Best of NRV Bridals Proof 1 by Luis Garcia

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Spring 2013

PUBLISHER ART DIRECTOR/AD DESIGN

NRV Bridals & Events Jill Darlington-Smith

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Remy Ozaraga

EDITOR AT LARGE

Susan Hensley

COntributing writers

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Remy Ozaraga, Susan Hensley, Kanta Bosinak, John Fox Shannon Ainsley, Always & Forever Photo Lauraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Focus Photography Maya McMahon Photography

Project Manager

Luis Garcia

Advertising Sales

Marivic Gallimore/Barbara Newton

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Ariel Junio

Advertising & Submissions HOW TO ADVERTISE: To advertise with Best of NRV Bridals and Events Magazine or request a media kit, please contact us at 540-443-9289 or email at info @bestofnrv.org. Deadline for ads:

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Email articles, news items and ideas to: Publisher@bestofnrv.org Deadline for articles:

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS Email calendar events to: Publisher@bestofnrv.org or Fax to: Deadline for calendar:

www.BestOfNRVBridalsAndEvents.com 3

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Spring 2013

what’s inside Letter from the President

Letter from the Editors

History of NRV Bridals & Events in Pictures

David Smith: Baking & Decorating Cakes for a Mission

…And Their Wedding Wishes Came True

Historic Smithfield To Host the 3rd Annual “Make-a-Wedding Wish Come True” in 2013

special features

www.BestOfNRVBridalsAndEvents.com 5

Letter from the President

elcome to the Inaugural Issue of the Best of NRV Bridals and Events Magazine. We aim to make this magazine a bi-annual publication dedicated to wedding and events happenings in the area, featuring useful information for brides and others who are planning a special event that they want to make memorable. In addition, we will also focus on our member businesses who are expert in their particular field and excited to share their expertise with our readers. The New River Valley might be on our name but we aspire to reach a much broader geographical area in terms of the member businesses, clients and customers we want to reach. The New River Valley and the surrounding communities are getting to be known more and more by prospective brides and grooms and others looking for a location to hold their special events. Our Leadership Team has partnered with wedding and events organizations outside of Southwest Virginia like Virginia Wedding and Events Network (VAWE) and Virginia Bride so our member businesses can have state-wide exposure. The exceptional mountain and pastoral backdrops that surround this area makes it ideal for these special occasions and the variety of venues you find here attest to this growing trend. An informal survey made with some of our members indicates that more and more people outside the region are holding their weddings, anniversaries, reunions, retreats

and other occasions in the area. The natural beauty of the surroundings is a big draw but the relatively low cost of services is also a major reason for holding these special occasions here. In this issue, our stories include a historical perspective on how the NRV Bridals and Events organization was formed, a touching story of a cake-maker, David Smith, who donate all his profits to his mission work, a lovely and romantic wedding of the winners of our 2011 “Make-aWedding Wish Come True” wedding giveaway in the beautiful Nesselrod Bed and Breakfast in Radford, and a feature of the next venue for the 2012 “Make-a-Wedding Wish Come True” recipients - the Historic Smithfield Plantation within the Virginia Tech Campus. We also have articles from our member-contributors, DJ John Fox “Tunes You Remember” and the Rev. Kanta Bosniak on Interfaith rituals. We hope you enjoy this first issue. Our hope is that, through this magazine, we can draw even more people to have their special life events in our beautiful region. We are very proud of the communities that comprise the New River Valley and surrounding towns; through the unity and cooperation of the wedding and events professionals in our organization, we can offer a unique stress-free experience to our clients and encourage them to promote our area. Remy Ozaraga Susan Hensley

Spring 2013

Letter from the Editors

R emy Ozaraga

Susan Hensley

www.BestOfNRVBridalsAndEvents.com 7

History of NRV Bridals

Spring 2013

& Events in Pictures

www.BestOfNRVBridalsAndEvents.com 9

Spring 2013

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David Smith: Baking & Decorating Cakes for a Mission

ÂŠ Always & Forever Photographer

eet David Smithâ&#x20AC;Ś He has a Masters in Criminology from Sam Houston State University in Texas and he spent over 25 years working for the prison systems in Texas and Virginia, retiring as the warden of the Pulaski Correctional Center in Dublin, VA in 2003. He then became the General Manager of Quality Inn, Christiansburg, managing a 124room facility that has won numerous awards from Choice Hotels including the Gold and Platinum Awards for service and quality accommodations.

