What a great mission and what a great team that puts this event on. The committee is so focused and there is a wonderful group of woman who work so hard on this event all year long. It is my absolute pleasure to work with them on an event that is so meaningful every year.

This year the committee wanted to mix it up - we had previously had a seated dinner in the Visitor Center. This year we turned it completely around and had stations and hors d’oeuvres in the Gallery with an extended tent. Theme - Moroccan Nights. Check out some of these great ideas and pictures…

Look at the cool cushions the Shine committee made

Seating for 80 under the tent

OOOhhh - Seafood Station - Shrimp Towers!

Quite getaway on the Gallery Steps

Custom Menu - Exotic Food Station

Custom Menu - Comfort Food Station

Hi Everyone. Jacqui and Ricardo are getting married this evening in the Gallery, with cocktail hour in the lobby of the Visitor Center and the dinner inside. We have some great linens tonight guaranteed to transform the space and set the scene.

Ceremonies inside the Gallery are so serene. They need little to no decor.

The bride is wearing one of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen and she looks amazing in it!

Great linens from Special Occasions. I love the two tones - green see through and blue stripe. Brown on the bars was a great accent.

Sorry there are so few pics - my camera was misbehaving. This was such a great family to work with - so warm and friendly. We wish them all the best that the future can hold for them!

The pretty parents are readyThis bride is ready to run down the aisle!

Dinner and dancing back at the VC. Kirstin arranged for my 2 favorite favors lately - a photo booth and a candy buffet! 3 different table arrangements - flowers and candles. And I love the VC this time of year with the candles and the lanterns.

Centerpiece 1

Centerpiece 2

A View from Outside

Photo Card Holder from Proud to Plan

Liz Marden Cake

Rachel has been working with Jessica and Aaron and once again I love the small touches that people use in the Gallery. I think this is the most perfect space for the smaller, more intimate groups and look at what just a few runners and toppers can do to the tables. I also have to once again give my love to the Flowers by Yukie team that did the chair ties and these great tables. DJ - John from Tom Barrett is here. And the cake - LOVE IT! I could not wait to see this one in person - what do you think?

Chocolate Coil Cake

Ceremony on the stair landing

Family Photos

Gorgeous Gallery

Flowers by Yukie, Linens - Total Table

Hey everybody! I hope you are all reading this from the beach with this great weather!! I can not wait for a few more hours to pass and then I am going to open up all of the doors in the Visitor Center and let the cool night air blow in. All of these couples must have great karma for us to get this amazing weather for the whole weekend.

We have 2 weddings this evening, one more tomorrow as well. I will update again tomorrow to include Sarah and Ben and their cool lighting and draping they have happening. Tonight is Brian and Beth and over 200 of their closest friends at the Visitor Center with the ceremony on the patio and Jessica and Aaron in the Gallery with 50 of their friends and family.

Beth and Brian have been so much fun for me to work with. They travel a lot with their work so I really got to know her parents as well and I think I am going to miss all of the emails Michael Hunter took care of the ceremony music - strings for the ceremony and a great jazz trio playing during cocktail hour and dinner. Another week, another photo booth - again - nobody doesn’t love a photo booth - including the bride and groom when they get a copy of all of the ridiculous pictures! And did I mention the cake - I think this is so personal and so much fun.

They like scrabble

They REALLY like scrabble

Ceremony on the Patio

Arbor - florist decorated, bride and groom supplied

Photo Booth!

Michael Hunter with Jazz Trio

Okay - more tomorrow - enjoy the weather!!

Good morning

Last night was an interesting one - don’t know where all of you were but we had a really bad thunderstorm come through Winterthur right about 6:40 - so you know what that means - a rainy ceremony, well sort of!

