Pat Ambrosius, Distinctively You Events

Pat Ambrosius, the event designer and driving force behind Distinctively You Events, has been doing events for 17 years.  Born in Virginia and raised half the time in the South and half the time in the North, Pat’s approach to things is a unique blend of Southern sensibilities and refinement with Northern practicality and trendsetting sophistication.   Pat’s major in psychology at Rutgers University, as well as her experience in corporate events and design helped prepare her for a career in event production.  After honing her skills on the Philadelphia fundraising scene at Women’s Way, Pat prepared for her move into wedding consulting with several years of research and study in the varied fields that combine to make a remarkable event.  She then earned the designation of Professional Bridal Consultant™ from the Association of Bridal Consultants, trained under respected, veteran event consultant Linnyette Richardson-Hall, and has enjoyed the ongoing mentorship of premier Philadelphia wedding consultant, Mark Kingsdorf.

Widening the focus of her business, Distinctively You Weddings recently became Distinctively You Events.  Pat’s passion is helping people celebrate the milestone occasions in their lives in meaningful, fabulous, memorable ways. “Everyone deserves to celebrate important times in a great way.  I love to help create celebrations that are reflective of the person or people being celebrated.  No matter whether the occasion is to be sophisticated and glamorous, over-the-top kitschy, or anything in between, I strive to make sure that it fits and it’s fun.”

Because of her dedication to and support of ethics and professionalism through education, mentoring, and networking, Pat serves as Co-Director of the Association of Bridal Consultants – Southern New Jersey (ABC).   She also is a member of the International Special Events Society (ISES) which offers continued education and access to effective partnerships for all event professionals.  Pat's goal in her association ties is to raise the visibility of event professionals throughout Southern New Jersey, especially qualified wedding consultants/event designers.

Shelby Tuck-Horton, Exquisite Expressions and Events, Inc.

Shelby Tuck-Horton, is president of Exquisite Expressions and Events, Inc., a full-service event planning and management company, specializing in wedding planning and coordination.  

As a certified wedding planner and designer, for over a decade Shelby has been sharing her expertise and creativity in wedding planning with hundreds of brides both locally and nationally.  Her creative talents and expert wedding planning advice have been sought by a diverse group of clients, including nationally recognized celebrities.

Ms. Tuck-Horton recently earned the prestigious title of Master Bridal Consultant, one of only 36 in the world.  Additionally, she also serves as on Online Expert for MD-Info.com.  She is a recipient of the Association of Bridal Consultant’s (ABC) prestigious Miss Dorothy Heart Award for her positive contributions to the wedding industry.  She was recently presented with a leadership award by the ABC members of the Maryland/District of Columbia.  

Ms. Tuck-Horton has been a featured wedding expert on national and local television and radio programs.  She has also hosted a weekly television and radio show featuring wedding planning tips and techniques.  Sharing more wedding tips and techniques, she was featured in a wedding planning video,” How to Plan the Perfect Wedding.”

Ms. Tuck-Horton currently serves as the Maryland State Coordinator for the Association of Bridal Consultants.  She is also a member of Weddings Beautiful and the Association of Wedding Professionals, where she held three consecutive terms as president.

Richard Pearce, Evolution Enterprises, LLC

Richard Pearce, a former Principal of Rampart Financial Group, founded Evolution Enterprises, LLC.  He has almost 30 years of experience in working with owners of privately owned businesses to obtain financial, reorganize, and implement strategic transactions.  Richard has expertise in commercial loan structure and underwriting, restructuring, financial management and profitability enhancement.  Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, he served in various banking institutions as a senior executive and as the Director of Finance for the City of West Haven, Connecticut.  His specialized knowledge has been recognized and utilized by trade associations and publications for which he has spoken and written.  Richard has been the lead in structuring and negotiating various strategic transactions.  Many of these were completed successfully, and have included deals with large national consolidators such as mail-Well.  Richard is a graduate of the Williams School of Banking at Williams College and attended Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University.  He has completed several postgraduate business courses at the University of Bridgeport, CT, and programs with the American Management Association among others. Richard holds a B.S. degree in Business Management from Hampton University.

Erik Kent, Co-Publisher of NJWedding.com and WeddingIndustry.biz

Erik Kent is the co-publisher of NJWedding.com, an online wedding planning resource serving Northern, Central and Southern New Jersey, as well as parts of New York and Pennsylvania.  Founded on Valentine's Day in 1997 with his wife, Beth, NJWedding.com features over 500 wedding professionals marketing their services to future brides and grooms.  

Erik & Beth consistently work to help their NJWedding.com clients advertise their services effectively, promote opportunities to network with other wedding and event professionals to help their business grow, and assist in building their client's personal and professional development and reach their business goals. They are committed to the wedding industry, and recently launched a "Business Resource Center" to assist wedding professionals increase their industry knowledge at WeddingIndustry.biz.

They are currently collaborating with renowned author Sharon Naylor on their upcoming wedding planning book, An Insider's Guide To Planning Your New Jersey Wedding: Expert Advice & Tips From NJ's Wedding Community. They live in Belle Mead, NJ with their three children.

