Maggie Sottero Trunk Show at Jay's Bridal...don't miss out

It is coming on Friday, January 9th, 2009 and Saturday, January 10th, 2009. Make your appointment today by calling Jay's Bridal at 352-377-9548. Talk with one of the Bridal Consultants.

This will be their first trunk show of the season! Reserve your fitting room now; appointments required. We expect approximately thirty (30) never-seen-before Maggie Sottero and Sottero Midgley gowns for the weekend. Sunday appointments accepted for backstage try-ons following their 2 pm fashion show at the Gainesville Wedding Expo on January, 11th, 2009 for a last hurrah before we ship the trunk show dresses to the next store on Monday, January 12th, 2009. Trunk show discounts on all new Maggie Sottero gown orders during this once-a-year event.

Don't miss out. Please let us know if we can help make you an appointment with Jay's. Please call today.

Menu Options

When deciding on your menu you should definitely consider what time of the day your reception will be. Should you have more of a brunch type meal, perhaps just a lighter lunch style meal, or is it appropriate to do a heavy dinner? For an early afternoon reception, a brunch menu would be ideal. Some ideas for this would be a buffet with quiche, small sandwiches, fruit, some veggies with a dip, and a variety of cheeses- just to name a few. Depending on how early the reception will be, you may even want to consider an omelets station.If your wedding is in the early afternoon you can do a lighter dinner style menu, you may want to skip the cocktail hour with this option. To keep it lighter you can do a buffet with a variety of salads, some veggies, fruits, cheeses, and a couple meats. Something you may want to consider is a carving station. After all remember you want to keep it light. Another option is just to have something similar to a champagne or cocktail reception and serve heavy hors d’oeuvres. Some great hors d’oeuvres are small finger sandwiches, a variety of cheeses, dips, some skewered meats and seafood. You want to avoid any messy foods or foods that would require your guests to sit down and use a knife. If you have an early afternoon wedding and would like to do your reception in the evening you have to consider what your guests will be doing for the free time between the end of the ceremony and the reception. Are they all locals? Is there something close by that they can perhaps visit?The final option is an evening reception- you probably want to have a cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres followed by a complete meal. Your guests would get some type of a salad, followed by their entrée (which is usually accompanied by some kind of a starch and vegetable that you have pre-selected), and a dessert that you have pre-selected as well. If your guests do not get to choose their entrée you want to make sure that what you select will be enjoyed by the majority of your guests. If you know some of your guests are vegetarian, most venues and caterers will make special meals for them- let them know in advance. Later in the evening the wedding cake will be cut and distributed to the guests as well as coffee- but you may want to consider decaf unless you want your guests partying until the wee hours of the morning!No matter what time of the day your reception is, make sure your menu is one that will be enjoyed by all- without breaking your budget! Hope these ideas are helpful!!

Plan with your GROOM

Yes, you heard right. I said that Groom’s can and do plan. We have recently hit a run in our cliental that we have had some Groom’s more involved due to multiple reasons. Here are so things LADIES to keep in mind if you would like to have your special groom plan a BIG role in the wedding plans.
1. Remind him that this is a once-in-a-lifetime event.
2. This is a wedding for BOTH of you. Not just the bride. His opinions and input are VERY important.
3. There is typically something that excites the groom that he wants to plan/put together. You might need to give him guidelines but let him do it.
4. Use his contacts to help you with the plans…parents, family and friends where it applies.
5. Check out this cool website for some other ideas for Grooms to be involved: www.GroomGroove.com
6. P.S……Make sure that you as the woman hear what he says and that their opinion makes a difference.
7. P.S.S….Praise Him for all that he does.
Let’s make 2009 different.

Merry Christmas!

The ladies of A'vie would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Please enjoy your time with friends and family this holiday season!

Family Fun Day

This year we were fortunate enough to be able to work Partnership for Strong Families to plan their annual Family Fun Day. It was such a blast! We had such a great turn out this year. There were two bounce houses and a train ride for all of the kids to enjoy. Party Time Rentals donated both bounce houses and the cotton candy machine. The train was donated by Capital City Bank. The Alachua Sheriffs Office donated tables and chairs as well as helped us block off the streets so that all of the families could safely walk around the area. Thanks to Hitchcock’s and Watson’s towing we were able to have hamburgers and hotdogs for all of the families to enjoy! Some of the other organizations that helped make this event a success were Regal Cinemas, March of Dimes, and Cabot cheeses. We all had a blast and hopefully next year’s Family Fun Day will be even larger!
Ann Marie

Adnan's 55th Birthday!

