Party for the Brides!

It's been a long summer and we're finally ready to party with the brides! Our new planning studio & brides library officially opens this Wednesday at 10am. But before we open for business, let's have one last party...just for the brides.

We hope you'll stop by to have a glass of champagne or wine and see what the excitement is all about. While you're there, you might as well put your name in to win one of our grand opening prizes. We going truly grand with this one- so we figure the drawings should be GRAND as well. What does that mean? It means that at least 1 of our prizes will be worth several thousand dollars. Hint: Photography, Wedding Planning & design, invitations, and more! The list of prizes is growing, so who knows what else is in store.
Okay, you talked me into it. One last little hint at just one of the prizes: Julie Goodacre Photography

My favorite reception timelineThe Celebration Timeline

The thing is, there are so many hundreds of ways to have your reception run. And while no 2 weddings are even remotely similar, and this timelime will not work for every wedding, I do have this one particular timeline that I love to use when possible.

Dare I spill my guts? I vote yes. Before I tell you though, I want to explain why. I developed this particular timeline after:
1. Experiencing so many weddings where the guests (especially the bride & groom) just were not ready for the party to end because the dinner portion of the evening took up so much of the time that the reception included.
2. Another never ending issue- having to get all the traditions packed in before the photographer & videographer left, without rushing through them.
3. Breaking up a packed dance floor 4 times in an hour to do one of the traditions.
4. Do you like to be interrupted 4 times during a nice dinner out with all your friends? No? Me Either. So why do it at your wedding? Stop the constant flow of interruptions!

Let me say this though; most of my awesome and amazing clients (yep, they ROCK. Every last one of them) don't do every wedding tradition. Bouquet tosses and garter tosses are few and far between. Same goes for big exits. So like I said- this timeline isn't for everyone. But it works quite a bit for us! If you do use it, let me know how it goes.

Guests seated
Newlyweds introduced
Newlyweds welcome & thank guests
Father of the bride toast
Best Man & Maid of honor toasts
1st course
Cake Cutting (guests remain seated, have the cake somewhere everyone can see it or roll it in)
2nd course
3rd course (cake)
Call guests to dance floor for 1st dance
The special All Guest dance (VERY IMPORTANT)
First break for slow song - 2nd dances (let your music professional make the call on when this should happen- they know how to read the crowd).

Notice this- all the traditions are done by the 1st slow song and because you did the all party song immediately after your 1st dance, the photographer and videographer caught video of everyone on the dance floor.
Yeah, you see why I love this timeline?

My fortune cookie said,"Something nice is coming to you in the mail"

Well of course I ran right out to our mailbox which is now located at:
2722 Skyline Blvd, Studio 3
Cape Coral, FL 33914 YEAH!

Alas, there was nothing exciting inside the mailbox. Maybe the nice thing that is coming will arrive tomorrow. So what could my something nice be? I'm hoping that I'll receive a note from one of our newlyweds. I love getting notes after the weddings. It always makes my day.

Did you ever consider getting some envelopes pre-calligraphed for your thank you notes? I reveived a thank you note the other day that was calligraphed. Wow, did I feel special. I'm pretty sure that the bride went ahead and added thank you note envelopes to her order of invitation envelopes. What a great idea right?
If you need a calligrapher: www.SarahHanna.com

C+L Fab Five: Ramona

We were so honoured when fellow photographer Ramona asked us to do a maternity session with her. We wanted to do something a little different and it ended up being a whole lot of fun. Here's our fav five - she's one hot mama!

I'm speaking up!Sept. 17 at the Catalina Hotel, South Beach

All the best of the best of Florida's luxury wedding professionals in one room and me with a microphone. Excited? Yes. Nervous? That too. Next month I'll be speaking at the Brides in the Limelight event at the Catalina Hotel in South Beach.

Oh yes, the hot topic. All about the world of blogging. Everything from what a blog is to why you have to have one. Got blogging questions? Send me a gmail and I'll try to answer it at the event. Just don't ask me anything super technical. I swear I'll pretend like I never got the question.

Are you coming? For sure comment below so I can be on the lookout for you there! If you haven't made plans to come yet, do so soon. From what I hear its close to capacity. I hope to see plenty of familiar faces and meet even more new ones.

