Ashley and Mike | Fall wedding at The Chatham Bars Inn | Sherbert and Sky Colorway

 

There is an art to planning a wedding. We want to make sure that we review and design every detail. They must coordinate, have a conversation with one another. But not match. That is just too easy. I remember one of the first weddings that I ever went to. There were tons and tons of flowers, however, each arrangement that I saw as a guest was exactly the same as the one that I just saw. Bouquets, the church, cocktails and the reception. All just the same. Boring.

Each element of the wedding day should allow expression of the bride, groom and their families. It is this understanding that allows to work with our clients, often over the course of years to plan some of the most extraordinary events both here on the east coast but often in far away places such as Las Vegas, Washington D. C. or even as most recent Bermuda.

It is so important the details not only reflect the bride and her family but look appropriate to the setting that they are in. Big city flashy looks odd along the sand dunes of The Chatham Bars Inn and vice versa. I never get sick of that hotel, how could you. (high voice) FAAAAAbulous!!

I am lucky again to be working with Ashley and her family to plan her fall wedding. Most brides want to be married on the great south lawn of the property. But at this time of the year the leaves start to turn and the cool of the season sets in. So, we decided to create an intimate setting within a separate building on the property's sprawling grounds. The bride, who I (high voice) AAAAdore!! and I have chosen a soft white, cream, green and soft apricot color way for the ceremony decor. From there, deep greens and rich apricots will look (high voice) AMMMMaaazing in the South Lounge of the resort's main building.

For dinner, we take it to the next level with soft linens in shades of Ocean Steel. The linens and decorative elements to the dinner tables will provide a neutral and sophisticated palete to the exhuberent displays of seasonal flowers highlighting luxurious orchids as a final touch.

Each time I meet with Ashley, her groom Mike and their family. We have a blast. Ashley's mom and I share a special bond since we, together first shared a glimpse of Ashley's amazing, couture wedding day look. I know there will be tears on the wedding day, they are brimming already as I write this story. I think Ashley's dad looks at me like I am Frunk from " Father of the bride". I can also tell he knows that he, his daughter and their guests are in very good hands with me. I always enjoy seeing them all.

We are kicking butt and taking names in the planning process. AND my bride passed the bar, YEAH!!!! We are set to check off the rest. I will keep you filled in, you know I will.

Congratulations Ashley and Mike.

 

Ashley and Mike | Chatham Bars Inn Fall Weddings

Shhhh, want to know a secret? While many people think that the height of Summer is the perfect time to visit Cape Cod, Fall is actually known for better weather, quieter streets and the serene charm that the Cape is renowned for. When I started to work with the Evirs family, I knew that their request for a Fall wedding on the cape would be perfect. While we talked about hosting the wedding at many places, we ultimately decided to host the wedding at The Chatham Bars Inn. I have worked there many, many times. Each time, the couture weddings that I have planned with my brides have gone off without a hitch. There are so many lovely vistas, settings and backdrop to host not only an event,  but and affair.

I am actually starting to get goosebumps in a good way. The dreary days of winter are here. I can't wait for the warm sunny days that lay ahead. Between now and then, Ashley, my bride, her groom, her mother and my self have a lot of work to do on the details to the wedding. With wedding planning and design, my process is always the same. There are times when I work on all of the details, there are other times when I work on just one aspect of a wedding. For each of the elements and services that I offer, I work with the bride and the family to discuss color and fashion details. There are times when brides come in with lots of pictures and ideas and there are other times that a bride really needs my help to pull in all of her inspiration and turn it into a cohesive, exuberant design.

I have loved the times thus far that I have gotten together with Ashley, my bride and her family. Each time, I find out a little bit more, which makes my job easier. I had the very special pleasure of being asked to accompany the bride and her mother to try on dresses. Of course, the dress sets the tone. We set off to the tres elegant L'Elite Bridal Salon on Newbury Street in Boston. I could tell that the bride and her mother were nervous. I quickly set a charming tone and relaxed my bride and her mother by selecting gowns that were perfect choices for Ashley. The dress that I have drawn above is not Ashley's dress. She did not want me to reveal the details to her stunning Monique L'Hullier gown and accessories. Instead I chose to design a gown that would look great on my bride. Let me tell you this, she stole my heart at the moment she stepped out of the dressing room. Her mother welled up, I welled up. It was a regular puddlefest. Bridal Perfection.

From that point, I knew that putting together the details to her wedding just be a matter of pulling more information out of my bride. We sat down this past Friday to discuss putting together the pieces to a wedding. Through that process, we purused dresses and color ideas for the bridesmaids. While we did not make a final desicison, we ruled out using navy as a choice for the bridesmaids. Instead my bride left with some direction to bright, rich color, from a sophisticated fall pallete for her gals.

You can see from the sketch above that we have pulled together an amazing collection of fall color.....in an unexpected way. I especially love the use of pale ocean blue linens. I think the main ballroom and it's richly upholstered dining chairs will look great with this choice.

 

Amy and Gregg | Chatham Bars Inn Weddings | Photography By Bryce Vickmark

It is virtually impossible to do everything at every wedding. I always have my camera with me to capture the weddings that I have planned and designed and I often publish my own photography to my own style blog. When throwing a five star wedding I know that you need to a team of professionals around you to make the day possible. To make memories possible, a top notch wedding photographer is certainly a must at a chad michael peters wedding. In the course of working with Amy and Gregg, my dashing bride and groom who flew in from Texas to be married at the incredible Chatham Bar's Inn, we reviewed lots of photographers that I was happy to reccomend. The work that jumped out at them was indeed the work of Bryce Vickmark.

