In the Mood for Tapas?

Planning a trip to Santa Fe or ABQ to begin planning your destination wedding?

Enjoy these great dining deals without breaking the bank. ART & SOUL Weddings and Events wishes to thank Billie Frank at the Santa Fe Insider Travel Examiner for letting us in on this great dining secret, making some of our favorite restaurants significantly more affordable!

"The participating eateries are diverse; they run from the order at the counter," reports Billie..."to eat in on white linen tablecloths. Cuisines include Asian, New Mexican, Mexican, Italian, Middle Eastern, Ayurvedic and American."

She continues: "The certificates are good for 90 days; some restrictions apply including blackout dates. Some coupons are good only for dinner; others specify days they can be used. All require at least two diners be present; some stipulate that two entrees be ordered. Read each restaurant’s restrictions carefully before you buy to make sure they work for you. The certificates are not a bargain unless you can use them. There is a $2.00 service charge per order. You can buy as many as you want for each place and give them as gifts. You can go to the website and buy what you want. According to owner Brett Hill if you subscribe to the site’s weekly newsletter, delivered to your in-box on Tuesdays, you will get local dining news plus special discounts good through Thursday of that week."

Currently, fifteen Santa Fe restaurants are in the program offering discounts that range from 25% to 60%. Visit the website, and see what Santa Fe restaurants are currently offered.

Buying and Selling a PreOwned Wedding Dress

The Santa Fe Wedding Planner is very pleased to host guest blogger Josie Daga, founder of PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com today. Thank you Josie for sharing your expert advice not only advising brides on how they can save $$$ before the wedding, but recoup some of the dollars spent after the your nuptials too.

Smart Savings: When It Pays to Recycle

Buying a pre-owned wedding dress (and selling your dress after the wedding to recoup some costs) is an idea whose time has come.

Most wedding dresses that are used, have only been “used” for about 5 hours.  And brides can get a pre-owned dress for 50% (or more) off of the retail price. So if you are looking to save money on your wedding, without skimping, a pre-owned wedding dress is a perfect choice.

Here’s our advice for buying online, if you're in the market for a used wedding bridal gown: 

1. Research the gown’s retail price. Look online and in bridal boutiques. Check how similar pre-owned ones are priced.  Knowing a dress’ market value will help you in your negotiations.
   
   
2. If possible, try the gown on at a local store.  Many pre-owned gowns are still available at retail.  Trying the gown on first will allow you to see how it fits/flatters your figure.
   
   
3. Ask questions about every detail.  Ask when and where the gown was purchased.  Ask to see a copy of the original receipt if the seller kept it.  Ask about fabric, detailing, fit alterations, and flaws. Get photographs of the gown from all necessary angles, including any of flaws/imperfections.
   
   
4. If applicable, confirm if the gown is authentic to the designer and not a copy. A certificate of authenticity, a photo of the label, or an indication on a store receipt is all ways to confirm this.
   
   
5. Confirm if/how the dress was cleaned and stored. If the gown is over 2 years old, ask about yellowing of any lace or other fine fabric.

6. Protect yourself in an online transaction.  Use a protected payment service like escrow.com you have recourse if an issue arises.

If you smartly decided to sell your wedding dress after your wedding, here’s what you can expect.  Typically a used gown, in excellent condition, that is less than two years old will sell for 50% of its retail price.  Older gowns and gowns will some flaws (dirt on hem etc) also sell, with a price adjustment for those factors.

And if you are among the growing number of brides who purchased a wedding dress, but ended up wearing a different one --You can expect to sell an unworn (new or sample) gown for 25% less than the price paid.

For more info on the dresses shown here:

Above: Vera Wang, Helene, label size 6, (street size 4)

Below: Dress by Rivini, label size 10 (street size 6)

Keep It Simple - Choose a Vintage Cake Topper

Tip #10

Top Your Cake with a Beautiful Topper

Order a simply decorated wedding cake, add a fun cake topper and you can shave some costs off the wedding cake by keeping the cake décor to a minimum. Make sure you have a cake tasting to know that the cake is as yummy inside as it is simply elegant on the outside.

A search on google reveals close to hundred cute toppers available from companies like Wedding Star Inc (WeddingStar.com), who offer contemporary figurines reflecting the personalities of the bride and groom, the ethnic heritage of the couple or the humorous pastimes of one or both of the couple.