Mazel Tov Hailey!Our 1st Bat Mitzvah

So when Haileys mom called me I was caught off guard. Why? Because I'm a wedding planner. I never really considered planning Mitzvahs. But Lisa was persistent, and willing to let me learn all about Mitzvahs. This is Hailey with her family. And they are even nicer than they look.Can I just say how wonderful this weekend was? It was such an amazing event. From the services at the synagogue that brought tears to my eyes, to the travel themed party that was off the charts! Man it was a great weekend. I can't wait to do it again. Here are a few photos from the celebration at Grandezza Country Club. As usual, these are our totally unprofessional photos. Doreen Kline was on hand to get all the good ones, and as soon as they come in, I'll be sure to share.Slushee anyone?
The Bling stations
Caught doing quality control at the photobooth
Hermit Crab races- wow that was way more exciting than I expected!
Each adult guest received a globe that lead them to the country (table) they were seated at. Kids were lead to tables by their passports; which they also used to earn stamps at their kids only cocktail hour. For each location they traveled to, they received a passport stamp to go towards a drawing at the end of the evening.
Photo trees showed off hundreds of photos from Haileys journeys around the world with her family & friends
The candle lighting ceremony
Dippin Dots!
Ah Paris.Adult cocktail hour to the left, kids to the right.
A sweet treat on the way out
Party over here!

Crate & Barrel Hosts Wedding Party

Crate & Barrel is hosting two wedding parties in September for brides- and grooms-to-be to learn about registering with Crate & Barrel. They are plying brides and grooms with food, drink and entertainment.

The wedding party is being held on September 7 and 21, from 9:00-11:00am. The event is not held at every Crate & Barrel, but maybe there is a location near you. Found out more on the Crate & Barrel website.

Review: Our Lucaya in The Bahamas

In previous postings (see Our Destination Wedding), we discussed the specifics our destination wedding experience, but never really reviewed the venue – the Westin/Sheraton Our Lucaya resort on Grand Bahama Island.

Our destination wedding decision was driven by several factors. We knew we wanted a tropical island. We knew we wanted a place that had fantastic scuba diving. And we knew it needed to be economical for our guests. It took us months of going through various venues in The Bahamas, Mexico, Cayman Islands and Aruba. After much discussion, we settled on Our Lucaya Resort in The Bahamas. (See Making Our Ultimate Destination Wedding Decision)

Early on, we contacted the Our Lucaya Resort directly and found out they had wedding planners onsite called Seashells Weddings Our Lucaya [Note: The company appears to no longer be in business or affiliated with Our Lucaya Resort…which means our information is very dated. So take our comments as a historical perspective.] Unfortunately, we found the folks at Our Lucaya/Seashells to be terribly unresponsive. By coincidence, we found that there was an independent wedding planner through someone on The Knot message boards. We reached out to Janet at And The Two Become One, an independent wedding planner on Grand Bahama Island. Good thing we did, she was fantastic. Because of this experience, we’re big fans of hiring local wedding planners to help you in the process (see Covering The Basics – Hiring a Local Wedding Planner).

Despite this rather rocky beginning, we absolutely LOVED the Our Lucaya resort. We stayed on the Westin side because it was a little nicer. A few guests stayed at the Westin, but most of our guests stayed at the Sheraton. No matter where you stay, you’ll have the run of the property…and the quaint little Lucaya village across the street (which is more like a golf cart crossing that an “street”). There are about 5 or 6 restaurants on-property (which can be expensive) and quite a few across the street, which are more reasonable.

Recently, we found a video on YouTube from the Our Lucaya Resort. Believe it or not, we actually think this video does a pretty bad job selling the property. The resort is extremely beautiful and has many, many wonderful wedding sites, including the gazebos, the Great Lawn and the beach. The inside locations are nice, but if you’re in The Bahamas, don’t you want to get married outside?

Again, while we found the Sheshells wedding contractors at Our Lucaya to be unresponsive, it seems like things have changed at the resort.

Here’s a little more on the Our Lucaya Resort on Grand Bahama Island where we got married:

Sandals Honeymoon Contest

We don’t often post or promote specific vendors, but we occasionally make exceptions where there is a clear benefit to our readers.

Sandals Resorts is offering some lucky couple the chance to win a Dream Honeymoom. Good luck with the contest!

