Cakes by Nomeda

I prefer to regard a dessert as I would imagine the perfect woman: subtle, a little bittersweet, not blowsy and extrovert. Delicately made up, not highly rouged. Holding back, not exposing everything and, of course, with a flavor that lasts. ~Graham Kerr

When I was a child, I had my favorite candy bar, the one that my Parents would be able to get me only for the special occasions, as you needed connections to get this candy bar. And you could buy it at the Opera House Cafe - needless to say, I was always looking forward to a long ballet night, as long as I got to eat my favorite candy bar. The name of it was "Nomeda". It is not a coincidence that my country is represented by one of the best cake makers in Tampa Bay area whose name happens to be Nomeda, too. Nomeda gained her confectionery education in the best Lithuanian culinary schools and has an extensive experience working as a Pastry Chef and as independent cake maker. The first time I worked with Nomeda, she provided 26 cakes to be placed as centerpieces on the Wedding Reception tables. I had never seen so many cakes in one place and I could have never imagined how different and unique each one of them could be. Nomeda can make it all - European or American type cake, or combine both cake making traditions to create a truly unique flavor experience just for you. She is the best of two world.

To learn more about Nomeda's work, please visit her web site www.cakesbynomeda.com

Classy and Fabulous

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” Coco Chanel


When I met Tracy for our first appointment, I thought to myself: "Some girls just have it all"... And the more I got to know her, the more I felt this way - she did have it all. Gorgeous, supermodel slender, great career, enormous engagement ring and to top it all - one of the tallest and most handsome grooms I have ever met. She knew what she wanted and she wanted the best. I was on the pins and needles on her wedding day, because the last thing I wanted was to disappoint her. One of the moments, really scary one, was when she entered her beautiful ballroom and went directly for the lounge area, where she spotted the wrong cocktail tables her decorator brought in. All she did is turn to me and say: "Vita, you know what I like - how could you have ever thought I will not notice this?" At that moment I just wished I could vanish and never come back. Our team made the magic transformation within a few minutes and then the night went without a glitch. And now, thinking back, that moment was defined by what Tracy really is - classy and fabulous, a lady who knows what she wants and how to get it in a classy and fabulous way...

Sunshine

But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine. Thomas Jefferson

Sunshine, white sandy beaches, emerald sea, luscious parks, mesmerizing sunsets, pink castles and glamorous hotels - I would not live anywhere else, but Florida. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to live in the land of never ending summer and sunshine, the land where all my dreams came true, where there are no bad days, as long as the Sun is shining. Sunshine charges my inner battery every morning and gets me ready to meet the world and adventures awaiting me. And I could not think of a better place to get married - weather in an intimate ceremony on the beach followed by the sunset; or the country club, surrounded by luscious landscaping and fancy guests; or in the pink castle, to have a Ball like a Cinderella - the only difference is that party will go on way after the clock strikes midnight.

Photos provided courtesy of Steve Poisall. To view Steve's work, please visit www.thegallerystudios.com

You belong to the Gallery

All photographs are there to remind us of what we forget. In this - as in other ways - they are the opposite of paintings. Paintings record what the painter remembers. Because each one of us forgets different things, a photo more than a painting may change its meaning according to who is looking at it. ~John Berger

I have heard this so many times: "I cannot believe my Wedding is almost over!" Your Wedding Day, this unbelievable experience of your Lifetime, is a beautiful moment that fleets away the moment it starts. In the years to come, you will be able to re-live your Magical Day through the pictures, through the eyes of the person, who captured not only the moments, but also the feeling of that day. To think about it - your Wedding picture might be the only memory of you, passed along in the generations to come...

To learn more about Steve Poisall and his work, please visit www.thegallerystudios.com or call Steve at 813 254 9575

Steve Poisall

Only then you start appreciating something great, when you get to compare it to the rest.

I met Steve more than 5 years ago, when I was just starting in the Wedding Industry and I can definitely say that everything I have learned about working with the wedding Photographer, I have learned from Steve.






























Taking pictures on your Wedding Day should be lots of fun - you will get to re-live this special day through the photos in the years to come. But there is so much more than just have fun, pose and remember to catch all the important moments. If you are working with the true professional, you may never notice this, but you are actually on the very strict schedule and your every move is orchestrated by the man with the camera in hand. Timing and scheduling are so important on your Wedding Day - your guests are waiting, the food is cooking and the cake is sitting in the room temperature under the spot light; and do not forget all the special touches you so wisely placed, your introductions and the rest of the official part, the sunset and the Fond Farewell. As your night continues, the photographer is right there to capture and immortalize every special moment, anything, that will make your heart melt once you glance at these pictures in the years to come... And that is why Steve is one of the BEST I have ever worked with - he is creative, artistic, a real master of his art, but he is also one of the greatest professionals you will ever meet.

To view Steve's work, please visit his web site www.thegallerystudios.com or call Steve at 813 254 9575

Do you believe in Fairy Tales?

Once in awhile, right in the middle of an ordinary life, Love gives us a fairy tale.

I started to believe in Fairy Tales, once I met Desiree. She is a Perfect Girl - pretty yet unassuming, with big blue eyes full of sparkle, dressed to the tee and full of zest for life. She is the Girl that all the other girls want to be friends with and all the boys want to marry. She had a Fairy Tale Wedding, surrounded by her Family and Friends. Golan and her spent their Honeymoon in Australia - just a dream for so many of us. And now, two years later, Desiree has yet another wonderful Story - a Baby Story, to add to her Fairy Tale Forever After. She is and will always be my Fairy Tale Princess Bride.

Friendship

It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.




Do you still remember the first time you fell in Love? I do, so clearly, as it happened yesterday. I was 13 and here he was - handsome, funny, popular and 14 years old. And he swept me off my feet - I was secretly in love with him until I was 18 and finally gathered enough courage to talk to him... And what a different person he was, once I got to know him... Like we lived in two separate worlds - we had nothing in common... So what is Love? Is it the chemistry, is it the type that attracts us or is it just lust and passion? No one will ever know... That is why Love will remain forever evasive muse that will tease with all her cruel force...

Friendship, on the other hand, is less glamorous, but yet so important glue that keeps relationships alive... Friendship, genuine one, lasts a Lifetime and once the connection is there, no one can take it away from you, it does not dye off... I grew up a single child and do not know what having a Sister or a Brother means, but I know what having a true Friend means. When I left my country 11 years ago, I thought I lost all my friends there - but we still are as connected, as if I have never left. I thought I will never have meaningful friendships here - and I discovered wonderful people whom I know and care for over 10 years now... I have known my Husband for 7 years and we still have so many things to tell each other every day, we still can carry a long and great conversation... I can honestly say, that he is my true Friend and I know I will miss his friendship more than anything, if we were ever part ways.

When I met Sasha and Andrew, they were in Love - of course they were - they were getting married! However, I could just tell by looking at them that they will grow old together - they completed each other. And not in that "opposites attract" way - I could just tell that even in 50 years they will still be able to have fun together and will have so many things to talk about over a glass of wine at the end of the day.

I always feel so bad when I see middle aged couples at the restaurant, sitting at the table and expecting waitress to entertain them, because they have nothing to say to each other. Love and passion subside over the years and only those feel happy together, who remain true and great friends.