Jennifer and Kevin's Wedding

Jennifer and Kevin were married in January at TRUST in Philadelphia. Jennifer and her bridesmaids started their day with hair done by Hair by Meghan and makeup done by Kelly from Face the Occasion. Jennifer and Kevin wanted a "Winter in Philadelphia" theme so when we created their invitations, we went with a silver pocket fold and created a snowflake logo that was put on all of their stationery. To match their color scheme of silver, blue and white, their florist Shannon Toal, used branches for the centerpieces that were surrounded by white hydrangea. The bridemaids bouquets were filled with blue hydrangea. All of the flowers were gorgeous! Fleur De Lys Catering did a phenomenal job with the food spread. Dinner was buffet stations representing different countries that included chinese, italian and spanish foods! Guests enjoyed cupcakes, made by Velvet Sky Bakery, instead of a traditional cake and got to enjoy the photo booth provided by Go Festive! Even Joe Paterno (the cardboard cut out) made it into the photo booth! Matt Blank from Synergetic Sounds did an amazing job getting everyone on the dance floor. It was packed all night! A big thank you to Doug from Candid Moments Photography for sending us these stunning images!

Congratulations Jennifer and Kevin!

Choosing a Videographer

As the saying goes…a picture is worth a thousand words. But in my opinion, a video is worth a million. Having a videographer at your wedding can come at an expense, but remember, it’s not expensive if it’s priceless. Here are some things to consider when choosing a videographer and some questions you should ask.

Style
-What type of style does the videographer have – modern, artistic or traditional? 
-What type of video are you and your fiancé envisioning? 
-Do you want still photos included in the video? 
-What type of editing does the photographer specialize in? 

Packages
-What packages do they offer and how much can you afford to spend? 
-How long would you like the videographer at the wedding for? 
-How many copies of the video do you need? 
-What do you want included in the package – save the date video, wedding highlights, full-length ceremony or just a wedding trailer? 

Technology
-What type of camera will they be using – is it high definition and will it be unobtrusive? 
-Will they have back-up cameras and cords? 
-Will wireless microphones be used to capture your vows during the ceremony? 
-Will there be one or two videographers at the wedding? 

Personal Touch
-What songs do you want played in the background of the video? 
-What specific shots do you want included? 
-Do you want interviews with the bride and groom and guests featured? 
-Should any words be included in the video? 

The bottom line when it comes to wedding videos is to do your research, look into several videographers and ask to review several of their past wedding videos to make sure you are getting the right video for you. If you still can’t convince yourself that adding a videographer into your budget is worth it, consider being able to show the video to your future children. If that’s not enough, consider asking a relative that may have some editing background to take some footage for you or ask close relatives to pay for the videographer in exchange for a wedding gift.

To see some great examples of past wedding videos that we have on our blog, check out the links below!
Stacey and Justin's wedding video done by Tangerine Media Group
Jen and Paul's wedding video done by Blossom Productions
Lindsey and Andrew's wedding video done by Tweed Weddings

And Chrissy and Joe's wedding and video have been featured on Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book Blog! You can see that here.

-Caitlin

Wedding Tip Wednesday

We stumbled across this great tutorial for burlap boutonnieres a few weeks ago! 

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I love this! The buttons and ribbon really tie off the whole look. Feathers are big right now and I think the best part about this boutonniere is that you wouldn't have to worry about a flower wilting in the summer heat! You can find this tutorial here.

Are you taking on any DIY projects for your wedding? We'd love to see them!!

Ideas for Different Rehearsal Dinner Locations

Vows are memorized and the walk down the aisle has been perfected.  Now it’s time for the rehearsal dinner; the night-before rendezvous that provides itself with food, drinks, and an abundance of toasts. 

A rehearsal dinner can be anything you imagine.  Typically rehearsal dinners are held the evening before the big day.  It can be an intimate gathering, traditionally at an elegant restaurant, to a separate unique experience that wows family, friends, and the wedding party.  If your wedding rehearsal is formal, your rehearsal dinner can be as casual as you would like it, or vice versa.  Fortunately, there are many fun suggestions for a unique rehearsal dinner that can provide a memorable experience for each individual couple and their guests.

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Dave and Busters is a unique, fun-filled combination of great food and endless games all under one roof and can offer party spaces in all 55 of their locations.  As a couple, you can customize your dinner to perfection, from buffets to appetizers, to sit-down dinners.  Dave and Busters offers a wide range of beverage packages, either drinks by the ticket, the glass, or the tray full.  Depending on how many attendees are at your rehearsal dinner, you can choose from a few different room options.  These include a small party room, not too big, not too small, with beautifully set tables, an executive billiards room, offering a game of billiards and a sit down to a deliciously crafted dinner, to a pool table room where billiards tables double as dining tables that seat up to sixteen people.  Since Dave and Busters in known for their games, entertainment options are available at your fingertips.  You can have your family, friends, and wedding party really enjoy themselves with over 200 games to choose from and entire areas dedicated to billiards, shuffleboard, and bowling.  Special packages are available for party and play combinations.  With these combinations you can choose from five different buffet and power card combination options.