An elaborately decorated cake can easily cost upwards of $7.oo and more per slice. Even if you spend $35 on a special cake topper, by selecting a cake bake who can provide a simpler design for around $3.75 a slice, you’ll have saved more than a few dollars that can go toward centerpieces or your floral budget. Want to save more? Sell your cake topper on ebay after the wedding’s over, but make sure the photography has taken some fun close-ups for your wedding album.

For ideas, shop on ebay or at your favorite antique store for vintage bride-and-groom figurines, good-luck horseshoes (especially if you have Irish or Scottish family roots), wedding bells, or a pair of doves – all classic symbols that can make a cake memorable.

Ask family members if they have a vintage top they would share. By ordering a moderately-priced, simply decorated cake and topping with a conversation piece, the focal point of the cake will be the cake top figurines.

Another cost saving tip

Another way to trim wedding costs is to inquire with your venue as to what they charge for a cake-cutting fee. Some venues do not charge for this service, while other venues charge a range of $2.00 - $3.50 per slice for what they call a “cake plating” or cake-cutting service. If you are having a large wedding, this can quickly add up! If your venue charges a fee, ask that the fee be eliminated or reduced to a lesser fee. Better yet, choose a venue that doesn’t charge a fee and you will immediately have saved yourself $100 or more, depending on your guest count.

Recycling Vera Wang

Tip #9

Consider a Pre-owned Wedding Dress

If you have your heart set on wearing a designer wedding dress and love the idea of recycling the good vibes and fashion forward dress of another bride's fabulous day, run - don't walk - over to PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com

PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com is a website connecting buyers and sellers of designer wedding dresses. The site has over 300,000 visits per month, with brides buying and selling thousands of designer gowns each year.

The asking price for this vampy Linea Rafaffaelli is $700. The original buyer purchased it in Europe for a wine country wedding. Tres chic.
 
Buying and selling wedding dresses has become very popular over the last few years because it's a great way for brides to save on wedding costs - or to recoup some of costs after the fact (by selling after the wedding). Site founder Josie Daga tells of a recent sale of a $28,000 gown selling on the site for $15,000, the high end of the pre-owned prices! Wedding dresses on the site start at $150, with more than 150 different designers represented. 

The Maggie Sotera (left) is currently available for $350. 

In love with Vera Wang? Purchased for $8,200, the seller of this number, Diana (right) will let it go for 5K. Don't want to pay that price? Sign up for Price Reduction alerts and get an email if the seller decides to drop the price. 

Visit the website for more than just dresses. Says Daga, "One thing our blog readers really like are tips, ideas and examples of how to get 'The Look for Less.' Because, even though the brides who use our site are buying pre-owned gown, they are still planning beautiful - and in many cases, expensive - weddings. These brides splurge when necessary and save on other items."

Watch the Santa Fe Wedding Planner for a very special blog post when we invite Josie Daga, PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com to be our guest blogger! Details to come :-)

When You Wish Upon a Star...

We're helping to get the word out about Wish Upon a Wedding, America's original wedding wish granting organization. Endorsed by some of the top leaders in the industry, Wish Upon a Wedding is dedicated to granting weddings and/or civil union ceremonies at destinations across the United States to couples who are facing terminal illness, regardless of sexual orientation.

It is the hope of the foundation, created to celebrate the courage, determination and spirit of these couples by granting their dream wedding wishes, that chosen recipients can inspire others couples facing similar situations to find hope and strength. Click on the image below to read more about this wonderful organization, then visit the foundation's website to explore ways that you can be involved.

When Good Intentions Just Aren't Enough

Okay, today is just for laughs. Much needed. Enjoy these will-intentioned (but bad... so bad) cake disasters found at Cake Wrecks.

Hmmm.... when did the "I want a wedding cake to match my bust" trend start?

A variation on Catch Your Own Lobster... How about a wedding cake aquarium?

Or last, but not least...the one year anniversary cake that didn't exactly inspire memories of the original Wedding day. While the original cake and presentation was quite lovely, see what happened one year later when it came time to celebrate the anniversary.

(Left) What bride-to-be Vanessa asked for...

What the Mrs. got as the first anniversary cake. Kinda' looks like a children's slide.

