A Fantasy Wedding 2011 Vendor: All Seasons Floral Preservation

We are so excited that All Seasons Floral Preservation will be a vendor of A Fantasy Wedding 2011. Check out their gorgeous work at www.allseasonspressed.com. For more information on A Fantasy Wedding 2011, please visit www.facebook.com/afantasywedding2011 or www.asplashofelegance.com.

Remarriage Showcase for Encore Brides

A Splash of Elegance has partnered with Remarriage Works to produce encore bridal showcases throughout the United States.  2011 shows are planned for Leesburg, VA, Rancho Santa Fe, and Coto de Caza, California.

So what exactly is an encore marriage?  It is anyone getting remarried, whether is be the 2nd, or 4th time.  Paula Bisacre founded Remarriageworks.com as a resource for step-families.  Their mission is "To have a positive impact on remarrieds by providing solutions that increase happiness. We celebrate each successful, individual remarriage."

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 14, 2011, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m at River Creek Club in Leesburg, Va.

The schedule for the day is:

10:00-10:15   Registration and Check-In

10:15-10:30 Welcome

10:30-11:30 Champagne Brunch and Wedding Attire Fashion Show

11:30-12:00 Vendor Showcase and Breakout Sessions with Experts

12:00-12:45 Keynote Speaker, Paula Bisacre, Publisher, RemarriageWorks.com; Author, Journal for Stepmoms

12:45-1:10 Vendor Showcase and Breakout Sessions with Experts

1:10-1:40 Dessert and Fashions

1:40-2:00 Door Prize Drawings and Closing Remarks

For tickets and sponsorships visit https://remarriageshowcase.com/secure/.

Happy Planning!

The Splash Team  

A Fantasy Wedding 2011 Vendor: Williams-Sonoma

A Splash of Elegance is pleased to announce that Williams-Sonoma is one of this year's sponsors of A Fantasy Wedding 2011. What a fabulous store to have your wedding registry -- stop by and let the experts help you set up your household for fabulous entertaining and scrumptious dining! Visit them online at www.williams-sonoma.com. For more information on A Fantasy Wedding 2011, please visit www.facebook.com/afantasywedding2011 or www.asplashofelegance.com.

A Fantasy Wedding Article on Patch.com

We wanted to share with you an article Patch.com wrote on our winners of A Fantasy Wedding 2011, Mindi and Philip. Hop on over to the article to read more about our winning couple and the recent Meet and Greet we had with all the fabulous vendors who will be contributing to their special day!

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"I thought, 'Reston has everything a bride would want,' " Victoria Wagner, owner of A Splash of Elegance, says.

She was correct. Nearly 100 couples from all over the country entered the contest. One pair even entered 137 times.

In the end, Laster, a Marine currently stationed at Camp Lejune in North Carolina, and Walker, a Capitol Hill staffer, were the lucky winners."

-Patch.com

A Fantasy Wedding 2011 Vendor: Talbots

A Splash of Elegance is pleased to announce that Talbots at Reston Town Center is one of this year's bridal sponsors. Thank you, Talbots, for being one of this year's Fantasy sponsors! Visit their beautiful store at Reston Town Center or visit them online at www.talbots.com to see all their fabulous selections! For more information on A Fantasy Wedding 2011, please visit www.facebook.com/afantasywedding2011 or www.asplashofelegance.com.

A Fantasy Wedding 2011 Vendor: Melanie Miller-Cvilikas, LCSW

A Splash of Elegance is pleased to announce that Melanie Miller-Cvilikas, LCSW, will be providing our lucky winning wedding couple with some free pre-marital counseling sessions! Thank you, Melanie, for helping our fantastic bride and groom get started on the right foot! Contact Melanie at impresent@aol.com for more information. For more information on A Fantasy Wedding 2011, please visit www.facebook.com/afantasywedding2011 or www.asplashofelegance.com.

A Fantasy Wedding 2011 Vendor: Reston Town Center Smiles

A Splash of Elegance is pleased to announce that Reston Town Center Smiles will be providing Mindi and Philip free teeth whiting prior to their fantasy wedding! Who doesn't want sparkling pearly whites on their wedding day?!? Visit www.rtcsmiles.com to see how you can smile pretty on your wedding day!

For more information on A Fantasy Wedding 2011, please visit www.facebook.com/afantasywedding2011 or www.asplashofelegance.com.

Virginia Destination Wedding Guest Welcome Bag Ideas

While at the Virginia Association of Bridal Consultants State Meeting the other week, we had the opportunity to hear from the amazingly talented Candice Benson, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Association of Bridal Consultants.  Candice discussed destination weddings and how it's possible to have a destination wedding right in your hometown.  While it may not be a destination wedding to you, to your guests, traveling to your wedding could absolutely be a destination wedding, so why not treat them with local goodies from your hometown.

