Sunken Gardens St. Petersburg Wedding Stacia and Gabriel

WOW! You cannot even imagine how wonderful it is to work with a couple who had a clear vision of their wedding and in particular their ceremony.

Stacia and Gabriel met almost 8 years ago in a store in the book section. The section of interest to both of them was of Japanese annimation. They are both extremely interested in the japanese culture and they are fond of the anama animated characters. It wasn't long after that through their mutual enjoyment of all things japanesse, that they became a couple and fell in love. Gabe told me that Stacia was the "yin to his yan", and Stacia told me that she couldn't imagine not having Gabe as her "partner in crime" forever.

They chose the magnificent Sunken Garden, sent out their save the date cards which featured artwork of a japanese animated couple and the word Love in Japanese, and then, the customized wedding invitations. From there, the wedding was created for and with them to feature japanese flowers, words, and rituals to further enhance their common interest. To create their vision!

Their wedding will be one of the featured weddings when I speak at the Association of Bridal Consultants international conference in Baltimore in November.

Professionals involved with this wedding:

Location and Planner: Sunken Gardens, St. Petersburg 727-551-3100

Officiant: Rev. Virginia Bishop, Loving Unity, 727 532-6186 http://www.lovingunity.com/
Caterer: Affordable Catering of Tampa Florida, 813-962-1525 http://www.affordablecatering.net/
Cake: A Piece of Cake of Tampa, 813-884-4049 http://www.cakestampa.com/

Florals Cheral Floral Studio 813-926-4556 http://www.cheralfloral.com/

Music: DJ Andy Cyman, Breezin Entertainment http://www.breezin.com/

Mello Vibes has the sound of Caribbean Steel Drum listen now!

One of the beautiful things about having a beach wedding is the opportunity to use Caribbean Steel Drum music to set the tone!  I have been involved with several weddings with the sound of Mellow Vibes and guests and wedding party alike love it!  It just fits the setting so well!  Here's your chance to listen to Mello Vibes to experience it for yourself.

The Sound of the Caribbean Steel Drum makes for a relaxing day lounging on the beach while sipping Pina Coladas. The Steel drums are accompanied by some vocals along with guitar solos to add more variety to the album for a reggae/island/jazz fusion. You can have the sounds of steel drums all year round without hiring the steel drummer. Take a listen and feel free to purchase a copy today!!!

Download a sample of Mello Vibes Debut Album or individual songs at: http://cdbaby.com/cd/MelloVibes Or check out client reviews at: http://www.gigmasters.com/clientfeedback.asp?rowid=22604  http://www.mellovibes.com http://www.myspace.com/mellovibesentertainment
http://cdinsight.com/news.php?readmore=837
Contact Mello Vibes TODAY!  813.732.8826

Guest Interview with Nick Schriver with the Decorating Elves

I welcome any guest interviews for this blog. Today I wanted to share the interview I had with Nick Schriver from the Decorating Elves. Many times, I participate in the actual ceremony but I don't see what goes on being the scenes, so this should give us a glimpse of that.

Hi Nick, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi, I am Nick Schriver with Decorating Elves, we help brides with lighting and decor for their special day. This includes, fabric draping, from the ceiling and throughout the room, also includes accent lighting throughout the room, and working with their theme to increase the ambiance of their event.

How do you accomplish this?
Most of what we do is working with fabrics like gossemeyo, tulle or chiffon, and incorporating mini twinkle lights into them with a pattern throughout the areas to cover unwanted items in a room or highlighting certain areas, for example, entryways, the bridal table, then we shine a colored spot lights into it to get accent colors.

Why is this important to couples?
Our services are especially great for couples that may be on a budget and want their event to look magical. With couples being more budget conscious than ever, they are able to rent the larger less expensive halls that don't have the fees attached as some hotels and it can really transform the area into an elegant wedding setting.

When do you perform your services?
We like to get into a room before the caterers and do the ceiling work right away. If there is a limited timeframe on the set up, we will arrive earlier in the week and measure everything and have it ready so that we can meet the restrictions.

Where are you doing most of your events?
Most of the decorations that we do are in recreation centers, community centers, church halls, St. Pete Recreation Center, Clearwater Beach Recreation Center, Davis Island Garden Club, Country Clubs, just to name a few, in addition to the hotels such as the Don CeSar, Sirata, and the Tradewinds.


What else do you do?
We can accomplish anything a couple would like as long as they have a photo and budget to accomplish it. Other popular items we have available are oriental lanterns, led cherry blossom trees, plants and trees which accent holiday lighting.