Thanks to Jen Yates, for her funny, funny posts and cakes gone wrong. For more hilarious wedding day disasters hit up the wedding section at Cake Wrecks.

That's What Friends Are For

Tip #8

Have a friend officiate

Remember the Friends episode when Joey, dressed in WWII military dress, married Chandler and Monica? He'd come directly from a film rehearsal still in costume and in typical Joey (aka Doofus) style, warmed our hearts with his genuine, though gone a tad awry, sentiments about marriage and his dear friends about to be married. 

It wasn't Joey's oratory skills that got Chandler and Monica married. It was a combination of two factors: 1) He went online and became ordained and 2) he loved his friends and wanted to support them.

If you're needing to stretch your wedding dollars, consider asking a friend to officiate your ceremony.

Now... I hesitate to write this because of all the wonderful ministers, priests and officiants that I have the great privilege of working with. Please, dear officiant friends, forgive me.

While a Santa Fe officiant’s fee ranges from (approximately) $250 to $350, for the time the officiant spends with you helping you design your perfect ceremony, meeting with you to get to know you and officiating at your ceremony, for the hours they’ve spent with you, their compensation is minimal. I often wonder how my most favorite and beloved officiants make a living from their fees.

If you do decide to ask a dear one to officiate for you, getting ordained can be free or cost a nominal fee. Here are some great resources:
For an informative article at the Wall Street Journal Online, read "Chapel Bound: Getting Ordained Online."  There are several links here for getting ordained.

To become ordained for free, find out more information about the process or for state-by-state Marriage Law, visit Universal Life Church Monastery. Also at this site is Perform a Ceremony: A Three-step Guide.

And last, but not least, to help you write your ceremony, here is highly recommended book, The Wedding Ceremony Planner by ecumenical/interfaith officiant and life coach Judith Johnson.

The Next Generation in Wedding Planning

Tip #7

Buy Recycled

Welcome to the next generation in wedding planning. Be a Recycled Bride. 

Besides being eco-friendly, this smart new site gives you the opportunity to buy designer wedding gowns with labels like Lazaro, Melissa Sweet, Monique Lhuillier, Reem Acra, Rivini and Vera Wang, just to name a few and all for a fraction of the original price.

A free marketplace for eco-savvy brides and their friends, you'll find everything from designer wedding gowns to table decorations, bridesmaids dresses, shoes and even wedding gifts. If you have ever been part of a wedding, or plan to be, buying and selling on Recycled Bride helps minimize your carbon footprint and maximize your budget.

Gotta love their tagline: Bridezillas Need Not Apply  ;-)

Plan Ahead - Plan DIY

Tip #6

DIY Program, Menu and Stationery Templates 

If you're even just a little bit crafty, these Do-it-Yourself templates from Martha Stewart can save you both time and money. DIY programs, menus and stationary are great ways to provide a delightful personalization to your wedding day.

The trick with DIY is to plan them well in advance of your wedding day and only choose one or two projects. Remember to practice the KISS principle - Keep it Simple, Sister!

For pretty programs, choose paper to compliment your wedding day colors. See template options at Martha Stewart: DIY Weddings and Templates.

To make these program covers, type in your wedding date, print on letter-size paper or card stock, fold in half, and bind with rayon cords.

Menu Template

Download the editable template to create your own menu and just fill it in with the courses you plan to serve at your reception. These templates and more can be found at Martha Stewart. For the menu template, see Slide 3.

Shop Online Sales

Tip #5

Take advantage of online sales

Sign up for online newsletters from your favorite vendors and watch for sales announcements. Here's one just in from papermints.  

With orders of 100 invitations or more, in celebration of Valentine's this month, Papermints is offering a February special of 50 FREE RSVP CARD SETS ($75 value) with orders of 100 invitations or more! (Digital Printing Only)   

This special offer is applicable for invitation orders placed between now until February 28th, 2010. Shop now and use coupon code RSVP50 to enjoy your special savings today! 

Consider the Off-Season

Tip #4

Choose a less popular month or day for your wedding date

This is especially true when it comes to destination weddings. For a destination wedding in Hawaii or Mexico, choose September through November for cost savings because they're less popular tourism months. Hotels and flights to these locales will usually be less expensive during these months than during the peak in January through March. 

