Good afternoon everyone! There is some exciting news on the Winterthur estate today - the museum has received the amazing gift of this car from the Beals estate. This Rolls-Royce adds a new dimension to our visitor’s experience as we interpret this era of Winterthur as an American country estate. It truly represents the luxury vehicles that the guests of Henry Francis and Ruth Wales duPont traveled in when visiting Winterthur in the early 1930’s. Other owners of a Phantom I Rolls-Royce include such names as JP Morgan, Vanderbilt, Goodyear, Rockefeller, and of course, various duPonts!

Want to know why I am letting you know all of this information?

I am trying to find out from all of you how many of you would be interested in having the Rolls-Royce outside of your wedding venue here at Winterthur to enhance your day? Imagine your guests pulling up and seeing the Rolls-Royce in front of the Visitor Center or outside of the Reflecting Pool or Gallery. It is such the perfect addition to the ambiance of your wedding. And think about what the pictures next to it and inside of it could look like!

The car would be moved from its designated location by one of our specially trained drivers and would be positioned next to your ceremony or reception area before and after (weather and light dependant). We are thinking the charge would be approximately $500 for this service. What do you think ? Respond to me and let me know your thoughts and ideas and help me with this fantastic new feature we are so lucky to have!

Good morning everyone - Happy President’s Day!

It seems even the wedding mags have jumped on the economy trend this month as all of our favorites mention money saving tips on their covers. It seems everybody is looking for a way to get more for less or save to some extra money.

I volunteer with a charity that is near and dear to my heart - the Delaware Humane Association - and we have been talking economic strategy there as we start to worry about the waning donations being made - especially on the lower level (which all really add up - trust me!).

Rachel and I have always believed that the best favor you can give your wedding guests is the gift of a donation. Reading the magazines and working first hand with a charity - it seems this make even more sense right now. Favors can run you anywhere from $1.00 per person to $10.00 per person - of course dependant on what you choose. Rachel and I see so many favors left behind every single weekend - and in the end - they are thrown out. How about taking that $60 - $250 dollars and making a donation to a local charity or one that is special to you. Get a nice large 8 x 10 or 11 x 14 frame (that you can recycle for your wedding photos afterwards) and print up a letter explaining what you have done and to whom you made the donation and why it is special to you. Your guests will feel better about not having to take home one votive candle and you can feel great knowing your money is going right to work and that every dollar is needed right now.

Ideas for charities that you support? Let us know so we can share them with other brides and grooms and shed some more light on your favorite charities!

Good morning everyone. I love Winter at Winterthur -the snow covered grounds would be the perfect back drop for wedding pictures right now!

I am going to write today about the passes that guests are able to partake of at Winterthur during the wedding weekend (thank you to one of our fabulous mothers of the bride for the idea!).

First there are two separate things between the Associate Level Membership and the passes that come with that and then the wedding passes for guests the weekend of. Passes are available to all of your guests the day before, of, and after the wedding (assuming our business hours). Guests do not need to show anything - they simply let the staff at the front desk know which wedding they are attending for the weekend and they will be given a wrist band which allows for the following: Tram Tours (weather permitting), Garden Access, Gallery Access, Intro Film Access, and access to the bookstore, gift shop, and restaurant.

I think we get asked before every wedding for the best way to let guests know about this exciting opportunity. I love adding it to your wedding website if you have one. That is such a great way to share all of the information with everybody quickly and it is environmentally friendly as well as it reduces the need for more paper and brochures.

Should you not be doing a wedding website, there is another idea that I have stolen from one of our couples a few years back. Request brochures from Winterthur through me about a week prior to the wedding. Get yourself some large mailing labels and add the following lines”See the estate where we are to be married. Winterthur offers free pass no the following dates —— for our guests. Simply mention our wedding —– and you are in!”. You can then take the brochures and put them in the welcome baskets at the hotel.

What about the guests not staying in the hotel? Truthfully - most of the guests around town are not going to partake - they may be busy working or doing things around their home. Word of mouth is always great and making an announcement at the rehearsal dinner works as well.

Associate Level Members will also receive guests passes that may be used year round as friends and family come into town - a great perk with membership.

Hi Everyone!

It looks so amazing outside my window right now - a light snow - I love Winterthur in the winter - it is such a peaceful retreat! Rachel and I wanted to chare some exciting news with you - run out right now and buy the Spring Summer 2009 issue of Brides Philadelphia - we are all over it!

On the contents page is a picture of the great staircase coming from the back of the home to the pool. Inside - they scooped up Laura Novak’s fabulous pictures of one of our favorite wedding couples - Chris and Camille (see our blog from August). They have a real wedding spread on pages 116 - 118. And check out our newest ad. We changed some pictures and the colors and I love it - page 205. Let me know your thoughts as well.

True to trend - also in the magazine is a story about signature cocktails with some pictures and recipes. Check out our blog from last week about the same topic.

And I am working on new wedding packages with some new day time availability and hors d’oeuvres receptions. Brides talks about those as well and I have read them and added some notes to my homework.