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For the couple who loves baseball, many ballparks offer rooms or suites to rent for your entire party.  Depending on if you would like to have a rehearsal dinner on game day or a non game day depends on what you would like to rent out.  If you are Phillies fans, Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia can offer suites and party spaces for all your guests during game days.  Suites and party spaces range from Giles Party Suites, HOFC Decks, All-Star Suite, Party Tent, Suite Patio, and the MVP Suite.  All suites include a fully catered buffet menu with beer, wine, soft drinks, and bottles waters.  Suites also include many other amenities that range differently depending on the suite of your liking.  If you may be looking for a non game day, couples can rent out The Diamond Club or the Hall of Fame Club in Citizens Bank Park, depending on the size of your party.  Renting out these rooms lets you choose from a buffet or a sit down dinner all catered by Aramark.  With either option, you can have a small intimate gathering or a large extravagant gathering for all guests to remember.

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For the sports buffs who do not want to be at the actual game, may enjoy Chickie’s and Pete’s Sports Bar; a place for any size party.  Having a rehearsal dinner at Chickie’s and Pete’s, they can offer a happy hour, a few tables, a room, or even the entire restaurant.  Each of the 6 different locations offers televisions ranging from all types of sports.  Party menus are available at each location ranging from different packages to choose from.  Beverage packages, food packages, and even specific party packages are given as options of desire.   All food is served buffet style, unless you choose to have party trays, such as Chickie’s wing trays, Mussel’s red or white trays, or the World Famous Crab Fries trays.

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Chickie’s and Pete’s offers a connected interactive sports bar called Play 2 at their South Philadelphia and PARX casino locations.  Play 2 offers video games of your selection or program/game on TV in your own reserved room.  Each room has a server who will take your order, bring out food and beverages, and accommodate any addition food and beverage needs.  Play 2 at the PARX casino location would be a pleasant touch for the gaming couple, because as soon as you walk out of the sports bar, you enter the casino floor where there are slot machines and table games available for an epic night before your big day.

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For the more relaxed couple, wine has played a major role in weddings, so why not host your rehearsal dinner at a winery.  Guests can sample award winning wines produced at the vineyard along with food specially prepared for each couples desires.  Crossing Vineyards and Winery located in Washington Crossing, PA is a beautiful boutique venue offering flexible options on what you would like at your rehearsal dinner.  Crossing Vineyards and Winery is a 200-year old property in the heart of historic Bucks County, offering the romance and grace of the past set against the ever changing beauty of an active 20 acre vineyard.  You can choose from several charming settings, inside or outside, for a one-of-a-kind experience.

-Amanda

Teaser Tuesday

Sarah and Andy were married on Saturday at Newtown Presbyterian Church and held their reception at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township, New Jersey. Their reception was filled with vineyard touches. Each table had a wine bottle for their guests to sign and they will open one bottle to celebrate each anniversary. Andy is a video producer, so they left a flip cam on each of their tables and told their guests to film all of the fun and Andy is going to edit it. We can't wait to see what it looks like! Sarah and Andy surprised everyone- even their bridal party!- by entering their reception on a golf cart that we decorated. It was a huge hit! Keep your eyes on the blog for their full blog post! 

Kaleigh and Katelyn's Sweet 16

Kaleigh and Katelyn are best friends who have birthdays that are close together and when we met with them, they told us they wanted a hot pink and black party. So we created "Kaleigh and Katelyn's Sweet Shoppe" theme just for them! We started with a black petal fold invitation and the party information was next to their custom logo and backed with hot pink paper. And we included pop rocks with each one! All of the paper and signage for the party was created by Paper by Proud and followed their theme perfectly! Hot pink tableclothes provided by Select Event Rentals were topped with our black candelabras for each of the guest tables and really transformed the room. 

When party guests arrived at Salem County Sportsmen Club, they were greeted with this sign welcoming them to the sweet shoppe! A photobooth provided by Go Festive was a HUGE hit! There was always someone getting their picture taken!

The birthday girls posing with their cake!

There were four stations set up throughout the room: Cookies & Milk, Signature Drink Station (pink lemonade!), Candy Buffet and the Patissere Station! Here's the set up for the Cookies & Milk station. We made the pom pom's and put up fabric behind the wall to really make it pop! There were five different kinds of cookies and guests were able to enjoy chocolate and strawberry milk. Later in the night, we brought out ice cream cups and push ice cream pops! 

This was the drink station that served the signature drink of pink lemonade! There was also customized Jones soda, complete with their logo, on each side of the table. 

SO many goodies at the candy buffet station! Cotton candy, pixie sticks, strawberry puffs, tootsie rolls, candy  jewelry, hershey kisses and a ton of other sugary goodness! You name it, this candy buffet had it. We also had Ro's Rods make the prettiest pretzel/candy rods! 

The Patissere Station was made a focal point by putting a large logo in a gorgeous black frame. This table had  cupcakes and cake made by Sweetsboro Bakery and were delicious! The cake pops and cake balls were made by Erin and were a huge hit! Who doesn't like cake in bite size form? I know I do!!

Tristan from Synergetic Sounds and Lighting, up lit the entire room in hot pink and was the DJ for the night. The dance floor was packed all night long and had a few dance offs! He did a great job keeping the music selection young for the guests. 

Happy Sweet 16 Kaleigh and Katelyn! We're so happy the party was such a success and that you both had an unforgettable night!!