Here is a clip from one of our favorites: Ben Vegas and Maila Gibson. If you’re not aware, Ben and Maila are available to perform at your wedding. And they have been a BIG HIT at every wedding I’ve seen them at. The following video is of a original song that they wrote themselves.
About a year and a half ago, a great friend in the wedding industry decided to make a move back to her hometown of Seattle. I had the great opportunity to get to know her during her stay in Hawaii. While in
Hawaii, she worked with Sandra Williams of Finishing Touch as a wedding planner. So we got to know each other on a personal and business level. When she left, I told her that I predicted that she would be engaged within 18 months. And why not? She was smart, ambitious and beautiful - a major catch for any guy. She dismissed my premonitions as silly banter, but guess what? 18 months later, I get a joyful email from her saying that my prediction came true…almost to the exact date.
Rebecca Bradley is now a soon to be bride and owner of New Creations, Wedding Design and Coordination. And I am fortunate enough to be asked to shoot her wedding. Of course, Sandra will be flying up as well to witness the event. Here is Sandra’s blog about it.
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Aloha Seattle!
(originally posted by Sandra Williams)
I usually don’t do this on my blog (because I think it’s super cheesy), but I do want to give a shout out to my old assistant / on-site coordinator Rebecca Bradley. Rebecca worked with Finishing Touch for about 3 years (from Winter 2005 to Summer of 2008) and have since then moved back to her hometown of Seattle. Have you ever met someone you just know that he/she was born to do something? That’s how felt when I first met Rebecca. I knew from the very beginning that she will make a great wedding planner, and I am so happy and proud to announce that she had started her own wedding design and coordination business, New Creations Wedding Design & Coordination. Her website is still a work in progress, but I am sure it will be fully fabulous very soon. If you are reading this from Seattle or knows someone who is getting married there, call Rebecca. Tell her you read about her business here and send her my aloha… she will LOVE it!
Fettuccine + Pancit…Meatballs + Longanisa…Tiramisu + Bibingka…Samantha + Clyde. Need I say more? I think you get the picture.
Sami and Clyde said their vows at the Halekulani Hau Terrace. They chose only their closet family and friends to be at this intimate wedding. Most of their guests were from the mainland and had never been to a wedding reception that played a slideshow…much less a ceremony highlight video. Sami told me specifically that the video was going to be a surprise for her mother. When the time came to play the video, I had my eyes on Sami’s mother. Watching her reaction was like watching a schoolgirl at a boy band concert. Priceless.
We receive emails and card from our couple’s and sometimes we get one that just really stands out. Thank you Sami for writing such kind words…
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Hi James,
We wanted to thank you again for all your artistry, vision and hard work on our slideshow & ceremony highlights. You not only met, but exceeded all our expectations! Our ceremony highlights were definitely the talk of the night. I was looking forward to seeing it all day and was simply blown away by your creativity. We have now watched it about 30 times and I’ve sent it to everyone I know…even people I haven’t seen or talked to in years!!! I really appreciate your professionalism and your ability to take all that video without me even knowing you were doing it. You made us feel comfortable and at ease. We felt like you were our friend just taking some pics at the wedding. You were never intrusive or annoying:)
We’re so happy we found you and are so appreciative of the video we have to keep (and watch over & over again) for the rest of our lives!
We will be more than happy to spread the word about your company and your fabulous slideshow & ceremony highlights!
Thanks again!
Sam & Clyde
I received a email this morning from a past groom, Andrew Roth, who has been working on a web based marketing project called PLAY. The website promotes group buying over the Internet, where groups of people leverage their collective buying power to achieve unique rates and promotions with local businesses.
Yesterday they launched the first promotion with JJ Dolans, the Irish Pub in Chinatown famous for its pizza. The deal with JJ Dolans is $15 for $30 in food and beverage. To get the deal, a minimum number of people need to sign up for it. They achieved the minimum quota of 25 sales at 9:14am yesterday morning and have a maximum of 500 that expires at the end of this Sunday.
What an amazing concept to help local businesses and local people. Check it out and sign up to receive their special of the day via email.
A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited by the Westin Moana Surfrider to take part in their introduction of the Beach House restaurant. I was a little out of place (being the only non-event planner) and at the same time, excited to be amongst the company of Hawaii’s finest planners. One of those individual is the extraordinarily talented Laura Lewis. Here is what she had to say about the experience.
