In early December I was approached by colleague Debbe King (Project Manager Special Events, LYNX) regarding a very special project: She needed to plan a wedding for a couple who had requested to have their wedding on a LYNX bus. With the date rapidly approaching, I worked quickly and contacted a few other colleagues who graciously offered their services to help make the couple’s wedding wishes come true.

Love Bus

LYNX’ “Love Bus’’ became a wedding chapel for Tonja Willis and Tyrone Smaw, who chose the place they met to be the place they were married.

Love Bus Wedding

Tonja & Tyrone’s Wedding Story…

The ceremony took place on brisk and sunny December afternoon inside the “Love Bus’’ painted for LYNX by local artist Donna Dowless.  Minister Michel Alvin McWhorter performed the wedding with 20 guests seated in the bus parked in front of LYNX Central Station in downtown Orlando.

The interior of the bus was decorated by A Flair for Affairs and Cheryl’s Distinctive Creations to give it that ‘ceremony’ feel. “This was even better than I expected,’’ Willis said, after stepping out of the bus to a round of applause from passengers and wedding vendors at the downtown bus terminal. “I thought it would be a little different to get married in a bus, and it turned out really nice.’’

The couple met while riding LYNX for transportation to work. “I’m usually very shy, but as soon as I saw Tonja, I felt like I had to take a chance on getting to know her,’’ Smaw said. “We ended up talking the whole time ‘til I got off the bus. After I called her, we started using the bus to go on dates because neither one of us had a car, so it’s kind of like it was meant for us to get married here.’’

LYNX has never hosted a wedding on one of its buses. Chief Executive Officer Linda S. Watson agreed to do it on a one-time basis because “it had the right feel for the holiday season.’’ “The timing and situation made it a nice event for us to participate in,’’ she said. “We are happy to help Tyrone and Tonja get their married life started the way they hoped for and wish them great success in the years ahead.’’

Tonja's dress fitting at Modern Bridal

Elisa Delgardio helped the couple by arranging flowers, photography, videography, a wedding cake and even the bride’s wedding gown. ”This wedding would not have been possible without the support an incredible vendor team! Everyone I contacted jumped on board immediately and graciously donated their services. I think I was as overwhelmed and excited as the bride!”

Photo left: “LaVoria slipped Tonja into a white satin gown that was literally a perfect fit – like it was made for her! – and Tonja was overcome with tears of joy… It was really lovely.” -Elisa Delgardio

The wedding cake and custom candles

A Flair for Affairs would like to acknowledge the generosity of the following companies:

Each month, I have the privilege and the pleasure of working with Kerline Docteur PBC to coordinate networking luncheons for Central Florida members of the Association of Bridal Consultants. The purpose of the luncheons is tri-fold:

First, monthly meetings bring ABC members and potential members (guests) together to build relationships.  Vendor relationships are essential to delivering the best products and services to our clients and facilitiating ”team dynamics”.   

Second, the meetings provide a forum to educate our members.  We bring in speakers and create special programs to keep our members on the cutting edge of wedding and event design, as well as business and marketing trends.  

Third, it’s important to build the presence of ABC within our community.  ABC is an international association with a history that spans over 26 years.  With over 4,000 members located in all 50 states and in 27 countries, ABC’s  goals have always been to raise professional standards in the wedding industry and to make brides happy.  By developing an active Local Networking Group (LNG) we bring attention to the benefits of  ABC membership and showcase the professionalism of our members.    

This year (2009) shines brilliantly as one of our finest and most rewarding to date!  We have planned and coordinated nine luncheon events at venues throughout Central Florida.  In June, we held our third annual “Showers of Happiness” event to benefit Habitat for Humanity. 

(c) Elegant Imagery

In July, we hosted a spectacular educational event entitled “Indian Weddings 101: Defining the Indian Wedding Experience“. For this particular event, we had engaged local Indian Wedding experts to explain the elements and cultural traditions of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim weddings. (Click on these images to see more fabulous pictures of this event, posted on the ABC Florida  website.)

