Under the direction of Donna
Clous, Wedding Registry Consultant at
Dillards at the Countryside Mall in
Clearwater, the Bridal Show titled "White Lace and Promises" took place this past Sunday.
It was a wonderful, magical, bridal showcase and we were thrilled to be part of the festivities! It gives us an opportunity to not only meet couples planning their weddings, but to meet other bridal industry professionals and learn about their passions and talents.
The Bridal show gave us all an opportunity to offer our couples many resources and suppliers, and plenty of good food and specialty cakes to taste.
I am going to tell you about the vendors that participated who can provide many great services as you begin in your planning for a fabulous wedding event. If you are still seeking a vendor that is not listed here in the blog, just call me at 727 532-6186 or email me at
LovingUnity@gmail.com and I will be happy to assist you.
As you start your planning process, you will want to be in touch with a wedding planner to make your planning easier. Elizabeth Sparks of Joyful Wedding Planning
http://www.joyfulweddingplanning.com/ will help you to keep the joy in planning your wedding. Beth can be reached at 727-726-9747 or email her at
wedding@ij.net If you decide that you want to plan your own wedding, Beth has many great resources that would be available to you.
She offers a complimentary
consultation. Why not give her a call?
Location, location, location!! You will want to contact Nancy Williams of the
Bon Appetit Restaurant
http://www.bonappetitrestaurant.com/ or call 727-733-2151. It is exquisite waterfront dining and lodging. Not only is the dining facility beautiful, but they are affiliated with the Honeymoon Island Productions. They have wedding, catering and special events packages to suit every need. Have a look at the website at
http://www.romantichoneymoonisland.com/ or call Kim at 727-736-2132. I have had the opportunity to both eat at Bob
Appetit and conduct a wedding at Honeymoon Island, and I have enjoyed my association with them.
The other catering vendors that I had the pleasure to meet and enjoy the tasty delights they served were Catering by the Family by Joe
Latta who can be reached at 813-228-4263. They are full production caterers are located in Tampa. Give Joe a call and he can provide you with their menu and specialties. Marilyn Chapman is the Bridal Event Coordinator for
Delectables Fine Catering
http://www.delectablescatering.com/ and you can reach her at
info@delectablescatering.com or phone 727-781-1200. Not only is the food delicious, but you can attend a complimentary tasting on the first Saturday of Every Month, call them to RSVP. They are located in Palm Harbor. You just have to taste their baked brie!!!! Yum!
Of course, if formal wear is what you are seeking, you want to talk with Cynthia
Baeso of
Sacino's and
Sassi Bride.
Call her at 727-796-5558. She's located in
Clearwater. Or you can go online to
http://www.sacino.com/I didn't get a chance to take a photo of the limo for you to see, but I did see it outside the event. Paradise Limousines of Tampa Bay has been in business since 1984 they provide uniformed chauffeurs, and they are available for a variety of transportation needs in addition to weddings. Have a look at
http://www.paradistlimousines.com/ or call 1-800-729-4713. Richard "Lord Byron"
Pape can be reached at
lordbyron@paradiselimousines.comCakes and Other sweet delights were available for tasting and in particular I loved the red velvet cake with the cream cheese frosting! It's hard to resist eating all the goodies at these events. Sweet Memories with Chef
Donalda &
Rebecca can be reached at 727-784-9487.
L'Artisan Cake
Akelier by
Merli and Noemi can be reached at 813-383-2316. Call them to set up a time for a tasting. Not only were the cakes so beautiful and unique, but they tasted wonderful!!!
What would be a wedding without music?? I am trying to keep track of the most requested first dance song........what was yours?? These are in no particular order, but I wanted to list them all since they all offer different variety and styles of music entertainment.
My love is like a red, red, rose..........
Floral Designers have so many different ways to create your dream scape. From tropical for your beach wedding, to serene for your church event, if you have a vision, they can create it. You will want to talk with Cathy Swanson of Heaven Scent at 727-934-3930. She is a wedding specialist with over 25 years of experience. email her at heavenscentfloristinc@msn.com Another contact you should make is Blake Adler of Brides & Blooms. Fresh flowers from the farms to your arms! Call her at 813-852-2052 or email her at bridesnblooms3@yahoo.com or have a look at their website http://www.bridesnblooms.com/
When it comes to photography and videography, you must have a professional if you want high quality memories of your once in a lifetime event. Here are three professionals that you will want to contact. Graham Photography, Diane Johns, 727-821-0444 
http://www.grahamphotos.com/ or email photosbygraham@yahoo.com, CCS Photography, Roger Slater, http://www.ccsphotography.net/ 
call 727-517-5689 or email Roger at roger@ccsphotography.net. And Lena Naughton Photography Lena & Ryan at 813-447-9743 or visit their website http://www.linasphotography.com/ or email at linasphotography@yahoo.com. 
