Gratitude to YOU

We want to take this time at Thanksgiving to express my gratitude to all of you, friends, family and other professionals in the industry for the significant role you play in our lives.  Dave and I appreciate all of your support.  We wish you a wonderful, peaceful and Blessed Thanksgiving!

Real Wedding Libbie and Israel @Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater

Libbie and Israel had a spiritual wedding ceremony and shared their vows as the sun was setting at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater this evening. 

They joined together by saying vows to each other and also to Jonathan,  Israel's 3 year old son. 

The wedding theme was simple elegance, with the colors white/black and maroon.  The beautiful bride entered with her dad to Pachelbel's Canon in D Minor, carrying a lovely silk maroon flower bouquet.  Libbie and Israel shared blended sand, symbolizing that their lives are now joined together, thus,  no longer able to be separated.  A beautiful poem entitled The Best Is Yet to Be was read by the brides good friend.  The love that they shared was so evident by the look in their eyes.  Jonathan looked on with such pleasure and adoration for the beautiful bride. 

After the nuptials, the couple were greeted by the staff of the Sandpearl and shared a champagne toast and congratulations from their guests.  Then on to the COVE room for their reception.  The room was decorated with the colors the bride had chosen, and the cake reflected the same. Each person received an individual gift bag that was special for them.  I noticed one of the gift bags had a cute Teddy Bear Pez Dispenser..........wonder who was the lucky winner of that???

Once again, the staff of the Sandpearl Resort, from the greeter, to the event staff, to the valet, all continually show us what real customer service is.  They treat each and every person they encounter as if they are the only customer..........I like that..........and so do our couples.

 Congratulations Libbie, Israel and Jonathan.....may you have a lifetime of happiness and prosperity!  Thank you for choosing me to officiate your wedding ceremony. 

Venue:  Sandpearl Resort  contact Michelle
Music:  Sandpearl Resort
Officiant: Rev. Virginia Bishop, LovingUnity.com

Anime inspired wedding Stacia and Gabriel@Sunken Gardens

When Stacia and Gabriel phoned me to officiate their wedding at the Sunken Gardens, they expressed their desire to have an Anime influenced ceremony and reception.  To my surprise, I had not heard of Anime before, so I was excited at the prospect of venturing into new territory and work with them to create the ceremony of their dreams.






Stacia and Gabriel are fans of Anime and had actually met while looking at Japanese animated items in a bookstore. WOW!  Talk about finding your soulmate.



If you, like me, are not clear about what that is, I will give you a short explanation. Anime is the Japanese abbreviation and pronunciation of "Animation" - animated cartoons.    Anime is an art form, with influences of Japanese calligraphy and Japanese paintings that  characterize the linear qualities of the anime style. 

Many of the characters feature larger eyes, with coloring added to the eyes for depth.  There are many shows which are influenced by Anime and it has dramatically exposed more Westerners to the culture of Japan.  It is reported recently that the number of people studying the Japanese culture and language has increased dramatically.

Flower Alternatives for Green Wedding

I was looking for some flower alternatives for a green wedding and I was surprised to see just how many alternatives are out there.  Etsy.com is a treasure trove!  There are button bouquets, paper origami bouquets, brooch bouquets and shell.  There were way too many but I wanted to show you some of my favorite ideas!  Will be talking to local florists next week to get their ideas for what they offer their clients for Green Weddings.  Will keep you updated.

Green Weddings & Events, More Clients, Less Impact

WOW ! Did you know that approximately 400 lbs of garbage are associated with each wedding?

Prior to the Association of Bridal Consultants Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, I thought I knew what a Green Wedding actually was. However, after attending the session by Kate Harrison, author of the Green Bride Guide, I found I knew very little.   Her book  The Green Bride Guide: How to plan an Earth Friendly Wedding on any budget, is a best selling wedding book.  She has now created the country's first green wedding professional certification class with the Wedding Planning Institute to help wedding planners learn about eco-friendly alternatives. 

In 2010, green weddings were the number five wedding trend globally, with 46% of couples looking to include eco-friendly elements to their wedding day plans.  The book offers dozens of tips and tricks to green a wedding day on any budget, without sacrificing style.  Some of the topics include:

• The environmental impacts of traditional weddings and the importance of going green.
• Ways to green any wedding or event just by making simple substitutions.
• Tips and tricks to green your wedding business.
• Techniques for incorporating the green message into your marketing materials. 

After attending this session, I feel that I have a better understanding of the environmental impact of each part of the wedding, from invitations to favors, to food and flowers.   I will be telling my clients about business associates that I work with that are environmentally conscious and assist my clients in finding eco friendly alternatives throughout their planning process. 

I plan to commit ways to make my own business greener, and look for more ways to use ideas and market them to others. 

Here are some links that could be helpful:

GreenBrideGuide.com
RecycledBride.com
SmartBrideBoutique.com

I will offer some green solutions in future blogs and welcome any green weddings that you have done that you would like to see featured here.   We can all be part of a Global Solution.  Let's give it a try.

Real Wedding @Sunset Vistas Beachfront Suites Wedding

11/11/11 it only happens every one hundred years.

 This was a very special day for many couples, and we were honored to officiate the wedding of Leanne and Jeffery Green on the beach at the Sunset Vistas Beachfront Suites at Treasure Island, Florida.

 Jeffery and his groomsmen managed the setup of the beautiful beach theme wedding.  Leanne looked simply gorgeous as she arrived on her brothers arms, processing in to the steel drum music.  The aisle was decorated with starfish and bell jars filled with beach sand, starfish and sand dollars.

 The couple shared their personal vows, and joined their individual sand vials together, symbolizing the joining of their lives together.  In Filipino tradition, the bride and groom exchanged the aras.

These are the coins that flow from the groom to the bride and back to demonstrate his willingness to support his wife and family, and her willingness to be an equal partner in the marriage.

 Rev. David Bishop of LovingUnity.com officiated the nuptials.  The photos of the beautiful couple say it all!







After the ceremony, the couple and their family enjoyed a reception in the venue cafe overlooking the tropical courtyard and waterfalls.   We were so honored to be such an integral part of their day.

Venue:  Sunset Vistas Beachfront Suites   www.SunsetVistas.com
Photos for the Blog: Virginia Bishop
Music: Steel drum music by Jason of the Island Boys
                                                          Florist: Gulfport Florist
                                                          Bamboo Arch Rental: LovingUnity.com

Association of Bridal Consultants

WOW!!!!!! I just returned from the Association of Bridal Consultants Annual Conference. All I can say is WOW!  It was held in Baltimore, Maryland, and as an officiant, I can honestly say, meeting with the Consultants, Planners, and vendors from the Association really charge me up to be even better and more creative.

I was blessed to once again be a speaker this year at one of the break out sessions. My topic was creative rituals and I was able to feature a few of my more unique weddings.  Our time was short, as I could have shared so much more, but hopefully I was able to inspire another member and provide a little insight into my world of officiating and my company LovingUnity.com 

I was also very proud of our Florida delegation.  We have a strong leader and team who provide great support for all of us in our business ventures. I will post more information about the speakers and venue and plans for adding more Green Weddings to my business.