Hsinyi & Kevin (03.15.09)

Hsinyi and Kevin met online in 2006, and a week later had their first date - a cup of coffee that turned into a three-hour breakfast.  The rest, as they say, is history. Hsinyi is originally from Taiwan, but moved to the U.S. in 1999 for graduate school.  It was very important to both she and Kevin to reflect both of their cultures in their wedding day.

Hsinyi and Kevin were married in a beautiful ceremony at The Lightner Museum Courtyard in St. Augustine.  Our friends at The Wedding Authority provided the chairs, decorations, and officiant, which makes weddings at The Lightner so wonderful.  The following photos are by Nikki McEneaney, Photography By Nikki, except for a few snapshots as noted.

I grabbed these two snapshots with my camera after completing the setup at The White Room - what an elegant reception!  The delicious cake was created by Arlene Fores of Sweet Weddings.

The beautiful centerpieces were created by the bride's mom, who is very talented!  Each table was numbered with Chinese characters rather than traditional English numbers.

Hsinyi and Kevin danced the night away to the tunes of The Faze.

A rare shot of me and the bride at the end of the night!

Floral Boot Camp!

Tonight, the First Coast Weddings team visited Rose of Sharon European Florist for our first installment of Wedding Coordinator Boot Camp.  We are visiting a different vendor each month to brush up on our skills to make every wedding as smooth as possible! Here are some photos of what we learned:

Lynette Self, owner of Rose of Sharon European Florist, with Heather, Lauren, Melanie and Emma

Judy gives Emma a lesson in making a boutonniere

Lauren shows off her boutonniere

Emma, Melanie and Lauren show off the bouquets that Judy and Lynette taught them to make

Abby & Ryan (02.21.09) - Part 2

Our friends at InMotion Video Productions just sent us an email to let us know that Abby and Ryan's teaser video is online!

http://inmotionvideoproductions.com/#/abby-and-ryan/

New Forum For Jax Brides and Grooms

At The Wedding Party, we are always looking for new ideas!  We had a bride recently mention how nice it is to talk to other brides to share ideas and tips, which sounded like a great idea to us! So we created a new group on Meetup.com just for you.

We have set up an online community where you can post messages in the forum, but we will also host monthly meetings.  These meetings will NOT be sales pitches - the wedding professionals of The Wedding Party will be available to answer any questions you may have, but the whole concept is to bring brides together with other brides!

Our first in-person get-together will be held next Wednesday!

When: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 6:00 pm

Where: The Wedding Party office, 8640 Philips Highway, Suite 8, Jacksonville

More Info: http://www.meetup.com/Jacksonville-Brides-Grooms/

Click here to check out
The Jacksonville Brides & Grooms!

Worst Wedding Advice Ever

I just read this great article on TheKnot.com and had to share it! Here's a little snippet, but be sure to read the entire article!

Bad Advice: "My mother-in-law said that it was perfectly fine to spend $9 a plate on dinner for our guests. She based this on my sister-in-law's wedding, where they served cold meat sandwiches, au gratin potatoes, and questionable-looking fruit salad." Morgan, Madison WI

Our Advice: Food is one detail every wedding guest remembers. Whatever your budget, you should allot about 40 percent of it for catering. Work with your caterer to prepare a menu within your budget and try to cut costs in other ways (like by trimming your guest list) rather than skimp on the meal.

Love Note: Abby & Ryan

Heather, the wedding was more than I could have ever dreamed possible!  Everything was perfect and better than I expected!  Thank you so much for all of your helpful recommendations and tips and for making sure everything was perfect on our big day!

-Abby

Read about Abby and Ryan's wedding!

(photo taken by one of Abby's awesome bridesmaids!)

NWR: A Toy for Blog Readers!

I thought I would share a new toy that I found since I'm guessing if you read this blog, you read others!  I have over 100 subscriptions in my Google Reader, but I just found something new called Feedly.  It's based on Google Reader, Twitter and Firefox, and integrates everything together. Your need to be a Firefox user (but why wouldn't you be), and install the Feedly plugin.  But then it will automatically pull your subscriptions from Google Reader so it is ready to go!

