Love, Milk, & Honey

To those of you who have not checked out Lauren Kelly's blog, Love, Milk, & Honey, you're missing out!! It's a blog about love, life, and useful information for married couples. Lauren( a gorgeous Texas redhead) is the lady behind the blog. She is awesome! Really awesome. I've been honored to do a frequent blog column for her under " The Accessories" section of her blog. First blog went up last week! Check it out here. Follow her blog and gets some tips and advice form me on love, life, and fashion. Enjoy!

Warmest,

Annette

screen shot of the site

My Dad

With Fathers day on my mind, I wanted to write a post on my dad. If I had to sum my dad up in one word it would be brave. Although using one word isn't really fair, so I'll use others. Brave, Strong, Kind, Godly, Unselfish, Giving, Loving, and the list could go on and on.

My dad, Ignacio ( or you can call him Iggy) was born in Florida. However, it's not the Florida you're thinking of. He was born in Florida, Cuba, near Camaguey. By the age of 16 he was singing in a professional group and touring Cuba. I claim I got my singing voice from him.( as well as my artistic abilities. My dad can draw like crazy)

A few years after that God tugged at his heart, and he decided that was not the life he wanted to lead. He left fame behind and dedicated his life to ministry. I can't say how much that speaks volumes on my dad's character. He met my mom in College, they became engaged and life was as " good" as it could be living in a communist country.

Suddenly his life was turned upside down when he was forcefully taken from his college, put into a truck, and taken to a concentration camp in a distant part of Cuba. He was in his early twenties at the time. I cannot even imagine going through that experience. He was separated from all he had, all he knew, and from the woman he loved. At the time Castro did not want the country to have anything to do with religion. So he took all young men, from all around Cuba, of all denominations who were studying to be pastors, and put them into concentration camps around Cuba. The plan was to "brain wash" them into thinking communism is better than religion.

For 3 long years my dad stayed in this hard labor camp. His faith in God was tested daily. It was prohibited to talk about religion, have a Bible, or pray. When someone he knew snuck a Bible in, they buried it far from their barrack where they would sleep. Every night my dad or one of his friends would crawl out in the darkness, dig up the Bible, crawl back and read by candlelight. They were willing to risk their life for what they believed in. In our country now days we can have multiple Bibles in out home and never even read them. The Bible was soo precious to them during those times. I want to learn from that.

It was my dad's faith in God that got him through those difficult times. He saw my mom only a couple of times during those 3 years, and all letters they would write each other were pre-read or never delivered.When the rest of the world found out about these concentration camps, Castro opened the camps up and allowed all to leave. My dad was free. Him and my mom married and from there on, I could tell a million more stories of their struggles, triumphs, and blessings from God. I'll leave those for another time.

I want to thank my dad for giving me the opportunity to be who I am. For teaching me about God, and for always praying on my behalf. My dad after 40 years continues to pastor to this day. Yes, I am one of those PK's as we're called. I was blessed to have my dad baptize me, and perform my wedding. Those are moments in my life that he made so special and I will never forget.

Happy Fathers Day to the best dad ever!!!! Love you!

Happy Fathers Day to all dad's out there.

Sneak Peak

Here's a little sneak peak from my photo shoot with Garrett Nudd. Looking forward to posting more!!

Warmest,

Annette

Update

chaviano couture from annette thurmon on Vimeo.

My Mom- Ana Rosa

I surprised my family by flying home for Mothers Day ( video soon to come) I had not seen my family since November of last year. That's way too long! I don't think we've ever gone so long without seeing each other. My family ( which consists of my dad, mom, and grandma) live in Missouri. That's where I was born and raised. It's been a blast being home for a day. My grandma's food is AWESOME ( that's an understatement) and it's always fun to sleep in my old room, look up and see my glow in the dark stars, and reminisce.

Since It's mother day I thought It would be nice to do a post on my mom. She is such a strong woman who has gone through a lot in life and been resilient about it. Born and raised in Cuba, she witnessed her country change in a day by communism. She dealt with my dad being in a concentration camp for 3 years during their engagement. Lived on nearly nothing, and yet learned to thrive. Came to United States in 1980 with nothing except the clothes on her back. Learned to speak English and make a life for herself. My parents were married 13 years before they had me, so I came as a surprise.


