Welcome to our blog! 27 Miracles Wedding Consulting is a full service wedding consulting and coordinating company! We have a variety of services that we can do to help you. Our company loves to have fun helping you plan your special day. At 27 Miracles Wedding Consulting we believe that “your wedding day should be everything you dreamed of.” Visit us on our website: www.27miraclesbyrosie.com where you will read about Central Florida’s Only Bilingual Master Bridal Consultant Rosie Moore and her excellent team of Certified Wedding Planners.
The Association of Bridal Consultants had their monthly meeting at Westgate Lakes Resorts this past week and the topic of the day was “Food Trends.” Corporate Director of Food and Beverage Michael Lodge shared the 2017 trends of the year.
The trends that are showing up for this year include creating a theme with the food selections that are made for the wedding.
Having Brinner( Breakfast for dinner) for example why make a plain waffle, how about adding chicken and turning it into a gourmet dish good enough to serve at a wedding.
The food color for 2017 is purple. You will see a lot of eggplant, purple potatoes and cauliflower to name a few.
Food trucks are still in from 2016, with the different types of foods that they offer, if the wedding venue allows them onsite, this is a great way to do something different at a wedding.
Donuts and donut holes as a give away at the wedding or as the dessert in exotic flavors is an up and coming 2017 trend.
Mini appetizers and dessert shooters, salads in martini glasses and other vegetables such as a cucumber wrap are showing up at weddings.
Food stations are taking a step up from the food already placed out for the guests to serve themselves, now the food stations are becoming interactive with the chef preparing it right there in front of you so that it is fresh instead of pre-cooked. Now you can still have DIY guest stations for instance, a Smores station lends itself to a perfect after party treat as the party is starting to wind down in the last hour of the night.
Edible forks and spoons in appetizers is trending now so that silverware is not needed for appetizers. This goes along with comfort foods for mini appetizers.
Cocktails are at times named after the bride and groom at a wedding. Some of these cocktails are nonalcoholic and contain fruit in them, for example champagne and blueberries. Some cocktails are named after the event instead of a person. These are signature drinks.
With all the trendy chefs coming out of LA, Chicago and New York, they are creating a dining experience that you will never forget. As a wedding and event planner, it behooves the planner to get with the catering management at the venue to discuss the meal for the event. The one thing that makes or breaks a wedding is the kitchen staff. The staff only has one chance to make a memory for that couple.
So as a bride, when you get engaged, after the family is aware, contact your wedding planner so that together you can plan a unique wedding that says “this is your day.”
The Association of Bridal Consultants would like to thank Corporate Director of Food and Beverage Michael Lodge of Westgate Lakes Resort for sharing “Food Trends” with the wedding industry professionals.
Orlando Wedding Photographer
Orlando Wedding Photographer
Orlando Wedding Photographer
Orlando Wedding Photographer
Orlando Wedding Photographer
Orlando Wedding Photographer
Orlando Wedding Photographer
Orlando Wedding Photographer
Orlando Wedding Photographer
Orlando Wedding Photographer
We would also like to Thank
Photography: Captured by Belinda
Videography: Treasured Moments
Flowers: The Flower Studio
Linens: RJ Glamour and Innovation
Cupcake Dessert: Sprinkles
Media Photography: Orlando Style Magazine/Brion Price
Please feel free to contact your local ABC Co-Directors with any questions.
Rosie Moore, MBC 407-905-5454
Diane Jenson, PBC 407-927-9245
Sharon Baragona 407-921-7733
Victoria Van Pelt, CWP 407-913-2893
As a wedding professional do you often get asked by your brides what should I do for my make up and my hair on the wedding day? Or do you think my make up looks good now so that I can do it myself on the wedding day? My friend does hair and make up and we are going to save a ton of money because she is doing it for free, as you glance over at her friend’s make up that she is referring to in sky blue eye shadow with red lipstick and hair matted with hair spray (all you can think about is, we are stuck in an 80’s nightmare!) Those are the questions that can make any wedding professional look like a deer caught in headlights. But it does not have to be that way. Once you sign your bride up to work with you as your client, have a checklist of the things that you will go over with the bride for instance selection of photographer, videographer, dress shopping and all the other needed services, but most important have a category on your planning forms called health and beauty. This is where you can discuss with your bride about proper nutrition so that she has the energy that is needed on the day of, exercise to help her look the best that she can, skin care with a professional esthetician and lastly professional hair and make up that will make her look natural but beautiful on the day of the wedding.
