Whoa - where did the week go already and look at me getting behind. I can’t believe I missed posting all of these cool things that Miranda and Chip did last Sunday here at Winterthur. Chip and Miranda are a great couple and I worked with them a lot over the phone and via email. Both very busy with their careers in the art fields and with spending time with family and friends.

 Miranda had some great ideas of how she wanted to utilize the space. Their ceremony was on the east side of the Gallery at 6:30pm, as the sun was setting. Guests were greeted with steaming cups of hot apple cider and wine as the ceremony finished and while some lingered, most moved inside and took advantage of the time to go through our permanent exhibit. Guests were seated and treated to a fall inspired dinner complete with apple fritters and spaghetti squash!

Sine there were 50 guests and we did not want them to feel lost we set the guests up in a “U” which was really cozy and encouraged guests to talk more and get to know each other. I love the color combination and the small touches like the runners and the pressed leaves - Maher tables 1, Maher Tables 2

Even the cake was fall inspired - Maher Cake 1, Maher Cake 2

And Miranda and Chip wanted to make sure that all of their guests knew had helped them and where they could get all of the really cool things that they had so they made these cards to show everyone - Maher Cards 1, Maher Cards 2

And these may be the coolest seating cards/favors I have ever seen. The pressed flowers indicates where guests are to be seated and inside is a CD as a favor for the guests - Maher Placecards

 2 more weddings this evening and 1 tomorrow night and then the pool closes for the season and we slow down and try to get a head start on the wedding coming up for the rest of this year and next Spring!

Hi Everyone

Tonight is an overall wonderful eclectic surprise everywhere you look!

Camille and Chris Wilkinson were married tonight on a perfect August weather day - 84 degrees! Great Karma huh? Camille is an artist - Chris is a golf pro and the wedding was so representative of the two of them.

Flowers by Yukie did all of the arrangements - Camille and her mom purchased all of the vases for them to be used. Each flower arrangement was unique to the vase - Purdy Flowers, Purdy Flowers 2, Purdy Flowers 3, Purdy Flowers 4, Purdy Flowers 5, Purdy Flowers 6

Eventions is in for lighting -Purdy Lighting, Purdy Lighting 2

Favors this evening - Coffee! It smells so good in here - this would be great idea on a cold fall night or a winter wedding - the smell just envelopes the room! Purdy Coffee, Purdy Coffee 1

Cakes - one for the bride - and one for the groom - Purdy Wedding Cake, Purdy Grooms Cake

The tables of honor were a little different this evening - Purdy Head table

 And I don’t know what to call these things but I love them! -Purdy Spikes

Great ideas for all!

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!

OK - I know - I am cheating. I was simply too tired on Saturday evening to update you all and write!

 Looking back at the wedding this weekend it was so very Sarah Savini. After working with the Savini family for over a year I feel that I really got to know Sarah really well and her touches were apparent everywhere.

 Beautiful Blooms did the flowers and they were so creative - as always! Savini Flowers, Savini Flowers 2, Savini Sweetheart Table

 The placecards were very zen - Savini Placecards, Savini Placecards 2

And everything was coordinated just so with the help of “Two Paper Dolls” - Savini Menu Cards, Savini Tablecards

 I know I have mentioned before how much I love the idea of using one of the Winterthur Books from the bookstore as a guests book that you can keep on your coffee table - Savini Sign In Book

 Linens are from Special Occasions and I think the room and the tables look great - Savini Set-up,

 We also worked with Sarah to create a lounge after 9pm in the lobby area, complete with a Bellini Bar - Savini Lounge set-up started, Savini Lounge

The cocktail tables on the patio added character - Savini Bug Jars

And how about this cake? - Savini Cake

 Marie Labbancz was their photographer and I am looking forward to sharing some more photos with you when I get a copy of some of the professional ones from Marie!!

Christine and Ryan ended up with a very nice night here at Winterthur. With a little fear of the weather, we ended up with Cocktail hour in the Galleries Reception Area instead of outside at the Reflecting Pool.

 The Visitor’s Center looked lovely as always. One of my favorite things was the cake-I think it looked beautiful and it was unique! Here take a look.  Cake 1 , Cake 2  Also, the linens on the tables looked really nice and tied in with the cake! Placecard 1 , Placecard 2 Here are a few shots of the room. Room 1,  Room 2 The night turned out great with no rain to wash us out!

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!

Kristin and Steve were married at St. Anthony’s this afternoon and are having their cocktail hour in the Gallery and dinner and dancing in the VC. We don’t get too many people that do this but it is a great way to show off Winterthur to all of your guests.

Kristin is surprising Steve with a cigar bar that has sentimental value on another front - her father, who has passed away, collected old cigar boxes so we have filled them with the cigars Kristin has provided as a treat to her new husband and the guests. Casey Cigars 1, Casey Cigars 2, Casey Cigars 3

There is a 40 x 60 tent on the patio tonight that Yukie and her team came in and added the wow factor to - check it out -  Casey Tent 1,  Casey Tent 2 And who does not love a sofa at the end of the night to kick back on; I guarantee you it will be packed all night! Casey Sofa 1, Casey Sofa 2

And since I have been remiss with the pics the past 2 weeks here are a few more for you Casey Flowers, Casey Room, Casey Cake

I will be posting again tomorrow night and I am crossing my fingers the rain moves in quickly this evening and out before the afternoon tomorrow evening!

