Real Weddings: Erin Jacoby and Mike Walker: THE SLIDESHOW

I do love the slide shows that Garrett and Joy put together for our couples and their families!
As we take it easy from celebrating {and eating!} this Holiday Season, the gracious photography duo were kind enough to share the slide how with me- {I thought this would be an easy blog-read during this busy week!}
So-- from me to you: Please revel in good love and good laughs with this incredible couple and their incredible families on this most incredible wedding day...

Real Weddings: Kirby and Jesse--The Movie Trailer!

Blogging on a Sunday? You know this has to be good...! What a way for me to wrap up our 2008 wedding year; everything was seemingly perfect-
Yesterday, Kirby Watzka and Jesse Filar were married under the beautiful Wedding Gazebo at The Ritz Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes. Their beautiful, sunset cocktail hour took place on the Davinci Terrace prior to moving the dinner and dancing inside to The Plaza Ballroom.
Photographic imagery is forthcoming, however, I really wanted to share a moving and invigorating movie trailer that was produced by my great friend and colleague, Jeffrey Stoner. {Have you slept yet Jeffrey?!?}
Reliving a wedding day in this format is incredible and facilitates the natural excitement still palpable from the day prior! What this can offer a couple, their families and friends in the interim of waiting for wedding albums and final documentaries is priceless. All of this can be viewed on line via a special link posted by Jeffrey.
Personally, I have watched it a few times, I've heard from Kirby's mother Penny, and she has watched it several times today as well. I only hope Kirby and Jesse have access to a computer on one of their layovers today while flying out to their honeymoon!
If the trailer is just a "taste" of the final edit as Jeffrey suggests...then I consider the wedding was a tremendous sucess-

Real Weddings: Hannah Robertson and Wade Miller

The backdrop for this magnificent wedding weekend was Winter Park, Florida through and through. To Hannah, a native of Winter Park, the roots of her family's beloved hometown was of transcendent significance.
When I had the opportunity to meet with her most gracious parents Randy and Pat initially, I was so curious and intrigued to have the opportunity to meet Hannah and Wade personally. {As they lived in Austin, Texas at the time} Once I met the lovely couple one word kept resonating in my head as I set out our overall wedding design.
~Authentic~
This couple, in the most profound and beautiful way, were incredibly authentic and it was now my utmost priority to have that resonate on their behalf.
First and foremost, 80% of our guest list was arriving from all over the country and abroad so we made a weekend itinerary complete with airport transportation, excursions, welcome letters in hospitality baskets with not only the weekend's itinerary, but "independent excursions" they may want to consider like the Winter Park museums, restaurants, even establishments for manicures and pedicures! {I remain a girl at heart with my personal priorities!} Their guests' well-being, comfort and happiness was their primary responsibility and concern.
Setting the scene for you here:
Thursday
9:30 Bonjour Day Spa – mani/pedi for six
Pick up rings at Simmons
Drop dresses for pressing
6 pm Backyard Supper catered by Hot Olives
Friday
10-3 Open House at College Point
Lake and Lunch
11:30 Café De France – Ladies Luncheon
5 Rehearsal at Knowles Chapel
6 Casa Feliz-Rehearsal Dinner catered by Arthur's
9 Eola Wine Bar

Saturday, of course, was the big day and what a day to behold. Everything was absolutely spectacular, these images from the incredible team Jen and Eric from Jensen-Larson Photography are absolute documentation of that! By the way, I'd like to officially go on record for noting that my all-time favorite wedding image is posted above. {Wade's reaction as he caught that first glimpse of Hannah walking towards him in the chapel...}
Breathtaking!