The Association of Bridal Consultants had the pleasure of hosting their meeting at Marilyn Monroe Spa. At this meeting we had an opportunity to hear from each person that works at the salon to explain the process of taking care of the bride’s skin, hair, and nails in order to prepare for the wedding day. One of the take aways that stood out was to not wait for the week before to start planning the regime of hair, make up and skin. The bride’s skin should start preparation almost simultaneous to the day after engagement so that it does not become an expensive last minute process. As a wedding professional, feel comfortable talking about these beauty tips. Don’t forget to discuss teeth whitening and tips to maintain those pearly whites. One of my personal favorites, if you have to have that cola or tea, use a straw and do not swish your drink in your mouth, use whitening toothpaste and whitening mouthwash. Lastly if you are going to preach beauty, as a wedding professional don’t forget to check your own after all, our clients look up to us to be the best that we can be.
Thank you to our sponsors that made our meeting a success at Marilyn Monroe Spa.
Venue: Marilyn Monroe
Video: Treasured Moments
Photo: Captured By Elle
Floral: Peddles
Favors: Florida Candy Buffett
Linens: Connie Duglin
Dessert: Yogurtland
Chivari Chairs/Tables/Chargers: Orlando Wedding and Party Rentals
Is that a cliché’ to say live a healthy life, eat healthy and everything will be right with the world? We would all like to think that, but we know that things happen and in a spur of a moment, our lives change. At our Association of Bridal Consultants Meeting this past April, we had two speakers, Judith Topper, healthy living speaker and Alayne Gatto, Certified Nutritionist. Judith shared with the wedding planners and wedding professionals about healthy eating for our busy lives. We are all guilty as wedding professionals of eating at our desks, grabbing fast food in between client meetings and the worse one of all, skipping meals. Judith showed us through proper planning of our meals how we can maintain our health (and figures!).
Alayne Gatto, brought us some education on pregnancy for the pregnant professionals. But she also brought us information on how babies born too soon can affect our lives as well as the babies. This month the Association of Bridal Consultants invited The Gift of Life, a local non-profit organization that supports parents of premature babies and babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. The takeaway from this part of the meeting as wedding professionals, all lives matter, because that very premature baby can be our client and prematurity can affect anyone, even a wedding professional. Tying that back to taking care of our health so that we can be as healthy as can be during the pregnancy for the things that we can control, for example, proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise will help us be the best we can be during this stage.
Listen to both of these speakers as they give you a glimpse in to their topics!
When coordinating this meeting, we had to take in to account the topic of healthy eating. The Chef at the Sheraton, knew exactly what to make so that we were eating a healthy lunch ad dessert of fresh fruit for our day.
Thank you to our Wedding professionals on this day:
Have you ever wondered what it takes to work with a luxury bride? What is considered a luxury bride? In this market managing a luxury bride means managing large budgets and planning events for clients that have high expectations. It is not enough to have a degree in wedding planning services to call yourself a luxury wedding planner. The luxury wedding planner must have experience, etiquette and knowledge of what a luxury wedding entails along with exceptional service.
Luxury brides most of the time come referred to a luxury wedding planner through word of mouth. One rarely sees a luxury bride at a bridal show or being contacted through any of the online forums. To work with a luxury bride, you will need to learn where these brides eat, shop, get their hair done and work out. It is a circle that you would have to be willing to frequent. Most wedding planners starting out do not have the finances to invest in to their business right away so they start small which is okay as they develop their company.
