I Think About Weddings, Even When On Vacation

I was out of the office for a few days enjoying a long weekend with two of my cousins, Mariel and Celeste.  We had a great time eating our way through New Orleans and enjoying all that the city has to offer.  But wouldn't you know it, one of the places we had to stop was a wedding chapel.

We spotted the French Quarter Wedding Chapel across the street as we were walking back to our room at The Iberville Suites - which I would highly recommend, by the way.  Thinking the chapel was closed, we pressed our little noses against the glass to pear inside, only to be surprised by the approaching owner.  He invited us in, told us a little bit about the chapel.

It is the only wedding chapel located in the French Quarter, and is owned by Tony and Lou Ann Talavera.  Tony handed me his business card and I laughed when I saw his title:  Ambassador of Romance.

Here is something that really sets this chapel apart from most:  there are dollar bills stapled to their beautiful Cypress-beamed ceiling!  Want to know why?  You'll have to visit their website to read the story.

Internship Applications

We are now accepting applications for our internship program for December through February.  The internship will run from December 1st through February 28th.  Applicants must be available to work at least five hours per day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, plus Saturdays and evenings as requested.  Visit our Internship page for more information.

Angelique & Matt (11.08.08)

It was an interesting week as we prepared for Angelique and Matt's wedding.  Angelique had planned a gorgeous reception in the Cummer Museum's Gardens, but by Wednesday the weather was not looking cooperative.  After several revisions, her vendor team gave her a beautiful wedding, which you will see in the photos by Scarlett Lillian. (The one above is from Scarlett's teaser blog post!)

Aime Peterson of Riverside Event Design was instrumental in creating Angelique's vision.  From a photo pulled out of a magazine, Aime crafted a garden party design that worked even when we moved the reception to the Terry Gallery.

Aime and her team created a beautiful tree in the center of the Loggia to display Angelique's beautiful escort cards.  They were crafted from a piece of heavier card stock in a white and gold pattern, and then the guests' names were added on gold vellum by Cami Franklin of Calligraphy By Cami.  The card stock was tied with a ribbon to the tree, and then accented at the bottom with a crystal.

Angelique looked beautiful in her gown, which she just purchased a few weeks ago after losing a ton of weight!  Casey Powell and Kimtasha Armstrong did a phenominal job with her hair and makeup as well.

The ceremony was held at St. John The Divine Greek Orthodox Church, with The Reverend Father Nicholas Lough officiating.

Alan Franco from DJ Connection provided great entertainment throughout the reception, including lots of lively traditional Greek music!  Greek Orthodox weddings are always some of my favorites, and two of my very good friends in the same church a few years ago.  Martha Bush of Have Harp Will Travel provided wonderful music for the ceremony, and then also for the cocktail hour at in the Cummer Museum's Garden.

Matthew's provided a delicious four-course meal, and Chef Matthew Medure was kind enough to serve us lowly vendors the same meal.  We truly appreciated his hospitality!  Catering manager Elizabeth Van Nuys did a great job working with Angelique and Matt to customize the menu.

(That means "congratulations on your wedding" in Greek)

Hsinyi and Kevin's Engagement Shoot

Guess what popped up on my Google Reader today?  An entry from Nikki McEneaney's blog with some shots from Hsinyi and Kevin's engagement session!

I am so excited to be working with this great couple as we finalize the plans for their March wedding in St. Augustine.

New Photo Galleries

One thing off the to-do list!  I finally finished re-designing our photo gallery.  I'll be revamping some photos from past weddings over the next few weeks, but for now there are four brand-new galleries from some spring weddings.  Enjoy!

Chronicals of a Bride

I've spent five wonderful years within the events industry going to fittings and tastings.... picking out colors and linens.... and making sure that everyone gets down the aisle sans a crisis.  I've hand-crafted bouquets and hand-sewn faulty zippers.  I have helped dozens of brides find a voice and determine how to translate it into the wedding of their dreams... And now- it is my turn.  That's right... I am getting married Spring 2009. So what is it like to be a coordinator and a bride?  Well, the truth is that it really is not unlike any other girl that gets married.  I am still have a real budget that I must work within.  I still have cultural and traditional elements that I must respect- and others that I must respectfully decline.  I have a guest list that needs a bit of trimming and a wee little issue with control that I must learn to overcome.  Thus, for the next few months, I invite you to join me on my journey to the alter.  I'll take you along throughout the process in hopes that it will make your own planning a little easier- knowing that we are in this together...

