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:

Are you feeling stressed and anxious about your wedding?

Are you beginning to reach your boiling point because things are not going as planned?

Has the joy and excitement of wedding planning fizzled out like a glass of luke warm champagne?

Could this woman be you…?

Elisa’s Tips: How Not To Become Bridezilla

If you’re a bride who is struggling to cope with the stress of planning a wedding, I invite you to join me on Tuesday, November 23rd at 8pm for FREE Webinar.   As the featured guest, I’ll be sharing some important ideas and valuable advice about how to plan a wedding with zero stress!  You’ll definitely want to tune in for this one!   Take it from my co-host Michael Stedman:

“Elisa’s qualifications are through the roof and she’s giving away a ton of great tips that will save you time, effort, money, and most of all, frustration on the big day.  Believe me, in 20 years – she’s seen it all!  Even just one of these tips can help make the big day extra special.”

Michael and I encourage you to register now because space is limited.  After you click on the link, enter your email address and Michael will send you the details!

How Not to Become Bridezilla

Bridezilla_by_Xubbles

For assistance with your wedding plans please call 877.55FLAIR or email Elisa: eventstaff {at} aflairforaffairs.com

Media inquiries may be directed to media {at} aflairforaffairs.com

© 2009 E. Delgardio All Rights Reserved

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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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Earlier today I came across this quote on the BrideTide Blog:

“You don’t hire a wedding planner for what they do, you hire them for what they know. Most brides only plan one wedding their entire lives while a wedding planner has the experience and understanding of coordinating numerous celebrations for each diverse individual client. Relying on a professional wedding planner to refine the details of the biggest day of your life is not only practical, it’s an intelligent way of minimizing the opportunities for ineffectively handling any unforeseen situations that may arise.”   Rudy, Founder of BrideTide

It’s difficult for wedding planners to make statements like this without sounding like we’re “tooting our own horn”.  But I felt that Rudy’s point was presented well, and I am very pleased to share it.  Additionally, I feel that it’s hugely beneficial for brides and grooms to hear someone else’s perspective.

photo by Kevin Keelan

The experience and expertise that we bring to the table can be priceless throughout the planning process as well as on the wedding day.  I know that we have ’saved the day’ many times and in many different ways. Sometimes it seems that clients see the value of our services most clearly on the day of the event.   Our finely tuned organizational skills, natural ability to multitask and intuitive improvisation allows us to direct the event as if we are conducting an orchestra.  After the event, we always receive glowing compliments about how well everything turned out.  Recently at one of our weddings, we were quite surprised when the Minister led off the dinner prayer by saying “Let us all thank the Wedding Planner for putting together this beautiful event”.

But, I must add that what we ‘do’ is equally valuable. I think a simple clarification to Rudy’s message can be made to say that the bride & groom should have realistic expectations and/or a mutual understanding of what their chosen planner will do for them (as per their service agreement, which can vary widely). Truth be told, there’s a lot we can do and amazing magic we can work – only we don’t have a magic wand, so we need to charge accordingly.

For more insight into the benefits of hiring a wedding planner, be sure to read “Do you REALLY Need a Wedding Planner”

© 2009 E. Delgardio All Rights Reserved

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