Association of Bridal Consultants Workshop

WOW! Today I experienced a great workshop! The workshops are put on by the Association of Bridal Consultants and we were at the Spruce Creek Country Club in Port Orange. One of the things that really impresses me is how the association provides such great education topics. Even tho I am an officiant, running my own business, it helps to have guidance and insight, and I can really appreciate how hard the Wedding and Event Planners and Consultants with ABC work. I am proud to be a member. Oh.....so many new ideas to implement!!!!!!!!! I will keep you posted!!! Great job facilitators Tammy Waterman and Lisa Burnett!! So proud of you! Elise Enloe our State Coordinator is always working hard to provide us with these great opportunities to broaden our education. Have you joined ABC yet? Have you gone to an ABC Network Meeting Yet?? If not, why not???????

ABC Tallahassee Local Networking Group

I love the opportunity to work and speak to Local Networking Groups. This evening, I had the opportunity to speak before the Tallahassee Local Networking group about Blogging for Sole Proprietors. What fun!!! I had the opportunity to work with three professionals to create their very own blogs. Have a look!

http://TallahasseeMobileWeddings.blogspot.com
http://SMEzekielEvents.blogspot.com
http://GoldenGatherings.blogspot.com

For those of you who didn't get a chance to make it, I am sorry I missed you! I had so much information to share! For those of you that attended, Thank You! I am honored that I was able to work with you and help you grow in your businesses. I wish you the best in all of your ventures, and happy blogging!!!!!!!

Thank you Danette for inviting me. It was wonderful!

Hold your next event at the Chester H. Ferguson Law Center

The Chester H. Ferguson Law Center is an event center with contemporary accommodations in a traditional and sophisticated setting. I features 6 meeting rooms with a minimum capacity of 6-12 to a maximum capacity of 150. It is close to the downtown Tampa area, and I 275, has free parking, and can be the setting for elegant dinner parties, wedding receptions, banquets and other large gatherings. Their in-house caterer has an established reputation for exceptional food, creativity and presentation, combined with outstanding service. They will work with you to seamlessly blend each element of your menu with style and on budget. For further information and more detailed description of the individual banquet rooms, check their website www.hillsbar.com or you may contact Terri Schanken at 813-221-7785 or email her at teresa@hillsbar.com or Laurie Rideout at 813 221-7771 or email her at laurie@hillsbar.com

Consider this great location when you plan your event.

The Best of a Band, The Best of a DJ......all in one!!

Where can you find a great DJ, and also some live musical entertainment?? Chuck Weirich is a professional trumpeter, disc jockey and entertainer all in one! Yesterday, I heard Chuck give a demonstration of his wedding music and a variety of other songs, and it was fabulous! You will defiitely want to listen to a live music demo by Chuck and see how wonderful it would be for him to be part of your wedding ceremony and reception. He is professional, pleasant, energetic, and willing to listen to the ideas that you have for the music you would like to enjoy on your special day. You can check it out online at TampaBayDJ.com or you can call him toll free at 877-352-3571 or email him at chuck@tampabaydj.com I am sure he would love to play some music for your listening pleasure and is a great DJ for your event.

Is Your Wedding Vendor a Professional or is it a Hobby????

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking at a luncheon for The Professional Wedding Guild of The Greater Bay/Tampa to Sarasota. The Hunters Green Golf and Country Club served as our host, thanks especially to the fine work of Gretchen Hill and her staff!! Gretchen is the Private Events Director and you can contact her at gretchen.hill@ourclub.com  The grounds are magnificent and the ballroom is spectacular. Have a look at their website  www.huntersgreencc.com   This monthly luncheon involves associates of a variety of wedding professionals, and I was proud to speak before them. These are the people who make YOUR day as perfect as it can be.  They put in the time and effort, and education that it takes, to provide you with the most incredible customer service possible.  It made me wonder, when you speak to your wedding vendor, do you ever ask if they are associated with any Professional Wedding Organizations?  This is very important, as there is quite a difference between professionals and those that work on weddings just for a hobby. I have seen the importance of this when I meet a variety of individuals working with couples on their weddings. I plan to feature some of the professionals that I believe you should consider. Also, I wanted to mention that there are a few upcoming bridal shows that you should attend, they are a great opportunity to comparison shop, and get many new and creative ideas.

Upcoming Bridal Shows
January 11, 2009 Hyatt Regency Hotel - Downtown Tampa
April 19, 2009 Embassy Suites at Busch Gardens - Tampa
July 12, 2009 Hyatt Regency Hoel - Downtown Tampa

If you are a bride and would like to receive a discount coupon to attend, please let me know!

Pine Point Beach, Maine - Weddings At The Beach!

Both New England and Florida have magnificent coastlines to take advantage of when you think about a beach location for your wedding. The wedding of Deb and Roger took place in Maine at Pine Point Beach in Scarborough. When planning your beach wedding, I always jokingly suggest to couples that they look at the Farmers Alamanac to see the history of weather for that date they are interested in. Deb and Roger had the dream of getting married on Pine Point Beach, and even tho the sky was cloudy, their hearts were filled with joy!

Rev. Heather Boyd of LovingUnity.com officiated the custom wedding ceremony, as Deb and Roger were united together with their children. Recognizing the significance of the wedding ceremony and the joining of parents is one of the wonderful elements in any wedding. Blended sand is very popular, as well as the giving of gifts, and stating of vows to the children. It is a big day for them too!!!

If you had a beach wedding yourself, tell me about it! If you are looking for a beach location for your wedding, ask me! I'd love to hear all about your ideas about getting married on the beach.

Congratulations Deb and Roger!

Email me or phone me at 727 532-6186 or 207 590-6339 and let me help you find a great location to get married.

Here's a great tip! Hire a Wedding Planner... and here is why....

Just about every day I speak with couples who work with what can be the all time-consuming task of planning their wedding. Most times, when I meet them for the first time, they have a big binder loaded with materials, contracts and the like. There are so many choices, and making the decisions can certainly be overwhelming. If you are feeling this way, or even if you are just beginning the process, you really might want to consider getting some help. I am going to write about the event planners that I have worked with over the course of several articles, but the first person that comes to mind for me is Tammy Waterman.

I've had the privilege of working with Tammy and her wonderful staff on several weddings and am looking forward to those that we will be doing together in the coming years. Tammy is a complete professional with many years of experience and has a real gift for creating beautiful, unique and memorable wedding experiences for the couples she works with. She can create an elegant formal affair, or a beach wedding "Jimmy Buffet" style.

In my role as Wedding Minister she makes my job a complete joy, working closely with me so that the rehearsal and ceremony come off without a hitch! A real plus is that she has a great sense of humor, which is so important!

I have seen Tammy in action when flowers fell to the ground off a pillar and smashed within minutes of the start of the wedding and she quickly reassemble the flowers, and no one even was aware of what happened. She is quick and thinks on her feet!

My words don't do justice to Tammy's magic, so please take a moment to visit her website http://www.eventsbyspecialmoments.com/ so that you can see the may wonderful photos of the weddings she has planned as well as detailed information about her packages. Tammy offers many levels of service to her couples...everything from her Complete Wedding Planning package, all the way to Day-Of and A la Carte services.

If you just not sure if hiring a wedding planner s right for you, ask her about the pros and cons, it may be helpful in your decision making...but if you're considering this option at all, my best recommendation would be for you to pick up the phone and give her a call, you'll be glad that you did. You can reach Tammy at 727-343-0800. Tammy is an Accredited Bridal Consultant with the Association of Bridal Consultants.