August 5, 2008

ORLANDO BASED VENDORS!


DAY ONE:

Megan and I decided since we are a little bit slower this month to take the opportunity to visit our fabulous Orlando vendors that we hope to see more and more here at Casa Monica. Many of them are currently Preferred Vendors at two of our sister properties, The Grand Bohemian Hotel and the Celebration Hotel.

We started out with fabulous floral and event design company FLOURISH with Richard and Brian and along with them we met phenomenal designer, Lindsey Luxa, with DRAGONFLY, if you are looking for unique invitations, menu cards, place cards, thank you notes, anything, pairing Dragonfly and Flourish is a smart choice! These two companies work so well together from the custom designed and hand-made invitations complimented by the design, decor and flowers for the ceremony and reception!

Next we were on to the Winter Park office of the Heather Snively and Emily Darling and their team from WEDDINGS UNIQUE, Heather and her team can often be seen on wedding shows such as Platinum Weddings! You don't have to be hosting a Platinum Wedding to have these organized and creative wedding planners. They have many different packages that they offer. Check out their award winning planning and design! Weddings Unique is very familiar with the Casa Monica!!

We then went onto see the fabulous studio of JOHN UNRUE PHOTOGRAPHY. We can't say enough! We love John, Ricardo and Kristal! Not only are these photographers simply stated AMAZING, they are hilarious! Both Megan and I had trouble talking as we were laughing so hard! Quick Fact: among the amazing weddings that they have done, they did Johnny Damon's Wedding!! Check out their blog for the most recent work and start learning more about the dedication and fun they have while photographing!

We ended our first day with special event decor company, RAINING ROSES, meeting Chris, Jesus and Diana. It was great to be able to see the "behind-the-scenes" work that they do! Wow, they make all of their props and design, paint, build, anything you can think of! Raining Roses is hired by many of our Brides for floral production as well as event decor!

As day one ended, Megan and I checked into the Grand Bohemian Hotel, one of our sister properties and enjoyed a dinner downtown, above is a picture taken by our intern, Sarah who happened to be in town that evening as well!

DAY TWO:

Day two began with visiting our Coporate Office, The Kessler Collection, it was a chance to put faces to names and see a small portion of Mr. Kessler's favorite artwork which he gladly shares throughout all of his properties!

We then stopped be to see the fabulous and talented family at BAKE ME A CAKE, at their Pastry Shop and Bakery. YUM!!!!! We were given an entire box full of samples for the ride home! We sat and looked and smelled and looked again at amazing designs. I wonder how people can be so creative with cakes and just how do they do it?! Beautiful and FUN cakes for Wedding Cakes, Groom's Cakes, Birthdays, Showers, etc...Check them out!

We also had a chance as we were heading back towards St. Augustine to see Corrine and Gregory Heck at DETAILS FLOWERS AND PHOTOGRAPHY in Daytona Beach! This amazing husband and wife team have a beautiful studio right off the beach to showcase their distinctive floral and event design as well as Gregory's Fine Art Wedding Photography.

Megan and I truly appreciate all of the amazing vendors we were able to see in the Orlando area! Thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing you at the hotel! For those looking for vendors, be sure to take a look at these vendors!

Atlanta Weddings Show

Erin Poticny, Jen Hamill, Angela Sheets, Jordan McKelvy, Marc Bauer
picture taken with Erin's camera.

I had the pleasure to join some of the other Kessler Collection Wedding Teams in Atlanta, GA in July for a trade show at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead. What a great turnout from the Brides and Grooms from the area! Thay had a wonderful fashion show and we did a give-a-way for a two day/one night stay here at Casa Monica! I was joined by Jen Hamill and Angela Sheets from the Exceptional Events Team from the Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah, GA and the newbie to the company, the Bohemian Asheville (which is opening in December) in Asheville, North Carolina had General Manager, Marc Bauer and Exceptional Events Manager Jordan McKelvy attend.


So, if you are looking for a vacation, honeymoon, meeting or wedding, check out of the the fabulous properties from The Kessler Collection, many in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Taos, New Mexico, and Colorado!