Engage!09 -- Luxury in the Caymans, Part 1

Whew. It's hard to believe that it's been a week since Engage!09. It was such an amazing conference. I heard from so many incredible speakers, met lots of amazing people and made some great friends, and saw stunning visual inspiration throughout the conference events.

For today's post I'm going to share a bit about Monday's events, some pictures I took, and some things I learned!

We woke up bright and early Monday morning after the incredible Welcome Party on Seven Mile Beach.

Everyone was excited to hear our speakers, and the hallway outside the Ritz-Carlton's main ballroom quickly filled as attendees clamored for a close-up seat.

After a light breakfast of fresh local fruits, freshly squeezed juices, and delicious pastries, the doors were opened and we scooted in. I grabbed a second row seat for myself and my roommate, Cynthia Martyn, of Cynthia Martyn Events. We had the best view of all of our speakers!

Here are a few images I captured.

First, the stage set-up. I loved the combination of simplicity and luxury in this design!

We were given these super-nice leather notebooks, and a letterpressed schedule of the day.


Kathryn Arce and Rebecca Grinnals of Engaging Concepts did an amazing job planning the entire conference.

Carley Roney, of The Knot. Carley shared some fascinating wedding statistics with the group. While her information showed that many brides were considering cutting a wedding planner out of their budget due to this year's economic concerns, she was also happy to report that Florida is one of a few states where hiring a wedding planner tends to be much more common!

Darcy Miller, Weddings Editor for Martha Stewart Magazine. Darcy shared some awesome wedding images from the magazine, as well as some tips on how to get published in Martha Stewart Weddings.


We took a break to have a delicious lunch al-fresco. All the food we had at the Ritz was delicious, and it was beautifully presented!


There was so much more, but I'll save that for the next posts.

Tune in tomorrow for more Engage!09.

Real Wedding: McRae and Thomas

McRae and Thomas came to me with help for the coordination of their Amelia Island Wedding. When McRae told me over the phone that the bridesmaids' dresses were hot pink, I knew we would be a great match to work together!

McRae and her family are from Greenville, South Carolina, so they were planning a Southern affair in the stunning Walker's Landing at the Amelia Island Plantation.

McRae, her mother, and I met up at the venue in January to brainstorm some decor ideas and other details. We came up with the idea of placing mason jars all around the expansive outdoor deck area, as well as placing bright fun pillows along the outdoor seating areas.

More fun southern touches followed -- the groom and groomsmen were decked out in awesome seersucker suits, and the groom's father was his best man.

McRae looked amazing in her beautiful Judd Waddell gown.

The ceremony was held in one of the area's historic churches, First Presbyterian of Fernandina Beach. After the sweet ceremony, guests made their way to Walker's Landing where they enjoyed southern food stations like a mac n' cheese bar created by Michelle of My Personal Chef.

The reception room was decorated with Paper Lanterns above the dance floor, lighted ficus trees all around the room, and fresh floral designs by Island Flowers.

Guests enjoyed the laid back music of Felix Chang and band during the cocktail hour and dinner, and then after dinner, the party got started with the amazingly diverse talents of the Atlanta Party Band.

Even though the day started out gray and rainy, the happiness of the couple couldn't be diminished.

Photographers Kara and Jeremy Pennington did such a wonderful job capturing the details and emotions of the day, and I am so happy to share these photos from their blog. Enjoy!

We were featured on the Southern Weddings Blog!

Today we'd like to send out a huge thanks to the staff at Southern Weddings Magazine, for featuring us on their daily blog!

I got a chance to meet the lovely editor, Lara Casey, this past week at Engage!09, and hear her speak on Social Media, so it was a fun coincidence that this is the week they chose to feature our work!

Southern Weddings featured the wedding of Danielle and Jay, with photography by Scarlett Lillian, and planning and event design by Flaire. Please visit these links and leave us some love on the SW blog!!

Danielle and Jay: Part 1
Danielle and Jay: Part 2

Engage!09 Sneak Peek

Greetings, lovely blog readers, from the Cayman Islands -- Grand Cayman to be exact.

I am here, along with about 150 other amazing wedding professionals, to learn from the best of the best in this industry and recharge and motivate my business.

I'm attending Engage!09: Something Blue -- a luxury wedding business summit.

Everything's just getting started, and I've got a full day of learning and training ahead tomorrow, but I wanted to share a sneak peek from tonight's AMAZING welcome party.

We were treated to a fabulous evening in the sand, under the stars, on Grand Cayman's stunning Seven Mile Beach. It was so much fun mixing and mingling with some of the people I admire most in this industry. It was also great to meet new friends as well!

Here are a few shots of the incredible decor, created by Michelle Rago.


The entire beach was filled with these amazing cabanas and lounge vignettes.


Michelle Rago designed this jaw-dropping centerpiece of the whole party from Manzanita Branches and White Phaelenopsis Orchids.



The lighting was stunning once the sun went down.

Hope you enjoyed this quick glance at the celebration. More pictures and a full recap when I return!

Real Wedding: Chelsea and Lloyd

Chelsea and Lloyd came to Flaire Weddings and Events wanting a fun beach wedding.

And that's exactly what they got!

The pair were married on Jacksonville Beach, on April 25th. That day just so happened to also be the official "Opening of the Beaches" Day! Good thing Chelsea wanted a fun, celebratory atmosphere, because beachgoers were thrilled to see this wedding and joined with the guests in congratulating the Happy Couple.

Here are a few images captured by Katie, of Katie Photography.

Wedding decor and florals are by Flaire Weddings and Events.

















Congratulations Chelsea and Lloyd. Best Wishes for a beautiful marriage!!

Sneak Preview: McRae & Thomas

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of working with McRae and Thomas on their beautiful wedding in Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island.

I aslo had the pleasure of working with the incredibly sweet Kara and Jeremy Pennington. These two are great, and so FAST! They already have a few images from the wedding up on their blog.

So without further ado, here are a few shots from Saturday! Can't wait to give you a full recap soon. This wedding had so many awesome, Southern touches. Stay tuned for more!





Congrats McRae and Thomas! We can't wait to show off your amazing details soon!

Awesome Venue Find

Tonight I had the opportunity to visit one of Jacksonville's newest hotels/venues.

The Hotel Indigo, in Tapestry Park, is amazing!! They have a banquet room overlooking the lake, which would be perfect for a small wedding or rehearsal dinner, but what I loved the MOST were the hotel rooms. Simply put, they are stunning. Each room is impeccably designed with modern, fun touches like a full wall mural, and curvy architecture.

The bathrooms are to die for, with spa-inspired showers and a full assortment of Aveda Products!!! (Aveda products are my favorite!)

These rooms would be awesome for out-of-town guests, bridal preparations on the wedding day, and the suite would be perfect for the wedding night!

Take a peek at their website, and click on the Jacksonville location. It's definitely worth checking out!