(c) Elegant Imagery

Shown left:  Akshar Patel, Kerline Docteur, Elisa Delgardio and Remmal Karamsadkar

  Read the rest of this entry →

Today I have an exciting announcement!

I’m thrilled to share the news that A Flair for Affairs has been added to Style Me Pretty’s “Little Black Book of The Best Wedding Vendors”!

Style Me Pretty relies on recommendations from industry insiders, trusted LBB vendors and Style Me Pretty readers to identify outstanding service providers. Each invitation to participate is followed up with a personal interview to assure that vendors meet SMP’s high standards! Clearly this is a huge honor and I’m elated to be included among the country’s top wedding vendors!

The exclusive nature of the directory allows for only a few vendors to be showcased in each region. For example, there are only three event planners featured in Central Florida and I’m absolutely delighted to be the only wedding and event planner based in Orlando!

{ screenshot of our listing }

You may also be interested to know that in addition to the legendary Style Me Pretty blog, there is The Little Black Book Blog. In SMP’s own words, it’s described as “our official vendor blog…dedicated to showcasing the work of the vendors we love. It’s eye candy like you wouldn’t believe!”

I urge you to check it out on a regular basis because it’s incredibly inspiring!

PS: Is A Flair for Affairs in your little black book?

Do you remember the last wedding reception you attended? What do you recall: The food? The entertainment? The “look” of the room? Just close your eyes and reflect for a moment; try to think of the things that were most memorable and pleasing.

Aha! I bet the pleasing part makes it a bit harder. No doubt that more than a few of you thought about the wedding with the DJ who thought he was Elvis, or the event with the cash bar (surprise!) -and you forgot your wallet.

The more events I do, the more I remember only what is remarkable. Remarkable can be fun, outstanding, unexpected and impressive. Remarkable can also be uncomfortable, annoying, disappointing and catastrophic. As your wedding and event planner, my goal is to make your event memorable for all the right reasons.

In terms of decor, remarkable doesn’t necessarily translate into expensive. Details that are well thought out can be seamlessly incorporated into event decor and the table top design thereby creating a look that is remarkable in a visual and textural sense. (If you’re wondering what I mean about ‘well thought out details” try to imagine a table top with so many tchotchkes – bells, cameras, scrolls, bags of chocolate kisses, etc. – it looks like the favor catalog threw up; and, yes, for some bizarre reason people still do this.)

Decor and design are most remarkable when they draw you in, and you experience the vibe as it was intended to be: exciting, chic and sexy, warm and inviting, modern, etc. The best designs are not limited to what can be seen; incorporating smells, tastes, physical contact, sights and sounds into the design actually creates a more memorable experience. In other words, the five senses overlap and influence each other, and combined they create the overall impression, which in turn becomes your memory of the experience.

This is why we ask our clients to describe their vision of the event. Even if they insist that they have no idea about what they want, they truly do… We ask them to imagine what it looks like - including colors and lighting, what time of day it is, how many people are present, how the space feels (intimate, modern, elegant, indoors or outdoors, etc.) and then we begin to design an event based on their  preferences and our interpretation of their style. 

I must admit, sometimes the finer details do not become crystal clear until the very end.  It really is an organic process.  And it’s a challenge we face with every event: How do you know how far to go? Sometimes less is more, sometimes more is more.

In keeping with this topic, I thought you’d enjoy this short video featuring friend and colleague Rashida Erskine of BBJ Linen’s Orlando office. She offers some insightful recommendations and helpful tips for using linens to pull the look of your reception together with remarkable style.

{Our apologies; this video link has expired}

Please the fabulous team at BBJ Linen’s Orlando Office if you would like to meet with them. Ph. 407-857-6566   Or, feel free to contact us if we can be of assistance with fine-tuning your wedding or event design.  Call 877.55FLAIR or email Elisa: eventstaff {at} aflairforaffairs.com

© 2009 E. Delgardio All Rights Reserved

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