Love Is All You Need

We would like to thank Allison and Kevin for letting us be a part of their wedding celebration. Love filled the air as family and friends gathered to watch them exchange their vows. Beauty, grace and charm were the buzz words for the day. I am sure Allison was channeling Grace Kelly.




The Cathedral of the Incarnation provided the perfect backdrop for the ceremony. Allison and Kevin's minimalist approach to decorating allowed the beauty of the church to take center stage. The orange and yellow gerber daisy bouquets added just the right amount of color to compliment the warm colors and rich textures of the Anglican Church.



The reception was held in Grundorf Hall at St. Albans Anglican Cathedral. Allsion pulled her reception colors ivory, champagne and chocolate from her gown and the bridesmaid dresses. Her minimalist approach to design was evident as well. Kevin's love of the Beatles was constant throughout the evening from the choice of 1st dance to the Hershey Kiss favors with "All You Need Is Love" lables. Even the Maid of Honor caught the Beatles vibe and included song references in her toast.

Congratulations Kevin and Allison, may your love for each other bring you many beautiful moments and unforgettable memories.

2009 Sneak Preview VIP Event

On Friday, March 13th, brides will descend upon Fairwinds Alumni Center on the campus of University of Central Florida to find the gown of their dreams but you have the opportunity to get your gown first! A limited number of brides can purchase tickets for an exclusive early sneak preview sale of the wedding gowns on Thursday evening, March 12th!
We will also be showcasing selected Orlando area wedding professionals at this event, not only can you find the gown of your dreams but some great wedding vendors too!
Bride’s ticket price includes early entry fee, fashion show, light buffet dinner, complimentary champagne and wine tasting and bridal goodie bags. In addition each bride will be treated to a one-one gown session with an Orlando area Bridal Consultant. Guest’s ticket price includes light buffet dinner along with champagne and wine tasting.
BRIDES cannot enter as guests. Each BRIDE trying on wedding gowns MUST register separately.
Bride’s Entrance price $40.00
Guest Entrance price $10.00
Proceeds benefit the Making Memories Foundation for terminal breast cancer patients.



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Brides Choice Award 2009

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that Moments And Memories by LaVoria has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Awards™!

In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year’s recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire’s vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US. That means Moments And Memories by LaVoria is one of the very best Event Planners.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews.

“We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”

Moments And Memories by LaVoria would like to thank our past clients for speaking on our behalf and helping us win the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award!

Fancy Church-Going Hats

I received a call from my friend Addy who is marrying later this year. She is a very British girl from London marrying a Southern Baptist minister from Mississippi. The wedding is taking place in London and they are wanting to find a ways to incorporate shared customs into the celebration.

So we talked at length about the wedding ceremony and reception and realized that a great shared custom was staring us both in the face we just didn't notice it. HATS!! FANCY, CHURCH-GOING HATS!! The older female members of both their families would be wearing them. Why do British and African American women wear hats for church and special occasions? Research time!

Both traditions can be traced back to the bible "Every woman who prays or prophecies with her head unveiled dishonors her head" (I Cor. 11:5). According to Addy, wearing hats at weddings is a dying tradition in England but her family is very traditional and most of the women "would rather be caught dead" than not wearing a hat at a wedding and I know that Justin's mother and grandmother are "the hat ladies" at his church in Mississippi!

To understand the hats concept for African American women I suggested to Addy that she read "Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats" by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry. Growing up I remember my grandmother and her sisters wearing hats to church, weddings and any special church occasion. An outfit was not complete without the perfect hat.

Addy also mentioned fascinators for the younger girls and those not comfortable with wearing a hat. I had to ask what is a fascinator? Evidentally, it is hair jewelry. Check these out from www.tiarasandfascinators.com:


Are they not way too cute. So now we have a central idea and I can't wait to begin exploring more options and putting together an entire wedding. More to come as we continue our journey down the aisle.

The Architect Bride

Congratulations to Marketa and Juan! My first wedding of the New Year. So what happens when you cross a DIY bride and an architect? MARKETA THE WONDER BRIDE!!




She came complete with a distinct vision, a storyboard... and even bridesmaid dresses and shoes to match.
The only thing she didn't have was a wedding gown.



