Are you a Bride Blogger?

So I was on a blogathon this morning and came across some really fun blogs by real brides. As usual, when I'm on blogathons I get inspired. These blogs really inspired me more than I expected though. So I decided that I would add another blogroll- blogs by brides!
If you are a bride, and would like to be on this Blog roll, comment below or send an email to WeddingTidbits@Gmail
I'm excited!

Welcome back Anne!

Do you know that my first introduction to the world of wedding blogs was from I will to I do? Yep. These years later, I am ever so glad that Anne is still blogging away, and I am so happy for her- she's moved her blog back to its blogger home and is now the Senior Editor at Brides.com
Congrats Anne!

The Gangs all here

Okay, so the picture is really kind of bad. That's okay though, because the evening was wonderful. There's truly something so nice about being surrounded by people who just love weddings.
I was so excited when I walked into Miromar Beach Lakes Clubhouse tonight and found so many of my favorite people sitting around one table. In the total lack of resolution photo from my phone above (left to right):
Shari Bare, Kelly from No Worries, Sam & Ashley Brockinton and then me. Also in attendance (but not in the pic)were Rob & AnnMarie from AMC Video, Vanessa from Pelican Preserve, and Jane Jedlick. Anyhoo, we had all been invited to take a tour of the new clubhouse and spa (which is beyond fabulous). I went because the invite said cocktails & hors d'oeuvres. Ahhh ha ha ha, snort. Just kidding (a little). Oh, but the sun dried tomato goat cheese on toast points were soooo good. I ate 6.
FYI: I linked to a few previous posts to show off some of the work for everyone I've worked with tonight.

Calling all brides!

As you know, we're gearing up for our 2008 blog showcase and we're off to a great start. The Planners & Wedding designers across the country are ready to start creating a showcase piece based on what you envision, and we have a list of amazing photographers a mile long ready to photograph! Much to my surprise, we're short on brides!
The process is easy- your showcase planner/designer will contact you and let you know what showcase piece they'd like to create for you. Then all you have to do is give her/him your thoughts/ideas on what you'd like to see.

"Oh, you're doing a place setting? Great! I'd love to see something really contemporary, with greens, whites and golds. Oh, and I love the look of glass. Love, love, love glass. And my favorite flower is a rose, if that helps at all."

Easy right? Then you and your showcase planner/designer and the photographer will get together to photograph you, your planner/designer, and the showcase piece. All the submitted showcases will be featured on the blog in August.
That's it! Nothing but fun wedding inspiration. Free of charge, full of smiles. If you have a photographer or planner you'd like to work with, send me an email and I'll see if I can get you matched up!
Here's the list of cities we for sure need participants from (but we're not limiting to these!):

Boston, MA
Captiva Island, FL
Conneticut
Denver, CO
Ft Myers, FL
Las Vegas, NV
Los Angeles, CA
Naples, FL
New York, NY
Newport, RI
Sanibel Island, FL
St. Louis, MO

Post #301

I can't believe I've had over 300 posts. That's craziness. In a fury of boredom driving home from Savannah, I read through a bunch of old ones and found yet another wedding I missed! So...here are the pro photos from Smiley brides wedding (a.k.a. Amy & Stephen). Amy is a wedding coordinator herself, so I had a blast planning with her. Click on each picture that you'd like to see enlarged. Each guest received a chocolate menu...serious wow factor.
The Newlyweds table. Dinner with all your best friends. Does it get better than that?
Amy & Stephen had the best of the best for music- Clint Wiley Band. They rock! Clint's band has the best playlist I've come across in a really long time. They actually keep current with what you hear on top 40 radio. That's almost unheard of with wedding bands.
How can you not love the occassional photo just for laughs? Stephen is a hoot!
5 minutes 'til aisle time...
See what I mean? She never stopped smiling!