I think what I can say I have my mom to thank for most is for always representing Christ to me, and for being a God fearing woman. Ever since birth she instilled a love for God in my heart. I learned to trust Him because I heard so many stories growing up of how He always brought my parents through trial. My mom unselfishly stayed home when I was younger and put her own career dreams on hold to home school me and teach me. Those growing up years with my family at home everyday will always be a fond memory in my heart.


My mom has always gone the extra mile for me. Altough we've shared our differences during my growing up years, she has always been my support. I can't thank her enough for what she has given me.

To all mom's reading this I want to say Happy Mothers Day. What you do is such an amazing thing. I pray God continues to bless you in a big way. To all those mom's out there that are raising your kids, working, and trying to follow your dream, I admire you. Words can't describe how awesome you are.

I hope to be a mom one day. I actually look forward to it. I can only pray I do half as good as my mom did with me. So on this mothers day I want to say "Thank you" to my mom. For teaching me, loving me, and always praying for me. I love you!

Teclitica ( what my mom calls me)

Happy Mothers Day

my mom at 15

Right after she gave birth to me

still in the hospital


4 years old ( one of my all time favorite pictures of us)

Little bit of everything

at my wedding September 2006

pictures to come from this weekend. Happy Mother Day to all mom's.

The Engagement Party Video

Had the pleasure of being a part of the Bridal Bar's Engagement Weekend about a month ago. The amazing Ryan from Rodinis Films did this video that does a re-cap of the weekend. My gowns are featured at the beginning of the video as well as some gowns from the fabulous Heidi Elnora.

Check out the video. If you're looking for a videographer you should book him!

What have I been up to?

Hello All,

Over the past few weeks I have been busy, busy with multiple projects. I have been working closely with 3 brides whose weddings are coming up. One is Sarah who was the cocktail gown winner from my trunk show. I cannot wait for you to see her dress!

I've been working very hard at totally re-branding my business. This takes a lot of time, effort, prayer, and patience. It's taken me a while to really focus and decide what direction I want Chaviano Couture to take. I'm working on a new website/blog, planning two fantastic photo shoots. One with my personal wedding photographer Garrett Nudd ( If you don't know him and his wife Joy, you should, they are fabulous), and secondly with the amazing team at Our Labor of Love( I can't say enough about how wonderful they are)

Get ready to see a whole lot of things happen over the next few months, including a big announcement!! I want you to know that there will be changes, but they are for the better, and my business will be more than just about making fabulous dresses.

I have been blessed beyond words over the last few months. So many people have been an inspiration to me and for that I am so very, very grateful! I look forward to sharing all the happy news soon, so stay tuned.

I encourage you to keep pressing forward in your business and in your personal life, God has big plans for you!

Warmest, Annette

Alecia Lauren

A few weeks ago Alecia borrowed one of my gowns to do a fun photo shoot with one of her previous brides. She gave me some of the images so I could share them with you! If you have not met Alecia she has a wonderful personality and smile all the time. Here's a little info on her.

Alecia Lauren found her passion for photography six years ago by creating images that captured people, places and emotions in unique ways. She approaches every photo shoot with her trademark classic, modern and clean style. Alecia’s portfolio includes weddings and dogs! She recently launched a website dedicated to photographing dogs, www.alecialaurenphotography.com/Dogs. Alecia Lauren has been featured for her wedding photography on Deserving Design on HGTV, published in The Knot Georgia and Atlanta Brides. When Alecia is not traveling photographing weddings, she lives in Atlanta with her husband and two dogs.

My sister-in-law has two puppies and I cannot wait to have Alecia photograph them! Check out her site here

Here are a few images from her shoot.

Be careful what you pray for

At the beginning of this month I wrote a post about challenging ourselves over this next month. About starting the New Year now, and not waiting any longer to make things happen.

