I met so many nice people and learned so much that it’s going to take some time to share everything (and that’s a good thing!!!).

The highlights for me – and they are BIG ONES!! – I won!!! What, you ask? Two things. First, I am now the Association of Bridal Consultants’ Rising Star for 2009! I did win the yearly award and I was very, very excited to have my good friend and mentor Char Hein present me with the award. I don’t have a picture. Yet. I’m questing.

Then, the same day, my name was drawn to have VIP seating at the Woodland Garden Luncheon. With Sylvia Weinstock!!! And, yes, I have pictures of that!

See!?! She also tweeted while at lunch – she was showing me her Blackberry Apps!?! – and the geek that I am, I took a picture of her while she was tweeting. Then, I came home, screen captured her tweet, and voila!

I didn’t have the guts to ask her to say with @CatherineKatz in her tweet. Boy, I should have!

The very nice lady on the other side of Sylvia is Janice Jackson from Elegant Events by Jan. She was just as thrilled to be seated next to Sylvia as I was. Sylvia is very knowledgeable about the wedding business overall and gave us some very good advice about building our businesses. We were so very fortunate to speak at length with her!

A couple of weeks ago, I received a letter from the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC), naming me the Cele Lalli Rising Star Award winner for the second quarter of 2009.

The award honors the memory of the retired editor in chief of Modern Bride Magazine. Lalli, a long-time ABC supporter, died in 2002 in a tragic car accident, a few years after her retirement. She had been editor of the magazine for 32 years. She was a great friend to ABC and a strong proponent of education and professionalism in the industry.

As a quarterly winner, I am now eligible for the annual Rising Star which will be presented at the Business of Brides, ABC’s Annual Conference, in November.

I am very proud to be a part of ABC and even more so to be recognized for industry excellence!

So, now, Cherished Celebrations is an award winning company!