I started my morning off looking at the weather and thinking we would not get in the ceremony of Emily and Tim here at Winterthur. I watched the weather all day and saw big chances of thunderstorms right around 6:00PM when we were supposed to start.

Emily’s one wish was that if she was not going to get married outside at the Reflecting Pool, that she would at least be able to take photos outside. She ended up getting the best of both worlds. Just to be safe we did the ceremony outside and cocktail inside. The rain held off until after the guests were inside for dinner.

Emily and Tim ended up with a really beautiful evening. The Azaleas at the Reflecting Pool are in full bloom and are absolutely perfect. Besides having a wonderful outside experience, the Visitors Center where the group was having dinner and dancing looked great too. Emily picked out some great toppers for her tables and of course the cake looked good too!

Overall it was a great evening, the Bride and Groom could not be happier and we truly beat out Mother Nature for the night!

Holt Ceremony

Beauty at Winterthur

Reflecting Pool

Hi Everyone - Happy New Year! Nicole is out this week and I am holding down the fort which is great as it gives me a chance to blog and say hello.

Nicole and I have been chatting in the office and we have either been attending, hosting, or listening to our friends and families with their experiences in tastings. We are actually heading to another RA account at Princeton University - The Prospect House - to see how they do their tastings in a couple of weeks. They have stopped doing individual tastings and instead do 2-3 group tastings throughout the year. Benefits to this include evening or weekend hours, the chance to sample more food, mingle with other couples, see more linen firsthand, look at other rental upgrades firsthand, and meet with vendors. Their clientele is giving them great feedback - the couples like meeting other couples, sharing ideas, and the entire experience. Drawbacks - Couples then have to make another appt to come back and meet with their event coordinator to answer questions and go through the timeline of the event. You also do not get a lot of personal attention at the group tasting since there are multiple couples. We like the group tasting scenario better then this next one…

 One of my friends just attended her tasting this past weekend. Some of the items she asked to taste were not made available at the last minute. Her catering representative was taking potential clients through the spaces on tour and was not available to answer any questions. My friend was seated in the restaurant - not at a banquet table with a banquet server or the banquet chef. Basically Nicole and I see this as just another chance for a dinner - not a wedding tasting. You do not get an accurate picture of what your food will taste like when you are using the spaces restaurant in lieu of a catering room. On the upside they were able to taste different wines because it was the same wine they used in the restaurant and so the wine did not go to waste as it would if we were to open bottles during tastings.

Currently we are offering tastings for the bride and groom, privately with us. We feel as though this affords you the opportunity to ask as many questions as you need to feel good about your upcoming wedding and get everything personalized to you. We did use to offer the tasting for up to 4 people but so many times people only wanted to come to eat, not to help plan and work on all of the different aspects that we cover at the tasting. Brides and grooms have said to us that being at a tasting by themselves is a great bonding experience and they are able to make decisions quicker, rather then second guessing with a family member.

Let us know your thoughts. Drop us your comments here and let us know what you have enjoyed or would like to see in a tasting. As always we look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas!

Thea and Mike were married at the Visitors Center at Winterthur this past Saturday night. Thea’s grandmother used to work here and brought the idea of holding their wedding here to couple’s attention. It was very meaningful in that way and special to both Thea and her Grandmother!

The ceremony took place inside the Visitors Center overlooking the Japanese Maple tree that was all lit up. Cocktail hour took place in the lobby and then reception of course in our main room. Thea wanted to incorporate her colors of burgundy and ivory where she could. Table 1, Table 2, Place Cards She used tables runners and other colored linens on her accent tables to bring everything together. Despite the cold, rainy weather outside, the wedding was beautiful and they both seemed incredibly happy!

Brianne and Raj could not have had a more perfect fall Wedding! The temperature was 65 degrees and sunny and the leaves here at Winterthur are absolutely gorgeous right now.

