The clouds have cleared out finally and the rain looks like it will stay away as we get ready for the last wedding of the season at the reflecting pool. And what a gorgeous night it turns out to be - crisp - clear - amazing!
Accent tables this evening in copper silk - gorgeous. From our friends at Special Occasions Linen!
My bartenders - they don't like their pictures taken!
Guests were ready to dance and party as they were invited up to dance the rest of the bride and grooms first dance.
Dance, Dance, Dance
Great lighting at this time of year - look at how the cake just glows
Family Photos on the Front Desk, Slide Show on the Center Screen - Nice Touch!
This was such a great group to work with - I wish them all the best for the B & G and their families and friends!!
This is a two wedding weekend here for us at Winterthur - our last one this season. The bridal season is slowly winding down and going out with great beauty if last night is any indication!
Great fall weather at 74 degrees and great vendors made last night at the reflecting pool and the visitor center remarkable. We worked with 3 of the best - eventions lighting, steve croce - DJ extraordinaire, and Sweet Peas florist. I think rather then tell you about what a great job they did I can let the pictures speak for themselves!
Nice placecard idea
Placecards - up close!
Individual Wedding Cake Favors - Yum!
Night View
GoBo on the Patio
Evening all. Great weather again this evening. I love this time of year as it gets dark now for the dinner and dancing but you still have the sun and the sunset during the ceremonies and cocktail hour.
Ben and Sarah (yes - you made the Blog!!) just got married at the Pool and are now having a great time in the Visitor Center. We turned the ceremony and faced East today so that the beautiful white blooms would be the backdrop. Sarah was able to walk threw the arch with her dad - what a stunning picture.
White Flower Back Drop at the Pool
Sarah and Ben had a vision for the Visitor Center and it looks great!! Of course I think everyone knows we love the black and white in the Visitor Center. Eventions did the lighting and the draping for them, linens by Special Occasions set the tone for an upscale garden wedding.
Visitor Center Entranceway
Blue Lighting on White Drapes
Mood Lighting on the Seating Tables
White Cake, White Dance Floor
I hope you found some great inspirations with the pictures from this weekend. Looking forward to next week and more pictures and stories for you!
Hi everyone. Great wedding this past weekend - Sarah and Chris and her parents were awesome to work with - it is so much fun to work with a couple for a year and see everything come together so beautifully.
And you know how I love the finishing touches - the ribbon on the cake that perfectly matches the bridesmaids dresses, the linen overlays that match the table names that match the menu cards - I think these are the thing that take a wedding to the next level and show your guests that you really thought about every little detail.
Summer Green Ribbon = gorgeous summer cake
Added touches - linen, table names, menu cards
Family Portraits on the Front Desk
Beautiful Room
Placecards and donation notice
The couple made a donation that was near and dear to them. Remember - your guests have enough little picture frames and bottle toppers! Do something good for a hometown organization that so desperately needs the money now and feel good about the fact that I am not throwing all the leftover favors away at the end of the night!!
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
Great night last night. We hosted Drinker Biddle law form who has opened office in Wilmington Delaware. We worked with their great team and had a fantastic reception for clients and lawyers. the Governor - Jack Markell - was here as well. The Azaleas look great but are being upstaged by the purple from the rhododendrons! We used green cloths as our neutral backdrop for the evening. Take a look at this beautiful setting:
Who doesn't love a gift bag?
Welcome!
Let the music play...
Lower Level of the Reflecting Pool
Tropical Fruit Salad looks good enough to eat!
Pool before People
I started my morning off looking at the weather and thinking we would not get in the ceremony of Emily and Tim here at Winterthur. I watched the weather all day and saw big chances of thunderstorms right around 6:00PM when we were supposed to start.
Emily’s one wish was that if she was not going to get married outside at the Reflecting Pool, that she would at least be able to take photos outside. She ended up getting the best of both worlds. Just to be safe we did the ceremony outside and cocktail inside. The rain held off until after the guests were inside for dinner.
Emily and Tim ended up with a really beautiful evening. The Azaleas at the Reflecting Pool are in full bloom and are absolutely perfect. Besides having a wonderful outside experience, the Visitors Center where the group was having dinner and dancing looked great too. Emily picked out some great toppers for her tables and of course the cake looked good too!
Overall it was a great evening, the Bride and Groom could not be happier and we truly beat out Mother Nature for the night!
Holt Ceremony
Beauty at Winterthur
- Holt Cake
- Reflecting Pool
This past Saturday was the last wedding at the Reflecting Pool for the Season. Lauren and Eric ended up with a beautiful night at the Reflecting Pool for their Ceremony and Cocktail Hour. Since the daylight hours ran short, cocktail hour was a bit shorter than usual. The guests came back to the Visitors Center a bit chilly, but they were warmed back up in no time. We love working at the Pool, but with the lack of sunlight and the nip in the air, we are happy to close up shop for the season!