Words hardly seem adequate and almost trite. And--since "a picture says a thousand words," I will allow Jen and Eric's artistry tell the rest of the story and simply list my peerless cast of characters:
Venues: Knowles Chapel and The Winter Park Racquet Club
Floral Design: Flowers of Winter Park: Jay Casiano and Aaron Vieri
Ceremony Music: Raintree Chamber Players {There were 12 musicians in all!} and
Reginald Lyle / wedding bagpiper
Transportation: Winter Park Scenic Boats {We did indeed commission all of their boats and even recruited neighbors' and friends' boats to water taxi 200+ guests by pontoon boats from the ceremony to the reception} and Mount Dora Trolley
Reception Music: David Less / reception music agent. the band was a compilation actually of the finest musicians from all over. What an ensemble, and the music was OUTSTANDING!!! {Just ask the Winter Park Police Department!!}
Audio Visual: Paradise Show & Design. Incredible lighting and a little too much fun working/playing with Richard!!!!
Cake: Cakes by Design/Sylvette
Event Lounge Furniture: Unique Option
Dance Floor and Staging: ASI. They get serious props because the dance floor WAS over the pool and they had to work from 11pm Friday evening through Saturday morning to ensure their safety and my aesthetic. Job WELL done!!! The staging for the band was another creative challenge that they handled with the utmost ease--
Team: Oh....my E-angels! Everyone; Nancy, Jessy {her first wedding with us, Brittany enduring a deeply personal loss and Terri in complete control of another wedding we had that weekend} and then some! {Thanks Michele, Kristen and Tracy!} was recruited to pull this wedding weekend off.
I'd like to also go on rectors for saying that this was also the opening weekend for the eagerly awaited "Sex and the City" movie.
And yes...we, as a team, saw it; AND on opening night!

Real Weddings: Lisa Mallaiah and Mitch Scott: THE SLIDESHOW

Images are fantastic and telling, however, the slide shows that are now being produced by favorite photographers are quite another.
Here, we get to savor more images in an upbeat or romantic tone as set to music.
My friends and colleagues, Garrett and Joy Nudd were kind enough to share Lisa and Mitch's slide show for all of us to enjoy-
For me, it retells a day of tremendous love, high style and fun libations.
For you, my hope is very much the same...

Real Weddings: Lisa and Mitch at The Shores Resort

Note to all budding wedding planners: This job can be very bitter-sweet! Having Lisa and Mitch enter our E- Events world was so sweet, they were an utter delight! To see them marry off and drift off to "happily ever after..." --admittedly sad, yet proud!
Lisa and Mitch live in Minneapolis, and when she called me about 7 months prior to her wedding with a "Clean Slate" my creative interest was peaked...
Lisa's challenge {did I hear someone say "challenge??!!"} was the ethnicity and authenticity that was paramount in being portrayed.
Lisa is half Filipino, half Indian and Mitch is African-American. Challenge? NO! A goal...YES! Recently, I have been chatting with loved ones about how well I respond to goals set forth before me...
First, we needed to find the ideal venue. With the couple's criteria in place we found that The Shores Resort in Daytona Beach Shores perfectly matched their specific wedding weekend goals and style. Next, a Catholic Church to accommodate Lisa's Filipino heritage. The Basilica of St. Paul could not have offered a more perfect backdrop to tradition and old-world opulence--
Onto our reception design--
Lisa repeatedly explained to me that her favorite part of living in her newly-transferred home of Minneapolis was it's downtown arts district which fostered her and Mitch's contemporary and metropolitan flair.
Note to self: Design a wedding reception that it is worthy of this aesthetic!
Raining Roses, Unique Option, BBJ Linen, Plumb Fun Photo Booth, Simply Cinematic and Garrett Nudd were all on hand to assure these elements were met in the moment and in the end with their treasured tangible memories.
Using a harmonious color palette of burnt orange and mahogany accents,the use of only 2 blooms for floral and the rectangular shaped dining tables to feed our 200+ guest list proved to be successful for this beautiful, yet odd-shaped ballroom. The tables were set on and angle with the dance floor in the middle of this ~L~ shaped ballroom "marrying" {ha!} the two sides of the room along with 4 carefully designed furniture groupings.
The result was a comfortable, sleek and chic room design worthy of this hip and trendy couple-
C'mon! Look at her Yves St. Laurent shoes--
The proof is in the stiletto!