Merry Christmas from the Hines family to yours!

Christmas is always a great time to catch up on everyone’s life. It’s the time that we sit down and document what has happened over the past year. Well, I’ve been thinking about what has happened in our lives over the past 26 years– I’m only including the highlights and there is a point!

It was January 1983, Jim Hines was seriously thinking about moving to NYC, it was his dream. Mary Mahler was planning to move back to DC, in the meantime she was assigned to work as a temporary secretary at the office where Jim was working. They met on January 18^th, went out on their first date on January 25^th, and were married on June 25^th.

Michael was born on 10/26/84. Mary became a follower of Christ in early 1985. Sarah was born on 1/26/87. Jim became a follower on Christ in May of 1987. Charlie was born on 12/19/88. The Hines Family moved to Naples in 1991. Michael married Sarah Lynn Riger on 8/13/2006. Soren Paul Hines was born on 12/24/2008. Jim became Executive Director of SCPI (www.scpi.org) Saturation Church Planting International 6/1/2009. Jim, Mary & Sarah moved to NYC on December 2^nd!

Our odyssey is an amazing God story. He has been in the center of everything that we have done. We can honestly say that God orchestrated the events in our life so specifically that we know He wants us in NYC. Obeying Him and deciding to go was easy, trusting Him with all the details is hard. We miss Charlie, Michael, Sarah & Soren, we miss our friends, we miss our washer & dryer, etc. Naples has become our vacation destination of choice and we plan to visit often.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. (He rules and we can rest) And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor (He knows and understands everything we are going through), Mighty God(He is powerful enough to handle our struggles), Everlasting Father (there’s no end to His love), Prince of Peace (He alone can give us peace that is not dependent on our circumstances). Isaiah 9:5-7

This is why we celebrate Christmas and we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year! Jim, & Mary Hines

We've moved to NYC!

Long story - short .... circumstances orchestrated by God led us to move to NYC on December 1st! The move went well, everything is unpacked, we hosted our first guests this past weekend and today I'm hanging pictures. Its cold, I can't deny that, but our apartment seems to be retaining some heat! We are heading back to SWFL for the holidays and then back to the big city. I don't know what this move will mean to Chandelier Productions, but I'm looking forward to discovering the city, the NYC wedding business and making new friends!

This would be so cool at a garden reception!

I was at Waterside Shops today and they were having a party to celebrate the opening of the Romero Britto museum. DJ Ceron was playing the tunes, the weather was awesome and THEN there were walking trees and orchids.

My pictures aren't great, but you can look at pictures and videos at Thelivinggarden.com. They were amazing and I thought they would be totally fun at a wedding reception.

The costumes were beautiful and the "dancers" were fascinating how they interacted with the audience, fellow "plants" and the architecture around them.

Check out the website!

Christine & Shawn at Tiburon with Cupcakes!

Saturday, November 7, 2009 - it was a busy wedding day all over SWFL. I was at the Golf Club at Tiburon with my dear friends Christine & Shawn.

It was such a beautiful day and everything went so well. The day after the wedding, Christine posted on Facebook that she has a "permanent smile" on her face! She is so fun and so sweet (so is her husband) - we all stayed at the Ritz at Tiburon and she texted me at 8:30am that she was wide awake and was in the lobby - so we met for coffee and talked about the wedding!!! What a blessing to be a wedding coordinator for such wonderful people.

My other blessing was working with dear friends and fellow wedding professionals - cuddos to Peggy Farren at Avant Garde Photography (can't wait to see the photos), Dale Kubala at Connie Duglin Linens (gorgeous Blueberry Crinkle linens), Grace Bolen at Gracie's Cupcakes (amazing - strawberry, red velvet, chocolate and carmel), Jessica & Josh at Tiburon (wonderful service), Symphonie de Fleurs did the florals and Jay Seidl did a great job with music for the ceremony and brunch.

The highlight was the cupcake display. It was so fun to work with Grace to create the display. We used the girls bouquets to fill in with flowers and glass shelves and glass blocks to create the "architecture" - so great!

Ceremony most meaningful to guests - receiving line last in order of preference.

Recent survey indicates guests preference in order:

Watching the ceremony;
the music and dancing;
the food;
seeing the bride’s gown;
toasts and speeches;
cutting of the cake;
seeing the bridesmaids’ dresses;
group dances;
throwing of the bouquet;
throwing of the garter;
and then, that receiving line.

Spend your money and time wisely - on what is important to you and your spouse and keep your guests preferences in mind along the way! Happy planning....

My suggestion for receiving line is to have your guests stay seated after the ceremony and you and your spouse return down the aisle and greet each guest individually. It serves several purposes, it is a "receiving line" but people get to see you, they don't have to stand in a long line and it ushers your guests out to reception and then you can take photos, etc. - it works great.

Centerpiece with orchids & lemons!

These are photos that I took of what was left over from a centerpiece used at the Talent Ventures & Lyfe of the Party "Talent Showcase" last Monday. It was a great event and we had a lot of fun. Sarah & Jenny gave us these flowers to take home. They actually had a moroccan looking lantern in the middle that really made the centerpiece incredible. I love the mixture of lemons, berries and orchids. The red and yellow orchids are great - I love, love, love the textures!

Thanks for letting me share!!!! Great job Jenny & Sarah!

Happy Anniversary Rob & Katie

Thanks to Michelle Reed (Michelle Reed Photography) I can post some pictures from Katie & Rob's wedding that I coordinated one year ago. Katie is such a beautiful bride and Michelle did an amazing job journaling their wedding day. Patty Bores from Sweet P Florial Design took our design ideas and made them a reality. The wedding was held at the Bonita Bay Club. Connie Duglin linens provide some lovely black and pink tablecloths. It all came together for a perfect and fabulously fun day for this special couple. Happy Anniversary Rob & Katie!