Have you ever met with a client and they come to you with the craziest ideas? They want to have Star Wars or Batman movie theme songs in their wedding? The songs are okay, but what happens when the bride wants to dress her entire bridal party in Star Wars theme including her and the groom, what do you do? Well for starters, eventhough as a planner it may not be your vision, learn to do a lot of listening, a lot of focusing on your bride and plenty of research to get the theme right. If that bride is coming to you trusting in your expertise to pull this wedding theme off perfectly, as a planner we must research everything about that theme.
Debra Shea Roberston, wedding decor designer was our speaker at our ABC luncheon held at the Wyndham Orlando Resort. The room was decorated in fall colors for our themed fall event of the month. AV Media did a fabulous job with the falling leaves and up lighting to create that beautiful atmosphere, while the MC Andres Roque from Roque Productions, got us in the fall mood with some mood enhancing music as we prepared for fall. The centerpieces brought in the fall colors to enhance the crushed linens selected by Connie Duglin and the tablescape with A Chair Affair’s chargers .
The day was captured( pun intended) by the talented photographer Elle, from Captured by Elle. Treasured moments was there to record this fabulous training on themed weddings and events as Debra Shea took us through memory lane of themed weddings she has done in her many years of experience as floral designer.
The afternoon ended with dessert from Cakes by Design to tempt the taste buds with an apple cinnamon cake and candied apples from Davimar Cakes.
According to the calendar today is February 29, 2016 known as leap year. 27 Miracles has their special for leap year today. Call us today to take advantage of it 407-905-5454 as the offer expires today at midnight!
Today is the day when you were in school that they would have Sadi Hawkins day . See some of the traditions as written by columnist Bob Driver for the Clearwater Sun describes it. Click the link for the full article.
In olden days, Feb. 29 was also celebrated as Sadie Hawkins Day, the time when girls were permitted to ask the boys of their choice for a date or whatever else the girl might have in mind.
Sadie Hawkins was the invention of Al Capp, a brilliant cartoonist who for 40 years or so drew the comic strip Li’l Abner. In the strip, Sadie was the homeliest girl in Dogpatch. She never had a date or a boy friend. Finally, as she reached the desperate age of 35, her father decreed that on a given date every spinster in Dogpatch would be entitled to pursue any unmarried male of her choice. If by sundown she could drag him across the finish line, the man had to marry her.
Capp invented Sadie Hawkins in 1937, as one more colorful character in the Li’l Abner cast. By the early 1940s the idea of an annual Sadie Hawkins Day had swept the nation. Each February, hundreds of colleges and high schools held Sadie Hawkins dances and carnivals. At one point an estimated 40,000 events took place. A related tradition sprang up which decreed that every four years – on Feb. 29 – women were free to propose marriage to their sweeties. I’m not sure anyone knows how many weddings were generated by this Leap Year custom.
Read about some Leap Year Traditions below. Click on the link to read the full article:
I do! Traditionally, women take the ring into their own hands and propose on Leap Day.
’Leap Day’ is February 29, which is an extra (intercalary) day added during a Leap Year, making the year 366 days long – and not 365 days, like a common (normal) year. Nearly every 4 years is a Leap Year in our modern Gregorian Calendar.
Ever since Leap Years were first introduced over 2000 years ago with the transition from the Roman Calendar to the Julian Calendar in 45 BCE (Before Common Era), Leap Day has been associated with age-old Leap Day traditions and folklore.
According to an old Irish legend, or possibly history, St Bridget struck a deal with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men – and not just the other way around – every 4 years. This is believed to have been introduced to balance the traditional roles of men and women in a similar way to how Leap Day balances the calendar.
In some places, Leap Day has been known as “Bachelors’ Day” for the same reason. A man was expected to pay a penalty, such as a gown or money, if he refused a marriage proposal from a woman on Leap Day. In many European countries, especially in the upper classes of society, tradition dictates that any man who refuses a woman’s proposal on February 29 has to buy her 12 pairs of gloves. The intention is that the woman can wear the gloves to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring. During the middle ages there were laws governing this tradition.
When Kevin and Gillian, who are world travelers, decided that they wanted to have their wedding in Orlando, they contacted Rosie Moore, Master Bridal Consultant of 27 Miracles. They had a vision of creating romance in their wedding with the traditions from Scotland. They planned their wedding in the summer because they loved the warmth of Florida. She dreamed of having pinks, ivory, lace and peaches with a candy Buffett. She wondered if it would all be possible planning from Scotland. She also wanted to incorporate Disney accents as she also loved Disney! She wondered if she could walk on a red carpet as she met her Prince at the Gazebo. Would there be romantic music played as she walked down the aisle? SO many things that she wondered…Let’s see how her day went…Did her Dreams come true?
