Category Archives: Special Events

Paige & Dave’s Destination Wedding

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Dave and Paige met at her older sister’s 25th birthday party in Boston. After meeting Paige at the party, Dave asked her mom and sister if he could marry her. It was love at first site. Three years later, Dave surprised Paige and asked her to marry him.

Paige had always pictured her wedding to be the best weekend-long party. They planned for just that. From dinner at Barton G to going to see the Miami Marlins play, they enjoyed every day. Paige even celebrated her bachelorette party on South Beach with her all of her girlfriends. Once all of their out of town guests arrived to the historical Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida, we kicked off the wedding weekend with a cocktail party poolside. It truly was a weekend that no one wanted to end.

On Saturday, June 9th Paige & Dave had their wedding ceremony inside the Granada Ballroom at the Biltmore Hotel. They decided to ask Paige’s uncle to officiate the wedding – which made the ceremony intimate, sincere and emotional for everyone.

One of my favorite details of Paige & Dave’s wedding was their amazing bridal party. They were surrounded by so much love and joy. The bridal party made sure that Paige & Dave had the time of their lives.

Once our bride & groom were pronounced husband and wife, we transformed the Granada Ballroom from ceremony to reception. Our designer, Rick Interian from Avant Gardens, created the vision that Paige wanted for her wedding. Every detail tied in with the warmth of the ballroom.

It was a perfect day for this beautiful couple. Their guests had an amazing time in Miami, and didn’t want the fun to end. Here are some of my favorite shots taken by Ben and Laura Coppelman of our beautiful couple.

Thank you to all the vendors that made this day a dream come true for Paige & Dave. The Biltmore Hotel, our catering manager Natalia Placensia, Bruce Barbaree and Biltmore Event Design, Avant Gardens, Dj Peoples, Todo Dulce, Ben & Laura Coppelman, Captivated Films, Society Cleaners, Majestic Limousines & Ugo di Roma Salon.

Nicole & Lowie’s Epic Wedding

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Nicole was a senior at Duke and Lowie was in medical school in the Netherlands when they met in 2007. They met during Lowie’s research year at Duke, when Nicole and her roommates hosted a Valentine’s Day party.  After “homemade” Stouffer’s lasagna and Nicole’s politeness, they hit it off. Unfortunately, Lowie had to return to Belgium to finish medical school and the two continued their relationship long distance for two years. Once Lowie finished school, he moved to Durham, and like Nicole said “the rest was history.” After dating for three and half years, and a conversation with her parents, Lowie asked Nicole to marry him in the beautiful Duke gardens.

On Friday, May 18th, 2012, Nicole & Lowie exchanged vows and became Mr. & Mrs. at St. Jude Catholic Church.  Here are some of our favorite pictures by Ray Santana Photography of the ceremony.

The reception took place at the cosmopolitan Epic Hotel in Downtown Miami. Nicole selected a color scheme of ivory, gold, and shades of pink. With the assistance of the floral guru, Rick Interian, from Avant Gardens, the romantic floral and table setting was designed to what Nicole had envisioned for her wedding day.

I asked Nicole what she had always wanted her wedding to be like and she responded, “I wanted to stay up all night, I wanted everyone to dance a lot and I wanted it to be a party!” That’s exactly what their wedding night was, the perfect party.

Michael Sarysz, of Sarz Entertainment, and a percussionist kept the guests on the dance floor. Once the official party was over, the guests made their way to the after party. Nicole & Lowie stayed out with their family and friends until 6:30am. A night they will never forget.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, check out their highlight video by BNR Films: Nicole & Lowie

It is always great to know that a bride and groom would not change one thing about their wedding because it was a perfect day! Thank you Nicole & Lowie for allowing us to be a part of your wedding day! Wishing you a lifetime of love, joy, and many blessings. You’re an amazing couple and I know that this is just the beginning of an amazing journey for the both of you.

A BIG THANK YOU to all of our vendors who made this day perfect: Sunshine Gutierrez and the entire staff at the Epic Hotel, St. Jude Catholic Church, Avant Gardens, Sarz Entertainment, Ray Santana Photography, BNR Films, Meilan Limousines & Antiques, Hair by Lutz Karpf, Makeup by Cristina Liviero, Invitations by Leston, Thank you cards created by Fabulous Fêtes, Ana Paz Cakes, and Armonia Music Inc. 

MiaBella’s 1st Carnival Birthday Party

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This post is extra special to us because its our little girl, MiaBella’s 1st Birthday! When we were searching for a theme for this extra special 1st birthday girl, we wanted to do something that everyone could enjoy. Once we found the venue, the Historical Virginia Key Beach Park in Key Biscayne, Florida, we knew that the theme had to be a carnival.

To create a carnival, there were a couple must haves…we needed a large tent, a ticket booth, carnival games, prizes, lots of candy, colorful balloons, animal crackers, pin wheels, cotton candy, popcorn, peanuts, snow cones, gold fish, stilt walkers, face painting and a carousel. With these ingredients, we would create a fun filled carnival for our family and friends.

