Speaking Engagement :: International Caterers Association (ICA)

Another great time I had recently was speaking to the International Caterers Association (ICA) for their Regional Education Days (RED).

Officially known as ICA RED.

This was my first time speaking just to caterers (not mixed in with other wedding industry pros) and what a great, fun group they are!! The day's events were held at the very impressive new campus of The Rosen College of Hospitality Management- part of the University of Central Florida. Wow!

Thank you to long-time friend, supporter and former colleague at Disney Weddings, Warren Dietel who is on the board of ICA (and President and Owner of top Central Florida Catering company Puff 'n Stuff) and planned this extraordinary RED experience for asking me to speak to this amazing group of top caterers from around the country. It was truly a pleasure and fun to see some familiar faces of friends like Simon T. Bailey (also a speaker that day and former colleague of both mine and Warren's from our Disney days!), Pauline Parry and Joy Wallace and meet some wonderful new friends as well!

Looking forward to staying in touch with everyone!

engage!11 :: the grand del mar

We are thrilled to announce that engage!11 will be hosted in San Diego, CA at The Grand Del Mar May 30-June 2, 2011 -- simply an incredible resort and a perfect place for our 7th engage! event!! Much, much more to come but we hope you will consider joining us for what promises to be another impactful and 'engaging' luxury wedding business summit! Reserve your spot by clicking here.

Behind-the-Scenes visit to The Martha Stewart Show!

The 'icing on the cake' to our whirlwind New York visit last month was getting to join many of our wedding blogger buddies for a behind-the-scenes visit to the taping of The Martha Stewart show that included a segment on Sandals Weddings by Martha Stewart and destination weddings.

A few photos ::

Here we are with Darcy and Jen Ruske of Martha Stewart Weddings, Joann Delgin from Sandals and many of our favorite bridal bloggers including Harmony Walton, Ali Philips, Stephanie Frasier-Grimm, Christy Weber, Bee Kim and more!

With Randy in the Green Room!

Randy and the uber-fab Anthony Luscia of Martha Stewart Weddings!

This was our second visit to the Martha Stewart Show - last year we were lucky enough to have VIP seating for a taping of an entire show dedicated to Destination Weddings! Here I am with friend (& former client from Sandals) Liz Kaiser waiting for the show to begin.

In the studio...

Thank you Darcy, Anthony and Joann for the amazing invitations to get a glimpse into this wonderful world -- we loved every minute of it!!

New York Bridal Market Parties 2010! :: The Knot Industry Gala

Next up on our whirlwind NYC bridal market adventure was the party celebrating 15 years for The Knot. We are proud to have been one of the earliest supporters of The Knot those many years ago while at Disney (back when we all still referred to it as "the world wide web"!) and have been delighted (and more than a little blown away) at the explosive growth and superstar status that founders Carley Roney + David Liu have achieved. We couldn't imagine not being there to celebrate their success and remarkable achievements.

A few highlights of the extraordinary party held at The New York Public Library ::

Really, there are no words. This 12-foot tall, fresh floral masterpiece was designed by the one and only Preston Bailey!

Preston and the gorgeous Carley Roney!

Friends!! From left: Marcy Blum, Bryan Rafanelli, me, Carley, Randy Fenoli and Kathryn

Love this shot of Carley + Randy...it really sums up the spirit of the night!!!

New York Bridal Market Parties 2010! :: Martha Stewart Weddings

We really love parties - especially when they are filled with many of our very favorite wedding industry friends! Kathryn and I decided completely spur of the moment (literally hours before!) to fly up to New York for two very special parties :: The Martha Stewart Weddings event and The Knot's 15th Anniversary Party...because after following all of bridal market *buzz* on Twitter we simply couldn't stand to miss another second! Here are some highlights from the incredible celebration at The Martha Stewart offices...complete with a behind-the-scenes tour with Darcy Miller!

Kath and Me with the incredible celebrity photographer (and recent engage!10 :: the breakers speaker!) Donna Newman and our dear Cayman Islands friend Danielle Wolfe of

The Caribbean Club!