If you are going to cater to the luxury bride, your prices will need to reflect that to the client, but with that will come a certain expectation of expert quality care. Ask yourself, does your website reflect luxury? Are the pictures that you are showcasing considered luxurious? You won’t appeal to the luxury bride if your pictures and videos that are being showcased reflect a DIY or budget conscious bride. For the right wedding planner the DIY or budget conscious bride is perfect, but for the luxury bride, from the moment they look at your website to the moment that they meet you, needs to say luxury.
A luxury wedding planner does not take on as many clients in a year due to the time that is invested in each client. The luxury bride is usually a very busy high-profile bride that will not have a lot of time on their hands; their expectation will be flexibility and trust in you as the luxury planner to plan their wedding seamlessly.
As a luxury wedding planner, you must always look and sound your best. From the location that the client meetings take place , to the purse and attire that is worn. When meeting the client it is not an option to be in slacks and a sweater or a shirt. The luxury planner should in a nice suit, dress, or pant suit. It does not matter if the bride and groom come in jeans and a polo, they are looking at you and how you fit in their inner circle. Think about your hair, is it professional looking in style, is your make up, professional, are your nails done? You might say all of that is vain and yes it can be if not looked at in stride, however, in order to capture that circle of clients, a certain level of expectation is going to be required.
Now dress code and professional attire should always be a must regardless of what client any wedding planner is meeting because you only have 60 seconds to make a first impression when you walk into a room to meet a client. Let the attire speak first, then what comes out of your mouth in the next few minutes is part 2 of selling yourself to the client and finding out if you are a good fit for them and if they are a good fit for you.
These are great tips to think about as you mold your business to the type of clients that you want to work with.
Heather Snively, Master Bridal Consultant spoke at our Association of Bridal Consultants luncheon recently. We wanted her to bring us a few points on working with the luxury bride. When coordinating the venue and the wedding professionals for the meeting, it was important to think of the topic and who we needed to obtain to showcase a high-end event. One of the points that Heather brought up in the meeting, was about meeting the catering manager of the high end venue for the first time. When the planner comes to the luxury venue to meet the catering manager, it is important to have an established relationship prior to the meeting, even if it is on the phone. When walking in to the venue with the client, exude confidence in who you are as a planner and have the knowledge to know the client’s budget, even though a luxury client may have a high budget, there is always an amount in their mind of what they are willing to spend but will most of the time spend much more because they go with a want and must have vs a need.
Listen to Heather talk about the luxury budget.
Our Luxury Wedding Professionals at our Association of Bridal Consultant Meeting:
Venue: Citrus Club
DJ/MC/Lighting: White Rose Entertainment
Floral/Linen/Chivari Chairs/Chargers: RJ Glamour and Innovation
What does it mean when you say a love that lasts forever? Is it a love that lasts until the first fight? A love that lasts until one gets bored with the person they are with? Or is it a love that withstands the test of all times? Let me share a love story that surpasses the fairytale romance of the wedding day. For those that don’t know the story of Gabby and Frank, read their engagement blog here to see their story https://27miracles.com/2016/03/31/high-school-sweethearts-fall-in-love-gabby-and-frank/
Today, a man and a woman stand before God and their families to declare their love. Neither of them have any idea what the future holds, but does anyone? However that did not matter to either of them. They were best friends and they were in love.
If you recall in our engagement story, the Orlando wedding community joined together to give this deserving couple the wedding of their dreams. With the many challenges that they faced financially for all the medical care that Gabby had to have, their would not be anything left to plan a wedding.
April 2, 2016 the day had arrived. Thunderstorms were not going to keep this wedding from happening. The day started out hot, muggy and stormy, but no one seemed to notice, all that mattered on this day was that hundreds of people were coming together to make a couple’s wedding dreams come true!
Gabby started her day getting her hair and make up done by Stylist Professor Maria Ivette Hernandez and her team of hair and make up artists as Gabby contemplated this day and her wedding dress
Gabby’s mom helped her in to her dress while her mother in law to be looked on..
As Frank awaited the moment that he would see his bride….It’s time for the wedding….Rings and bouquets are ready, the church is ready and the team of 27 Miracles planners and assistants were ready.
