Lilly Pulitzer Inspired Bridal Shower

I love everything Lilly! I sure wish they had these cute stationary products when I was getting married because I love the Lilly Themed Bridal Shower. Encourage all the guests to wear their favorite Lilly!

When guests arrive they are greeted with a tray of Pomegranate lemonade spiked with a little iced tea vodka and a galvanized bucket full of colorful IZZE sparkling bottles


Table Decor: cute yellow linens from Party Rental Ltd. with glass vases of gerbera daisies.


The Menu -cucumber-avocado soup with cilantro then grilled shrimp and pineapple skewers and a spring mix salad with pear and blue cheese crumbles.
and for dessert - cute cupcakes with pink floral wrappers from Paper Orchid

Family Reunion Fun!

Labor Day is next weekend and many families use this long weekend for a family reunion. Tie in Labor Day and Families for great decorations.

Think simple - Does your family have a crest? Make photo copies, laminate and use that as place mats.
Definitely do name tags and under the name list the next of kin. Make a large family tree, color code the different branches and then use those same colors on the name tags.

Get Conversation Starters from plumparty.com (pic)

How about a little recipe sharing. Encourage a pot luck of sorts for the menu. Aunt Sally's potato salad, Uncle Nicks BBQ marinade, Grandmas deviled eggs, Great Great Aunt Bea's lemon meringe pie, etc. Print out copies of all the recipes and have available for everyone to take.

Here are some more tips from ehow on to have the most successful reunion!

Love Gin

My favorite drink is a gin and tonic with lime - can't get much better - classic and refreshing. My second favorite is a mojito - When I came across this recipe from GQ's top cocktail list I thought it sort of combined both. Very Good!

Romeo and Juliet!

2 oz Gin of your choice - I prefer Bombay!
.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice
.75 oz Simple Syrup
3 drops Rose Water
3 drops Angostura Bitters
3 slices Cucumber, peeled
6 sprigs Mint
Salt

Muddle cucumber and pinch of salt. Slap the mint. Add rest of ingredients. Let sit for 30 seconds (time allowing). Shake. Strain. Garnish with 1 floating mint leaf and 1 drop rose water on top of leaf, and 3-5 more drops of angostura on the surface of the drink.

I know most of you don't keep rose water handy but this is a great summer time drink!

enjoy

Wedding Professional Chats

Business Name: Feastivities Events
Your Name and title: Meryl Snow VP
Phone: 215 475 3338
Website Address: www.feastivitiesevents.com www.offshootsdecor.com www.philadelphiaspicniccompany.com

blog http://feastivitiesevents.blogspot.com
Search Facebook: FEASTIVITIES, OffShoots, Philadelphia's Picnic Company
Twitter: merylsnows

How and why did you start in this business? My husband Andy & I have had extensive experience in the restaurant business. We grew tired of the same routine and looked further into the hospitality industry for a unique way to share our talents together. We decided that catering was underutilized and lacked a certain flair. That was twenty-two years ago and now our company has grown into a full service event planning, catering and decor organization.

Why do couples hire you? They don't hire ME, they hire the company and our team approach. A well orchestrated company that will make their vision a reality.

What is your favorite aspect of your job? Creativity. 'nuff said.

What is the strangest request you have gotten for a wedding? To keep the bride ' s parents away from the wedding ceremony. I was given photos of her parents in case they "crashed" the wedding. I hired secruity for the day . Indeed they showed up, and we had to escort them out. Strange.

Can you offer a piece of advice for couples? Weddings are extremely overwhelming . Often a bride may say, "I didn't see that! " Take a few moments to walk around, really look and obsorb the surroundings. The room, the floral, the food. Listen to the music. Couples spend months visualizing their event, now they need to experience it.

What is your Dream vacation? Rome. There is something there that I haven't experienced in other cities. The culture is laid back yet so exciting.

What is your favorite food item or dish? I have many... Experiencing modern cuisine is always a plus. Deep down it has to be my mother ' s stuffed artichokes with olive oil & seasoned bread crumbs. Simply fabulous!

What can’t you live without? My team. It takes creative forward thinkers to run a successful design, catering, picnic and planning company.

And your favorite quote? "In order to win the race you must run in it." Meryl Snow

Wedding Professional Chats

Douglas Benedict Photography
Douglas Benedict
610.217.6455
www.DouglasBenedict.com
Blog: http://douglasbenedict.blogspot.com/

I discovered wedding photography four years ago while I was working as a staff newspaper photographer. I photographed my first wedding for a friend of a friend and was hooked from the beginning!