Me, our gracious hostess Darcy Miller and Kathryn!

Me and Kath with Darcy, famed designer Monique Lhuillier and husband Tom!!

Kathryn, Joann Delgin and Me...the Disney Weddings dream team together again!!

Thank you to Darcy, Anthony, Shira, Jen Ruske and all of our friends at Martha Stewart Weddings...it was truly an incredible party and so worth our impromptu trip!!

Speaking Engagement :: WPPI Road Trip Orlando

I was so honored when the oh-so-wonderful Garrett Nudd asked me to share the stage with him recently during the WPPI Orlando Road Trip. WPPI stands for Wedding and Portrait Photographers International and it is one the largest (if not THE largest) associations for professional wedding photographers in the world. It was a great pleasure to spend time with so many talented pros! Thank you to Garrett for including me!

Here Garret and I are pictured after the presentation with the lovely Joy Nudd, Lisa Konecny of E-Events and Jeffrey Stoner of Stoner Video - great times!!

Client Project :: Sandals Weddings by Martha Stewart

We recently had the honor of working with our long-time Engaging Concepts client Sandals & Beaches Resorts on the roll-out for their very exciting and innovative partnership with Martha Stewart called "Sandals Weddings by Martha Stewart." We were involved in the training & development of their teams from all 19 resorts throughout the Caribbean (Jamaica, Antigua, the Bahamas, St. Lucia and Turks & Caicos) and in their wedding sales offices in Miami.

We designed a comprehensive training program and delivered it multiple times over the course of a week in Jamaica. We also supported the team from Martha Stewart Weddings in the hands-on training of the actual wedding collections ( & learned alot along the way!!). They are all beautiful and are incredibly affordable! Every wedding at a Sandals or Beaches Resort is a Martha Stewart Weddings-designed affair (including the free WeddingMoon package with minimum night stay). The upgraded collections begin at just $1600.

Here are a few of our favorites ::

Chic & Natural ::

Vision in White ::

Seaside Serenade ::

And lucky me, in August I had the opportunity to travel to visit the newly expanded Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort on a special fam trip hosted by Martha Stewart Weddings Editorial Director Darcy Miller. It was a wonderful trip away with cherished industry colleagues...and the resort is a family-paradise!!

Pictured here at our "Island Paradise" collection dinner table on the beach at sunset with my dear friends Joann Delgin, Director of Weddings and Debbie White Director of Public Relations for Sandals & Beaches Resorts!

Here is a link to Harmony Walton of The Bridal Bar's round-up of our trip, with loads of great pics!

What an honor the entire experience was from start to picture-perfect finish!!!

Speaking Appearances at WIPA :: San Francisco + San Diego

I had an amazing time in California speaking for WIPA (Wedding Industry Professionals Association). I am so incredibly impressed with this organization and the level of professionalism, creativity, passion and commitment to creating a community of top-tier wedding professionals. I look forward to being a member of this organization in the coming year. Here are a few images from my whirlwind trip to The St. Regis in San Francisco (my second stay there in less than 6 months - spoiled!) and The Grand Del Mar (an amazing & very special resort!!). Thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to join us!!

Here I am in a fabulous creme & gold Raj Tent with owner Maurice. I have always loved these gorgeous tents and was thrilled to get to finally see (& enjoy!) one in person!!
The specialty Raj tent on the lawn at The Grand Del Mar.

Enjoying an afternoon glass of wine with the fabulous Dez Patterson (one of our new engage!10 :: cayman islands friends), Pauline Parry (President of WIPA & owner of Good Gracious Events! in LA and an industry icon!) and Natasha Chornesky of WriteShot in Las Vegas and who gave a lovely introduction to my presentation.
With the fab Pauline Parry on one of the incredible staircases at The Grand Del Mar - what an enchanting resort...I can't wait to return!!!