As luck would have it we got word that a bad storm was coming in about 15 minutes and the we let the guests know we need them to be seated right away. The Reverend led the gentlemen in, the ladies all walked quickly and to the same song, the Reverend asked them for their readings - Larry and JoAnn both looked at her and in unison said “Skip it” - and they were kissing and laughing as the rain drops started to fall. The recessional was more like a mass exodus from the pool and everyone made it into the Gallery with not a second to spare - whew! I can tell you that I heard so many great comments abut the wedding and I know it is one the bride, groom and their guests will not soon forget.

Since i had some other things happening I did not get to take too many pictures. I did get a good one of the cake -those are sugared blueberries which went with navy blue dresses the girls wore and the signature cocktail - a blueberry Bellini as guests entered the pool.

Sugared Blueberries

Also - the flowers at the pool are all in full bloom so this was the gorgeous backdrop -

Flowers, lower level reflecting pool, July

Meredith and Jeff tonight - stay tuned for more pictures and hopefully less of a story to tell!

I am sitting here trying to think of a new and exciting title for tonight’s event and I just can’t say it better then it was a gorgeous night here at Winterthur - the bride - the food - the weather - all amazing. You have to love low 80’s with a cool breeze and a signature cocktail mojito!

I think my favorite thing that Melissa put together tonight was this placeard table which looks so fantastic and yet so simple and elegant -

Placecards

She tied that in with her programs

Programs and Fans

and her linens

Linens and Sweet Peas Flowers

Sweet Peas was the florsit - i love their look - such a lush garden atomsphere

Flowers by Sweet Peas

Melissa added an antipasta station to her cocktail hour - here is a sample of that

Antipasta Station Sampling

We have another one tomorrow evening. It is so nice outside that the couple decided to add the reflecting pool at the last minute for their cocktail hour. The Pool looks great right now - July and August may be my favorite - look atthe fun colors and plants in the pool

July Reflecting Pool

and the crepe mrytle around the ceremony location

Crepe Mrytle in Bloom

Check in tomorrow and have a great evening everyone!

Hey Everyone - sorry for the lag time! Our blog was done for some maintenance but we are up and running again.

Great weather - and great weddings this past weekend. I am going to do a separate one for Saturday and Sunday. Saturday Amanda and Andrew were so cute - they were both so into every little detail - ex - Andrew got his guys matching ties, argyle socks, and supposedly - I certainly did not check - matching boxers! From the linens to the lights, to the flowers to the programs, to the place cards and the table names, everything came together in one of the most beautiful weddings so far this year. Judge for yourself:

Pretty Pink Programs

Pretty Pink Petals - hanging from the arbor at the pool

Spring Green in the Gallery - perfectly pretty - Flowers by Yukie

Pink Placecards and votive candles

What a cute cake kimberly made - buttercream flowers - yum!Beautiful Lighting from Eventions

Hi Everyone

Whew! - Busy week here at Winterthur. We have had at least one party every night - and sometimes 2 or 3. Friday we hosted St. Andrews alumni for a tour and their chorale scholars treated us all with a beautiful rendition of some great Christmas songs.

Saturday night was the Lazopoulos wedding and I don’t even know where to start on that one. This family has been so great to work with and Liz and Rob are so full of energy and so caring and considerate of their friends and family. I worked with a photographer new to us - Tom Feehly - GREAT! I have chatted with him this week and he is going to send some pictures my way and I will post a whole separate blog talking about the beauty and great ideas from this event. Did I mention the perfect snowfall…..

Sunday was busy yet great. UD alumni (other then Rachel and myself) were here for brunch and a lecture and gallery walk. We had a concert mid-day and the Port Royal Society had a private reception in the cottage. Bentley Systems was here for an appreciation day and combined great food, libations, and house tours for a really nice evening.

Monday we hosted three of the area Convention Visitor Bureaus here for a combined holiday party. Turn out was great - 335 people. Jason made those great mini creme brulees and those were a big hit. We made some new contacts - got to see other colleagues in the industry and had a fantastic evening.

Last night Winterthur was open late. one more time to catch us at night - next week the 16th. Winterthur is only open after hours to the public at this time of year and it is so much fun to see Winterthur after dark and fully decked out for the holidays.

