. That made me think about all the other vendors' blogs that I post comments on - mostly photographers when they post photos of one of our clients. Why not give them the opportunity to post comments on our blog?

So as of today, you will see the comment option back on our blog.  I haven't gone back to re-instate it on all the old posts, only on those from the past two months.  I'm still going to require approval on comments, to avoid spam and other nastiness, but hopefully our readers will like this new feature! Leave a comment and let me know!

Free Bridal Show Tickets!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Be sure to visit First Coast Weddings and Events in The Wedding Party booth at the Jacksonville Bridal Connection bridal show!  We'll have great give-aways, yummy treats and lots of fun!  You won't want to miss it!

If you would like free tickets to the show, give us a call at 904-739-8003 before Thursday, September 4th.

My Wedding Party Rocks!

It's true! It's Your Wedding is now The Wedding Party!

What is the Wedding Party?  Well, first of all, it's where our office is located!  Second, it's like a bridal show every day!  Not only can you stop in to see the First Coast Weddings team, but you can visit with Jacksonville's top wedding professionals:  DeLand Entertainment, Celebrated Occasions, Simply Delicious, Serenatea, and more!  All in one convenient location, two miles north of the Avenues Mall.

Be sure to visit The Wedding Party at two upcoming bridal shows:

Fall Bridal Fantasy Renaissance World Golf Village Sunday, August 31 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Jacksonville Bridal Connection UNF University Center Sunday, September 7 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Or stop in Tuesday through Friday at 8640 Philips Highway, Suite 8!  (As an added bonus, we're right next door to the Connie Duglin Specialty Linen showroom!)

Boudouir Is Back!

Fabulous photographer Jennifer Brum just sent me an email with a sneak "peek" of her latest project, and I'm so excited to share it with you!  She has launched a new division called Peek Romance Photography, dedicated to making women feel sexy, alluring and romantic. According to Jen, her style is "fresh and creative without being too revealing," so there is a lot left to the imagination!  Here are some sneak "peeks!"

Internships

As you may have read, our office will be moving to a new location as of July 1st.  With the move comes the opportunity to expand our internship program.  If you are interested in learning about the ins and outs of the wedding industry, click here for more information.

We're Moving!

It's official!  Our office will be relocating to It's Your Wedding, a single location that brings together a full range of experienced wedding professionals. Don't worry, we'll still work with vendors from all over Northeast Florida (and beyond!), and we're still dedicated to finding the perfect match based on our clients' styles and budgets.

The move will give us a more central location on Jacksonville's Southside, on Philips Highway between Baymeadows Road and Sunbeam Road.  This will make those after-work meetings much easier for our clients!

We are all really excited about the move, which will be official on June 30th.

Check out the IYW website to see who our neighbors will be!

Are You On Facebook?

I'll admit it, I'm new to Facebook. Well, I've had a profile for a while, but I haven't really done much with it. So today I was working on some marketing tasks and decided to start a Facebook Group for the clients, vendors and staff of First Coast Weddings and Events. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12724754205

If you are on Facebook I'd love to have you join the group! I'm learning as I go, but I see that we can start discussions - what a great way for our brides to connect with each other! If you have suggestions, please let me know at heather@firstcoastweddings.com.

Katie & Bill (04.20.08)

It was a beautful evening at the Ribault Club as Katie and Bill exchanged their wedding vows.  The happy couple from Atlanta planned a wedding weekend that their guests are sure to remember. Katie looked stunning thanks to Casey Powell and Kimtasha Armstrong.  As the guests arrived at the Ribault Club, they were welcome with lemonade and the sounds of the Magnolia String Quartet before moving to the ceremony site.  Rev. Ted Schroder's ceremony was wonderful.

Liz Stewart Floral Designs created beautiful bouquets for the bridesmaids, and the decor inside really felt like you were at a family member's home.  Katie, Bill, and their parents assembled photos for each table - some of Katie and Bill together, and some as they were growing up.  It added a wonderful, personal feel to the reception.

Catering By Liz provide incredible food stations throught the club, and their staff was wonderful (as always) to work with.  The wedding cake by Classic Cakes was an incredible addition to the menu.

Photographer Leah Powell and her assistant Ashley caught some amazing images, and I can't wait to post them.

Congratulations, Holly!

One of our talented wedding coordinators, Holly, give birth to a beautiful baby girl last month!  Our "wedding coordinator in training" was born March 16, and even though we missed her mom on a few weddings this season, we're excited she is here!

Congratulations to Brittany and Michael!

The winners have been chosen for WJXT's "Reveal Your Romance" Dream Wedding!  Congratulations to Brittany MacPherson and Michael Doss for being selected.  The First Coast Weddings team is looking forward to working with you!

WJXT's "Reveal Your Romance" Wedding Giveaway

Local TV station WJXT (Channel 4) does a contest each Valentine's called "Reveal Your Romance."  This year, they will be giving away a complete wedding that will be live on the Morning Show! The contest was announced this morning on The Morning Show.  Engaged couples will be asked to write the story of their engagement, and send it in to the station or drop it off at Jacksonville's new Alfred Angelo store.  The producers will read through the submissions and narrow down the field to 10, then to 5. They will be looking for great, romantic stories. 

