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This past weekend I had the privilege of hosting our "Sweet Success" workshop for aspiring Wedding Planners at the Cascades Events Center in The Colony, TX. We had a fabulous group of women who are highly passionate about the wedding industry, and they were each excited to learn more about developing their businesses. The day was filled with tons of great discussion and learnings! I'm truly excited to watch their businesses grow - I don't have a doubt in my mind that they are each going to be a huge success! :) Look for our next workshop to be held later this fall.
Special thanks to:Also, be sure to check out the following blog posts for additional pics and first-hand info from participants about the day!
Pictured from left to right are: Myself (Kelly Simants), Evie Howard, Stephanie Midkiff (Kelly and Lime), Michelle Holland (Fret Knot Events), and Stephanie Torres (Stephanie Michele Events).
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Posted by Kelly SimantsEnjoy, and Happy Weekend! :)
Blue Lavender Mojito
10 to 15 mint leaves
10 to 15 blueberries
1 ounce lavender syrup*
Juice of 1/2 of a pressed lime
1 1/2 ounces white rum Club soda
1. In a tall glass, muddle mint leaves, simple syrup or lavender syrup, lime juice, blueberries, and rum.
2. Muddle just enough to combine flavors, being careful not to over-muddle. Fill glass with crushed ice. Top with club soda and stir.
3. Garnish with 3 blueberries on a pick. Serve with a straw.
*Lavender Simple Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dried lavender blossoms
1. Bring ingredients to a boil in saucepan, stirring so that the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and continue stirring until all the sugar has dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Remove lavender blossoms and allow syrup to cool. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated.
I am in the midst of organizing my new office and have been running across some fabulous finds to help you stay organized...all in a fashionable way! Forget your basic yellow post-it notes and white boards, and check out one of my all time favorite websites for organizational style - See Jane Work. Here are several fabulous products I just ran across that I just had to share!
Love this Rococo chalkboard - it's actually a wall decal, so can be easily removed and is completely reusable. This would not only make for a perfect addition to any office, but would also be a great way to display a menu for a bridal shower luncheon, rehearsal dinner, etc.
This is one of my all time favorite things I've purchased from See Jane Work - the Bella Leather Portfolio. It's a perfect portfolio for you to take notes while you're meeting with vendors, jot down your wedding ideas, etc. I have it in the lime green color and love it!
Happy Organizing!
We are excited to announce that the Dallas Office of Sweet Pea Events is offering another intensive one-day workshop called “Sweet Success!” - how to build a successful wedding planning business. This workshop is intended for people interested in learning more about the wedding industry and inside scoop on becoming a Wedding Planner!
Here are high-level details about the workshop:
When: Saturday, August 22, 2009 – 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Where: The Cascades Events Center at The Colony (near Plano/Frisco off of Highway 121) is generously hosting the space for this workshop. This venue is located at 5909 Stone Creek Drive, The Colony, TX 75056. For more information about this beautiful new venue, please visit http://www.cascadeseventscenter.com/
Why: There are some excellent wedding planner certification programs and networking groups available. However, we have found that there are very few options for people interested in simply attending a workshop to learn more about the wedding industry and what is involved with becoming a Wedding Planner. Our goal is to offer an affordable solution where you can be inspired, soak in a ton of valuable information and great take-aways which will help you to determine if wedding planning is the right career path for you. With my 8 years of experience as a Planner, I’m excited to share my history with aspiring Wedding Planners and help give you a jump start into this wonderful industry! I also have a passion for developing others, as I was in Human Resources prior to the wedding industry and thoroughly enjoy providing training and development opportunities!
What: We will cover a variety of topics which will include: Wedding Industry Statistics and Trends, Basics of Owning a Wedding Planning Business, Day in the Life of a Wedding Planner, Marketing Tips, Establishing Vendor Relationships, Pricing & Sales, Next Steps You Can Pursue, and More!
How: To reserve your space in this workshop, please contact Kelly at kelly@sweetpeaevents.net to request a registration form no later than Friday, August 14, 2009. The total cost of this workshop is $200 which will include lunch. If you bring a friend, the cost for each of you will only be $150! Registration will close on Friday, August 14, 2009, so please ensure your registration form and payment are submitted by then. Note: Class size will be limited to 15 participants and is based on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Looking forward to your participation and meeting you in person!
