Pre-owned Wedding Dresses

I recently came across this website and I immediately thought I had to share...

Not everyone can afford the $4000 dress. This is a great way of recycling your dress and not breaking the bank while you are at it. You can sell yours or buy online!!!
Check it out and spread the word.. noone will ever know where it came from unless you tell of course!

www.preownedweddingdresses.com

Proud mommy moment!

It with joyous tears in my eyes that I share with you all, that I now have a kindergartner and a second grader! Wow even writing it seems weird!


My daughter Macy, 5 years old, just graduated from PreK and will be entering Kindergarten in the Fall. She is so knowledgeable and so prepared for Kindergarten I am almost scared to see what feedback the teacher will provide me with!


My son Andy, soon turning 7 years old (incredible how fast time flies by...) just graduated from first grade and will be entering second grade. Andy is a smart but somewhat lazy boy! He is currently reading at grade level but what a struggle that has been! Geeshh... On the other hand he can recite the words to every Thomas the Engine book/movie and Cars (the movie).


I am so grateful to have such a blessed family and healthy children. They are my life and although parenting and having a career is often a challenge I wouldn't give it up for anything in this world!


Thank you for allowing me to share my more "intimate" and "family" moments!

My Shadi Indian Bridal Show

On Sunday May 31, Affairs Remembered participated in its first Indian Bridal Show. It took place at the Hilton in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

The show was sponsored / produced by Desh-Videsh a local magazine geared towards the Indian community. There were over 30 vendors that attended the show. In collaboration with Avant Gardens, Elegant Temptations, Alain Martinez Photography, Elements and Accents and Rodrigo Varela Photography, we all had an excellent response!

Avant Gardens designed 2 spectacular floral centerpieces with coordinating linens and chairs. I provided the personalized menus and offered information on my services. As a thank you to the guests of the show, I handed out these adorable little elephant placecard holders.

In addition, with the help of my assistant Michelle Garcia, we created a very inspirational and motivating bookmark to hand out as my business card.

My Shadi bridal show will be producing another show in the fall in Orlando. Affairs Remembered plans on attending that one as well and will have more information available in the near future.

Thank you Alain from Alain Martinez photography for providing awesome pictures from this event!

Thanks for visiting!

Brides Against Breast Cancer

Brides Against Breast Cancer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 31, 2009

Every year, Affairs Remembered participates in a number of charity events. This is our 2nd annual volunteering in this fundraising event. They sell name brand bridal gowns at a very discounted price with proceed benefiting breast cancer research.

Unfortunately, I was not able to personally attend this year due to a wedding, however, my assistant, Michelle Garcia and her mom represented Affairs Remembered.

For more information on gown sales and how you can volunteer your time, please visit http://www.bridesagainstbreastcancer.org/.

Thank you for taking the time and giving back to your community!

Rodriguez / Ferrer Wedding

On Saturday May 23, 2009, Annette Rodriguez married the love of her life, Isidro Ferrer. I had the pleasure of getting to know and working closely with the Rodriguez family for over a year.

Their festivities began with an amazing Engagement party in August 2008 at the Biscayne Bay Marriott. The guests were greeted to an overflow of ambient lighting, several lounge set ups and photo booth! Excellent music was provided by a family friend and the food consisted of Kobe burgers, mojo-marinated pork and freshly fried plantains! The theme was traditional Latin with a flair! As the wedding plans continued, the planning of the bridal shower was not forgotten! Carefully orchestrated by Annette's mom, Ana Maria Rodriguez and her close friends, the theme was Breakfast at Tiffany's. From embroidered napkins to matching table cloths, tea sandwiches to customized mini bundt cakes, no detail was left unnoticed. While the event took place, the original movie with Audrey Hepburn played in the background.

The Rehearsal dinner took place on Thursday May 21 at the Riviera Country Club. Hosted by the Ferrer family, the close family and friends in attendance were greeted with live music and passed hordeouvres. They were then escorted to the formal dining room for a sit down dinner and a couple of speeches. The best man performed a beautiful song dedicated to the bride and groom and the anticipation for the wedding day was at it's fullest!

On the day of the wedding, the weather was not very cooperative. It was cloudy and rained on and off. This, however, did not put a damper on the blushing bride. As the antique car waited outside and the guests boarded the charted buses, Annette walked down the stairs to meet with her dad for the very first time dressed as a bride. It was very emotional for them both, but a moment neither of them would ever forget.

The Catholic ceremony took place at the historic Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables, Florida. The church was quickly filled with 300 guests by 6pm anxiously awaiting the procession to begin. All women were greeted with a personalized hanker chief and all men were given a boutonniere for their lapels. Promptly at 6:30pm the procession began. Isidro, nervous and exited, Ana (MOB) anxious and emotional and then the bridal party. Once the gates closed and Annette and Julian (FOB) took their places, the guests all stood and the bridal march began. It was such a magical moment for everyone! Annette was walking on a cloud as Julian silently cried his way down the aisle.