Spring 2013

hat’s a former prison warden doing with a bridal and events group, you ask? David Smith’s two main passions: baking and decorating cakes and his charity mission for underprivileged kids, mostly in Third World countries.

avid has been baking and decorating cakes for 26 years. He remembers clearly when he got started: his son was born on Valentine’s Day and on his son’s first birthday, he got a baker’s starter kit so he can make him a birthday cake. He enjoyed it so much, he has been baking and decorating cakes ever since. He calls his business Dave’s Delicious Cakes. During all these years, he comes home from his regular job and bakes and decorates cakes for any and all occasions, including wedding cakes. “God blessed me with a little bit of creative talent and I use it for His glory,” David says. David gets three cake orders a week, on average. David donates 100% of the proceeds of his cake-making business, including ingredients, to his missionary work.

avid started his missionary work in 2000, when his church sponsored a family mission trip to work among Somali refugees in Toronto. David took his two pre-teen kids to Toronto for that first mission. Since then, he and his family have been doing mission work every year; they’ve traveled to Macau, the Philippines, Mississippi, Thailand and Cambodia returning more than once to these places to follow through on their prior work. On several occasions, volunteers from his church also came with him. David works through local ministers or missionaries in these countries. They help him set up the agenda for the trip

and select and gather the junior and senior high aged youth for the Bible study classes and team-building activities that he integrates into the program. Spreading the Word is not the only goal of these missions; working with the local ministers, they identify other needs of the people in these communities such as ways to make them financially selfsufficient to overcome conditions of abject poverty that most of these communities suffer through.

avid is currently focused on meeting his goals for his last mission in Cambodia. He is working with the leader of the Cambodia Youth Mission, Sam Ang Dang, who’s managing a key project being financed by David’s mission. Mr. Dang has organized a cottage industry among the villagers to make flip-flops and shoes to be marketed in Phnom Penh and

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Spring 2013

other local villages. Sewing machines and materials for shoe making were purchased from donations raised by David’s mission. The proceeds are used to fund the training of village pastors while providing a source of income for their families. The village pastors are not paid for being pastors, so they have to find other means to support their families. By having a vocation they can pursue in their homes, they don’t have to go far away to work in the factories like many other villagers have to do, and so they can take care of their congregation in the village. In addition to pastor training, the mission also provides college scholarships to deserving students who need financial assistance. “It is very fulfilling to see the appreciation and gratitude on these children’s faces when they receive these gifts or donations. For the most part, education is the only way out for them from the cycle of poverty, “ David adds.

avid participated in the first Blacksburg Bridal Expo in 2010, which at that time, was managed and organized by Marivic Gallimore of Elegance by Marivic, LLC. David’s continuing participation in NRV Bridals fits perfectly with its mission. The organization is all about promoting and providing exposure to member businesses so they can grow while supporting charity-giving activities to give back to the community and society as a whole. Marivic Gallimore, President and Founder of NRV Bridals and Events, says “When I heard about the good work generated by David’s mission, it inspired me to have my 52nd birthday celebration this year with a fund-raising canoe run at the Little River in Floyd, with my friends and some members of NRV Bridals. We have raised a significant amount of money from that and I would like to have another one soon. It was so much fun!”

f you need a cake for a birthday, anniversary, wedding or other special occasion, give David a call at 540-257-0733. Not only will you be getting a delicious cake, you’ll be helping people all over the world! Contact: bimdbook@gmail.com

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â&#x20AC;ŚAnd Their Wedding Wishes Came True By Remy Ozaraga

ÂŠ Always and Forever Photography

hen Amanda Huff and Stephen Martin applied for the 2011 MakeA-Wedding-Wish-Come-True, they thought winning would be a long shot. But they had to try. This was their only chance to have a wedding anytime soon.