First the mothers came in and lit the candles, it was a touching moment as they entered. to the song Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion.Now it is time for the groom to enter accompanied by the best man and the officiant. The song that they selected was A Thousand Years- Christina Perri
The bridal party started their entrance and as the flower girl enters and lines the aisle with petals, the groom looks on as he knows that the bride will soon be by his side…Everyone rise, announces the officiant…here comes the bride escorted by her father. Gabby selected Marry your daughter-Brian Jr and Niko McKnight as the special song that she wanted to enter to as she approached her best friend, waiting for her at the altar.
Frank gets filled with emotion at the sight of Gabby…
As the father of the bride gives her away….you can see the emotion he is going through knowing that he is giving away his little girl to a man who will now be taking care of her for the rest of her life.
The ceremony has begun and as Officiant Marcus Moore, takes the couple through the wedding ceremony…The bride and groom share their own special vows…there was not a dry eye in the church, it was so moving..
As they entered in to prayer and the ring ceremony they lit the unity candle, uniting their marriage to one another.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride.”
Congratulations to Gabby and Frank as they take their special family pictures…
The bridal party celebrated with Gabby and Frank as they know the struggles this couple went through…
The Bride and Groom share special moments alone ….
It is time for the Ballroom Reveal, when Gabby and Frank get to see their ideas come to life!
The reception was held at First Baptist Orlando Faith Hall, the catering was provided by Oley’s Catering, the decor by RJ glamour and Innovation. The up lighting was provided by Roque Productions and Orlando DJ and Lighting.
Juan Carlos and Rigo Lugo of RJ Glamour and Innovation captured the Bride’s vision to the last detail.
The cake a 4 tier Amaretto flavored cake was made by Cut the Cake. The bride had always dreamed of having a 4 tier cake that would be taller than she was when she was cutting it……..Gabby and Frank, could not believe their eyes when they entered in to their dream wedding…
As Gabby and Frank walked around the ballroom, they wanted to take it all in and not miss anything. They started by the photo booth with Eddie from Just for You Photo Booths.
Frank had a special person in his life that could not be there for him on his wedding day and that was his Godfather. A special place setting was created for Frank’s Godfather in his memory as well as a picture collage placed on the gift table.
It was time to let the guests inside the ballroom and get the festivities started.
They had their first dance and you could feel their love was so strong as they danced together to How Will I Know by Sam Smith.
When a father gives his daughter away it is a difficult thing. Gabby’s father was taken with emotion as he Danced with Cinderella…
Frank wanted to dance a special song with his mom and he selected Momma, for all the things she did for him to support him in this journey called marriage.
Gabby found her mother to be such a huge support for here she did not want to pass a moment to dance with her mother.
The happy couple had many well wishers as they toasted to their new life together.
Before the night slipped away, Gabby wanted to thank all her guests and wedding professionals for making her dreams come true.
The bride had always dreamed of a 4 tier simple white cake with flowers around it. Sharon Haller of Cut the Cake captured the vision as the happy couple cut the cake.
Cirque Kalandra and 27 Miracles wanted to give the bride a Disney experience with one of their acts at Disney…
Now no wedding reception would be complete without everyone dancing and having a good time, even our fun-loving DJ’s Andres Roque of Roque Productions and Adam Rubman of Orlando DJ and Lighting joined in!
No one wanted the night to end, but it came to that time and yet another surprise, a chauffeured driven car from Southern Elegance Limousine to take them to a downtown Disney hotel for their honeymoon for a few days.
Today we keep Gabby in our prayers for health and Frank for strength as they embark on this journey together. Do not marry the person that you can live with, marry the person that you cannot live without. Enjoy your love with the person you are with for tomorrow is never promised. Take the example of Gabby and Frank, best friends in love, riding the waves of life together. Some days the waves are crashing high and they hold on to the boat of life a little tighter as they ride the wave, other days they can sit back and relax in the boat as they rock gently back and forth.
Thank you to all our wedding professionals that donated time and service to make Gabby and Frank’s wedding day special.
