I’ll admit it — prior to signing up for my twitter account I thought “twittering” was a waste of time. What’s the point, I thought? Well, I still don’t know the full answer to that question. What I DO know is twitter keeps me fully locked into my family, friends, and colleagues whereabouts and general insane 140-words-or-less blabbering. Without twitter, how would I know about How to Kill Your Blog or that BridesDesign’s morning was off to a great start? Seriously though, twitter is a great tool to stay connected with people and network with other people in your industry. I’m a twitter convert! And now that I figured out how to use twitter on my Blackberry (no laughing, please), I am twittering EVERYWHERE!

We twitter. Do you?

It is a great day here in Connecticut – same sex couples can now legally marry! Town clerks all across the state will be buzzing with a ton of love and celebration. Congratulations to you all who are filing for a marriage license. I’m wishing you lots of joy, love, and happiness as you embark on this new path in your life together. I’d love to share your stories here on the Connecticut wedding blog, so be sure to take some pictures and email them to us! It’s moments like this where I wish I were a photographer – I’d be at my local town hall in a minute taking photographs of this really special day!

I attended BizBash in Manhattan a little over a week ago with my friend Simone from 5 Sense Events (read her blog, too!). We had such a great time lugging around our 50 pound bag of marketing material (seriously, my shoulders and neck hurt for days!) and we got to interface with a lot of talented and unique event vendors. This is one of the things I love best about my job: staying on top of trends, meeting new people, and bringing that information straight to my couples.

Simone and I took a ton of pictures — from lounge furniture to floral trends, tablescapes, and yummy food! I can’t wait to share it all with you and highlight some incredible vendors we met along the way. For now, take the time to enjoy a picture of Simone and I in our black and white spectacular, courtesy of MVSStudio.com (more on them later!).

As some of you may have heard, the historic Goodwin Hotel in downtown Hartford is closing at the end of this year. I’m so upset at the loss of the only boutique hotel in Hartford and hope that something will transpire between now and then to allow the hotel to remain open.

I just got off the phone with George, the event manager for the Goodwin. For couples who currently have a wedding booked with the hotel in 2008 — your event will continue as planned. As for 2009 couples, your wedding deposit(s) will be refunded completely but you will have to find a new location to host your celebration. I’m sure this is a very upsetting and emotional experience for 2009 couples who’ve planned a wedding at the Goodwin, so I want to offer my assistance in helping you find new location. There are a lot of beautiful, unique, and chic spaces in the Hartford area to host your wedding. Please give our office a call or shoot us an email and we’ll try to help as best we can. If you know a couple who has their wedding booked with the Goodwin in 2009, please pass along our contact information.

Jamie from Its a Jamie Thing was so sweet and kind to give us a shout out and pass along the Uber Amazing Blog Award over to the Connecticut Wedding Blog! I love this kind of stuff because it gives me more of a reason to spotlight some of my favorite Connecticut vendors and bloggers!

So, whats the Uber Amazing Blog Award??

The Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:~ inspires you~ makes you smile and laugh~ or maybe gives amazing information~ a great read~ has an amazing design~ and any other reasons you can think of that makes them uber amazing!

The rules of this award are:
* Put the logo on your blog or post.
* Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!
* Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
* Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

Here are my choices for blogs that inspire me everyday!

The Smart Planner: Thanks Liene for your contribution to the event/wedding planning community!

Rob & Kathleen’s Blog: Rob & Kathleen are two of my favorite photographers and their blog is a constant source of inspiration for me.

Robin Dini Photography: My good friend Robin always has amazing eye candy and thoughtful blog posts to share!

By Your Side Blog: The talented Eliana who is a fellow planner and lover of all things weddings puts together a really fantastic blog, full of so many great finds!

Scarlett Lillian: Does she really need an introduction? Scarlett is so talented and her blog is a constant source of glamsperation. I love her style, attitude, and thoughtful posts!

Green Orchid Events: My friend Juliet from Las Vegas is a fabulous planner and puts together a great blog. I’m so glad she is posting a ton of content as of late.

