WHAT YOU READ IS WHAT YOU GET

It's very important for you to read each contract thoroughly for every vendor that you hire.

Do not under estimate a small mistake on a contract and have corrections made before you sign the dotted line. Once you have signed the contract, your are acknowledging and giving written consent that the document is factual.

A contract should have the minimum items listed.

Time of the Event

Date of the Event

Start Time of the Event

End Time of the Event - especially important for vendors that charge you and hourly fee if you go over your time.

Arrival time of vendors - Especially important for photographers and florists. Most photographers establish a time to start taking pictures prior to the ceremony. Florist will most likely drop off the bouquets and boutonnieres for you and your bridal party.

Event Location - including address of venue

The vendors address and phone number

Your point of contact on the day of the wedding

Your address and phone number

WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE - WHO WILL WIN?

Our team at Alce Events, and two of the employees at Specialty Insurance Group, have entered into a 6 month weight loss challenge as of June 1st. Their total combined weight loss goal is 60 pounds. My goal is to lose 50 pounds by December 15th. At 214 pounds and 5'3.5 inches, I developed type II Diabetes at the age of 28. What seemed like a sinus infection that I couldn't "shake off" turned into two weeks worth of sleepless nights, excruciating muscle cramps in my legs that were nearly paralyzing until the pain subsided, and a constant, insatiable urge to drink endless bottles and cups of water. The final straw for me was when I noticed that I had lost 10 pounds in two weeks without dieting, and one day while in the shower I noticed that my left leg was numb. Freaked out, I went to my doctor right away. My glucose levels were at 572, and I was hospitalized for four days. At that point, my body was no longer absorbing the nutrients in the foods I ate because they were being flushed out with the enormous amounts of water that I drank daily. If you've ever been diagnosed with any type of disease, you know what I mean by your life is forever changed when the doctor utters the words that contain your diagnoses.

During my four day hospital stay, I had more blood work done than I can count on my fingers and toes, and had blood drawn from my artery through my left arm. That hurt more than all of the blood work combined! My triglycerides were high and my potassium levels were very low. I drank liquid potassium once and then advised my nurse to switch over to pills in order for me to hold it down. I was also given Niacin to which I had a horrible reaction to and developed a hot (literally) rash and itching from head to toe. Not scratching while the Benadryl injected through my IV took effect was almost impossible.

My husband was there every day to make sure that I was ok, and watched to learn how to inject the insulin and check my glucose levels along with me. Although my husband is 6'2 and thin, he changed his diet along with me to be supportive. At first, I did not know whether to laugh or cry when I saw him reading food labels to count carbs, dietary fiber and sugar in the foods he'd prepare for me. I am very blessed and fortunate to have such a wonderful man by my side! We have both learned how to choose healthier food alternatives.

Eight months later, I am no longer insulin dependent but use two types of medicines, along with diet, to keep my glucose levels under control. As emotional as it may be to write this blog, I hope that it helps inspire those of you who have come across my story and struggle with your weight and/or weight related health issues. I've had to learn that food is not your enemy! At 29, my mind is made up that I WILL enter my 30's a healthy and vibrant young lady with many personal and professional goals and dreams to attain.

This challenge has made me accountable to myself, the participants from Specialty Insurance Group and you my blog readers. By opening up about such a personal and frustrating part of my life I can be a true example that living healthy is doable, and always the best choice over crash diets and binging in order to look "your best" for your wedding or special occassion.

Stay tuned for updates on each of our progresses, frustrations, failures and most importantly... successes!

AMAZING FLORIDA BEACH WEDDING VENUES

Looking for a beachside wedding location in Florida? Check out the BeacHhouse Waterfront Restaurant in Bradenton, FL. The views of the beautiful Gulf are breathtaking, and make for a memorable and romantic wedding day. Their food presentation is top notch, and the buffet servers interact with your guests creating an ambiance where everyone can mingle and get to know one another. The BeacHhouse offers two ceremony locations on the beach, and two covered pavilions with ceiling fans during warm weather. They also have two sister properties - The SandBar and Mar Vista.

SPECIALITY INSURANCE GROUP'S LUAU ANNIVERSARY

Pictures of Specialty Insurance Group's summer luau

to commemorate their company's one year anniversary.

Thank you for choosing Alce Events!

We wish you many more years of success to come!

Wedding Luau

Summer is here!

And what a great time to have a wedding luau with beachside pictures that are both graceful and romantic. The team at Alce Events has put some ideas and pictures together that will help you create that beach luau without an expensive price tag. We have found glass, round and square vases at Dollar Tree stores for $1.00, that are perfect for your floral arrangements. They also carry a variety of luau party supplies, including children's raffia skirts that can serve many purposes for your luau decorations.