Tonight we have a New Members Reception and we are getting ready for Barclays Bank tomorrow for almost 700 people. one of us will check back in soon. Hope everyone is have a great December and gearing up for the holidays! 

Hello everyone. once again I am sorry to be remiss and not on top of having these blogs up sooner but we had a very busy weekend - 3 weddings.

Friday night in the Galleries Reception Area here at Winterthur Museum, we hosted the Waddy/Franke Wedding. Both Laurie and Ingo work for a German company and met and fell in love. They booked their wedding with us just a few weeks ago and we have been busy working to have the perfect German/American wedding with the right amount of traditions as well as making sure people did not feel too stuffy and had a great time.

 Guests were greeted outside on the slate terrace with champagne, butlered hors d’oeuvres, and a seafood station done on an ice carving - what a hit! Waddy Cocktail hour, Waddy Seafood Bar, Waddy Seafood Bar 2

Guests moved inside to a beautifully decorated room, courtesy of one of our new favorite florist Meg at Sweet Peas - Waddy Flowers, Waddy Room Decor, Waddy Florals

Ingo and Laurie each had their own ideas of how the stations should look for their wedding. Working with both of them through email with my trusty party rental website we decided on a look. I hope they both liked it as mush as I did Waddy Italian Station, Waddy Italian Station 1, Waddy Asian Station,

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!

What a weekend we had here at Winterthur - 2 weddings and great Delaware weather for both of them!

Joe and Elaine were married in front of 40 guests on Sunday the 21st (the last day of summer - sigh). Ceremony at the Reflecting Pool followed by cocktail hour. Janesch Ceremony, Janesch Ceremony 2, Dinner and dancing in the Gallery.

Joe and Elaine really wanted their guests to feel the DuPont hospitality. We greeted their guests with glasses of champagne as they pull into the parking lot and a limo was there to bring them to the pool. From there guests mingled with the groom and the best man until it was time to start. The ceremony was short and sweet and guests then drifted around the pool with cocktails. Janesch Pool, Janesch Path

At 7:45 as it was getting really dark, we started to escort guests to the Gallery along a candle lit path. The Gallery looked great with a slightly different set-up and these great new linens from Special Occasions and flowers by Yukie. Janesch Head Table, Janesch Room, Janesch Flowers

This coming weekend is our annual Garden Fair on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Guests will come from all over to fill all of the interior grounds to look at various wares from tons of vendors. A really great event! No weddings this weekend due to the event set-up so Rachel and I are getting a little break - then we have 5 weddings right after that. We will check back in after the weekend - have a great one!

Evening all. Another wedding here at Winterthur this evening. Temperature is about 88 degrees with 93% humidity and a 60% chance of rain -ugh. Scott and Jillian made a great call - working with Joan they opted to keep their ceremony outside at the pool and they moved their cocktail hour inside the Gallery - in the air conditioning

Mike Kehr is the photographer this evening and he does such a great job. He was picked as an industry favorite and was shooting The Knot party last Tuesday. You can see his work on our photo gallery - the first few pics are all his.

Yukie did the flowers and the lanterns- great look. Graeber Placecard Arrangement These centerpieces are amazing. Graeber Centerpieces

Tonight’s crowd is smaller so we rearranged the VC to make it look full and perfect. This is only 88 people and I think it looks really great. Graeber Room

Rachel and I are in love with the look of the cushions. It is so much more uniform then the chairs bows and they have a chic look we think. Graeber Cushions, Graeber Cushions 2

2 more next weekend, and Joan is out on vacation!Chat with you then!

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!

Tonight we are blessed with beautiful weather and 2 wonderful wedding couples. Both groups this evening opted for intimate weddings and have done the subtle touches that I think are very reflective of their personal style.