There are a ton of other fabulous blogs that I read daily, but since we all run in the same circles, I wanted to leave some room open for these talented folks to pick.

Thanks again Jamie!

I’m out of the office today because I’m spending some time in Manhattan for BizBash, an annual conference for wedding and event planners. It should be fun! I always look forward to meeting new vendors and seeing what is up-and-coming in wedding styles and designs. I also wanted to remind all our readers about our exciting contest where one Connecticut couple will win full service planning from Jubilee!

While you are browsing the internets today, do us a favor and visit one of our favorite couture invitation designer and friend, Erin from Brides Design. She opened up an etsy shop and takes custom orders!

I have so much exciting content to get up in the next few weeks! I can’t wait to share. Plus, I have some really knowledgeable and talented Connecticut vendors guest blogging. So, enjoy this very cold autumn day!

I’m really excited to announce that Jubilee Events is holding our first contest where a deserving Connecticut couple will win a Full Planning Package! Lately I have been hearing many touching stories of couples meeting some resistance and unique challenges as they plan their wedding. During a meeting last week with Lori of Florein Southbury we talked about life and business and the topic of paying it forward came up. I’ve always been a strong believer and try to live by the philosophy as much as possible. After our meeting I was so inspired, and felt compelled to help a deserving couple and their family plan their wedding.

To enter the contest is simple:

In one thousand (1,000) words or less, please tell me (via email: candice@eventjubilee.com) about your unique love story and the challenges that you have met while planning your wedding. Due to the nature of availability I ask all participates to email me prior to submitting your essay with your wedding date. I want to make sure I am available! Along with your essay, please also be sure to include:

— Both of your full names
— Your evening contact information
— Your current location
— A picture of you both

The contest is open from Monday, October 26, 2008 – Monday, November 24, 2008 and the winner will be announced December 1st. Your wedding must be in 2009 or 2010 and in Connecticut. There are no other stipulations to our contest! The winner will be chosen by myself and my staff and will receive Jubilee’s Full Planning Package with a few generous extras.

Our Full Planning package is full of unique services such as vendor recommendations / selections, design and detail development, budget assistance, etiquette advice, menu / wine selections, week of coordination and SO much more. A detailed list of services can be downloaded here. If you have any questions please comment to this post so they can be answered publicly.

We appreciate all our readers spreading the word about our give-a-way to couples you know who are having a tough time planning their wedding. The more people who know, the better!

Good luck to all who enter. I am so looking forward to reading your entries and helping to plan your wedding!

Special thanks to Elizabeth Anne Designs, Tabitha from Elite Bridal Concierge. Rob & Kathleen of Rob & Kathleen Photographers {blog}, Eric from RAW Photo Design {blog}, Terrica of Fabu-luxe, Robin Dini Photography, and Eliana from By Your Side Events. Thank you to our friends for supporting our contest.

I’m going to be taking the train into the city this Wednesday to attend The Wedding Salon in NYC to network and meet some vendors. Plus, I love to see what the latest trends are in luxury weddings! I have a few extra tickets and wanted to know if any of our CT friends wanted to head to the city with me and bask in all that is luxury and wedding! Please shoot me an email or leave a comment and I’ll get in touch. The event starts at 3 p.m. and goes on until 8. It is only a few blocks from Grand Central too.

Beth from the White Dress by the Shore sent me an email this afternoon to tell me that White Dress is hosting a trunk show for Melissa Sweet & Priscilla of Boston!

TWO Amazing Designers-One Great Event!
October 23rd – 25th
by appointment 860.669.4596

Melissa Sweet
and
Priscilla of Boston Trunk Show

Have the unique opportunity to experience both collections in one event.

A 10% discount will be granted off of any Melissa Sweet or Priscilla of Boston gown purchased during the event.

Event Hours (by appt.):
Thursday 12-8
Friday 11-7
Saturday 10-5:30

**prices start at $3500 before discount

If you’ve been wishing for a Melissa Sweet or Priscilla gown, now is your chance! I was just there last Friday and know first hand that they have the most amazing collection of gowns.