Spring 2013

The couple describe themselves as classic underdogs, explaining that they have both endured a lifelong fight to keep their heads above water in the face of challenges. When they were selected by the panel of judges at the Fall 2011Blacksburg Bridal Expo, they could hardly believe it. “This will be the first formal and planned wedding in my family,” said Huff, teary eyed. Martin echoed it saying his parents were married in a courthouse. The couple first met at the Christiansburg Macado’s, when they were introduced by a mutual friend. “The first thing I saw was her eyes,” Martin said, describing the encounter as “love at first sight.” “I had that feeling,” he said. But it wasn’t just her beauty that caught Martin’s eye. He also respected her independence – the fact that she was living with a roommate, working and going to school. Huff said that she was put off at first because he had tattoos. “But then when I got to know him better, I found him to be kind, gentlemanly and loving. Just goes to show that you can’t judge a person by his appearance,” Huff added. Huff said that she admires Martin’s perseverance amidst life’s challenges; he’s working fulltime while going to school to get a degree in metalwork, which is a very physically demanding skill to acquire. Huff is also working on her degree in education and has gotten a full scholarship from Hollins University; she has one more year to go to graduate. The panel of judges who had to select from seven other couples saw these qualities during the interview process, as well. They sensed the couple’s independence and drive to overcome difficulties as well as their love for each other.

The couple, very much in love and dreaming of getting married, knew financial woes would stand in the way of a wedding. “We don’t have that kind of cash. We live paycheck to paycheck,” Huff said. Both Huff and Martin came from humble beginnings. They explained that although their parents love them, they could never afford to give them a wedding. The wedding, which was originally scheduled during Valentine’s Week, had to be postponed due to a serious accident involving Huff’s mother who was disabled as a result.

Postponing it to July worked well for everyone including the vendors. Nesselrod Bed and Breakfast in Radford graciously donated their lovely venue for the wedding ceremony for a small group of family and friends. They also offered a night’s stay for the couple after the event. With the meticulous planning of the staff of Elegance by Marivic, the intimate and elegant wedding attended by 40 guests went off without a hitch. The theme selected by the couple was black and white as the color black is symbolic of special occasions throughout their relationship.

www.BestOfNRVBridalsAndEvents.com 19

Newton, one of the officers and member of NRV Bridals and Events who attended the wedding. Another elegant touch to the ceremony is the release of 50 butterflies by Butterflies in Flight. Why butterflies? “Butterflies are symbols of love, hope, freedom, growth, beauty, life and new beginnings”, says Catherine Short, proprietor of this West Virginia business enterprise. It brought a beautiful and memorable moment to the occasion that will not be forgotten

by the couple and their guests for a long time. After the ceremony, the wedding party and their guests moved to the nearby Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech for the reception. Bulls and Bones catered a sumptuous dinner composed of three meats,

Martin proposed last November 7, on Huff’s birthday, presenting her with a black diamond ring, which followed a tradition of black jewels he had given her for past special occasions. The wedding was made even more poignant by a stirring ceremony performed by Rev. Karen Osborne, an Interfaith Minister in the area who customized the rite for the couple. “I wanted to create a meaningful and joyful ceremony that would be remembered by Amanda and Stephen and their families for a lifetime”, said Rev. Osborne. During the ceremony, Julia Fallon of Valley Harps, provided the music. “The solo harp performed by Ms. Fallon enhanced the romantic, elegant ambiance of the wedding”, said Barbara

Spring 2013

vegetables, starches and dessert while DJ John Fox of Tunes You Remember played his variety of music during the reception. The couple and their guests danced the night away. A total of 22 vendors that are members of the NRV Bridals and Events organization contributed a variety of products and services including hair and nails, make-up, wedding announcements and invitations, wedding flowers, rehearsal lunch, pre-nuptial photos and wedding photos, videography, jewelry gifts for the bride and her bridesmaids, limousine service and vendor coordination and overall planning.

