Featured Bride Friday

This week's featured bride is Kyle, who is getting married next Saturday! Read on below to find out more about her wedding plans.

Names of Bride & Groom:  Kyle & Olin 

Wedding Date: June 4, 2011

Ceremony Location: St. Mark’s Church in Philadelphia

Reception Location: Union League of Philadelphia

How did you and your fiancé meet?:  We met when we were both sophomores at Brown.

Tell us about the proposal: Olin is from Vermont, so we often travel to Burlington to see his family.  Last summer, we decided to go to the Vermont Brewers festival while we were up there.  Before the festival, we spent all afternoon doing our favorite things in Burlington: lunch at Flatbreads, shopping on Church Street, and ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s.  We had some time to kill, so we stopped to take a break and hang out in the park.  As we were about to leave, Olin popped the question!  I said yes, and we had an amazing night at the festival enjoying the sunset over Lake Champlain. 

What is the overall theme of your wedding? Do you have an inspiration board you’d like to share?: The theme for the wedding is elegance, tradition, and FUN.  The Union League is a classic space, and we wanted the wedding to have the same feel, but we’re also throwing in some modern touches so the wedding reflects our personalities.

What has been your favorite part of planning?: I live in Boston, so I’ve really enjoyed traveling back to the Philadelphia area to visit my family and share the planning with them.

What has been your fiancé’s favorite part of the planning?: Working with Kurt and Jellyroll to plan the music for the event.

What are you looking forward to most on the wedding day?: Our first dance!  We’ve been practicing!

What is your fiancé most looking forward to on the wedding day?:  He says he’s most looking forward to standing at the altar and seeing me come up the aisle…but I suspect it’s sipping an Old Fashioned at the Union League with his buddies after we’re officially married!

Which vendor has been your favorite to work with?: Proud to Plan!  I would never have been able to do this without the recommendations and advice from Erin and Lisa.  I’ve also loved working with Gabe from Philip Gabriel photography.  Our engagement pictures were such a success – I can’t wait to see how he captures the wedding day.

What is your biggest worry about the wedding day?: I hope it doesn’t rain, but at least all the events are indoors.

What makes your wedding unique from all the others?: We have guests flying in from all over the U.S. as well as Australia and the U.K.  We’re so excited that all our family and friends are coming to celebrate with us!  

Where will you be spending your honeymoon?: We’re going to Hawaii for our honeymoon!  We’re looking forward to adventuring around the islands and finally taking some time to relax.

Shannon's Baby Shower

Erin planned Shannon's baby shower that took place in December. She went with an Up theme and took all of the great elements from the movie and brought them to life! Guests walked in the front door and were greeted with a baby prediction chart that was backed with a picture of paradise falls and banner that read Adventure Awaits! Around the corner was the candy buffet Erin had set up with custom signage and featuring her infamous cake balls. The delicious cake was made by Swiss Haus Bakery and the custom cake topper was made by Cakes by Suzy. Suzy made it look just like Shannon holding a brand new baby, her husband Steven and their dog Linus. Guests were asked to bring books to fill the custom bookshelf that looked like a house that Erin had made. It was a hit! Of course there were balloons attached to the top as a nod to the movie! Thank you to Balloons Make Me Happy for providing them. Another thank you to Joey Bleiler Photography for taking these beautiful pictures!

And here is little Evan John who arrived on January 24th, 2011!! Congratulations Shannon and Steven!!!

Wedding Day Jewelry

Eclectic accessories for bridesmaids! Keep the style consistent, but let your bridesmaids pick their pieces to express their personality. This mix and match look will give your wedding day photos a unique and individual feel. The styles below match, but they’re not matchy-matchy.

My favorite looks are from JCrew:

(Find this necklace here.)

(Find this necklace here.)

(Find this necklace here.)

Something Blue- A modern spin on a classic concept! Take a hint from Kate Middleton’s stunning sapphire engagement ring and add a pop of your favorite shade of blue to your wedding look to create a memorable and stunning impression. You can go as simple as a delicate blue pearl bracelet, or as bold as these fabulous sapphire blue pumps.

Nordstrom and Overstock have amazing selections:

(Find this necklace here.)

(Find this bracelet here.)

(Find these earrings here.)

(Find these shoes here.)

Something Old- Think old-Hollywood starlet! Vintage glam is so hot right now and will make your wedding look timeless and classically beautiful. Try ornate crystal or feather hair pins, chandelier earrings or a chunky collar necklace.

Etsy has adorable choices:

(Find this hair pin here.)

(Find this necklace here.)

Don’t over-accessorize! If your wedding dress has a lot of lace or embroidery, choose light pieces to compliment it. If you have your heart set on a chunky necklace, skip the chunky bangles and statement earrings. Stick to the “one-statement-at-a-time” rule.

Again, JCrew always has great pieces:

(Find this bracelet here.)

(Find this bracelet here.)

(Find this necklace here.)

-Hannah

Subjects To Discuss With Your Families

Although your wedding is you and your fiancés big day, it’s always important to discuss aspects of your wedding day with your families to make sure the event planning process is smooth sailing. Start with these topics and ask some of the suggested questions to get your wedding planning conversation with your family started.

Budget: Who Is Paying For What?

The wedding budget is always the most difficult issue to discuss with your fiancé and family members. But don’t be afraid to sit down and hash out the details – it’s better to speak openly about it then cause financial stress and strain on your family during the final planning stage. Do some preliminary research so you come prepared with some costs that your family will need to discuss. Questions to consider are:

• Should you follow the typical division of payments between the bride and grooms family for weddings?
• Who would like to contribute to what part of the wedding?
• What amount are each side comfortable contributing and what are you and your fiancé  comfortable with?
• What aspects of the wedding are most important to invest in and what elements can you do without?