After the beautiful ceremony the celebration continued at the Mandarin Oriental for a spectacular reception. Everyone walked in to a magnificent flower arrangement that displayed their seating cards and enjoyed an hour of cocktails and hand picked appetizers. Once inside the ballroom, the guests were overwhelmed by the look of the room. The lighting, the lounge set up, the florals, the elegant linens and magnificent 18 piece band were just incredible. There was an array of entertainment going on throughout the night, among them were Brazilian dancers, a midnight buffet consisting of Kobe mini burgers with french fries and assorted milk shakes. In addition to the cold milk shot glasses were home made "Mexican wedding cookies" displayed in personalized cookie jars.

Annette and Isidro's wedding was a great success and I deeply thank all of the vendors involved.

VIP Wedding Planners Trip to Barbados

I must share how honored and privileged I feel to have been 1 out of 5 wedding planners nationwide to have been selected to visit the absolutely gorgeous island of Barbados. At first, I must admit, I thought it was another hoax. I mean come on, how often do you get to travel completely for FREE to a land of paradise?

The purpose of this trip was to see the island firsthand in order to be able to sell it as a magnificent destination wedding location. We were taken to the best restaurants and locations on the Island and experienced a true royal treatment.

Most of the pictures you will see are in the order of which each location was visited.

Day 1 Wednesday May 13, 2009
Well, I honestly did not believe it until I was on the plane! On Wednesday May 13 at 9:45am, my plane took off from MIA destination Bridgetown Barbados! Upon my arrival I was greeted by a Barbados Tourism authority representative and gathered with my FAM group. We were then escorted to our fabulous hotel (Colony Club hotel http://www.colonyclubhotel.com/) Once we all settled in, we were then take to the Coral Reef spa for some R & R! For dinner, we were taken to the Fairmont hotel where we met with the Catherine, the catering manager. Catherine was wonderful and answered all of our questions without any hesitation.

Day 2, Thursday May 14, 2009
Our day required an early wake up call as we headed to the famous Sandy Lane resort for a 5 star breakfast buffet. From specialty made omelets to fresh fruit smoothies our palates were going wild! We then toured the amazing properties and were then taken to the Country Club Golf course. This is where Tiger Woods got married. The view is so amazing and serene it makes you want to stay there and enjoy nature all day long! We then moved along and visited several properties on Sandy Lane. These multi-million dollar privately owned homes are rented out for private events. It is surprisingly affordable and some homes even come with a personal butler and chef!!!!! (http://www.aaaltman.com/).

After we visited the properties, we were taken to Lonestar restaurant. The view here is breathtaking (as in most places we visited) and we were fortunate enough to meet Corrie Scott a local socialite that enchanted us with her graciousness and surprised us all with a personalized piece of art! We then moved along to visit the other properties owned by Elegant hotels (http://www.eleganthotels.com/) and headed back to our hotel for a quick shower! In the evening we had cocktails at the Cliff restaurant. This location is absolutely amazing!!!!!! In order to properly appreciate it, it is only opened for dinner and private events. It is surrounded by gas torches which give this property the ambiance you immediately feel by just entering the door. It is independently owned and very highly recognized all over the world. You can find more information at http://www.thecliff.com/. After some really yummy appetizers and champagne, we were taken to Daphnes for a very formal dinner. Here we had the opportunity to meet some very important people from the Island. Among them was Emma from Events Unusual, the event planner that worked closed with Sandy Lane in planning Tiger Woods wedding. We had a fabulous dinner with excellent company!

Day 3, Friday, May 15, 2009
We had an early drive to the East coast. We visited the pristine resort called The Crane. This is a resort in which once you check in, there is absolutely no reason for you to leave (until it's time to head back home of course). Here we were presented with a panel of very interesting people. We met a local photographer, employees of the magistrate and Avril from the BTA. We were able to ask may questions on civil weddings, local vendors and how they operate on a daily basis. They were kind enough to set up a mock up wedding so that we could experience what a wedding at their resort would look like!

Once our time at The Crane was up, we were taken to other areas in the island that were of interest. Among these, was an abandoned house once owned by Harry Smith. This house was once amazing and must have been a very secluded area to live in. One of the cool spots we were taken to was Bathsheba. Surfers come from all over the world to surf these waves! For lunch we were taken to the astonishing, Hunte's Gardens. This location almost resembled a natural dollhouse. We were greeted by the owner, Mr. Hunte and taken to his "green house" for a catered lunch. We then toured the property and enjoyed some delicious English tea. After lunch we toured St. Nicholas Abbey. This is a rum distillery that was built in 1660 and located in the northern parish of St. Peter and owned by architect, Larry Warren.

After a very long day of long distance driving and sightseeing, we then headed back to our hotel for a quick shower and prep for dinner at the Tides. The tides offers a wonderful array of seafood in a very romantic and quaint setting!

Day 4, Saturday May 16, 2009
Our day began early as we headed to St. James Parish Church. Here we were able to experience a wedding about to take place. It was decorated with orange fabric and a beautiful display of pew decorations. We then visited Fisherpond House. This home is owned by Mr. John Chandler (the Preston Bailey of Barbados). We were warmly greeted by John's wife, Rain Chandler. She gave us a tour of the estate and shared wonderful stories of all the celebrities that have visited her home. Among them are Prince Harry, Prince William, and Tony Blair just to name a few! After a cup of rum punch we then said our goodbyes and moved on to downtown Bridgetown. We did some shopping and went to visit the ONLY Synagogue in Barbados. After learning about it's history we then went to have lunch at Champers. An absolutely beautiful restaurant with the ocean as it's backyard. Voted number 1 in the 2009 Barbados guide.

