Harmony Gardens

De Leon Spring Fall Parade

2011-10-29T13:02:00.000-04:00

We participated in the De Leon Springs Fall Parade...

and won 1st place!!!

Thank you to our amazing models, Jill and John as Bride and Groom and Olivia and Joseph as Flower Girl and Ring Bearer! You guys are AMAZING!!

Liz & Johnny's September Wedding

2011-09-25T20:01:00.001-04:00

Photos courtesy of Bridgette Suzanne Photography

Rose Garden Ceremony, Summertime Wedding

2011-08-28T19:24:00.001-04:00

Neuroblastoma Benefit Golf Tournament

2011-08-28T14:56:00.002-04:00

About a month ago Harmony Gardens sponsored a Golf Tournament to benefit Neuroblastoma research. The disease, although rare, is severe and has impacted our staff and my family personally when my cousin lost her baby last year. Here are some pictures from the Aisy's Angels Golf Tournament, held at the Country Club of Mount Dora. A few of us played and a few of us volunteered. Joe and I kept our mad golf skills to ourselves, however Malcolm got out there though and showed that golf ball a thing or two!

Cupcake Favor

2011-07-03T21:53:00.005-04:00

I went to a baby shower a few weeks ago and they had these adorable, and delicious, cupcakes given as favors, made by the talented Maria Segovia.

Who doesn't LOVE to take a cupcake home from a shower, party,

or wedding as a yummy remembrance of the big event!!

Koontz Photography Blog Post

2011-07-01T22:14:00.003-04:00

Daniella Koontz from Koontz Photography did a great job with Katie and Jimmy's wedding! Take a look at her blog post.

http://koontzphotography.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/katie-jimmy-wedding-at-harmony-gardens-deleon-springs-fl/

Anna & Zac May Wedding

2011-06-09T22:08:00.007-04:00

Anna & Zac were such a joy to work with. They had a fun, whimsical style and they were just so cute!

Thanks Greg Coleman Photography for the beautiful pictures!!

Katie & Jimmy May Wedding

2011-06-07T21:54:00.006-04:00

This Memorial Day weekend wedding turned out beautifully. They had a Rose Garden ceremony, a Burrito Bar dinner courtesy of Harmony n Love Catering, and beautiful decor!

Photos courtesy of Koontz Photography.

"Best of Beauty Basket"

2011-06-07T11:16:00.008-04:00

I'm sure you have heard the expression, Win-Win. Well this is definitely a win-win situation. You can look great and feel great at the same time.

I had the privilege of meeting an amazing woman a few years back. While my husband and I were in seminary, I kept hearing about someone named Casey. Awesome hairstylist - Casey, amazing photographer - Casey, artistic and talented - Casey, and an amazingly strong woman of God - Casey. She and her husband have two adopted children and are in the process of adopting two more from the Congo region of Africa. Here are the details of the upcoming adoption!

As a fundraiser to help with the insane expenses of international adoption, she is offering baskets of her favorite products in a specific category (i.e. baking, beauty, etc.) This month's basket is a bride's dream; all about beauty! Casey is a stylist and so she knows her products! In fact she reviews each of the products included, explaining why they are her favorites. She includes 30!!

Here is how it works:

For each $5 you donate toward the adoption of these two children, you will be entered to win this amazing basket. How cool is that? She does a new basket each month. Seriously, these baskets make me drool, because they are so cool. I hope this win-win idea has you just as excited. Good luck, hopefully I will get to see one of our Harmony Garden's Brides sporting some new beauty products!!

Let's help these two sweet children experience the joy of having parents and living in a stable climate and family!

Here is how to donate, to be entered into this drawing, and to read about some amazing products!

Letterpress Invites & Coaster Favors

2011-05-25T21:45:00.006-04:00

Here are a couple of blogposts about the invitations and coaster favors that one of our Spring Brides designed for her wedding! She drew the image herself based on a picture of the groom and her and then had it printed utilizing a letterpress by G. Johanson, Printer. How awesome is that!?!

http://gjohanson.blogspot.com/2011/04/finishing-touches-for-reception.html
http://gjohanson.blogspot.com/2011/02/annas-announcements.html

Dinner on the Deck

2011-05-25T21:03:00.008-04:00

This Spring Harmony n Love Catering started offering one of the coolest dinner opportunities around. They offer a private, intimate, fine dining experience here in the Gardens. It is a five course dinner with the menu customized to each party. This is a perfect opportunity to celebrate an anniversary or special occasion or even to "pop the question"! Here are some pictures of one of the dinners. They were taken by talented Holly Pugh from Holly Pugh Photography. Cindi from Harmony n Love has quite a knack for making each event incredibly memorable even down to the smallest detail! Each of the "Dinner on the Deck" events we have participated in has been remarkably unique. I highly recommend inquiring into this opportunity for your next big occasion!