A few weeks ago, I got a call on a Wednesday from a girl who wanted to plan a surprise 55th birthday party for her dad- on FRIDAY!! Believe it or not, this is every planner's dream come true (well, maybe not always) because we really get to kick into high gear and show what we're made of! It was so much fun! I hung up the phone, made a few phone calls, and went straight to their house, where the party was to be held. We picked out linens, flowers, and decor and then hit the ground running. They have an absolutely beautiful home, with a living room big enough to seat the 30 guests who were invited. With the help of Betsy at The Plant Shoppe and Danette Drageset of Cakes!, I pulled together an awesome party! Adnan's wife even hired belly dancers to give almost an hour-long performance! On a personal level, I stepped out of my comfort zone a little and tried some very spicy Pakistani food- which was actually really good! Everyone had a great time- especially the birthday boy- and I hope to be able to do a party like this again in the near future! Maybe a more than a couple of days notice next time... although I really enjoyed this challenge!

Armida and Eric's Engagement Session

I am so excited to work with this fun couple! They are getting married on January 17th, but took some much needed time away from the crazy holiday season and did a fun yet chic engagement shoot with their wedding photographer, Jimmy Ho. They started out at UF- since both are Gator fans! I can't say I blame them- this is a great time to be a Florida Gator!!


After some fun in the stadium, they got romantic in the bushes- I bet they didn't know Jimmy Ho was peeking through with his camera! What a cool way to capture such a sweet moment!

Then this fun but classy couple changed into some more professional attire and headed downtown for more pictures! The Hippodrome is one of my favorite places in town for pictures. It is so full of tons of history and personality- much like our happy couple!


Check out that beautiful ring! What a lucky girl Armida is (and a great man Eric is!)


After a long day of shooting, Armida blows Eric a sweet kiss and then our happy couple goes on their way! Great job Jimmy- I can't wait to see how their wedding pictures turn out! Stay tuned until January 17th!

What Planners do when they aren't PLANNING....

All show up at the same PARTY!!! Believe it or not! Melissa DiStefano, Jaye McCarthy and myself were all at the same place tonight. All of us being Wedding and Event Planners. We were at a Christmas Party put on by Dan Hathcock from Unforgettable Events. The party took place at an absolutely stunning home. I loved it!!! Melissa and I were in love with the porch. WOW!!! It had a whole cooking area and a grill (that men would have loved), fire place and tons of seating areas. There was so much that just got our imaginations going. For instance it was an open house that flowed and allowed us all to enjoy and move around. Dan thanks for having us come. Ladies we looked good. Thank you Caroline Johnson for taking the picture and sharing.

Oh!!!! It was a Beautiful Wedding for Ashley and Thomas

We have been at so many venues over the years and it is a pleasure to work with a new one. This was a our second time at BayLaurel in Micanopy. The owners are such a pleasure to work with as a planner it brings us such joy when a venue takes care of what they have and are prideful in what they do. Thank you owners of BayLaurel.
Sit back and enjoy some special details from Ashley and Thomas's Wedding there. Ashley had such a passion to have a fun filled wedding, that had a touch of country but with a flair for bright colors. Somewhat a tropical feel with their colors.
We had Party Time Rentals take care of all of our needs for rentals. It took them days to set up for we had so much to have brought in. They even did the trees for the centerpieces.
As you look through the pictures you will notice Christine from Dove Photography has an eye for detail and fun with our couple, wedding party and guests. This was my first experience working with her. Ashley met Christine at another friend's wedding and knew then she had to have her do her wedding.
Wait!!! I almost forgot...not really. If you are every looking for a great country meal that doesn't look like BBQ Celebrations is the caterer for you. We had BBQ smokies, Meatballs, Pulled Pork Shoulder, Turkey with two different rubs, cucumber and tomato salad, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, baked beans, and mac 'n cheese.
So sit back and enjoy their wedding.

That's a cupcake tower. These are the biggest cupcakes I have ever had a wedding. I was shocked by how big they were...they were good. A very dear friend of Thomas's family made them as a gift for them.

To keep the party going we had Darren and Rodney from Jay's Entertainment to keep the floor full the whole night. They even took the 'tick' joke lightly to make sure all the guests check themselves when they got home. Of course, they were able to put some music on to make us remember it.

