Meag and Ryan's Valentine's Day Soiree

This Saturday Meag and Ryan vowed to be one another's valentine for life. Ok, I know that was cheesy but I tried. This wedding came together after a long time of planning and it was so wonderful to see this couple's vision come to fruition. The ceremony and reception were both at the Mirror Lake Lyceum in downtown St. Petersburg (Beth's second weekend in a row coordinating a wedding there). Their ceremony was performed by Rev. David Cole and it was a great mix of lightheartedness and emotion that really highlighted their relationship together. Meagan and Ryan had a large bridal party - 12 bridesmaids and 6 groomsmen - surrounding them as they said their vows, as well as 2 sets of parents on each side that were all extremely supportive. There was just a lot of love in the room and it was great to witness.

Meagan's details really added to the day, some highlights being: love quotations on each windowsill, a photo guestbook and card holder, beautiful programs, votive placecards, and the largest candy buffet we've ever set up - 17 containers! We worked with a great group of vendors including photographer Jason Angelini, DJ MJ from Junction 88 (based out of Orlando but available for Tampa), and the guys from Movie Magic Videography. The simplistic and elegant calla lily centerpieces and bouquets and the rest of the florals were all by DD's Blooms. In addition, the bride and several of her bridesmaids were primped and pampered by Darla Stafford and her assistant Julie, hair and makeup extraordinaires.

After a fun-filled night of dancing, the guests helped us congratulate the newlyweds with a sparkler sendoff as Meagan and Ryan departed in a pedicab (if you don't know what this is, it's like a carriage pulled by a guy on a bike.. it's cute and a very unique way to leave your wedding). Meag and Ryan, we had a blast working with you guys and can already see how beautiful your life is going to be together. Thanks for letting us share in your special day.

Here are some pics that Beth and I captured throughout the day... and check Jason's blog for pro photos because those will be up soon.












































The new Mr. and Mrs!















We had our own placecard which made us feel special.
































































The giant candy buffet.. yum!














We caught ya Jason..

Meagan and Ryan's Rehearsal Dinner

One of the services Flawless Occasions offers our brides is a personal photographer at their rehearsal dinner. While I am not a professional photographer, photography has always been a hobby and passion of mine. For Christmas in 2007, my wonderful hubby bought me a Nikon D40x and I love having a reason to put it to good use! Most brides do not want to spend the money on a professional photographer at their rehearsal dinner, so this is a great way for brides to still get a lot of photos without having to worry about pulling out their camera every 10 minutes.

Last Friday, February 13th I had the pleasure of photographing Meagan and Ryan's rehearsal dinner at Pepin in St. Pete. First, let me say the food was amazing and the staff was very attentive! Second, I have never seen a couple more in love than Meag and Ryan. Watching them interact, it is immediately apparent that they are truly made for one another! Their happiness was so overwhelming - that the night was very emotional for not just the couple, but everyone who attended the dinner.

One more thing, Meag and Ryan are absolutely adorable - but I do have to say they had some stiff competition with so many super cute kids at their dinner!
Now....here are some of my favorite pictures from the RD..


















Thank You Meag and Ryan for hiring Flawless Occasions to photograph your rehearsal dinner and help handle all the details on your wedding day!

Kim and Keenan - February 7th

As Shawna posted last week, we both had weddings on February 7th! She is MUCH quicker at blogging than me so thanks for being patient!!

Some of you may remember Ashley & Nate's Rusty Pelican wedding that Shawna blogged about last month. Their Maid of Honor and Best Man were engaged and I had the honor of coordinating their wedding and reception on Saturday, February 7th. The weather turned out perfect! Kim and Keenan were both very calm and they had a wonderful group of vendors there to make sure everything went perfect.

The ceremony was at Saint Rafael's in St. Petersburg and the reception was at the stunning Mirror Lake Lyceum. Kim carried a beautiful bouquet of tulips and roses made by DD's Blooms. The delicious dinner was prepared by Amore' and The Daniel B. Marshall band had the crowd dancing ALL night long! Videography by Sully was recording everything while Lauren Pauline was there to capture every detail on her camera. (I hope to be able to share some of her photos in the near future.)

Speaking of pictures, I have a few to share with you...but I unfortunately was too busy to snap a good picture of the bride and groom. Hopefully I can get a few from Lauren!

Congratulations Kim and Keenan! Your love and admiration for each other is very inspiring!





Flawless Occasions has also hired a new assistant, Jacqueline, since Shawna is now coordinating weddings on her own. Jacqueline was one of our brides last November and she will be helping us at many upcoming weddings. It sure is nice to have a second set of hands to help! Welcome aboard Jacqueline!
Here is a picture of Jacqueline hard at work!!

