Allison and Shivan are Getting Married!

So this awesometastic couple is getting married on Sunday!

All awesometastic engagement photos via Wedding Talk

First, Footstone is amazing...

Second, Allison and Shivan are such a great and fun couple! They are personal family friends, too. Their wedding on Sunday is going to be such a beautiful mix of the traditional, modern, and slightly nerdy touches all throughout the wedding day. I can't wait! 

Third, congratulations these two lovely people!

Photobooth Craziness

Wedding planning is a serious business, okay.... There is absolutely no time for fooling around or fun and games. It's just work work work all the time. I have evidence. Look below.

Ok I lied. We love our job! It's so much fun! We were just having a little photobooth fun at Glenda and Jake's wedding. Such a great treat for all the guests! Go to phobooth.com and rent one for your wedding!

Left Overs

We are taking time to enjoy our Turkey Hangover, and I hope you are doing the same!

Have a great Gobble, Gobbley-rific Weekend!

{Martha Stewart}

Happy Thanksgiving!

From all of us at MasterPiece Weddings, we wish you and your family the best of Thanksgivings!!!

Please take a moment for everything you have to be grateful for!

I feel so grateful for my family and friends and all of the amazing things that are to come.

God Bless you and your family

Kristin and Mark 10-10-10!

One of our amazing 10-10-10 weddings... Kristin and Mark! We had such a fun time planning with Kristin, she's very A-is-for-anal-rententive-Type Personality. So we hit it off immediately!

Her wedding was on the most perfect 10 day of the year!

 

  

Location: Haile Plantation Golf & Country Club

Cake: KB Kakes

Photographer: Powers Photography

Planner: MasterPiece Weddings

DJ: Gnys Entertainment

The Big Move

If you follow us on Twitter or Facebook you know I've been mentioning change and rolling with the changes rather than trying to fight them. Because really, I hate change. Don't move the things on my desk, or mess with my computer. I will beat you up. Seriously. Just ask my husband. He moved a painting in the house, and now has 9 fingers. (okay, slight exaggeration...but slight)

Okay, well here is the deal-io.

Due to some long and complicated curcumstances the building that MasterPiece Weddings is in, is being taken over by the bank, and the bank wants to move in. Big business at it's finest. So the little guy has to move out.

Sooooooooooo, we are looking for a bigger and better space that will be awesometastic and incredible, and frankly, worthy of our awesometasticness!

We'll be homeless for the holidays, but the first part of next year, you'd better believe there will be a party for our new crib!!!

PS - Don't worry, if you need us, just call the office! It's all being transfered to a central number. Nothing is changing but our location.

PPS- You can always visit us at Love Wedd!

Are you a Wedding Planner?

There are so many professionals that title themselves wedding consultant, I thought I'd run through the true professional differences.

Catering Manager aka Wedding Consultant: Your catering manager is there to make sure your menu is correct on the day of your wedding and the venue is properly staffed. The catering manager makes sure your place settings are set up correctly, and serve your food to your guests. They usually re-fill buffet, attend to beverage needs, and overall , just make sure the venue's rules are followed. If they want to attend all of your vendor meetings, go to the rehearsal organize and orchestrate that as well.... just make sure they know what they are doing. I am sure than make a mean Top Roast, but can they handle mean Aunt Martha?

Church Director aka Wedding Consultant: Your church director is there to make sure the rules of the church are followed, and it is their job to ensure that your wedding planner pulls all of their hair out. In addition, they know the minister's needs and where he likes to stand, talk, and rule the house of God.

Private Events Director aka Wedding Consultant: The Private Events Director handles the needs of an exclusive club, they make sure their members are treated as VIPs, however, they also make sure that the club member's events don't get in the way of the members golf game.

Florist/Designer aka Wedding Consultant: Obviously, handle your florals, sometimes rentals, linens, lighting, and design. Your floral designer can make sure you know the difference between and peonies and a carnation. But sometimes doesn't know the difference between Fuchsia and Raspberry.

Fashion Consultant aka Wedding Consultant: Sells you a dress. Rents you a tuxedo, knows the difference between Vera Wang and Oscar de la Renta. Or Calvin Klein and J. Crew. Has amazing taste in fashion and knows what not to wear.

None of these are Wedding Consultants, although they can call themselves a wedding consultant, because, well they consult the bride.... on very limited topics. And frankly most of them are as organized as your grandma's junk drawer. (no offense, Grandma).

But your real Wedding Consultant is there for you through all of these issues, and knows the difference between a Peonies and a Carnation and what time they should be delivered. We are there to organize and orchestrate through the tremendous amount of details and make sure it all happens perfectly.