One of my favorite aspects of being a Wedding Planner is that I'm able to meet with some incredibly talented and fun vendors. I recently had the chance to meet up with Dave and Corbin Baxter of Soulbox Productions (pictured above), a husband and wife videography team in Dallas. I love it when I meet with people and have an instant connection - that's how I felt with Dave and Corbin! We sat and talked about the wedding industry, our businesses, and got to know each other and before we knew it 2 hours had passed! They are both super down to earth, and are extremely passionate about what they do. Not to mention, their film making capabilities are unparalleled - they are one of the few to offer Super 8 film to create that unique vintage look. I had an opportunity to ask them the following questions about their business so you could get to know them a little bit better - enjoy!
1. How did you get started in the Videography business, and specifically with weddings?
Corbin and I started capturing weddings after filming and producing our first feature length film, Beyond Doors, in 2001. We quit our “corporate jobs” and started filming weddings fulltime in 2004.
2. What is your typical day like as a Wedding Videographer on the day of the wedding, and also on a non-wedding day?
On a wedding day, our coverage is typically 8 hours, which includes 2 hours of pre ceremony, ceremony and up to a 4 hour reception. We film every wedding, whether it’s a Super 8mm Full Film or Digital Coverage with two cinematographers, which allows Corbin and me to work together the majority of the time. We are extremely lucky that the majority of our clients have Professional Wedding Planners, which makes our day so much easier. A non-wedding day we’re in front of our computers editing and replying to inquiries. Corbin and I pride ourselves on the quality of our wedding films (the real magic happens in post production, which is anywhere from 40-60 hours) and our customer service. We reply to all our inquiries within 24 hours.
3. What would you say makes your style or personality unique from other Videographers?
We offer Super 8mm as a highlight or a Full Film wedding. Capturing a wedding in super 8 is incredibly freeing creatively, and it also provides our brides with a completely unique Wedding Film. We also provide Bonus Features (add-ons) that know one else offers. The most popular is the Honeymoon Highlight. We provide the bride and groom with a one-time use, portable video camera to take on their honeymoon. We then create a Honeymoon Highlight by also incorporating their photos, which allows our brides and grooms to have their honeymoon conveniently on their Wedding DVD.
4. What are some of your favorite video highlights from your portfolio?
One of our favorites is our most recent Highlight from Christina and Clay’s Full Film Wedding:
http://www.soulboxproductions.com/blog/?page_id=41
5. Favorite tips or advice for the bride and grooms to be?
Hire a Professional Wedding Planner! Corbin and I got married 10 years ago, we were the first of our friends to get married and I so wish we would’ve had a wedding planner. Not only do they make everything easier on you and your friends and family (and vendors) day of, but you learn etiquette, budget planning and they are a wonderful resource for vendors beforehand.
And then hire a Professional Wedding Filmmaker. It’s astonishing to us that over 60% of weddings don’t have professional filmmakers as a part of the day. Your friend or Uncle Bob will not provide you near the quality of work: they won’t have a wireless mic to capture your vows, the knowledge of what to capture or how to work with your vendors. We have actually had clients that didn’t book us, contact us upset that they didn’t have a way to remember their wedding. Along with photography, your wedding film is the only way to relive your day.
We also tell our potential clients, if everything else is equal, always select the vendors that you connect with the best.
6. When you aren’t working, what are some of your favorite things to do?
Watch movies, listen to music, travel and work on our side-projects. We are currently developing board games. We have two working prototypes:
I Quit! – Beat Corporate America At It’s Own Game
I Know Why… The craziest, wackiest card game ever (which is a children’s card game that allows them to use their imagination while learning fun facts)
We are also developing a wedding/honeymoon card game, which is currently titled It Takes 2!
7. What are some of your favorite venues in the DFW area, and why?
* Royal Lane Baptist Church. They allow one of our cameras to be in the front without being seen. (Being unobtrusive is one of our main goals of the day.)
* United Methodist of Dallas is an extremely ornate and beautiful church.
* Arlington Hall is a wonderful location for both a ceremony and reception (we find that same location weddings make it so much easier for everyone).
* Hickory Street Annex is a recently new location for both ceremony and reception that has an amazing urban chic feel.
We also love destination weddings, which allow us to be inspired by locations we’ve never experienced before. Destination weddings also fit perfectly with the Super 8mm Full Film Coverage!
Thanks so much Dave and Corbin - looking forward to working with you!!