The Magic that was engage!10 :: the breakers

Our feet have still not touched the ground since returning from the magnificent Breakers Palm Beach following our 6th SOLD OUT engage! event this past week. We were so very lucky to have had our friend the brilliant Bruce Patterson of Cloud Nine Creative document it all to share as surprise 'same day edits' shown on Day 1 and Day 3 of the event. We have MUCH more to share but the best way to sum it all up is to take a peek at these highlights of the magic that was engage!10 :: the breakers...

Engage 10 {Day One} from Cloud Nine Creative on Vimeo.

Engage '10 {Day 2 + 3} from Cloud Nine Creative on Vimeo.

Speaking at WIPA!

I am thrilled to be heading to California to speak next week to members of WIPA (Wedding Industry Professionals Association) in both San Francisco and San Diego and look forward to meeting new friends and seeing some familiar faces on the West Coast! Hope to see you there!

For more details on the programs visit: www.wipausa.org

Additional information on engage!10 :: the breakers

With the 'paint just dry' on engage!10 :: cayman islands (see below for the recap) we are already hard at work on details for our next event this fall...engage!10 :: the breakers!

We are so excited to be collaborating with the incredible team at The Breakers in Palm Beach and have some new surprises in store blended with the best of what engage! has become known for - inspired networking and inspiration for luxury wedding professionals in an intimate and inviting setting.

We have created a detailed pdf with all of the background and information on the upcoming event ::

engage!10 :: the breakers information

And of course the official website is www.engage10.com

Hope to see you there!!

engage!10 :: cayman islands RECAP

Time sure flies when you are having fun!! We have enjoyed an incredible few months here at Engaging Concepts with some really interesting client projects and unique opportunities and of course, the successful presentation of our 5th wedding industry event engage!10 :: cayman islands in early June!

Instead of us telling you about it, we thought better to hear directly from the speakers & attendees themselves -- to date over 75 blog post/recaps have been filed and the official Twitter hashtag www.twitter.com#engage10 was burning up the lines before, during and after the event! Here is a pdf with live links to each post ::

engage!10 :: cayman islands blog posts

And a link to some highlighted 'rave reviews' of comments we have received about the event ::

engage!10 :: rave reviews

We continue to be blown away (& humbled) by the outpouring of support and kind words from so many and are eternally grateful to each and every person who joined us and came together to make this event the best one yet!! We could never have done it without the support of so many of our partners and will be thanking them in a follow up post!!

:: Incredible photos (above) of the event shared with us by the talented photographers Stevi & Matt Savage of Avery House ::

Speakers Announced for engage!10 :: the breakers

We are thrilled to announce the incredible speaker line-up for engage!10 :: the breakers. Be sure to check out the website for all of the names and full bios. But in the meantime, here is a sneak peek at the list! Hope to see you at engage!10 in June in Grand Cayman and/or in October in Palm Beach - all the details can be found at www.engage10.com.

Check out the "list" ::

Darcy Miller – Editorial Director, Martha Stewart Weddings
Mindy Weiss – Celebrity Party Planner
Carley Roney & David Liu – Founders and CEO's of The Knot
Maria McBride – Style Editor, BRIDES Magazine
Sylvia Weinstock – Sylvia Weinstock Cakes

Bryan Rafanelli - Celebrity Event Designer
Marcy Blum – Marcy Blum Associates
Abby Larson – Founder/Editor of StyleMePretty.com
Randy Fenoli – Fashion Director, Kleinfeld & star of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress”

Todd Fiscus – Todd Events/Dallas

Carol Poon – Editor, Bride & Bloom Magazine
Walt Shepard –Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Inside Weddings
Brooke Thomas – Editor, Weddings Unveiled Magazine
Susan Moynihan – Editor, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine
Lisa “Ceci” Johnson – Ceci New York
Amy Atlas – Amy Atlas Events
Tara Guerard- Soiree {Charleston & NYC} and author of “Weddings by Tara Guerard”

Liz Banfield - Wedding & Lifestyle Photojournalist

Lara Casey – Editor, Southern Weddings Magazine
Michelle Rago – Celebrity Wedding Designer
Kate Parker – Founder, Kate Parker Weddings & MyKPWedding.com
Harmony Walton – The Bridal Bar, Beverly Hills, San Diego and Atlanta

