March Madness Meeting...!

As always, our monthly NEAWP meetings are a great time and a wonderful way to meet new wedding professionals as well as hang out with good friends. This month, our focus is on mentoring, charity, and raising the bar for professionalism in the wedding community!

Thanks to the fabulous Perry's Steakhouse for hosting our monthly meeting.

Allison Gueli from Parkside Restaurant

John John The Wedding Butler and Stacey Hogge of Petal Pushers.

The best part about the meetings is always the food :)

Amy Mader, our fearless leader, giving us the lowdown on all the charities we're helping this month! "Keep the Change and Pay it Forward" is a program that benefits "Toys for Tots". Plus next month's charity will be "Safe Place", which collects daily essentials for people in need. To get more involved, contact our Donor Diva Amanda Dudley of Big Day Event Productions.

Also, congratulations to our "Featured Coordinator of the Month" Britt Roth of Clink Events! And, another kudos to Myra Adkins of Word of Mouth Catering for being our "Featured Vendor of the Month"!

A very special thanks to Christie Mueller, owner of CLM Business Etiquette Consulting for her extremely informative talk about improving our businesses as well as client experiences and relationships!

Dell Children's Center Valentine Delivery

I would like to thank each of you for the beautiful valentine's that were designed at our March meeting. I received a wonderful thank you from Ashlee McGuire (Dell Children's Hospital) who distributed them to the children at the hospital. Thank you to Amanda Dudley our very own Donor Diva who delivered them to the hospital.

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day and thank you for making it a little bit brighter for some deserving children!

Amy Mader, PWC
President
NECI and NEAWP

Austin Firebats Rodeo Fundraiser 2010

It is time for the 2010 Austin Rodeo! At our February meeting, we had some "little" guest speakers who spoke to our large group for their very first time! Noah Mader and Garrett Abeel are the captains of the Austin Firebats Baseball Team. They are raising money for equipment and tournament fees (short term goal) and money for their trip to play in the 12 U tournament in Cooperstown, NY in 2011. The Austin Firebats and their families are hosting a rodeo trip to the Austin Rodeo. All the information regarding the rodeo is listed at www.firebatsbaseball.com/rodeo.cfm. If you have never been to the rodeo, it is a worthwhile experience! Here is a brief synopsis:
1. We are going to the rodeo on Monday March 15th. The concert entertainment is Gary Allen.
2. The preparty begins at noon- 10133 Planters Woods Drive Austin Texas 78730- The Mader Residence.
3. Buses will arrive at 4pm and return to Planters Woods at 11pm.
4. Everyone is invited- Kids and Adults (you just need to keep track of your own chickens)
5. All ticket sales will go through the Firebats website. The funds will directly go to the Firebats Baseball Team.
6. Tickets are limited to the first 100. After we reach 100 (we had 78 in 2009), a waiting list will start. If we need a third bus, we will get one.

We are not selling popcorn, cookies, candy bars or wrapping paper. With your ticket you will get a evening of fun while helping out this group of kids attain their dream in select baseball!

If you would like to make a donation and not attend, you can do that as well!

Best-
Amy and Matt Mader

Growing, Learning, and Giving

Our latest focus for NEAWP this year is to select a charity every month and provide support for each organization. On top of that, this month's meeting hosted by the beautiful Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel also focused on helping out the Firebats Junior League baseball team as they make their way to nationals. With a new team of board members, Nuptial Essentials has decided to remain not only a leader in event planning education, but also to become a leading resource for brides in the wedding industry.

our junior guest speakers...

Congratulations to Amanda Dudley of Big Day Events for receiving Planner of the Month...

Many thanks to Simon Lee Bakery for providing the delicious petit fours!

Our guest speaker Mike Rinehart provided insightful advice on taking charge of your life...

and of course, everyone created their Valentine's Day cards for the children of

Dell Children's Hospital, our charity of the month!

'Tis the Season - NEAWP Holiday Meeting

Please pardon the silence... we've been a little busy in NEAWP world. Yes, Colin Cowie came to Austin and we all (barely) survived the "Chic in the Heart of Texas" conference. It was awesome and thanks to everyone who came, contributed and made it happen!!

More conference posts to come, but if you didn't catch the Colin Cowie party pics, check out these fabulous shots taken by Anthology Photography over on the BZ events blog. Thank you sooooo much to Laura for capturing this awesome evening!!

The NEAWP December meeting was our second annual gift exchange. It was a beautiful and festive meeting hosted by the AT&T Conference Center (thank you, Amanda + team!) with lovely decor by the fabulous Premiere Party Central team. Chris Bell and his Belltower Trio entertained us with sounds of the season while we enjoyed a delicious lunch and some well-deserved down time!

Thanks to everyone who brought donations for Coats for Kids and to Barbara for dropping them off!

Amy's question to the group -- what are you thankful for this year?

Some of the answers:

* That we survived 2009...

* NEAWP (awww... thanks, John John!)

* New baby nephews + healthy twins (congrats, Dawn!)

* Being involved with great charities -- Glimmer of Hope, Meals on Wheels, etc.

* Completing a marathon (guess who?!)

And so many more! We are a thankful bunch :)

Our yummy lunch -- very festive!

We can't get enough of our favorite Delysia Chocolates!! These make a great holiday gift or the perfect no-cook addition to your dessert displays. Check out their yummy holiday flavors.

Happy Holidays to everyone! Enjoy the break and we'll see you in January.

Remember to check the website for meeting notices. No more Evite!

~NEAWP

* Images courtesy of Austin wedding photographer, Dustin Meyer

NEAWP member special :: Anthology Photography

You heard me at the last meeting -- if you have some kind of special or discount or if you are just really fabulous and want everyone to know, the NEAWP blog is your place. Just one of the oh-so many reasons to be a NEAWP member.

So, Anthology Photography is fabulous and YOU should know. Laura and Eric recently let me know about their amazing special that they are running -- 50% off all open dates through February. That's a great deal, friends.

Check out their beautiful work, stalk their blog, tweet with them and all that good stuff.

Anthology (Austin Wedding Photography) -- 512.535.2600, www.weddingphotos.com

Enjoy!

NEAWP September Meeting - III Forks

Thank you to everyone who came out for the September NEAWP meeting at III Forks. It was so well-attended that we almost had to move rooms. Was it the topic or the menu? :)

Another big thanks to III Forks for the delicious lunch and to Delish & Haute Cakes for the yummy cupcakes. There was definitely no lack of sugar at this fun meeting!

Thanks (as always) to Dustin Meyer and Wild Parrot video for capturing the meeting. And a big NEAWP welcome to our new members and visitors -- Last Petal, Clink, Simon Lee, Kurant Events, Bella Flora & everyone else.

See you next month! It's going to be a fun one -- Malverde on 10/7... Evite coming soon!

Cortney Zieky, BZ events -- NEAWP Vendor Liaison

NEAWP members love to tweet! Follow us @NEAWP

Elizabeth Rison, Hilton Austin

Eric Hegwer - never without a camera :)

Melanie Tipton - Last Petal

Judy Lee - Simon Lee Bakery