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.