Congratulations Clarissa and Jon!!

We were honored to be chosen to work with delightful Clarissa and Jon on their romantic Italian inspired wedding held this past April at the lovely Bella Collina hosted along with Dana Acevedo.  When I first met Clarissa, Jon and Clarissa's mother Chris, I was immediately inspired by them, their story and how at ease they were with each other....so clearly in love and happy to be getting married.  Clarissa has a rich Italian heritage and  so Bella Collina seemed perfectly fitting for this sweet wedding.  After a ceremony on the Grande Lawn, we moved inside the club for dinner and dancing to White Rose.  These darling miniature Italian Cypress Trees were one of 5 favors for their guests and this stunning cake was made by Party Flavors  The festive cake 'tree' stand 'lives' at Bella Collina and certainly fits the location perfectly.  A big thank you to Becka and Nate of Studio 222 Photography for these amazing photos that capture this lovely couple and this gorgeous wedding so well.  We ended the night with sparklers and fireworks from EJ Weppel of Creative Pyrotechnics  Congratulations to you both....I loved working with you and your sweet families!!

Cindy

 

ok-- really committed and some Q & A

As we await some of the amazing photography from the team of talented photographers shooting the weddings of our brides and grooms...now friends!!  I thought I would take some time to answer a few questions.  I am asked consistently the following questions and so perhaps I can add this to our blog of information...as I re-commit myself to successful blogging!  I want the posts to be helpful and full of information and that takes so much time to do it right.  I won't do it if I cannot do it correctly.  And, that applies to everything we do.  Maybe I need to apply that to cleaning out those pesky cabinets in my guest bathroom!  h

Q:  How do I tell my guests that our wedding is adults only?

A:  I get this question for every single Adults Only Wedding I have ever worked on.  The invitations should be addresses to the guests that you are inviting.  If you are not inviting the children, the invitation outer and inner envelopes are not addressed that way.  For example, the Outer Envelope would be addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Joe Smith with the Inner Envelope addressed to Joe and Jane or Joe, Jane, Billy and Susie if the children are included in the invitation.  As an aside, guests that receive such an invitation should recognize that great thought has gone into the guest list for a wedding and it is rude to ask the hosts if they could attend with their children.  However, this does occasionally happen and the host is put in the difficult spot of telling their beloved family and/or friends no.  But, a gracious way would be to share with the guest that there is limited space in your ceremony or reception site and you have taken great care to invite everyone that they possibly can and that you hope they will still be able to attend your wedding.

Q:  When should I mail my invitations?

A:  Another fine question I get asked consistently.  I recommend you mail your wedding invitations 7.5 weeks in advance of your wedding, farther out if you have international guests.  I also recommend that you mail them on a Thursday so they will arrive on Saturday (generally) when we typically do open and read our mail.  I also recommend that you have your Respond Cards due back on or before the Thursday 2.5 weeks prior to your wedding.  This will allow a few Respond cards to come on in through Saturday and you can have the weekend to double check your guest counts, finalize seating arrangements, etc with your family when it is much easier for everyone to get together to finish up these last plans.  Remember, too, that your catering counts and floral counts will generally be due that next week and 2.5 weeks gives you enough time to finish those last few details.

I hope these little hints help you.  Be sure to write me or comment if you have your own questions!  I am happy to post them with the answers on the blog.

I PROMISE I will be much better at this!!!

Happy Planning!

Cindy

Where have we been??

Alright....no excuses for the extremely uncool lateness in posting the weddings from the amazing brides, grooms and families we have been honored to work with this year.  I am totally committed to catching up on this and so please bear with me while I add all the photos we have received recently.  Still collecting....but they are on their way.

Today, we are working once again at the Gaylord Palms with Jessie and Francis on their lovely and traditional Wedding.  Pics will follow!  I promise....along with all the other 7 we have worked on this crazy busy June plus the 3 more we have next weekend!  WHEW!!!  Thanks for everything....we LOVE you all!

Cindy Saunders

Need Some Color Inspiration?

As I was exploring a new website that I recently encountered called Stumble Upon, I found this really fun tool by Preston Bailey, A-list Celebrity Wedding and Event Planner that helps you as a bride choose a color pallete for your wedding based on the theme, location, and the number of guests you are expecting. It is a fun tool that allows you explore multiple wedding colors, helping you to find the ones just for you! This is great to use when meeting with your florist, picking out your bridesmaid dresses, and even tasting and designing the cake! Whether its pink, blue, green or my personal favorite purple, this tool will help you find colors perfect for you. So have some fun,

play around, and let me know what you think!!

Whats Your Color Story?

Happy Planning,

Jessica

Congratulations Sophia and Andy!!

