When Bettina O’Neal’s fiancé, Michael Benson, popped the question back in July 2009, she had no idea about the wealth of planning she would soon undertake. The flowers, the cake, the dress, the location... “The location!” she gasps. “Michael and I had one week together to find a venue. So when it came down it, we decided quality was more important than quantity.” And she’s not alone. Our beautiful bride-to-be is just one of many women who have discovered that “VALUE” is the new luxury. “I completely underestimated the amount of planning and details I was facing,” says O’Neal, who happens to be one of OH&L’s stylists and owner of an online fashion boutique, Eye Candy Buy Candy. Several months now into planning, the bride-to-be’s journey has been punctuated with a series of challenges and valuable lessons. She’s hired wedding planner Sharia Riley of StyleHouse Weddings & Events in Winter Park to come in and help with final details the month before the wedding and to coordinate the actual wedding day event. “I like doing a lot of the planning and designing myself, but I hired a coordinator because I want to actually enjoy my wedding day,” O’Neal says. “I don’t want to be stressed out or responsible for all the last-minute details. Looking back, I wish I had hired her full time because the peace of mind is totally worth it. She’s given me a lot of great tips on how to save money and maximize my spending dollars.”

Delegating is the key to O’Neal’s sanity these days. “It started to feel like a second job, so I relinquished some control, asked for help and started to enjoy it again,” she says. “That’s what your bridesmaids and family are for. You’re going to drive you and your fiancé crazy if you think you have to have your hands in every little detail. Communicate your vision very clearly, and those who love you will do everything to help make it happen.” O’Neal says it also was a great way to involve her fiancé and give him control over the elements that were important to him, like the Corneliani tuxedos from Saks Fifth Avenue and groomsmen’s presents. “Grooms have a greater appreciation for the whole event when they are intimately involved and their opinions respected,” adds O’Neal. In fact, Benson was intimately involved in choosing the location. Both share an appreciation for finer things and wanted a quality location to support their theme of Old Hollywood Glamour and color palette of ivory, black and platinum. She even says she found an Old Hollywood Glamour-style dress online. Though she tried on several others just to be sure, she went back to the one she fell in love with on first sight – a pearl-colored, mermaid/asymetrical-style Maggie Soterro with a crystal one-shoulder strap also carried at Lily’s Bridal in Orlando. Her attendants, however, will each wear a unique black chiffon dress. “I want each person to feel equally important to me that day, and also wear a cut and style most flattering of their figure and their personality,” O’Neal says. Though she bought her dress first, O’Neal stresses, without hesitation, that the venue selection should be top priority because it’s the bulk of your budget. Time restrictions, availability during preferred months and cost factor deeply into the overall equation. After O’Neal and Benson agreed to a location – albeit out of town at the Four Seasons Hotel for the Atlanta-area natives – they were surprised there were still a couple weekends left in May and June when she booked back in September. It wasn’t long ago when you had to book big resort weddings at least one to one-and-a-half years out to get the dates and places
you wanted.

Now it seems some of our Central Florida venues are looking for brides. So that means negotiations are open. According to Heather Snively of Weddings Unique in Orlando, “With today’s economy, larger hotels are accommodating much smaller wedding budgets where they might not have in the past. Customized creative menus, synchronized service, complimentary or reduced valet charges and competitive room block rates are incentives to draw that bride.” Back in January, Downtown venues did a bridal push with the Orange County Regional History Center’s Downtown Bride Crawl, which paired brides with several wedding service providers, and included an enlightening walking tour from venue to venue. It brought to light many elegant options for weddings, receptions and rehearsal dinners people typically don’t associate with the downtown area and its pub-club reputation, such as Stirling Sotheby’s rooftop Global Gallery, which overlooks the skyline and Lake Eola, and Ceviche Tapas Bar and Restaurant located in Historic Church Street Station. Its Galicia Candle Room, with walls draped in lit candles, can be transformed into a romantic evening ceremony space.