Liene Stevens - Social Media Expert & President of ThinkSplendid

Jill Meister – Media Consultant/former CBS Early Show producer

Sean Low – The Business of Being Creative/former President of Preston Bailey Designs
Simon T. Bailey – Author of “Release Your Brilliance”/Named to Top 25 Motivational speakers
Cindy Novotny –Internationally recognized speaker/trainer/Master Connections Associates

and of course - Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce of Engaging Concepts!

engage!09 :: something blue -- Recap Video!

engage!09 :: something blue from Rebecca Grinnals on Vimeo.

Special thanks to our friends at Chowder Inc. for creating this for us!

All the details at www.engage10.com

engage!10 is LIVE!

It is official - www.engage10.com is live! Be sure to check it out for all details on both engage!10 events - including speaker line-ups, program details, travel & accommodations, galleries from past events, testimonials from engage! attendees and a special video recap of engage!09 :: something blue created by our friends at CHOWDER! Updates to come over the coming months. We are so excited about the many luxury wedding professionals who will be coming together in June and October.

Special thanks to the amazing Trisha J. Hay for her design talents and also to liveBooks for the custom websites!

Save-the-Dates for engage!10 events

I know, I know - not a blog post in almost 3 months and sooooooooooo very much going on in the wonderful world of Engaging Concepts in that time!! I have a long list of posts that need to be written but I did want to be sure and let everyone know that we indeed have set dates for the next series of engage! events for 2010 and are hard at work behind-the-scenes creating two compelling and unique luxury wedding business summits sure to top the previous 4!! Many, many more details to be announced via Twitter in the coming weeks and the main engage!10 website and registration will launch on 1.10.10 so stay tuned!!!

Updates on engage!09 :: the encore

Quick update on engage!09 :: the encore coming up October 12-14, 2009 in Las Vegas at the amazing Wynn Encore Resort. Only a few spots remain and we are thrilled to once again have an incredible group of luxury wedding professionals coming together to share powerful business insights and for what has become a signature of engage! events - the 'inspired networking!' To date, we have attendees representing 22 states and 6 countries!!

We sent this email blast out yesterday {click on it to view larger!} and included a fun announcement - that the one and only Randy Fenoli, Fashion Director of Kleinfeld and star of TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress" will be joining us for the entire event and helping to 'guest host' the final night private event at the fab BLUSH nightclub at the Wynn!

In addition to that exciting news we have learned that Sylvia Weinstock is also joining us for the event - with even more surprises in store for the 100 attendees who will be on hand!!

We will update along the way but best bet is to follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news for #engage09encore {that is the official #hashtag to search on twitter!}.

Great times ahead!

"People You Should Know in the Luxury Wedding Industry"

So honored!!! From the blog of Lara Casey Reps::

"Sean Low, Rebecca Grinnals & Katharyn Arce, and Harmony Walton all have one very big thing in common: they are not only the industry leaders, movers and shakers, but they make things happen for people. BIG things. Sean Low single-handedly took Preston Bailey out of serious financial ruin andinto an uber-market all his own. The dynamic duo behind Engaging Concepts, Rebecca and Kathryn, have taken the luxury wedding market by storm, creating the most talked about conference to date:Engage!. We were fortunate to attend the Engage!08: Encore in Celebration, Florida last October and it opened up worlds of new opportunity for us. Harmony Walton's Bridalbar concept (just one of her many genius endeavors) is growing like wildfire and opening brides eyes to a new way of planning weddings. Brides are matched with their dream wedding team and wedding pros come together under one roof with a common thread: no competition, just the right vendor for the right client.

These are the people to look to for the real market trends... because they are creating them and giving people the knowledge and tools to do so as well. You can follow Sean, Rebecca, Kathryn andHarmony on Twitter. But, the greatest value is in one on one time with them. Sean now offers consulting and has a wildly popular blog, The Business of Being Creative. Rebecca has teamed up with Sean to offer what I consider the gold standard in business strategy: Super Sessions. Harmony is a frequent speaker at industry events and is always happy to sit down and dish over drinks. These are some of the most brilliant and generous people I know and I feel so blessed to call them friends. I learn from their dedication and commitment to the luxury wedding market every day and so can you. Drop them a line, an email, or a tweet and say hello!"

