Planning a tented wedding takes a lot of planning for sure. Susan Southerland of Just Marry and Darrin Shiffril of Orlando Party Rentals shared their best practices with the wedding professionals at the Association of Bridal Consultants meeting at the quaint Celebration Golf Club, in beautiful Celebration, FL.
First of all to plan a tent wedding there are many considerations to think about, per Susan and Darrin, location, location , location! The weather, feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!! Yes, you will be if the correct amount of air conditioning is not reserved in the tent. Clear tents are trending with up lights to enhance the look.
Planning a tent wedding is costly, but when hiring the correct wedding specialists, they will walk you through every step that you need to be in compliance with permits, noise ordinance and decor to enhance the tent.
On May 21, Celebration Golf decided to see just what we could do with a tent, so to plan we went with the help of many wedding professionals………….
Now for The Association of Bridal Consultants, the evening started with a signature drink of white refreshing sangria to cool everyone off from the hot spring evening in Florida. They had Passed Hors d’ oeuvres of Cold Smoked Shrimp Mousse on a Garlic Crostini and Minced Blackened Beef Tenderloin drizzled with Cajun Aioli.
As the wedding professionals milled around they were able to see the beautiful grounds at Celebration Golf. There are a few sites for doing their ceremonies.
Some couples want the beauty of the outdoors, but at the same time want to enjoy the coolness of the indoors, so the best way to satisfy that is a clear tent as provided by Darrin from Orlando Wedding and Party Rentals. Darrin educated the planners on knowing the best times to use tents, types of tents and when air conditioning is needed vs heat and how to best cool the tent down. Look also at the beautiful chivari chairs provided here by Chair Affair, a perfect match for the outdoor garden theme.
Today we looked at a clear tent open to air with beautiful up lighting for an evening of dancing under the stars.
As the tour ended it was time to go inside the quaint ballroom perfect for a Southern or beach themed wedding. The wedding professionals came in to the ballroom and were serenaded by music from White Rose Entertainment! Their amber lights brought a nice warmth to the ballroom and the perimeters of the property.
The centerpieces and linens provided by RJ Glamour and Innovation, invited everyone in to a romantic setting where a feeling of coziness allowed the guests to relax and enjoy the night.
As the guests were seated they were able to read what was being served for dinner on the beautiful menus designed by Anni Muniz of Anni Muniz Events, tempting the taste buds!
1st Course
Chilled Tomato Gazpacho topped with a Cucumber Sour Cream and an Herbed Crouton
2nd Course
Baby Spinach Salad topped with dried Cranberries, toasted Pine Nuts, and Crumbled Blue Cheese drizzled with a Bacon Herb Vinaigrette
3rd Course
Seared Grouper with Grape Tomato and Roasted Corn Relish
4th Course
Herb and Dijon Mustard crusted Rack of Lamb with Minted Lamb Jus and Spaghetti Squash Stuffed Tomato
Now one thing we want to point out, did you see the mismatched china from A Chair Affair? This really set the tone for the evening, letting you know that you were going to be dining in style in all of the southern charm that Celebration Golf could provide. What better way! And top that with some iced tea, you knew on this day that you were in the South! 
Susan Southerland of Just Marry and Darrin Shiffrel of Orlando Wedding and Party Rentals educated the wedding professionals on all the ABC’s of planning a wedding or event in a tent. So many things that have to be well thought of when planning a wedding or event in a tent. Many people think it is a piece of cake, but as the professionals learned that night, planning a tent event, is strictly an event that to make it a success you need professionals to execute it. The dynamic entertaining duo brought us stories of success, stories of nightmares they have heard of , how to plan these events, costs, permissions and so much more!
We had a visit from our state coordinator Carmen Mesa from South Florida. It is always a treat to get to hear what is happening at ABC on a bigger scale than what we here monthly at our meetings. Carmen was able to touch on the many benefits of becoming an ABC member, what happens at our state conference and our national conference. Carmen encouraged everyone to contact anyone of the co-directors for membership information.
The sunset came shortly after as we were able to view it right through the picturesque windows in the ballroom. This led straight to dessert time to the tunes of BB Kings, playing those jazz blues as we watched the chef attended bananas fosters a la mode station.
As a special treat pastry chef Lucy Martin of Soffelle Confections, tempted us with some gourmet cupcakes to take home in our little bags of treats!
As the wedding professionals bid their good byes, they each received a little sweet treat from Lorraine owner of the Lake Nona Candy Company.
For a quick wrap up of the evening, watch our video here by Bruce Reynolds of Treasured Moments
Thank you to our amazing team of vendors that made this night extra special!
Venue: Celebration Golf http://www.celebrationgolf.com/
Photo: Yanman Photography http://www.yanman.com/
Video: Treasured Moments http://tmvphdfilms.com/
Dessert: Sofelle Confections http://sofelleconfections.wix.com/sofelle
DJ/Uplighting White Rose Entertainment http://www.orlandodj.com/
Floral/Chivari Ballroom/Décor/Linen/Chargers in Ballroom/RJ Glamour
RJ Glamour and Innovation http://www.glamourinnovation.com/#!/RJ_GLAM
Chivari Chairs in Tent/China: Chair Affair http://chairaffairrentals.com/
Tent: Orlando Wedding and PartyRentals http://www.orlandoweddingandpartyrentals.com/
Candy Buffet: Lake Nona Candy Company www.lakenonacandycompany.com
Lounge Furniture/Chivari Chairs in Ballroom: Orlando Wedding and Party Rentals http://www.orlandoweddingandpartyrentals.com/
Menus: Annie Muniz http://anniemunizevents0.wix.com/anniemunizwednevents
Coordination: 27 Miracles www.27miraclesbyrosie.com
Speaker: Susan Southerland Celebrity Wedding Planner http://susansoutherland.com/
Speaker: Darrin Shiffrel /Orlando Wedding and PartyRentals http://www.orlandoweddingandpartyrentals.com
You don’t want to miss the exciting monthly meetings bringing you something different and exciting every month….Watch us on facebook Association of Bridal Consultants Central Florida East
Until next month…don’t be a birdie on the side wondering what you will miss, because you may not get everything from a single tweet!
If you woudl like to become an ABC Member, visit us at https://www.bridalassn.com/
Your Co -Directors
Mark Kingsdorf/Mission Inn
Alan Saltman/Alan Jay Images
Diane Jenson/The Wedding Party
Rosie Moore/27 Miracles
27 Miracles Blog 