Fun Find: Something Blue Designs

Our friend Chelsea with Toucanpress.com (the creator of our wonderful company logo, banner, and other great graphic design items) has opened a business that is right up our ally - custom wedding apparel! Her etsy store, Something Blue Designs, is full of adorable wedding gear for the bride, groom, and other members of the wedding party. Anyone who knows me knows I have a sick sense of humor, so I just love some of Chelsea's shirt designs. I've posted a few of my fave t-shirts from her site, but she also has custom hoodies and shirts for brides as well. So check out Something Blue Designs for all your wed-wear needs. :)

Romie and Mark's Pretty Park Wedding

Our wedding packages are custom-designed to our clients' needs, and this wedding was the perfect example of that. A few weeks ago, the bride's sister called upon Flawless Occasions to help put together a wedding in just 3 weeks. They had the location but needed basically everything else. Well, Beth and I love a challenge. Luckily we had the help of so many of the couple's family and friends who were there to contribute in any way that they could. :)

We set them up with one of our elopement style packages which included decor, officiating, coordination, and photography. I had such a great time working with Romie to put together their ceremony. This couple is so sweet and their family was so warm and welcoming to both Beth and I. The groom and his family all traveled up from Miami, and it was fun seeing many of the family members meet for the first time!

The ceremony was held last Friday morning at a beautiful lakefront park in Riverview, Florida. We provided our bamboo arch for the couple to be married under, and we set up a sand ceremony in their beautiful wedding colors of turquoise and fuschia. We brought in our friend Sarah Lancaster, a professional musician, to play the violin for this outdoor ceremony and she did a wonderful job braving the heat with us (did we mention it was 95 degrees out??). We hope to work with her again in the future.

Beth busted her butt doing the photography for the wedding, which made us appreciate even more when there is a professional photographer there because it is not easy! She got some great pictures though and she'll do a separate post later in the week with some of her favorite images. For now, here is a sneak peak with a few she sent me. Romie and Mark, congratulations and thank you for allowing us to help you create your special day!

NEW Boudoir Photography Team

So I just got home from a lovely Friday morning wedding that Beth and I did-- stay tuned for a post with pics very soon--- but I had to share this awesome info with everyone.

Our friends Carolina and Shem, two wonderful local photographers, have teamed up to create a new company that is specifically for boudoir style photography. It's called Room 3307 (love the name), and they just launched their new website this week! We are so excited to hear about their new business venture, and we know that it is going to be very successful.

If you don't know a lot about boudoir photography, it is basically a sexy style of portraits done in a very tasteful and classy manner. Some women wear lingerie, while others may where themed outfits or other glamorous apparel. The photos can be given as a gift to your future husband as a wedding present, an anniversary present, or birthday gift. You don't even need a reason to do it though - you can just do it for YOU. Both Beth and I have had the boudoir photo experience and can tell you firsthand that it is extremely empowering and exciting. It really makes you feel like a supermodel, which every woman should get a chance to feel as often as possible!

Carolina and Shem will be hosting boudoir marathons as well as private sessions, so visit their website for more information! Their first marathon is coming in August, and spots are going fast. Best of luck Room 3307 - although we don't think you'll need any :)

Best Ceremony Entrance Ever

One of our former brides, Amy, sent me this link today saying that she wished she had seen this before her wedding. I wish she had too, because this is basically my dream entrance. Besides the fact that I love all things dance, and I've been a dancer for my entire life, this is also just one of the most unique and fun entrances I have ever seen. You can't help but smile when you watch it, and you can tell the guests were totally shocked. I wish I could meet this couple because I think we would be instant BFF's.
This video is a little long but it's totally worth it. Enjoy (and thanks Amy!). Oh, and if any of you would like to do this for your entrance, I can help you choreograph so call me!!! ;)

Our Newest Client - SHARE Florida Food Network

We have had a great summer full of helping new clients with plans and coordinating weddings. We even have 2 Friday weddings in a row coming up which are both going to be great. But we are also very excited about our newest opportunity- we have been invited to plan a fundraiser event for SHARE Florida Food Network. A little about SHARE from their website:

"SHARE Florida Food Network is sponsored by Cornerstone Family Ministries and TECO Energy. We are a not-for-profit organization that rewards personal community involvement with substantial savings on delicious food and groceries. SHARE encourages our members to donate their time to a worthy cause within the community."

Although SHARE has been serving Florida families since 1990, this will be their first fundraiser event of this nature in the Tampa area, and we are so honored that we will be planning and coordinating it! We have already secured some great vendors to help us, including delicious food from Outback Steakhouse and the wonderful lighting and entertainment of RJ-Vida, so we know it's going to be a great event.

The event will take place on Sept. 30th at A La Carte Pavillion and will include a cocktail party, silent auction, and short program about the organization. We are currently looking for more items to be donated for the silent auction, so please contact us if you have something to donate (restaurant gift cards, golf outings, spa days, art, etc.).

