Letter – July/August
Every bride wants a special wedding—one that is different from any other. She wants a wedding that inspires and moves guests while creating lasting memories for her and her groom. Destination weddings offer exactly that kind of enchantment. For years to come, couples who wed away from home will hearken back to the moment of their wedding with sensory experiences that tie them back to the moment—feeling the cool, rough, damp surface of a stone if they marry at a rustic stone church, feeling and smelling the salty breeze of the ocean if they wed on a beach. You get the picture. Destination weddings are a great way to design exclusive events that will be remembered by couples and their guests for years to come.This issue of Wedding Planner Magazine offers you the latest destination wedding trends as well as tips from the pros on becoming a wedding planner who specializes in destination nuptials. Plus, the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) continues to provide seminars and research trips to exotic wedding locations—at surprisingly reasonable costs. Learn about one such trip to Caneel Bay on the island of St. John on page 23.Speaking of picking-up new ideas, explore the flurry of wedding trends sparked by Princess Kate and Prince William’s wedding through the eyes of one of the ABC’s U.K. members, Sonia Abrams. Plus, in this issue, we are honored to share the Real Wedding story of singer Michael Bublé and Argentinian actress Luisana Lopilato as shared by member and ABC Argentina Country Coordinator, Barbará Diez—and much more.Keep the ABC Business of Brides Annual Conference on your calendar for Nov. 6 – 8, 2011 in Baltimore. Grace Ormonde and Diann Valentine are our core presenters. They will be joined by a host of seasoned wedding experts (see page 18). To help make annual conference extra special, the ABC “Miss Dorothy Scholarship” application is due by July 31 and the ABC “Miss Dorothy Heart Award” nominations are due by August 15 (see page 17).You can register for conference, or find out more about the Miss Dorothy award and scholarship, at www.BridalAssn.com.See you in November!