A Kind Word

One of the best parts of being a business owner is hearing kind words about your hard work after you finish a "job." I received a letter yesterday from a "mother of the bride" which really brought a smile to my face...

I am the "mother of the bride" and I have nothing but praise for Antonia Christianson Events. My daughter got engaged in February and chose to get married in September. We decided that we would need a wedding planner about two months later. After meeting with Missy, my daughter thought she would be a good choice for the big event. Missy was the perfect person to help plan the wedding. She was punctual in our meetings, prompt in returning emails and always pleasant and interested in how the wedding was progressing. If questions were asked about wedding vendors, Missy always researched and came back with a choice of answers.

The services we requested were mainly for the day of the wedding. I do not know what we would have done without her! She was a true lifesaver! On the day of the wedding, Missy arrived early and jumped right in, setting up and arranging, checking on everyone and taking the pressure of "worry" out of "what should we do next". Organization is a major issue when getting married and Missy had the wedding day so well planned, everything fell right into place. One of the traits I appreciated about Missy was her positive, calming attitude. When everyone else was getting wedding day jitters, she kept a smile on her face and helped calm the situation.

Some people think having a wedding planner is an unnecessary expense. The "father of the bride" was one of these people. But after seeing the terrific job Missy did, he decided Missy was a great investment in the wedding! If we had another wedding, we would use her again in a heartbeat.

Thank you again Missy for everything you did to help make our daughter's wedding so special!

Paula Barrett
Sterling, Virginia

Natalia and Joe

I wrote in a previous blog how much I love helping old friends plan their weddings...and this is definitely the case with my College Pal Natalia!

Natalia and I met through my best friend Melanie while attending Christopher Newport University. We both were Communication Studies majors and enjoyed taking courses together. I think my first real memory with Natalia was on 9.11...Natalia's father is a doctor in the DC area (where her family lives) and was unreachable at the time...Natalia came to our dorm room and together with my roommates we spent an unforgettable day together hoping for the best.

Fast forward 6 years and Natalia gets engaged on my birthday to a Norfolk Firefighter, Joe. He actually stopped the Norfolk Grand Illumination Parade (in his firetruck) to propose. I received a very common phone call the next day...a "HELP" call. Natalia recognized that with her and Joe's busy work schedule some wedding planning help was a definite necessity.

I have spent the last few months trying to help them make a decision on where to hold their upcoming wedding festivities. We originially thought that DC was an obvious choice as this is where Natalia's family is...but after much consideration a Hampton Roads Wedding is a must.

We have visited quite a few venues and have starting narrowing down the decision as where we are going to hold this reception. We spent the day visiting a few venues in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg...Natalia and I discussed wedding plans, while Joe and my husband James discussed wines, fires and Norfolk General (Joe and James both work together as well).

I really look forward to spending the next 15 months together planning this event which is sure to be a blast...check back often as I keep you updated on the planning process...

Brandon and Nikki

It is always an honor to help plan events for old friends. Currently I am in the process of working with 2 such great people on their upcoming wedding plans. The planning process is even better when you really enjoy their significant others.

One of these couples are Brandon and Nikki...I met Brandon years ago in High School and grew to love him and his family. After High School we actually ended up working together for a few years and have continued to randomly run in to each other and kept in touch. When I found out about his engagement to such a great girl I couldn't wait to see him again...

Brandon and Nikki are a great couple...fun and obviously in love. Nikki and I had the opportunity to spend the day together while taking care of some very important planning decisions for their upcoming nuptials...Who is going to have the great opportunity to create the hair and makeup design for this upcoming April Wedding? Nikki had recommended a hair designer that she had seen at a fashion show a while back named Emily Painter. It just so happened that Nikki unknowingly chose my personal hair stylist who always does an amazing job. And like always....Emily did a great job and all day Nikki kept saying how much she loved her hair!

After our hair trial I took Nikki to the acclaimed Salon Vivace to work with makeup artist Erin Nichols...another personal favorite. Erin was in the middle of a very busy saturday when she took the time out to work with us on creating Nikki's makeup design. She did a great job and Nikki looked awesome!

We finished out our day at All the Rage for her first wedding gown fitting. As always, Ashley Neronski and her staff really made Nikki feel special and made sure that even with their busy store she was an obvious priority. Her dress looked fantastic and we could really get the feel of how beautiful Nikki was going to look for this upcoming April Wedding.

You know your client looks great when the other customers in the bridal shop take pictures of her as she walks by.

I definitely can't wait to see this bride walk down the aisle!

Hampton Roads Magazine Bridal Show

It’s that time of year again…”booking season” for all of those great weddings during the 2008 bridal season. We are off to a great start thanks to the Hampton Roads Magazine Bridal Show. I met some great new contacts, a lot of brides and hopefully some new clients. I was amazed to see how many 2009 and even 2010 brides there were out today…but if there is one thing I have learned in this business…you can never start planning too early. It was great to be around some of my favorite local vendors and I look forward to working with them again this fast approaching bridal season.

A Year In Review

Antonia Christianson Events officially celebrates our 1 year anniversary in just a few short days and what a crazy year this has been. We have been blessed to get many of our events from the great marketing tool “word of mouth”…but in 2008 we have started off the new year with a new attitude. We have chosen to advertise in a few select magazines, launch a new website and hop in on one of the best “bridal showcases” in the area. We have high aspirations for the 2008 wedding season and really hope to show this town some fresh, creative, elegant weddings and corporate functions. We truly believe that we can help create “endless possibilities with everlasting memories that will exceed your expectations…every time.”

We look forward to an amazing 2008 season…