The couple had a wonderful day and truly embraced fall for the theme of  their wedding. With leaves scattered around, gourds and pumpkins as accents and the warmth of candle centerpieces really brought everything together. The couple used Asian lanterns in the Visitors Center for the reception. This time of year, they held their cocktail hour in our lobby with the front desk as the bar. Room 1, Room 2, Decor, Cake

 The room looked beautiful as always. Nicole and I truly love simple candle arrangements as centerpieces or as extra decor in the cooler months between November through March. That is always a fun idea and way to keep things elegant and simple. Candles

This past Saturday was the last wedding at the Reflecting Pool for the Season. Lauren and Eric ended up with a beautiful night at the Reflecting Pool for their Ceremony and Cocktail Hour.  Since the daylight hours ran short, cocktail hour was a bit shorter than usual. The guests came back to the Visitors Center a bit chilly, but they were warmed back up in no time. We love working at the Pool, but with the lack of sunlight and the nip in the air, we are happy to close up shop for the season!

Ann and Greg were married here at Winterthur this past Saturday right on our Visitors Center Patio, under a tent. Ann made the decision on Tuesday about getting a tent just in case the weather was bad. A bunch of people have made the tent decision and are overall happy they did. It lets them relax and not have to worry about the weather that for the big day!

Ann and Greg had about 120 people attend the wedding so we decided on the smaller tent. It is a 40×40 tent and was able to accommodate the ceremony nicely and the cocktail hour. Tented Ceremony Since we did not get any rain as we were supposed to, we were able to put cocktail tables outside the tent as well to give more space. I really like the tent option, and I know a lot of people think about it but cannot imagine it, so hopefully some of these pictures will help you out! Tent 1, Tent 2, Tent 3 We also have a larger tent that accommodate about 200 people or more for a ceremony and cocktail hour, and that tent takes up more of the Patio.

Ann and Greg had a really cute idea and she told me she found it right online. She had her ceremony programs on fans for her guests. I liked them a lot! Fan Programs, Fans .

And since we like to show as many pictures of the Visitors Center as we can, take a look at their room set up with a rented dance floor. Visitors Center

 I think Ann and Greg had a wonderful evening and it seemed to be a great night.

Night number two of this three day wedding weekend was perfect as well. The weather was wonderful for Lee and Erika’s Tuscan themed wedding. Their ceremony took place at the Reflecting Pool and with a smaller amount of people, their reception was inside the Gallery Reception Area. Just under 80 guests fit well in that space!

I thought everything came together for them as well. They had passed Limoncello Martinis as their signature drink, homemade Limoncello as their favors, and more lemons everywhere. They put their place-card table outside the Gallery which is just beautiful right now with the trees in bloom. Place Cards, Patio at Gallery They opted for a different seating arrangement than we usually do here, along with rental Chivary Chairs, and I think it worked out well. Seating, Seating 2 I also thought there cake looked amazing and exactly what they wanted! Cake

Overall, it was another good night here at Winterthur!

Friday night was absolutely gorgeous here at Winterthur. Man Yee and Samson could have not had better weather for their ceremony and reception here. With the sun shining and a nice breeze it didn’t even feel like August!!

 Man Yee and Samson had a beautiful wedding with some fun added extras. One thing that we have seen a couple people do is provide a sign in the parking lot for their wedding guests. It helps them know where the ceremony and receotion take place. Sign They were so put together and everything matched perfectly. They had everything from a photo booth for their guests to a traditional Lions Dance to an added dessert station of chocolate goodness. They had an Asian theme which works well inside the Visitors Center. Their place-cards were river rocks and fit in well. River Rocks They also has menu cards and tea fortes as their favors which all went together. Table Layout , Favors One of my favorite things was their cake topper. It was custom made and looks exactly like them!! Cake Topper

 It ended up being a really nice night and I think they were really happy with everything!

Heather and Chris are so extremely happy right now. They ended up with a HOT but beautiful night for their wedding. The forecast at the beginning of the week looked a bit iffy, but it turned into a nice night. Heather did not want to worry about a thing on her wedding day so she decided to get a tent adjacent to the patio for her ceremony and cocktail hour just in case. Although there was no rain, I think the tent helped with the heat as well-it kept the sun out! Tent

They are such a happy couple and had some wonderful ideas! For example, Heather’s Grandfather has a 1931 Sedan that dropped Heather off right in front of the Visitor’s Center. They got some great pictures with the old car. Also, they had a wonderful idea for the lobby as well. They strung pictures from home made flower vases of themselves and family. Take a look and see. Strung Pictures ,  Pictures 2 , Picture 3 Theyhad a beautiful cake with ribbon to tie the whole color theme together. Cake

 It ended up being a wonderful night and another great wedding at Winterthur!

