Good morning everyone. I love Winter at Winterthur -the snow covered grounds would be the perfect back drop for wedding pictures right now!
I am going to write today about the passes that guests are able to partake of at Winterthur during the wedding weekend (thank you to one of our fabulous mothers of the bride for the idea!).
First there are two separate things between the Associate Level Membership and the passes that come with that and then the wedding passes for guests the weekend of. Passes are available to all of your guests the day before, of, and after the wedding (assuming our business hours). Guests do not need to show anything - they simply let the staff at the front desk know which wedding they are attending for the weekend and they will be given a wrist band which allows for the following: Tram Tours (weather permitting), Garden Access, Gallery Access, Intro Film Access, and access to the bookstore, gift shop, and restaurant.
I think we get asked before every wedding for the best way to let guests know about this exciting opportunity. I love adding it to your wedding website if you have one. That is such a great way to share all of the information with everybody quickly and it is environmentally friendly as well as it reduces the need for more paper and brochures.
Should you not be doing a wedding website, there is another idea that I have stolen from one of our couples a few years back. Request brochures from Winterthur through me about a week prior to the wedding. Get yourself some large mailing labels and add the following lines”See the estate where we are to be married. Winterthur offers free pass no the following dates —— for our guests. Simply mention our wedding —– and you are in!”. You can then take the brochures and put them in the welcome baskets at the hotel.
What about the guests not staying in the hotel? Truthfully - most of the guests around town are not going to partake - they may be busy working or doing things around their home. Word of mouth is always great and making an announcement at the rehearsal dinner works as well.
Associate Level Members will also receive guests passes that may be used year round as friends and family come into town - a great perk with membership.
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!
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!
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!!
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!
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.
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!
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!!
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!
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
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.
Hi Everyone. Great to know everyone is reading the blog.
So this was our busiest weekend so far this year- a rehearsal dinner on Friday, Wedding on Saturday, and Point to Point on Sunday. And the weather was our friend which is always great.
We had a beautiful rehearsal dinner on Friday. The event was held in the Visitor Center and we used only the front portion. During cocktail hour, guests were able to spread outside as all of the glass doors were open along the front. As the sun went down there was a great breeze and the guests asked us to keep the doors open. It was such a beautiful event with live plants and orange crush clothes and the perfect day as a backdrop.
Saturday we kicked off with our first wedding at the pool this season. Again - great weather. The pool is blooming early thanks to the warm and dry April and guests were in awe.
Sunday Rachel and I were all over the Point to Point field with multiple hospitality tents, carts, and picnic baskets for our antique car group and the antique carriage parade members. Great weather really makes our lives easier - though Rachel is a little sunburned (and she was under the tents!).
This week does not stop. I am off and running now to a corporate event and we have one every night this week. Wedding this coming Saturday and Mother’s Day on Sunday. Sorry if you are waiting on emails from Rachel and I - we are trying to keep up. More pics next weekend when we can breathe. Talk to you all then!
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
Not only do we have amazing weddings at Winterthur we also have great showers here! Showers can take the form of an afternoon tea, early brunch or a luncheon. Showers are held in a private section of the Visitor Center during business hours with no room rental required. We have held many baby showers for past brides and a lot of bridal showers for brides to be that have found Winterthur already booked on their wedding date. We just had one on March 15th - check out some of the pictures below. This was an afternoon tea with an extended menu for lunch.
Bridal Shower, Luncheon, Flowers, Tea Sandwiches, Individual Salads, Cake
Both Rachel and I may answer questions that you might have. For more information please feel free to email us.
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?