Evening everyone
Tonight at Winterthur Museum we have the fabulous wedding of Robin and Scott. I first toured Robin and Scott about 18 months ago and I remember thinking then how much I really wanted to work with them as they were so much fun and so relaxed. Now all of this time later they feel like close friends and family and I am so happy for them.
Ceremony at the pool as the sun sets - how romantic. Cocktails around the candlelit pool and then back to the Visitor Center for dinner and dancing.
Some nice special touches this evening: African Violets as favors
Placecards in a picture frame (a green idea for those of you who like that!) Picture Frame Seating Assignments
Some nice lanterns in the lobby Candle Lanterns
Flowers by Yukie did the beautiful arrangements and the hanging Asian lanterns Asian Lanterns, Asian Lanterns, flowers
And look at the great outside lighting Outside lighting, Candles on the Railing
Robin and her family also decided they wanted to honor their family and have a pasta course. I just walked through the kitchen and the penne a la vodka looks divine! Jason is also whipping up the vegetarian option for the night - samosas with sauteed fall vegetables, tofu, and chutney - yum!
Tomorrow brings another wedding - this one is at the Gallery and intimate - a perfect 50 people. Looks like they are going to get some great weather fall weather as well!
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 magnificent wedding here at Winterthur tonight. Last weekend of summer and the weather here in Delaware is a great 74 degrees - no humidity - little bit of a breeze - just enough to stir the plants in the garden and the frogs and lilies in the pool!
Adam and Nicole were married this evening and it was a great ceremony. We started a few minutes late but caught back up. Photos were taken afterwards and their bridal attendant kept everyone well fed and drinks full. The bridal party loves to have a good time and they are such close friends. Guests were in awe of the beauty of both Winterthur and of Nicole! Boucher Pool, Boucher Arch
Nicole and her mom - Cathy, were in a few days ago to wrap everything up with me and they brought me an extra copy of their invitation. I instantly asked to show it to all of you as I think is so special - look at the antique post card they found on E-Bay and had re-produced for the invitation and reply card - she had a firm in Seattle do them for her that she saw in a national magazine. Boucher Postcard, Boucher Invitation, Boucher Invitation 2
Nicole and Cathy also wanted a different look for the seating tables. We have some round, some various sizes of square and some clusters of round. This is for about 150 people with stations and it works great. It would probably take up too much space if it were plated or with another 50 people. Boucher Tables - grouped, Boucher Square, Boucher Room
Something different for the place-cards - Boucher Placecards
They did menu cards for the tables - this works out great as guests can figure out which station they want to check out first - Boucher Menus
A nice simple cake this evening - Boucher Cake
We have an intimate wedding tomorrow with the ceremony at the pool and dinner inside the Gallery. I will be back on tomorrow evening. Have a great night!
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!
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!
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!
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!!
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
Evening everyone
Well it happened - we got rained out during the cocktail hour this evening. Poor Traci and Scott- they saw a 30% chance of rain and went for it. They got through their ceremony and then they had this great idea for a group picture, which they also got through. About 10 minutes into cocktail hour I saw lightening and Joan had them moving to the shuttles. In case you are not familiar with the reflecting pool set-up, once we are set-up over there and it starts to rain - the hors d’oeuvres are kaput! We have the same access into the pool area as you and the guests so there is no way to wheel carts out - the food stays under the overhangs by the bath houses until it ends or we take it out and it gets wet and thrown out. Traci and Scott handled it in stride which enabled their guests to take it in stride.
Black linens tonight - you all know how much I love this look with our great chairs. See for yourself - Kloss - Tables, Kloss - room, Kloss - Cake
Very cool guest book idea - Kloss Guest Book
Favors look familiar? - Kloss - Favors
And I think I found a great band to recommend - CTO - Tribeca. Band Leader - Andrea. Really flexible and great to work with!
3 more next week, end and Rachel is in a wedding so she will have some personal stories and my fingers are going to hurt from so much typing. Talk with you soon!
As the temperature approaches 100 degrees today, everyone being comfortable is my top concern. I chatted with the groom and we are going to be passing glasses of water as guests arrive at the pool off of the shuttle to help with the hydration factor. Funny - the bride and groom look totally comfortable!
Corrine is a florist by trade and she and her team put everything together for the wedding and it looks great. Take a peak - Sebesta Flowers, Sebesta Flowers - Short, Sebesta Placecards. Too bad she lives in Michigan, huh!
Corrine was hoping for a cake that was a little more fun - look what Kimberly put together for her - Sebesta Cake
Off and running - 2 more weddings next week to chat about!