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Behind the Scenes for: 2012 Make-a-Wedding Wish Come True Our Exclusive Charity

Spring 2013

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Historic Smithfield To Host the 3rd Annual “Make-a-Wedding Wish Come True” in 2013 By Remy Ozaraga

nother lucky couple will make wonderful memories when they tie the knot at the Historic Smithfield Plantation that will host the 3rd Annual “Makea-Wedding Wish Come True” 2013 winners. Located within the Virginia Tech campus, the beautiful secluded grounds of Smithfield Plantation

provide a mortise and tenon 36’ x 60’ pavilion with seating for 150 people and a masonry fireplace encircled by century old trees. The setting is a great location, rain or shine, for a wedding or special event. What is even more noteworthy about this location is its historic significance to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Smithfield Plantation was home

to several generations of the descendants of Col. William Preston and his wife Susanna who moved there in 1774. Their descendants created a gubernatorial legacy with three becoming governors of Virginia and three others as First Ladies. Col. Preston played a significant role in the Revolutionary War and served increasingly important positions

Spring 2013

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when the colonies declared their independence from Great Britain and Montgomery County was formed in 1776. At this juncture, he was appointed County Lieutenant. One of the descendants, William Ballard Preston served in the Virginia General Assembly and was appointed Secretary of the Navy in 1849 under President Zachary Taylor. A college in Blacksburg, Preston and Olin Institute, was named for him. It was from this school that Virginia Tech evolved. William Ballard Preston was the last Preston to make Smithfield his home but it remained in the possession of the family for two more generations. In 1959, Janie Preston Boulware Lamb, great great granddaughter of Col. William Preston, presented Smithfield to the Association for the

Preservation of Virginia Antiquities with the stipulation that they would restore, maintain and open the house to the public. Smithfield first opened to the public in 1964. The house and grounds have been restored to their original state, so this venue exudes the history and atmosphere of the elegant colonial era. However, modern conveniences have also been installed to make special gatherings easy to plan. Photo opportunities abound in front of the manor house, in the orchard, at Weaver’s cabin or their grand entryway. There is a service entrance for food and floral deliveries located next to the pavilion and lighted parking for guests. Public bathrooms are available behind the manor house.

The lucky winners of the 3rd Annual Make-a-Wedding Wish Come True contest who will celebrate their union at this lovely historic setting are Ashley Wilkerson and Ryan Ege. See feature story on the 2012 Makea-Wedding Wish Come True contest on page ___. Historic Smithfield recently participated in the 2012 Fall Bridal Expo hosted by NRV Bridals & Events at the Inn at Virginia Tech on September 16, 2012. To contact General Smithfield: Historic Smithfield Plantation 1000 Smithfield Plantation Road Blacksburg, VA 24060 Phone: 540.231.3947 Fax: 540.231-3006 www.smithfieldplantation.org

Imagine holding your wedding, reception, party or special event at Historic Smithfield Plantation. A romantic and authentic historical setting near VT campus. The house and grounds have been restored to their original state, with modern conveniences to make your special gathering easy to plan. Features • grounds, gardens and pavilion available • pavilion with rustic beam construction seating up to 150 with excellent lighting inside and out • large stone fireplace • 18th century heirloom gardens • handicapped accessible • close to VT and hotel accommodations

Historic Smithfield Plantation

1000 Smithfield Road • Blacksburg, VA 24060 540.230.2966 or 540.231.3947 (house) rental@smithfieldplantation.org | smithfieldplantation.org A Virginia Historic Landmark, A Preservation Virginia Property National Register of Historic Places

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ÂŠ Always and Forever Photography

It's All About Music

Spring 2013

t’s all about the Tunes You Remember or current genre of music you listen to. And having access to these tunes to make your special event even more memorable is what I’m all about. The lessons I’ve learned over the years have enabled the services I provide make these special occasions become unforgettable. How our favorite music is delivered to us has changed ten fold in the last 5 years than the previous 5 decades. Music formats and playback devices have changed in so many ways. As a consumer you may use a mp3 player or smart phone, in years past it was a portable radio or Walkman. For the DJ it was a turntable or tape deck, today we use a laptop or external hard drive connected to a controller. I started with an LP music collection that I recorded to ¾” open reel tape for playback. The LPs stayed home for protection. At the time I had a Teac 3300 and Pioneer 1020L open reel that used 10 ½” reels. Each reel could hold 2 hours of music recorded at the second highest speed for best sound quality. Each deck weighed about 50 pounds. The decks were connected to a receiver, amplifier, and two speakers. My experience in providing DJ services started accidentally when a friend asked if I would play for a group of cavers at a campground in West Virginia. At the time I saw this as another party. So I said yes. Just needed to load up the home stereo and decks, and drive 4 hours. I borrowed a cassette deck, though I felt it was of inferior sound quality to the open reels. Little did I know at the time, that I was starting a new path and I would still be on it 3 decades later. Experience only comes from doing multiple jobs in various situations

