Making Things Happen

My junior year of college, I met a group of people that were doing something different. This group of people had become very interested in the concept of Christian Community, and as all were single, unattached college students, they decided to try an experiment of sorts where they practiced living in intentional community. The guys had one house and the girls had another location just a bit away. I visited both houses often and it was intriguing to see them striving together to live out this concept. I attended a small, conservative Christian college, and needless to say, the way this group was approaching living out their faith was very different from what I heard in Convocation, Sunday morning church, or even dorm ministry training. And, it was extremely refreshing. I remember one significant conversation I had with a member of this group, and I had almost forgotten all about it, until Monday.

This past Monday, I had the opportunity to attend Lara Casey's Making Things Happen intensive in Atlanta. This workshop was such an awesome experience, and I'll get to that more in a bit. But first, the workshop brought me back to the conversation I had with my college friend.

On that night so long ago, my junior year of college, I had been having a really bad day. I had recently been through a difficult breakup, and I was experiencing a lot of emotional turmoil and frustration.
This particular night, I just needed to get away, and when my friend invited me to make a Wal-mart run with him, I accepted, needing the opportunity to escape campus for a bit. (There wasn't an abundance of entertainment readily available in this small town, as evidenced by the fact that Wal-Mart was one of our main destinations...)Our drive took us to some beautiful rolling hills (my college was near the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains) and an amazing, starry night. It was not a romantic experience at all -- but just one of enjoying life and feeling alive. This friend asked me a question that night. A simple question, really, but one I hadn't really taken the time to think about in a while. He said, "What are you truly passionate about?"

I thought for a long time that night.

And I had to be honest with him. At that time in my life, I didn't really know. I didn't have an overwhelming passion that was driving me. I actually was experiencing quite a bit of apathy, and realizing that unnerved me. But, I did know, even though I couldn't identify my specific passion at that exact moment, that I wanted to live a life of significance, whatever that may have meant. I struggled with an idea I was having, and I tried to explain it to him. I said, "You know how you meet some people and you feel like they are just living on another plane of existence?" It sounds more philosophical than it really needs to, but what I was starting to wrap my head around was that some people seem to be living life in a deeper way than everybody else. They are truly living, rather than just surviving, or going through the motions. Many people get so caught up in the day to day, that they forget to really live. And I knew that I didn't want to be one of those people.

Fast Forward to Monday. Sitting in the intensive, surrounded by so many other creative, passionate people, I was reminded of that late night college conversation so many years ago. I met so many people who were truly "living on that other plane" -- living deeper lives. Lara Casey asked us a similar question to the one my friend had asked that night. She asked us, "What fires you up?" This time, I was able to answer. I still don't completely have my passions figured out, but I am striving for them, and one of the benefits of that workshop was meeting others who are also trying to live their best life. I realized again the value of surrounding myself with people who inspire -- people who ignite my passions. People who are living deeper lives.

One of the key words that emerged over and over again at the intensive was "authenticity." (Thanks, Emily Ley!) This post is a lot more personal than I usually get here on this blog, but I'm trying to do my part to be more authentic, to really show who I am, and to put myself out there.

I'm still beginning to process everything I thought about and learned on Monday, but these were some initial thoughts I just had to express. But there will be more posts like this to come, I'm sure, as I clarify my thoughts!

I guess the take-away from this post: for brides, for other business owners, for people in general. Try to identify your passion. Find what fires you up and strive for it. Surround yourself with people who will help you towards that, not drain you and suck you dry. And be that kind of person for others in their own journey. You'll enjoy the feeling of living life on a deeper level.

New Pricing for 2010

Starting January 15th, 2010, the pricing for our services will be increasing. You'll find the new rates on our website. Recently received quotes will be valid through January 30th, 2010.

As always though, we're happy to customize our planning services to create a package that works for your planning needs AND your budget.

To set up a complimentary consultation, please drop us an email at info@flaireweddings.com, or feel free to call the office at (904) 352-1832.

Internship 2010

Flaire Weddings and Events is in search of a few good women to be our interns for the Spring wedding season!

Interns will have the opportunity to work hands-on at real weddings, assisting with set-up and decor, interacting with the bride and groom, and working with other wedding vendors. In addition to wedding weekend events, interns will experience planning consultations and team meetings in our studio office, and get a chance to see much of the behind-the-scenes nuts and bolts of a successful wedding business!