Brittany & Ben April Wedding

2011-05-24T16:00:00.005-04:00

Brittany & Ben had a super fun, adorably decorated wedding. And did I mention that it was fun!!

Here is a link to photographer Brittany Brock's blogpost of Brittany & Ben's Wedding. There are so many amazing pictures!

http://www.brittanybrockblog.com/brittany-ben/

Photo Booth Video Anna & Zach Wedding

2011-05-24T15:23:00.005-04:00

This couple was so stinkin' cute!! Check out this video of the photo booth from their wedding!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0spdNnZFh8

October 2011 Special

2011-05-18T16:50:00.004-04:00

We are running a special for October 2011.

Any new wedding booked after today will receive 25% off of the venue rental fee.

Please call me today to find out how you can take advantage of this offer!

386.589.1862

Special is subject to availability.

Amanda & Toby March Wedding

2011-05-18T16:36:00.006-04:00

Photos Courtesy of Holly Pugh Photography.

Pictures from Flavors of West Volusia

2011-05-18T14:32:00.009-04:00

Photos courtesy of Holly Pugh Photography.

Flavors of West Volusia

2011-04-14T21:25:00.003-04:00

West Volusia premier restaurants will join in one evening of fine cuisine dining at the 3rd annual Flavors of West Volusia. Each will offer a sample of one or more signature courses. A silent auction will take place throughout the evening.

Flavors of West Volusia
Harmony Gardens
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 ~ 7:00 pm

Some of the areas finest will be featured at a venue north of DeLand on the tropical estate of Harmony Gardens. For the third year area restaurants will be showcasing their best faire to the community in this fundraising event. This event affords a sampling of what our area has to offer in an outdoor, evening event of dining and music.

Some of the participating restaurants are:
Norville Barnes
Los Dos Compadres
Brickhouse Grill
Karlings Inn
Manzano's Deli
Bumbino's Italian
Spring Garden Ranch
Harmony n' Love
Luigi's Pizza
Pitmaster's BBQ

Flavors of West Volusia is an annual fundraising event to benefit missions to Costa Rica sponsored by Oasis and Harmony Gardens and supported by individuals and area businesses. A team of volunteers will be traveling to the poorest areas of the country in a group effort to assist local ministries with building projects and provide support to humanitarian efforts for the education of impoverished children.

Centerpieces & Setups

2011-04-06T14:38:00.007-04:00

Here are some setups from the past couple of weeks. Aren't they beautiful?

Julie & Tony May Wedding

2010-10-07T19:41:00.005-04:00

Professional DVD Slideshow Giveaway

2010-08-24T18:08:00.005-04:00

Planning for a wedding can be a lot of work. It is really easy to stress out when it comes to deciding how you are going to capture the memories from the biggest day of your life. There are things to consider beyond the obvious questions of hiring (or not) pro photographers and videographers.

How are we going to get all of the photo and video files from our guests (grandma isn't on Facebook)? Are we going to miss out on many of the behind the scene moments? What are we going to do with my uncle's video footage? Wouldn't it be nice to combine our photos with the video of our first dance we spent months rehearsing?

Well we at Harmony Gardens are here to help! Our friends at Storymix Media provide services that help take away the stress and worry of those very questions. We are also going to do something a bit different and fun - a free giveaway!

Here's how it works. Storymix will produce a 100 photo slideshow for the lucky winner to use at their rehearsal, reception, as a gift, or whatever creative use you have in mind. All you need to do is add a comment with where you intend to use it and your email address. We'll randomly select the winner and provide the coupon code to use on the Storymix site.

Entries must be made by September 7th. Make sure you tell your friends who are getting married about this great offer.

Animated Wedding Photos from Ariane on Vimeo.

