Portia + Arturo
Aside from planning events, bellydancing is a huge passion of mine (I've been dancing well over 10 years now). Portia and I met during the first week of opening her own dance studio, BellyMotion (www.bellymotions.com). It was a small space, located in the upstairs section of a small strip mall. It was love at first hair flip and shimmy! Little did we know we were about to embark on an amazing journey together. Fast forward 10 years and SO much has happened: BellyMotions grew so much that they had to move to a bigger space, Portia became an international Elle Oriental covergirl, she won 1st place at a prestigious Eyptian bellydance competition, she has her own line of instructional bellydance DVDs, the studio just celebrated their 10 year anniversary show, I got married and Portia got married (she is also pregnant, with her first child, now).
When Portia and Arturo met, we all knew he was the one! You could just tell by the way he looked at her lovingly. While Arturo was competing in the Hawaii IronMan, Portia was rooting for him the entire way. Shortly after the competition, he proposed! Picture this - Hawaii, a beautiful waterfall, he gets down on one knee, she says "yes!", they embrace and someone is able to capture this all in a picture!!!
Portia is a business woman, so she knew what she wanted and didn't want. Because of her business contacts, she was able to secure a church, venue, decor and entertainment quickly! She called me and said she didn't trust anyone, other than me, to be her "day of" coordinator. I was humbled and immediately accepted!
Her family, friends, and bridesmaids all came in to help. We even had men creating floral centerpieces. The result was a Middle Eastern daydream, with hints of orange throughout (the bride's favorite color). Guests were entertained by several performances ranging from Egyptian to Bollywood, all performed by BellyMotions instructors and students. There was also a flash mob towards the end of the night.
We wish Arturo and Portia a life full of shimmies and zagareets!
It's all in the details!
Ceremony & Reception: Our Lady of Lebanon
Photography: Manolo Doreste - In Focus Studios
Videography: Plunge Flicks
Catering: Mamma Mia
Lighting & Decor: Alibaba Events
Entertainment: BellyMotions
Make-Up Artist: Siufer
DJ and Lighting: Dance South Florida