and learning from your mistakes. My first job taught me lesson #1 – the music you like to party to is not always the same as that of the people who hired you. Fortunately, there was a guy who had a cassette tape with a music mix that worked for the group. Since that day, I make sure that I know the music taste of my clients as part of my preparation for an event. I continue to provide my music library and sound system with microphones for caving events

twice a year at campgrounds in West Virginia and Virginia. My passion for music took me to another path when in the fall of 1980, I was asked to produce and DJ a radio show on WRRC, Radford University’s radio station. They wanted a rock show that would span rock classics prior to 1979. So with my desire to collect rock LPs I took up the challenge. Talking on the radio microphone was a little scary at first, but now it’s just like having a

www.BestOfNRVBridalsAndEvents.com 31

conversation with some one, albeit, a bit more restrained, with no colorful language per FCC regulations. The call letters are now WVRU. I still do this weekly radio show. Music format is CD and the genre has expanded beyond classic rock or oldies. Within a two-hour period, you may hear folk, bluegrass, country, traditional blues, rock, Carolina and West coast beach music. The show is “See You at Nine”, Friday night 9 – 11 PM, 89.9 FM or www.wvru.org Then this music journey took me to another path: DJ’ing for wedding receptions. This was in1985. It taught me Lesson #2: have the music the guests want. I thought I had everything covered; I had the music the bride and groom wanted and their special dances. Then, a guest requested beach music, I was thinking Beach Boys; he wanted Chairmen of the Board. Needless to say I was not familiar with shag style dancing. Experience has taught me that whenever some one asks for a song I don’t have, I need to get it because some one later on will ask for it too. It has taught me to broaden my collection and be on the lookout for new trends. Another opportunity was playing for Radford University Faculty club dances. This was in 1998, and continues to this day. Though many of them have the same music favorites as I do, their members got me to expand my music library even further to Glen Miller and 40s swing, and disco. The music has always been the centerpiece of what I do as a DJ. I let the music speak for itself. I mix tunes based upon style and tempo. I know from experience that you can play a couple of fast tunes followed by slow ones for older clients; a younger audience can dance all night to fast tunes while everyone likes the slow © Pat & Chuck Blackley 32

(belly rubber) dance no matter what age. I work best John Fox when the client 540-639-5739 and their guests jfoxtunes@gmail.com request the music and I am able to provide that tune within seconds. Their smiles or a thumbs-up from a father-of-thebride makes the evening for me. Over the years, my experience has taught me to plan and be organized because the reception activity sequence changes. A full service DJ Communication with the experience between the bride, and music for any job. the bride’s mom, wedding coordinaIt’s the only gig that lasts 15 hours. tor, photographer and other reception These experiences have made my life professionals are very important. A richer as a result. wedding reception like a ceremony is So you have a special event coming like a theater production. The better up? An experienced DJ can save you the event is planned the smoother it a lot of grief during the event and will run for the clients. When the your guests will enjoy their time, bride says, “thanks for looking after than if a friend were to play their the details” that means a lot to me iPod. We carry professional sound as their DJ. equipment with wired or wireless My DJ services has allowed me to microphones, make announcements, observe and experience the happy, play the music you want, and keep memorable events and life’s milethe show on track. stones of the New River Valley and If interested in my DJ services, surrounding communities, from high please contact Tunes You Remember school class reunions, city staff and with John Fox jfoxtunes@gmail.com company picnics, church socials, birthday parties, anniversaries, even dinner parties. Since 2001 I have also provided a sound system and music to charity events such as the Radford Relay for Life, located in the Radford Recreation Center.