Eight weeks before their wedding, we met the darling couple Sophia and Andy. They had a beautiful and intimate Korean wedding on New Year's Day at the Gaylord Palms with the help of Pam Becker, Local Catering Manager. Their ceremony took place in the wedding pavillion under an arch of babies breath, with a reception following in the Orange Blossom Ballroom. Photography was done by KJ Jung with Rebekah Studio, and a special thanks to Party Flavors for the wonderful cake! We don't have photos yet, but look forward to getting them very soon!!!   Such a wonderful day, Congratulations Sophia and Andy!

Congratulations Monica and Andrew!

We are pleased to say that we were able to take part in the beautiful wedding of Monica and Andrew at the Gaylord Palms on December 30, 2010 with the assistance of Catering Manager, Chris Shimkus. The ceremony took place in the Lower Castillo Fort with a cocktail reception following in the Orange Blossom Ballroom, and then the reception in the Sun A Ballroom to end the evening. A gorgeous sight of White ostrich feathers, rhinestones, and white hydrangeas were created by Cheryl's Distinctive Creations, making both the ceremony and ballroom breathtaking. Curt and Stephanie with Nu Visions Photography were there to capture all of the special moments. A special thanks to them for providing these gorgeous pictures! The evening concluded with dancing to the wonderful sounds of The Buzzcatz and the delicious taste of Party Flavors who designed the beautiful cake. Such a beautiful day for a beautiful couple!

Congratulations Jessica & Merlin!

Jessica and Merlin were an absolute pleasure to work with and our first Egyptian wedding. They were married on October 9, 2010 at the beautiful St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church in Oviedo follwed by a reception at the Embassy Suites in Downtown Orlando. The reception was held in the San Juan Ballroom and Molly Meeker was our wonderful catering manager who's attention to detail made this day even better for Jessica and Merlin. Florals were done by Lisa Vilcsek with Revel Design Company, and the linens and centerpieces were made by Merlin's mother herself. They both did a fantastic job! Photography was done by Edmund Rhodes with Rhodes Studios, and as always, he did a fabulous job. Entertainment was done by White Rose Entertainment and the beautiful cake was done by Party Flavors. It was a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple!

wow! What a busy Fall and Winter Season!

Hi SWE fans!  ok - there is no excuse other than we have been CRAZY busy this Fall and Winter with some spectacular weddings and our blog is behind!  So, we are working hard to update and get all our wonderful photos up to showcase the gorgeous and fun weddings we helped create with our amazing brides and grooms.  Please watch for the updates coming!!!  Check out this sneek peek photo from the amazing Misty Miotto taken at Bella Collina in October.

On a side note, visit www.stereomood.com  What a cool internet radio site that lets you pick your mood and then the site plays a mix of music to fit your mood.  I tried it at my desk while working and it's super fun and energizing!!!

Happy Planning!  Cindy

Congratulations Megan and Shawn!!

After dating since the age of 16 and nearly a year of wedding planning, Megan and Shawn were finally married on June 26, 2010 at the Gaylord Palms Resort.  We worked with Director of Local Catering, Chris Shimkus, who is always on target in his attention to details and service to the clients.  The Ceremony was held in the Lower Level of the Castillo de San Marcos with 165 of their family and friends.  This AMAZING hand-painted runner with the wedding custom monogram was done by our own Cyndi Benzel as a surprise for Megan.  WOW!!!  This is an option that has become embraced by the wedding community and Cyndi does a great job in creating all kinds of runners for clients.  

Cheryl's Distinctive Creations did the brilliant Black Magic and Cherry Love roses for the entire wedding ceremony and reception.  Megan, who is a major Etsy.com fan added her personal touches in these darling seating cards, table numbers, pomanders, and personal florals for the bridal party.   Dan with http://www.orlandodj.com/ kept everyone dancing the whole reception and had a great time as well!!

Party Flavors created the wedding cake useing the leaf motif in gold (the accent color) as well as the Grooms Cake offered as a surprise to Shawn!

All the best to Shawn and Megan!!!

Tha Knot Magazine - Florida Edition

We are OVERJOYED that the delightful wedding of Brittany and Adam was chosen by The Knot Magazine as a featured 'Real Wedding' in the Fall/Winter Issue available on newsstands now!  We were honored to work with them on their wedding this past November at the amazing Reunion Resort.  They are a wonderful, happy, cheerful and loving couple and we are so happy for them.  Meg Baisden from North Florida provided the lovely photos for us.  Meg is a charming and very talented photographer all of Brittany's sorority sisters have used for all their weddings and so it was full of memories and friends when she shot this wedding.  Be sure to visit the link to the magazine to view their wedding!