On the Wedding Day…
1. First Baptist Orlando/Venue for Ceremony and their staff
2. Faith Hall/Venue for Reception Robin and her staff
3. Wedding Officiant/Marcus Moore
4.RJ Glamour and Innovation/Decor/Linens/Floral/Chivari Chairs
5.Pianist at Ceremony/Teresa.
6.123 Photography
7. Treasured Moments Videography
8. Oley’s Kitchen/Catering
9.Orlando DJ and Lighting/Adam Rubman/Uplights,DJ and MC
10.Roque Productions/Andres Roque/Uplights/DJ and MC
11. Our Volunteer Catering Servers, Alyssa, Anderson, Krystin Lapage, Enrique, and Jose
12. UCF Wedding Planning Students Shaye Glover, Tony-Ann Walker, Harriett Whitcombe, Moriah Tate, Kelli Hanrahan
13. Wedding Coordinator: Rosie Moore/27 Miracles 14. Day of Wedding Planners: Diane Jenson( The Wedding Party), Alla Vinnikova, (ABC Member) Elizabeth Fontaine ( First Baptist Orlando and 27 Miracles)
15.Hair and Make up for Bride and Wedding Party: Professor Maria Ivette Hernandez, Eric Clark and her senior students at Florida Technical College
16. Dessert Station/Pastry Chef Students at Florida Technical College
17.Wedding Cake/ Cut The Cake/Sharon Haller
18.Southern Elegance Limousine/Miguel Hernandez
19. Photo Booth/Just for You/Eddie Lebron
20. Entertainment/Cirque Kalandra/Vitaly Vinnikova
Without this team none of this could have been accomplished! I don’t say this to boast of what we did, but of what a community of wedding professionals is capable of doing when they put their heart and mind to help someone in need. On Behalf of 27 Miracles We want to say thank you for being who you are! God Bless your businesses always.
Today was the start of a special celebration for Gabby and Frank. They traveled to Orlando from South Florida for their wedding. They had their rehearsal at Henry Chapel at First Baptist Orlando.
After the wedding rehearsal was completed, we started the celebration with a rehearsal dinner at the Star Island Resort. It was beautifully decorated in the bride’s favorite color of pink.
The couple did not have any idea that this was being planned for them while they were at First Baptist Orlando for their wedding rehearsal. Eric Clark with 27 Miracles coordinated the rehearsal dinner set up, while Adam Rubman of Orlando DJ and Lighting set up draping and uplights ( in pink of course) to accent the room. Nick Sabatino of 123 Photyography and Bruce Reynolds of Treasured Moments awaited the arrival of the happy couple for their grand entrance.
The time arrived for the couple to be told why they were at Star Island Resort. Rosie Moore of 27 Miracles welcomed the couple in and said, “this is your night with your family, a night with those that love you the most.”
Christine Mac Phail, Orlando harpist, serenaded the couple as they came in with romantic love songs
Gabby and Frank were surprised. A strawberry flavored cake awaited them from Party Flavors with pink butterflies ( a sign of new life).The couple was taken back with the beauty of the island resort as they celebrated their love for each other. They wanted to explore and have a moment to dream about love, about their unique love.
Gabby shared her story about the terminal illness that she was enduring. She started to tell us the long ordeal she has been going through since 2013 until a doctor finally figured out what was wrong. Listen as Gabby shares her heartfelt story in her own words. Listen to the strength and faith that she carries in her heart, but most importantly the love and gratitude that she has for the man that will soon be her husband. It is a love that is often only seen in the movies, but this here is true love…..
Follow us on our wedding blog for the continuation of Gabby and Frank’s wedding.
Thank you to all our wedding professionals who gave of their time and service to make this day special.
