Hi Everyone - I wanted to share another blog with you - this one is for Marie Labbancz who was here on 8/2/08 for the Savini Wedding. I chatted with the Savini’s yesterday and they told me about this and I thought you all might want to take a look at some amazing shots - great job Marie!
http://www.artoflove.com/blog/weddings/sara-christopher-08-02-08-part-1/
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!!
So Lisa and Jeremy are off to Brazil now for their honeymoon - very adventurous!!
Lisa and Jeremy were married last weekend at the pool, followed by cocktails and back to the VC for dinner and dancing.
Mike Kehr was their photographer and he does some great work (for those of you who sat with me on your initial tour he gave us one of the smaller books of photos we show. I came across his blog this week after the fact and I thought rather then shower you with more of my amateur photography I would let you follow this link to his and see his great photography. http://www.mikekphoto.com/blog/2008/07/24/71908lisa-and-jeremy/ He even manages to make them not look nervous during the horah and that is tricky!
Their band last week was Andrea and her gang from CTO and they were great yet again. They had the crowd up and dancing between courses but she was a great help working with my banquet captain to make sure the night flowed and we were not overcooking the food while waiting on them. A really great team effort.
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.
So last night was the perfect weather and I think it has to be the reason so many people aim to get married in June here at Winterthur.
Melissa and Steve were married last night on the patio at the VC, surrounded by the lush green canopy, under a beautiful arbor, with family and friends. The night was magical and you all know I don’t throw that word around. The weather can make my job so easy on a night like that!
Sweet Pea did the flowers and they were great, very professional. Once again I was moving around and never got pics (I am going to get pics of tonight as soon as I am done this!) but the arbor was great and they had these metal baskets of hydrangeas with lush satin ribbon tying them to the aisle chairs - very nice in the garden.
We had one small hiccup - the bridal party and some family headed over to the pool during cocktail hour to take pics and they ran a bit over time. The guests got a little restless when the bar closed for a while but I think seeing how happy the bride and groom were when they were introduced meant all was forgiven. One idea I have seen working really well even for couples that don’t want to see each other before they get married is to get the some of the bride and bridesmaids shots done beforehand. With enough time add some family and then you won’t have quite so many shots to get in the short amount of time of cocktail hour.
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 - Beautiful night, beautiful weather, beautiful bride, beautiful Winterthur last Saturday!
So much I know you will want to take a peak at so let me get started…When I toured Marvin and Christina around the Pool she made this little laugh and Marvin turned to me and said - “she is happy”. Well she laughed a lot on Saturday night and it was all thanks to a top notch team of vendors working together to make her vision come to life. First lets start with the flowers - welcome Beautiful Blooms! What true professionals and great artists. An absolute pleasure to work with and the flowers were stunning - but see for yourself - Blooms 1, Blooms 2, Blooms 3, Blooms 4
Draping - second week in a row! Christina did not like the folding wooden walls in the Visitor Center and so she worked with Eventions Lighting to light the place up and drape the walls, take a look - Drape 1, Drape 2, Drape 3, Outside view, Lighting, Lit Ceiling, Drape Cake (didn’t Kimberly do a great job with this design Christina picked out?) Drape Sweetheart and we even rented cloths to drape the entire front desk - Draped Desk
Christina and Marvin are really into wine and they had some great accents to go along with that theme - Advice 1, Table Names, Pictures/Advice, and they also worked in a cherry blossom motif - Cherry Blossom Cake, Favor, Favor Table
And I knew I was in capable hands but I was psyched to find out the event planner was such a delight to work with - Beka Nave. Beka has a great disposition and kept everything flowing and everybody calm all night long. She was a delight and so on her toes. Beka is working on more weddings this summer as well as her own - we wish her all the luck and hope to see her more here!
As always if you would like more information please let me know by clicking here.
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.
This past Saturday evening was the official kick-off of the 2008 wedding season here at Winterthur for Rachel and I - we now go until the 25th of October with at least one wedding every week! Our hope is that we can keep up with blogging every week and sharing pictures, stories, and ideas to inspire you for your wedding.
I spent a lot of time watching the weather channel this past weekend. By 3:00pm it was still saying 50% so I gathered my banquet captains and we went for it and it was great! Just cool enough with the sun peaking out and the guests were able to be out on the VC patio for cocktails which is stunning right now.
I worked with one of our favorite photographers this weekend - Jim Graham. He sent me the links below - take a look….
Candle Centerpieces, Cake, Visitor Center Patio
This past weekend was stations. The group really only wanted the Italian side (um, did they not hear me say tortilla crusted crab cakes?) so we got creative in getting people through fast and tempting them and talking them into trying some other things. The dessert station was a hit - Jason made mint julep ice cream - my new reason to go to the gym!
Reminder to all - if you are using a vendor that is not one we recommend, please stress in the planning process that there is no access to the VC until 5:00pm. That was almost an issue but everything ended up working out okay.
Alright - now I am off to check the weather for this weekend, rehearsal dinner, wedding, and of course, the 30th Annual Point to Point races on Sunday- whew!
One of my good friends is getting married May of 2009, so I am the one who is helping her with all of her wedding arrangements. She has her church, her reception site and now she started looking at photographers. She was referred to the Wedding Bureau online where she found an amazing photographer who works all over the world-Jim Graham. Jim is a well known photographer and has worked many weddings here at Winterthur. He is based out of Delaware but has done work all over.
My friend and I had the privilege of meeting with Jim this past weekend at his house to discuss photography for her wedding. We went to his house, and got to see his work and it was absolutely stunning. My friend not only fell in love with his pictures, but with him as a professional as well. He seems to really take the time to go through everything and actually cares about his clients and their needs for that special day. He emphasized to us that he really likes to capture all the guests having fun!! I think he is going to work well for her wedding and is exactly what she is looking for. I would recommend him to others looking in this area!
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?