Wedding photography offered everything I wanted in photography: beautiful and emotional imagery.

My years as a working journalist serves me well in wedding reportage. I am not interested in posing or forcing a lot of situations. I prefer to get out of the way and let couples have their wedding and photograph what I see in front of me. I love the real.

The best thing about my job - and this I didn't expect - was the wonderful relationships I've developed with my clients over the years. I may start a wedding day knowing very little about my couple. But after spending the entire day with them - one of the most important days of their lives - you can't help but feel close to a couple. I am continually moved by weddings and love to just be able to be a part of them. Today I have close friends that I met because they were clients.

My wedding coverage starts at $4,300 which includes no limitation on time or venues.

You should know that I am the father of two boys and the husband of the best wife in the world. It's funny, but I just know that my own marriage and family life is a big influence on my work. The wedding day is the first step of a long, wonderful path.

My dream vacation has no computers or cell phones. It has a hot sun, my family and usually sand.

What lengths haven't I gone to in order to get the perfect image? I have been in trees, muddy ditches and moving vehicles. I have hung from the tops of buildings, shot from helicopters and church steeples. The best images are always earned!

I could not live without my family, camera or regular exercise.

Favorite quote: "Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again. " Henri Cartier Bresson

I have many favorite places and venues, primarily in New York and Philadelphia. I love the Tribeca Rooftop in NYC as well as the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Union League and Crystal Tea Room.

Philadelphia Brides

Do you know about Philadelphia Magazine Wedding Page?

There is a ton of great info for local Philadelphia area brides.
Announce your wedding, read tips from Wedding Experts, Check out articles on cake and bridal beauty.
Lots of good articles and ideas for your wedding!

Just Say NO to the Tip Jar

I came across this article on phillymag.com and just had to post. I absolutely hate when I see bartenders put tip jars out at a wedding. Guests should NOT have to bring money to a wedding or be expected to tip (or pay) for a drink.

Are Tip Jars Gauche? Event planner Morgan Bedore puts the kibosh on this bartender staple

By Allison Stadd

Question: I’ve seen tip jars out on bars at weddings I’ve attended in the past — but I don’t think that seems appropriate. Would it be okay to tell my caterer I do not want bartenders at our reception to have them? How do they get tipped, otherwise?

Answer: “That would be totally okay,” says Morgan Bedore, events manager at Philadelphia’s Stephen Starr Events. “In fact, for our company’s events, it’s mandatory: There cannot be a tip jar, regardless of whether or not the bride thinks it’s okay.” It sends the wrong message to your guests, she says — and if you think of some of the best restaurants out there, they don’t even have tip jars on their bars. So how do you make sure the bartenders and other servers are taken care of for providing fantastic service at your reception? Talk to your caterer before the event. “What we do is have the client tell us what they think is a suitable gratuity, and we’ll add that onto their proposal — that way, it’s done in advance,” she says. “The standard is around 18 to 20 percent, but ultimately, it’s at the discretion of the client.”

Tips for Surviving a Long Flight

TIPS FOR SURVIVING A LONG FLIGHT TO YOUR HONEYMOON DESTINATION

Secure the Best Seat - Before booking your flight check seatguru.com for the rows with the most legroom.

Ensure Sweet Dreams - Pack cozy accoutrements like an eye mask, fuzzy socks a soft neck pillow. Pack a tooth brush and I love the soothing eye gel from Mary Kay. Also check out flight001.com

Get Tuned In - register for or rent a mini DVD player and noise canceling headphones.
Add some tunes to your Ipod - how about the must play list from your wedding reception.

Look Good - You have a better chance of scoring an upgrade when well-dressed and on time.

And take it from me - If you have an early flight set multiple alarm clocks so you wake up on time. Maybe even have a relative call to wake you. We left Monday am for our honeymoon to Hawaii- we inadvertently ignored the alarm and awoke to our driver ringing our doorbell over and over again. Its not a good idea to rush to the airport in any case and definitely not on the way to your honeymoon.


adapted from Modern Bride

Wedding Invitation Wording

There is a lot to think about when picking out your wedding invitations then organizing all the inserts and writing the wording. To get you started here are a few quick tips to keep in mind:


Formal invite when given by bride's parents reads:
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Stuart Evans
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Katherine Leigh
to
Mr. Brian Charles Jamison
Saturday, the twelfth of June
two thousand and nine
at half after four o'clock
Village Lutheran Church
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

-the invitation to a wedding ceremony in a house of worship uses the traditional 'u' spelling in houour and favour.
-no punctuation is used except after abbreviations such as Mr.
-half hours are written our as 'half after four o'clock' not half past four.