What do you feel sets you apart from others in the industry?
We pride ourselves in our ability to work in venues larger and small, and also to be able to work with a variety of budgets.

How can couples reach you?
They can go on the website at www.decoratingelves.com or visit us on my space at www.myspace.com/decoratingelves

Thank you Nick for sharing this guest blog, I continue to enjoy my association with you!

Blending Beliefs - Your Interfaith Wedding Ceremony...

 

You met the man or woman of your dreams, you fell in love, and never once did it occur to you that your individual religious beliefs may be an issue with your wedding.  I imagine that you talked about so many other things during the courting, that the differences in your religious beliefs would need to be considered, that is, until you decided to get married.  Only then did you realize that you may have more decisions to make than other couples.  Do you have a religious ritual, and which one should you choose?  How do you blend the two?  Should you try to have two different ceremonies? Or, do you just go a different route and have a non-religious ceremony so that no one will feel slighted?

So many questions, but questions that I am honored to answer.  Interfaith weddings should not be a source of stress.  As an interfaith couple, working with me, you can create a ceremony that will honor both your beliefs as individuals and also you as a couple.

When we meet, I tell you about the various options available to you.  The first would be to consider if you would like a religious ceremony, and if so, which one will predominate. When Matthew and Lori got married, they did quite a bit of research about interfaith weddings and decided to go with a ceremony that honored both the Jewish and Catholic faiths.  Their ceremony involved a passing of the peace, and a unity candle and a reading from the New Testament about the definition of love, for the Catholic elements, and the breaking of the glass “Mazeltov” for the Jewish elements. Wording was used in the opening that indicated that even tho they were ware that there would are differences in their beliefs, the love for each other and wanting to share their lives together for ever were stronger than their differences.  They chose a neutral site at a beautiful hotel, had a chuppah created and utilized fabric from the groom’s family that represented his Celtic roots. 

Moira and Bill was a couple who wanted to incorporate her Greek Orthodox heritage into their ceremony.  The couple had a beautiful crowning ritual, and circling of the altar to represent Moira’s heritage and a bagpiper played music to honor Bill’s heritage. They were married in a non-denominational church in a religious ceremony.

Having two ceremonies is an option for couples as well.  Recently I officiated the American ceremony for Halina and Ali. After the traditional religious ceremony, the couple proceeded to go into the reception where the Imam conducted the Persian Ceremony. Halina and Ali had printed out programs for the Persian ceremony explaining all the elements of the rituals involved in that ceremony. 

I thoroughly enjoy working with all of our couples to create a beautiful, customized ceremony that honors all traditions and faiths.  I take a great deal of pride in my work, and I know that it sets me apart from many other officiants. Having studied at the All Faiths Seminary, upon graduation, I had a pretty thorough knowledge of all the world faiths and the meanings of the rituals 

Here is my advice for any interfaith couple.  Planning in advance is critical, make sure that you find an officiant that is willing to perform an interfaith wedding, and keep all the lines of communication open.  It is up to the both of you to really get the ceremony that both of you want.  Once you have both agreed, keep your vision in mind, even when faced with family pressure.  It is YOUR wedding, have it YOUR way. Call me at 727-532-616 to allow me to assist you.  Feel free to look at http://lovingunity.blogspot.com as well for further information.

The Portable Photo Booth - What fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I so enjoyed meeting Gary and Candy Terringno at a recent bridal show.  Their company, Serendipity Photobooth - was such a fun and unique idea to bring some life to your parties!!  I had the opportunity to have my photo shot in the booth and I will try to get it posted on here for you to see, but it was quick and easy, and the quality output was great!  The photo booth provides fun for everyone!  It's the fun of a traditional photo booth in a new sleek and modern design and it will be a hit with each and every guest.    Because this new booth is so portable it makes it available in an area where full size photo booths can't go.  You can choose between traditional Foto Fun Strips, a unique Foto Cube, or the classic Portrait Studio outputs.  Each can be customized with a graphic design of logo to make the event even more personal and memorable.

The Portable Photo Booth is an ideal addition for any special occasion both large and small.  Some that come to mind are Weddings, Graduations, Bar/BatMitzvahs, Sweet 16, Birthday Parties, Anniversaries or even Corporate Events.    There are also Photo CD's available to commemorate the event.

One of the ideas that I liked most was that the guests could have their photos taken, and then placed in the scrabook along with their comments for best wishes for couples. That truly makes it personal.

Serendipity Photobooth
16607 East Course Drive
Tampa, Florida 33624
Email: gterrigno72@msn.com
Phone:  813.963.6054