Vendor Spotlight - Michele Renee

A Flawless Blog is starting a new bi-weekly (or possibly weekly) feature that will highlight some of our favorite industry vendors. In this series of blog articles we will be interviewing the vendor, asking them some important questions as well as some fun ones in order to get to know them better and help our brides learn some great tips at the same time. We've gotten some wonderful responses so far from the vendors whom we have interviewed, so without further ado, here is our inaugural "Vendor Spotlight". First up we have the talented Michele, a hair and makeup artist who we always enjoy working with.

Company Name: Michele Renee Hair and Makeup Artist Group

Job Description: We have a group of 7 Ladies who go on location the day of your wedding for all your hair and makeup needs!

Your Hometown: San Antonio, Texas

How did you get started in the business? There are 6 kids in my family and 5 ladies in the house including my Mother. We were all super into makeup. My Mother never went outside without makeup or her "Jackie O" glasses. When I was 7, I decided to give my younger brother a makeover which included my older sister's curly wig. I dressed him up in a blue plaid skirt, Rainbow Bright t-shirt, and started knocking on doors introducing him as my cousin from out of town. Clearly he was my brother in drag. The neighbors were very sweet, but there was a few phone calls to my parents. That was just the beginning; in college I worked for Origins and transferred to Tampa and started working for HSN in the Cosmetics Merchandising Department, then went to work for Glamour Shots. My customers kept on asking me to do their hair and makeup for their weddings and tadaa.... I got so busy I had to quit my job and do weddings full time. My Mother always said: do what you love, what you're passionate about, and life will take you from there. And it did.

What is your favorite bridal "look" to create? Heavily lined eyes with a little color in the eyes with defined cheekbones and light lips. (See picture)

If you could do the hair and makeup for any celebrity, who would it be and why? I don't think I would want to do a celebrity, I love my brides!

What advice do you have for brides about their hair and makeup selection? Do what you are going to be happy with - your hair and makeup is just the outside although we want that to be beautiful the most important thing is letting your light shine from the inside out!!!


Michele in action at a recent Flawless Occasions wedding.
Visit her website here.

Athena and John's Garden-Inspired Greek Wedding!

Beth and I both had weddings yesterday which is great for business.. but I missed my partner in crime! It was kind of funny because both weddings were in St. Pete and we were literally 5 minutes away from one another the whole night. So Beth will be blogging later about her wedding, and here is a bit about mine -

I have never met a couple more appreciative than Athena and John. They were so great to work with and really needed my help because their busy lawyer lives did not leave much time for planning . On the day of their wedding, they were so happy with everything which reminds me even more of why I love this job.
Athena and John were married this Saturday at St. Stefanos Church and their reception was at the St. Petersburg Women's Club. Their decor was garden-inspired with topiary centerpieces and shades of greens and pinks, and within this they also infused elements of Athena's strong Greek background. This was my kind of party - their toast was a shot of Ouzo instead of champagne, and the food, provided by Creative Catering by Design, was delicious Greek dishes like roasted chicken, ribs, and amazing potato salad. The music and awesome gobo light was provided by DJ Felix, and the bouquets were by Carter's Florist. They smelled and looked amazing. The cake was delicious and created by A Better Cheesecake. The bridesmaids also looked great in their Melissa Sweet two-toned gowns.
Athena and John were a little stressed about how everything would come together, especially in such a blank canvas kind of locale like the Women's Club, but everything turned out wonderful and it was so great to see them so happy. And I know that their marriage is going to be even happier. Congrats guys, have a great time in Puerto Vallarta!

The bride, waiting for the ceremony to get started. Her hair and makeup was done by the talented Michele Renee.











































































The bridesmaid bouquets doubled as head table centerpieces.. cost-effective and beautiful!

























I love Greek food, and Creative Catering by Design's food was both authentic and amazing!



















The couple stands during the toast - a shot of Ouzo for everyone!





















The party got a little crazy at the end of the night with the groomsmen dancing on the stage and eventually taking their shirts off... very Chippendale-esque. I'll be posting more photos when I get them from the couple's photographer, Roberto of Alessio Photography. :)

We Won the 2009 Bride's Choice Award!!!!

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that Flawless Occasions has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Awards™!

In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year’s recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire’s vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US. That means Flawless Occasions is one of the very best Wedding Consultant Companies.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews. “We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”

Flawless Occasions would like to thank our past clients for speaking on our behalf and helping us win the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award! We know it is difficult to leave the details of your wedding day in someone else's hands and we really appreciate that our clients trust us to take care of everything! We are truly honored to receive this award!