Our Team
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”- Helen Keller
Yvette Cardoso
President/Founder
Hello my name is Yvette. I am the owner of Wedding Creative & Design and podcaster of The Alaska Wedding Podcast. I am a published wedding planner and recently became a Certified Wedding Planner with The Bridal Society.
16 years ago I was a bride who worked and stressed on her wedding day. I knew then, that I would make it my mission to help any couple I could to have a stress-free day on their most memorable day of their lives.
I never imagined it would take me down this path of creating an association. But before doing so I would work for the TV/News station and the healthcare system. I also became a mom of 5 all while still trying to help as many couples as I could. In 2017 I said goodbye to my last night shift in the hospital world and decided to dedicate myself into being a full time wedding planner.
What does helping the wedding community mean to me?
I believe we have a great community of hard working wedding professionals who strive to give their best in the services they provide. What better way to build up our wedding community by sharing that education to new wedding professionals and to our couples.
Lorell David
Vice President/Founder
Lorell David is the owner of i do Events. She holds the designation of Professional Wedding Planner with the Association of Bridal Consultants and is a Certified Wedding Planner with The Bridal Society.
Lorell comes from a background in hotel and restaurant management. Prior to moving to Alaska, she lived in California and worked at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego Hotel. A luxury 1625 room property with over 125,000 square feet of event space. With 9 years of Catering and Convention Services, she has organized events from as little as 10 people, to as large as 2,000.
In 2009 she moved to Alaska and took a job as a meeting planner for a local conference planning company, managing large conferences for the State of Alaska, the medical and special education field. In 2011 she opened i do Events to turn her focus to wedding planning.
What does helping the wedding community mean to you?
When I think about helping the wedding community, I think of it in two parts. The first part is helping clients find professional and reputable wedding vendors to assist them on their wedding day.
The other part of helping the wedding community is the vendor side. Bringing an Association like this to Alaska will help the wedding vendor community become stronger with sharing our knowledge with one another and supporting each other. “We rise by lifting others.” – Robert Ingersoll
Saige Stefanski
Director of Membership
My name is Saige. I own and operate A Touch of Saige Events, a wedding & event planning company based in Palmer, AK. We specialize in planning, design, rentals, photo booths and so much more. I'm a born and raised Alaskan, four-year collegiate athlete, daughter, sister, friend, High School basketball coach, and an experienced professional when it comes to creating a memorable wedding day for clients. I immersed myself in the industry at a young age and quickly fell in love with everything weddings had to offer. After 8 years in this industry and 5 years operating full time, we strive to create a unique and inviting experience while focusing on the couple and how their wedding day can best represent them. One of our biggest goals is to guide our clients through a seamless process that creates a space they didn't even know was possible. As well as ensuring that the couple and their closest friends and family truly enjoy the celebration instead of handling all the logistics themselves, therefore, missing out on those irreplaceable moments. Through years of creating, learning, and growing we have helped many families enjoy those memories that mean so much to them all while fulfilling our true passion and making others happy.
What helping the wedding community means to me is that I am able to not only guide my clients to make the best decisions for their event, but also ensuring that vendors like myself are upholding an honest, reliable, and professional business structure that people can count on. The comment I hear most is that our clients do not know where to start or who to go to because they are not familiar with the wedding industry. We are here to not only help educate clients on the process but also educate creative partners on how they can better serve themselves and our clients together.
Kevin Dean
Director of Membership
Not many people can claim a lifelong passion. Epic Entertainment's Kevin Dean (DJ KDean) can. With his first paid "DJ" jobs Kevin could always be found with a pair of headphones around his neck - well before it became a "thing." A few years later saw him entertaining crowds of up to 300 kids at popular Juneau Under 21 clubs Area 51 and The After Dark, with his fellow DJs. Once legal age, he hit the adult nightlife leading to weekend gigs at downtown Juneau's most famous Bars.
Encouraged by friends & family, DJ KDean began DJing wedding receptions in 2003. In those short 18 years he's spun at over 150+ weddings in and around Alaska, and has learned the fine art of being a great DJ while NOT upstaging the Bride and Groom.
DJ KDean has many hobbies outside of DJing. He enjoys playing competitive softball and traveling with his wife. He is the father of 2 kids, 22 and 23 years old.
The Wedding community has proven to be a great resource of information for me. Alaska is so beautiful. Since moving to Anchorage in 2018, I am constantly amazed by how many great places there are to get married. Grateful for the many clients whom have got married that I can now call friends. A community of wedding professionals who are willing to share their professional advice.
Sharon Carter
Director of Communication & Marketing
Sharon Carter of Elegant Light Studio is a professional wedding photographer based in Anchorage, Alaska for over 5 years. Proud member of The Rising Tide Society. She has been published and featured on the cover of Alaska Bride and Groom Magazine.
• Mother of 2 beautiful girls
• Red Bull addict
• Acts of Service is my love language
What does helping the wedding community mean to me?
As wedding professionals we are providing such an important service to our couples on one of the most important days of their lives. This is a HUGE responsibility and a privilege. I believe they deserve to have vendors that are dedicated, knowledgeable, professional and passionate about serving them. Being a part of the Alaska Bridal Association means that I can help elevate our small business community to serve them even better.
Eric Robson
Director of Education
As a child, Eric Robson loved to make music. His teachers would constantly cite him for disturbing the peace of the classroom through his spontaneous need to tap out rhythms on whatever he had on hand, whether it be his desk, pencils, or his leg. With this energy, his parents suggested he join band. After spending this entire middle, high school and college career being a percussionist in music classes, he knew becoming a band teacher is where he would leave his mark.
Little did he know that working as a Middle School music teacher for quite some time would lead him to where he would find his second greatest passion. After emceeing countless band concerts, he had been told over and over that he was great behind a microphone. So, one day in 2008, a teaching colleagues who had been running a successful Wedding Planning business said that he would be great as a DJ.
After some reluctance, she introduced Eric to a local entertainer
Martin James, Founder of Alaska Professional Entertainment. His job interview was at an event, The Iron Dog, the longest toughest snow machine race in the world. He was put to work immediately. Eric worked for Martin until 2015, when an unfortunate accident took Martin from us too early. To continue Martin’s legacy, Eric took over ownership of Alaska Professional Entertainment. Martin’s mentorship has been the reason Eric has led over 360 weddings and has become a trusted and seasoned professional with unparalleled experience helping couples plan, organize, execute, and create wedding memories that last a lifetime.
One memory that Eric recalls, that keeps him doing what he does is that years ago his best friend got married in Utah. Utah wedding receptions are pretty much like this…. You show up, drop off your wedding gift, have an eclair, say congratulations to the couple and move on to the next wedding. His wife was from L.A. and had a second reception with DJ entertainment. Attending the reception was one of the most fun times Eric had ever had at a wedding. After all these years, Eric & his best friend don’t talk about the decorations or what they wore but they talk about how much fun the evening was and they danced till midnight. One of Eric’s guiding principles is trying his best to make sure guests walk away that same feeling is what drives him every wedding.