The Peonies, oh the Peonies. this was a bad year for Peonies. They literally arrived the day before the wedding, and until one day prior, we didn't know if they'd come at all. Talk about holding your breath!
This my friends, was another great wedding!
Ack! I nearly forgot to give credit where credit is due: Phenomenal Photography by Julie Goodacre and Magnificent Makeup (and hair) by Fresh Beauty Studio.

2008 Showcase extended!

Okay, so we have a whole buncha odds and ends for the showcase, so I think it would be best to extend the deadline for participation until the 25th. Up there on the left sidebar I have a list of cities that we have participants for, but need some match-ups: planners, photographers, and brides.
***We got a request from a videographer to participate- ABSOLUTELY! You guys know I'm all about the video!
To participate just email me at WeddingTidbits @gmail.com
The showcase is easy and fun to do, so don't wait- sign up now!
Confused? Read here: Click

Um, the picture. It has nothing to do with this showcase. I just like it. Julie Goodacre took it at Smiley Bride's wedding.

A really unique & beautiful wedding

I very rarely post about any weddings other than the ones I design & plan, but this one is too good to pass up. I found this featured wedding on the Southern Weddings Magazine blog (which happens to be one of my new fave reads). It takes place at one of my other favorites: the Wynn in Las Vegas.
Things I adore about this wedding...
````The bridesmaids have completely different dresses on and it looks awesome.
````I count at least 4 different centerpieces.
````A mix of long and round tables.
````Hello- did you see the chuppah and the arches leading to it? GORGEOUS.
You can see more photos at:
Victor Sizemore's Blog
Victors quite the talented photographer!
and
Southern Weddings Blog

Planner + Bride + Photographer= The Ultimate Showcase

After realizing that half the readers of this blog are brides and the other half are planners & industry pros, I thought it would be fun to do another showcase. It's been a while anyway. So this time we're calling on everyone to jump in. Wouldn't it be fun to bring an inspiration board to life? Here's how its going to work:

Last time we just did tabletops. This time I say we do anything wedding.

Planners: You get to pick what wedding element you want to showcase. Tabletop, Cake, Decor & Display, Floral, Paper Details, even a picture spot...anything that can be visual. You can use one of your favorite wedding professionals to help you with this (i.e. Florist, baker, linen company). You must give credit though if you go this route. And really, I prefer that you don't just "go out and buy it". Showcases must be new...no using a centerpiece from last Saturdays wedding (but do borrow the flowers from it!). Stroll through the land of creativity!

Brides: You get to guide your planner. It's all about what you want and it does not have to be at all related to your actual wedding. Your showcase planner will tell you what wedding element you'll be showcasing. You then give your planner everything she/he needs to create what you think is great. This might mean some inspiring pictures, colors, textures, words & thoughts...you catch my drift. Keep in mind that your planner will probably restricted- so don't expect Sylvia Weinstock to bake a cake or Preston Bailey to create a centerpiece for this showcase. But Sylvia & Preston, if you are reading, we'd love to have you.

Photographers: We'll need you to photograph the bride, the planner, and the showcase element. We'll take and post a total of 6 photos for each showcase. You'll receive plenty of Blog Love (credits and link) of course.

Everyone: If you want to participate, email weddingtidbits @gmail.com. We'll take care of matching up a bride with a planner and a planner with a photographer. Obviously, we need all 3 to be local to each other for the photographing. So you might want to spread the word to folks in your area, letting them know about this blog showcase so that they can email in as well. Special request to my fellow bloggers- please pass on the news via your blogs!

Please use the subject line: "2008 Showcase".

Deadline to email in to participate is July 20th. We'll reply back with a basic form for you to fill out so that we can get everyone matched up. The sooner you email us, the quicker we can get you matched up.
I will do everything I can to have everyone matched up, but depending on the number of requests and location restrictions I might have to slim it down a bit. But again, I'll try my darndest!
Once we have everyone matched up, we'll get you all your contact info and you can have at it! We'll plan on the 1st of the Ultimate Showcase features around August 1st.
Same as last time- this isn't a contest; just blog fun & wedding inspiration!

