I was doing some online shopping yesterday when I came across a link for The Wedding Shop at Macy’s.  We refer brides all the time to Macy’s for their registries and for gifts, but I had no idea that part of their online shopping site was dedicated specifically to weddings. Well, I checked it out and came away impressed. The Wedding Shop at Macy’s offers a variety of products to complete your wedding day look, including bridal gowns.  Now, don’t expect to find a huge selection of gowns. What they offer are a small, yet tasteful selection of simple, beautiful gowns and dresses perfect for intimate and destination weddings. They also offer a number of options for bridal party attire, party dresses perfect for rehearsal dinners or after parties, suits for the groom and his groomsmen, cute flowergirl and ringbearer attire, shoes, and a nice selection of jewelry and accessories.  Here are a few of my personal favorites from The Wedding Shop:

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Happy Shopping!

It has been quite a busy spring and early summer season for the Uniquely Yours team. Now that we have a few weeks before the fall season starts up, we are excited to bring you several new blog posts! We have so many creative ideas, products to share, and of course, beautiful weddings to feature.  But before all of that, I thought it would be nice to introduce you to our new studio space, “The Living Room”.

We have always wanted a creative space in Orlando to meet with clients, and this past April that dream came true as we partnered with a fantastic group of professionals for the opening of “The Living Room”.  Here are few photos of the new space. The space design and decor was done by none other than the super talented Becka of Studio 222 Photography.

Isn’t it sweet? We love it here!

This month we hosted our Summer Open House at the Living Room. It was wonderful having a space to greet and mingle with engaged couples and professionals alike.  We hope you will stop by for a visit soon.  Just give us a call or send an email first as we schedule meetings by appointment.

All Photos Courtesy of Studio 222 Photography

If you have not had a chance to stop by the studio at “The Living Room” for our special Summer Open House, tonight is your last chance.  If you are curious about the types of services planners can offer, have questions regarding your current plans, or just want some advice on various aspects of your wedding then you definitely want to stop by and meet the Uniquely Yours team.  Brides attending the Summer Open House are also eligible for a special promotion that we are offering. We look forward to meeting you tonight from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM so make plans to drop by and say hello.  For more information such as location, directions, and registration click here. See you soon!

Uniquely Yours Wedding & Event Specialist is hosting three open house nights this month at our studio in Winter Park. If you are engaged, or know somebody who is, please stop by to ask questions, learn more about our services, get advice, and mingle.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Recently  I was invited to attend an intimate gathering of trend setting destination planners from around the country for an exclusive look into some of the wonderful destination properties found in sunny and luxurious Vero Beach.  The Vero Beach Chamber of Commerce hosted the first “Come Discover Love” event in early May.  This was a great opportunity for the attendees to “discover” all that Vero Beach and the Treasure Coast has to offer brides desiring a destination wedding in Florida, the number one destination wedding location.

The welcome reception was held at the chic Vero Beach Hotel & Spa, a beautiful oceanfront, boutique property.  We enjoyed seeing many familiar faces and meeting new ones while at the reception.

An after party followed at the ever popular Capt. Hiram’s resort where we were given a venue tour and had more time to mingle and meet the other attendees.

The next day featured a leisurely ecology cruise on the Indian River courtesy of River Queen Cruises. We were fortunate to sight a few dolphin on our tour of the most biologically diverse estuary in North America.

Our next stop was Gloria Estefan’s modern Costa d’ Este resort where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and had the pleasure of hearing destination wedding expert, Susan Moynihan, editor in chief of Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine.  It was so refreshing to hear that Florida is tops among preferred destination wedding locations.

Dom Perignon was one of the lunch sponsors.

Photo Source: Ray Santana Photography

Creative floral design for the luncheon was provided by the talented and gracious Andres Aguiler of Mystique Flowers.

Photo Source:  PS Photography

After lunch, we were able to hear and meet none other than Grace Ormonde of Wedding Style Magazine.  Grace discussed the magazine and her current book tour showcasing her new book, Grace Ormonde Weddings.  Everyone in attendance received a copy of Grace’s beautiful tome, “Being In Love Never Goes Out of Style”, courtesy of the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce. The book is filled with beautiful images from the magazine, Grace’s personal reflections, tips, and photographs and stories of real weddings from around the world.   I was thrilled to meet Grace in person, and have her sign my personal copy. The book is unlike any other with its focus on the love and commitment of couples which is central to what we do as planners.

That’s Grace Ormonde signing my personal copy!

Photo Source: Ray Santana Photography

The lush and tropically inspired Caribbean Court Boutique Hotel was our next stop.  This is a gorgeous property featuring a variety of indoor and outdoor settings perfect for intimate weddings.

Our group traveled on from the Caribbean Court to McKee Botanical Gardens where we learned more about the garden’s history and the beautiful areas of the garden that are available for weddings and other social occasions.