Spring 2013

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Niche Weddings in the NRV: Authentic, Personal, and Meaningful By Rev. Kanta Bosniak

lerted by a jazzy marimba sound, I dug in my bag, found its source, and glanced at the North Carolina number as I touched the green icon. The young woman’s voice bubbled over with excitement. “I know this is a cliché, but my fiancé and I are ‘spiritual but not religious.’ We want a nondenominational wedding in natural setting and we heard that Floyd is a beautiful place to get married.” In fact, the entire New River Valley has a lovely, gentle charm that lends itself to sweet and personally meaningful events. Keywords: personal and meaningful. The trend to clientcentered, independent and niche is what’s happening. This cultural phenomenon has influenced other aspects of our lives. With satellite, cable, and online entertainment, the three basic channels plus PBS have morphed into a myriad of choices. Now every individual can broadcast thoughts, images and ideas via YouTube and social media. Increasingly, the publishing industry has gone indy. Gone are the days when “self-publishing” was less-than, as even established writers have chosen to shape and promote their own creations and big box stores compete with online outlets. Creative doors have opened for all of us. And so it is with weddings. Engaged couples have more choices and they feel empowered to make those choices match their lives. In addition to the traditional church wedding, many are opting for one that is non-denominational. They want to take the path

less traveled, blaze their own path entirely, blend old traditions with new ones or include cross-cultural features that honor their beliefs and/ or adopted spiritual paths. For example, many couples incorporate the Celtic “handfast” in their ceremony, because of Irish or Scottish heritage, or because they find beauty and personal meaning (those words again!) in the ritual of literally “tying the knot.” This preference is so often-requested that I maintain close contact with the region’s top bagpiper and Celtic band so that couples who want the full-tilt experience can have their scone and eat it too. As a wedding minister, the task of personalizing and meaning-making begins with interviewing both bride and groom. Times may have changed, but it’s still the bride’s dream day, so I begin with her. How would she characterize the two of them? If they are two overlapping circles, where are the common qualities in the Venn diagram that is created? In a second conversation, I ask for input from both of them. What are their most important shared values? What does “spiritual” mean to them? What inspires them? Sometimes couples follow slightly different paths from one another. I recently wrote a ceremony for the wedding of a Buddhist-oriented bride and a groom who resonates more with Hinduism. Finding the language of common ground is especially important for weddings in which the couple’s spirituality differs from the more traditional

roots of their extended families (and their families may differ from each other). It’s the couple’s day and the service must be authentic to them. That’s why they hired an interfaith minister, after all! At the same time, we all want the ceremony to invite, include, honor, and feel joyous for everyone attending. Today’s couples may blend families as well as faiths. Ceremonies may include children from previous marriages. Sometimes weddings may formalize longstanding marriage-like relationships that have produced children. I know of a wedding a colleague officiated in which one of the couple’s grown sons (in his late thirties, I’m guessing, from pictures) escorted his mother down the aisle. I recently performed a wedding in which the couple had small children who were so precious as ring-bearers and flower girl that they (almost) stole the show. While this couple may not typify the usual wedding couple in some ways, it did represent a trend I’ve noticed

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of weddings that are a bit different from past generational models. Yes, it’s the bride’s “dream day.” Their fiancés know this and let them have the pleasure of being the Wedding Princess: being in charge of the overall vision and working with the party planner or other folks who make it happen. However, more and more often I encounter a groom who has established a strong sense of personal identity and spiritual perspective. He knows who he is as an individual and as a partner. And though he may not have been dreaming of this day since childhood in quite the same way as has his beloved, it’s important to him that the language, style and meaning authentically reflect his deeply held values.