Our ring leader, MiaBella, made a grand entrance into her big top, and welcomed all of her guests. Her outfit was customized by Tutti Bambini in South Miami. (If your a mom, aunt, grandmother, godmother, or a friend who likes to spoil her friends kids, you have to visit Tutti Bambini! They have the cutest outfits, bows, accessories, everything you may ever want or need for your little ones!) Together we created the perfect little outfit for this beautiful little girl. We found her tights and embroidered bloomers on Bella Claire Baby storefront on Etsy.

This past year, we took MiaBella to numerous carousels and she loved every second of it. It was important for us to find a venue that we could incorporate a carousel into our carnival. One of the best parts of Virginia Key Beach Park is that it has a vintage carousel that MiaBella and our guests were able to enjoy.

MiaBella’s birthday cake was created by Sweet Designs. Dayanna designed the cake exactly how we wanted it. We couldn’t have been more happier! Our favorite part of the day, was seeing our little girls face light up when she heard her name in the Happy Birthday song! It proved that one year olds can and do enjoy their first birthday.

Some of are guests clowning around and having a fabulous time!

It was such an amazing day and it has been an unforgettable new journey for us. We could not have done it without the love and support of our parents, family and our friends. Each of you play a very special role in MiaBella’s life. We are so thankful to all of our vendors for making this day spectacular: Virginia Key Beach Park, Island Party Rental, JC BBQ for Kids, Daze Photography, CMD Productions, Sweet Designs & Lourdes and her girls at Tutti Bambini.

Thank you to all of our family and friends that came and enjoyed MiaBella’s 1st Birthday!

 

 

 

 

 

Videographer: Should I have one?

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I was recently asked by one of my brides if its important to have a videographer at the wedding. My answer to her was that I watch my video more than I have ever looked at my pictures. There is something amazing to relive the moments of your event. To see my family and friends enjoying every second of what took me 7 months to plan was priceless. Pictures are great and they last forever, but a video takes you back to the moment.

Once our video was ready, we had our bridal party over and we shared it with them. They loved it and we could not stop talking about what an amazing time everyone had. Here is a clip of my wedding video teaser for you to enjoy: Wedding Teaser Video taken by my friends at BNR Films.

Happy Planning!

 

When can I wear them again?

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What do you do with the shoes that took you so much time to find? The shoes that you wore on the BIG day. Mine are in the top shelf of my closet, in the box they arrived in, collecting dust.

Recently, during a shoe shopping spree with one of my brides, she tried on a gorgeous pair of Badgley Mischka. It was to no surprise, that after days of searching, these were the ones. The best part of these shoes is that they are dye-able! She will be able to dye them in any color that she wants after her wedding, and use the shoes as she pleases. Why didn’t I think of that when I was shopping for my shoes?

Although the shoes can be a bit costly for a budget conscious bride, they are worth the investment, and you are guaranteed that the shoes won’t stay on the top shelf of your closet, collecting dust. I’m pretty sure that there are other designer shoes that you may have your eye that can also be dyed. Don’t forget to ask that question when you are shoe shopping.

Happy Planning!

Month of Coordination Service Giveaway

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The most hectic time during planning an event is the month of the event, then followed by the week of, and then of course you have the stress of the day of. It’s time to help out our local Facebook fans by hosting a contest for them. The winner of our contest will win our Month of Coordination Services. The services included attending final vendor meetings, customizing a detailed timeline, organization of ceremony rehearsal & the ceremony, and much more.

We are asking fans to send us an email at info@eventsbyfrancesca.com with their names, the date of their event, the budget for the event, the reason why they need a planner, and a picture. We will send you the contest details and the details of what they will win. Then we will post it on our Facebook fan page to have their family and friends vote for them.

Now the contest is not limited to just brides, we want to help all of our fans that are planning any event. So if you are having a baby shower, a birthday party, an anniversary party, a quiñce or sweet sixteen, a wedding or a company party then this is just what you need…a planner to help relieve the stress!

Contest begins on October 1st and will end on October 15th. Good Luck!

 

A New Twist on First Dance & Special Dances

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Latest trend on first dance and special dances for events is to have a choreograph dance to entertain your guests. Couples are no longer just slow dancing on the dance floor, but are dancing the tango, some are swing dancing, and others are just showing off their dance moves to their guests. I had taken dance lessons with my dad to do a surprise choreography for the father/daughter dance at my wedding. Frontline Dance Studio owner Geraldine Del Vento helped us choreograph it. It was a fun experiance that I shared with my dad (since my husband wasn’t up for it), although as we got closer to the wedding date… my dad chickened out and we didn’t get to perform. Instead we enjoyed our traditional moment dancing to Butterfly Kisses. If you are looking for a creative way to enjoy that moment, contact Frontline Dance Studio to choreograph your dance!

 

Color Palette

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Part of being a planner is to always keep myself in the loop of the latest trends in the event planning industry. During my weekly visit on Preston Bailey’s Bride Ideas, I fell in love with the peacock color palette. What I am loving about this color palette is that it can be used during any season. It is important to select a color palette, that you are comfortable with and that you can envision. Once you have selected your color palette, you are on the first step of designing your event.

Happy Planning!