SETTING THE STAGE
So where should a bride start? All three of the expert Central Florida wedding planners we spoke with agree that setting a budget tops the list of planning priorities.“Brides typically do not prepare a budget before launching into a site and vendor selection,” says Susie Weiss, owner of Winter Park’s Wonderful Weddings, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. “This creates a lot of ‘wheel spinning’ and wastes time for both the bride and the service providers involved.”“It’s easy to get lost in wish-list elements and overspend,” agrees Jamie O’Donnell, owner of Jamie O’Donnell Events and Phoenix Event Group. “To stay within budget, determine what elements are really important to you and will most represent you and your fiancé on your wedding day, so you can allocate funds appropriately and edit down those that willl have the least impact that day.” “An initial budget also leaves room for special touches closer to the wedding,” adds Snively, of Weddings Unique. “If you have a $20,000 budget and spend $5,000 on a dress (Don’t forget venue and food!), there isn’t much left for other details you may want months later.” “Setting a budget allows you to make smarter and more strategic decisions, from choosing a venue to flowers and food,“ O’Donnell says. “And it allows vendors to share what is do-able or offer creative alternatives that still accomplish your visionary goals without overspending.” After a preliminary budget is set, Snively says the first thing brides should do is select a date that is convenient for family and the two of you. Being able to take a honeymoon is important! Allow enough time for stress-free planning, and work on a guest list. You will need to know approximately how many guests will attend to select a location that will accommodate your event.

LOCATION & THEME
Location comes second only to the dress when planning the perfect wedding day. It sets the tone, shares the bride and groom’s personality and completes the overall vision. It only makes sense that there might be a few snags when picking the perfect place, such as time of year, wait lists, cost, weather and distance. “Brides need to be considerate of driving distance if the ceremony is at one location and the reception at another,” Weiss says. “If it’s more than 30 minutes one way, provision of transportation should be considered.” A majority of O’Neal’s guests are coming in from out of town, which weighed heavily in their decision to have the ceremony and reception at the same location. But it came with a bounty of benefits, too. “It’s an easier transition for my guests. They can stay at the hotel and not worry about transportation to and from events. Plus, it cut some costs for us: No limo or church fees, and lower liquor bills because of a shorter cocktail hour between the two. But we still have Michael’s hometown pastor coming to perform a religious ceremony,” O’Neal explains. But O’Neal is quick to point out that she blocked rooms at two different hotels, providing a secondary lower-cost option since rooms at the Four Season come with a heftier price tag. “With the economy, couples are having to be smarter with their budgets, but the great news is that weddings have become more personal again, with smaller and more meaningful guest lists, more intimate venues and emphasis on more thoughtful and personal elements. Smaller venues set the stage and bring all of those elements together in a perfect way,” O’Donnell encourages. Central Florida is booming with smaller venue options, some very well-known and others what we call “hidden gems.” But all of them allow couples to still have a very elegant, formal affair, while maximizing their budgets. Beyond the obvious big palatial resorts, our area boasts a very wide variety and seemingly endless list of “hidden gems,” such as Casa Feliz, the Courtyard at Lake Lucerne, Highland Manor, Leu Gardens, the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, Houston’s, the Maitland Art Center, Maison & Jardin in Altamonte Springs, Cranes Roost at Uptown Altamonte, the Orange County Regional History Center, English Gardens, the downtown rooftop of Global Gallery, Ceviche Tapas Bar and Restaurant, Mount Dora’s Lakeside Inn, the Grand Bohemian, Citrus Club, Veranda Bed & Breakfast, Bok Tower Gardens, the Estate at Cypress Grove, Orlando Museum of Art and Chalet Suzanne in Lake Wales... just to name a few. Our expert wedding planners weighed in on some of their favorite elegant yet intimate venues. “Hands down, it’s Casa Feliz, the gem of Winter Park,” raves Weiss. “The charm, history, location, flexible staff and understated décor are optimal for weddings up to 120 but even better for 80. Plus, it’s like a ‘chameleon’ and takes on décor to denote many different countries and themes.” “Central Florida has very few locations with this type of history,” Snively adds. “The intimate feel of the house is charming. I just love it!” O’Donnell, on the other hand, tops her list with the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, a Winter Park landmark that served as the perfect backdrop for this feature’s lead photo shoot. “The Polasek Museum is an absolute favorite,” O’Donnell exclaims. “It’s truly like stepping off Fairbanks Avenue and into a great romantic park in Europe, with its gorgeous gardens and breathtaking sculptures. Large, wrapping grounds offer endless creative possibilities, and a charming yet very small chapel allows an intimate exchange of vows. Set right on the lake, and it has one of the best wedding picture spots and water views in Orlando. It’s completely private, and the beauty of the gardens requires little additional décor – a plus for your budget since you’ll need to bring in tents for this outdoor, uncovered venue. You can also arrange to have the Winter Park Boat Tour charter your guests to the Museum’s private dock. But it’s in a residential area, so there are tight restrictions on amplified music. Live music is OK and complements the atmosphere beautifully. They book multiple events here, so make sure to book extra hours for set-up and breakdown into your day.”

