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I know its been a while since I’ve been around and this blog has been really slow.  However, I’m spending much needed and deserved time away from social media and enjoying this last pregnancy of mine.  We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first son and the countdown is ON.  I made a decision

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I’m so thrilled to share that Sparkling Events & Designs is being featured in Madison, the official magazine of James Madison University.  I am a proud graduate of the College of Business.  I want to publicly thank my husband who reached out to Madison to tell them about my business.  He IS truly my #1 supporter and a fellow

Most couples have heard of the ‘First Look’… but what is it, what are the options, should you do it? You know, the moment when you see the love of your life for the first time that initial first glance? Nowadays, couples have options – The Traditional and the First Look. The Traditional choice is when the

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I’m so excited to share with you a recap of the experience that I had a few weeks ago at the Inspire Smart Success Experience in Orange, Virginia.  Over the past year I have been researching several different conferences to attend because I’m a true believer in continuing to education.  I’ve noticed an increase in people starting their own “workshops” but I knew that I wanted to attend an experience where I would truly learn from recognized seasoned professionals.  I have been following ISS for sometime now and when I learned that they would be hosting an “experience” in Orange, Virginia AND one of my idols Preston Bailey would be attending…it was a no brainer that I would attend!

Stacie Francombe  has been embedded in the wedding industry for over 12 years, starting her own wedding businesses including Get Married. Working as a producer and host for the Get Married TV show and serving as Editor-in-Chief of the quarterly publication Get Married Magazine, Stacie grew the brand into a multi-million dollar company, and sold it in 2008.  Stacie Francombe is the founder of Inspire Smart Success, a three-tiered approach to helping wedding industry businesses grow and succeed utilizing the ISS Magazine, ISS Experience and ISS Mentoring.

The “experience” was held at The Inn at Willow Grove in Orange Virginia and it was just BEAUTIFUL.  I can definitely see returning to enjoy the award winning boutique hotel for short getaways and even a place to visit and be inspired to work.  I’m currently designing a wedding invitation suite that came to me as I worked while there.  The “experience” was amazing. I met a lot of wonderful, motivated wedding professionals and Stacie was such a warm and generous hostess! Having the opportunity to meet, Preston Bailey, Sonny Ganguly {CMO of Wedding Wire}, Brooke Thomas {Creative Director of Weddings Unveiled magazine} and Katie Martin {Editor-in-Chief of Eco-Beautiful Weddings} was just phenomenal.  I have lots of ideas and plans to work on over the next few months.  #Excited!

Here are a few of my photos from the event! 

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