I am truly thrilled and pleased with all of the excitement and interest we have seen for the Chapel Designers NYC 2013 gathering, in fact I am in awe. On March 17th, the Chapel Designers will head to NYC with 60 designers strong. This year our gathering is officially an international event with designers from Australia, Russia, The Virgin Islands and of course designers from all across the US. I am so proud of what this group is accomplishing and of the way we are supporting not only each other, but the industry of wedding and event design. As our group grows it is clear that this collection of designers is not just an annual gathering, but a group that can be enjoyed and experienced daily. As the Chapel Designers group evolves it is clear that we are destined for bigger things beyond our annual meeting. We are setting the bar for excellence in the wedding industry. We are creating a standard for event design. We are naturally effecting the industry by supporting each other with sound business advice and incredible design concepts. We are like a beautiful vine weaving and growing across the country and I am so proud of us. Each day I am so thankful for the Chapel Designers, I am a better designer because of each member. I am stronger because I have the support and encouragement of many.

All designers that attend the NYC 2013 gathering will have a Chapel Designers badge that they can display on their websites or blogs. Chapel Designers will also be offered discounts on products and services as well. We also have a closed forum or chat room where we assist each other daily. The 2013 designers will be let into the chat room once we all meet in NYC. This forum has allowed us to have constant contact with each other and it has given us all daily support. For past Chapel Designers that are unable to attend the 2013 NYC gathering, an annual fee will be set in place, that will begin the week we head to NYC. This will allow those designers an opportunity to remain members of the group even though they were unable to attend this year. We will also be posting a list of annual challenges for the Chapel Designers. This list will be very lengthy and designers will be asked to complete 3 assignments from the list. We will work on this task list in NYC, so be thinking about ideas or challenges for the list. This goal list will encourage each designer to grow and reach a little higher. Don’t be afraid, there will be some really easy and attainable goals on the list. Each designer gets to decide how high they want to reach. This is my way of being a nice flower mamma and giving us all a little push.

The list of challenges will look something like this….

I have also received many requests from designers asking if they can bcomee a Chapel Designer without attending NYC. Currently that is not an option. Only designers that have gathered with us in NYC will be added into the group. This will keep us growing slowly and it will mean everyone in the group is someone we know and have a relationship with. As I look to the future I do imagine a second conference each year so that we can strengthen our offerings. I will also begin mentoring and teaching privately here at the HCF studio. If either of these offerings is successful we may consider allowing those designers into the group. Each day this “gathering of stylish wedding experts” is evolving and I am so pleased with its natural progression.

I would also like to thank the following designers or wedding experts.

David Beahm , Karen Tran, Ariella Chezar, and Anne Chertoff. We will be designing with David Beahm and Karen Tran on Tuesday and Ariella Chezar on Wednesday. Anne Chertoff the owner of Anne Chertoff Media, will discuss social media with us on Monday. Having Anne and Ariella join our event is a nice little treat that many of you may not know about.  This year is sure to be amazing and we are thrilled about NYC 2013. As always, I am here for each of you!!!