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Monday, January 31, 2011

In Memory of Spirit 03

Given that all three of the members of AFW are Air Force Wives, we relish in taking part in ways to give back to our military community.  Honoring the service and sacrifice of America's finest is something that each one of us holds near and dear.  We would be no where without the defenders of our freedom staring fear in the face every single day.

When presented with an opportunity to honor the fallen of Spirit 03, an AC-130 spector gunship stationed out of Hurlburt Field, we couldn't have jumped fast enough.  While the three of us are grateful every single day for our husbands to continue to defend our freedom, some families' heros were taken far too soon.  In order to fully honor the members of Spirit 03, we feel it necessary to give a brief history of the story of these brave men.

"Three gunships were airborne that morning over the Marines, and the first two had destroyed numerous armored personnel carriers. Air attacks destroyed some vehicles, damaged several more, and forced crews to abandon others. The net effect was to strip the enemy of its ability to achieve the surprise, momentum, massed effects, and dominance that are the hallmarks of successful maneuver.
At 0600 hours on the morning of January 31, 1991 "Spirit 03" was the last of three AC-130 Spectre gunships on station to provide close air support for the embattled Marines on the ground. Spirit 03 was due to end its patrol when it received a call from the Marines - they needed an enemy missile battery destroyed. Despite the risk of anti-aircraft artillery fire, and the greater danger of the morning sun casting light on the circling gunship, the crew of "Spirit 03" chose to remain and destroy the position requested.
Soon after eliminating the target designated by the Marines, a lone Iraqi hoisted an SA-7 "Grail" manportable surface-to-air missile to his shoulder. In the dawn of the early morning light, the form of the large AC-130 slowly became visible in the skies over Khafji. The decision to remain behind to support the Marines cost the pilots and crew of Spirit 03 their best defensive weapon - darkness. The Iraqi pointed the weapon at the aircraft, and fired. The missile found its target and at 0635 hours the aircraft sent out a "mayday" distress call and then crashed into the waters of the Persian Gulf. All 14 crewmembers were killed."

reference: http://www.specialoperations.com/Memorial/spirit.html Portions of the above excerpted from "The Epic Little Battle of Khafji" By Rebecca Grant

They risked their lives in order to ensure the safety of others.  We toss around this sentence on a daily basis with America being at war for nearly a decade, but if you really sit and think about what that means, look back on your life and think if there was ever a point that you did the same.  Perhaps there was and if there was, we commend you.  But for the majority of citizens, there is never a point in their lives where they can wholeheartedly say they walked through a valley of darkness for a fellow man.  The crew of Spirit 03 walked through that darkness and never made it out in order to ensure that their fellow men did see the light of day again.  True heroes that were selfless, courageous and patriotic to the core.  They completed the mission at the cost of their own lives. 




~In memory of Spirit 03 from AFW~

To the crew of Spirit 03, you will never be forgotten.  And to their family and friends, the story of these brave men will forever live on.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

This is AbFab

We have been getting this question a lot lately 'who is the AbFab team?'  Besides being in love with sweet people in love, making people feel beautiful and designing dream weddings into fruition~we are actually all pretty normal (well, mostly :-), down to earth girls who just have a passion that we get to live out every single day now.  But just for chuckles and grins, here are a few of our quirks that make us human:

-Alaina-
1.) Totally digs time traveling-movies, books, perhaps someday experiencing it?
2.) Ask her to imitate anything-we mean anything- and she will leave your sides aching from the comic relief that will ensue.  Her latest perfected imitation, just ask her to do 'Your Peacock' by Katy Perry.  It's pure genius.
3.) LOVE LOVE LOVES her pups Maggie and Rambo who tell her she's pretty everyday. :-) (well, maybe it's her in their voices saying this but regardless, we think she's quite beautiful too. )

-Katie-
1.) Her favorite word when she was a mere chitlin barely learning to talk was 'Gee-ba-gee': for those of you unrehearsed in 2 year old dialogue it equates to 'cinnamon' in plain English.
2.)  She joneses for those days when she was a kid and biked EVERYWHERE. 
3.) You might catch her drinking coffee at all hours of the day. Local coffee houses make her swoon. Midnight? Why not have a cup-of-joe?!  She swears the antioxidants make it ok, we think she might be slightly addicted. 