A less formal invitation reads:
Sharon and Elliot Karp
would be honoured
to have you share in the joy
of the marriage of their daughter
etc

-When saying or writing a couples name the woman's name should go first.
Sharon and Elliot Karp NOT Elliot and Sharon Karp.

This also goes for introductions - the lady always goes first.

any other questions? let me know and I will post the responses.

Sprinkles in Philly

I really want this Sprinkles Cupcake Bakery (located in Beverly Hills) to come to this area. They are fresh and super cute. Cupcakes are $3.25 each and come in a ton of yummy to die for flavors - I want to try the strawberry or ginger lemon!

They are now introducing the Sprinkle mobile. How great would this be to pull up at your wedding reception and serve some cupcakes from the van. Or order them as a favor and they come wrapped in this cute box (but they only courier to the local markets so we are out of luck here on the east coast):


Click here to vote on Philadelphia to be the next location!!
Become a fan on facebook and you could win a trip to see the bakery.

I am going to have to pull out my Martha Stewart Cupcake cookbook and make some cupcakes this week!

Wedding Professional Chats

Business Name: Bigg Romeo LLC
Names: Franco Sicilia Jr. - Band Leader
Phone: 215-639-1422
Website Address: www.biggromeo.com
anything else you want listed ie: blog.biggromeo.com

How and why did you want to be in a wedding band? We never wanted to be in a wedding band. We were begged 12 years ago by a VP at Comcast to play his wedding. After much debate we did it. We did what we did at the night clubs and it was a major hit. We fell in love with the rush and have been doing it every since.

How many years have you been doing this? We'll be celebrating 14 years in
the the fall of 2009

How would you describe your style? High Energy Modern Dance Band

What is your favorite aspect of your job? I love working with brides on the little details. I like being able to make a difference on their special day.

What is the starting price for a wedding? It varies with travel. We've played from Virginia Beach to Connecticut. We are very competitive price wise.

Anything else we should know about you? We've won "Best Of Philly" from Philadelphia Magazine. We've appeared over 15 times on VH-1. We've had 3 vocalists and centerpeices of the band together since day one of the band.

What is your Dream vacation? I would love to take pictures all over Italy.

What is your favorite song to do at a wedding? I love hearing Sandy sing "At Last" by Etta James. I usually call it at the end of the night and it gives me chills even 12 years later.

What can’t you live without? Laughter

And your favorite quote? “If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.”
- Winnie the Pooh

The Story of the Wedding Cake

The Wedding Cake has to be one of the most traditional and symbolic parts of a wedding, besides the wedding gown of course. Couples think a lot about the design of the cake and the yummy insides. Some people used to think guests don't eat cake- well I haven't been at a wedding where the cake wasn't delish and the guests either ate it up or took some home.

But where did the idea of a wedding cake come from:

During the days of the Roman Empire, wedding cakes were actually small loaves of bread made of wheat, a symbol of fertility and abundance. The groom would eat a piece of the cake and then break the rest over the bride’s head, thereby showering her with fruitfulness. Guests would then scramble for the crumbs on the floor and eat them, in case the good luck could spread.

So it doesn't matter if you do a traditional cake, towers of cupcakes or an assortment of pies. They symbolic part is eating with your new husband or wife and then sharing it with your guests.

classiccreationsphotography.com, marthastewart.com,

Beautiful Bridesmaids Gifts

Look at this beautiful necklace from Jcrew - its a locket so enclose a pic of you
and your BM for a more personal touch!



Very Cute monogrammed mirror
from Anthropologie comes with the cute little bag!
Everyone needs beautiful stationary - how about this from Carlson Craft.



Beautiful monogrammed ring - get one for yourself with your new monogram! Available at Swoozies (which I am becoming addicted to)



And have you seen Vera Bradley's new line - Check out SWAK - perfect for your BM to carry on the wedding day with a compact, lipstick and blotting papers. Bows are so in this year!


What are you buying your bridesmaids?