Nuff Said.

Love Wedd

Have you been to this amazing Gainesville boutique? It's called Love Wedd, and it's seriously awesometastic!!

There are several vendors to peek at, check out their work, pick up cards, chat with, all in one space! Here's whattcha gotta do.

Step 1: Drive to Haile Plantation, and visit Love Wedd.

Step 2: Ask the receptionist for a tour of Love Wedd

Step 3: Go into Love Wedd, look around, take samples.

Step 4: Take your time visiting the Love Wedd boutique.

And that's it!

You can practically plan your whole wedding in one room! Solutions Bridal, Footstone Photography, Gnys Entertainment, MasterPiece Weddings, Dream Day Cakes, Unique Designs, Sweetwater Branch Inn....and so many more!

So, moral of the story, go visit Love Wedd!!

Love Wedd

We are so honored and excited to be a part of Love Wedd! We are amongst some of the most incredible, professional, and bestest vendors around.  What is Love Wedd, you ask?

It is a bridal boutique...meaning it is like a store, in Haile Village Center in the same building as Footstone Photography, Adore Weddings and Events, and Unique Designs. The boutique will have a receptionist at the desk when you walk in the front door. Then you can browse the room and see displays featuring the work of some of Gainesville's top vendors.

To kick it all off, we are having a VIP Preview event that you will need to RSVP to. See the information below. To RSVP just go to the Facebook Event Page and click on "attending" to let us know that yes, you are interested in tasting cakes from Dream Day Cakes, eating some yummy food from Olive You Catering, seeing the amazing designs by Keith Watson Productions and The Grande Event, and meeting The Best Wedding Planner Ever MasterPiece Weddings! Also The Plant Shoppe will have some stunning flower arrangements on display. Of course, G-NYs Entertainment will be mixing it it up with REAL RECORDS. So come and see who the Love Wedd crew is.

Like the Facebook page and follow Love Wedd on Twitter!

(Disclaimer: The above text and photo were stolen from Platinum Digital Video's blog, not because we are plagiarists, but because imitation is the best form of flattery and we love Shena so so so much and we could not have said it any better than she did. So ground me, put me in the corner, take away the TV for a week, it's worth it, and plus I have an excuse, we are gearing up for a busy weekend and got lazy.)

If I did it again...

Photo Courtesty of The Knot

I think my next wedding (to my husband of course) would have to be planned around Peonies Season, my bouquet would certainly be a big puff ball of Peonies! All white of course.

What is your favorite flower for your wedding bouquet?

Planning Palooza

North Florida's top two wedding planners have teamed up for a fun wedding planning workshop offering tons of advice on hiring vendors, etiquette, your planning timeline, dealing with family stress, and much more!  Have the opportunity to ask the pro's anything... really anything!

Sunday, September 26

Haile Village Meeting Hall

4 o'clock to 6 o'clock

$30 (cash only), includes refreshments

RSVP Call: 352.317.3222

Email: RSVP@adoreevents.biz

(MasterPiece Weddings and its affiliates have not been paid for, for this post)

New and Shiney!!!

I feel over-whelmed with pride by posting this, I've been delaying in posting this. Why? I don't know.

So here it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our new website {I am giddy and blushing just saying it outloud!} OUR.NEW.WEBSITE! Ohhhhh.Mmmmm.Geeeeee!!!!

So with this new and shiney website comes some minor announcements. Okay, not minor. MAJOR!

MasterPiece Weddings is proud to announce that we now have an office in Jacksonville, Florida and are excited to be planning weddings in Jacksonville/Orange Park/ and Ponte Vedra Florida.

MasterPiece Weddings will also officially be planning weddings and events in Destin, Pensacola, Rosemary Beach and all of The Panhandle of Florida!

So, for all of your North Florida Wedding Planning needs, contact MasterPiece Weddings, we gottcha covered.

Casablanca Florals

 These incredible florals were part of the Casablanca Photoshoot, they were designed by The Event Divas. Susan did an amazing job! Completely out did herself!

Photographs by: Verve Studio
Florals by: The Event Divas

Casablanca Wedding

MasterPiece Weddings was recently involved in a super fun collaborative and unique photoshoot! The idea was Casablanca meets Moroccan amazingness. We wanted Boggy to have a happy ending.

There were a lot of vendors involved in this, and I want to make sure that you see everyone's work and how beautiful the idea came together.

First up, Verve Studios - their photography was so romantic, and completely captured the funness and romanticalness perfectly!