Sue Nairn Smith, The Romantic Garden

Sue Nairn Smith is an event stylist and floral designer who founded The Romantic Garden in January, 1996. She has been a vendor member of the ABC since 2003.  Sue attended Parsons School of Design for her formal floral training and has combined this with her love of anything botanical, and her affinity for mixing unexpected colors, textures, and elements together to create the various looks and styles each client desires.   Sue received a design award at the 2004 Asian-Pacific Rim Design Convention in March, 2004 at the Plaza Hotel in NYC.  Sue and her amazing staff have had the privilege of decorating hundreds of weddings, and events, each with its own unique look and style.

Prior to founding The Romantic Garden, Sue worked as a Project Management Engineer in the Aerospace and Defense industry.  She earned her Electrical Engineering degree in 1984 and her Masters in Business Administration degree in 1994.

Mark Kingsdorf, The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants

Mark Kingsdorf is a Graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, with nearly 30 years of orchestrating events for Hyatt Hotels, The Smithsonian Institution, as an off premise caterer and 7 years as owner of The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants.

Mark has been featured in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer as well as other notable national and regional publications; he has appeared on NBC 10, Fox Good Day and CN8's - Newsmakers, Money Matters Today, Your Morning, the 2006 season of the Style Network's "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" and HGTV's Ultimate Wedding Guide. His writing has been published locally and nationally in trade magazines and websites.

Mark says the two things he is most proud of are: Being selected to work with the Emily Post Institute on the 5th Edition of Wedding Etiquette - (Collins, January 2006); and founding "Let Them Eat Cake" - Philadelphia's largest wedding cake competition. Not just because of the size of the event, but because it benefits City of Hope - Breast Cancer Research, Treatment and Education and that City of Hope has honored him by naming the event in honor of his late mother, Lois.

Jim O'Keefe, All Jersey Studios

All Jersey Studios offers a full range of photography, video and AV services for individuals and businesses, from weddings, to family affairs, to corporate functions and portraits, done in the studio or on location. In business full time since 2001, president Jim O’Keefe, business partner Sue Meyer and staff bring to their work over 40 year of related experience and the most up-to-the-minute technology for specialty work such as copying and restoration, photo montages, slide shows and commercials. True to their name, All Jersey Studios will travel anywhere in New Jersey to provide services, as well as Staten Island, Manhattan and Philadelphia.

As a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants, All Jersey Studios provide wedding photography, videography, projection and PA systems. In the near future All Jersey Studios will be launching a sister company, All Jersey Event Services, which will provide one-stop shopping for any type of social or corporate event.and will able to assist consultants with with many aspects of event planning, including arranging for music from a band or DJ, tent rental, catering and more.

Robert Allen, Founder & Executive Producer of weddingpodcastnetwork.com

Wedding Podcast Network (WPN) is the brainchild of Robert Allen, an industry professional who has documented weddings for over twenty years.  He has produced wedding documentaries for the Kennedy family, Geraldo Rivera, Allen Iverson and Peter Lynch to name a few. 

Robert realized with the advent of the iPod and portable media players that he could create content that brides could listen to not found in traditional media.  Today's bride is technically savvy and always on the move.  Wedding Podcast Network offers a fresh approach to bridal information.  It's the first and best place on the web where you can download bridal specific podcasts and listen to advice on wedding planning from couples and wedding professionals. 

Based in New York, Robert prides himself on educating the discerning bride and industry with honesty and integrity.  As a widely regarded and respected videojournalist, Robert works with a host of professionals in the wedding industry. 

As a videojournalist he is credited for The 30 Minute Edit™ & The Retrospective™.  He was interviewed for an industry podcast called Wed Vid Talk and is heard by wedding videographers nationwide.  He has been awarded the 2002 Bob LeBar Vision Award, inducted into the WEVA Hall of Fame in 2002 and is a six time WEVA Creative Excellence Award.  Robert has been named to the Event DV 25 for two years in a row.  The list was published in the January 2006 and 2007 editions of the magazine.  Those listed on the Event DV 25 are considered to be the most influential videographers in the field.

Christine Figliuolo, Creations by Christine Events, LLC

Christine Figliuolo, is the founder of Creations By Christine Events, LLC. She has been planning weddings since 1995.

Christine became interested in event planning while working as a Producer for HBO. She learned early on that the key to any successful event involves careful planning and diligent research. With so many details to consider the most valuable component to any great event is surrounding yourself with honest, reputable and reliable service providers.

As a Wedding Coordinator, she has researched hundreds of vendors in the tri-state area, pulling together an impressive collection of professionals with a wide range in style and pricing.

Whether she’s planning a small affair on a shoestring budget, or a lavish gala, Christine works closely with her clients to create their “signature style” ~ always tailored to meet their expectations.

Christine has been an ABC member sine 1993 and attributes so much of her good fortune with the invaluable networking the association offers.

She assists her clients with full or partial service planning but most importantly offers “piece of mind” to each wedding she produces.

Tom Chillemi, Sales Manager Conde Nast Bridal Media

Tom brings 24 years of Publishing, Sales and Marketing experience to the table. Tom was recently named 2006 Sales Person of the Year for BRIDES.com Online and Local Print.