Abby & Ryan (02.21.09)

"This is the nicest wedding we've ever been to!"

Ryan made Abby laugh with this comment, to which she responded, "Did you hear what my husband just said?" (Incidentally, I love taking the bride and groom into the ballroom to see it before the guests do - that's how we get fun comments like this!)

We loved working with Abby, and she looked amazing on her wedding day.  The staff at Salon Cielo did a wonderful job on all the ladies' hair, and Sunshine Jones did an equally wonderful job with Abby's makeup.

The ceremony and reception at Deerwood Country Club could not have been more lovely.  Abby chose a palette of black and white, accented with red, for her colors.  The ballroom was dressed for the formal wedding in black and white, with red floral arrangements by Wilson's Limited.  Linens were provided by Connie Duglin Specialty Linen.

Ryan is a vegetarian, so over their years together Abby has also joined in the lifestyle.  But a lot of their friends and family have issues knowing what to cook when they come over for dinner, so they came up with these cute cookbooks full of their favorite recipes to give out as favors!  Ryan actually made these himself - from the design to the execution.  Way to go Ryan!

Paul Deland from D'Land Entertainment did a superb job keeping the crowd dancing through the night, with lots of great sing-along 70's and 80's music.  And speaking of sing-alongs, the bride's mom Nina took a moment to tell the guests about Abby's grandmother, and then led a group rendition of the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love."

Kris Graham Photography and InMotion Video Productions captured every moment, and I can't wait to see the photos and video!  (note: the photos in this post are my snapshots, not pro pics by any stretch of the imagination!)

Pre-Marital Counseling

Our of our favorite wedding officiants, Rev. Craig Grandstaff, Sr., is now offering pre-marital counseling services. His new endeavor, Forever Yours Pre-Marital Counseling, is a state-approved - that means the three-day waiting period is waived, and you get a discount on your marriage license!  Not to mention receiving a "road map" for a successful marriage.

Classes are available once a month.

Bridal Show Sunday!

Be sure to join us at Jacksonville Bridal Connection's Spring Bridal Show this Sunday at the UNF University Center!  The show runs from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, and more info is available at http://www.jacksonvillebridalconnection.com!

WANT FREE TICKETS? Leave a comment here!

Another Open House!

We're having another open house at The Wedding Party, and you're invited!

You are cordially invited to attend an Open House Reception to explore Jacksonville’s first wedding mall

It’s like a bridal show every day!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm 8640-8 Philips Highway, Jacksonville

Be sure to pick up your copy of "Expert Advice For A Stress-Free Wedding," a packet of tips and questions to ask when choosing your wedding professionals.

Plus, we will have great goody bags for each bride and groom that attend!

Liz Stewart Floral Designs Grand Opening

Well, the term "grand opening" isn't really correct - it was however, the grand opening of Liz Stewart's new studio on Third Street.  What a big change, literally!  Liz, Tiffany, Shae and the rest of their team have so much more space at their new location! The studio is breath-taking!  I am so jealous, although I know a lot of hard work went into creating the space.  Here are some snapshots I took:

Preferred Vendor Lists

I'm going to climb up on my soap box for a minute, so I apologize in advance. I read a great article today regarding wedding TV shows and preferred vendor lists.  The article is called "Brides Beware! Wedding TV Shows Are Mostly Infomercials" and it was written by a wedding officiant in Los Angeles named Elizabeth Oakes. Here is an excerpt:

The catchphrases “Best of the Best” and “Preferred Vendor” are supposed to make you think providers have been vetted for quality, but the truth is the only quality required is the ability to write a check.

So brides beware! Don’t take everything you see on TV or read in wedding magazines at face value.  Of course you knew that, it's just that when you’re starry-eyed with excitement about your impending wedding you might not see the white tulle being pulled over your eyes.

It’s not that you can’t consider booking these vendors if you like what you see.  Just be aware that you’ll need to verify the superiority of their services for yourself--and that their prices will probably be higher than other vendors, given that they’re paying for pricier adverts and those costs are passed along to you.  It’s always smart to seek independent referrals, references, and recommends from people you know in addition to any media information you receive; your own research and good sense should be your guide....a far better guide than the mediated ones being offered to you under dubious pretenses.

