The Perfect Wedding Guide has announced their participation in the Weekend Wedding Retreat hosted by Perfect Wedding Guide and our National Wedding Expert Susan Southerland!
The Weekend Wedding Retreat is a new and innovative concept in wedding planning. A select number of couples are invited to an overnight stay at The Sheraton Hotel and Spa in Fort Worth where they will enjoy interactive seminars, engagement photo sessions, spa treatments, and three catered meals, including a mock wedding reception complete with a cocktail hour, live entertainment and dinner.
Seminar topics include but are not limited to: “The Susan Southerland Secret: Discover What Kind of Bride You Are”, What to Look for in a Photographer, a floral arranging session where couples create their own centerpieces, a cake tasting, signature drink mixing, tuxedo fittings, an invitation and wedding stationary lecture, and a comprehensive site tour. Seminars are conducted by participating vendors and Susan Southerland.
The unique concept behind the Retreat is that couples get to spend one-on-one time with participating vendors, giving couples the opportunity to really get to know the vendors in a way that traditional marketing avenues don’t allow. This does not entail a heavy-handed sales pitch. Rather, it is up to the vendors to get to know the participants, position their company as a leading expert, and, through relationship-building, eventually book the business.
When: Saturday September 11th 2010
9 a.m.
to Sunday, September 12th
12 p.m.
Where: Sheraton Hotel and Spa
Downtown Fort Worth
Cost: $249 per couple (includes hotel stay, meals, spa treatments, mock reception and seminars) Limit 30 couples
For more information, visit
Susan’s blog about the last retreat!
We are very excited about this opportunity we can share with both our brides and vendors! IF you can’t participate in this year’s retreat, don’t worry, MORE TO COME!
Susan: Why do you like working with brides?
April: I remember on my wedding day just wanting to feel relaxed, non-stressed, and have fun. I wanted to have a day that I would always remember and I knew one way to keep the memories was to have a good…no GREAT…photographer. I knew at the end of the day, my flowers would fade, my dress would sit in my closet, the food would be gone, and all I would have left would be my wedding album. I love looking through my album as it still floods my heart with those special moments from that day. I love doing the same for my Brides. I know that they are planning their Dream wedding, spending the most money on this one single day in their life than any other…they deserve to remember every single moment. They need to remember every single smile and laugh; every tear and every hug; every kiss and every warm moment.
Susan: What is your favorite part of the wedding day?
April: It’s a little bit hard to nail down just one part of the day that’s my favorite. It’s so fun to see the excitement in the Bridal room while the girls are giddy while getting ready or in the groom’s room where they are trying to act “cool”, but you can see some of the nervous excitement come through. Watching the little flower girls and the ring bearers is always a treat and always brings a smile to my face. During the reception, it is refreshing to see the freedom in the room as the guests celebrate the marriage of 2 people that they love. I have to be honest, the Daddy/Daughter dance seems to always cause me to bite back a tear. But I would have to say that my very favorite part of the day is watching the Groom’s face as he watches his Bride walk down the aisle seeing her for the first time that day. He is watching his future walk toward him and the first glance they share, that first look is one that can never be reproduced. It is one moment that I want my Bride and Groom to remember for the rest of their lives together.
Susan: What inspired you to become a photographer?
April: I have always loved pictures and taking pictures. I was always the person that would show up at events with my camera from the time I was in junior high. It has always been such a passion. To me, there is such value in pictures. They are the memories of your life that you can share with new friends and old friends, but more importantly the generations that follow you. There is nothing like looking through pictures that spark the emotion that you felt at the moment the image was taken.
However, the moment that I knew I wanted to be a professional photographer was several years ago. I was taking pictures of one of my friend’s two boys. Her oldest son is a special needs blessing. I wasn’t posing them, I was just taking candid shots of them together and we captured a moment when he leaned over and kissed the forehead of his little brother. To this day, a 20×24 of this image hangs in her house. Every time I am at her house and I see the picture, I am reminded that a picture truly is worth a thousand words. There is no greater feeling than knowing that that image grabs a mother’s heart each and every time she stops to look at it.
Susan: What is the most rewarding part about being a photographer?
April: Watching the face on the Bride and Groom when they view their wedding photos, knowing that the world around them has faded as they were taken back to their special day. It is so rewarding to have the ability to truly capture someone’s personality, a hidden tear, a genuine laugh, or a tender look. I am so often caught up in the emotion right along side my clients. The most rewarding part is that I know they will have these captured moments for the rest of their lives.
Susan: What is your philosophy for the wedding day?
April: I believe that your wedding day should be filled with joy and happiness…but that does sound a little like a cliche doesn’t it? We all know that your wedding day didn’t come without many hours of preparation and planning and not to mention money being spent! Most every Bride has a dream wedding planned out in her head and let’s be honest, we Brides want it all to go down without a hitch. Reality sometimes sets in to find that there may be a small glitch or two. We hold to the philosophy that it is our job to do everything we can to keep the Bride calm and peaceful. We stage very few shots, we just let nature take it’s course. Our goal is to see the moments that mark the day and get those moments on camera. We want our Brides to remember their day and truly enjoy the day. Therefore, we are unobtrusive in our style, yet readily available when the Bride needs us.
The Weekend Wedding Retreat, Dallas is going to be filled with great planning tips, new friendships, great discounts and lots of surprises. (One not-so-well-kept-secret is that all couples who attend will get a free engagement session during the Retreat with April!)
by photobyaw
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