Rehearsal day:
1. Star Island Resort/Venue
2. Orlando DJ and Lighting/Adam Rubman/Uplights and draping
3.Orlando Harpist/Christine MacPhail/Harpist during dinner
4. Party Flavors/Priscilla Lucas/Cake and Gillian Duddy who gave her the cake
5.RJ Glamour and Innovation/Juan Carlos Lugo S, Rigo Reyes, Andie Sifontes /Decor
6. 123 Photography/Nicholas Sabatino
7.Treasured Moments Videography/Bruce Reynolds
8. Coordination/Room Set up/Catering set up/27 Miracles/Eric Clark/Rosie Moore
9.Oley’s Kitchen/Catering
That was the headline 27 years ago when Diane and Don were married. You might be asking yourself, who is Diane and Don? Well they are a couple of lovebirds married 27 years ago of course. But all kidding aside, Diane Jenson is a Professional Wedding Planner for The Wedding Party as well as Co-Director for the Association of Bridal Consultants in Central Florida. It is not often that we get to write a story about a fellow wedding professional.
Here is a little history on the happy couple in Diane’s own words
“After seven long years of dating, Don finally proposed to me and two years later we were married. It was a beautiful day on April 22, 1989 at 4pm when we exchanged our marriage vows at Mead Gardens in Orlando. The weather was picture perfect! The headline in the Orlando Sentinel read “The day that dreams are made of.”
When you ask Diane why she became a Professional Wedding Planner she said, “I have such a heart for planning a couple’s wedding. I remember the excitement of the planning and how I wanted everything to be so perfect on our special day, This is why I can truly relate to how a bride feels as she entrusts me to help make her wedding the dream of a lifetime.”
I asked Diane about that love that she shares with Don for 27 years and how she feels about him now. Diane simply stated, “we are a very happy bride and groom who love the Lord, each other, family and friends. We have enjoyed spending these twenty-seven years together through good and challenging times. I am so thankful to God for giving me the man of my dreams. We look forward to many more happy years together. ”
What an amazing story of love to see one of our own happily married. Today from the entire team at 27 Miracles we want to wish Diane and Don a lifetime of love, happiness and romance always. Happy 27th Anniversary!!! Thank you for letting us share that special year of “27” with us.
Most recently a group of Association of Bridal Consultant Planners and students alongside other wedding professionals came together to make a terminally ill bride’s dreams come true.
Here is Diane speaking at our January meeting this year at the warehouse for A Chair Affair, where Diane coordinated the transformation of a warehouse in to a design concept for wedding professionals to learn about design concepts with Tracy and Jennifer our speakers of the evening.
But never too busy to stop and have fun at one of our other ABC meetings and test out the photo booth…”ok is this thing working? ” CLICK!!! “oops I guess we missed a shot.”
CLICK!!! “Oh my goodness be ready
“Ok we got one!”
“Now we are in business!”
So as you can see we always aim to have fun and get silly…and that is what it is all about….share your talents…find a friend in your profession in the industry that you can work with….help each other….and make dreams come true for brides and grooms!
When Jingshu and Xingyuan decided to get married, they wanted to come to Florida from China to plan their special day. They wanted to have the time-honored traditions from China.
They started their wedding day having a traditional wedding ceremony. Jingshu looked beautiful in her wedding dress selected by Xingyuan.
There was a red carpet brought from China for the bride to walk on as she stepped out of her limousine. The red color represents a good future in China. In the Chinese tradition, the groom taking the bride from bride’s house on a red carpet will be good luck for the new couple on their wedding day. When the bride walked out of the limousine this started the tradition of the red carpet for this day.
The red carpet was also placed at the ceremony site where the bride and groom were to be married. The ceremony was translated by the best man in to Chinese. The couple’s ceremony included traditions such as lighting of the unity candle and warming of the rings.
Now that the ceremony was done, it was time for some romantic pictures in downtown celebration and on the golf course as they watched the sunset.
The happy couple returned to Celebration Golf to admire their reception decor and preapre for the fun.
After the ceremony, the bride changed in to her traditional red dress so that they can have their tea ceremony. This is the first time that the bride addresses the groom’s parents as mom and dad and the same for the groom. The tradition is that the bride serves a special blend of Chinese tea to his mother and father and the groom serves it to her mother and father. They bow at their feet as a sign of respect because they are the elders that should be respected and sought after for advice.
The bride then changed in to her party dress to enjoy the evening reception. After dinner there were many toasts with traditional wine brought from China. This was followed by the cutting of the cake. They followed the time honored tradition that they will respect each other’s faces and feed each other without smashing the cake.