I whole-heartedly agree with Ms. Oakes.  Anytime you are presented with a "preferred vendor list," please ask if these professionals pay to be listed.  Any time you see a full-color, glossy brochure at a venue that contains a list of vendors and ads, they have definitely paid to be included.  And it's not that they aren't great vendors, per se, but as this article says, be sure you are hiring a professional because you like their work, you have checked their references from past clients, and you have verified their business license and checked with the Better Business Bureau for any complaints.

Thanks to fab Orlando wedding planner Kerline Docteur for sharing this article with me!

Sneak Peek: Michelle and Jamaal's Engagement Session

Our friends Melanie and Brad Watson of La Dolce Vita Studio posted a few shots of Michelle and Jamaal's engagement session in their blog today.  I can't wait to see more!  Their wedding will be here before we know it!  I met with Michelle and her lovely mom on Friday to finalize the cake details and discuss floral arrangements and linens - it's going to be amazing!  Lucky groom Jamaal got to head to Tampa for the Super Bowl while we discussed the pretty details.  I'm so happy we will have incredible photographers like Melanie and Brad to capture the wedding day.

(Do they both look like models or what?!)

Love Note: Colleen & J.T.

Dear Emma & Melanie,

We just wanted to thank you both SO MUCH for all your help before & during our wedding!  You two were so professional & organized, but also a lot of fun!! We really enjoyed working with you and really want to thank you for a job VERY WELL DONE!  Your energy, enthusiasm, and organization during our wedding was worth every penny! Thanks again!

Love, Colleen & J.T.

Featured on The Smart Planner!

Today, I have the honor of being featured in "Meet The Planners" on The Smart Planner blog.  Be sure to check it out! http://www.thesmartplanner.com/2009/01/meet-planners-heather-canada.html

Name Changes

I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus for the past week due to a nasty cold that has kept my brain from functioning well.  I think I'm on the up-swing though! You may have noticed that over the past couple of weeks I have been changing my name back to my maiden name.  Which leads me to a question:  are you (or did you) change your name?  It's really such a hassle!

If you decide to make the effort, here's a quick list of those you will need to notify:

• DMV
• Social Security Administration
• U.S. Passport Agency
• U.S. Post Office
• Employer
• 401k / Retirement plans
• Credit card companies
• Bank accounts / names on checkbook
• Mortgage
• Voter registration
• Doctor, dentist, HMO, medical records, heath-care proxy
• Health, life, auto, and home insurance policies
• Clubs
• Memberships
• Discount, courtesy, and frequent-flyer cards
• Utility companies (phone, cable, gas, electric, etc.)
• Legal Contracts
• Will (you may want to change the beneficiary to your spouse at the same time)

Feel free to comment below - are you changing your name, why or why not, and for those of you already married, what was your experience like?

Christina & Ryan (01.03.09) - Part 2

I just received some photos from Christina and Ryan's beautiful wedding at The Garden Club of Jacksonville!  Thanks to Kris Graham Photography for these wonderful images.

Live From the Ultimate Bridal Fantasy

Today is Northeast Florida's first bridal show of 2009! Head to the Renaissance Resort at the World Golf Village to find everything you need for your wedding. The show runs from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm today, and admission is only $10.

Bride Wars!

Tonight Melanie and I joined some of our favorite wedding pros to watch Bride Wars. Unless you live under a rock, I'm sure you've heard of this wedding-themed movie staring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson.

The premise of the movie is that two best friends who have been dreaming of their wedding days all their lives are accidentally booked on the same day at The Plaza.  Hopefully a far-fetched occurrence, I'm sure, and one that wedding planners will ensure never happens after this movie!

The movie was great, and if you haven't seen it yet I'd highly recommend seeing it with your best girl friends. Thanks to Christine Hoffman at TPC for coordinating our outing! It was great spending time with Chris, Nicole from Sharon Batten, Monica from To Do-ers, and Cate from TPC.