...WIN a wedding

Yes, that's correct...you can win the wedding of your dreams. A group of amazing wedding professionals have come together with their services and are giving away an entire wedding...from bridal gowns and tuxedos to wedding cake, to photography, to rehearsal dinner, to cooking lessions and even an amazing honeymoon. But to win you have to apply.

Take a look at the website at www.thegreatweddinggiveaway.com and see all the businesses included...and more are getting added every week. This wedding is approaching a value of $50,000! The first winning couple, Stephanie and Brian, have left some words of wisdom, excitement and encouragement for those applying to win. Take a look...you can't win if you don't apply!

Next, we'll let you meet Stephanie and Brian and hear about their wonderful wedding win and get you excited about WINNING your own wedding!

...those little labels...

You wouldn't think a little label would be so useful, but the certainly can be. Here's a tip for all you brides and grooms who plan to attend the Western New England Fall Bridal Show on Sunday at the MassMutual Center...use a label! Save yourself some time and effort and preprint your name, address, wedding date and email address on return address labels...they are cheap and quick. Print them out and bring them with you to the bridal show. So, when you're walking around and want to sign up for something, register for a prize or leave your contact information with a vendor, you can easily whip out your labels and slap it on. How easy is that! Love it!

...come "Kick the Tires"

It's time to "kick the tires!" Not that a bridal show is like buying a car, but the action is similar. You have to try it out before you buy. www.cjcevents.com

So...if you're getting married...come check out all your options for planning a wedding. The Western New England Fall Bridal Show is at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield, MA on Sunday, November 18th from 11-4pm. Meet the area's finest wedding professionals...enjoy cake and food samples...bridal goodie bags, live entertainment...and the most amazing fashion shows this side of New York!!

This is a convenient, wonderful ONE day event! Free subscriptions to Brides' Magazine for all registered brides.

Come have some fun...kick some tires...experience all that a bridal show offers! Check the website for details!

a wedding on ice...

What do you get when you combine a set of beautiful wedding bands, some amazing wedding professionals, a wonderful engaged couple and hockey? You get the Hannoush Wedding on Ice.



Nicole Genovese and Mike Murray were the ultimate winners of the Hannoush Wedding on Ice that took place on Friday, January 13th on the ice before the Falcons' Hockey game. This event brought a wonderful couple together with their family and friends in celebration of a unique wedding...on ice. Some of the area's finest wedding professionals donated their time, services and product to make Nicole and Mike's wedding unique and special.









Taking part in this amazing event:
-- Photography package from Snap Shot Unlimited Photography of Enfield, CT
-- Videography package from Epic Filmmakers
-- Wedding coordination package from Eutopia Events
-- Bridesmaids dresses from Stylez for the Aisle of Windsor, CT
-- Wedding cake by Specialty Wedding Cake Designer Royal Icings
-- Use of the Executive Perch overlooking the ice surface for 50 people with tickets to the game and food.
-- Personalized wedding ceremony performed by Justice of the Peace Marianne Kornblum
-- Hannoush Jewelers will be donating his and her wedding bands.
-- Bridal Corner located in Chicopee provided the bridal dress.
-- Langone's Florist provided the bride's bouquet and the on ice arrangements.
-- College Formal located in West Springfield will help provide tuxedo for the groom.
-- De Ja Vous Hair & Nail Salon responsible for the hair styles
-- Makeup for the Bride and Maid of Honor was provided by Makeup Artistry by Liz.
-- Awesome Party Favors from the amazing Pops Biscotti
-- Transportation from Party Boss Limo
Thank you to all the wedding professionals!

Congratulations to Nicole and Mike!

...every bride needs to experience a show

You're planning one of the biggest, most exciting days of your life. You'll be saying "I Do" to the one you love. It's also the time for planning. And a must for every bride and groom on the road to planning a wedding should be attending a bridal show. Comparison shopping, tasting cake, looking at linens, interviewing photographers, looking for the wedding gown of your dreams...it can all be found at a bridal show. A few hours spent wandering the isles will fill you with wedding information and options that can set you on the right path to planning the day of your dreams...or if you're close to being done with your planning you can find just the right items to complete your mission.

The Western New England Fall Bridal Show is November 13, 2011 at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield, MA. It's the area's largest single day bridal event that brings the area's finest wedding professionals together for one day, in one location for a convenent day of discovery!

Advance registration and tickets available through the website at www.cjcevents.com.

this is the "beyond"...

Having been involved in the wedding industry for over 20 years in Western New England, you get to know the area wedding professionals...not only their business life and experience, but I've been lucky enough to have many become close friends...consider them "family"! And when it comes to friends and family, you really want to do anything you can to support them. Well, here's a look into what's happening with a member of my "family" who is a well respected wedding professional in the area. I thought I would share her story...please read!

I've known Tara Delskey-Eagen for almost 20 years, both personally and professionally. I've watched her life, her love and devotion to family, friends and business grow so much over the years. And now, to see how much love she and her husband, Ken, have for their beautiful little boy, Declan. Declan has touched so many lives...here's my chance, our chance to touch his. Please support this walk by giving what you can.

In Tara's words about Declan: <--click here and read!

a honeymoon to cherish

As many of you may already know, a wonderful couple, Stephanie and Brian, were the winners of the first Western New England Great Wedding Giveaway. The wedding giveaway included everything you could ever need or want for a wedding...including a honeymoon. Michelle Mangio from Magical Escapes, put together a wonderful package to Barbados and here's some photos and comments from Stephanie!

From Stephanie: Brian and I had such an amazing time at the Almond Resort in Barbados! The water was the bluest we've ever seen and it was so refreshing. One of the highlights of our trip was a sea safari that included sailing along three different coasts of Barbados, snorkeling at an old shipwreck, discovering the many varieties of marine life that live in the shipwreck, and swimming with the sea turtles. While sailing on the catamaran, we saw a school of flying fish (the national fish of Barbados) and at first, we thought they were birds. They flew over the surface of the water and it was an incredible sight to see. Truly, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we would highly recommend to those traveling to Barbados. We had a wonderful stay at The Almond Resort.
From start to finish, everybody was very friendly and went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and enjoying our vacation. They were very informative and suggested many activities for us to try during our one week stay. The food was excellent -- try the flying fish! It was also such a romantic atmosphere with the beach nearby, colorful flowers blooming all around us, exquisite sunsets...what more could we ask for?! It was the first time Brian and I have traveled out of the country together and it certainly won't be the last. Thank you SO much for making this trip possible for us -- we would do it again in a heartbeat!