Enchanted Brides South Florida Fall 2013/Winter 2014 Page 43

ENCHANTED BRIDES ~ FALL 2013 / WINTER 2014

an island wedding, it became
pretty much a question of
what we could do," Nathan
recalls.

From start to finish, listen-

ing is a skill that is most re-
quired. Destination weddings
involve several aspects; hotel
reservations for you and your
out of town guests, state mar-
riage license requirements,
vendors flowers, lighting,
tables, linens, silverware, a
seamstress, and the list goes
on. It was important that ev-
ery conversation furthered
the planning process. Every
detail mattered and no de-
cisions were made without
being communicated to the
bride and groom. "Our wed-
ding was really a Leslie Rowe
Event from start to finish. She
was always two steps ahead

of us; managed our people incredibly and stopped problems
before they became problems."

Wedding planners are there to make what may seem im-

possible, possible. Nathan's mother had forgotten to order a
groom's cake. He sent Leslie two images for inspiration and de-
sign four days before the wedding. Then less than 72 hours after
the phone call, Nathan had a groom's cake. "It also looked amaz-
ing. Ace of Cakes style; combining the Columbia U shield and
uncle tar heel feet.... not an easy task," stated Nathan.

On the day of the flowers, decorations, reception set up,

getting ready that morning, etc. Leslie handled steaming the
clothes, make up for the bridal party, wrangling every person in
a set order off of the beach to get everything done making sure
that Cynthia ate and was happy. She then with her business part-
ner, Rudy, made sure that the ceremony was perfect and that the
reception went off without a hitch. Every detail was addressed
until literally the last drink of the evening.

It was a performance that is hard to put into words. A planner

always does more than one can imagine or expect. She appears
to be in three places at once. The wedding planner exists to en-
sure that the couple is not stressed during a time that should be
filled with wonderful moments and creating memories. Getting
married is special but without a wedding planner, planning your
wedding can be stressful.

Cynthia described Leslie as her Fairy Godmother. "It is es-

pecially nice to have someone help you navigate all of the of-
ficial things that go along with a wedding. We only visited Miami
once in March before our wedding for three days. Leslie did ev-
erything. Frankly, we probably would not have done even some
of the essential stuff without Leslie."

Hiring a wedding planner is purely a choice. A huge part

of any wedding planner's job is to relieve a couple's stress, use
industry connections to make dream weddings come true while
remaining close to the couple's budget. "My work philosophy is
to aim to exceed clients' expectations. Every wedding is spe-
cial," stated Leslie Rowe.

"Cynthia wanted to turn around in a beautiful place at sunset

and know every face in the audience. She got that and then a
whole lot more, thanks to having a wedding planner," said Na-
than. With the guidance of a wedding planner, every bride's
wedding fantasy becomes a beautiful reality.

Written by Linda Marcelus

Photography by Keys Wedding Photography