After about a 40 minutes drive back to the hotel, we had the afternoon to our leisure. I actually relaxed by the ocean and had a seaside massage! In the evening we then headed over to a very casual dinner at Groots! That was definitely a great "local" experience. This restaurant reminded me so much of Key West! We actually got to write on the walls like back in my middle school days!!!!! After multiple rum punches and hours of laughter, we headed back to our hotel and called it a night!

Last day in Barbados, May 17, 2009
We actually got to "sleep in" and had breakfast in our hotel. We had to pack our goodies and head out to the airport. Before we began our 40 minute drive to the airport, we stopped at Cove Spring. This is were Mariah Carey recently got married to Nick Cannon. This private property is absolutely breathtaking. It is known for hosting spectacular weddings and has a guest list which includes Oprah Winfrey and Simon Cowell.

As we all rode in very quietly (and saddened to leave) in the bus, I had a vision of what my first wedding here in Barbados would be like. I envisioned bringing to life a little girl's dream of a picture perfect beach side wedding to the man of her dreams in a picture perfect place!

Thank you so much for allowing me to share this wonderful experience with you all and I look forward to returning to Barbados in the very near future, hopefully with one of you!

Indian wedding at the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne

On April 26 K and V (the couple requested their names to be kept private) tied the knot in a traditional Indian ceremony. The groom arrived on a very well trained gray horse to the sound of a beating drum. as the bride's family greeted him at the hotel lobby. They were then all escorted tot he lawn area where the Mundaap awaited them. The ceremony was simple and picture perfect and incorporated all the traditional Hindu rituals. After the ceremony the guests were asked to join the couple at the cocktail hour and then escorted to the ballroom where they served traditional Indian food. This couple was great to work with as they were both relaxed throughout the planning process and enjoyed their evening to the fullest!

Arias / Shah Ethnic Wedding

Melissa and Aram came to me well over a year ago to help them plan their intercultural wedding. They each had a clear vision of what they wanted and what their expectations were. Melissa was very detailed and precise and great with making decisions. Aram's only request was that the barat (entrance of the groom) was to be on an elephant! After much research and leg work, the elephant task was accomplished and my team and I moved on to the next item on our checklist.... permits from City of Miami in order to allow the elephant to lead the procession!

Their celebration began on April 3, where Melissa and Aram wed through the Catholic church. The intimate ceremony took place at their local church in Miami Lakes and was attended by 30 family members.

On Friday April 4th, the Mendhi program took place. Prior to the official festivities, there were several prayers and ceremonies that took place at the Shah residence. In the evening, the celebration continued at the Pembroke Falls Country Club. The bride and groom were greeted by their family members and chanted to many dances and rituals. There was traditional Indian food served and the ladies had their henna tattoos placed on their hands and feet.

On Saturday April 5th, the traditional Indian ceremony took place. The barat began promptly at 10am at the parking lot of the Woman's Club on Bayshore Drive (parking lot next to the Grand).
The streets were closed as the off duty officers took their place in order for the procession to begin. As "Judy" (the elephant) paraded down the street towards the Biscayne Bay Marriott, the ladies danced and sang their traditional Indian chants. Once the bride arrived to the hotel, she was brought in through the back so that no one would see her. She was then taken inside the hotel and placed inside a "Dolley". Once everyone took their seats and places onstage, Melissa was introduced to the ceremonial altar. This part of the ceremony was very emotional for both Melissa and Aram as they saw each other in their traditional attire for the very first time!

The ceremony took over one hour and a half. The Indian culture has a lot of rituals and ceremonies within the ceremony. Once it came to its conclusion, the guests were lead to the ballroom level for a buffet style lunch. After the lunch the guests were then chartered back to their hotels for some relaxing time off. Later on in the evening, the guests returned back to the Marriott for a very formal dinner reception. There were dances and speeches that entertained the guest throughout the night. In the evening the choice of food was traditional Punjabi delights and a delectable display of Indian desserts. The evening was filled with happiness and joy for the newlyweds!

On Sunday April 5th, the celebration continued with a civil ceremony at the very beautiful and historic Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. The ceremony began at sunset and Melissa looked absolutely amazing dressed in her traditional American wedding dress. Melissa resembled a princess as she glided down the aisle alongside her uncle Frank. After the ceremony on the casino mound, the guests were escorted to the cocktail area. There was a flamenco dancer and guitarist entertaining the guests while the bride and groom were whisked away to take their formal portraits. Once the cocktail hour was over, the guests entered the amazing tent on the east side terrace. The blue lights and chandeliers had the tent glowing. The centerpieces were amazing and the overall details and decorations were impeccable.

Each celebration had over 350 guests in attendance and with much love and support were all a great success.

I am eternally grateful to everyone that participated in this glamorous and exciting event!