Every table was decorated with beautiful centerpieces and glass beaded chargers for royalty. Each table had a picture of a place that the couple had been to before, from Thailand, Philipines to New York City, all around the world. It made for interesting conversations amongst the guests.
Gillian’s day started with getting ready for the big day. She did not want Kevin to see her getting ready, because in Scotland it was tradition that the groom not see the bride. As she got ready, she awaited her limo to pick her up at her Villa and bring her to the romantic Celebration Golf where she had an intimate ceremony performed by Officiant Marcus Moore. The Groom and the best man were awaiting her arrival….
But before Gillian’s grand entrance, her bridesmaids adorned the red carpet in traditional pink laced dresses that flowed in the summer breeze.
It’s almost time for Gillian to take her walk on the red carpet..the flower girls prepare her entrance with petals on the red carpet…
Kevin catches a glimpse of Gillian as she walks down the aisle and judging from his smile , he is definitely smitten with this Scottish beauty!
Look at Dad! Happy to walk his daughter down the aisle as Gillian gets a glimpse of her Scottish Prince Charming!
Dad is about ready to give his daughter away, but first one last kiss ….
As the vows were exchanged, and a poem from Dr Seuss read…the happy couple was wed!
Family time pictures!
A few private moments at Downtown Celebration!
Gillian wanted to be sure that she got pictures by the antique car that is at home right on Celebration Golf Property!
Okay to break the news of the tent outside…Gillian and Kevin, it is extremely hot today, the weather is not cooperating…the guests are hot….but…we have our back up..Ballroom reveal time!!!
Okay all is good…let’s get this party started!!!
First Dances…
Guests joining in!
Special toast time as is tradition in Scotland…
The toast is traditionally done by four speakers the father of the bride, then the groom replies back to the father of the bride, then the best man and last the clergy/officiant as we continue in to the celebration!
It’s time to catch the sunset!
Now knowing that the bride and groom love Disney, the day would not be complete without a picture by the Minnie Mobile( Planner Elayna of 27 Miracles made sure she brought her fun car to work today!)
It’s time to cut the cake! Time to start the tradition of feeding the cake to each other. As you know the tradition of cake cutting and feeding signifies the husband providing for his wife financially always and the wife taking care of the husband and the family always, it signifies respect of the relationship that a hand will never touch the face of the woman or the man except to caress it. Gillian and Kevin observed that time-honored tradition.
Bouquet toss time!!! Who will catch it?
It’s time to dance and sing!!!
DJ Roque, shows the guests some moves…
The last dance ending the night with The Circassian Circle( a dance similar to square dancing in the states but to traditional Scottish music) This group sure knew how to have fun enjoying the traditional dances of Scotland!
From Gillian and Kevin: ” We had a great day, thanks for everything, it was perfect. The vendors all seemed to enjoy working also which was great and added to the day.”
Many couples contact 27 Miracles when they get engaged, sometimes they contact us with the day of engagement because they are so excited to start planning the big day! Now a lot of grooms are giving thought to creative ways to ask their sweetheart to marry them. They think of hiring photography and videography to capture that special moment. Many times they create a romantic getaway with their true love. When planning this special proposal, be certain that she will say yes, that is key! Marriage is a long-term committment not to be taken lightly. Once you know for sure that your sweetheart is the one for you and you know that she feels that way too, then it’s time to prepare for the big day. If your sweetheart is the romantic type, then a baseball game in the middle of the field is probably not the right way to propose as she may feel uncomfortable. Know your bride to be and what her personality is, that will always guide you.
If you are looking to propose just the two of you in a special getaway, consider Turks and Caicos, on a candlelit romantic dinner on the beach! Contact us today to plan that special proposal.
Do you ever wonder why people travel to another destination to get married? Sometimes it is family, sometimes destination for honeymoon, but in Lan and Ken’s case, it was love. You see, Lan and Ken have been together for 10 yrs. Ken proposed to Lan in Florida so it made sense to get married in Florida. Ken and Lan are from the Philipines.
Lan and Ken were married at the beautiful B Resort in the heart of Disney Springs.
As Ken was getting ready, he thought about Lan and shared in his vows that he really only had one love and that was Lan. He said, “a love like this only comes once in a lifetime.”
The Flowers were provided by Debra Shea of Atmospheres. They were the Bride’s something blue for her wedding!
As Lan got ready, she pondered and thought to herself, she has been with Ken for 10 years. She thought of all they had done together. One thing she shared in her vows was how comfortable she felt with Ken. Comfortable enough to speak her mind and never worrying about his feelings changing for her. She thought to herself, she really was marrying her best friend.