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One final thought about the importance of personal meaning in wedding events. I regularly attend NRV Bridals gatherings and I will share with you that we have a common bond; we all love weddings! They have personal meaning for us. That’s why we have chosen to do what we do. There is a sense of enthusiasm that permeates our involvement with NRV Bridals as well as the work we do with wedding couples. We feel honored to serve you and look forward to helping you create your sacred and special event. Whether you choose a traditional church wedding or you wish to “tie the knot” in a garden setting, we want to help you make your “dream day” a reality, exactly as you envision it. Rev. Kanta Bosniak is an author, artist, coach, and interfaith minister

with over 40 years experience as an educator in spiritual growth and guided meditation. She is a frequent speaker at churches, universities and conferences throughout the US, on radio and television. She appeared on HBO/CINEMAX and PBS as herself in the film The Gospel According to Jesus. She paints vibrant folk art portraits that honor individuals and celebrate wedding couples. She is listed in Who’s Who in American Women. For Kanta’s books and audio publications, visit Amazon.com. For more information, visit http:// KantaBosniak.com or call (540) 577-8854.

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From the Back Seat to the Front By Remy Ozaraga

e was a professional wrestler, seating in back seats of limousines as he went around the various venues of his wrestling tournaments. He was at it for 16 years under the name of Ric McCord. But Patrick Helvey realized that he could not wrestle forever. His profession was changing considerably and he had to find another occupation that ÂŠ Always and Forever Photography

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he could be passionate about. He evaluated his options and decided on the luxury ground transportation business. While transitioning out of his former profession, he chauffeured part-time for a company in Kansas City and realized that this was it. In 1994, Helvey hang up his wrestling belt and moved back home to Roanoke, VA and started his luxury sedan business. He named his business Executive Town Car and Limousine Services, Inc. Helvey felt that having used limousine service extensively during his wrestling years gave him a unique perspective. He says, “Sitting in the back of limousines all those years, especially after an exhausting wrestling competition, gave me a feel for what will make customers enjoy and be comfortable back there”. With his continued association with officials in his former profession, his company gets to provide service to the World Wrestling Entertainment when they come to town. Starting out in a completely new industry was tough at first. Using his networking savvy and innate personal charm, Helvey was able to find an investor who loaned him $20,000 seed money to buy his first sedan. He also took advantage of assistance given by a local organization in developing his business plan and start-up strategy. He listed his business in the phone book and was surprised at the number of calls he received for a luxury stretch sedan. This confirmed to him that this is the business for him. With that first sedan, Helvey went on to build a fleet of luxury vehicles consisting of regular and “L” series of Lincoln Town Cars, 6 to 10-passenger limousines, 6 to 14-passenger vans, a 10 to 12-passenger Mercedes Sprinter Limousine, and their newest

addition – the Chrysler 300 stretch limousine. Some of the limousines are equipped with high-end amenities including flat-screen DVD/TV’s, premium sound systems, wet bar with glassware, crystal decanters and fiber-optic lighting. The business caters to a variety of clients: Transportation Services – including transportation for the corporate business traveler, airport pick-up, or courier service; student or senior services; Special Occasions – including weddings, anniversaries, proms, homecoming and graduation; Seasonal Packages – including fall foliage tours, winery, concert tours; Holiday Packages and other Special Events. Helvey’s advice for small businesses starting up is to become a member of the Chamber of Commerce in your area

as well as a local or national association in your industry. He says, “These organizations can help you with what you need to do and the networking events will introduce you to people you can talk to for other ideas to make your business a success”. Helvey is a member of local Chambers in the area and joined trade associations such as the NRV Bridals and Events to further bolster his exposure and presence in the wedding and special events industry. Helvey’s continuing focus is “to survive the economy and to keep going”. He hopes to buy additional vehicles to service the needs of the region that is anticipated to expand with the building of a new medical center, a prospective casino and an anticipated PGA tour.

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Executive Town Car & Limousine Service, Inc. Call for Reservations: 540.366.4644 or 888.854.1998 Visit our website: www.etclimo.com Email: info@etclimo.com

Celebrating 15 years of Providing Award Winning Service! • A fleet of regular or "L" series Lincoln town cars • 6 to 10-passenger limousines • 6 to 14-passenger vans

• 10 to 12-passenger Mercedes Sprinter limousine • A Chrysler 300 stretch limousine

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Blacksburg Hooptie Ride

Your Full Service Transportation Provider Limousine, Towncar, and Van Shuttle Services

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