Getting The Most Out Of Your Initial Consultation

By Lisa Burnett, Professional Bridal Consultant and owner of Elegant Weddings By Lisa The initial consultation is a get to know each other meeting for both the Bride as well as the Bridal Consultant. In order to get the most out of this meeting, it is best to come prepared. Although most Bridal Consultants are very knowledgeable and creative, your input puts a personal touch on the wedding. Whether you are starting from scratch or you have finalized some details of your wedding, these are some things you can do to enhance your first experience with the bridal consultant:

• If you have selected your dress bring a picture, or the style number and designer and be prepared to describe it. If you have not selected your dress give the consultant feed back on the color you plan to wear, as well as the style and formality. Your dress sets the tone for the entire event. If the groom is going to be present at the meeting your consultant will work around this situation without giving the groom an advance vision of the dress.

• Bring pictures of flowers, linen, table settings or any other decor or ideas that you have seen and want incorporated in your wedding.

• Have an idea of the color scheme you want to use in your wedding.

• If you have booked any vendors or your ceremony and reception venues, bring those contracts with you as well as any contact information.

• Set a realistic budget and be prepared to discuss it with your consultant honestly. The more your consultant knows about your budget, the better he or she can maximize your dollars.

• Have in mind an estimate of the number of guests you plan to have at your wedding.

• Decide on how many members you want in your bridal party.

• Most importantly set a wedding date, and have an idea of the time of day you want your ceremony to begin.

• If you have any family or cultural traditions that you want to incorporate into your wedding make your consultant aware of those as well.

• Make sure your consultant is aware of any special family situations.

• Prepare a list of questions that you want to ask the consultant.

When selecting your consultant make sure you are comfortable with their personality, as the two of you will be spending a great deal of time together in the months to come planning your wedding. Always make sure the consultant you hire is licensed. A coordinator that is a member of a Bridal Association is a plus, because this means he or she is dedicated to their profession. Never make a decision based on price. The cheapest is not always the best. Remember as with everything in life you get what you pay for. An experienced consultant is priceless.

Super Cute Sparklers

Fabulous wedding blog Style Me Pretty has been featuring great DIY projects, and I saw one that I just had to share.

I simply love this idea.  We are always looking for new and fun ways to handle sparklers, since so many brides and grooms love to have this departure shot in their wedding albums.  And this is so simple:  basically, it is a design printed onto card stock, with two little holes cut out for the sparklers to slide through.  Genius!

Be sure to check out the post over at Style Me Pretty for the supply list and instructions. There are two posts, actually, one for the sparklers and one for the match books.

• http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/10/28/diy-project-custom-sparklers/
• http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/10/28/diy-project-custom-matchbooks/

Yumminess at The White Room

Today I spent a great afternoon at The White Room in St. Augustine with bride Hsinyi and groom Kevin. In addition to sampling the yummy food like beef tenderloin and paella, strawberry mojitos and white wine sangria were offered as signature drinks.

The mock reception decor looked gorgeous. Serena chose an assortment of linens themed by row: blacks, whites and grays; blues and greens; and neutrals. Soft classical music set the tone for the afternoon, and florals by Flowers By Shirley accented the decor.

Claude's Chocolates (a local St. Augustine treat!) were featured in a display, packaged in adorable favor boxes.

Plus we got to preview The White Room Loft's new third floor balcony!  What a view - I can't wait to see it with new flooring and lounge furniture.

Thanks for a great afternoon!