After the wedding they were able to slip away and have some quiet time alone with out their guests around. Christine from Dove Photography was able to capture some stunning shots of them.

After years of dating they have finally tied the knot. We all were in celebration.

Isn't he the cutest Ring Bearer of all times. He was a proud ring bearer to be able to bring down Ashley and Thomas's daughter down the aisle. Look at him go.

What a Groom's cake not only is it edible but drinkable (is that even a word?). This cake has some history with us. Jessica actually had to put this cake back together after doing 'surgery' on it for 30 minutes. Doesn't it look wonderful?

I just love it!!!
What a way to start things off when you come into the wedding site.

Ashley had always dreamed of having a great wedding filled with lots of Gerber Daisies. She l

How beautiful...as they rest in each other's arms...

Thanks to all of our wonderful vendors for making this a great wedding.

~Angela

Farewell to our Wonderful Interns

Thank you so much.....Our Interns for Fall Semester...
I want to wish all of our interns the very best for future. We have loved working with all of them and they have done a wonderful job working with our clients and our events. May you all have the best life ever. ~Blessings, Angela

Stefanie and Derek's Wedding Affair

We just did our first Brazilian Wedding. Stefanie and Derek Humphrey got married at The Family Church here in Gainesville with their reception at the Thomas Center. The Thomas Center was the perfect setting for their Vintage Wedding Affair Reception. We had a caricature person there to do caricatures for favors for all of their guests. The food was homemade Brazilian desserts and mini appetizers for their guests...but wait you haven't seen the cake yet. The cake was OUTSTANDING. Ms. Debbie Sugar Art did a TOTALLY AWESOME, OVER THE TOP, WAY OUT THERE cake. It was a bride's dream come true. Stefanie was so thrilled when she got to see the cake she was speechless. And if you know Stefanie that is hard to come by. She was in 'awe' that Ms. Debbie did every last DETAIL she wanted. (This picture is still to come. I will post it immediately once I receive it.)

We were privilege to work with a new photographer to us that traveled from Jacksonville. She just meshed right into Stefanie's family. You would have thought they were family. It was so nice to see them work so well together. Darice Michelle photographer was the trooper when she got in the limo after the ceremony and dared to go with them to the reception. As you will see she got some pretty terrific shots. You might want to check out her web site for other pictures http://www.daricemichelle.net/.

Their Unity Candle ceremony

The limo ride after the ceremony

Right after they got married

Beforehand shots at Thomas Center

Beforehand shots getting Stefanie dressed

Just pain STUNNING

Her bouquet made by The Plant Shoppe

Father of the Bride and Stefanie as they come down the aisle.

Wait for more pictures to come.

~Join us for the next time we shall share more memories of our first Brazilian Wedding.

Angela

Delia and Chris's engagement pictures

It isn't all the time you get to find a couple so into each other. Well...this is them. Chris and Delia are so special. These pictures speak for themselves.
Check out the pictures by Rob Witzel done on a freezing Sunday morning around campus.
BTW, They have a great proposal story. Just know that it has to do with 'Word Puzzles'. Chris went way out to make it unique for Delia. Can't wait to see what he is going to do for the wedding.

How cool are their shadows...

Isn't that cute...a heart

Peek a boo

You can see Delia's expressions. This is so her. I just love her expressions.

Chris and Delia you look great together. The pictures are wonderful. I wish I was there. It looks like you had a lot of fun.

~Blessings to all, Angela

Ashley and Flint

What can I say about theses two and their wedding? Wow is only word that comes to mind...there were so many intricate details in this wedding that were so personal to Ashley in Flint it was crazy. Everything from the monogram on the welcoming wreaths to the the individual pictures of Ashley and Flint all over Gainesville that they used to name their tables - screamed their sense of style and taste. There wasn't a more perfect location for this "pink" wedding than lovely Golden Ocala. They held their ceremony in the beautiful garden area - which was full of magenta bougainvillea plants -and walked the aisle to the beautiful sounds of Azalea Strings. No wedding is complete without the decor of Unforgettable Events, and believe me - this is not one we will be forgettaing anytime soon! The rerception followed with music from Solutions Entertainment and a beautiful cake made by Chef Albert right there at Golden Ocala. A special thanks to Caroline Johnson for not only the photgraphy at this event, but she also created majority of the stationary including the invitation, place card, and program designs. Ashley and Flint were such a great couple - I am sure everyone who worked this event can agree to that! We had such a great time being part of this wedding and I hope to see this one in The Knot magazine soon!