Here I'll quote something I wrote in that post

" Where do you start? I'll tell you what I do. I go to God in prayer FIRST, before every major decision. I know He has my best interest in mind. One of those changes I want to make, is to make my time with God a priority"

so over the past month I did my best to make God a priority, but I have to say that according to me I miserably failed. I didn't dedicate as much time as I would have liked, and time seems to go by faster and faster with each passing day. However, I did pray (a lot) about my business and what direction I should take. I can honestly say that I have been more confused than ever this past month when it's come to my business and making major decisions. I prayed for God to bring me opportunities where I could help others. Neither of these things seemed to be happening.

I started to feel a little bit annoyed and inpatient with God's timing for answers. Some things I had counted on fell through, and I found myself feeling as though the month of March was not the " New Year" experience I was hoping for. Over the past 2 weeks I started to have a little more clarity and vision, and felt as though there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Yet, I still felt as though my opportunities were few, and my inspiration unclear.

That was until today. It took God until the very last day of the month to answer my prayer, but today He showed me in a great way how important it is for me to trust in Him no matter what. I'll try to recap quickly.

I walked out of the pharmacy today and had a young lady approach me and ask which direciton I was headed. I told her, and then asked where she needed to go. She said her aunt was in the hospital and she had no way to get there. The hospital she needed to go to was about a 25min drive away. My initial instinct was " Annette, you don't have time, it's such a long way away, she could be dangerous"

I'm ashamed I even thought that. I volunteered to take her. Never in my life have I had a complete stranger in my car. Yes, to some this sounds crazy and not smart on my part, but something told me I should. When God tugs at your heart don't hesitate. He is the greatest protection you'll ever need.

the next 25 min I listened to her life story and realized how fortunate and blessed I have been. We can get to caught up and not realize we have SOO much to be grateful for. All I can say in " Wow" God humbled me in a big way today. I dropped her off and got her e-mail and contact info. I plan on keeping in contact with her and helping in whichever way God allows me to.

Today I felt as though I was able to help someone and be humbled in the process. That was huge for me. To make it even more exciting I got good news upon good news today regarding my business. From being featured in a magazine to being asked to be a part of 2 major shoots, I could not be more excited! God opened the floodgates of opportunity on the very last day of the month. I could not be more grateful and inspired.

So I end this long post by saying be careful what you pray for. If you want God to open doors, He will. If you want Him to bring you amazing opportunities you never thought were possible, He will. Be ready for when the blessings start flowing, you won't know what to do with yourself. Be prepared for amazing things to happen!

I go to bed now more determined than ever to continue my New Year plan for the month of April. I encourage you to do the same. Aim big, reach high, God will bless...when you least expect it.

Warmest,
Annette

Shirt Off My Back For Haiti- Video Blog

Hey All,

Thought I'd do a quick video regarding this project. Please contact me with any questions. I'd love for you to get involved.

chavianocouture@gmail.com

Hugs, Annette

Shirt Off Your Back For Haiti

Hey all,

here's a project that I would love to see as many of you as possible involved in! I'm excited to announce that funds derived from this project will go towards helping Haiti. This is such an easy way to help. Donate clothing/household goods/anything you want to give...all donations will be tax deductible. I went through my closet at home, and it's amazing how many things we have extra just laying around. Why not donate them for a good cause?

This project has been launched by The Beehive, a new non-profit organization with the goal of reaching and helping others in need. They are opening a new store called "Thrift" here in Atlanta. Your items will be sold there, and the proceeds will go towards specific projects around Atlanta and around the world.

The first project is for Haiti. Proceeds will go to Haiti to help build 2 agricultural centers/schools where the Haitians can get an education and learn how to grow food to sustain themselves and live.

You can help by donating!! If you're interested please leave me a comment below, or e-mail me at chavianocouture@gmail.com with your information. I will send you info on the location of the store, or we can pick up your things also.

I have gotten involved with this project, and have pledged part of the proceeds from my gowns towards this cause. If you feel moved to give a monetary donation (tax-deductable) towards this project, please contact me.

Tell everyone you know about this project! Let's work together to help those who need it desperately.