Bella Bridesmaids Bash

I was thrilled to attend the grand opening celebration of Bella Bridesmaids last night!  What a fun evening.  I got to spend some time with Agnes Lopez and her husband Damon, Mark Pennington and Joi Perkins, Liz Stewart and her whole team, Christine Hoffman from TPC Sawgrass, Lynette and Judy from Rose of Sharon, Susan and Michael from Wilson's Ltd., and Jaycel Atkins from Etiquette of Chocolate.  Plus fellow wedding coordinators Monica Bernhardt from To-Doers and Christina Kopecki from Christina Kreations were there.  (With all those photographers there, is it possible no one took any pictures?!)

Bella Bridesmaids specializes in - you guessed it - bridesmaid gowns. According to their website, Bella Bridesmaid was created by Southern gal Bridget Brown in response to an overwhelming need for stylish, wearable and modern bridesmaid dresses.

They have all the fabulous designers, like Jenny Yoo, Priscilla of Boston, Melissa Sweet, Vera Wang, the list goes on and on!  And I was drooling over some of the adorable shoes on display from Blue Tux - I really loved the metallics, especially this cute little number!

Be sure to visit the Bella Bridesmaid Jacksonville location, now open in San Marco:

1626 Hendricks Avenue Jacksonville, FL 32207 Phone: 904.374.0351

Gratuity for Wedding Vendors

Gratuity for all wedding vendors is customary. Many brides wonder what should be the appropriate amount to tip their vendors. Tipping should always be based on the quality of service provided at your wedding. Some vendors will expect tips, and others will not. David Hanscom, Former President of the National Association of Mobile Entertainers and current President of the North Florida Professional DJ Association offered his insight on this subject. “While gratuity is a hot button topic it is something that frequently gets overlooked.  It has always been customary to pay a gratuity to individuals that work in any service industry.  Vendors in the wedding industry, such as Planners, Disc Jockeys and Musicians all provide a specific service versus a product.  Many times their time and talent are how they measure their value and worth.  Customarily a 15 – 18% gratuity is reasonable when you feel a service provider has gone above and beyond your expectations.”

One of the most valuable signs of your appreciation to your vendors would be to recommend them to others. A thank you card to your vendors is also a nice touch to show your gratitude for their hard work. By incorporating your planned vendor tips into you’re wedding day budget, you will have one less thing to worry about on your big day.

For more information on wedding day gratuity, check out the following web sites:

http://www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com/guide/tipping.htm

http://www.weddingpaperdivas.com/wedding-gratuity-guidelines.htm

Introducing...Planning Websites!

Our team (especially Danielle!) has been working hard on developing a great new service for our clients, and I'm proud to announce that we are ready for the big reveal!

We are introducing Planning Websites for all of our brides and grooms to interact with their coordinator.  It's a great way to share documents, photos, to-do lists, ideas and more!

We're still in the process of creating individual websites for our current clients, but we are busy uploading files!  You'll receive an email when your website is up and running.

But don't be worried - these sites are only accessible to people that are invited, so the entire world won't know how much you're spending on your flowers or what your dress looks like!

Great Looks From NYC Bridal Market

In case you are one of the five brides on the planet that doesn't read Darcy Miller's blog, The Bride's Guide, you should hop over and check out the posts from last weekend.  Darcy is Martha Stewart's Wedding Editorial Director, which means she oversees everything wedding.  It was the bridal market week in New York, and Darcy and her team blogged live from all the runway shows. Here are some of my favorites that are featured in The Bride's Guide:

Facebook Expert?!

It's true, I love Facebook.  I sign on throughout the day to see what everyone is up to.  I have Facebook for my Blackberry.  I love to play games on Facebook with friends around the world.  But am I an expert?

Probably not.  However, I was quoted today in the Dabbling Mum's blog about integrating your personal and professional lives through social networking sites like Facebook.  Interested?  Read the post here.

(For my wedding-professional-friends that read this blog, what is your take on Web 2.0?  Post a comment!)

Style Me Pretty!

Style Me Pretty is one of the most famous wedding blogs around.  If you haven't heard of SMP, run, don't walk, to check it out!

Style Me Pretty is known as THE place for wedding inspirations - whether it is a new product, photos from real weddings, or DIY creations.