The winner gets a wedding in mid-May for up to 75 guests. It will be a weekday morning wedding and it will be shown live on Channel 4's Morning Show.  Everything will be provided, from catering to flowers to entertainment.  The "dream team" of vendors includes:

• Wedding attire from Alfred Angelo 
• Le Jardin on Park will be the venue 
• Wedding gown and bridesmaids' dresses by Alfred Angelo
• Catering by Katerlady
• Cake by Classic Cakes
• Photographer Michael Myatt
• Videography by Turner Classic Weddings
• Floral design by Katrina Cox of Le Jardin on Park
• Hair stylist Casey Powell
• Makeup artist Kimtasha Armstrong
• And of course wedding coordination by First Coast Weddings and Events!

Watch our blog for updates as we begin working with the winning couple to produce their spectacular wedding!  Be sure to visit News4Jax.com for complete contest information.

Free Bridal Show Tickets

Mark your calendars for the Jacksonville Bridal Connection Spring Bridal Show!  This fabulous bridal show will be held on February 24th at the UNF University Center. 

We're giving away two tickets each week between now and February 20th - all  you have to do is send an email with your name, wedding date and mailing address to info@firstcoastweddings.com!

Happy New Year!

We are looking forward to another wonderful year with our 2008 brides!  Don't forget to mark your calendar for the next Jacksonville Bridal Connection bridal show at UNF's University Center on February 24th!

ABC Conference Part 3

Tuesday was an action-packed day with two well-known speakers; Mary Dann, who has been seen on Whose Wedding Is It Anyway, and David Tutera, who has too many shows, books and projects to list! The Gala At The Grove was the highlight of the conference for me - mostly because it was the last event of the conference and I actually got to enjoy it!  Orlando wedding planner Elisa Delgardio of A Flair For Affairs did a tremendous job planning the event, complete with four unique event spaces.  The evenings entertainment included two DJs in two of the spaces, a strolling magician that was amazing, and three characters from the hit Tony and Tina's Wedding.

ABC Conference Part 2

Day 2 of the conference was the first look at our main stage - a giant orange slice that matched our orange/lime/lemon motif.  Motivational speaker Jacques Weisel got us off to a great start, reminding us to visualize our goals to stay on track.  After a several breakout sessions, it was off to our Floribbean themed lunch, with amazing tablecloths and chair covers by Wildflower Linens. 

The highlight of the day was "Tabletop Reality" - a competition where the grand prize was front row seating for David Tutera's presentation the next day.  The attendees were divided randomly into groups of 8, and were given a round table, 6 chairs, and a paper bag.  The bag contained several related items (3 sombreros, for example), and all the items in the bag had to be used in the final table display.  The teams had 5 minutes to choose tablecloths, chair covers, sashes, flowers, vases, candles, and other accents, and then had to create a spectacular table display in 15 minutes.  I was amazed at the creativity! 

Monday evening's off-site event was held at Pirates Dinner Adventure, just a few blocks from our host hotel.  Our "pirate" from the night before arrived in the hotel lobby, and after a quick group photo he led the way to the attraction. 

ABC Conference Part 1

For the past 14 months or so, I have had the pleasure of working with some of the best ladies in the state on a very special project.  We have been planning the 2007 Association of Bridal Consultants' Annual Conference, which started today in Orlando.  Our committee of 10 people from Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, and Orlando has met monthly to make this year's conference a truly unique one, not to mention breaking last year's attendance by over 100 people! Today's activities started with the trade show, where I met lots of great people and learned about lots of exciting products and services - more about those later!  Then it was on to the Welcome Reception, a true slice of Floridian flair!  From the glowing palm trees to the yucca fries (yum!) to the pirate mingling with the crowd, it was a great start to the week.  I always love re-connecting with old friends from around the country and making new connections, plus I got to chat for a few quiet minutes with celebrity wedding planner Mary Dann, who will be speaking to the group on Tuesday. 

What Do You Do With Your Wedding Dress After The Wedding?

You spent months searching for the perfect wedding dress, and also quite a bit of money! The wedding day has come and gone, and you looked absolutely perfect in your dress, and now it is a little bit dirty, hanging in your closet, holding lots of wonderful memories. What are you going to do with that fabulous wedding dress? The first thing to do would be to get the wedding dress dry cleaned. Many bridal shops provide a free dry cleaning gift certificate with the purchase of a wedding dress. Also some bridal shops offer a wedding gown preservation process. This process enables a bride to preserve the beauty of her wedding dress for years and years. Another great idea for your used wedding dress would be to donate the dress to a charity of your choice. One example is the Making Memories Foundation's Brides Against Breast Cancer. By searching online or maybe even speaking with the bridal shop where you purchased your dress, you will be able to find out lots of information on what to do with your wedding dress after the big day.

If you or someone you know is interesed in donating a wedding gown to Brides Against Breast Cancer, contact heather@firstcoastweddings.com.