This past Saturday we were supposed to have a wedding ceremony out by the Reflecting Pool. The incliment weather kept us from using the beautiful Pool. The rain plan was to use the Gallery Reception Area for ceremony and cocktail hour. This does not happen too often, but when it does it is best to be prepared. The Gallery is a beautiful place to hold events. There are some pictures below as to how the Gallery can be transformed into a ceremony site and then also used for cocktail hour. A suggestion might be to let your florist know about the back-up plan as well so they have some extra flowers to really dress up the room. We always a plan B in mind just in case, and we want it to be just as memorable for you whether it is rain or shine!!

Gallery Ceremony,  Plan B

Nicole and I could not believe that we had a Saturday with no wedding on a sunny, 75 degree weather day! Walking around on the estate you can find all the beautiful flowers starting to bloom. For example we have Magnolias, Daffodils, Italian Windflowers and Virginia Bluebells all popping up.  There are so many space on the estate that hold truly breathtaking views, especially this time of year.  Just imagine your wedding photos! Keep in mind, April is not a peak wedding month so you tend to have more options when picking your vendors. Please take a look at the pictures below to see what April looks like at Winterthur.

Daffodils, Winterthur Walk

We had one of our first weddings on the season this past weekend and it turned out to be a perfect day. This was a smaller wedding of only 60 guests and they used the Galleries Reception Area for the Ceremony and the Reception.

 We crossed our fingers all week for good weather, and our wishes came true. The ceremony took place on the back patio of the Gallery. With flowers starting to come up in the flower beds, it made for a beautiful backdrop. Cocktail hour and dinner and dancing took place inside. With the guest-list at 60 everything fit nicely in the room. The bar with cocktail tables were placed in the stair-hall that connected to the open exhibits that guests had the opportunity to wonder through.

Since we were unsure of the weather we decided to add in a coffee station with cordials to warm up the guests. Dinner and dancing took place and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time.

 The Galleries Reception Area is a perfect place for a quaint wedding with still all the beauty surrounding it. Take a look at some pictures below to see what a wedding can look like in this area of the Estate!

Ceremony, Galleries Reception Area, Table Set, Wedding Cake

One of my good friends is getting married May of 2009, so I am the one who is helping her with all of her wedding arrangements. She has her church, her reception site and now she started looking at photographers. She was referred to the Wedding Bureau online where she found an amazing photographer who works all over the world-Jim Graham. Jim is a well known photographer and has worked many weddings here at Winterthur. He is based out of Delaware but has done work all over.

 My friend and I had the privilege of meeting with Jim this past weekend at his house to discuss photography for her wedding. We went to his house, and got to see his work and it was absolutely stunning. My friend not only fell in love with his pictures, but with him as a professional as well. He seems to really take the time to go through everything and actually cares about his clients and their needs for that special day. He emphasized to us that he really likes to capture all the guests having fun!! I think he is going to work well for her wedding and is exactly what she is looking for. I would recommend him to others looking in this area!

There have been a lot of fun things that have been done for our Winter Winterthur Weddings. We just wanted to share a few of them with all of you.

• One of our winter weddings had light up ice cubes that matched their colors. All the guests used them in there water glasses and it really lit up the room.
• Characture Artist- All the guests seemed to really enjoy this
• Ice Sculpture with extra light accents. This was great because it was dark when the guest arrived and it really showed nicely through our wall of windows.
• For one wedding, the bride and groom asked if 3 of our servers would wear cocktail dresses for the cocktail hour to serve specialty drinks-it made the hour a lot more fun for everyone!
• Lighting-Some couples have brought in outside lighting companies to do dramatic effects inside the Visitors Center. One couple actually shined lights in their tent they rented and the trees surrounding the Visitors Center.