Hair by: Glenda Suarez (Creations)
Location: Hippodrome State Theater

Things to ask Your Wedding Planner

There are so many things to consider when hiring your vendors, but let's talk about what to look for in your wedding planner. There gazillions of questionnaires online for you to review, download and bring with you to your initial consultations when you interview your potential wedding planner.

But how about some things that may not be on the questionnaires?

What are you going to wear on my wedding day?

•      We wear formal attire, not black tie (unless you request it) but formal, cocktail attire. We don't wear name tags. We want to blend in at your wedding, not stand out like a sore thumb.

How many weddings will you have on my wedding day?

• I will personally only have one. And I'll have a team with me, so we can be in 3 places at the same time.

Will you drink at my wedding?

• Um, no! No professional. You won't see us eat at your wedding (although we will, in shifts), we are there for you and to make sure you are getting what you paid for from all of your vendors and means we are on the clock the whole night.  (not to say, when you get back from your honeymoon we shouldn't all go to Dragonfly and grab a cocktail)

And when you are meeting with your vendors be upfront with them, ask the hard questions, expect answers.

What to Look for in Your Wedding Planner

I honestly mean this, I don't care who you hire, but hire a wedding wedding planner.

If it's me - that's awesometastic!!! If it's not me, and it's that competition that I adore, that's great too!

I do sincerely mean that.

But remember you can't go back and re-do your wedding day. So if you are considering hiring someone to help you make your wedding day dreams come true, make sure they are professional.

Look around, interview a couple of planners, my personality is different than the next guy (although I do have to say, that my personality is pretty darned perfect...ahem!)

Don't be scared to look around. It's okay.

Hire Professionals

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about business and how some people are just cruddy business-people. Amazingly talented in their own right, but honestly have no business, being in business. And, as this isn't a business blog, I am not going to get on a soap box about how to run a business, but rather what to look for in a wedding planner and some mistakes that I made along the way and how I learned from them. So that you can learn from them too.

I am not perfect. I never claimed to be. (that's my disclaimer)

When I started my business I thought "ye with thy lowest prices wins" and honestly.... that may be the case in some instances. And I know everyone has to start somewhere. And I fully appreciate that. I did. I started my business 15 years ago with some pretty low prices...but you can't do that for long. And being in business to purposefully undercut, isn't right.

Just because your collection, package or per hour fee is the lowest, says nothing about who you are. You are in business, just like the other guy, you have over head and bills to pay just like your client.

Just like my client.

People get that.

If you offer a service or a product, like wedding planning, photography there are costs involved, your time, actual and real costs. If your product and/or service is worth it, you will be respected for it.

So, brides, don't hire the cheapest wedding vendor just cuz they are the cheapest.... cheapest won't always save you money. This is a once in a life time event, your wedding. Don't skimp.

You are hiring professionals for a reason.

Paper and Sweets

We had the honor of hosting a party for Leslie Vega Designs in the courtyard of our studios, it was an amazing night! I can't wait to do it again!

So many people to thank for helping to put this event together, MasterPiece Weddings and Leslie Vega Studio had so much fun working together, and plus Leslie's work is so pretty it's hard to not make an event romantic and delicious!


 But first, would some one please do this for their place cards!!!! Isn't it just gorgeous! The calligraphy is done by the super uber talented Sara Hannah. Love her!

Jarrad from G-nys Entertainment did such a great job with the tunes for the evening!

Dragonfly Catered the event just beautifully!

Isn't Leslie's work, just beautimous!

The two most beautiful women, inside and out, in the entire universe! Leslie and Sara!

Flowers and Decor: Dan Hathcock of Unforgettable Events

Event Planning: Melissa Margarita-DiStefano of MasterPiece Weddings
Photography: Matt & Krystal Radlinski of Verve Studio
Cake + Sweets: Ms. Debbie's Sugar Art
Calligraphy: Sarah Hanna Calligraphy
Entertainment: Jarad Bowens of G-NYS Entertainment
Catering: Dragonfly Sushi

Happy Mother's Day to Meeee!

Okay, so it's almost a month late, and I don't know why I didn't post this sooner, probably because, well, although ya'll probably dont' think so, I don't like to brag.

But here goes.

I was on the front-freakin' page of the paper on my first Mother's Day!!!!

Okay, so now that I got that off my chest... well, mostly.

Yup, on Mother's Day I was on the front page of our local news paper, right under the story on the oil spill! Yup, I'm big fat news!

Here's the picture....

Yup, that's me and Gabriel, front and center!