The happy couple enjoyed Karaoke all night with dancing. Look at the smiles on this group of folks, enjoying the best day of this couple’s lives. There was not a language barrier here to help share in this couples wedding day. A great time was had by all…..
The night ended with Karaoke by the 3-year-old flower girl singing Let It Go from teh movie Frozen!
Recap of the wedding day:
Best Wishes to Jigshu and Xingyaun
Thank you to the wedding professionals involved in making this couple’s wedding dreams come true!
Venue/Celebration Golf
Photographer/123 Photography
Video/Treasured Moments Videography
Cake/Party Flavors
Decor/Linen/Chivari Chairs/Chargers/Florals/RJ Glamour and Innovation
Limo/Southern Elegance Limousine
Hair/Make up/Shakyra
Coordination/27 Miracles Rosie Moore and Ashley Bliss
Love stories are always great to read and talk about especially when there is a wedding to be planned. That is the love story of Gabby and Frank, high school sweethearts that fell in love. You can see the love that they have for each other in the pictures as 123 Photography captures those moments.
Gabby and Frank were the typical high school sweethearts, until one day…..
27 Miracles received a letter from Gabby that read like this:
“Hello Rosie, thank you so much for taking the time to write back to me and ask me about my illness. I spoke to Ivonne and was amazed by the incredible weddings you’ve done for others. So I am really excited that you wrote to me! I would love to explain my story to you.
In 2013 my fiancé and I were celebrating our second anniversary of dating, when we got back home I became sick. It started with a cough and gradually turned into pneumonia and a virus. The doctors gave me antibiotics but I did not get better. I became paralyzed and wheelchair bound; I lost all my independence. I went from a normal 19 year old girl into someone that didn’t know what was happening; I felt lost. The doctors didn’t know what was happening. They operated on my left lung to determine what was happening but still no answers. The doctors kept saying the same thing, I just had a bad case of pneumonia.
My health problems were overwhelming. My mom and my fiancé became my caregivers. I couldn’t do the simplest of things like brushing my teeth or combing my hair. I became oxygen dependent. Many days I wanted to give up, but my faith kept reminding me to keep fighting. After a year of fighting, in December of 2013, I decided to get up on my own from the wheelchair. As I got out of the wheel chair I blacked out and was rushed to the hospital. While at the hospital, they ran tests and found fluid surrounding my heart. The doctors decided that an emergency surgery to remove the fluid was necessary. The doctors removed over 600cc of fluid inside and outside of my heart. They stated that if I had waited two more hours, I would have passed away. The next day while in ICU, I was told I had to have another surgery to figure out why my lungs weren’t capable of functioning on their own. They did surgery on my right lung this time.
I felt drained, but I kept fighting, I needed answers. I was diagnosed with three chronic autoimmune diseases. Dermatomyositis, this is a rare muscle disease that affects the heart and lungs, the breathing muscles, swallowing muscles and skeletal muscles. This disease depending on the day, debilitates me to the point where some days I can walk, while others I am confined to the wheelchair. I was also diagnosed with sjogrens syndrome, a chronic autoimmune condition characterized by degeneration of the salivary and lachrymal glands, causing dryness of the mouth and eyes. This condition also affected my teeth; sadly I am missing most of my teeth. The doctors also told me that I have pulmonary fibrosis, a respiratory disease in which scars are formed in the lung tissues, leading to serious breathing problems. I am on chemotherapy medicine to control the diseases, prednisone and acthar gel injections as well. All these illnesses made the type 1 diabetes that I have had since age 8 worse.
Despite all of this happening in my life, my fiancé proposed to me while in the hospital in front of my family and favorite nurses on December 13, 2013. I didn’t know if I was going to live or die, I was hanging on to my faith. Saying YES to him was without a doubt my desire, he’s an amazing man and best friend.
