"Lunch and Learn" Events

Earlier this month, I hosted a luncheon, along with Brian Joyce from Flourish Floral Productions, for our guest Melissa Burtram of Arthur's Catering. Melissa is responsible for all event bookings at Casa Feliz. The management of both Arthur's and Casa Feliz has made it easy now for clients to organize their events at the historic home. Melissa gives a tour and then sits down with the client to assist with menu selection. How simple is that? This luncheon is part of an ongoing process of meeting new vendors, providing them with a tasty lunch and sharing with the guest what Wonderful Weddings is all about. Next month we have planned two more of these "Lunch and Learn" events; details to come in a future blog entry!

"Keepin' It Downtown" Luncheon

Today I attended the Citrus Club's monthly "Keepin' It Downtown" luncheon. The catering directors there, Melba Will and Molly Abel, organized this monthly soiree several years ago to include all venues that are in the downtown area. This way, the downtown venues can network amongst themselves and help each other out if they can't accommodate a prospective client but have the ability to send business to other industry "buddies." In attendance today were Char Midkiff of the Downtown Development Board, who shared some great information about the September 4th "What's Up Downtown" event at the Stirling Sotheby's Global Gallery, Amy Pryor and Brittany Andrews of the Orange County Regional History Center, Amy Kane of the Courtyard by Marriott Orlando Downtown, Stephanie Floriani of the Grand Bohemian Hotel.

The Citrus Club is always kind to extend an invitation to Wonderful Weddings for these monthly events, and it's a nice opportunity to chat with all of the folks from the various venues. And of course, to dine on the fabulous Citrus Club cuisine for which the Club is so noted!

Our First Apprentice!

Wonderful Weddings welcomes our first apprentice candidate - Lynn Porter! Lynn owns and operates Jarboe, Inc., a fine ladies' apparel boutique in the quaint Ivanhoe Row District near Downtown Orlando. I have shopped at Lynn's store before (buying "work clothes" to wear for weddings!) and during a shopping visit back in November of 2007, I mentioned our apprentice program to Lynn. In mid-summer of 2008, she contacted me and in early August she began her apprenticeship with us.

Lynn received a degree in fashion design from Bauder College in Fort Lauderdale. She worked in corporate fashion for 11 years but had a true desire to work in a more personal atmosphere. She began working at Jarboe, a fine ladies' boutique, as a sales consultant; after several years there, the owner wanted to start her family so she sold the business to Lynn. Jarboe's apparel line appeals to a variety of tastes and in addition to clothing, she carries trendy footwear and one-of-a-kind jewelry. She provides personal shopping and works with clients one on one to develop a wardrobe that resembles their own personal lifestyle.

Lynn has already completed a portion of the apprentice program, having worked with us for the Wonderful Wedding of Kristin Dolson and Dieter Hinrichs on August 9, 2008. The wedding ceremony was held at Knowles Memorial Chapel and the guests partied until midnight at Orlando Museum of Art. Rinat Halon of Halon Photography documented the entire day that Lynn worked with us. Lynn has sat in on several meetings as part of her program, most recently at the Citrus Club for a November 2008 wedding. The next wedding she will work with us will be on October 11, 2008 at Casa Feliz.

Lynn was recently married herself on March 24, 2007. Her wedding and reception took place at Maitland Art Center and the reception was catered by Arthur's Catering with a beautiful cake provided by Bake Me A Cake.

Lynn enrolled in the Suddenly I See apprentice program because she feels it would be a value-added component to her shop to assist brides and Moms with their wedding plans (and provide them with the hottest clothes to wear during those months of planning!). In her words, "I believe joining Susie Weiss and her team with the Wonderful Weddings 'Suddenly I See' apprenticeship program will only enhance my strengths and make me a well rounded wedding planner."

We are happy to have Lynn as a part of the Wonderful Weddings family!

Recent Q&A Session with Jeff Stoner

Recently, Susie had the pleasure of being a participant in Jeffrey Stoner's fun and random "Q & A" video series! Click here to watch their latest collaboration.

Wonderful Weddings New Blog

Welcome to our first Blog post! We are excited to join this virtual world that has become such an integral part of the wedding related community. We're looking forward to discussing our latest project - "Suddenly I See," a new apprentice program we have designed and recently launched! We also plan to showcase a "Featured Wedding" on a regular basis, discuss recent and upcoming industry events, and highlight our special relationships with other area wedding vendors. Please check back on a regular basis for new photos, journal entries, and links!