Saturday we held the surprise shower for Ms. Sara Savini - one of our fabulous brides who is getting married here at Winterthur in August. The food looked great - the bride to be looked shocked - and the bridesmaids and guests looked happy. I think the standout - other then this super fun cocktail bar we had set up - was the flowers. These flowers were done by Theresa Clower of Theresa Florals. Theresa and I have worked together for years and I so excited that she has decided to devote her time to florals full time. I wish I had some pictures for you but I was kind of running around a lot that day and never got a chance to snap any. They were all tall and filled with different colored water with these balls of flowers hanging - very cool and very whimsical. I think Sara’s favorite part may have been the buffet centerpiece that the vase was full of flip-flops - a nod to Sara’s rumored 300 pairs!

Hi everyone

Tonight we had a great wedding - Emily and Nelson. Great weather out by the pool and the guests were raving about the rhododendrons that are in full bloom. She went with Periwinkle which compliments those so well.

 Two things in particular that I want to tell you about. Flowers by Yukie was here this evening. I love the flowers, the whole room smells like lilacs and I can smell it through my allergies! The flowers are so full of the lilacs, hydrangea, and peonies they are unbelievable - see for your yourself - Dickson Flowers - Tall, Dickson Flowers - Perfect Season, Dickson Flowers - Short. Look how great they went with the Periwinkle silk cloths from Special Occasions Linens - Periwinkle Bar, Periwinkle Placecards

I know some of you really dislike the pillars that are in the VC and Yukie unveiled something tonight to cover them, some white draping. This is her first time using this and it could only work on a smaller wedding right now as this takes up a lot of space. The staff and I feel after looking at them all night that they attract more attention rather then hide the spots but take a look for yourself and let me know your feedback - Pillar Covers, Pillar Covers 2, Pillar Covers 3, Pillar Covers 4, Pillar Covers - Room View

But I would say if you ask anybody that was here what the best part was - they would say FIREWORKS!! We have one vendor that is allowed to do them here on the property - Dennis O’Regan from Fireworks Concepts. I am happy to answer any questions you have about them or to put you in touch with Dennis who is a great guy to work with.

Alright - I am off to get some sleep. We have 2 more weddings next weekend that Rachel and I will put up for you.

Hello everyone

 Last night we had the wedding reception for Swathi and Michael ( I had written about their tasting a few months ago) and it was spectacular. The weather finally caught up with us and we had the cocktail hour in the lobby as opposed to the VC Patio as was planned. Take a look at some of the shots I took of the lobby once we had worked our magic and cleared everything out and before the guests had arrived - Lobby as Bar, Lobby Cleared

They worked with Flowers by Yukie - one of our preferred vendors. Yukie hung the Asian lanterns but this time she used the colored ones - Colored Lanterns, Colored Lanterns 2

The cake was rather different last night as well. Swathi brought tin her invitation and asked us to use it as the inspiration for the cake. Kimberly did a great job and I think this was right on in comparison - Swathi Cake 1, Swathi Cake 2, Swathi Cake 3

The Indian Station was a huge success, as was the Taste of Italy. I definitely made time to eat last night! We got rave reviews on the food and Jason is really proud of the job his kitchen team did. It always feels great when you can make ethnic food and the guests feel that it is authentic.

 Finally I thought I would share with you what Swathi did for her favors. Her mom had bought these great little satchels and they showed them to Yukie and turned them into the centerpieces. Super cute idea. See for yourself - Favors - View of Table, Favors - Overhead View, Favors - Sweetheart Table. I think if there had been just a few more lanterns and they hung just a little lower the overall impact of color would have been more powerful.

From the guests standpoint it was a really great wedding to attend!

Hi everyone. The other day I was out setting for an event and we had a few extra minutes before guests came in so I decided to go up a path I had never been on (I am sure there is a life lesson in there somewhere..). I came across what I perceive as some more great photo spots that are a little more away from guests and not the ones I typically have on the site. If any of these appeal to you let me know and I will be sure to let you know where they are.

Icewell Terrace, Secret Path, Little Nook, Wide Expanse, Prince Charming?

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

Hi all!

I know that I am really in tune with the calendars and dates but has anybody else realized how many holidays fall on Saturday evenings in the year of 2009. Listed below are some of the ideas we have been brainstorming about in the office and we would love to help you make one of these scenarios into an amazing reality!

It starts with St. Valentines Day. How romantic to get married on that date! I imagine the Visitor Center decked out in shades of red and ivory for a classic look or for the unexpected black, silver, and a really deep burgundy. The red tones would warm the space as opposed to the cool backdrop of the gardens in the Winter. A candy buffet would include the red hot hearts and the candy hearts with the words on them to add some whimsy.