A Splash of Elegance is based out of Reston, Virginia and serves brides all over the metropolitan D.C. area.  We wanted to share some fun ideas for a Virginia or Washington, D.C. themed guest welcome bag.

1. Route 11 Potato Chips: Route 11 Potato Chips are made on, you guessed it Route 11 in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
2. Virginia Wine: With close to 200 Vineyards and Wineries in Virginia, many of which are right here in Northern Virginia, why not treat your guests to a bottle of Virginia wine?
3. Virginia Peanuts: Did you know Virginia was there first place peanuts were grown in the United States?  Of course, you might want to skip these if you know of any peanut allergies.
4. Honest Tea: Honest Tea was created and operated just down the road in Bethesda, Maryland.
5. Yankee Candle Cherry Blossom Scented Candle: Thousands of Tourists flock to D.C. every spring to get a glimpse of the famous Cherry Blossoms, why not send your guests home with a jar of the fragrant Cherry Blossoms?
6. Patsy Cline CD:  Patsy Cline was born and raised in Winchester, Virginia.  Your guests will enjoy listening to a few of her classics like "Crazy" while getting ready for your wedding.
7. Old Bay Seasoning:  If you've lived in the DC area for any amount of time, you've no doubt tried Old Bay Seasoning.  Include it in your bag so your guests can bring home a little bit of the Chesapeake Bay with them.
8. And why not bundle it all up in a State-By-State Tote Bag?

And or course, it's always a good idea to include:

• A local map
• A list of restaurants and places to visit
• Bottled water so guests don't have to use the expensive hotel bottled water
• Directions to the ceremony and reception
• Any pertinent information, such as: if local events are going on that will affect traffic, a warning to leave early, and transportation information (if shuttle service is available).  

Happy Planning!

Julie Daniel, Splash Consultant

A Fantasy Wedding 2011 Winning Couple

We are so proud to share with you a little about our winning couple, Philip and Mindi!  They have won over the top fantasy wedding which will take place at the Reston Town Center on May 28, 2011.

Philip and Mindi recently became engaged after dating for about a year.  They met last year at Mindi’s 30th birthday at a bar where she was celebrating with friends.  Mindi noticed two Marines in full dress, and given her professional experience in veteran services and support, she proceeded with her usual practice of buying service members a drink.  In one night, she was sold and they were inseparable.  Philip is a Marine currently assigned to Camp Le Jeune in North Carolina. Mindi has an appreciation for service members due in part to her father having served a full career in the armed services.  Mindi has lived in the DC area for over ten years and works for the federal government. She is also currently pursuing a masters and Ph.D.  

Sandals Training

While at the ABC Virginia State Meeting, the entire Splash team had the opportunity to attend training to become Certified Sandals Specialists.  We learned all about their several gorgeous properties and about all the amenities they can offer couples on their honeymoon.  Their tag line is "The Luxury Included Vacation" and they are not kidding; every property is unique and stunning.

Sandals is also an ideal spot for your destination wedding or vow renewal.  We learned at the training that Sandals recently teamed up with Martha Stewart to create several amazing wedding packages.  Check out the Sandals Weddings website for a complete list of their Martha Stewart Wedding packages.

If you are interested in having your honeymoon or destination wedding or even your next vacation at any Sandals resort, let us know and we will have our personal Sandals representative call you to book your stay!

Training photos taken by Pamela Lepold of Weddings By Pamela.

ABC Virginia State Meeting

The entire Splash team had the opportunity to attend the Virginia Association of Bridal Consultants state meeting at the lovely Sheraton Reston a few weeks ago and we wanted to share a few pictures from the day.  All of the pictures were taken by the lovely Pamela Lepold of Weddings By Pamela.  Be sure to get in contact with Pamela when you are in the market for a photographer for your next wedding or event!

We sat at gorgeous tables featuring linens by BBJ Linens and centerpieces from The Cheesecake Garden.

The meeting included a table design contest.  The participants were asked to design a table as if it were for an actual wedding, from the place cards to the favors!

As director of the Virginia Association of Bridal Consultants, A Splash of Elegance owner Victoria Wagner had the honor of announcing the winner of the table design contest.

 At lunch we were privileged to see a fashion show of reconstructed bridal and bridesmaids gowns made by the talented Lynn Nelson of Bridal Silhouette.

 Team photo of The Virginia Association of Bridal Consultants:

Candice Benson, New Jersey State Director of the Association of Bridal Consultants gave a great speech on Destination weddings!

We are honored to be a part of the oldest and largest group of wedding professionals in the world!