Fun Wedding Parties

How lucky am I to be a destinaton wedding planner? Not only do I get to plan ceremonies & receptions, but I get to plan festivities! Here's a quick list of some of my all time favorites:

Casino nights- always a huge hit. We started doing these in 2005 and they never get old. You can do something as simple as a Poker table or 2 or go all out and add a roulette wheel, black jack, and craps. Be sure to get dealers- they make all the difference.

Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Tastings- YUM. 'Nough said. The trick to these events is to have a pro there to talk about what tastes so good. For wine you have a sommelier; cheese a Maitre Fromager.

Sunset, dinner, or lunch Cruises- We do these constantly because its one of those events that everyone, young or old can enjoy. You can cruise to nowhere, or cruise to somewhere fun.

Mini Carnival- casual fun is all the rage. A totally laid back party with nothing but the stuff you aren't supposed to eat but love to eat. Pizza, brownies, ice cream, chicken fingers, french fries, cotton candy, popcorn, doughnuts...you name your favorites. Try it on a manicured lawn Add a bunch of pillows, outdoor blankets, and a DJ and you have quite the shindig. Have some games available to like Cornhole, volleyball/badmitten and horseshoes.

Karaoke- This is the one party I wish more people would do. For some reason when people get away from their normal enviornment and into the celebration mode, the fear of singing aloud disappears. Don't believe me? Think about it, when you're at a wedding and the band or DJ is playing an awesome song- doesn't everyone sing along...really loud? YEP, they do. Now imagine if that's what is supposed to happen. That's right..it's even better. It's hands down the best wedding weekend party. If your budget can swing for a karaoke band- DO IT. Oh, and this one is a must have on video.

Real Wedding: Valerie & Ryan

Somehow I managed to miss blogging about this wedding! It was in February, and I just came across the photo CD from Gigi Hamlett Photography while doing a little more moving today. As you can see, Valerie loved pink!
Val & Ryans initials hung on the doors leading to the ceremony site on the terrace.
Now this is a happy wedding party!
Looks like we needed bouncers at this wedding. Kidding! These are 2 groomsmen holding the basket for the money dance (a southern wedding tradition)
So sweet. Lots of flowers petals for these cute little flower girls.
At the escort card table we used one of our votive trees and "pink'd it up" with some rose and feather hearts.

Val left a very special card for her mom at her seat. She wanted her to read it during the ceremony, but emotions got the best of her.
Val looked amazing that day. Nikol from Fresh Beauty Studio had her looking flawless!
We made cones of flower petals for guests to toss at Val & Ryan when they were announced husband & wife.
This is one of my favorite pictures from that day. So Estee Lauder isn't it?
Hands down the biggest trend of the year and absolutely one of my favorite "if you can fit it in the budget do it" things: The Photobooth. Everyone loves it.

Clint Wiley @Eddie Fishbowls TONIGHT!

For anyone going to Red, White and BOOM (Cape Coral, FL) tonight...
Clint Wileys band is playing at the Grand Opening of Eddie Fishbowls from 10pm to 2am (or whenever the fireworks finish).
Have a great Independence Day!

Big News: We're Opening a Planning Studio!

Truly, the excitement is almost unbearable. We're currently in the process of opening a planning studio! This area has needed a wedding space for far too long. The last couple weeks have been insane. I'm a bit nervous to give a firm open date because we still have a huge amount of moving and logistical stuff to do. But it will for sure be within the next 6 or 7 weeks. The new space will allow us to meet with our current and future clients in a really comfortable setting and give all brides a great place to come and be surrounded in all things wedding. Most importantly, our library will be available to everyone and of course we'll be showcasing all the wedding professionals we love to work with. The photo above is Dominique, Michelle, and I after a great (but exhausting) day shopping for new furniture and stuff in Orlando. I adore Ikea. We packed every cubic inch of free space in my car...and then moved on to the roof rack!