The VIP Party at the Planning Studio & Brides LibraryThe Door is open, come on in

And quite the party it was. Never in a million years did I expect the turnout that we had. Thank you everyone for coming out and showing your support. This party was for the top local wedding professionals in the area. We plan on having a grand opening party for the brides next month. Stay tuned for more on that. Here are some photos & notes from the evening.
Yum. Crudites, cheeses (I love Boursin), sushi, and best of all...couture cupcakes courtesy of Andrea Houser at Flour cupcakes.
Andrea, Dominique, Michelle & Denise
Eddie from Planned Perfection who fancied up the place with some of his beautiful hydrangea and rose arrangements.
Julie Goodacre & Clint Wiley
As Andrea and Jessica head out for the evening (hey, wait, how'd a bride get in?), John Martin & Ellie from LaPlaya and Rob from AMC video say goodnight.
And the best shoe award...
goes to Ashley Brockinton (far right), here with her charming husband Sam and their newlywed assistant Ashley.
Dom & Michelle. I have no idea what I would do without these girls. I have the best interns on the face of the earth. They make me laugh and keep me focused. They inspire me and they are going to be amazing planners one day. They even went out and bought me my favorite bottle of wine, WOOP WOOP. Yeah, that's me doing the WOOP WOOP dance.
I can't stand those boring Hello, my name is" name tags. I don't do boring.
So the hot spot that night- the bathroom. That's right, the bathroom. Home of the veil, polaroid camera, and corkboard. You'll have to stop by and add your photo. It's funny as all heck.
Left to Right: Cassie from Talent! & me, Sean Hynes & guest from Grandezza Country Club, Beth from Floral Artistry, Amanda from South Seas Island Resort, Krista from Impressions Photography, Sean, me & Shari from Shari Bare Photography

Not All Destinations Are Equal

In our recent article Domestic Destination Weddings, we responded to a comment from destination wedding photographer Mary Basnight that our coverage has been almost exclusively focused on destination weddings outside the United States. She’s right.

Over the last two weeks, we’ve been doing some research on destination weddings in the U.S. and really thinking about this. Unfortunately, our research isn’t as clear cut as we hoped it would be. And as we mentioned in What is a Destination Wedding?, we have a very clear definition on it takes to be a destination wedding: the location and venue itself need to be an integral part of the wedding experience.

We have found some locations in the U.S. that qualify. But we’ve also found a significant number of places passing themselves off as “destination wedding venues” that really aren’t (at least in our book).

As an example of what we are talking about, we would like to discuss Foothills Wedding Chapel in Golden, Colorado. Foothills Wedding Chapel promotes itself as a destination wedding venue. With all respect to this establishment, it really isn’t. One wedding chapel is like another, be it in Golden, Las Vegas or Gatlinburg. To be sure, Foothills Wedding Chapel is probably far nicer than anything Gatlinburg has ever seen, but it doesn’t qualify as a destination wedding venue for us.

To be a destination wedding venue, the venue itself has to be a part of the allure. Golden, Colorado is at the foothills of the mountains, is home to Coors Brewery and the Colorado School of Mines, and has a truly charming main street with numerous excellent restaurants. The town is nestled beautifully at the foot of the Rocky Mountains and sits in a valley created by North and South Table Mountains. Beyond this, the town is unremarkable. We should know, my husband was born and raised there.

Our goal in writing this is not to downgrade Foothills Wedding Chapel in Golden. It seems to be a truly fine establishment and if this is the kind of wedding you want, I’m sure it would be nice. But it really is not a destination wedding venue in our book. It is an elopement venue. The venue of the chapel in downtown Golden is not the destination and can be recreated elsewhere. It’s proximity to the mountains would make it an attractive choice for couples looking to elope, but you wouldn’t necessarily feel the town of Golden is essential to the wedding ambiance in the way that other venues might be.

In thinking about our own wedding, had we wanted to do a very economical elopement from our east coast home, Foothills Wedding Chapel would have made an excellent choice (my husband still knows a few folks in the area and Colorado is lovely). But we wanted a true destination wedding experience – a beautiful place where we could gather with our friends and family from all over the world. We wanted an experience that would be another church wedding someplace, we wanted an event that friends and family members will talk about for years to come. That is the essence of a destination wedding.

