SunQuest Cruises SOLARIS - Award-Winning Venue for All Occasions

Three-Deck Yacht Offers Memorable Experience for Any Group Big or Small. From weddings and holiday parties to groups and corporate meetings, the SOLARIS yacht is an award-winning venue featuring event planners and executive chefs.

As the only dining and entertainment yacht in Northwest Florida, SunQuest Cruises SOLARIS offers a memorable venue on the water for all occasions and any size group. The SOLARIS is a 125-foot, 3-deck yacht featuring an open-air sky deck, covered outdoor seating, a full-service mahogany bar and spacious indoor spaces with panoramic windows. The yacht allows for versatile seating arrangements for up to 150 guests and unlimited options for menus and décor.

“To truly experience what our area has to offer, you have to get on the water. The sky’s the limit for what our experienced team can accomplish on the SOLARIS,” stated James Murray, General Manager for SOLARIS. “Our guests enjoy a luxurious yacht experience at a tremendous value with an unforgettable, all-inclusive experience.”

All events include full services from the SunQuest Cruises’ team of event planners, executive chefs and staff that coordinate events on a weekly basis from start to finish for people who are local or across the country. The team has earned a variety of review-based awards for SOLARIS events and weddings, including the Knot’s “Best of Weddings” award for six consecutive years, the Knot’s Wedding “Hall of Fame”, Wedding Wire, Best of the Emerald Coast and Best In Destin. The SOLARIS also offers an all-inclusive experience with its convenient location at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, offering a multitude of accommodation, transportation, dining and entertainment options for guests.

This month, the SOLARIS was voted “Best Wedding and Reception Venue” and “Best Wedding Planner Company” by the readers of Emerald Coast Magazine for the sixth consecutive year.  The SOLARIS was built specifically for weddings by the Murray family, who own and operate the company. The open-air, sky deck features a bridal platform where couples can say their vows in a private, majestic setting while cruising into the sunset and enjoying unlimited views. Brides can prepare for the big moment in the private bridal suite as a secluded, serene space to spend time with friends and family. The three decks of indoor and outdoor spaces offer a weather-proof venue and the event planners ensure a stress-free experience. Beach weddings and off-site catering services are also available.

A recipient of the 2014 Tripadvisor.com Certificate of Excellence Award, the SOLARIS cruises year-round for weekly dinner and dancing cruises with live entertainment and chef-prepared coastal cuisines. After taking in the coastal breezes and panoramic landscapes and toasting to the sunset on the sky deck, guests indulge in a four-course meal freshly prepared on-board, featuring the freshest seafood and prime steaks. While cruising the local bay, guests can dance under the moonlight to live music and enjoy a fireworks show during the summer. The SOLARIS dinner cruise appeals to all ages, from vacationing families to couples or groups celebrating a birthday, anniversary or engagement.

Groups can host a semi-private event on one deck of the SOLARIS or a private event on the entire yacht. The versatile spaces of the SOLARIS lend to any occasion from corporate receptions and social gatherings on the open-air sky deck to banquets, holiday parties or classroom-style seating for meetings on the main deck. The chefs and event planners can accommodate all requests including buffets, plated dinners, passed hors d’oeuvres, food stations, A/V equipment, live entertainment and décor.

For additional information, videos and photos, visit www.SunQuestCruises.com or call 850.650.2519.

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Tips for Planning a Frugal Wedding - An Encore by Miss Know It All

Miss Know It All

Yes, that’s right. I said a frugal wedding.  Don’t stand on ceremonies when it comes to saving money. Why spend humongous amounts of cash, refinance a home or use credit cards on a wedding that might not last for more than a second.  

Today, the average American wedding can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000, and that’s just in New York City. If you have disposable income, then go ahead and plan that extravagant event. But if you are in a financial hole, and who isn’t in this economy, you can still have a fabulous wedding without going into debt. Following are some ideas to help you plan that extraordinary, penny-pinching wedding. The extra cash you’ll save can go towards putting a down-payment on a house, investing in stock market or buying a certificate of deposit, even if it only provides .01% interest. At least you’ll have some money for that rainy day.

Rather than have fancy and expensive invitations printed by a vendor, print the invitations yourself on plain 20 lb. paper, and don’t include a self-addressed stamped envelope for your guests to RSVP. Chances are they will remove the postage stamp, never reply and still show up at your wedding.

You can save bundles of money, avoid drama brought on by family, friends and future in-laws by going to City Hall.

If you must have that designer wedding dress, go to a thrift shop, rent or ask to borrow a friend’s or relative’s dress.

Instead of having an elaborate reception at some exclusive catering hall, celebrate your union at McDonald’s, Burger King, Popeyes or Kentucky Fried Chicken, and let your guests pay at cost.

Use fake foliage instead of fresh flowers.

Forget the eight tiered wedding cake. Serve cupcakes, brownies or cookies.

If you want to save money on food and drinks, have guests bring their own dish and/or liquor.

Instead of hiring a stretch limousine, use public transportation, roller skate, bike, walk or jog to your destinations.

For music, bring a radio and tune into a station that plays non-stop melodies.

Ask your guests to take photos and videos of your wedding ceremony. You will save a fortune. And chances are the photographer and/or videographer will end up taking lousy images, go out of business or disappear with all of your money.

For your honeymoon, rent a travel video of the place you would like to visit, and pretend you and your mate are there.

In lieu of gifts, ask for cash.

Well, that’s it. These tips may sound tacky, but think about it; your unforgettable wedding will be the chatter of your guests for years to come.

National Park Foundation Releases “I Heart Parks,” Free Online Guide to Romantic Getaways in Your National Parks

Photo Credit: Everglades National Park: Jesse Kunerth/Shutterstock 

The National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks, released the fourth special edition in its popular Owner's Guide series, "I Heart Parks." Park lovers, romantics, and trip planners alike will all enjoy the 15 great suggestions for spending quality time with your one-and-only in America's national parks. Each park profiled provides tips ranging from planning an engagement or wedding to simply indulging in a night away together.

"From sunsets and sunrises, to jazz concerts and bike rides, the unique trip suggestions in their latest Owner's Guide, ‘I Heart Parks,' reflect the incredibly diverse experiences America's national parks can offer no matter the occasion," said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation.

Photo Credit: Joshua Tree National Park: Sierralara/Shutterstock

The "I Heart Parks" guide helps park lovers find the solitude and space to reconnect with each other and with their favorite parks. Suggestions include a walk down Lovers' Lane in Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a picnic lunch on the National Mall, a relaxing boat ride along the mangrove coast of Everglades National Park, an intimate wedding in Acadia National Park, and much more.

Visit www.nationalparks.org/iheartparks to download a free copy of “I Heart Parks.” There, visitors will also have access to other great free resources from the National Park Foundation including the original Owner's Guide - a comprehensive guidebook to America's more than 400 national parks.

For more information on the National Park Foundation and how you can support and protect America's national parks, please visit www.nationalparks.org.

About The National Park Foundation

The National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks, raises private funds that directly aid, support, and enrich America's more than 400 national parks and their programs. Chartered by Congress as the nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation plays a critical role in conservation and preservation efforts, establishing national parks as powerful learning environments, and giving all audiences an equal and abundant opportunity to experience, enjoy, and support America's treasured places.

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Media Contact: Alanna Sobel, National Park Foundation, 202.354.6486, asobel@nationalparks.org