We were invited (yes, Abby and her team are very choosy about who is listed!) to be in the Little Black Book, which is an incredible honor.  Here's how the website describes their collection of wedding professionals:

Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book is a highly edited collection of wedding service providers - from mom and pop boutiques to A-Listers. Personally recommended by our closest girlfriends, industry insiders and Style Me Pretty readers, there are three hand-picked listings per category. Brace yourself, though…it’s that good!

We'd also like to congratulate Jacksonville photographer Agnes Lopez for being chosen too!

Melanie Wishes She Knew...

From our “I Wish I Knew…” series!

I wish I had known how much I was going to want our wedding festivities to last; I would have made an extra effort to plan a farewell brunch with all of our guests.  Many of our friends and family just happen to run into each other during breakfast at a restaurant close to their hotel.  I've heard many stories about how fun it was to spend some extra time together and reminisce about the night before.  And each time I've said to myself, "I really wish we had been there."

Your wedding will probably be the only time you have so many of your loved ones celebrating together in the same time and place, and it is a very touching experience.  The farewell brunch is a great way to spend more time with your friends and family in a more relaxing and informal atmosphere.  You'll get to hear about parts of your wedding that you missed, and of course how fabulous it was!  So when you begin to think that you couldn't possibly plan another wedding related gathering consider adding just this one more:  I wish I had.

Kudos to Clay at Anything With Plants!

Clay Tillman, Weddings and Special Events Coordinator at Anything with Plants and Flowers recently completed the class European Hand-tied Bouquets hosted by Teleflora at its state of the art Education Center in Oklahoma City, OK.  Floral designers from all over North America attended the seminar to sharpen their skills and grow their design abilities. Clay participated in four days of intensive hands-on design sessions, mastering the latest hand-tied bouquets. Taught by world renowned floral designer, Els Hazenburg, AIFD of Aalsmeer, Holland, the class focused on discovering new materials, design techniques, color theory and marketing ideas for fresh flowers. Each student was taught how to update their design style using the latest techniques from Holland.Students were challenged to complete a series of projects during the class.

“This class explored how flowers can be used in many exciting forms for today’s trend-conscious customers,” said Marie Ackerman, AIFD, Teleflora’s Vice President of Education. “The students were challenged to interpret the ideas presented and to add their own creative twist.”

As you interview vendors for your wedding, be sure to ask how they stay up-to-date on current trends and new products.  Continuing education is vital in every industry, and we highly recommend working with vendors that value this experience.

Heather Wishes She Knew...

From our “I Wish I Knew…” series! I wish I had hired a videographer.  It sounds cliche, and I hear videographers say it all the time, but there are some things that are great to see on video.

Since I work behind the scenes, I never like being in front of the camera, especially a video camera.  You'll very rarely catch a glimpse of me in wedding photos or video.

But I can remember my wedding reception like it was yesterday, even though it has been seven years.  To see all of my family dancing together (a rare sight for a Southern Baptist family!) made me so happy.  Our reception ended well past its scheduled end time (or so I was told), and we danced so much that the dance floor actually started coming apart.

As great as my photos are from that day, I wish I had a video as well - I know the "video" in my head won't last forever!

Totally Cute Cake

I saw this photo and just had to post it - this totally adorable and edible work of art was created by Gaby Colindres.  Gaby is the owner of Sweet Art Shop, and one of the owners of Serenatea.

Serenatea offers a variety of items from petit fours to cupcakes to hors d'oeuvres.  Some of my favorites are the cookies, which make wonderful favors for a shower or wedding.

Emma Wishes She Knew...

From our “I Wish I Knew…” series! As soon as l got engaged, l was very excited to start planning for my special day. Even though l help to coordinate weddings, you really learn how easy it is to go over your wedding day budget when it is your own wedding. To keep within my budget l cut back on the things that l thought were not as important to me. However, looking back l now wish that l had really thought about it a little more. One of the biggest things that l wish l would have spent a little more money on was my photography package. Since l had a videographer l skimped a little on my photography package and did not get as many pictures as l had wanted. Nearly two years later l now know why people say to spend that little bit extra on your photographs, as a picture lasts a lifetime!