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originally posted by Parasol Events
Last Wednesday, I lunched as a guest of the Moana’s catering department at the Beach House Restaurant. This was the previous site of the Grand Salon (remodeled as part of the Westin management change) where many happy couples celebrated their weddings.
To my delight, I learned that the space is now available for wedding receptions! The view remains as stunning as it always has been while the furnishings and decor have a modern casual beach feeling. One more wonderful option available to my clients:)
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I found this post on Facebook today from one of my favorite photographers: Courtney Dellafiora. She is a hip, fun, classy, and all around cool gal with a BIG heart. So big that she is giving away a free wedding shoot just to bless someone with the gift that God has given her. Take a look at her offer below and check out her sight. You will not be dissappointed.
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FREE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY GIVEAWAY
originally posted by www.dellafiora.com
I know Christmas is still 80 days away, but it has already been in my mind a lot lately. I just loooovvee Christmas time. It is definitely one of my favorite parts of every year mostly because of family get togethers and how incredibly cheery and happy everyone is. Just thinking about the fact that it is right around the corner gets me all warm and fuzzy on the inside. I cannot wait!!! Another reason I adore Christmas so much is because of all the giving that takes place. One of the greatest feelings in the world is to give. Whether it’s just a smile or an actual gift… you can do no wrong when you give from your heart. In my opinion it’s truly one of the most rewarding experiences in life. I have been given SO much in my life that I am eternally grateful for. One of my favorites gifts has been the one God gave me of having an artistic mind and being able to see the world a little bit differently. I could never possibly thank HIM enough for blessing me with the talent of photography and art. I am SO lucky and blessed to be able to share with others with what God has given me. I don’t claim to be the best out there, as I believe I am FAR from it. But I am so grateful for what I do have and would never take it for granted. Because God has given me so much, I want to use my gift to give to someone else. With all of that being said I have decided to run a contest to give away a free wedding package to a deserving bride & groom. I’m SO excited about this and cannot wait to tell you about it. So let’s no wait any longer and get to it!
Here is the juicy scoop:
What exactly does the winner get?
This contest is open to anyone in the world!
8 hours of wedding day coverage
two photographers
engagement or trash the gown shoot
CD with full resolution images
10×10 30pg coffee table (flushmount) album (60 images)
How to enter:
It’s easy! To enter the contest all you have to do is email me at: courtney@dellafiora.com and be sure to include the following:
- bride & groom’s name
- wedding date & time of ceremony
- wedding location & venue
- photo of you and your fiance’
- wedding website (if applicable)
- and last but not least, send me a mini version of your love story or how you fell in love and why you feel as though you deserve this- be as detailed and honest as you like!
The rules:
- your wedding must be in 2010
- I must be available on your wedding date
- all of my goods and services are free, but if any travel is required you must pay for all expenses involved for me and my 2nd shooter/wonderful boyfriend Michael (travel, hotel, etc)
- because each wedding date is so valuable, the winner must put down a $700 deposit (to guarantee your date) that will be fully refunded on date of wedding once agreement has been fulfilled by both parties.
The contest runs for 4 weeks starting NOW and ends November 2, 2009. The winner will be chosen on November 5, 2009 and announced on the blog. I’m so excited and cannot wait to read all of your stories! I just know it will be a very hard decision as I’m sure they will all be fabulous. Good luck to everyone!
I look forward to hearing from you!! : )
To make this post a little prettier here is a shot that I just love from Aryanne and Chad’s newlywed shoot that I shot earlier this year.
Good luck!
1. Harrison Ford has been in 8 of the Top 50 Grossing Movies Ever, totaling 2.03 billion dollars.
2. ‘New car smell’ is caused by phtylates, a plastic softener used in car upholstery
3. 60% of all babies are named after a relative.
4. The world’s smallest country is Vatican City, which is 17 square miles.
5. A guy’s life expectancy is estimated at 74. In 1900, it was 46.
6. 9% of American households had TVs in 1950. Today it is above 98%.
7. The sailfish is the fastest animal in water, which can travel at speeds up to 68 mph.
8. In 1921 there were 30,456 banks in the United States. In 1999, there were 8,675.
9. The United States has more prisoners than any other country with over 1.6 million. Russia is second with just over 1 million.
