Visit the Flaire Team at the Jacksonville Summer Bridal Show

This Sunday, July 25th, Flaire Weddings and Events will be exhibiting at the Jacksonville Summer Bridal Show. This bridal show will be held at the Main Library building, downtown. This may seem like a strange venue for a bridal show, but if you've never visited the new library, you need to -- it's a stunning venue for weddings!

We'll be showcasing our event design and planning services, as well as specialty rental items. If you've been thinking about hiring a planner, stop by, say hello, and learn a bit more about what we do! (Mention you saw this on our blog and we've got a special gift for you!) We'll also be offering a special booking incentive to any bride who books our planning services on the spot, so if you've been considering booking with us, do so on Sunday and take advantage of our special offer!

For more information about the show, visit Perfect Wedding Guide Shows. Sunday's show begins at 1 pm, and tickets are $7.00 in advance, and $10.00 at the door.

Hope to see you there!

Welcome, Baby Calla!

If you've been following my blog, you know that we were expecting our second little bundle of joy in early May. Well, God had other plans and she came in Mid-May -- 13 days late! I was a bit nervous for a while because I had a late May and an early June wedding booked, but everything turned out fine!!

Our sweet little girl, Calla Nell, was born at home on May 17th, 2010 at 9:55 pm. (Yes, it was a planned homebirth!! We worked with the awesome midwifes of Fruitful Vine Midwifery Service -- those in Jacksonville interested in natural childbirth should definitely check them out!) She weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was just over 20 inches long.

When she was just over a week old, Calla had her first photoshoot with one of my favorite photographers, Corinna Hoffman!

Here are a few of my favorites from her session!


I love her sleepy wink in this one!




This is my favorite of me and her together!

This is her big brother, Ian. He sure loves her!




More images can be seen on Corinna's blog! Thanks so much, Cory, for taking these, we love them!

I look forward to sharing Calla with you, my readers, as she grows and learns the wedding planning ropes! (lol, jk.) Sort of. :)

Whitney and Chris are engaged!

Whitney and Chris are one of our fun October couples, and we were so excited when we saw their engagement shots from the talented husband and wife duo Ginger Dupre Photography.

Whitney and Chris are planning a Brunswick, Ga wedding, so they chose to highlight the area with their engagement shots. Whitney's also using a peacock feather theme, and I loved seeing the feathers incorporated into their shoot!

Ginger and Jon did a great job with these images, and now I'm even more excited for this wedding!

Enjoy. :)








Congrats, Whitney and Chris -- we are super excited about your wedding!

We're making things happen!

It's time for a business and personal update.

We have definitely been making things happen for Flaire Weddings and Events in the past few months, and more to come in the coming weeks!

One of my big projects for the beginning of this year was to put together our spring intern team. Well, two wonderful interns will be joining our team and will try their hand at their first wedding this coming Saturday. Blog interviews for each of them will be coming soon.

Next up, a HUGE project that I have been working on behind the scenes for quite some time now -- another division of our company is opening up soon! We are in the final stages of prepping for its launch, and you're sure to hear much more about it in the days to come.

Finally, I'm working on streamlining some business processes and putting new systems in place to keep Flaire running like a well-oiled machine! :)

Personally, there are couple things we still need to "make happen."
"Baby sister," as my three-year-old son Ian calls our new little one, will be here in 8 short weeks.

That's quite exciting. There's only one problem. Her nursery: a construction zone.

We live in a 90-year-old historic home, and we recently decided to renovate the nursery. Which meant removing the plaster walls and installing new wiring. And that's been done.

That's all that's been done.

SO, we are now at crunch time to get this project finished before our little bundle arrives! (And when I say we, I TOTALLY mean my hubby. He gets to have all the construction fun by himself.) I'm better at saying, "This goes over here," or "I'm picturing something like this," while he actually wields the nail gun, drywall sanding tools, wire cutters, etc.

On top of this baby project, he's also working on graduating from law school (which will happen this May!!!) and prepping for the bar exam this summer.

Needless to say, 2010 has been off to a busy start!

I can't wait to update with more news about the upcoming developments, and look forward to sharing more in the future! :)

Real Wedding: Jenifer & Ian

Jenifer and Ian had such a beautiful wedding. Their venue, The White Room, is one of my favorite St. Augustine venues, and it was the perfect backdrop for their celebration.

Jenifer contacted me about Wedding Day Coordination back in April of last year, and we exchanged a few emails about availability, pricing, etc. Well, I didn't hear from her for quite some time, when I got an email from her this fall. Jen said they had thought about doing the coordinating themselves, but then as details started to pile up, quickly realized they wanted a coordinator assisting them. Jen cracked me up in one of her emails when she wrote, "What were we thinking??!" Needless to say, I was thrilled to be coming on board as the Wedding Day Coordinator, and what a fun and moving wedding it was! I'm so glad I got to be a part of this special day for Jen and Ian.

The couple currently lives in NYC, but had attended Flagler College in St. Augustine, so they were coming back to Florida for their wedding celebration.
Even though rain and cold weather changed their plans (the ceremony was originally planned for Ian's Aunt and Uncle's home in St. Augustine), everything still was gorgeous, and I was so impressed with how laid-back they both seemed considering this major change!

Jen and Ian's night was made possible by these fabulous vendors:
Venue: The White Room
Photographer: Jason Angelini Photography
Florist: Ian's Mother, Denise!! (She did an amazing job!!)
Cake: Classic Cakes
Transportation: Old Town Trolley Tours
Ceremony Music: Rick Kuncicky
DJ: Andy Calvert, High Fidelity DJ's

I was so excited when I saw these pictures appear on Jason Angelini's blog -- enjoy!


Such a stunning bouquet, made by Ian's mother!

Jenifer and Ian chose to do a "First Look" to get some amazing shots before the big moment. Fortunately, the rain let up a bit to allow time for these outdoor shots!







Loved these chair florals!

The White Room Loft served as a beautiful back-up location for the ceremony. My team had fun hanging the lace chuppah and stringing these orchids! (Since I am in my third trimester of pregnancy, I didn't do any work on the ladders -- I just got to be the boss from the floor!) hehe. :)







One of my set-up team members, Amy, was a math major in college, so planning out this escort card arrangement's spacing was right up her alley!

The gorgeous reception room.

Jen and Ian had a shrimp and grits station which looked like a big hit! The grits were served in these martini glasses.

The Viking Hat groom's cake. :)






Congrats Jen and Ian on your beautiful wedding -- thanks so much for allowing the Flaire Team to be a part of your celebration!

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.