As Lan entered the ceremony site, escorted by her father, Ken looked on as his beautiful bride walked in. The emotion overcame him at the thought of marrying his one true love.
As Rev Glynn Ferguson led them in the ceremony to the moment of their special vows to each other, even the best man was taken with emotion as these two soul mates shared what was in their heart.
You may kiss the Bride…..
As the guests enjoyed their cocktail hour, it was time for some bridal party pictures and fun!
The B Resort helped the blue themed wedding with their beautiful reception room and blue up lights to enhance the decor.
Their wedding cake showcased a custom-made bride and groom .
The Bride and Groom danced their first dance to the tunes of Harpist Christine MacPhail for a romantic moment….
The rest of the night was filled with toasts , cake cutting and the guests dancing and enjoying the love that these two shared.
And to end the night, a moment with a caricature artist drawing the bride and groom.
The end of a beautiful night, but the start of a life filled with romance……………..
What a wonderful gift to marry your best friend! That is Abbey and Jeremy, high school sweethearts. They were best friends so of course when Jeremy thought of asking his best friend to marry him, he thought what a great day to plan it on, Abbey’s Birthday! So on September 22, Jeremy proposed to his best friend…..
Nothing says love like the love of two people who grew up together as high school sweethearts! Congratulations to Abbey and Jeremy!
Having a fun engagement session in Historic Winter Garden with 123 Photography……
When you think about planning the big wedding day, the first thing that may come to mind is where to have the reception, where to shop for the wedding dress and so much more. Many who follow my wedding stories are used to the big elaborate weddings and what decor was used and lighting etc. Today I am going to leave all that out of my story because I want to take you through a story of love. The pictures that you will be see will focus on capturing emotions, that is what I want to leave you with. When you look at the pictures, focus on the looks, the tears, the laughs, the hugs, the moments that you share with those you love. I know that is different from what you are used to seeing for a wedding blog, but Valentine’s day is coming soon and I do believe Love is in the air with all the new engagements. So today, focus on love and nothing more…..
Today’s wedding is the wedding of Chelsea and Austin celebrating there one year anniversary on Jan 3! They were married at Delaney Street First Baptist Church with those that they love, their closest friends and family. Watch as the story unfolds…
Chelsea and Austin dated for 4.5 years. They were perfect for each other! They met in college when he was a Political Science major and she was a Pre-Med English major. Their engagement was a total surprise, in the words of Chelsea,” Austin proposed on Monday, March 10th 2014 at the Baughman Center Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, FL and completely surprised me. The Baughman Center is located across the street from the dormitory where we met, became good friends, and fell in love. Three and a half years later and I am still so in love.”
Their wedding day started out like everyone else’s getting ready….thinking of the big day and how it will all turn out…It is always fun when hidden under the beautiful dress is the surprise colored shoes! There is always something special about getting dressed and seeing someone who has been there through the many things that happened in your life. For Chelsea, this is little brother Chadwick( or not so little anymore). The emotion of a brother that looks up to his big sister on her special day, bonds family like no other.
Being pronounced husband and wife and soul mates, always evokes emotion when you see the happy couple walking out of the ceremony.
There is something to be said about getting married in a historical church that has been around for 88 years since 1928, the church that your family grew up in. A place where traditions started and new ones will be made.
The church entrance makes a beautiful setting for the bridal party to take fun pictures
Those moments when a photographer sees beauty and decides that his creativity will come out through the lens of his camera unto a screen….breathless..
When the bride and groom have their first dance, have you ever stopped and really watched? When two people are truly in love, their love fills the room to the point that you get goosebumps as they dance and transfer that love to you the guest. It is not only about them, but it is about the guests. This is the moment that they want to share the most important day of their lives with you and they hope that you feel that love as well.
The love of a father to his little girl, is so special. All the years of driving them to school, birthday parties, the mall, and countless hours of homework and teen age activities, all come together for this one big moment. Not only the day that he gives her away, but the day that he takes his daughter and dances with her that very special number selected with love by his daughter for her father.
What a special moment, dancing with her grandfather. Not everyone is blessed to have grandparents able to attend weddings in good health , but on this day, Chelsea had that opportunity
Sharing with the one you love is something that you will do every day. Cutting the cake together and feeding it to each other is a long-standing tradition. Many old traditions say that the reason you feed it to each other is to symbolize that the husband will always take care of his wife and she will always take care of the home and the family. The key thing is that neither should touch each other during the feeding and each person is to feed the other without any help or guidance. This is the start of trust. So the smooshing of cake takes that trust away and respect.