-Lauren-
1.) 1) If she didn't care about gas prices and had money to just throw around, she would make the biggest street legal truck/SUV ever and drive it everywhere~ It would basically be a monster truck of the streets!
2) Sometimes when she is laughing really hard she laughs silently.  If you make her laugh you might get to witness this phenomenon.
3.)  In a past life Lauren quite possibly could have been an engineer-she can put her mind to fix anything.  They say this is a highly desireable trait in CEO's of companies. Hmm.....what's next Lauren?


Sunday, January 16, 2011

Beautiful Beginnings in 2011

2011 Brides absolutely ROCK.  We seriously mean that.  You ladies have more style, personality and sass that you are looking to incorporate into your weddings than we have ever witnessed in any other year.  From ethereal classic, to vintage punk.  Natural chic to modern glamour.  Did we mention we LOVE it all?  Themes have evolved over the years to fit the blending of couples and we at AbFab give two thumbs up to that. Finally the wedding industry is listening to the guests of honor!  City guy meets country girl?  A modern-gardeny wedding is born.  Vintage coffee house chic meets artsy rocker guy and voila, a funky punk vintage wedding comes to fruition.  The possibilities are limitless.  Brides can now combine anything and everything thus putting their stamp on their own unique day.  So scream from the rooftops that you will not fall victim to the box that you might have felt cornered into in planning your Big Day.  Keep breaking the molds and keep those creative juices flowing!  Hats off to you 2011 brides.  Here's to keep weddings 'real', letting the love between you and your fiance carry the day and remembering that that day is all about YOU!  We loved chatting design, makeup and flowers with each and every one of you that graced us with your presence last Sunday.  And to those that have booked us already, you have been a designers dream to work with.  Lets just say 2011 weddings will be nothing short of absolutely fabulous! ( are you just in LOVE with our name as much as we are?!)
Thanks to Pensacola Bridal Loft for welcoming us to the expo this year!

~The AbFab Team~





~Rustic chic floral designs meets modern decor.  We hope you felt at home in our booth!~


 ~Loving the Kale!~


 ~Our Featured Artist: Tiffany Vaughan ~
~~Have we mentioned lately how much we LOVE her?~~




~~An organic combination of Rustic Chic~~


~~For the eco-chic brides out there!~~

~~Aren't you just in love with the moss balls?!~~


Thank you all for an AbFab beginning to the 2011 wedding season!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

'Proud As A Peacock'

3 girls, a dream and a whole lot of hustle.

An Absolutely Fabulous Wedding was conceived out of pure passion.  We dig couples in blissful love, the shimmer and glow of the Big Day, and a bride and groom that let their true character shine the day they take those forever vows.  Just as we love to pull the flair out of a couple on their wedding day,  we too love to express our zeal and passion for life.  During an incredible inspiration photo shoot with Tiffany Vaughan Photography (she is quite possibly the BEST thing since sliced bread.  PLEASE do yourself a favor and feast yourself upon the eye candy that is her website and blog.), Absolutely Fabulous was born.  One of the last bouquets to be created for the shoot became a timeless piece that beholds our vision. 

-The jewel tones that represent a timeless, classic color palette that will never fade
-The shimmer of the broach that embodies an admiration for using all things for inspiration
-The use of non-traditional components that portray nothing is off limits in design

And last but certainly not least....

-The peacock feathers symbolize pride, kindness, patience and good fortune.  It's a symbol of integrity and beauty we can achieve when we endeavor to show our true colors


It was a bouquet that was stubborn to design and vision, yet came together spectacularly in the end.  The pairing of the bouquet with our model Marias' amazing makeover and modern dress was nothing short of phenomenal.  The excitement and energy that we felt that day (even with our 4am wake up that morning and already 10 hours of hard work under our belt) made us realize the adrenaline rush we get from our creations is an indescribable high.  Perhaps our 'ah-ha' moment occurred that day where we determined we would set no boundaries and place no limits on our creativity.

Feel free to check out our Absolutely Fabulous Website and begin following us on Twitter and Facebook !
We can't wait to work with all you fabulous brides out there!
~~Shine Savvy