Congratulations to Theresa and Chad!

The past 6 weeks have been amazingly busy for Signature Weddings.  We executed 6 very detailed weddings in those 6 weeks and are excited that photos are starting to come in and we can share some more of our work!  Theresa and Chad were married on May 1, 2010 at Reunion Resort led by Gretchen Hill and Michelle Sanderson (who had her baby right around the time of the wedding!).  Theresa and Chad are lovely and very active people, focused on their careers as well as their fun time.  Theresa is an avid equestrian, Chad a hockey player.  Chad proposed on horseback and the our wedding cake, provided by Party Flavors showed off their interests! 

 Beautiful Music provided gorgeous chamber music for the ceremony and Tommy Murphy of Greenery Productions offered equisite floral and design pieces for the entire wedding ceremony and receptions. 

We had never worked with Maria Schafer as reception entertainment - DJ but found her to be an exceptional DJ full of fun and passion for her work.  The amazing Derek Smith of Sunshine Photographics provided the photos shown here.  This is a stunning photo of Theresa in the stables (remember her horses!) just before the ceremony.  WOW!

Jeffrey Stoner provided our video support. We wish Theresa and Chad every happiness always!!  We loved working with you both!

Congratulations Ashley and Tim!

We were overjoyed when we were contacted just 3 weeks before the wedding of Ashley and Tim.  What a delightful couple!  They were married on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at the amazing Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.    This weather is WHY we live in Florida...and come here to get married!

If you have not been to Hammock Beach Resort, you MUST!  You feel like you are 3 worlds away from everything driving through the palm and oak allee's taking you years back in time.  We worked with Catering Manager, Keith Keiser, who is so passionate about the work he does.  Ashley and Tim picked some fabulous vendors on their own that included Renia with Blooming Flowers , Photographer Djamel Ramoul with  Elle Weddings .  Djamel is moving to the Tampa area from Ocala and we found him to be delightful, careful and very respectful of the wedding party and family, vendors and venue.  We know the photos will be amazing.  The photos here are our own so we cannot wait to see his work from this intimate wedding.  Video services provided by Patrick with A Magic Moment.  Sherri with The Pastry Studio provided the 3 tier pink and white swiss dot fondant cake, with peanut butter mouse filling!  YUM! 

Jim McBride with Center Stage Events provided the harpist and flutist for the ceremony as well as DJ Jason, keeping music going throughout the entire wedding reception held at the Ocean Event Lawn. 

We wish you the very best always and a lifetime of sunny beachy days!

Congratulations Ashley and Paul !!

We had the pleasure of working with Ashley and Paul on their wedding on Monday, April 5, 2010 at the Gaylord Palms, led by Catering Manager Sarah Valdes.  Ashley is a Cheerleading coach and her family and friends travel each year to a conference held at the Gaylord annually, so it was fun to be involved in the planning of their wedding, surrounded by her Cheer Teams.  Ashley wore a stunning grecian style chiffon gown which was exactly the gown for her!  We had 7 weeks to plan this intimate wedding for 50 guests and were thrilled once again to work with DJ Dan with White Rose Entertainment  and our baker Priscilla, owner of Party Flavors.    We had the opportunity to meet and work with the fabulous Matt Shenk who provided guitar and vocals for the ceremony, cocktail reception and dinner until Dan took over for dancing later in the evening.  This was our first time meeting Matt, but it sure won't be the last.  The amazing and very talented Edmund and Joanne Rhodes of Rhodes Studios provided these gorgeous photos and video.  

 

And, finally, what is a wedding without your own provide FIREWORKS show provided by EJ Weppel at Creative Pyrotechnics  ??  Really now...doesn't everyone do this??!!  I have worked with interior and exterior Pyro for several years and just loved working with this new local vendor.  They are fabulous!!  Ashley and Paul capped off their wedding week with a private ceremony at their hometown church the following Friday.  We wish them all the happiness they ever desire! We loved working and celebrating with them.  They were delightful!!!  

The wedding of Christine and Geoffrey

We were so honored to work with Christine and Geoffrey on their amazing wedding held at the Gaylord Palms with Chris Shimkus as the catering manager.    Christine is a teacher and Geoff is in the Navy and recently returned from overseas.  What amazing people we have serving our country, in 2 very different capacites.  They are both beautiful, inside and out.  We worked primarily with Christine's mother, Jackie, who we just fell in love with!  Jackie is well connected in the industry and was able to use nearly all the vendors she knew already.  Victoria Schultz provided the harp for the ceremony as well as the cocktail reception.  Amazing florals were provided by Cheryl Dunning of Special Event Floral.  This was our first time working with Cheryl and we found her to be very accommodating as well as a very talented designer.  These photos were taken by us, so I know the 'real' photos coming from Craig Huey will be so much better.  I'll post them when I get them.  Our band was Paradise led by the talented Lloyd Hanson.......  and this fabulous cake was from Party Flavors.   Our calligraphy for the place cards was done by our very own Cyndi Benzel.  We are so lucky to have her as part of our planning team!  What a wonderful vendor group to work with.   Congratulations Christine and Geoff! 