Warmest,

Annette

Guest Blog for Get Married

If you've never been on Get Married's website, or watched their TV show, or read their magazine, you should!!! I had the priveledge of meeting Stacie Framcombe the Host/Founder of Get Married back a few weeks ago for the MTH2010 get together. It was held at their studios here in Atlanta. Stacey is such a sweet person! She has a wonderful way of juggling work and being a mom to 3 boys. I had the opportunity of being a guest blogger for Get Married's Daily Wedding Dish. Gave my thoughts on red carpet fashion for the 2010 Oscars this year.

I'm grateful for the opportunity , and it was great fun!! I'm looking forward to many more things to come from Get Married this year! Click HERE to watch the video blog.

Here are my favorite gowns from the 2010 Oscars.

The Engagement Party!!

Who: Atlanta’s recently engaged couples

What: A weekend long wedding planning experience unlike any other. A chance for couples to enjoy the celebratory process along with friends and family as they taste, touch, see, and explore all the best that Atlanta bridal has to offer. (Please see schedule attached)

When: Friday, March 19 - Sunday, March 21, 2010

Where: The W Hotel Midtown, Ventanas,103 West, STATS, The Ritz-Carlton Downtown

Why: Make planning your BIG day a celebratory experience that you can share with one another and your friends and family. The Engagement Party is a weekend full of events highlighting many unique event professionals who can help make your wedding planning process seamless and fun while engaging with your closest friends and family and meeting a few new ones along the way. Exclusive weekend incentives will be offered from each participating event professional at the completion of the weekend for couples.

Schedule of events:

Friday: At your leisure throughout the afternoon/evening check in to The W Hotel, Midtown location where you will be welcomed with a swag bag full of surprises and spend the weekend reconnecting as a couple and/or indulging with your best of friends. Kick off private party to welcome guests with runway show at the Princess Diana exhibit with one of the hottest bridal designers in the business!

Saturday: Morning: Power breakfast followed by Pure Energy bridal workout with Dolvett Quince, celebrity trainer and owner of Body Sculptor, Inc. Designed for guys and gals, Pure Energy is a FUN full packed hour of form fitting, pound dropping, and inch losing intensity with a live DJ spinning high power dance music!

Lunch: For the ladies, a bridal luncheon at 103 West including a panel discussion with the best of the best in event planning, décor and floral design, photography, food, budget, etc.

And for groom’s, lunch at STATS including big screens and information on honeymoon planning, tuxedo’s and bachelor party 101.

Afternoon opt-in sessions to include: Boudoir shoot with Risqué Boudoir Photography; couples massage with Atlanta Mobile Massage; custom gown design with Heidi Elnora & Chaviano Couture; cake tastings; dance lessons and so much more.

Evening: Cocktail party at Ventana’s, Atlanta’s newest reception hot spot, showcasing event professionals in every field of expertise, combining their efforts to throw you The Engagement Party of the year!

Sunday: Indulgent brunch and closing ceremony at The Ritz-Carlton Downtown.

Amazing give-aways will be awarded at each event throughout the weekend including: A Smilebooth, jewels, custom tuxedo, Braves suite, bachelor party, weekend Stay at The W Hotel, helicopter ride over Atlanta, and custom cocktail dress and of course, the BIG engagement party and honeymoon give-aways!

Ticket Costs:

(EACH TICKET IS ALL INCLUSIVE: FOOD, BEVERAGE, TRAVEL, ETC.)

$289/per couple for entire weekend activities, including hotel stay with an amazing swag bag full of surprises!

*Eligible for 2 entries to all give-aways with participation*

$149/per couple for entire weekend activities, excluding hotel stay

*Eligible for 1 entry to all give-aways with participation*

$89/per couple for The Engagement Party only

*Eligible for 1 entry to the engagement party give-away only*

**tickets for each event will be available for purchase by friends/family accompanying a couple’s registration**

CLICK HERE, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WEEKEND AND SIGN UP!

It's 12:07 a.m.

So I'm laying in bed unable to sleep yet. I have a million thought's going through my head. Ever since MTH2010 I've been tossing ideas back and forth regarding my business, personal life, relationships, you name it. I have realized that for me I need to take those ideas/thoughts and actually put them into action. They are of no use to me or anyone when they are swirling around in my head.