The doctors have told me that I have 3 to 5 years to live because of the pulmonary fibrosis and the other conditions involved make the pulmonary fibrosis worse. My lung specialist stated that I have to be put on a lung transplant list. It’s a scary thing for me, but also for my fiancé, my mother, my younger brother and the family. There is a chance of rejection, but I truly believe God does things for a reason. I believe throughout my journey God made me into the woman I am, I see life differently, I appreciate the little things.
My goal is to marry the man of my dreams, to walk to him and not be in a wheelchair, even though I don’t know if this illness and its complications will take me away from him. I just want to finally marry the one I love. We have been engaged for two years and saving for a wedding has become impossible due to the medical bills.
Getting in touch with you is amazing. I truly believe God put Ivonne and you in my path for a reason. I do have so many ideas in my mind, one example is dedicating the song “Mamas Song” by Carrie Underwood to my mother, she’s been my rock through it all and dedicating a special song to my fiancé.
I would love to do my wedding if possible around February because my birthday is on Valentines Day. I don’t know how to sign the HIPAA form could you explain that to me. I don’t have an exact count on how many people will be there, but could I give you an estimate if possible? If my dream wedding is possible it would be a dream come true for me. Thank you again for taking the time to write to me! ”
When 27 Miracles planner Rosie Moore received this letter, she was touched by Gabby’s story. She spoke to a few wedding professionals who without even thinking, after she shared the story said count me in. There are many who are surprising the bride and groom with their services, so we shall have to keep everything a secret for now…but if you follow us on facebook , you will be sure to see many pictures of the beautiful day.
On Saturday, April 2nd 2016 at 2:30pm, Gabby and Frank will be married with all of their friends and family at First Baptist Orlando Church. The wedding professionals involved are all eager for this day to come so that they can give of themselves to make a bride’s dream come true. There will be a private reception for friends and family after the ceremony. On this day a community will join together to help make Gabby and Frank’s wedding dreams come true. 27 Miracles thanks all of the wedding professionals that have been involved in planning this blessed event.
The planners at the Association of Bridal Consultants want to be at the forefront of education at all times so they can have fresh new ideas for their clients. What better way to stay ahead of the game than to have a meeting in one of the largest warehouses there is in Central Florida; A Chair Affair where they have every imaginable chair, charger, cake stand and so much more! But you can’t leave out the linens, color and texture combined with the accessories to make a tablescape gorgeous on your event day. Jennifer from Over the Top Linens had a fabulous presentation that included show and tell for all the planners and designers present that day.
Jennifer spoke about the Five Fabulous Design Tips:
Keep your key words in mind
Have faith that all your efforts will be worth it and you selected the right vendors
Share something personal and unique
Tell the story
Prioritize what is important and keep the look consistent
Be a dream team, but remember the bride(client) is the BOSS!
Jennifer touched on the trends that we are seeing in 2016:
Going glam
Shades of treasure
Dramatic fashion
Geometric patterns
Exotic elegance
Simple photography
Tourist for a day
See the pictures of some of the designs created right there at A Chair Affair with Jennifer from Over the Top Linens and Sharon from A Chair Affair. Tracey from Enchanting Events tied all of the information together and took us to the planner’s favorite moment when she gets to put the design ideas together with the client’s vision for the presentation to the client of what is “THE VISION” the moment that a bride awaits to see her dream wedding come true!
We all enjoyed a great Italian buffet dinner from Del Dio’s Restaurant on the beautiful china from A Chair Affair. Following our presentation, came the dessert reveal, WOW! Bedazzle your eyes with cake and desserts from Cut the Cake and Macaroons from the Macaroon Place!
Despite the torrential downpour that evening, nothing could keep the planners from attending this fabulous event that would enrich the lives of their future clients. Planners are like the mail carriers, neither rain, sleet or snow will keep them away from learning and planning your beautiful event. It’s a good thing we just deal with heat and hurricanes in Florida!
#ABCDESIGNS2016
Thank you to our wonderful sponsors!
Over the Top/Linens
Casa Del-Dio/Catering
Captured by Belinda/Photography
Treasured Moments/Videography
Enchanting Event Designs/Decor
A Chair Affair
If you have a question or want to be an ABC member Contact:
27 Miracles Blog 