Congratulations Laura and Brian!

Laura and Brian were married on Friday, March 19, 2010 at St. John Vianney Catholic Church followed by a reception at the Gaylord Palms in the Orange Blossom Ballroom.  We worked with Laura and Brian for nearly a year and had such a good time with them.  I live very close to them and so much of our planning was done at Panera Bread.  That made it even more fun and we got to relax and hang out some, too.  They decided to use some of our favorite vendors including Cheryl's Distinctive Creations for their florals...here is their sample set a few months ago.  (Cheryl is hard at work making everything perfect, and it was!)  Krista Capers, a friend of the bride and professional photographer, provided photography services.  The amazing cake went through several drafts and we landed on this inticate design, set on 6 vases elevating it to a staggering 2.5 ft.  on GLASS!  Party Flavors did an amazing job.  The groom's mother offered her cake topper used 40 years ago at Brian's parents wedding.  It was lovely!

James Flaskamp with A Moment to Remember provided video support.  And, Dan Benoit with White Rose Entertainment kept everyone on the dance floor until the very last minute. 

After a honeymoon in St. Lucia, Brian and Laura will continue to live in Orlando.  We miss you both already!  All the best!

Congratulations Joe and Jennifer!

We were so happy to work with Joe and Jennifer on their wedding reception on Saturday, February 27, 2010.   Joe and Jennifer hosted their wedding reception at the Gaylord Palms  led by Pam Becker, Catering Sales Manager, in the Orange Blossom Ballroom.  This followed a week long cruise where they hosted their family and friends at their wedding ceremony on board!  What fun!  Cheryl with Cheryl's Distinctive Creations provided the flowers.  The wedding and groom's cakes were both provided by Party Flavors.  The swirl on the wedding cake mimicked the swirl detail on the wedding invitations.  Aren't these great???  Yes, it's a cake!!

 We enjoyed working so closely with them and wish them both every happiness!

Congratulations Kristin and Perry!!

We were lucky enough to work with Kristin and Perry on their Reception held at the amazing Gaylord Palms Emerald Bay Plaza, on January 23, 2010, planned with Director of Local Catering, Chris Shimkus.  This was the first wedding reception held in this wonderful space and was the perfect reception for this fun couple.  The reception followed a formal ceremony at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.   Marc Harmon provided these wonderful photos of their wedding and thanks to Eric san Germano of The Event Source Weddings for the florals.  Dancing and Entertainment, including the traditional Greek Dance led by Kristin, as well as atmospheric lighting was supplied by Jeff Versage, owner of White Rose Entertainment.  Thanks to Perfect Sky Productions for stepping in at the last minute to provide video support.  Kristin and Perry are an amazing couple....we wish them the very best of wishes always. 

Aloha!

Congratulations Tracy and Cheri!!

Tracy and Cheri were married on Sunday, January 3, 2010 at the fabulous Gaylord Palms Resort  The ceremony took place at the Wedding Pavilion there just beneath the 75' Christmas Tree.  It was a lovely way to begin a life together, surrounded by the sights of Christmas and love of family and friends.

This lovely cake was provided, including the gumpaste handmade flowers! by Party Flavors 

Congratulations Gaurav and Ruchi!!

We had the opportunity to work with this lovely Hindu Florida Reception at the Gaylord Palms Resort on Saturday, January 2, 2010.  Gaurav and Ruchi were married the previous week in Baltimore.  This lovely cake was provided by Party Flavors .  The design was pulled from the table linens provided by the decorator Suhaag Garden.  Jilna Patel did a lovely job with all the flowers, decor and lighting.  This company is new to the Orlando market, having served in South Florida for many years and we look forward to working with them again in the future. 

Entertainment was provided by DJ Raj from Dudha Productions

We Have Moved!!!

Signature Weddings has grown into new offices!!  After working for several years from our home offices, we have grown into new space located at 1120 W. Minneola Avenue in Clermont.  We will occupy 2 offices upstairs with a private entrance from the parking lot in the rear of the building.   We are proud to have a planning studio to work with our brides, plus office space for the day to day operation of Signature Weddings. 

Come visit us when you can!!