An Event Somewhat Different for Wonderful Weddings at Orlando Marriott at Lake Mary!

Last fall I received a call from Kathy Brown whose wedding we did in April of 2002. Her wedding took place at Winter Park Presbyterian Church and the Country Club of Orlando. Kathy shared with me that she would be turning 50 in September of 2009. Her husband Gary said he wanted to throw her a party but he knew that she could put it together much better herself! She called upon Wonderful Weddings to create her “dream team!” Kathy chose a ‘70’s theme for her party. So on Saturday, September 19, 2009 we went back in time at the Orlando Marriott at Lake Mary!

Kathy wanted go-go dancers, disco balls, lava lamps, guests dressed in clothes from that era, 70’s music and her biggest request was a life-size ice sculpture of John Travolta in his famous Saturday Night Fever pose! And what Kathy wanted, Kathy got! The magic makers from Flourish, Brian Joyce and Richard Streitler, converted the hotel ballroom into Studio 50! Gary Stephens, one of the guys from Wings of Sound, the band that performed for Kathy’s party (and who also played at her wedding), acted the part of the bouncer—you see he did that very well! And you can also see that the guests were really into the appropriate clothing. The vintage stores in town—Dechoes and Orlando Vintage—saw a brisk business during the weeks leading up to Kathy’s party! The Orlando Marriott provided fabulous food and beverages for the guests, Sky Osborne from Perfect Sky Productions acted the part of “Stan Danger” and interviewed all the guests during the cocktail hour and then edited everything together to show towards the end of the evening. Fun photos were snapped by guests in Dane Koller’s Photo Magic photo booth; professional photos (those you see here) were shot by Ricardo deVengoechea. We all received a glowing email from Kathy thanking us for the event: “Hello, to my Dream Team! I have received so many emails, pictures and thank-you’s from all that attended. It was so great to see everyone get into the mood and boogie down. This could not have happened without all of you coming together and working as a group to see my vision come together. Turning 50 has been so awesome because of you! Thanks for all your hard work!” And onto the next event in this family—Kathy’s daughter’s wedding on October 17th at her home! Will blog about that next month.

Wonderful Weddings and Casa Feliz Launch the Golden Ticket - A Perfect Marriage!

In an effort to streamline the weddings at Casa Feliz, Wonderful Weddings created a special ensemble package for brides that offers them the opportunity to save hundreds of dollars on their weddings while at the same time having access to some of Central Florida’s finest wedding vendors!

The rules are simple: The bride selects from a list of required providers (the required categories are caterer, coordinator, florist, photographer and DJ). She may also select from a list of preferred providers (the preferred categories are invitations and other printing, celebrants, ceremony musicians, videographer and wedding cake). The bride will receive a 10 percent discount on whatever package or level of service or total costing she chooses with the individual vendors. And she will also receive a 10 percent discount on the rental of Casa Feliz! Once the bride has agreed to the rules, she will be provided her “Golden Ticket” which she will present to each vendor to receive the discounts.

The following vendors are participating in the Golden Ticket ensemble. Required providers are: Wonderful Weddings, Fairbanks Florist, Flourish Floral Productions, Lee Forrest Design, Fun Factory DJ, Celebration Expert, Weddings Only DJ, Brian Adams Photographics, Cristy Nielsen Photography, Pilster Photography, Sterling International, Sunshine Photographics, and Works of Art Photography. Preferred providers are: Maureen H. Hall Stationery, Pearl Beach Paperie, The Paper Shop, Chaplain George Geans, Reverend Kevin Knox, Beautiful Music, Don Soledad Music, Raintree Chamber Players, Perfect Sky Productions, Pro One Video, Bake Me A Cake, Frosting on the Cake, and Party Flavors.

Brides who are interested can either contact Melissa Burtram at Casa Feliz, Melissa@arthurscatering.com or Wonderful Weddings at idoforyou@aol.com.

Two Anniversaries Celebrated at Norman's - Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes

While attending another event in June at Norman’s Restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes, I learned about a special dinner party that would be held on August 8, 2009 to celebrate the restaurant’s six years in business at the hotel. The theme of the event was A Night in Havana. Coincidentally, August 8th is also my wedding anniversary so we decided to attend the event to celebrate. The theme of the event was carried through with cigar rollers (which my husband loved!), mojitos, Latin-inspired cuisine and music from the Margarita Men. There was also a silent auction taking place to raise funds for The Wounded Warriors. Here are some photos of the event; take note that Chef Norman Von Aiken has talents that are carried beyond the kitchen!

The following day we attended the Gospel Brunch at House of Blues at Downtown Disney. Here’s a photo of me outside the venue; unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photographs inside. The food was very good and plentiful and the gospel singers shook the roof!