 

Guest List: What Family Should Be Invited and Where Should They Sit?

It is your wedding after all so you should be the primary person defining your guest list, but it’s often a good idea to turn to family members to determine who should be invited to the wedding and who may not be receiving an invitation in their mailbox. Your budget and wedding size should be the main considerations, but here are things to consider with your families when discussing who should be invited to your big day:

• What other family members weddings have you been invited to in the past? Or whose do you think you will be invited to in the future?
• How close are you with the family member or family friend and when was the last time you were in contact?
• Do you have a logical explanation for not inviting them if they ask or feel hurt? Size, location, etc.?
• What family members are comfortable sitting together and which family members are best kept on opposite sides of the room?

Religion: How Should Religion Be Included In The Ceremony?

Maybe you share the same religion, or maybe you don’t. But either way, each families’ religious values will always differ slightly. Discuss religion openly with both sides of your family to see what religious elements are important to them and what is important to you. Once you discuss all of the elements, it will be easier to put together a wedding ceremony that will please both sides of the family. Topics to discuss include:

• What church, temple or other religious location will the ceremony take place?
• Will religious elements such as communion, lighting of candles, chuppah, kepubah and others be included in the ceremony?
• What religious songs and hymns will be included?
• If your marriage is interfaith, how will you combine both faiths in an equal way?

Traditions: What Wedding Traditions and Rituals Does Each Family Have?

Besides religious affiliations, it is also important to think about what ethnic, cultural or family traditions you and your fiancé have. Should you have something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue? Does your heritage call for untraditional wedding elements that the other family may not be aware of? Here are some general talking points:

• What traditions or rituals occurred during you parents’ weddings?
• What about traditions that occurred at your grandparents’ weddings?
• What new traditions do you want to include in your ceremony that can be included in future family weddings?
• What ethnic traditions should you include in your wedding and how will you combine both if you and your fiancé are different ethnicities?

Family Members: How Will You Honor Those Lost and Those Present During the Ceremony or Reception?

Your wedding isn’t just a significant event for you and fiancé, it is a family event that symbolizes the connection of two families. Take this time to honor those family members who have been important throughout your life and throughout your relationship. Consider family members who have since passed on and be sure to properly thank those who have been involved in your planning process. Try asking some of these questions to start:

• What family members have past that should be recognized or memorialized at the wedding?
• Are there any other family wedding anniversaries that are on or near your wedding day?
• Who should you thank during the ceremony or reception for helping you throughout the wedding process?
• What dances should be saved and announced during the reception?

-Caitlin

Teaser Tuesday

We had Sarah and Carmen's wedding at the beautiful Laurita Winery on Friday. While the weather wasn't the greatest, the clouds parted just in time for their reveal and huge rainbows were in the sky. Conroy Catering's staff was excellent to work with, as always, and the food was delicious! Sarah used lots of vintage touches for their wedding and their centerpieces consisted of vintage ball jars and baby food jars wrapped in twine, fabric and burlap. Carmen's mother made adorable table runners and centerpiece circles out of fabric that matched their invitations. Thankfully the rain held off and the bridal party was able to get pictures taken in the vineyard! A big thank you to Jennifer Childress Photography for sending us these teasers! They are stunning!

Kaleigh and Katelyn's Sweet 16 was held at Salem County Sportsmen's Club on Saturday. The theme for their party was Sweet Shoppe and there were plenty of sweets for all of their guests! We had several stations set up around the room; a candy buffet, milk and cookie station, patisserie display and a bar that served pink lemonade. We created all of the signage for these displays and also made their invitations. Tristan, from Synergetic Sounds and Lighting, up lit the entire room in hot pink and DJ'ed the party for us. The dance floor was packed all night long and their guests loved the photobooth that was provided by Go Festive! 

Check back soon to see their full blog posts!

Featured Vendor Friday

Erin and I had the pleasure to attend this year's Cairnwood Estate Gala in late March. I wanted to show you all some photos from the gala- taken by one of our favorites, Love Shack Photo! While at the same time, featuring Cairnwood as one of our favorite venues! We are lucky enough to be on their preferred planner list. If we could work their every weekend, we would!! The estate itself is absolutely breathtaking and the grounds surrounding are beautiful as well.

After being checked in, we walked through this stunning arch created by Beautiful Blooms. It looked so whimsical and fit in perfectly with the Estate.

We made our way down the tent to see the wonderful items up for auction. The tent and estate were uplit by Synergetic Sound and Lighting. It was completely transformed!

The catering in the tent was provided by Sage Catering. They had a great spread of food, as always!!

We we got into the Estate, we saw this gorgeous food display by Feastivities Catering, along with the florals done by Offshoots! My favorite floral display that they did, was on the mantle. It was covered in moss and had flower filled tea cups hanging down!

 

There were so many goodies and snacks everywhere! These cupcakes, provided by Whipped Bakeshop, were delicious!

And lastly, a cute picture of me and Erin! We were so happy to sponsor a bar at the gala alongside of great professionals in our area. A few other shout outs to I Do Wedding Consulting and The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consulting for also sponsoring bars and Angela Malicki Events, for providing such fabulous gift boxes!

And here are a few images of some of our favorite Cairnwood couples!

Therese and Ryan (photo courtesy of Ryan Estes Photography)

Shannon and Dave (photo courtesy of Jennifer Childress Photography)

Jessica and John (photo courtesy of Cliff Mautner Photography)

Jennifer and Eddy (photo courtesy of Justin & Mary Photography)

-Lisa