Some destination wedding locations are by nature less expensive locales than others. For example, the Caribbean island of Anguilla is a very luxurious locale with primarily ultra-exclusive hotel and restaurant options. On the other hand, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Aruba offer a variety of mid-range and luxury hotels, and offer a wider budget range for restaurants and tourist activities. By selecting a more moderately priced island, you will be able to save money on both your travel and your wedding. 

If you're planning a Santa Fe wedding, your most considerable cost savings are going to be realized in the months of November and January through April. While you won't be able to enjoy an outdoor wedding in say, January or February, you can have an extraordinarily lovely intimate fireplace wedding at Santa Fe's Hotel St. Francis, for example. 

Consider the elegant Southwestern-themed  Tesuque Room at the Inn & Spa at Loretto if you have a larger guest list. As long as you meet a Food & Beverage minimum at the Inn at Loretto, you won't pay a room rental charge (HUGE savings), and in the off-season months, you're going to see lower Food & Bev minimums than you will in the more popular months of June through mid-October.

The same holds true for having a Friday or Sunday wedding - you'll see the F&B minimums go down considerably for non-Saturday events. 

There are lots of ways to have the wedding of your dreams, you just have to slip outside the box!

Add Your Signature

In keeping with yesterday's suggestion to limit your alcohol service to wine and beer for your wedding reception to keep your bar costs from escalating, today's tip is along the same lines, but makes things just a tad more festive.

Tip #3

Add a signature wedding cocktail

Serving a signature cocktail, such as an apple martini or a prickly pear margarita, gives your guests another option at your wedding reception, in addition to wine and beer, without adding the larger expense of providing a full bar.

Prickly Pear Margaritas are a hot trend, especially for Southwestern events, says Angela Reese, event planner with Walter Burke Catering, in Santa Fe.

Visit the Cocktail Guru Jonathan Pogash for a host of other exciting wedding cocktail ideas.

Scale Down the Bar

Tip #2  
 
If budget is an issue… no need for a full bar

At your wedding reception, consider limiting the alcohol to wine and beer, choices that will satisfy most of your guests.

Sign up for newsletters or join mailing lists at wine shops. If you’re working with a caterer who allows you to purchase your own alcohol (in Santa Fe, all of the caterers that we work with allow this), when wines you want for your wedding go on sale, buy in bulk.

If you’re coming to Santa Fe, watch the specials on Gruet.com. Gruet, our very own New Mexican wine and sparkling wine producers, make a lovely champagne, desired by those with a very discriminating palate. No need to spend oodles on an expensive champagne when we have Gruet.

Buy Wholesale

Buy your own wine and beer wholesale. Buy from a winery or use a wholesale club membership. Ask if your caterer charges a corkage fee. In Santa Fe, ART & SOUL Weddings and Events works with caterers who do not charge a corkage fee. You will need to spring for a licensed bartender to pour, but that’s only commonsense. And we can help there too.

Most merchants offer a 10 percent discount for buying wine by the case, and they may be open to increasing the discount if you purchase several cases at once.

Check into wine that's available in magnums (bottles twice the size of regular ones); several quality wines are. Wine sold in a magnum costs less per ounce.

Eliminating a full bar at your wedding reception is going to save you significant dollars. Offer some great red and white wines, a selection of imported beers and some local favorites and your guests will never mess the hard stuff! If your wedding party insists they're going to want to do some shots, add some bottles of whiskey onto your alcohol budget, then at a pre-specified time during the reception, bring out a few bottles for a round of shots and party hardy without blowing your budget.

2010 Copyright www.insightfoto.com

Coming up... Budget Help

Valentine's Day always sprouts a fresh crop of the "newly engaged." To spare these couples the shock of how quickly wedding costs can escalate and spiral out of control, in the month of February, I'll be sharing tips on how to manage your wedding budget.

Tip #1

Your first, best and easiest way to keep the budget under control is to limit the guest count and the size of your wedding party

Rather than having your wedding in your home town, where you (and often, your parents) would be likely to have considerable social obligations, consider a domestic wedding destination like Santa Fe. Invite only family and your nearest and dearest friends for immediate cost savings. For example, if your per person dinner cost is $65 per plate, eliminating one table of 8 guests nets you a minimum savings of $520.