4th of July is on a Saturday. Shades of navy and crisp white pop into my head. Place-cards on popsicle sticks placed in sand and buckets. Hydrangeas in the centerpieces. Fireworks Concepts providing fireworks outside that guests could see from the patio of the Visitor Center. Please note - our staff does make over time on this date so additional labor charges would be assessed in addition to the package pricing.

 Finally Halloween is also on a Saturday. I think this has the coolest potential yet. I am envisioning the room with black linens and a formal black tie affair with a masquerade ball twist. Guys and gals could be dressed in period costumes - ballgowns and tuxes with tails and hats of course. As favors, the bride and groom could provide various masks that the guests would don. How unforgettable a wedding that could make!

To hear more of our ideas or to check on available dates please give us a call!

Hi all. I am sure most of you are wondering why I am writing about holiday wedding ideas just as the Spring bulbs are pushing through here at Winterthur. Really, it is as simple as this is when I got to see all of Melissa’s pics from her December wedding and I wanted to capture a few quick things for you before I forgot!

First - when you choose a venue like Winterthur for a holiday wedding, you are already getting decor and it is great way to save money by working with the decor already established. Aside from all of the lit trees, we have this giant kissing ball that hangs on the dance floor during our Yuletide season. This year the facilities team put spotlights on it for us - pretty huh?

Kissing Ball #2, Kissing Ball

 Winterthur also has this giant urn filled with greenery and decor that can be used to highlight a theme as well…Holiday Urn

Melissa worked with Flowers by Yukie to create this elegant holiday centerpieces for the tables..Holiday Centerpiece, Holiday Flowers

 I think most of you by now have seen those great Asian Lanterns we hang from the lights - check out these Moravian Stars…Stars

 Then Melissa and her mom got crafty again - I love the menu cards with the holly berries on them..Menu Card and then there were the table numbers with the theme carried over…Table Numbers and the final touch that I thought you all might like to see - the berries around the candles…Holiday Candles

 Hopefully this will help to get those of you with Holiday weddings coming up some inspiration for your own wedding!

All pics were done by Faith West!

Hello all. Something Rachel and I get asked all of the time about is favors. People always want to know what the most popular favor is and hands down - it is something edible. Needless to say when you take that to the next level and combine candy with the theme or color of your wedding - not only do the guests love it but it becomes something so memorable, your guests will feel really special.

We have seen a good amount of candy bars in the past few years but by and far there is one that stands out from all of the rest. Melissa Martinenza (Newell) and her mom put together a truly spectacular holiday candy display. We were in awe as were the florists and the guests! Look at how they managed to put the holiday spirit right into their set-up..

When you look close you will see the trees of peppermints. Melissa and her mom had the grooms mom and the grandmothers come over one afternoon and the ladies bonded over handmaking all of those!

And then the apothecary jars with the ribbons and signs around them. Martha Stewart would be proud!

I hope this inspires some of our brides to be to rise to the challenge and see if you can top this one!

Please note  - all pics by Faith West

I was able to attend an ISES (International Special Events Society) meeting this past Wednesday and the topic was Going Green. Some of you may know by now that I consider myself to be very into the environmental cause - I personally recycle, compost, have a rain barrel, got new windows, have energy star compliant appliances - and I am a vegetarian to boot, so I was really excited to see the new concepts coming out. On top of that it got me thinking about how we could have more “green” events/weddings here at Winterthur or for anybody. Some of my suggestions…

China - there are some great new products on the market - I drank out of a plastic cup on Wed. made from corn!! But don’t forget - with the advances in industrial dish machines - china is the  most green option since that leaves no trash and there is now less water needed to fill the machines.

Alcohol - There are Organic Wines and Vodkas. I have been made aware of Organic Rum and I am sure there are more to come. We are considering an option for the future, when the products are available, of having a fully Organic Bar.

Paper Trail - Of course everybody loves to pick out and receive beautiful invitations and in the day and age of emails it really it is a treat. But, how about emailed save the dates, invitations to the the showers, bachelorette parties, and rehearsal dinners. Even thank yous from those events are acceptable. Save the paper for the wedding invitation and the wedding thank-yous and save a tree in the process.

Favors - Edible is the way to go. Who needs more clutter or one lone picture frame or votive candle? Cute dress shaped cookies, candy stations, and colored M&Ms are the most coveted items we see and they never get left behind on the tables for us to throw in the trash! Don’t forget, everybody feels good about a donation made to a cause that is near and dear to you and your fiancee.

Also - there was a great feature story in the News Journal this weekend about eco-chic weddings, written by Gail A. Sisolak. Some great tips she mentioned include buying a vintage gown or vintage rings at an antique dealer, having your reception and ceremony at the same location to decrease driving, recommending a car share program (like PhillyCarShare) that utilizes hybrid cars for people to get to your wedding, and letting your bridesmaids pick out different dresses that fit their style in the color you choose so they will wear them again.

 If you have a Green Wedding Idea please email me and let me know - I would be happy to post it and add it to this blog.

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.