I was able to have a look at their work on display and also learn about their techniques and styles. Ask them if they have specials going on at this time for 2009 bookings!!
I tried to do this in order, but realized that I am now going to talk about Invitation and Designers. My handwriting is ok, but having a professional calligrapher write out your placecards, notecards, or if you would like calligraphy for any occasion, you want to call Monica Ficarrotta 
at 813-832-6626. She had many beautiful examples to review. An invitation designer that I met was Nancy Kipp. She has a store called Paper Players, a store celebrating the fun, interest and art of paper. They have unique invitations, stationery and greeting cards and handle custom printing and have a variety of unique gift items and artwork. Have a look at http://www.paperplayers.com/ or email Michele@paperplayers.com 
or call 727-734-4174.
When I conduct customized wedding ceremonies, sometimes we use the bride and groom glasses for a wine ritual. When I met Ken Haynes of Custom Woodcrafting,
I was very impressed with the wood stemmed wine glasses that he creates for couples. In fact, I want him to create a chalice for me to use for my rituals! Contact him at 813-571-0469. He has a variety of unique gifts created with exotic hardwoods. All products are reflective of his own artistic interpretation in the molding and shaping of the most beautiful hardwoods. Visit his website at http://www.customwoodcrafting.net/ or email him at woodcraft5@verizon.net Another vendor you want to contact is Diana Rouse of Deelightful Deesigns. She can be reached at 813-417-8161. http://www.deelightfuldeesigns.com/ If you go on their website you will see the frequently asked questions and answers, and you will find it very helpful. Give them a call and let them work with you for all of your design needs.
For beach weddings and outside weddings, and also at times in a church or facility, you will have the need for rental items. It could be an archway, candelabra, tables, chairs, linens. Before you start shopping around, call Good Rentals of Central Florida and talk with Linda.
She can be reached at 727-446-3028. They will work with you to put on a great event! http://www.goodrentalsinc.com/ or call 813-814-9350 They have been in the party business since 1959 and they have EVERYTHING to meet your needs. Stop in to their showroom to see all that they have. They are located at 301 Mears in Oldsmar just 4 miles east of the Countryside Mall. On top of the archway they had provided were flowers by Baskets & Bows by Shirley Allen. 
She can be reached at 727-937-5919.
Now if you are feeling all tired and stressed out with all of that planning and information, you will want to talk to Christine Rutemiller,
Independent Associate for the Health 4 Wealth Corporation. Have a look at the website at www.health4wealth.com/christine she will be able to tell you all about how to look and feel your best on your wedding day with natural products.
There are a few Bridal Publications out there, and one that is of particular note is the Tampa Bay's Premiere Bride Magazine. Judy Z judyz22@yahoo.com and her team (Kristine that's you too!) 
work hard to find the caliber of vendors that are professionals that will make your event go smoothly. Look for the Premiere Bride magazine when you are at the local bridal shops and other venues, or, if you can't find one, let me know, and I will make sure you get one!!! You can also go online to http://www.tampabaypremierbride.com/ for a wealth of information.
Whew! That's a lot of information, I hope that you will find it helpful. Let me know if there is a vendor that you need information about that is not listed here and I will be happy to help you!
Remember, you can always go to the Bay Area Bridal Association website, the Association of Bridal Consultants Website, and the Tampa Bay Bridal Association website to get names and information about selecting vendors for your event. HAPPY PLANNING!!!!!!!!! Let me know how your planning is coming along at lovingunity@gmail.com or call me at 727-532-6186 if I can be of assistance to you!
Please take the time to attend bridal shows, there is always new information, creative ideas, and remember that ALL of the vendors that you see there are willing to help you create a beautiful day and want to provide excellent service to you.
It was a very moving expression of their love as they read their personal words to each other. Little Kiernan helped mom when it came time for the blended sand ceremony. 
In addition, at the end of the ceremony, Reza and Kimberly placed loveletters they had written to each other into a locked chest, along with a bottle of wine and wine glasses. When they are preparing for the ceremony, I ask them to write their thoughts about each other that brought them to their wedding day, and seal them without showing the other. It is to be opened at some future time, a silver wedding anniversary perhaps! The music for their beach wedding was lovely. 
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