THEMATIC VENUES
Many of Central Florida’s intimate venue options lend themselves well to specific themes, Weiss says. “Vintage-style themes pair well with the Lakeside Inn, which is supported by a quaint antique village in Mount Dora; Casa Feliz; Veranda Bed & Breakfast, which is bursting with towering oak tress and vintage Victorian buildings; and The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne.” “A lot of the events we host at Lucerne seem to have southern flavor,” adds Snively. This southern-style B&B, with its open courtyards, wrap-around porches, Victorian rooms with verandas overlooking the courtyards, Dickens collection and a charming gazebo, exemplifies southern grace and hospitality. “But it’s also an eclectic location that weaves in Art Deco in a way you think wouldn’t work, but it does!” The Maitland Art Center, a work of art in itself, combines a quaint chapel setting with an outdoor wedding peppered with Mayan culture. Originally built in 1937 by visionary American artist and architect Jules Andre Smith, the former artists colony is intricately decorated with detailed murals, bas-reliefs and carvings done in an Aztec/Mayan motif. “The chapel alone delivers spectacular wedding pictures, especially in black and white,” O’Donnell suggests. Garden-style weddings can support a variety of themes: Hawaiian, Island Tropical, Polynesian, Floral Fantasy, etc., but they come with cautions. Keep Mother Nature in mind and have back-up rain plans or tents, and ask about amplified music restrictions and accommodating outlets. All three of our planners recommend the beauty of Leu Gardens, though Weiss says to avoid the rose garden in February when they are cut back. And Bok Tower Gardens, a national landmark, sets a perfect stage with a meandering garden, tranquil resting places, shady recesses, picturesque vistas, a vine-covered arbor and flirtatious blooms. Winter Park’s English Gardens has a lovely garden-area gazebo that, when strung with lights, adds a glamorous touch to an evening ceremony. Since 1958, Altamonte Springs’ Maison & Jardin is where 5 sprawling acres, gardens and gourmet cuisine combine for elegant, high-end rehearsal dinners, weddings and receptions. The all-in-one location with neoclassical architecture was inspired by a mansion in the South of France dating back to Roman times, and it supports several themes.

DREADED DOWNTIME
After you lock down the location, theme and guest list, it’s time to think about the actual downtime between the ceremony and reception. Weiss has a few tips for filling the dreaded downtime. “A cocktail hour is a given. But during that time you can have a magician weave in and out of the crowd with slight-of-hand tricks; or you can provide a photo booth for guests to take fun pictures of themselves that they can take home as favors, which is always a big hit; or you can have a caricature artist draw sketches. But my biggest suggestion is to take all or a majority of your pictures ahead of time. This way you can greet all of your guests at the cocktail hour, which can be even shorter and cut down some of the liquor costs.” Our bride-to-be, O’Neal, has opted to take some of her pictures beforehand – all but those requiring bride and groom together, which will be taken after the wedding ceremony. “We’re spending so much money on a photographer, we want to make sure we’re getting our money’s worth, and I certainly don’t want to feel rushed between the wedding and ceremony because our guests are waiting for us. This is our chance to get all the shots we want – and to give the photographer all the time he or she needs to get it right and spend more time with our guests at the cocktail party we’re throwing, too,” O’Neal laughs.

WRAPPING IT UP
Planning your wedding shouldn’t be a chore, and following a few simple steps can ensure that it truly is the day of your dreams. O’Neal adds, “When it comes down to it, your wedding is much bigger than cakes and flowers; it’s about you and your fiancé – your marriage and the beginning of your lives together, which is much bigger than any of the little details. If you can keep that in mind, everything else will fall into place just fine!”