Chelsea and Austin observed this tradition. They had a naked wedding cake that was sleek, pure and classical, like their love…pure…
After a long day, it was time for the happy couple to leave and go on to their honeymoon in one of the oldest cities in Florida, St Augustine…
Imagine being pregnant and thinking in 9 months you will bring your baby boy or girl home. But suddenly something has gone wrong with either the mother or the baby and the baby is born weeks earlier than he/she supposed to. What a devastating feeling. Now imagine after being in the NICU ( neonatal intensive care unit) several weeks and the holidays are fast approaching. Your baby has hit the 4lb mark and seems to be better and you are excited about going home for Christmas. Then comes the bad news, ” I am sorry, your little one is not well enough to be on his own away from 24/7 care and cannot go home during Christmas.” What a disappointment, especially if you have other children at home. Your world stops as you want to be home but you can’t.
The Gift of Life Founder, Rosie Moore, knows all too well what that is like when she received the news that her little baby could not come home for Christmas. They had other children at home and had to make the most of spending Christmas at home and then the entire family made the trip to the NICU to give little Kaleb, his very first Christmas gifts. He wasn’t even supposed to be born until after Christmas in January some time but he came 13 weeks early. Kaleb was born at 27 weeks , 1lb 10oz.
Someone at Florida Hospital cared and on Christmas day gave Rosie a book, Marcus her husband received an umbrella and the baby a little rattle as well as Christmas outfits from the nurses working at the NICU. The gifts that Rosie and her husband received made her think, not so much of the gift, but the fact that someone on Christmas day remembered them. A total stranger thought of them.
When Rosie was discharged home with her little one they continued their tradition of taking cookies and bringing Kaleb t visit the nurses. It was in 2012 that Rosie met Mrs. Bainer at Good Samaritan Village and she introduced her to the Love Bears. Teh yboth agreed and collaborated together that these tiny little knit bears were perfect to bring to the moms and dads of the preemie babies , not as a substitute for the baby, but as an act of love that someone during Christmas was praying and thinking of them and their baby.
So this year on December 18 2014, The Gift of Life volunteers stuffed the bags with bears over 80+ bears and delivered them to the Florida Hospital for Children. This year due to the high presence of the FLU, we could not go up to the actual unit, however we did get to speak with the Life Coach Team for the hospital and spend some time with them talking about the bears.
Watch as The Gift of Life delivers the bears with its team of volunteers, Rosie, Marcus, Kaleb( the little preemie) Jackie and Ashytyn(also a former preemie, now 17 years old ).
SO if you or anyone you know would be interested in knitting Christmas hats and bears please contact The Gift of Life for the patterns and preemie hat sizes.
On Our way to deliver the bears!
The Gift of Life Volunteers today….
Lisa and Monika from Child Life Department
Testimony from one preemie received:
“I just received a crochet love bear for my son who is in the NICU at Florida hospital south. He was at born 24 weeks weighing only 1 lbs 12 oz. I just wanted to say that we loved the bear. He is 9lbs now and headed home tomorrow after 4.5 months!:) I love homemade items especially ones made with love. Your work is appreciated. Thanks again for our bear. We will treasure it. ”
Jessica and Michael planned their special wedding day to the theme of Time and Space. There were little details everywhere of their love and companionship forever through their themed wedding.
Our prayers were answered for a clear day and low wind for Jessica and Michael’s wedding day. The night of the rehearsal the wind was so strong that the bride, her bridesmaids and Ramon who was wearing a kilt, were having a Marilyn Monroe moment, as the wind blew their skirts all over the place. But on the wedding day, perfect!
Their wedding day arrived, beautiful as ever. The white ceremony chairs were set up with draped beads and long gladiolus on each chair along the inner side of the aisle. A set of tall drapery were set at the entrance marking the spectacular marching of the parents, grandparents, bridal party and bride and groom. They all walked with such ease, enjoying the moment and stood in their places just as we had rehearsed the night before (of course left hand over right and no bubble gum or cell phones). Even the little ones were graceful and patient.
Michael, the groom was moved and a bit misty but no comparison to the bride’s father who was really moved. A very emotional moment for the gentlemen. During their special vows, even the officiant was moved. Thee are the kind of moments that one wishes for every couple, tears of joy and laughter!
Jessica and Michael were married in front of a beautiful iridescent drapery and had their sand ceremony with silver and blue sand intertwined as a signal of two lives coming together. After a tender ceremony, the kiss and some guests with tears of joy, the couple dashed out, as the bride wanted to do, without any accidents!
Jessica and Michael got a quick peak at the ballroom to see it decorated before the guests came in! They loved their cake…..Through All of Time and Space
They enjoyed dancing with their parents, friends and family and a great night was had by all….
All in a day’s work and one more bride and groom satisfied …..By Elizabeth Fontaine/27 Miracles Wedding Planner and Ashley Bliss/27 Miracles Planner
27 Miracles Blog 