So today, March 1, 2010, is my version of January 1,2010. Meaning my resolutions start now. I actually feel like I've had a whole new year given to me. As of today I've made changes. They range from little ones such as trying to carry an actual conversation with a cash register worker ( in hopes that I can bring a smile to their face ) to making a daily schedule of some sort for myself.( very hard for me to do)

I write this post to encourage you to start your New Year now! If you have been procrastinating( as I have been) the time is NOW to make change. Our world is constantly changing. We never know when it will be our last day to make that change.

Where do you start? I'll tell you what I do. I go to God in prayer FIRST, before every major decision. I know He has my best interest in mind. One of those changes I want to make, is to make my time with God a priority. It's hard with the hustle and bustle of life to find time to listen to His voice. The verse " Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10 became much more evident to me yesterday morning. I walked outside at 6 am . It was a Sunday morning. Not one car on the street, not one sound, but those of the wind blowing the leaves. The crisp air felt amazing, and there as the suns rays were starting to shine I asked God to help me hear His still small voice.

Bottom line, I want to make things happen. I don't want April 1st to come by, and nothing is different or improved in my relationship with God, ,my relationship with my husband, and in my business.I challenge you to grab a hold of new opportunity, to seize the moment as never before, and to live your life to the fullest you can.

Post a comment below as to what changes you want to make over the next month! I'll encourage you and keep you accountable! Well, it's bed time for me. I have a long but exciting day tomorrow!!

Warmest,

Annette

Happy Valentines Day!

Hello All,

I woke up this morning to a beautiful winter wonderland. What a blessing that was to me. Any time I want to feel God's presence I just go outside and enjoy nature. There's nothing like fresh, cold air blowing across your face to make you feel alive and energized. It had been a while since I had gotten to enjoy snow, and today I took advantage of it:) Fun, Fun, Fun!!

I want to wish you all a fabulous Valentines day! I pray you are able to spend it with those you love, and be able to reflect and be thankful for those people that bring a smile to your face.

Happy Valentines!!

p.s. couldn't resist taking a few pics in the snow:)

This past week...

Hello All,

It's been a while since I've posted. Life has been a bit crazy lately, and I guess I havn't really sat down to blog anything. I had the opportunity to be a part of the Making Things Happen tour when it came to Atlanta a few days ago, and needless to say a lot has been on my mind. I've done a lot of self-reflection and prayer. I decided to make a video blog to get my feelings out. This is way out of my comfort zone, I usually don't like talking to thers about my feelings, etc, but I want you to know a little more about me and who I am.

So here we go....click on the link below to watch. Sorry for the lengthy video. Decided to do one take, so here's the result. Have a fabulous day!

Warmest,

Annette

Once Wed Vendor

I had the priveledge of meeting Emily Newman, creator of Once Wed, late last summer, and it has been an honor to get to know her. She is a genuinely sweet person with lots of amazing ideas and talent when it comes to the wedding world.

With over 2.3 million pageviews a month, Once Wed has grown into one of the top wedding resources on the internet today. Once Wed has received critical praise in many major media outlets including – The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal & NBC.com. It is an amazing site with so much to offer from real weddings and inspiration galleries to modern DIY wedding projects.

It is a priveledge for me to have Chaviano Bridal Couture as a featured vendor on the Once Wed site. I look forward to many exciting things Emily and hear team have in store! Cheers!

Golden Globe Favorites

Although I did not watch the Golden Globes, I always like to see what everyone wore. Jewel tones were definitely a hit, although the classic black shone with some gorgeous gowns too. Here are my favorites. How fun is Kate Hudson's gown? Love it! If I had to pick my favorite would be Emily Blunt's gown. I could picture that in a ivory shade with more volume on the bottom = wedding dress!!

Chaviano Bridal Couture Featured!

I have the priviledge of being featured in the most currant issue of The Atlantan Brides Magazine. A big thank you to them for featuring Chaviano Couture. Pick up a copy, available on newsstands now! You can view the online version of the magazine here