We use the Foothills Wedding Chapel as an example, but there are thousands of places like it across the U.S. They offer “destination wedding” services, but the location and the facility don’t offer a true “destination.”

This is the difference between “weddings away” or eloping and a TRUE destination wedding. One is not necessarily better than the other, but couples need to truly understand what they are getting – a wedding away or a destination experience.

Annie+Paulo=Happy!

An afternoon of smiles and laughter and super-happilicious images of the delightful Annie + Paulo.

These two so clearly love being in each other's company. And they are on a determined life pursuit of happiness and fun and living-in-the-moment together, a quest that just happens to require glamourous trips to NYC, dining at Vancouver's finest, and lots and lots of shoe shopping (oh yeah, and some regular trips to Beard Pappa's!)!

Here are some of our favs from their e-session. Blue-jean fun on Granville Island.

Annie has the best laugh!



Had to go on a ride on the Little Blue Ferry (the place where Paulo first whispered to Annie "I love you."!).


Nothing wrong with a classic portrait of two gorgeous people happy & in love.

THIS was soooo much fun (and it's making me hungry!). Yay for Beard Papa's!



And nothing wrong with a not-so-classic portrait of two gorgeous people happy and in love! I love this image.



A beautiful moon-lit night.

Congratulations Annie + Paulo! We had the best time with you both & can't wait for your wedding this fall!

James & Glenn went and got famous on us!

I had a feeling this would be a popular wedding, especially with these handsome fellas and the talents of Shari Bare shooting the event:
James & Glenn on GayWeddingsbytheknot.com
Congrats Shari, James & Glenn!

Mountain Wedding+Showcases+Studio= Busy

How this much time got away from me is still to be figured out! Hopefully I'll be back on the daily post this week. I have showcases and news on my new Planning Studio and Bride's Library
to share with you, and some great photos from Montana where I currently sit looking at some rather amazing mountains. Quite the change of scenery from the lovely beaches at home to say the least.
Montana? Yep. I came out to help my dear friend Nicole of RSVP Shindig (Denver) with an unbelievable destination wedding in Bozeman. There is no lack of scenery, beautifully designed wedding, or Dom Perignon around these parts.
We got quite behind on the showcase (sorry), but promise to get all the info out to every who inquired asap. Some of the showcases that came in already are AWESOME and more than I had ever expected.

What is a Destination Wedding?

When we began this blog, we thought we know. After all, we had a destination wedding.

Destination weddings are getting married “away.” Right? But the more we’ve been writing about it over the last year and half, the more it isn’t that clear cut.

For us, a true destination wedding is a wedding in which the destination itself becomes an integral part of the wedding experience. The destination itself ties into the overall theme of the wedding. And the experience of the wedding could not be repeated in a different location.

For example, a couple getting married in Jamaica with a reggae themed cocktail reception couldn’t have that same wedding in Mexico and have it make sense. Having a “Top of the Town” wedding in New York City couldn’t be repeated in Dallas and make sense. The destination is critical to the overall aesthetic of the wedding experience.

For us destination weddings differ from eloping because the venue itself is important. When eloping, the venue becomes secondary (or is not important at all). Historically, eloping meant getting married in secret. We don’t subscribe to that definition. For us eloping is just getting “someplace else,” but the someplace doesn’t really matter. It could be Las Vegas or some other city because it is convenient. It could be a neighboring town.

Is this just semantics or does it really matter? A bit of both.

The reason why we are clarifying this now is because we have several articles coming up in the next few weeks that depend on the clarity of this definition.

More on destination weddings to come…

We Heart NYC

New York City - it's one of our all time fav places to visit. And to photograph. We're sooo looking forward to our upcoming weddings there this year - we'll get to work with some amazing clients and hang our with our great friend & fellow photographer JasonG (oh yeah, and indulge in some shoe shopping too!)!

It's also the perfect place for a photography seminar. If you're a photographer looking to improve your craft, better your business, and just plain have fun, check out Jason Groupp's new seminar series set in his hometown - the inspirational, incredible, iconic city of New York. Hang with him one-on-one at his studio in Chelsea for a personal workshop to find out how he's become super-successful in the most competitive city in the world or sign up for the his just announced full-day East Meets West workshop with the amazing Gene Higa.