Orlando Chapter of ISES 2009 WOW Awards

My industry friends Brian Joyce and Richard Streitler of Flourish Floral Productions earlier this year urged me to join ISES, the International Society of Event Specialists. They said it would be an opportunity for me to meet some vendors on the corporate side of the event industry. Richard was Historian and also chairman of the WOW Awards Committee. The WOW Awards had taken place once before several years ago and the chapter decided it was time to reprise them.

We worked fast and diligently beginning in late spring with Friday, July 17th chosen as the night of the gala at which the awards would be given and celebrated. Brian and Richard urged me to enter two of my events which I did: one was submitted for Best Event Planner and the other was for Best Team Effort. Organizing all the paperwork for submission was a monumental job—there were specific questions that needed to be answered about challenges surrounding the event, etc. And the submission needed to be succinct yet carry the ability to grab the attention of the judges.

I learned in June that I was nominated for both submissions; it was great to have made it this far but of course everyone wants to win! The event was held at the Orlando Marriott World Center with many vendor sponsors to include those for décor, lighting, production, floral, entertainment, etc. It included lots of entertainment—The String Angels and a man who created sand designs projected onto a screen. There was a lovely four-course dinner followed with the conclusion of the evening wrapping up with an after-party. But the best part was the awards!

I am happy to report that Wonderful Weddings did win Best Team Effort! My co-entrants were Arthur’s Catering and Flourish Floral Productions. The submission was “The Wedding as Art”—the wedding of Tara Cockman and Bo Clayton who were married in June of 2008 at St. Luke’s Cathedral followed by a reception at Orlando Museum of Art. The bride’s Mom is an artist and the bride was studying art so art was the theme of the event. It was such a great feeling to hear our names called and go up on stage to accept the award. We were asked to prepare speeches and so I did so—it was short and sweet and I was happy to share this with my industry friends. All I can say is WOW!

Photos: Christie's Photographic Studios

Three Beautiful Brides at the Country Club of Orlando

On Saturday, April 4, 2009, Mari Hansen married Kevin Ball at First Presbyterian Church of Orlando followed by a reception at the Country Club of Orlando. What made this particular wedding special for Wonderful Weddings is that two former brides were guests at this wedding as well as their grooms—Kelsey and Chas Crofoot and Lauren and Bo Schneider. Here is a photo of me with Mari, Kelsey and Lauren—aren’t they beautiful? When I saw Kelsey in the narthex of the church, she said she and Chas had been working in the yard earlier in the day and Chas hurt his finger and that they were out of band-aids. Chas was quick to point out that he could probably get one from me at the wedding because he knew I would have my emergency kit! Following are some photos from Mari’s wedding; I especially like the one of me with the groom, the groomsmen and the two Dads—I must have been giving them some serious information as they are all so attentive! And here are some beautiful photos of Mari who looks like she could be a model for the cover of a bridal magazine! Jeff Hawkins of Jeff Hawkins Photography took these images and the guests danced the night away to Derek and the Slammers.

Last evening I hosted our annual Wonderful Weddings Holiday party. Each year I select a "festive" shirt and send them to the girls as part of their "invitation" (you might recognize this shirt from the previous blog!). We have grown to seven now including our two apprentices. We had a fabulous evening and the weather was perfect as we dined outside on our new front terrace (not finished yet but we're getting there!). Much of the decor was provided by Brian and Richard from Flourish Productions. And they even sent over David, one of their staff, to act as server. He made us feel special as if we were dining in a five-star restaurant!

I hope that everyone has a fabulous holiday and all the best in 2009!

A Family Thanksgiving Tradition ... and A Great Place for a Destination Wedding!

My husband Brooks is an architect and for many years I had heard him speak about the town of Seaside located in the Panhandle of Florida. He showed me some photos and it looked so lovely. So in 1997 when all other family members had other plans for Thanksgiving, we rented a small cottage and spent most of the week of Thanksgiving there. Brooks tooks many, many photographs of the houses and the pavillions and of course the beautiful white sand beach, blue water and magnificent sunsets. The following year we asked our grown daughters if they would like to join us and thus, it has become a Weiss family tradition to spend the week of Thanksgiving in Seaside! Over the years, the family of course has gotten larger so we've had to rent a bigger house! And our friends and family who receive our Christmas cards with the photos from Seaside on it always comment on how big everyone has gotten! At one point, there was only one grandchild in the photos--now there are three! Here are some photos of our time at Seaside.

Seaside has a great wedding department which I met with back in 2004. If you go to the Seaside web site and click on weddings, you can reach them. They are very accommodating and have a comprehensive list of locations and vendors.

Best Holiday Wishes to everyone and I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!