Wedding Blog

The Susan Southerland Secret Workshop was fantastic! Brides came from all over Central Florida in spite of the horrible rain storm. Here is what some of the attendees said:

“Great way to get started planning. Loved the inspiration boards and mingling with other brides. The table setups at different price points was great.” S. Hawkins

“Great everything! Everyone was wonderful and knowledgeable. Loved the activities and feedback!” A. Lockhart

“Loved everything! The food exceeded my expectations and the seminar was great. I would love to attend again.” R. Wright

“I had a lot of fun and learned so much. The food was amazing and Susan was so easy to talk to.” H. Morht

Our goal was to create an intimate setting where I could work closely with the brides and where they could mingle and learn from each other. This workshop covered setting priorities and defining their styles. We all worked together laying the groundwork for creating a budget then we made inspiration boards so that the brides could share their wedding vision with their vendors. We all had a great time.

A million thank yous to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin for some fantastic food and mocktails, to Tommy Murphy from Greenery Productions for the beautiful table decor (I will post those in the coming days), to Amy Morelli from the 2U Collection for the stunning invitations, to Ginger Midgett for photographing the event, and to Cinemedia and Elegante Films for video taping the event.

We will be doing more of these workshops soon. Please contact me at susan.southerland@pwg.com if you would like to join us.

As always if you have comments or questions about your wedding, just leave a post here.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan

I had the privilege of working with an amazing couple this past weekend. We met for the first time on Thursday and managed to produce a gorgeous wedding this past Saturday.

Most of the credit has to go to the bride and groom and their families. Justin Lehman, a producer with RKL Productions, Inc. in New York City and Jenna Bayles, a cardiac sonographer planned to get married on May 2nd in Mexico. Just a few short days prior to the time when guests were due to hop on a plane for the wedding, the calls started coming in. “Ninety percent of our guests were nervous about going to Mexico thanks to the flu,” Justin said. “Some of them said they wouldn’t go.”

It was a tough decision, but Justin finally approached Jenna about changing the wedding location. “Jenna panicked at first,” Justin said. “But after a few minutes of worry, we dug in and started plan B.”

Justin and his father produce television commercials, and find themselves at Universal Studios Orlando very often. Justin started reaching out to contacts there. They pointed them to Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. He said that once that location was booked, everything else fell into place.

By the time I got involved, they had booked all of their vendors. I was there to organize, and make sure the day ran smoothly. Jenna and Justin were so happy to be in Orlando. So were their guests. Everyone was relaxed and excited.

The only snafu that came about was with the gift bags. The family purchased beach bags and personalize beach towels to give to the guests upon arrival in Mexico. The bags had been shipped to the resort in Mexico before the location changed. The resort shipped the bags to Orlando, but they arrived two days after the guests had arrived. The family just gave them out as favors at the wedding.

The wedding day was gorgeous. The weather could not have been better. The florist did an amazing job. Everything went perfectly.

I stood with Jenna and Justin while they were waiting to be introduced into the reception. I asked them if they had any regrets. The both replied, “Not one. The wedding day goes by so quickly, why should we waste anytime worrying about what might have been? Now is the time to relax and have fun with our family and friends.”

The doors opened and the couple was announced. They danced to “One Love” by Bob Marley. That song really captured the mood of the evening. It was lighthearted and upbeat. I will share the photos when they arrive. It truly was a beautiful evening.

I share this story with you because I cannot imagine a more stressful situation for a couple than having to relocate their wedding at the last minute; especially when it involves not only moving a wedding from one distant location to another, but having to change 65 airline tickets as well (by the way, bravo to American Airlines and Continental Airlines for treating the guests so well). The bride and groom let all the stress go and they had an amazing celebration — not as they originally planned, but just as special.

Try to keep Justin and Jenna in mind when the small mishaps on your wedding day come up. Let the mistakes go. Relax and have fun. Your wedding day only happens once. Don’t let anything spoil it for even a second.

If you would like to comment or ask questions about this topic or any other wedding related topic, please post them for me here or email me at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan

Orlando is a popular destination for people from all over the world to travel to and get married. This week, my company, Just Marry!, has three three destination weddings. Each of them are of varying size, but they have one wonderful thing in common — relaxed brides and grooms.

Hosting your wedding away from home can be a big stress reliever for a number of reasons.

1. Destination weddings tend to be smaller, so the couple can relax and enjoy the day with their closest family and friends.
2. Since the plans are done from a distance, if the couple is able to trust the person planning the wedding, the day-to-day agonizing over every decision doesn’t happen.
3. Once the couple leaves for the wedding, they are away from their work, their house, their bills and from other regular stresses. The couple can truly relax and immerse themselves in the wedding experience.
4. Destination weddings tend to be less expensive than a traditional wedding at home. This helps relieve the number-one stress that typically comes with weddings. Couples tend not to spend way beyond their means.
5. Also, with regard to budget, since everyone at the wedding is on vacation, you can celebrate any day of the week. Planning a mid-week wedding can save you thousands!

If you are up for a bit of adventure and you want a great excuse to celebrate your wedding with only your closest family and friends, consider a destination wedding. Your blood pressure and your wallet will thank you!

I finally have a copy of my interview from last week. You may access it by clicking play below.
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The interview was so much fun to do. I hope in the midst of all the silliness, you will find the information helpful.

I will be doing another radio show tomorrow evening at 6:05 p.m. Eastern Time. You can find it on the Internet at www.WDVRFM.org.

I hope you will tune in!

If you are going to be in the Orlando area on Sunday, June 29th come visit my team and me at an open house at the Sheraton Orlando North. See the invitation below:

You’re Invited
to a Spectacular Wedding Open House at the
Sheraton Orlando North Hotel!

Sunday, June 29, 2008
2:00 – 4:00 PM

Come see the Grand Galaxy Ballroom at one
of Orlando’s most popular venues for elegant wedding receptions.

Spend the afternoon at the Sheraton where you can talk with our knowledgeable catering staff, taste a delicious cake from Cupcake Crazy and listen to the music of Junction 88

In addition, we will be featuring our very special guest speaker,
Susan Southerland from Just Marry!
Susan will show clips from her popular new wedding planning DVD. You can purchase your own copy at justmarry.com and bring it in for Susan’s autograph!

Register to win a FREE Honeymoon Suite!

Please RSVP by June 25th
Jill Demeter 407-551-7516

600 N. Lake Destiny Trail- Maitland, Florida 32751

I hope to see you there!