Marketa and Juan chose the Winter Park Civic Center for their ceremony and reception. However with 200 guests and bride who was not going to walk in the grass this was going to call for a bit of creativity. Marketa had that covered as well. She would have a wedding "in the round"! In other words, she and Juan would be married under the towering arch with guests on both the upper and lower terrace. She would put my directing prowess to the test. The bridal party entered from both sides of the arch at alternate times!

Here are few "non-professional" pictures from the day:

She found a beautiful ivory strapless gown from Demetrios (thank you Tameka for getting her on the "find that gown" track)!

Daddy Clark decided to "gift" the horse drawn carriage in which Marketa rode around the park, to the spot where her he would escort her down the aisle. The carriage then waited to carry Juan and Marketa off as the guests looked on from the lawn.

By the way Juan held his own in a matching ivory tuxedo.




The bridesmaids and groomsmen looked great in their attire. You can just see the upper and lower terrace seating.



Marketa's keen sense of design, professional skills and unwillingness to take no for an answer lead to a truly unique peek into her world and her style. I can't wait for her professional photos!!

Kwanzaa and The Bridal Community

Harambee (let's all pull together)! I was just driving in my car listening to the Kwanzaa principle for the day on the radio. After listening to the radio for awhile, I started thinking how does this apply to my business and my business practices. After all Kwanzaa is about family and community and my lively hood depends on the community of wedding vendors in this area. At it's essence the celebration of Kwanzaa means the awareness of seven principles:


UMOJA (oo-MOH-ja)
Meaning: unity
Action: building a community that holds together

KUJICHAGULIA (koo-jee-cha-goo-LEE-yah)
Meaning: self-determination
Action: speaking for yourself and making choices that benefit the community

UJIMA (oo-JEE-mah)
Meaning: collective work and responsibility
Action: helping others within the community

UJAMAA (oo-JAH-ma)
Meaning: cooperative economics
Action: supporting businesses that care about the community

NIA (nee-AH)
Meaning: a sense of purpose
Action: setting goals that benefit the community

KUUMBA (koo-OOM-bah)
Meaning: creativity
Action: making the community better and more beautiful

IMANI (ee-MAH-nee)
Meaning: faith
Action: believing that a better world can be created for communities now and in the future.

As industry professionals we all have a circle of vendors that we work well with and that work well for our clients. My circle may not include the same businesses as your circle but that is the beauty of it all. There are enough markets, niches, etc. to sustain us all. We should promote our circle of vendors to each other and our clients to build up our business and in turn their business and keep us all going this upcoming year. So....

Habari Gani?
Meaning: What's the news?
Action: Talk up your circle, promote you circle and network with your circle!

'tis the season to Support Your Favorite Cause

This year my family and I have been collecting soda can tops to give to the Ronald McDonald house this Christmas. Yes, they really do take them "tops only no cans". We succeed in collecting about a gallon of them. I couldn't believe how diligent we had to be to collect that many.

It has been a very tough year for a huge amount of people. What better way to enjoy the holidays than to give the gift of love. Imagine, if each family we know would take one $20 stocking stuffer and pass it along to a worthy cause. There are so many causes to choose from. Some of my favorites:

Ronald McDonald House Charities http://www.rmhc.com
We help families address their problems regarding health care.
Whether those problems involve how to stay near and support a hospitalized child, how to afford staying together in another city while a child is undergoing treatment, or even getting basic medical and dental care in an under served community.

Brides Against Breast Cancer www.makingmemories.org“
Brides Against Breast Cancer”, a fundraising wing of Making Memories, holds charity wedding gown sales in dozens of cities across the nation every year. Shopping at a “Brides Against Breast Cancer”event is a great way to find a fabulous gown and save hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars, while making wishes and dreams come true for terminal patients. Gowns whose original value is up to $4,000 are sold between $89 and $899. Gowns originally priced between $4,000 and $10,000 sell for up
to 80% off.

DeShawn Snow Foundation, Inc. www.deshawnsnowfoundation.org
I established the DeShawn Snow Foundation to assist teenage girls who face challenges and roadblocks like I did. I believe that together we can make a difference and have a substantial impact in steering our teenage girls toward successful life paths. I want to be part of making a difference, so I have dedicated my life to empowering and enriching the lives of girls.

"Together we can create stepping stones that create success and opportunities for every girl." - DeShawn Snow

This year has taught us many lessons on getting involved in our communities and taking the time to be a part of the solution. Let's continue the trend.