AACWP Vendi Awards – February 11, 2015 at the Four Seasons Resort and Club

Every year AACWP hosts the Vendi Awards.  As Vendor Relations Chair on the Board, I am blessed to plan this event each year.

This year the AACWP Vendi Awards were held at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Dallas, TX on February 11, 2015.  It was an amazing night.  325 people attended.  AACWP (American Association of Certified Wedding Planners) hosts this great event each year where the best of the best are voted on for the “Vendi” (My Favorite Vendor).  It is looked forward to by the Wedding Industry Vendors as being one of the “events to be at”!

Our Sponsors this year were:

The Four Seasons Resort and Hotel, Brian Prescott of Simply Music, Ducky Bob’s, The Garden Gate, BBJ, Dallas Drape and Lighting, BEYOND, Southern Fried Paper, Candlelight Films, Sil Azevedo Photography, The Jenny Layne Bakery and Eric Michael Music.

And the Winners were:

Bakery:  Creme de la Creme

Band:  The Walton Stout Band

Bridal Salon:  Stardust Celebrations

Caterer:  Food Glorious Food

Ceremony Site:  Perkins Chapel

Invitations:  Southern Fried Paper

Lighting:  BEYOND

Linen Rental: BBJ

Minister:  Marty Younkin

Photographer:  Amy Karp Photography

DJ:  Brian Prescott

Florist:  Branching Out Floral

Hair/Makeup:  Elan Makeup Studio/Anita Brown

Reception:  Four Seasons Resort and Club

Rental Company:  M&M – The Special Events Company

Transportation:  Premier Transportation

Videography:  Candlelight Films

Congratulations to the Best of the Best!

Sarah and Josh – 9.19.14 – Here comes the Sun….flower!

JOSH AND SARAH’S ENGAGEMENT

Sarah and Josh!  Her smile would melt your heart!  And that is exactly what happened to Josh!  He is a personal trainer and she is a delivery nurse bringing beautiful babies into the world.  They met at the gym and the rest is history!  I can imagine that everyone who meets Sarah falls in love.  That would be why she had 10 bridesmaids.  They were all too sweet, including her sister that was the Maid of Honor.  They chose Hickory Street Annex as their venue of choice.  This is probably one of my favorite venues in Dallas.  It is a little rustic, a little classy, a little cozy, happy place tucked in near Fair Park.  She chose a wide color pallet of Sunflower Yellow, mint green and gray with a great splash of a chevron pattern for runners.  Who doesn’t love chevron?    Who doesn’t love chandeliers over the head table?  Who doesn’t love a GIANT head table?  Who doesn’t love a cross and what that represents in a marriage at the end of the aisle?  Who doesn’t love a new husband that worships the ground his new wife walks on?  Who doesn’t love cake by The Jenny Layne Bakery and yummy food by Gil’s Elegant Catering?   Who doesn’t love, love?  And what about that fluffy wedding dress, cowboy boots and gorgeous flowers and a red pickup truck for pictures?  Jennefer Wilson Photography caught all of these delicious details on camera and Amanda Ferguson of We Plus You made the color pallet come to life. Dance, dance, dance with Randy Ro Entertainment!   OMG, I just loved this wedding!  Enjoy the pictures and the love represented here on this PERFECT day!

Venue:  Hickory Street Annex/Dallas, TX

Photography:  Jennefer Wilson Photography

Floral:  We Plus You (Thank you Amanda Ferguson)

Caterer:  Gil’s Elegant Catering

Cake:  The Jenny Layne Bakery

DJ and ceremony music:  Randy Roberson of Randy Ro Entertainment

Catering:  Gil’s Elegant Catering

Planner:  Perfectly Planned by Pati

First check out these lovey bridals!

And now for wedding day!

and they lived happily ever after!

Wedding Portrait Venues

From the time you get engaged and purchase your dress, you begin the search for the perfect place for your wedding portrait to be taken.  A lot of thought goes into this. Sometimes  In fact I think the bride spends more time choosing this location than her wedding venue.  Some things to consider are:

o  How early do I need to schedule this?  The earlier the better.  Your photographer may get really busy depending on the time of year and usually do not do weekend shoots.  They are busy with weddings.

o  Do I want it to be fun and casual, or serious?  This is a matter of personal style and taste.

o  Do I want my picture made at the venue I am getting married at?  If it is at a golf course, on a lake or at a museum or historic building, they  will usually allow you to do this with your booking.

o  What time of year will it be?  Lighting is a big factor on bridal portraits.  You don’t want to take outdoor pictures in the heat of the summer or in the snow in the winter.  Photographers like early in the day or late in the afternoon for the best lighting.  If you are outside in the fall, remember there will not be a lot of color and hot spots through the leaves are sometimes a problem.  I could go on and on about doing portraits outside and the problems that can surround that, but if that is where you want them, then your photographer should be able to help you with that.

o  Do I have additional money in my budget for a place that charges to do this?  Most places (hotels, museums, old buildings) require a fee of $50 up to $500 to do a photoshoot at their location.

o  Do I want a public garden setting?  If I do, do I have a backup plan for that day if it should rain.

o  Do I want an urban setting?  Are there places to change clothes or will I be changing in the car in my wedding dress?

o  Do I want to do the chair in a pasture type shoot?  What kind of logistics and care will I need for my dress in order to do this.

o  Did I remember to put the price of an additional bouquet in my floral budget?  This is usually a little less that your day-of bouquet but can add a few hundred dollars to your shoot.

Best suggestions are the one’s that your photographer will give you.  If they are a good photographer, they can tell you all the best places to shoot your portraits and what time of day.  Be sure to leave plenty of time to get your portrait back for the wedding.  4-6 weeks out, which means your dress needs to be in and altered 8 weeks out.  Be sure to make that hair and makeup appointment for that day.  You might want to do a trial run.  Remember to put that in your budget as well.  Hair and makeup can be anywhere form $75-$225.

So here are some of my lovely brides and their bridal photo shoots!  You will notice most of them are at the McKinney Cotton Mill.  This seems to be a great spot for bridal portraits.  There are spots for great outdoor pictures, door pictures, window pictures, old rustic attic pictures.  Something for everyone!

Virginia swinging in her own backyard – Photography by Absolute Photography

Holly – Cotton Mill, McKinney, TX  – Photography by Aves Photographic Design

Morgan - Photography by Edmonson, Dallas, TX

Melissa – Bass Hall, Ft. Worth,  TX – Aves Photographic Design

Rhonda – Las Colinas Canal, Irving, TX – Photography by A Memory Catcher

Sarah – Cotton Mill, McKinney, TX – Aves Photographic Design