Sabrina and Jeff are in the Visitor Center, their ceremony was at a church preceding the reception. There is a steel drum playing on the patio and I can hear it throughout the area, perfect for the weather this evening with the cool breeze. Their cake was a big thing for them this evening so they sent some pics to us and this is what we did -  Sabrinas Cake More of an intimate group this evening so we have all of the tables on side of the room and the bar and some hi-tops on the other side for a lounge area - Sabrina Room Set-Up, Sabrina Bar Area. Sabrina also did something a little out of the box and got chargers in lieu of linens - she really liked the looks of crisp white!Chargers

 Lisa and Jeff are being married at the pool followed by dinner at the Gallery. The reflecting pool is so beautiful right now with the astilbe, crapemyrtle, and the water plants all in full bloom Poolside Aisle, Poolside Path, Poolside Smooch

Lisa and Jeff wanted to follow the theme set for them in the Winterthur Garden with ferns on their programs Fern Programs- on their cake Fern Cake 1, Fern Cake 2- and on their seating tables Fern Tables, Fern Tables 2- I think it fits in perfect here! They also rented a tent at the Gallery so their friends and family could dance the night away outside with the breeze keeping them moving - Gallery Tent

Hi Everyone.

When Dottie and I started talking about what she was envisioning for her son’s rehearsal dinner in the Gallery at Winterthur she had a very clear vision - Fun and Lively (and I had to keep up with her level of lively!). I think she was more then pleased at the result.

 88 friends and family members gathered last night to lavish love and spread the praise on Chad and Caroline and they also had a lot of fun at the party. Cocktail hour started on the East side of the Gallery on the slate terrace. Hi-top tables with perfect flowers and lime pillows on benches made everybody feel so welcome. If they didn’t, the passed mojitos sure did! Ballard Hi-Tops, Ballard Pillows, Ballard Cocktails

 The group moved inside the gallery for dinner and I don’t know what was more impressive - the room set-up or the food. Ballard Dinner, Ballard Dinner 2, Ballard Desk,  Cucumber Soup, Watermelon Salad, Hummus and Red PepperRaw oysters and clams were provided by the grooms family business - Ballard Seafood and Cherrystone Aqua Farms. Oysters, Clams

After the entree guests were treated to a champagne toast and the night was concluded with fun toasts, teary slides, and a feeling of anticipation for today’s festivities and wedding. We wish them all the best!

I will say I am not sure if Jacob and Kristin know there is a nasty thunderstorm outside right now as they look at one another - they have their priorities in the right order - each other!

Tonight was a tough start - a beautiful (if warm) day and plentiful sunshine. At 5:00pm I got a call from some friends and family just a few miles away that knew we had an outside wedding, warning me to get everybody inside safely and check out the radar (which was flashing with red warnings).  At that time my banquet captain at the pool called and heard thunder. I called Joan so she could talk with the bride and we started to pack up the bar from the pool.

Making these decisions is almost as tough on Joan and I as it is on the bride to be and the people around her that are involved. We love the spaces we have and we want all of you to have the wedding you dream of here with us. When thunder and lighting start it is then a safety issue for the guests as well as my staff and a rain plan has to go into action. Ugh.

The Visitor Center always looks so cool in the rain, especially with those lanterns - Townsend VC from Outside, Townsend - Rain

 On the high note - Kristin and Jacob look so happy and Kristin was simply elegant and glowing! And the flowers are so cool tonight. Theresa Florals did them (yes the same ones from the shower 2 weekends ago) and yes, I got pictures tonight. Townsend Flowers 1, Townsend Flowers 2, Townsend Flowers 3, Back of Bridal Chair

A small sprig of rosemary and some chocolate favors are special touches for the guests - Rosemary

My favorite thing tonight - look at the card holder - I think I want that for my mailbox at my house!!Card Holder

And the cake looks like it was made to be here at Winterthur - Townsend Cake

And the placecard table, not a table to be ignored - Placecards - Grass, Townsend Placecard Table

 Joe from Tom Barrett DJ is here tonight and he is a lot of fun - we are working with him tomorrow night as well and can’t wait. Rachel and I will be checking in tomorrow night - we will “talk” to you then.

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!

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

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