We are still beaming from our kick-off last week and are overjoyed with the feedback we're getting on the new site look. Mostly, we're just ecstatic that so many came out to support and celebrate with us! It was a beautiful evening. Our inspiration for the big celebration was Fall in Love with Florida. Expanding on our minimal temperature changes, Laura and I thought, "What does Fall in Florida mean to us?" Our answers: boots, seasonal flavors, lounging outdoors, string lights and live music.
We envisioned a soirée inspired by just that and collaborated with some of the best in the industry to make it happen! First was location scouting which actually happened quite organically. Sara was looking for a way to promote her new property for special events and there's nothing like inviting 100+ wedding professionals to do just that! The Lucky Old Sun Ranch is nestled right on a lake, surrounded by palm trees and boasts the prettiest sunsets around. There a few structures to choose from and we selected the barn for lounging and the storehouse for live music and dancing.
Knowing we wanted our guests to have a cozy place to mingle, we reached out to AFR Events since they have such a wide variety of lounge furniture. Eynat and Jennifer guided us to choosing the comfy and outdoor friendly "Broadway" collection along with some funky benches and industrial bar stools. We're so pro-lounge area around here!
After nailing down a concept focused around stripes, metals and our new branding colors, we knew we needed a bit of life to perk up the space. That's where Veronica of Anthology Co. comes in. She brought local citrus and native plants along with the most gorgeously hued flamingo pink flowers we'd ever seen. Her creations were stunningly organic in shape and a bit wild; exactly what we wanted and oh-so Floridian.
Being the cocktail culture lovers that we are, we thought, "Why not make a signature drink for this party?" Taking that one step further, we wanted to create something that was original. So, we crafted the perfect refreshment complete with citrus bitters, homemade of course! Laura's kitchen became a lab of complex aromas and then a bottling factory but the results are totally worth it. And we simply adore seeing you all enjoy the fruits of our labor!
We're all about promoting local so we reached out to a few businesses (since Laura and I tend to make friends at whichever establishment we post up at) and our requests were well received! The Blind Monk was our go-to for vino and bubbly while Due South Brewing Co. poured their signature Caramel Cream Ale. And the spirits? The Floridian was shaken with Papa's Pilar Blonde Rum and our event's namesake, Fall in Love, was served up using Angel's Envy Bourbon. The essential party needs were supplied by our long-time Fave, Atlas Party Rental. We love their selection of modern glassware and linens, plus everything you could possibly need for party hosting.
Moving right along to our next foodie favorite, the menu! Robin of A Matter of Taste Palm Beach and her incredible team passed around an array of Floridian Fall inspired bites. Her featured item was the signature Savory Cheesecake with gorgonzola and fig along with other seasonal and local flavors in mini form. Delicious! And now I'm hungry.
You know it wouldn't be a celebration without a little something sweet! From macarons to citrus panna cotta, apple spice donuts to seasonally flavored cupcakes, Janderyn of Earth & Sugar blew us all away with her treats. She sources the highest quality ingredients with a focus on natural and organic recipes and the end results are something even the guys were drooling over!
Speaking of guys, we cannot say enough about the Chillula band! I literally jumped when I heard them start up Biv DeVoe's "Poison" and it was so cool to see our guests groovin' to their sounds. We all know how difficult it can be to find awesome entertainment, sans the cheese, so we're thrilled to be able to confidently promote these talented musicians.
Oh, hey! That's us. And why do we look so happy? That's all thanks to Shirley Baptista Hair and Makeup Artistry. She pampered us and made us feel like a million bucks just before our guests arrived. Brides, listen to us. Get your hair and makeup professionally done for all the big events including your wedding. It's so worth it and incredibly relaxing!
What's a proper wedding industry event without and escort card table and guestbook? Our version of a reverse escort card displayed allowed for all the pros to leave their cards without that awkward handing off between colleagues. You're welcome. Then the ever popular Sideshow Booth hung a chalkboard backdrop (how cool is that!) so everyone could sign it before their photo was snapped. It was like a giant wall of love!
Finally, we wouldn't have all of these beautiful memories to share with you all if it weren't for Chrissy from Vitalic Photo and Keith from Steadfast Weddings. That team is a dream to work with and we're so grateful for all of the bright, clean images that we get to look at over and over. Plus, we have a super fab time-elapsed video of all the fun from our happy day! Love that.
You guys, if it isn't obvious enough, we're so excited for this new site and for all the good we hope it will bring to our fresh and modern Sunshine State. We can't wait to see what you all are working on and the incredible events our lovely couples are hosting. Keep up the stellar work and we'll keep sharing the goods! xo