I hope you will join me at The Wedding Party for October’s Bridal Academy: “Prioritizing Your Wedding Budget!”  Learn how to create a realistic budget, and how to get the most bang for your buck.  Plus, get great handouts like the “Wedding Vision Worksheet” and “Expert Tips For A Stress-Free Wedding.”  And even better – it’s FREE!

Wednesday, October 7th at 6:00 pm
The Wedding Party
8640 Philips Highway, Suite 8
Jacksonville, FL 32256

Space is limited!  Call 904-739-3048 or email melanie@yourweddingstartshere.com to reserve your spot!

photo by Austin Dara Photography

We’re having another open house at The Wedding Party, and you’re invited!

I saw this photo and just had to post it – this totally adorable and edible work of art was created by Gaby Colindres.  Gaby is the owner of Sweet Art Shop, and one of the owners of Serenatea.

Serenatea offers a variety of items from petit fours to cupcakes to hors d’oeuvres.  Some of my favorites are the cookies, which make wonderful favors for a shower or wedding.

It was a great night last night as The Wedding Party, Jacksonville’s only wedding mall, welcomed dozens of brides and grooms to our open house.  The passion and energy that you feel walking through the doors of The Wedding Party really lets you know that all the businesses inside strive for excellence in everything they do.  If you missed it, watch the blog for announcements about the next one!

The food by Serenatea was delicious – especially the Pina Colada dip!  (these are my snapshots, stay tuned for pro pics from Kevin Winter!)

I could eat a hundred of these truffles!

Ham rolls, stuffed olives, sausage wraps, oh my!

And of course to top it all off, fabulous wedding cake from Simply Delicious!

These cake truffles live in the freezer just two doors down from my office…very dangerous indeed!

Another fun treat for the night: a photo booth!  This is “glamour girl” Kimberly, a former client and now friend, goofing off for the camera.  I would highly recommend this for a wedding, birthday party, any even really!  This one from Photobooth To Go, a division of Dan Harris PhotoArt.

There is so much more to write about!  But I’ll wait to get Kevin’s photos…

You are cordially invited to attend an
Open House Reception
to explore Jacksonville’s first wedding mall

It’s like a bridal show every day!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
8640-8 Philips Highway, Jacksonville

This weekend was extremely busy for the First Coast Weddings team!

Not only did Danielle and Donna have a wedding at beautiful Deerwood Country Club, I co-produced one of the largest bridal shows in town, the Jacksonville Bridal Connection.

Melanie and I spend several hours Saturday night preparing goody bags for the brides, and then my co-producer Sharon (also publisher of North Florida’s Premier Bride) were at the University Center until 3:30 am supervising the setup.  This is the “glamorous” stuff they don’t show on TV!

I was back at the University Center at 8:30 am Sunday to greet vendors, put out last-minute fires, and get ready for the 375 brides to arrive.  Thank goodness Danielle and Melanie were on hand to handle the First Coast Weddings booth!  Here’s a snapshot of them setting up, taken from my Blackberry (so it’s not great):

We were part of The Wedding Party’s booth, which as our matching t-shirts claimed, “ROCKED!”  What a great atmosphere full of fun and professionalism.  From what I heard, everyone that stopped by loved it!

Our friend Wes Taff of Scenecrafters stopped by to shoot some video of the show, which I can’t wait to see!

And now I’m taking a well-deserved day off to recuperate. 

It’s true! It’s Your Wedding is now The Wedding Party!

What is the Wedding Party?  Well, first of all, it’s where our office is located!  Second, it’s like a bridal show every day!  Not only can you stop in to see the First Coast Weddings team, but you can visit with Jacksonville’s top wedding professionals:  DeLand Entertainment, Celebrated Occasions, Simply Delicious, Serenatea, and more!  All in one convenient location, two miles north of the Avenues Mall.

Be sure to visit The Wedding Party at two upcoming bridal shows:

Fall Bridal Fantasy
Renaissance World Golf Village
Sunday, August 31 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Jacksonville Bridal Connection
UNF University Center
Sunday, September 7 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Or stop in Tuesday through Friday at 8640 Philips Highway, Suite 8!  (As an added bonus, we’re right next door to the Connie Duglin Specialty Linen showroom!)