Here's the article:

It took Melissa DiStefano 29 hours to give birth to her son. It was painful. It was frustrating. And thanks to Twitter, her friends and family lived through it all.

"I tweeted through my entire delivery," said DiStefano, who had to have a C-section after her contractions stopped. "I wrote things like 'These contractions suck.' 'Looks like I have to push.' 'We're going to be here awhile.' It was extremely painful, but doing that really became my focus. I only put the phone down during the actual surgery."


DiStefano, 35, has always been plugged into technology, and now she and other moms in the digital age are using it as a major tool in motherhood.

She even set up a Facebook page for the 4-month-old, where she and her husband regularly update his status. Gabriel has 119 friends, eight videos and tons of photos.


From gadgets to new media, mothers today embrace technology as a way to be informed and stay connected. Children's precious moments aren't just captured, but uploaded, posted and texted.


Instead of sneaking a peek in a diary, just check a Facebook wall or recent history on the computer to see what kids are up to. Forget about music boxes and CDs, just turn on Pandora.


DiStefano's smartphone and Flip video camera are just as much a part of her mommy life as bottles and diapers.


She uploads cute and funny videos of her son Gabriel to YouTube and shares photos with friends and family through Facebook, Flickr and Picasa. She uses her phone to send picture messages of Gabriel to her sister  and her mother in South Florida. With her webcam, DiStefano also uses Skype so the family can talk to each other and see the baby.


"When there's so much distance, it's hard to feel connected, so with all the technology it's so much easier for family and friends to feel like they're a part of his everyday life," said DiStefano, owner of wedding planning business MasterPiece Weddings.



Being a working mom of a young child, Newberry resident Maria Rizzo loves that she can check on her baby with a few clicks of a mouse.

The entire time her son Anthony, 2, has been at Kidsworks preschool, she's been able to log onto a password-protected website and watch him via live Internet webcams set up throughout the facility. The preschool started using the system in 2000.


"It wouldn't have been a deal breaker if they didn't have it, but it's definitely a good selling point, especially for new mothers," said Rizzo, 37. "I had a hard time going back to work and it was really helpful to be able to see him. It makes a big difference."


Larkin Kieffer said being a parent today means you have to really stay engaged and connected. Her cell phone is a big part of being a Mom to her 11-year-old son Noah.


If she's running late or sending someone else to pick him up, she taps out a quick text message. She said he has to send her a text every time he leaves or arrives somewhere. It may seem like a chore to him, she said, but for her, "it's total peace of mind."


"I never want it to be that he can't tell me something important," said Kieffer, who got her son a cell phone last year. "I'd rather know he can get in touch with me and, technologically, I'm only a second away ... It actually makes me worry less."


Marcheta Cole Keefer, communications/tourism marketing manager for VisitGainesville, isn't a super tech mom. Her children, Christian, 10, and Katie, 9, don't have cell phones and she encourages them to use dictionaries and encyclopedias rather than Google or Wikipedia.


But when it comes to school, she has enjoyed the benefits of technology. She receives a weekly newsletter from her son's teacher about the upcoming week's classwork and homework assignments.



"I just think that's great. I travel a lot, so wherever I am, I can find out that information and know what's going on with him at school," said Keefer, 48. "It's been very reassuring and helpful."


Although most mothers praise the joys of technology, Rizzo said it does have some drawbacks. During her pregnancy and after she gave birth, she found herself obsessively researching online about newborns and child rearing.


"It was really hard to have so much information at my fingertips. There was so much information and everybody has a different opinion about everything. There's blogs, forums ... and sometimes it can feel overwhelming.... I just finally decided not to consult the Internet and rely on myself and trust my instincts."

Cambodian American Wedding

If you haven't seen Lisa and Edgar's Cambodian Wedding Ceremony, first be sure to check out the links below!

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Because of their Cambodian heritage with their American roots as well, Lisa and Edgar chose to have both wedding ceremonies on the same day. After the Cambodian Ceremony, we headed over to Golden Ocala for their equally gorgeous American ceremony.

And remember, there are MANY more pictures of this amazing event on Lindsey's blog, so if you love this wedding as much as we do, please check out her blog!

You may recall the knot tying Ceremony from the Cambodian Ceremony ~ the couple leaves the knots on until they fall off naturally. I loved the reminder of the previous Ceremony throughout the American one!

This was my first time doing this, but culturally Lisa and Ed were expected to do images with each guest in their receiving line after their Ceremony and with the perfect light and joyous guests it was actually quite enjoyable. Here is just one of the images:

One of my favorites with bridesmaids ever! :)

FAVORITE! (down there)