Instructions for DIY Luau floral arrangement:
As seen in the picture below, separate the raffia skirt into sections (approximately 3 inches wide) and place the glass vase in the middle of the strands so that you have the same length of material remaining on both sides of the vase. You can glue the bottom of the vase to the strands when you initially place it on top to secure them in place, and make it easier to work the ends when gluing them over the edge of the vase.

Cut the loose ends of the raffia skirt (approximately 1 inch) to make the ends even. Select one end of the raffia strands to begin gluing them onto the glass. Use a hot glue gun and sporadically put glue on the ends of the strands. Fold the strands over the edge of the vase. Be CAREFUL! The glue is EXTREMELY HOT and can burn your skin! It's recommended to use a disposable plastic utensil to press the strands against the glass until they stick to the vase. The plastic utensil will not stick to the glass unless you allow the glue to harden. Cut the rope from the other end of the skirt and follow the same procedure. Half the vase will be covered with raffia. You will then follow the same steps again on the remainder of the glass to cover the entire vase.





Let the glue dry for approximately two hours. Then go back and secure loose strands, if any. Once the glue is dry, you can begin arranging the flowers in the vases. Certain Publix grocery stores sell multicolored lilies, and an assortment of other flowers, at 3 bunches for $10. Please not that these flowers may not be available at your local grocery stores and you may need to purchase them from a wholesaler. The vase can hold 3-5 lilies with additional accent flowers. **Please note that the flowers used in the pictured arrangements are not lilies.

To add to the overall theme, you can also incorporate seashells on the guest tables to complete the luau feel of your wedding day.

Stay tuned for more decorating tips and wedding advice next week!

WEDDING PLEDGE 2009

I pledged to write about someone that has made a great impact in the wedding industry and whom I truly admire. Beverly Ann Bonner, the Master Planner of the Association of Bridal Consultants in Massachusetts, was the first person who came to mind. As a member of ABC myself, I was fortunate to train with Beverly Ann, and coordinate the first of many prestigious weddings.

Beverly Ann is a true example of an entrepeneur, and mentors many planners to be successful in the event planning business. She coordinates ABC's networking events in the Boston area. Being able to meet with various event planners and vendors was beneficial because I would not have networked with the belly dancer, candy favor specialists and regarded photographers that were invited to these events, had I researched them on my own. She is also very approachable and makes the time to make sure you have all of the necessary tools to be great.

In closing, being able to see an experienced wedding planner's master craft has been very encouraging to hone my own skills and make weddings ultra special for my clients. Meeting and working with some of Boston and Orlando's finest vendors has afforded me the opportunity to provide my clients with the ultra chic and fabulous events they expect from their event planner.

I work primarily in the Orlando area, and still maintain contact with Beverly Ann. In November, I'll get to meet with her again at ABC's annual conference, and continue to network with many other great vendors.

AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE

Have you and your groom discussed if you'll have one joint checking/savings account? Do you know your credit score? Discuss your goals as a couple and establish a timeline to reach them together. Always be honest with each other so you can take the proper financial steps to purchase your first home, start a business, and/or start your family. Financial surprises are never fun, and neither is getting denied for credit.

Know where you stand with all three credit bureaus. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion are the three largest agencies, and they do not all report identical information. A low beacon score and derogatory information can raise your automobile insurance premiums, cause you to miss a job opportunity and/or pay higher interest rates on mortgages and loans. Any erroneous information should be disputed right away directly with the reporting agency, and they'll investigate it with the creditor at no cost to you.

Though there are many unforeseen circumstances that may have been out of your control, and affected your payment history, do not let a bad credit rating discourage you. Instead, make the necessary changes to improve your credit standing. Check out freecreditreport.com. For a monthly fee, they'll monitor and inform you of any changes to your credit report. Having a game plan can help to minimize the arguments often caused by financial stresses.

FOR THE DIY BRIDES

Alce Events offers new services for the DIY Brides! Stressing over planning your wedding? Let Alce Events kick off your planning process by being your representative and doing the initial contacts for your vendors and negotiating your contracts. This service will help you have your dream wedding without having to research countless vendors. We only work with trusted industry experts that are experienced in providing utmost customer satistaction. For more information, or to set up an appointment, please contact Vanessa at info@alceevents.com.

FOOD IS AN EASY OPTION

I've been reading Life Is Hard, Food Is Easy by Linda Spangle, RN, MA, and wanted to share some insight to brides during what can be an extremely stressful time - planning your WEDDING! From the moment that you get engaged, panic strikes about looking perfect in that wedding dress. The added stress of planning your wedding, family issues and life can fling a normally casual gal into a frenzy. Throw society's pressure on being skinny and you may set yourself up for failure.

Spangle shares some tips about using food as comfort, which is where most of us with weight issues fail miserably. Most envy those brides who lose weight during the planning process. But, truth be told, we do not all fall into that category and do the exact opposite. Those pounds creep up unnoticeable until that dreadful dress fitting or when a rude family member takes audible notice.