Finally - wondering why I have not blogged from my sisters wedding - I just have not caught back up yet in order to write it and due all of the vendors justice. It was so wonderful (doesn’t everyone say that) and I want to share some tips and tell you about the vendors that I am totally indebted to. Look for that one soon (I promise). Hope everyone is well. Have a great weekend - Rachel and I have about 15 wedding tours in the next few days for prospective brides and grooms so we are going to try to keep warm and make them love Winterthur as much as we do!

Good evening everyone. Cold day here at Winterthur but so far it is not icy or snowing here in Delaware!

Rachel and I are in full tasting mode - we are hosting tastings for a lot of our upcoming wedding couples and we have been talking a lot about signature cocktails the past few weeks so I thought maybe it is time to share some thoughts directly from you and to hear your ideas as well.

What is a signature cocktail? This is one of the first chances you have to showcase your style/theme/ideas for the wedding to your guests. Imagine with me if you will - your ceremony has ended outside in the garden or at the reflecting pool. Guests watch you process down the aisle and then follow suit. They are greeted by our butler staff with silver trays filled with red and white wine and sparkling water. Then they see it - what is that fun colored drink in that cool glass that butler is holding? Talk about getting some attention!

We have had so many fun ideas with the drinks this year - we have had blueberry mojitos,  sangria (using my favorite recipe!), cranberry apple martinis - a great addition in the fall, chocolate martinis, peppermint martinis and so many more. Cocktails can reinforce your color theme, remind guests of a favorite trip you took, or introduce everybody to you and your fiancees favorite drink.

Take a look at some of the amazing drinks we have served and think about the impression they would make on your guests on your fabulous wedding day….Bellini, Blood Orange Cosmo, Blueberry Mojito, Blue Margarita, Peppermint Martini, Cosmic Mojito, Green Apple Martini, Mango Martini, Pink Martini, Raspberry Passionfruit Cosmo, Smoking Pomegranate Martini, Starfruit Slider, Watermelontini, Cran-appletini

Hopefully these will inspire you add a signature cocktail to your party and take it to the next level!! Seen other ideas you like and want to share them with Rachel and I? - submit them here - we would love to hear from you!

Next week - my report on my sister’s wedding - we are almost here. I hope everyone has a safe weekend and we will chat again soon.

First and foremost everyone here at Winterthur Museum and Restaurant Associates wishes all of you a safe and prosperous New Year! Rachel and I are ringing it in with high style and BLING this evening with a beautiful wedding here at the Visitor Center.  This wedding is a real treat as there as just so many creative ideas that I can not wait to share with you. And a reminder to those of you who are reading for the first time - click on the highlighted words to see pictures!!

Tonight’s theme - definitely BLING! There are tiny sparkly touches everywhere you look to create this one of a kind wedding. Lets start with what may be my favorite thing tonight - the cake. Almond cake with almond buttercream - but look at it. The cake topper and the cake jewelry (something new to me) work in perfect harmony to create this stunning masterpiece. Walker Cake, Walker Cake 2

Our couple really embraced the champagne idea for tonight as ell. I love this idea - they have silver markers and are asking their guests to write remarks on the bottles. They will, in turn, open a different bottle every month on their anniversary and get to read their friends and family good wishes. Walker Champagne Table

 So how about the square tables? We rented these tables for the couple - it certainly gives a different look. I had somebody just remark that it makes it look so special. With these particular tables we can seat up to 12 people so fewer tables but they do take up just about as much space as a few more smaller ones. I think they look really great and give a lot of room to the guests. Walker Room, Walker Tables

The sweetheart tables is so decked out - I love it. It always feels so sad when people don’t think about their own table or skimp their. Set the tone - you are the special couple and your tables should showcase that special something. Walker Sweetheart

 Danielle has wanted a candy table for her guests from the first time we started talking. She saw a specific picture of the candy arranged like a rainbow and we have duplicated it here for her. How cozy in front of the Christmas trees. Wakler Candy Table

We are unveiling one of our new stations this evening - the Caribbean one. Yes - I worked on it with the chef becuase of my love of that food. Red Snapper with Banana Jam - yum! Bay Scallop Ceviche with Citrus and Kiwi - Divine!

We have a small break now while Rachel and I gear up with tastings and new inquiries for the Spring season. We have a lot of great topics lined up for you in the next few weeks (including my own sisters wedding next Saturday!) so please keep checking us out each week. If you have ideas you would like us to write about please email us at this link. once again - happy New Years and we look forward to working with so many of you in 2009!

Good afternoon everyone!

Busy day in the office today here at Winterthur- we have just finished revising our catering wedding packages and I just sent them to be posted on the website for everyone. Jason has worked on some great new food items and we listed some stationary food ideas as well as some ideas for signature cocktails. I hope everyone likes them as much as we do.

We are still working on a package for a heavy hors d’oeuvres reception for the partiers out there that want to be mixing and mingling at their wedding. We are also working on a brand new idea - day time brunch weddings!! I am ironing out the particulars and hope to have that information listed by next week.

Rachel and I have had such a great time working with everyone this past year and we are really looking forward to the new bonds and families we will work with in 2009. We wish you all a safe and happy holiday with your families!!

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

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!!

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!