10. The hottest day ever was in Libya, recorded at 136 degrees Fahrenheit.
11. In 1998, South Carolinians scored lowest on the math SAT, averaging a score or 470.
12. An American will produce over 1,600 pounds of waste a year.
13. Chop suey was invented in 1896.
14. A gallon of water weighs 8.3 pounds. A gallon of gasoline weighs 5.8 pounds.
15. Women blink twice as much as men.
16. Impotence is grounds for divorce in 24 U.S. states.
17. Selling chewing gum in Singapore is illegal.
18. Roughly 2.3 Million Americans are on vacation every week.
19. Gabriel the Archangel is the patron saint of television.
20. St. Fiacre is the patron saint of cab drivers
21. Czechs drink more beer than any other nation, roughly 358 bottles of beer a year.
22. The highest toll paid for the Panama Canal was $141,344. It was for the cruise ship The Crown Princess.
23. Sugar Free Mr. Pibb has the highest amount of caffeine out of all sodas, even more than Mountain Dew.
24. Woodrow Wilson appeared on the $100,000 bill, which hasn’t been printed since 1934.
25. James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton were all left-handed.
26. J.F. Brondel invented the toilet in 1738.
27. Lou Gehrig holds the record for most home runs by a first baseman (493).
28. The U.S. National Debt is currently $5,651,474,173,566.
29. Lou Gehrig holds the record for most grand slams in a career with 23.
30. An average person will spend 600 hours having sex between ages 20-70.
31. Joan Benoit won the first Olympic marathon for women.
32. The celibacy requirement for priesthood was adopted in 1215.
33. Americans spent more than $18 billion on lottery tickets in 1990.
34. A doromaniac has a compulsion to give gifts.
35. A sneeze can travel up to 60 miles an hour.
36. Babies are born with 300 bones. An adult has 206.
37. Caligynephobia is the fear of beautiful women.
38. Potophobia is the fear of alcohol.
39. The uterus expands to 500 times its normal size during pregnancy.
40. The cornea is the only part of the human body that has no blood supply.
41. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue.
42. An average guy’s skin weighs about 6 pounds.
43. Roughly 6,600 guys get married every day.
44. According to U.S. News and World Report, Rutgers is the most diverse university in the U.S.
45. The cattle population in Texas is 16 million.
46. Miami, Florida installed the first ATM specifically for rollerbladers.
47. In 1996, 51% of Americans ages 12 and over have had an alcoholic drink
48. The average guy (20 yrs. old +) weighs 180 pounds. The average woman weighs 152 pounds.
49. A guy’s heart will beat roughly 100,000 times in a day.
50. The minimum age for marriage for Italian girls was raised to 12 in 1892
I like a frappuccino as much as the next guy. I especially like the pesto turkey sandwiches. Starbucks has served me well over the years…not to mention the countless other wedding vendors as well. But now I have a new option. Now I will be able to bring my clients to a place where they will hear the music on my video instead of the buzzing of blenders. Now they can focus their attention on a big plasma screen rather than the other coffee drinkers around us. And I won’t have to show up worrying about finding a table or risk having to talk to my clients standing up.
So why didn’t I get an office sooner? Quite honestly - cost. Like most wedding vendors, we work out of our homes because we have everything we need right there. And most of our work can be done without a formal office. We do need to meet clients but that is really a small fraction of our time and so having to pay all that rent but only using it a few hours of the week just didn’t make sense.
As I mentioned, Starbucks has been host to many wedding professionals. One of those professionals is Kelly Sugano, wedding planner and owner of A Perfect Day. Kelly has taken it upon herself to launch a new company called: My Office, LLC. My Office will provide a professional environment for individuals who need office space for just a few hours a week. There are conference rooms as well as more intimate meeting rooms. Clients will be greeted in a comfortable reception area by the very peppy Mary Cachuela.
So put down that double venti espresso vanilla with soy milk and meet me at My Office.
UPDATE: Article in Honolulu Advertiser
Ladies, are you getting your nails done before the big day? Take a tip from Anjelah Johnson. Click play.
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Anjelah’s Myspace
www.cranemedia.com
www.myspace.com/cranemedia
Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