Managing stress is key to maintaining a level head and healthy balance between life and what can be one of the most stressful times of your life. Learning to recognize what is causing you to eat, and working through those issues will be helpful in addition to eating healthy. As some of you may look into various weight management programs like Jenny Craig, eDiets, Nutrisystem or others, learn new eating habits and new ways to handle stress. Learn why you're eating so that food doesn't become a comfort or outsource for negative feelings, and help to deflect weight gain. I too have had to learn how to deal with frustration, boredom and underlying emotions that drove me to eat. It's been a journey, but I continue to learn. And when I mess up, there's always tomorrow to eat better and get back on track!

Take good care of yourselves and start married life a healthy you!

Contents on this blog page are not meant to provide medical advise, and are only the personal opinion of the author. You should always talk to your doctor before starting any diet or exercise regimen.

FIGHT AGAINST NIEMANN-PICK TYPE C DISEASE!

Dust off your bowling shoes for a great night of bowling for a great cause! On Tuesday, March 31, 2009, from 7:00pm-9:00pm, MarketLeverage helps raise awareness and proceeds for one of their network’s publishers, Mike Stults, the founder of the Niemann-Pick Children’s Fund.

Sadly, two of Mike’s three sons, Brisan and Parker, have recently been diagnosed with a rare, incurable, and terminal childhood disease called “Niemann-Pick Type C disease”. To raise awareness about this devastating disease, and to raise funds to help find a cure, we’ve set aside a special night of bowling at the Airport Lanes bowling alley, located in Sanford, just off of 417 and Highway 17-92.

Our goal is to generate $5,000.00 or more for the Niemann-Pick Children’s Fund with this event, so we need your help to make this a success! We want as many people to participate, so book this date in your calendar and spread the word -- invite your family, your friends, and your neighbors!

Additionally, if you know of any businesses or companies that would like to sponsor this great cause (with food, prizes, shirts, lane sponsorships, monetary donations, etc.), please contact Dina Riccobono at dina@marketleverage.com!

If you or your invitees cannot attend this event but would like to contribute financially, please visit the Stults’ family website at http://www.bripardun.com/, where you may PayPal your contribution instantly to their foundation.

We look forward to seeing you there!

FREE Wedding Invitations

It's tax season and Alce Events is expending our very own economic stimulus program! We are giving away FREE wedding invitations when you book us for an All Inclusive Wedding Package.

Your selection of invitiations range from unique, traditional, contemporary or anything in between, for every couple's style.

To set up an appointment or for more information, please contact Vanessa Alce at (321) 765-4088 or info@alceevents.com. Contact us today!

Alce Events Inc. carries an extensive selection of wedding invitations and stationery. Promotion valid for Carlson Craft invitations only and must be ordered through Alce Events. Expires February 28, 2009.

New Year's Resolutions to Date

2009 is off to quite a different start than some previous years. It's almost as if I have made a resolution not to make a resolution. Year after year I end the year wishing that I was thinner, and start the new one by resolving to go to the gym more, lose weight, eat healthier, etc. Instead, my approach has changed.

Being aware of what keeps me from those goals is what has changed my thought process. Instead of listing what I am going to start doing, I have made a list of what I am going to stop doing. For example, I am going to stop letting my emotions dictation my food choices and bad habits, and using food as a comforting mechanism. That step will help me to choose better food choices, which can improve my physique and over all health, and motivate me to increase my physical activity.

Spin/cycling classes have been my motivation to continue working out because they challenge me and help to burn anywhere from 600-800 calories in one class, depending on the intensity. One of the best things I have enjoyed is that it's a personal exercise and you go at your own pace. The instructor is there as a guide but you work within your own limits. You should always consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise regiment.

I hope that this blog entry helps some of you who repeatedly make New Year's resolutions and fail miserably to make them a reality. Although my blog is mainly about weddings, colors, themes, and all of the fun details that go into planning your big day, life does not stop because we're planning our wedding. We still face the same issues. So in lieu of keeping it wedding related, brides please take good care of your health. Avoid crash diets, the most popular diet pill on the market and fake promises you'll be thin in little to no time. Your family and guests want to celebrate You because they love you as is. So whatever the goal may be, make healthy choices for you and your hubby/wifey to be.

New Topics Coming Soon!

Weddings and Events are two of our most favorite topics at Alce Events, and we want to introduce new and creative ideas that will provide insight during your planning process. Please check back for updates as we will post new entries on various subjects such as etiquette, planning a destination wedding, how to cope with difficult family situations and a lot more. We welcome your comments and ideas to share with other couples also. From the team at Alce Events, have a wonderful and safe Happy New Year!