The Great Hall at McKee

The evening ended with a sumptious dinner back at Costa d’Este poolside where we glimpsed a stunning setup by renown designers, The Event Firm. Unfortunately, it was just a glimpse as everyone quickly moved indoors as a storm approached.  Fortunately, our friends Patty and Susy of PS Photography were able to capture the scene beforehand.

The Event Firm did a great job recreating their designs indoors for the backup plan.

Our final day in Vero Beach concluded with sunrise yoga and brunch at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort where we heard from none other than Rebecca Grinnals, expert consultant to the wedding industry and founder of Engaging Concepts. Rebecca’s presentations are always informative and inspiring, providing plenty of food for thought on how to manage our business and best serve our clients.

Come Discover Love offered a wonderful retreat and it was a pleasure attending the property tours and getting to meet so many fantastic planners and talented professionals from across the county with whom I will be corresponding.

Vero Beach is the perfect location for brides seeking  privacy and luxury in an intimate setting that is so close, yet far removed from the bustle of Orlando. The Uniquely Yours teams looks forward to working with future destination clients as they discover all that is to love about hosting their wedding celebrations in this exquisite Florida location.

Note: All photos are courtesy of PS Photography unless otherwise noted.

After a fun bride and groom session with Concept Photography on the beach, Suzy and Mike’s wedding celebration at the Crowne Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront continued into the hotel ballroom.  Here again, Thallo Floral Design carried the vibrant jewel tones and peacock feather accents throughout the room.

Here you can see the tree motif that Suzy looked to bring into her design.

The wishing tree was a big hit with guests. Throughout the night, guests added their sentiments for Suzy and Mike to cards and displayed them on the tabletop tree.

A “creative” wish by one of the younger set in attendance who took the “wishing tree” concept to heart. I love it!

Suzy and Mike’s reception featured an incredible 80′s cover band who kept the dance floor packed all night!  The festivities drew the attention of hotel guests and guests from another wedding who kept trying to steal a sneak peek through the door.  Suzy and Mike, we loved getting to know you and work with your families.  We wish you all the best for a wonderful life together!

Mike and Suzy’s wedding ceremony and reception were held at the Crowne Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront in Brevard County.  The day could not have been more perfect. Sunny skies, a lovely ocean backdrop, and soft breezes provided a natural setting for the ceremony which was held at the gazebo on the Crowne Plaza’s property.  The Uniquely Yours team has done many weddings in this particular location and the space is adaptable to a variety of styles from elegant to beach rustic.  Suzy kept her design simple to keep the focus on the ceremony.  Here are a few of our favorites from the ceremony and the bride and groom session which followed as captured by Jason and Sara Martin of  Concept Photography.

Harpist, Victoria Schultz, played a variety of music that was not your typical wedding fare.  Selections included “Have I Told You Lately”, Adam Sandler’s “Grow Old With Me”, “Orinoco Flow” and “Song of the Chanter”.  Victoria followed up the ceremony with a cocktail repertoire that was focused on show tunes.

Suzy and Mike’s Central Florida wedding goes into the books as one of 2009′s most fun weddings! Suzy and her mom, Kathy, hired Karry Castillo and the Uniquely Yours planning team about a year out to plan Suzy’s fall 2009 wedding. It was a pleasure working with both ladies. Their creativity and enthusiasm guided each and every choice they made from vendor selection to execution of the smallest details. Suzy decided upon a jewel tone palette with accents of peacock feathers. Her design was inspired by a beautiful “wishing” tree pendant. The “wishing” tree was translated to a tabletop tree upon which the wedding guests displayed a variety of special and heartfelt messages. Florida photographer, Concept Photography, captured all the fun and details of the day. Today we share some of our favorites from preparation to ceremony. Check back tomorrow for more of our favorite images from the day.

I love that the personality of the groom and his fellas comes through in this photograph.

Thallo Floral Design created a series of beautiful jewel toned orbs to decorate the gazebo and aisle.

Suzy was a beautiful bride. I love how serene she looks here in the midst of getting ready with her bridal party.

Fun ring shot on the Uniquely Yours bridal party itinerary.

A classic beauty ready for her walk down the aisle.

Stay tuned for more photographs to come in Part 2 of Suzy and Mike’s wedding.

Nicole and Evan are to be married this weekend in beautiful Melbourne Beach. We have enjoyed working with Nicole and watching her ideas for the wedding day take shape.  The weather Saturday should be glorious, perfect for an outdoor Spring wedding in the park.  Nicole and Evan’s photographer is none other than the talented and fun Mike Buoy of Mike and Ann Visual Storytellers.  Mike met up with Nicole and Evan in downtown Sanford for a fun getting to know you session.  Here are a few of our favorites from the shoot.

Congratulations, Nicole and Evan! We wish you happiness and blessings for a wonderful marriage.

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, recently announced that Uniquely Yours Wedding & Event Specialist has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for wedding planning and design services.

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry.

Uniquely Yours Wedding & Event Specialist is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Uniquely Yours Wedding & Event Specialist is among the very best planning firms within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards.