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

Eclantante Entrance

Nov 12th was my first holiday party of the year. Kendall Brown, Donna O’Brien, and Claudia Seyler of Eclatante Design, Beautiful Blooms, and Claudias Make-Up Studio respectively, held their holiday party open house early so that all of us “in the biz” could make it before the holiday rush.

Kendall and Leila were the consummate hostesses, streaming between the shops and welcoming guests outside while Donna and Mya mixed and mingled and kep the flow going.

I caught up with some old friends and colleagues that now work for Feast Your Eyes catering. I sampled some great red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing and an adult milkshake with what else but Bailey’s in it! There were some warm firepits outside with make your own smores stations. Heaters lined the walkway between the shops and there were throws for brave guests to curl up in and snuggle and people watch (or was that just me?).

I got to say to some other great people including Mike Kehr and his team and Dave from DVideography. Mary Reugg from Brides Philadelphia was also there. I snapped a couple quick shots - take a look.

Festive Scene

Sexy Claudia

Comfy Throws

Cool Ice

October is almost over, just a few more weeks to our inaugural catering tasting showcase on Nov 24th!

Our wedding season is over for 2009 and I thought I would take advantage of the break to write on a few topics that I thought about throughout the year but did not want to post on in lieu of weddings. This one has started to come up a lot this past year - vegans. What is a vegan? Vegans are people who eat no animal products (including no eggs, dairy, and usually even honey) as opposed to vegetarians who simply do not eat animals/meat (including beef, poultry, fish, etc). Why do you care you might be thinking?

A few times this past summer we had a guest tell one of our butlers that he or she was a vegan. They insisted that they had noted that on their response cards. Our team would spring into action but coming up with a vegan entree in the middle of serving a few hundred guests is no easy feet! We aren’t talking pasta and a red sauce gang - we are talking about veggies and fruits and natural products that we want to taste and look good.

We want to take care of your guests needs and the more information we have ahead of time the better we can serve them. We want you to tell us about every allergy you know - even if you think that item is not on the menu. Same with vegan vs vegetarian and even when your great grandfather wants a well-done steak. Taking care of these things for your guests allows them to enjoy your wedding without worrying about being hungry or getting sick.

I can tell you that I was at a wedding a few months back and had noted vegetarian on my response card. After a cocktail (okay, maybe 2) and no vegetarian items at cocktail hour I was ready to eat dinner. 1st course came out - wedding soup - meatballs. They had no vegetarian alternative. Second course, salad with bacon. Again, no vegetarian course. Now I am starving and everyone at my table is uncomfortable knowing they are eating more and more and I have nothing in front of me. And yes, they did have a vegetarian entree for me but they should have known to take care of each course for me - we do!!!

Moral of my long winded story - let us know what your guests need and we can determine for them what they can eat - from the bar snacks to the desserts. Any questions - don’t be afraid to ask us - we work with this all year round!

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!

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!

Good morning everyone! Well Rachel and I are starting to wind down with the holiday parties. Since last we “spoke” we hosted Barclays bank for 675 people in the Gallery with great tents, Marin, Marvel, Bradley, and Anderson on Friday, Neudesic on Saturday, and a group from John Hopkins on Sunday. This morning it was my pleasure to host Winterthur’s security team for breakfast.

We start with wedding tastings again this week - we just could not fit any in last week!

I am working on some new things for weddings that I am hoping to have posted before Christmas. We have just gotten a classic car on property and we are working out the parameters for its use (picture opportunities!! and maybe more) as well as looking at some more spaces off the beaten path that we might be able to use for day-time weddings - an option I don’t have at this point and I know a lot of people would like.

 With the holidays next week (and my birthday!!), Rachel and I are looking at our days off and alternating so that one of us is here almost every day so we can handle tours and client meetings and all of your questions while you are home with your families thinking of things and starting to plan.

I need to go check on that breakfast again. I will be blogging again next week and look forward to chatting with you all then!

Good morning everyone. I hope everyone is out of their turkey stupor and had a great holiday weekend!

It is a quite morning so far here at Winterthur today but that is not going to last for long. We have an exciting few weeks ahead of us with some really great holiday events including St. Andrews School on the 5th, Bentley Systems Appreciation Party on the 7th, the Convention and Visitor Bureau Holiday Mixer on the 8th, the New Members Reception in conjunction with our feeding desire exhibit on the 19th, Barclay’s Bank on the 11th, Marin, Marvel, Bradley, and Anderson on the 12th, Neudesic on the 13th and more and more!

We have 2 exciting weddings this month as well - we have the Lazopoulos wedding this Saturday - which promises to be exciting with a new designer out of New York that we have never worked with before - I can’t wait to see Michael’s work and the Lazopoulos family is so much fun.

We also have a New Years eve wedding this year for the Walkers. Her theme may best be described as Bling - she has so many great little touches and I can’t wait to see it all come together and ring in the New Year with such a great group of people.

 My sisters bachelorette party was this weekend in AC. Not sure who says the casinos are not doing well - you could not move in Caesars or the Borgata - they were all packed! And no, I did not win big! If you are looking for a restful spa you have to try QUA in Caesars. It is great and the staff there was so nice and friendly. Late night Mur. Mur was the hot spot. Beautiful people and great music to dance to.

OK - I need to get prepared for the next few weeks. As soon as I get a minute I will post some great pics from the wedding this Saturday!!

Hi everyone

Been a while. We have been really busy this month and I thought you guys might like to know some of what we have been up to:

My sisters wedding is less then 8 weeks away so I have been really busy helping her with final details. We are wrapping up the alcohol, linens, and timeline tomorrow - hopefully with a cocktail in hand.

We got some new pics from one of our favorite photographers - Mike Kerr. Check them out on our photo page. We love getting new pics and Mike and his team are amazing!

Testimonials - thank you to all the people that have sent us thank you letters and great words. We have posted a few of them on our website on our testimonial page as well so please read through those as well.

Anybody notice the cost of food going up - so have we! We are re-evaluating how we do business and the ideas of packages. We have removed all of our catering packages and are currently customizing all of the requests we get. This does give the bride exactly what they want and nothing you don’t. So we are watching and seeing what everybody wants and seeing how everything works out.

Well I am off to enjoy a vegetarian thanksgiving tomorrow (free the turkeys ) and then my sisters bachelorette party is this weekend as well so hopefully I will have some good stories for you next week. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Morning everyone. Actually before I get started on my weekend - check out the Winterthur Wedding website on the section for Photos and Testimonials - we have some new things posted for you to take a peak at.

So I hosted my sisters shower yesterday. Garden Fair was this weekend - no catered events so I took the weekend off and planned a party. I wanted to start it in the morning so everyone would have their afternoon and evenings free to be with their families or even just relax. The shower was from 11am - 2pm. Guests were pretty much all there by 11:30.

My sister wanted something different then a typical shower. I knew she wanted some type of entertainment and it was really difficult coming up with something that everyone could participate in yet not have to squish into one room and sit and not be able to talk. The winning idea was to set up some casino games with dealers. We opted for Roulette - which a lot of people can play at one time - and black jack - which had 6 people playing at all times. We kept the food as finger foods so guests could eat and move at the same time. It was really fun and kept people engaged and amused until time to open gifts.

 Theresa Clower of Theresa Florals did some arrnagements for me, 1 on the dining room table, 1 on the bar, and one in each bathroom. They were beautiful and added to the overall feel. I always thinnk flowers finish the look of the party!

We had some signature drinks served as well as some hot spiced cider and coffee for the guests. Food - mini quiche, individual yogurt parfaits, mini crabcakes, cheese, and my sisters friend Lynn had her mom make some great ethnic food - egg rolls, fried rice, and noodles - yum!

Back to real work this weekend - a wedding on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Hi Everyone. I have not written about just the latest things to be happening at Winterthur with our weddings in a little while so here is a little update as to what Rachel and I have been doing - other then working with everyone on all of these events you read about…This past Tuesday evening Rachel and I were in Philly for an industry party sponsored by The Knot. It was great to see some of our favorite people:

Mike Kehr - he is responsible for half of the new photos on our photo section of our website and spends a good amount of time at Winterthur. Mike is here with us on Saturday and he shot the Seliger wedding from 7-19 that you saw.

Faith West - Faith is here tomorrow night and she shot the other half of the photos that went up on our gallery - those are from the Kloss wedding on the 14th of June.

Donna and Mia from Beautiful Blooms - they did last Saturdays Scida wedding with the amazing orchids.

Kendall Brown of Eclante Events partnered with the Knot for the design and schematics of the party which was all about the environment and what we can all do to make a difference. Tell me anything you want with a glass of wine in my hand and it gets even more interesting!

Ed and Greg with EventQuip were there. These guys are hopefully about to become my new best friends. We have some interesting things happening at Winterthur and hopefully in another few weeks I can unveil some big stuff - and don’t email me and ask for a preview!!

Coming up this weekend we have 2 weddings, 2 the following weekend, Garden Fair the following weekend - no weddings allowed then - then 2 more after that and 3 more the following week - Whew! And we are already booking like crazy for next September and October so that promises to be just as busy.

I have not talked about my sisters wedding in a while - her shower is at my house on the 28th - yes the weekend I don’t have any weddings here I will send you an update on that after the fact - the date and time are not a surprise to her but everything else so I better not spoil it here.

And everyone - if you have things that you feel it would be helpful for Rachel and I to write about - let us know. We can always use suggestions. Have a great night and I will be back on tomorrow night!

in May we were blessed to work with a great planner - Beka Nave. Beka is getting married in just a few weeks and there is a great online article about her and the wedding. She also talks about one of her special weddings she did and includes some pics from Laura Novak - overly talented!! So happens the pics are of Christina and Marvin - one of our May weddings. Thought you might enjoy reading about a wedding from the planners prospective….http://thebridescafe.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/08/meet-beka.html

Many people ask me if I like to go to weddings or if I find I can’t relax. I think the answer is two fold. I love to go to weddings. First and foremost I really enjoy seeing 2 people I care about find happiness. Secondly - I love to see what other places are doing and gather new ideas to keep myself and our team here on their toes! Third - If I see something I don’t like - I use it as a learning experience and share it with my staff so they can improve and build upon their services.

This past weekend I attended a beautiful wedding of two close friends in Long Island. We all had such a great time and the couple are absolutely 100% destined to be together!

 Some of the highlights - Our waiter at our table was fantastic. He watched us all evening, brought drinks as needed and was very pleasant. He could not really answer my questions about the food but he was very attentive. The food was great. I have to been to a lot of weddings and being a vegetarian I have eaten some very bad food. As a general rule I try to eat a lot at cocktail hour (and cake of course) so I am full if my entree is bad. The apps were great and the entrees were great as well.  I had to dance off the extra food I ate.

 Some of the areas that I was a little distracted by - The staff! They did not know what they were serving!! There were about 4 groupings of stationary hors d’oeuvres at the cocktail hour. One there was carved beef - I watched the gentlemen manning it actually slice off some beef when nobody was in line and eat it himself!! I went to the Asian station, asked what was in the dumplings and the gentlemen could not tell me if they were vegetarian or what was in them. The pasta station had no forks and I was told to go find them on another station. Um, okay.

Did anybody else notice these things - well at my table there were 5 other guests who had worked in catering. But again - when the couple is so happy, it is easy for the guests to feel happy! But yes, I will be letting my staff know how proud I am of them and what I noticed!

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.

Hi Again!

I got a call from one of my friends on Sunday night when they were flipping through the TV stations and they saw Winterthur on TV. Last year in March we had a beautiful wedding for Kim and Adam that was filmed for the Learning Channels ‘Whose Wedding is it Anyway”.  It was so much fun to work with the TV crew and to see that “our” show is still playing on national television 11 months later.

I always get asked how Adam and Kim got picked.  If you have not seen the show, there are 2 couples featured for the hour long program. One couple had already been picked and a notice went out looking for a couple getting married on a certain weekend that fit with the filming time of the other show. Kim and Adam were that couple. They interviewed and did a tape for the show and they were an instant hit. They did not get picked for the show until about 6 weeks ahead of time if I remember correctly!

I will tell you that I never noticed that they were late decision makers as the show portrays them. I had worked with Kim and Adam for a few months and they always were on top of giving me everything I needed. Of course it is TV so they have to try to make some drama where there isn’t any!

 Joani was great to work with as well. Joani actually is the owner of VIP Magazine - one of the local magazines in this area that show great places to have your wedding - like us! Since Kim and Adam were so close to the time of their wedding they asked Joani to jump in and pinch hit and I know Adam and Kim were so grateful.

At the end of the show there are the beautiful fireworks being set-off from outside the Visitor Center. I know we are one of the only places, if not the only place, that is capable of having fireworks at our weddings. We work with Fireworks Concepts and they are the ultimate professionals. And talk about a memorable way to end an evening - how many of you can say you have been to a wedding with their own private fireworks display?

This past weekend I was privileged enough to travel to Jamaica to witness one of my friends (and employees) get married on a pier in Jamaica, overlooking the crystal clear water. We flew in on Friday and Saturday I worked on my tan until it was time to head off to the wedding at 3pm. Glasses of wine were poured beforehand and the ceremony started on time and was only about 15 minutes long. After the ceremony we went inside to a private room and that is where I really started to notice the different vibe of an island wedding vs. one here. The couple sat down, champagne was poured and the toasts began. Since it was an intimate group everybody gave a toast. The coordinator had the couple cut the cake (yup - right after the toast) and then pieces were passed around. And that was it for the expected festivities. We ate a light hors d’oeuvres reception and the couple started with photos. Once the couple headed outside to look for picturesque sites for photos (um, hello, its Jamaica - everything is picturesque) we had cocktails by the pool and waited for them to finish. The couple had arranged a private dinner for all of us which was a great way to let the guests get to know each other better. If it were not for the dinner the entire wedding was over in 45 minutes - quick and beautiful.

One piece of advice for couples looking to do this - be conscious of the location of the hotel in regards to the location of the airport. When guests are flying in for 72 hours or less, every hour is coveted. The closer you are to the airport, the more you can relax and unwind with friends and family.