For your wedding party, entertain the idea of each of you having just one attendant. Not having to deal with managing a number of personalities will save you significant stress and only needing to buy a couple of very special gifts for your maid of honor and best man, will stretch your wedding dollars further.

Look What's New at Dessy

Explore colors, view Dessy styles and accessories, upload your own photos and share your ideas with the new Dessy Inspiration Boards. Get inspired! Visit the Wedding Inspiration Styleboard Gallery today and learn to make your own.  Here's just one fun example with a yellow and gray palette:

Dessy - always a great resource for bridesmaid dresses just got better!

Yippee Skippy... I'm going to Laura's, I'm going to Laura's...

Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum. One of my bride's just booked an appointment with the delicious Santa Fe couture designer, Laura Sheppherd. Taste these...

Whether your taste in fashion is for simple elegance, or more fitting for Versaille, this collection is meant to feed your aesthetic longings. Find more fine and exquisitely tasty offerings at LauraSheppherd.com.

Sweet Treats

One event trend that seems here to stay is the cupcake presentation. We saw this trend start about six years ago; this year it's appearing as fresh and fun as ever. Always delightful (as long as they taste as good or better than they look), here are some yummilicous ideas for inspiration from Martha Stewart Weddings.

This one's actually meringue, split and filled with strawberry-rhubarb compote and cream whipped with creme fraiche.

Can't get enough caffeine? How about this coffee-infused Triple Chocolate number...

See about a dozen more cupcake temptations, including recipes at Martha Stewart Weddings.

Want to uber impress your guests with these lace cupcake towers? Martha even provides the clip art.

Sign up for Martha's daily Inbox ideas. What a sweet way to start the day -- the ideas from Martha, that is -- I'll hold off on the cupcakes till the next wedding :-).

Fancy This

Looking for a fabulous selection of yummy, yummy papers for your DIY projects? Creative ideas for fiance's Vday card? Look no further. Paper Source is your online resource for exquisite papers, crafty ideas, sumptuous custom printed wedding invitations, sassy organizational accessories and a whole lot more.

If you're lucky enough to have a Paper Source retail store in your city, I'm jealous. Make your True Love a one-of-a-kind Heart Card at their Paper Source workshops on Jan. 31, 2010. See their website and blog for workshop locations and times. Make it a date with your gal pals for a creative and light-hearted evening with the girls.

Happy crafting and remember to keep your priorities straight - it's not about perfection, it's not about expensive ... it's all about LOVE!

We're in the Little Black Book!

Last month I received this note from Shawna Brinkley of StyleMePretty.com:

Dear Cynthea,
Because we genuinely admire the high quality of your wedding planning expertise, I'm writing to invite you to join our Little Black Book of Very Important Vendors.

A truly unique virtual resource, The Little Black Book shows off the most innovative and chic wedding professionals on the planet.

Our process for extending each invitation is rather extensive, and is research-based. [We] peruse top vendor blogs, paying close attention to first-rate work and taking notes accordingly. We also consult with our preferred members and other trustworthy industry professionals, as well as our internet-savvy, sophisticated readers. Our approach is a bit atypical, but so is our book.

Although my email-box averages 400 emails per day, we prefer to handpick outstanding companies such as your own who represent the crème de la crème of the wedding industry.

I read this with both surprise and delight and of course, accepted the invitation.

Today our listing went live. It's a privilege and an honor to be among the industry's elite. So as an avid follower of Style Me Pretty, the uber-awesome and ultimate wedding blog, it's a proud day to be able to say... see us in Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book!

Happy Frickin' New Year

It's been a challenging ten days. ART & SOUL's computer became infected w/ a virus. SERIOUSLY infected. By a new virus called 2010 Internet Security. How's that for a brilliant virus name? Computer guy saved the day by saving all our files. God bless him. Truly. He deserves a bottle of Patron and more.

I missed saying good bye to 2009 with you. And most of all I missed wishing you a Happy New Year.

So here it is now.

Belated, but not a fraction less sincere.

It's not a good thing that we have become so dependent on our technology. It keeps us so busy, so tied to something that does not give us back life.

And thank God, technology will never, ever, ever replace love.

Congratulations to all the happy couples who became engaged over the holiday season. While you're feeling overwhelmed as you begin the wedding planning process... please remember this: be kind to each other, lift each other up, compromise on the things that aren't that important. Enjoy your companionship and be thankful that you have found each other.