Lori & Randy April Wedding

2010-05-21T00:06:00.006-04:00

This wedding turned out great. The weather was perfect and all of the guests seemed to have a blast! I plan to post a few more pictures of the event. Encore Catering provided the catering, Reflections Photography took some amazing pictures, and the bride's aunt made a beautiful cake!!

Tanya & Jason Fall Wedding

2010-03-22T12:22:00.005-04:00

This wedding was really beautiful. The couple was going for a green wedding. When possible they used LED lights and they had natural centerpeices that the bride made herself.

Springtime Birthday Party

2010-03-22T11:36:00.006-04:00

Last week we had a 70th Birthday Party. It was such a fun event. The family was Puerto Rican and about half of the guests were able to travel from Puerto Rico to surprise the Birthday Girl!! They had a DJ, a Mariachi Band, lots of Sangria, and a ton of delicious food!! I loved getting to know the family, especially the two daughters who were heading up the arrangements! Here are some pictures from the day.

Beautiful Blooms

2010-03-05T21:05:00.008-05:00

Many people ask what types of flowers we have at Harmony Gardens. Here are some of the blooms that you might expect to see while strolling through our gardens. All of these beautiful pictures were taken here in the gardens. Aren't they beautiful!?!

De Leon Springs, A Destination

2010-02-20T16:20:00.010-05:00

De Leon Springs is an amazing area full of rich history! Native Americans inhabited this area as long as 6,000 years ago, it was visited in the 1500's by Spanish explorers, and in the 1800's De Leon Springs became a very popular tourist destination known for its "Fountain of Youth" the natural sulfur and fresh water spring that gives the town its name. Historical significances include Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, Seminole Indians, Civil War battles, and wildlife enthusiast John Audubon expeditions.

In addition to the history there are also several notable attractions in town.

De Leon Springs State Park is right in downtown and has a swimming area that goes to depths of 30 feet at the boil and remains 72 degrees year round. The spring flows at a rate of 20 million gallons per day! The park also includes picnic areas, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and paddleboat rentals. The Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant is also located within the park, allowing tourists and locals to cook pancakes at their table all while enjoying the views of the park.

Lake Woodruff Wildlife Refuge is also located in De Leon Springs. It has almost 22,000 acres of swamp, forest, and wetlands, attracting deer, alligators, otters, and an insane amount of birds. There are miles of walking trails where visitors can walk right next to an assortment of wildlife.

In addition, Spring Garden Ranch, the largest training facility for Standard bred horses in the country is also located in town. The Ranch has a restaurant that is open for breakfast and lunch and overlooks the track. Diners are able to be spectators as world renowned horses train right in front of the restaurant which is enclosed by windows, providing a great view.

De Leon Springs is a quaint, small town located right in the bustling area of Central Florida. It is located 20 miles west of Daytona Beach, known for Bike Week, Biketoberfest, The Daytona 500, and of course the beach itself; an hour north of Orlando, and all of the attractions it has to offer, Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World to name a few.

Need a place to stay while in town? Check out Spring Water's Inn!

Embracing Nature on your Wedding Day

2010-02-14T11:29:00.006-05:00

Planning an outdoor wedding does not have to be totally stressful. Sure there are weather conditions to contend with and because there so many more variables involved, than in say a banquet hall, there is always the chance of something unexpected happening. However if you don’t try to fight nature, but rather embrace it you will be less stressed and your wedding will be beautiful!

Here are some tips for embracing nature:

1. There are certain times of the year that are more prone to bad weather than others. For instance August in Florida is always hot and there are almost always rain showers; February is most often cold. Doing your research and making informed decisions will help you to book your wedding during one of those times in Florida that made you want to marry outdoors to begin with. Spring and fall are much more predictable. The temperature is generally mild and although it does rain, it is not as likely. Also check your Farmer’s Almanac, it can offer helpful trends.

2. During times of the year that the temperature is unpredictable, i.e. beginning and end of winter, budget for patio heaters or fans. According to www.weather.com , the average temperature high for February 13 locally is 71 degrees, with the record temperature high being 90 degrees. Today the forecast high is 52 degrees. That is quite a spread of temperatures. Budgeting for a heater would relieve some of the chill. Also, planning a date sometimes even a week or two earlier or later may make a huge difference in the predictability of temperatures.