:: images left to right: Laura Novak, Stacey Kane, Triplecord

Thank YOU Lara! We are huge fans of all that you are doing and will continue to do for our amazing industry. We are so very grateful for your enthusiastic support!!

Be sure to add Lara's new BLOG to your 'must read' list :: www.laracasey.com/blog

New wedding industry client project launches :: CaymanVows.ky

We are delighted to present a project 9 full months in the making - the brand new website [created in collaboration with amazing agency Chowder Inc.] for our mutual long-time client, The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. Presenting :: www.CaymanVows.ky

All the details in the official press release below ::

- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -

New interactive wedding web site www.caymanvows.ky offers inspiration and guidance to brides planning destination 'I do's'

Toronto, ON (August 26, 2009) - Hot on the heels of its successful Engage!09 :: something blue wedding business symposium this summer which saw the likes of wedding guru Preston Bailey and Martha Stewart’s Darcy Miller descend upon the destination, the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism has launched a new web site, www.caymanvows.ky. Designed to showcase its wide range of wedding experiences, connect couples with service providers and inspire them to find their own unique wedding style, the site is infused with numerous interactive elements and a gallery of over 900 photos to date. A ‘Find Your Wedding Style’ quiz helps couples narrow in on their unique taste preferences and a ‘Real Wedding Stories’ section not only tells the story of couples married in Cayman, but provides an extensive photo gallery for each, with the on island suppliers they worked with to make their dream day a reality. “Images play an enormous part in helping a bride to determine what resonates with her and her sense of style,” says Rebecca Grinnals, founder of Engaging Concepts, an expert consultancy to the wedding industry that helped develop the web site. “Brides get inspiration from other brides and so the site is very image laden and interactive so couples can truly get a sense of what’s possible, while identifying the look and feel that best represents their relationship.” There’s even a section dedicated to the needs of wedding guests, with information on accommodations for all budgets, how to get to the destination, activities and attractions, on island transportation options, shopping, spas and telecommunications information. In addition,legal requirements, a special section on honeymoons and a wedding blog featuring guest entries from on-island service providers, add to the mix of content. “The Cayman Islands offers some of the most talented wedding service providers I have ever worked with,” says Grinnals. “So we have included an extensive section on venues, florists, wedding planners, photographers, cake designers and more. There’s also an explanation of what a traditional Unity Sand ceremony entails, a popular choice for those who get married on the beach.” Plans are underway to further increase the content including a section on unique destination wedding favour ideas, “must shoot” photo lists and even a behind-the-scenes look from wedding expert insiders. Grinnals says the site will be refreshed on a quarterly basis so brides will always be able to peruse a new selection of images which reflect the latest trends, colours and design elements. For more information on booking a wedding in the Cayman Islands visitwww.caymanvows.ky or email caymanvows@caymanislands.ky. In Canada, contact the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism at 416-485-1550 or toll-free 1-800-263-5805.

Powerful Video :: Why Social Media is Here to Stay

Via Ryan Seacrest.com {of all places!}

"In a YouTube video jam-packed with statistics on the alarming growth of social media platforms in recent years, a case is made that our society could be approaching the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution.

Amid slick graphics and a hip soundtrack, the video spouts statistics including:

- Social media has overtaken porn at the #1 activity on the Web.
- 1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media.
- Radio took 38 years to reach 50 million users, TV took 13 years, Internet took 4 years, yet Facebook took less that 9 months to add 100 million users.
- If Facebook were a country, it'd be the world's 4th largest following the U.S., India and China.

The video is produced by Socialnomics.net, a social media blog run by Erik Qualman, a VP at EF Education, the world's largest private educator.

Where do YOU fit into this social media revolution?"