Engage!12 :: The Breakers – Recap: Day 2

Wednesday we shared some of the highlights from the Day 1 of engage!12 :: The Breakers, the 10^th anniversary engage! event. There’s still a lot of fabulousness to recap, so on to an inspiration-packed Day 2…

:: All Photos via Elan Artists / Scott Clark Photography + Chellise Michael Photography ::

Day 2 of engage!12 continued with Breakfast in the Mediterranean Ballroom, General Sessions in the Venetian – with two fun breaks inspired by Lilly Pulitzer and the South Florida Fair – a Seaside Lunch on the Ocean Terrance and a dine-around dinner experience at one of The Breakers seven unique restaurants and the night ended with a Winter Wonderland Dessert Party in the Mediterranean Courtyard.

Mini poptarts on a stick, blueberry parfaits, four refreshing smoothies (and so much more) – is there any better way to start your day?

General Sessions began in the Tangerine Tangoed, Orange Grove-inspired Venetian Ballroom.

Joan Bever, left, The Breakers director of Food & Beverage – Catering & Banquet Operations (and the leading force behind the Weddings & Celebrations team) kicked off Day 2 with a welcome and an introduction of our president, Paul Leone.

International Speaker & Motivator Cindy Novotny spoke about passion and creating that very special moment: “You have to have passion and you really have to LOVE it … You gotta want it like you can never, ever loose it!”

The mid-morning break was inspired by the lovely Lilly Pulitzer – one of our newest boutiques at The Shops at The Breakers!

Celebrity Party Planner Mindy Weiss, left, shared some insight into the planning world and the “many hats” she often wears and one of her favorite parts of an event: “Lighting is my passion – truly makes an event come alive. Lighting is like plumbing; without it, you can’t survive.”

Martha Stewart Weddings Editorial Director Darcy Miller, right, shared MSW sneak peeks and spoke about making every party personal with food: “Use the theme in a creative way that people will still like to eat.”

The Seaside Luncheon on the Ocean Terrace boosted amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean, an interactive salad creation and a scrumptious dessert of Mandarin Orange Delight, Creamsicle Shake and a pink Starfish Sugar Cookie.

Back indoors, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Southern Weddings Lara Casey, left, spoke about setting goals and branding: “Your brand is not your logo … Great brands create a culture — I want a brand with a heartbeat.

BRIDES newly-appointed Editor-in-Chief Kejia Minor, right, offered five secrets for getting published. Our favorite: “Be your own publicist. When you get a piece of press, tell people it’s out there.”

Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Inside Weddings Walt Shepard, left, shared his humbling tale of success and “how two guys started a wedding publication.” Bet you didn’t know it started as a pamphlet they handed out in the street?

ThinkSplendid.com’s Liene Stevens, right, spoke about her research on millenials – also known as the “trophy kid” generation: “The number 1 trait millenials possess is creativity – a very DIY generation

The South Florida Fair themed afternoon break featured all the best carnival goodies including Orange Crush soda pop, funnel cakes, chocolate covered bananas, mini corndogs, pretzels and so much more. The most fun: a wedding gown made of balloons!

Cake Diva Sylvia Weinstock, right, spoke about the importance of teamwork: “You’re only as good as your team.”

Celebrity Designer Colin Cowie, left, ended Day 2 General Sessions with some great advice: “Never forget the importance of the customer.” On why he loves his job: “I get paid to spend other people’s money to make people happy – what could be better?”

For dinner, engage!12 attendees got to experience one of The Breakers seven unique dinning experiences during the Dine-a-Rounds: The HMF private dinning room (above), Echo, Flagler Steakhouse, Top of the Point, The Italian Restaurant, The Seafood Bar and The Ocean Grill.

After dinner, attendees reconvened for a surprise Winter Wonderland Dessert Party in the Mediterranean Courtyard – complete with snow, ice penguins, an array of delectable desserts, specialty cocktails and a performance by the Rockettes.

The Breakers team also got a chance to honor the true “Icing Queen” — Cake Diva Sylvia Weinstock….

Special thanks to The Original Runner Company for Sylvia’s “Icing Queen” aisle runner, Zanadu Group for the beautiful Rockettes, Hy-Lite Productions for amazing lighting, Styled Ice for our amazing ice penguins and Confetti & Fog FX for making it snow in Palm Beach! 

More engaging: Miss the engage!2 wrap video or Day 1 Recap? Stay tuned for Day 3!