Although we love planning weddings, we are looking forward to something different that will impact a larger part of the community. This type of organization is so crucial to many families right now who are struggling in this weak economy. We'll have more information soon so if you would like to purchase tickets to this great event, keep checking back on the blog!

Gator Cake Topper

Is anyone else getting really excited that it's almost football season again? I am... anyone who knows me is fully aware of how obsessed I am with my gators. I only wish I had seen this adorable cake topper when I was planning my own wedding! This is from etsy.com - a fabulous website full of gifts and personalized items. The seller's store is Cyndesminis.

Congratulations Natalie and Donnie!

Some close friends of ours got engaged this week and since the bride-to-be is a loyal blog reader of Flawless Occasions, I had to make a post just for her. Donnie and Natalie were both in our bridal party when my husband and I were married in 2008. They are a great couple who we have shared many wonderful times with, and I'm so excited to help Natalie with all of her wedding plans just like she supported me when I was planning my own wedding.

When we were celebrating with them down in New Smyrna Beach this weekend, I used it as an opportunity to try out my recent birthday present - a Nikon D40 camera!!! We had a great time doing some "engagement photos" on the beach where Donnie had proposed a few days earlier -- we even had him re-enact the proposal so we could catch it on film. Although I am definitely not going to be joining the world of professional photography, it is a fun hobby -- check out my photos and congratulations Nat and Donnie, we love you guys.

Making a Statement with Seating Ideas

There are many creative ways to direct your guests to their seats for your wedding reception. Escort cards and seating charts are the two most popular ways to tell your guests where to be seated.

What is the difference? A seating chart is definitely less work - you can easily make a seating chart on several computer programs or websites, print it out, get it enlarged at your local Kinko's or Office Depot, and either mount it on foam core or have it framed. It's cost effective and simple, but it still looks elegant and gets the job done. Many couples personalize it by adding their monogram or another design that represents the style of their wedding.

Escort cards are created either for the individual, couple, or family, and on this card their name and table are listed. Although it does take more effort to make each card (either by writing them yourself, printing them on the computer, or having a calligrapher do it), there seem to be more options and unique ways to display them which is the benefit. Some couples choose to do a very elaborate setup of the escort cards in order to make an impact when the guest first walk into the cocktail hour or reception room, while others do a more traditional setup. Here are some of my favorite escort card and seating chart photos from our past weddings and from other sources as well:
(Photo credits - The first 5 photos-- Our personal photos and weddings we have done with Jason Angelini; The last 5 photos -- TheKnot.com. For more seating ideas, click here)

Great "Shower" Gift

Is someone throwing you a wedding shower? It's always nice to give a thank-you gift to someone who hosts a party for you, and with all of the rain we've been having lately across the state, an umbrella is a perfect gift! Plus it's also cute to give someone an umbrella during a shower.. get it?

So... I love these monogrammed umbrellas from Neiman Marcus. They are so bright and cheerful, and it doesn't hurt that they are on sale for less than $20 right now. I think Floridians can never have too many umbrellas lying around. I always seem to think I have one in my car and then it's torrential downpouring and it is missing.. does that happen to anyone else?
Just me?? Ok, anyway, happy shopping! :)

Style Trend - Reception Dresses

More and more brides are opting out of wearing their wedding dress throughout the entire wedding and instead changing into a "reception dress" or "2nd dress". For brides who are wearing large ball gowns or fitted mermaid gowns which somewhat restrict their movement, this is a great alternative if they want something comfortable and lightweight to wear during the dancing portion of their reception while still getting to wear their dream dress for the ceremony. Some brides choose to change right after the ceremony, while others wait until later on in the reception when the partying really gets underway. Others choose to utilize a 2nd dress just for an after-party. Some brides choose long gowns that are still formal but less material and therefore less restricting, while others choose fun, short cocktail dresses. It is all about personal preference.

I was recently trying to help one of our clients to find a reception dress for her September wedding. Since she's only a few months out, I suggested looking at alternatives to bridal shops so she didn't have to worry about it coming in on time. We found a lot of great options so I decided to make a blog post about it and share some of our finds.

After spending a lot of money on your beautiful wedding dress, you may not want to spend another chunk of change on a wedding dress, so all of my reception dress finds are under $300.
Of course you can go to your local bridal shop and choose a sheath wedding dress, but if you want something a little more budget friendly, consider checking out department stores and boutiques. Here are a few great finds for reception dresses (my personal favorites are the first one and last one!)-




























































































Dress #1 - JS Boutique -- $178 from Nordstroms; Dress #2 - Sean Collection -- $258 from Nordstroms; Dress #3 - Jcrew, $295; Dress #4 - Max and Cleo -- Dillards, $138; Dress #5 - Oleg Cassini -- Dillards, $160; Dress #6 - Betsy and Adam -- Dillards, $160; Dress #7 - Jessica McClintock, $126; Dress#8 - Maggy London -- Nordstrom, $178 (on sale for $88)