Ideal Internship candidates will have many of the following qualifications and characteristics:

*A Bachelor's degree (or working towards one)
*Past event experience (private, family events are fine)
*Excellent communication skills
*Strong interpersonal abilities
*Creativity
*Organization
*Detail-oriented
*Ability to take direction
*Motivation
*Be a self-starter
*Basic knowledge of weddings and the wedding industry
*Weekend availability

After completion of the internship, successful interns will have the opportunity to become a paid assistant for Flaire Weddings and Events, or may possibly be able to train and apply for other openings within the company.

Involvement in the wedding industry is all about "getting your foot in the door" and this may be your chance!

For details and full internship requirements, please email info@flaireweddings.com for more information or to request an application.

Introducing...Jump-Start Planning

With 2010 nearly upon us, I want to introduce our newest service... Jump-Start Planning!

The Jump-Start Planning package is designed for the bride who may need a bit of help getting started, but wants to tackle a majority of the planning tasks herself. It would also be perfect for a couple who has jumped into the planning headfirst, but is finding the process a bit overwhelming and would like a bit of direction and guidance to get their wedding plans on track.

This package includes the following:

*Three One-hour Planning Consultations in our Studio Office
*Preliminary Vendor Recommendations
*Planning Checklists and other helpful documents
*Access to our wedding library of resources and inspiration

The Jump-Start Planning Package features a super-low introductory price of only $395.00.

Know someone who recently got engaged? Purchase it as a welcome relief for a busy bride! It's the perfect gift for an engaged couple.

Note: This package does not include any day-of wedding services, but all Jump-Start Brides will receive insider-pricing on additional planning services, should they decide they need more assistance!

Need a bit more help? Check out our website for our complete planning packages. As always, we're happy to create customized planning packages for any bride who's needing specialized services!

Big Personal Announcement!

The Flaire Weddings and Events family is growing!!

Okay, not the company family per se, but the Cherneski family!

In late April or early May of 2010, we are expecting a new little bundle of joy! We don't yet know whether or not we're having a boy or girl -- we should find that out in early December, and will be sure to update everyone here!!

Our toddler, Ian, is thrilled too (as much as he understands) and on a daily basis, changes his mind on whether he wants a baby "brudder" or sister. :)

What does this mean for our weddings? It shouldn't affect anything that's currently scheduled. However, I will be taking maternity leave for all of April and the first 3 weeks in May (a May 29th wedding will be bringing me back to wedding fun!). Should you be interested in getting married during that time however, please let us know. One of our associate planners would be thrilled to assist you with your big day.

Thanks so much for sharing in our joy with this big news, and we will be sure to keep you posted along the way!

~The Cherneski Family

Real Wedding: Beth and Ty

Congratulations to Beth and Ty, who were married in a stunning ceremony this October at the Crane Cottage, of Jekyll Island, Georgia. Following the ceremony, the couple hosted an amazing reception for about 60 of their friends and family.

Flaire Weddings and Events was thrilled to be a part of this day. I met Beth in the spring of 2009, and was instantly excited about her vision. Her colors were black and hot pink (how could I not love this wedding??!) and she knew she wanted to incorporate some damask print items as well.

Beth and Ty were very open to my design suggestions. I recommended chair sashes for the chairs, a specialty linen for the cake table, fabric draping over the sweetheart table, pomander and rose petal aisle decor, two tall-columns with floral arrangements, and hot pink uplighting for the courtyard, all of which made a huge impact on the look and feel of the day. Beth had some of her own great ideas as well; she rented damask-print runners for the tables, she bought luminaries to surround the reflecting pond, and had lots of cute damask-printed items to spice things up as well.

Beth saved a ton of money by ordering her gerber daisies from a wholesale florist, and the Flaire Weddings and Events team put together a majority of her centerpieces and bouquets (with a bit of help from the wedding party here and there!) :) We also created the gerber daisy pomander balls for her aisle decor, as well as the two floral arrangements gracing the roman-style columns.

All in all, this was one of my favorite weddings to date, with many fabulous vendors contributing to its success:

The Jekyll Island Club Hotel provided the catering and the cake, and the fantastic music throughout the night was courtesy of the Groovetown Band.

Kara and Jeremy Pennington captured the gorgeous couple and all of the stunning details, shown below. Enjoy!



































Thanks so much Beth and Ty for letting us be a part of your beautiful day! We wish you all the best in life! Congrats!

October Weddings -- Sneak Preview

October is always a busy wedding month, and this year has been no exception! We've had some beautiful weddings over the past few weeks, and I will be so thrilled to share lots of pictures with you when they are available.

But for now, here are a few sneak peeks.

These two are from Ali and Dave's lovely Club Continental Wedding, taken by the talented Corinna Hoffman.



And these stunning shots were captured by Kara Pennington at Beth and Ty's gorgeous Jekyll Island Wedding!



Stay tuned... More pictures coming soon!!! :)