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!!

Good evening everyone. If you have not been to Winterthur lately -this is a great week to do it - the daffodils along the front hills are popping up, the trees are flowering - Spring is Here!

And so are some new options for you. Now you may have your name in lights, er, flat screens. Winterthur has come up with various slides, colors, and fonts that you can choose from and the evening of your wedding they will appear on the flat screens to enhance your experience. The charge is a flat rate of $250. Check out the slides and let me know your thoughts.

08452-digital-wedding-signage

Coming soon - slide show options that you create with your family and friends photos and we post on the screens for you!

Flowers by Yukie did a great natural spring job and lovely huppa which frames out the gardens so nicely.

Ceremony

Something new we tested out this evening - our Phantom I Rolls Royce. We had it parked right off from the Visitor Center and guests were able to take a look, ask questions, and have their picture taken with it as well. Isn’t it beautful. It is such a great enhancement for only $500 for the evening - and th pictures in there are mesmerizing.

Rolls Royce

So we are off and running. May is very busy for us and we have some really different and unique weddings coming up that I can not wait to share with you. I won’t be posting next week as I am walking in a charity walk for my favorite charity, the Delaware Humane Association. But don’t worry - I will have plenty to share with you in just a few weeks.

Hi everyone - sorry for the late post on this blog - I got a new camera and the pictures are too large. So now that I have re-sized them, here you go…. 

 OK well maybe not Erin (go bragh) but Patricia and Kevin sure had a great time. Some great Irish touches - like the amazing Irish guitarist - Tricia - write in and tell everybody who that was that played at cocktail hour - and like these little favors Tricia made -

Gannon Favors

And then there was the green beer! The linens were great in shades of green with black accents.

The cake was intended to make people chuckle -

Gannon Cake

A lot of you have asked me lately for pics of the lobby set-up as a reception space so here you go -

Gannon Bar

And another shot of more of the lobby -

Gannon Lobby

And with that the 2009 wedding season is off to a great start.

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!

Thea and Mike were married at the Visitors Center at Winterthur this past Saturday night. Thea’s grandmother used to work here and brought the idea of holding their wedding here to couple’s attention. It was very meaningful in that way and special to both Thea and her Grandmother!

The ceremony took place inside the Visitors Center overlooking the Japanese Maple tree that was all lit up. Cocktail hour took place in the lobby and then reception of course in our main room. Thea wanted to incorporate her colors of burgundy and ivory where she could. Table 1, Table 2, Place Cards She used tables runners and other colored linens on her accent tables to bring everything together. Despite the cold, rainy weather outside, the wedding was beautiful and they both seemed incredibly happy!

Hi Everybody - welcome back! I feel that I have not been on and talked to you guys in weeks. Lest you think I have been goofing off please let me share with you what has been happening here and in my life.

The weekend of the 18th we were blessed enough to be able to do one of my favorite events - SHINE. Shine raises money for the Chester County Hospital Cancer Center and it is such a great cause and such a hardworking group of ladies that put on the event.

The last weekend in October was somehow not booked here at Winterthur! I had some of my college roommates fly in and we were off to Princeton New Jersey for a surprise wedding shower. Last weekend I was at a wedding on Saturday night which is always fun and yet hard to relax and not try to pay too much attention to what is happening behind the scenes!

 Tonight we have the great wedding, Emily and Nick. Emily looked pretty nervous when we met earlier this week but she is glowing now and practically skipping around. It is great to see how happy Nick and her are right now and that they have relaxed and are really enjoying their wedding reception. I always try to tell people that when you keep smiling - everyone around you is smiling and it really is true - the guests are so cued in to the bride and the grooms vibe - it is unreal and when it comes together like it has tonight - it is great!

Emily and Nick got a tent this evening on the patio so we had cocktail hour there. Guests moved into the Visitor Center for dinner and (a lot of) dancing. We put up the Asian Lanterns for them and Emily got some great fall flowers. Click on the blue words to see pictures - Pierce Entryway, Pierce Candles, Pierce Tables

We wish Emily and Nick the best of luck and I will be back and blogging next week!

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

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!

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!

Evening everyone. Well we had some rain for our outdoor wedding this evening here at Winterthur. We moved the ceremony inside in the front portion of the Visitor Center. It looked very nice and very intimate for their close family and friends. Ceremony, Arbor

Renee and Matt used a florist I have not worked with before. As guests started to arrive at 5:50pm, they were still setting up the arbor at the front for the bride and groom - ugh! But alas, the bride was a moment or so late so it all worked out.

After the ceremony guests moved further into the VC and to the waiting bar and DJ. They are dancing in the same area this evening.

From there it was into dinner. Look at the centerpieces for the kids table Kids Table -  and the centerpieces on the adult tables are soft and sweet - Centerpieces

Faith West is doing the photos tonight so of course we can not wait to see those. Mathew and Renee decided to share some photos of their ‘Children” on the placecard table Dog Pics - and they made donations to various animal charities, right after my own heart - Charity

Tonight’s dinner was mostly vegetarian, again, I can relate. Dinner this evening was our fantastic heirloom yellow tomato gazpacho with grilled shrimp and Jason made a great vegetarian entree that everyone enjoyed - black bean cakes with grilled pineapple & black rice with a watermelon and jicama slaw - yum!

I wish they could have gotten their wedding outside but once again, when the bride and groom are enjoying themselves this much then everyone else does as well!

Ann and Greg were married here at Winterthur this past Saturday right on our Visitors Center Patio, under a tent. Ann made the decision on Tuesday about getting a tent just in case the weather was bad. A bunch of people have made the tent decision and are overall happy they did. It lets them relax and not have to worry about the weather that for the big day!

Ann and Greg had about 120 people attend the wedding so we decided on the smaller tent. It is a 40×40 tent and was able to accommodate the ceremony nicely and the cocktail hour. Tented Ceremony Since we did not get any rain as we were supposed to, we were able to put cocktail tables outside the tent as well to give more space. I really like the tent option, and I know a lot of people think about it but cannot imagine it, so hopefully some of these pictures will help you out! Tent 1, Tent 2, Tent 3 We also have a larger tent that accommodate about 200 people or more for a ceremony and cocktail hour, and that tent takes up more of the Patio.

Ann and Greg had a really cute idea and she told me she found it right online. She had her ceremony programs on fans for her guests. I liked them a lot! Fan Programs, Fans .

And since we like to show as many pictures of the Visitors Center as we can, take a look at their room set up with a rented dance floor. Visitors Center

 I think Ann and Greg had a wonderful evening and it seemed to be a great night.

Sorry - maybe it is the Jimmy Buffet concert I am going to tomorrow that has me signing in the office.

On a serious note - can we talk abotu the weather? We have had fantstic, low humidity, clear skies for the past 3 weeks. I love it and the only people that might be more happy then Joan and I would be the brides, grooms, and their wedding guests. Winterthur is simply breathtaking right now!

Kelli and Dave were married in a church and then brought their wedding party onto the estate for pictures before the ceremony. Cocktail hour on the patio McCoy Cocktails, McCoy Cocktails 2- then inside for dinner and dancing.

Kelli and Dave really wanted to be able to focus on their guests and opted for stations tonight (must be something with this weekend). McCoy Seating, McCoy Seating 2, McCoy Seating 3 Cocktail seating - no having to make out seating charts for this savvy couple!

Love the ribbon on her cake - McCoy Cake

Kelli and Dave look great on their dance - maybe a few dance lessons!

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!!

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

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!