3. Find a venue that can offer a covered area, even if you only use the tent/pavilion/indoor building as a backup you can rest easier know you will not need to scramble last minute to make alternate plans. As you plan your décor, seating charts, etc. also have a back up plan as to what décor you will use if under a tent, rather than under the stars! Also, please remember your vendors! For instance, a DJ, especially needs to be in a covered area to protect their equipment.

4. Find a venue that will work with you in the chance of severe weather. Even an indoor wedding can be problematic in the chance of hurricane (or a blizzard, depending on your location). A venue should work with you to reschedule your date if weather has prohibited your traveling guests from attending or the weather becomes a safety concern.

5. Last but not least, RELAX. At the end of the day you and your honey will be married and starting your life together, regardless of whether you danced under a tent or under the stars!!

Pictures and Date for Flavors of West Volusia

2010-02-11T21:20:00.010-05:00

On April 29th, Harmony Gardens will be hosting the second annual Flavors of West Volusia. This annual event brings together fine quality restaurants from the west Volusia area and guests from all over Central Florida for a restaurant tasting event designed to support the Mission to Costa Rica sponsored by Oasis, Deland. Last year 16 restaurants, including the very best that our area has to offer, participated by bringing samples of their cuisine to be tasted by over 100 people from the area. Most of our restaurants have said they wish to return again this year. We are hoping through the efforts of our volunteers to more than double the number of guests while holding the number of restaurants about the same. In addition to the restaurant tasting we will also have a silent auction. Items from last year’s auction included gift certificates from restaurants, golf courses, spas, attractions, and items from local art galleries and artists.

The date for this year's Flavors of West Volusia is Thursday, April 29 at 7:00 pm. Please mark it on your calendar. If you would like to participate or attend, please call 386.804.8404 or email info@harmonygardens.org for more information.

Here are some pictures of last year's event.

2nd Annual Flavors of West Volusia

2010-02-09T16:15:00.005-05:00

We are getting prepared for Flavors of West Volusia 2010. This event is awesome. Last year we had fifteen restaurants from the West Volusia area that came out and provided sample menu items to our guests. Everyone ended up stuffed and got to try some great restaurants!! In fact, as I was planning the event I found out about several new restaurants that I did not even know existed and even more that I had not tried. I am so excited because it took one taste and now I am a faithful patron at a few of them. The other great aspect of the event is that it is a fundraiser for a mission trip to Costa Rica.

The team that went to Costa Rica last year helped a group of Nicaraguan refugees and local Costa Rican children. They helped in a local community center by providing meals and activities to children that often do not receive any other meal. They also purchased school supplies and uniforms so that children that have been unable to attend school in the past are now able to do so.

One other area that the group assisted with was at an alcohol and drug rehab center. They did construction projects, rebuilding a roof and building a bathroom. This year the team of people that are going will again assist with the community center providing meals and activities. In addition they will do some construction projects to make the center's structure safer and a better resource for the community.

Flavors of West Volusia is a great opportunity to attend a fun event, sample some amazing restaurants, and support a great cause!

The format will be similar to last year with music, a silent auction, and a relaxing low key environment to sit and enjoy the gardens and good company. Please consider joining us this year!

I will post more information on the participating restaurants soon, in addition to date and time, etc. as well as pictures from last year's event!

Brittany & Dane Wedding

2010-02-05T15:31:00.007-05:00

Here are some pictures from one of our November weddings last year. I LOVED this couple!! They were so cute and their wedding was so much fun!

Bridal Suite

2010-01-25T13:45:00.005-05:00

We have a new bridal suite that we finished Summer 2009. It has multiple dressing stations, french doors that open into a private courtyard, large restroom with shower, refrigerator for snacks and drinks, and windows with a panoramic view of the gardens (they have blinds for privacy).

Bridal Fair Pictures

2010-01-21T20:26:00.005-05:00

Here are some pictures of the Bridal Fair at Harmony Gardens last Fall. Chad Pilster from Pilster Photography did an amazing job of photographing the event and capturing some great shots (in addition to participating as a vendor)!!

Wedding Album

2009-08-05T10:52:00.003-04:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

A Garden Affair Bridal & Event Show

2009-08-01T18:51:00.005-04:00

Please be our guests and join some of Central Florida's best wedding vendors for an unforgettable evening of entertainment, samplings, and door prizes. You will also have the opportunity to plan your entire wedding in one evening!

Flavors of West Volusia

2009-04-11T17:38:00.001-04:00