I'll close my New Year Wishes and congratulations with words from a Hawaiian Song I found in a wedding anthology:

Here all seeking is over,
the lost has been found,
a mate has been found
to share the chills of winter---
now Love asks
that you be united.
Here is a place to rest,
a place to sleep,
a place in heaven.
Now two are becoming one,
the black night is scattered,
the eastern sky grows bright.
At last the great day has come!

HAWAIIAN SONG from the translation of E.S. Craighill Handy and Mary Kawena Pukui (adapted by Jane Hirshfield) Published in "Into the Garden: A Wedding Anthology" 

Blessings to you all and may 2010 be everything you hope for and more.
With love and in deep gratitude for each bride and groom who have given us the privilege of assisting you with your weddings,

ART & SOUL Weddings and Events 

New Sasha Souza: Ready to Ship

I've never been a fan of over the top weddings. Too much excess, IMHO. 

I *am* however, a follower of trendsetter event designer Sasha Souza and have been, since  I launched ART & SOUL Weddings and Events in 2004.

 
In that year, Sasha was honored by Modern Bride Magazine as one of the top 25 trendsetters in the wedding industry, being included with top industry pros such as Colin Cowie and Preston Bailey, among others. She was asked to serve on the Modern Bride Advisory Panel. Today she is considered among the top event design and coordination companies in the nation.

I've always found her designs, especially her Napa Valley weddings, to be breathtaking. I'm inspired by the homage she pays to the natural environment, integrating and interweaving the textures of the immediate landscape directly into the event. This is a woman after my own heart. A kindred spirit and a great role model.

I follow Sasha on Sparkliatti, her fresh, fun and highly energetic blog for event planners and brides-to-be. Today, for example, she posted about Flings Recycling & Trash Containers, convenient, portable, compact bins that snap open accordion-style to roughly the size of a tall kitchen bin for recycling and trash. How refreshing is that. ;-)

And now, without further ado, today's news is this:  Sasha Souza's newest inspiration book, "Magnificent Weddings by Design" is ready to ship through Amazon. Inspiration for the New Year. :-)

Dallas Brides... time to plan that Santa Fe wedding

New flight added! $99 fares still available - Dallas to Santa Fe

Another American Eagle, Dallas to Santa Fe Municipal Airport flight starts on 2/11/10. The new daily schedule - getting into Dallas before 11 am and leaving for Santa Fe after 7:30 pm - means making national connections will be much easier. $99 fares still available for current American Eagle flights to Santa Fe.

Dallas brides? Getting engaged at Christmas? Time to plan your Santa Fe wedding!

DIY Bride Does It Again

Bridal buddy Khris Cochran just received her personal copies of her newest book. I checked Amazon and it is IN stock, just in time for the in-love gals getting engaged over the holidays.

The DIY Bride Crafty Countdown: 40 Fabulous Projects to Make in the Months, Weeks & Hours before Your Special Day

One of the greatest challenges for the Do-it-Yourselfer planning projects in preparation for your wedding day is allowing enough time to get those projects done. No doubt about it, DIY can save money, but watch out for the additional stress of adding projects to your To-Do list. DIY diva Khris Cochran eases the stress by outlining calendar conscious crafts that won't put you over the edge.

Purchase The DIY Bride Crafty Countdown today! 

Altar Eco

Loving the new direction that the Broke-Ass Bride is taking.

Watch for the Green-Ass Bride & Groom, bringing you Eco-Chic on the Cheap, a regular column in the (soon-to-be-launched) Eco-Beautiful Weddings E-zine and their brand new "eponymous" blog.

According to the Green-Ass B & G, "we're psyched to be bringing our love for weddings and our love for the earth together in a big old lovefest (aka our column, debuting December 15th) to help you find your perfect shade of green, while saving some green!"

Check 'em out!

Randall Davey Audubon Center

Enjoyed a wonderful class yesterday at Randall Davey Audubon Center at the end of Upper Canyon Road. I was reminded of what a beautiful and natural gem this property is for outdoor events. Photographer Babak Dowlatshahi of Insight Foto, Inc. likes to take the wedding party to the Audubon Center for photos after the ceremony. Here are just a few shots to show the natural beauty of this outdoor location.

All photos by Insight Foto, Inc.