Bryce and I have worked together on other events. Each time I am impressed with his tireless running and running to capture every last detail, emotion of nuance of light. His work is amazing and I am happy to have worked with him. I just got these images from Bryce's blog and had to share them with you. Each one of these incredible wedding photo Congratulations Amy and Gregg!!

Karen and David | Cape Cod Destination Weddings at The Chatham Bars Inn | Tuesday Wedding

Karen and Dave are in love, there is no doubt about that. When they decided to run away and be married, they decided to fulfill a dream and headed to the Cape from their Midwestern homes. The perfect choice to celebrate their destination wedding for two was The Chatham Bars Inn. I am lucky that I get to work there so much. It seems my love of the sea, elegant settings and impeccable service go hand it hand with this grand old dame of the Cape. I have to say that I have never done a wedding for just two people. It was like my own private editorial shoot, Karen and Dave letting me lead the way through their incredible day, a Tuesday no less. Every time I told someone I was working on a wedding on Tuesday they would say "A Tuesday Wedding?", yes a Tuesday wedding.

I got down to Chatham a little early and had a chance to sit in the main dining room of the hotel and eat a little breakfast from their incredible breakfast buffet. I always have the same thing, fruit and bacon, coffee and juice. The view quickly relaxed me and got me excited to be with my bride and the groom. I headed over to their SPA Suite at The Inn a little early, because I was going to do the bride's make-up. Me? Are you kidding? Girl, I have been playing with make-up since I was a little boy. I love how colors and shading bring a face to youthful life. I think of it as painting, just different paints and brushes.  I rarely if ever do make-up for my clients, but I do love that she trusted me to create a fresh and flirty natural look. As a wedding planner and designer I see all aspects of a wedding as fashion. I have my hand in everything and over the years I have learned either to do it myself or hire the very best.

She gasped when I first walked into the room with the simple flowers that we had planned in our phone consultations. Her bouquet was a lush mix of seasonal flowers done in an unexpected and bold color way. The tiny asters with their yellow center were happy addition to the bouquet. They seemed to be smiling all day, just like the bride. It was a great honor to be with them during their intimate catholic ceremony, just the two of them with two ladies from the church serving as witnesses. I sat with these ladies and they knew the bride and groom as much as I did, yet we all cried as the groom choked up during his vows. This was a wedding after all, the love and romance was in the air.

Following the ceremony, I got to take the bride and groom around the grounds of The Chatham Bars Inn for their wedding photography. It was like we had the place to ourselves and they trusted me and let go, just being in love, letting me capture them against stunning backdrop after stunning backdrop. They roared with laughter as did I when I had them scoot into the huge chair on the second floor of the hotel. It brings to mind Lily Tomlin and I love it!! After our photoshoot, I led them to the grand porch and arranged to have champagne brought to them. Meanwhile, I headed over to their SPA Suite where they would enjoy an in room dinner, couples massages and enjoying each other as newly married husband and wife. I rearranged the furniture and of course brought in flowers, candles and petals to dress up the lovely table that the hotel had set in front of the fireplace.

I got back to my bride and groom as they sipped on champagne and had some snacks. I knew that it was time for me to go, I was sad in a way, because we so clicked and laughed the whole day. But in the end, so happy for them. Congratulations Karen and Dave !!! Many thanks to my friends at The Chatham Bars Inn, you make my job easy.

 

Kirby and Mike | Chatham Bars Inn Weddings | Pale and Sophisticated Spring Pallette

Sometimes it takes longer than I want it to to get "the sketch" done. They are done by hand and take me many hours, literally at the drawing board. I am happy to show off the design for my dear Kirby's wedding that will be held in May of 2011 at The Chatham Bars Inn. I was just there Saturday night for a wedding. Knowing that Kirby's is up on the docket has me very excited.  I love her checking her lipstick in the mirror of her groom's Harley Davidson. So cool.

Amy & Gregg | Chatham Bars Inn Weddings | Plum and Platinum

Wedding Planning and Design : Chad Michael Peters

Photography seen here : Chad Michael Peters

Official Photographer : Bryce Vickmark, work will be showcased in seperate CMP style blog story

Venue: The Chatham Bars Inn

Hair and Make-Up : Jacki Norri, Wedding Tresses

Floral : Chad Michael Peters

Stationery and Print Material : Praez Occasions

Linens and Decorative Rentals : Chad Michael Peters

Entertainment: The Manhattan Touch

Chatham Bars Inn Weddings | Laura and Bob | The Tasting

What a whirlwind of a weekend, every minute marked by the best weather of the year yet. Today I met up with Lauren from Person and Killian Photography for a fun filled day of wedding activities with my bride, her mom and charming fiance. Lauren took the couple out for their engagement photography. She had an incredible day at the Cape's very best five star hotel, The Chatham Bars Inn. I sent Lauren and my bride and groom out to have fun while I worked with the staff of the hotel to give our client an experience in the process of planning her wedding, that she would never forget.

First, I felt ultra special to have the entire grand ballroom of the hotel and a special table (the same exact table where my husband and I celebrate our anniversary every year) as a private getaway tasting lunch at this my favorite of all hotels in the world. How can you not fall in love with the charming and devoted staff and the timeless elegance and class of this tony hotel and resort? The table and presentation sideboard laid with an eclectic and controlled mix of glass, crystal and antique silver trays was the perfect backdrop to the THREE tasting cakes that the pastry chef of the hotel specially prepared for the day. My bride wants to skip the cake, but I beg, please, please the raspberry cake is DIVINE. Bobby and I hold a majority now, and I think I might just be able to sway my lovely lunch date, the boss and mother of the bride. Of course, we must serve the highlight of my lunch the lemon doughnuts with sage sugar and blue berry  coulis. Every morsel, every presentation, every sip of wine was thoughtful and perfectly presented and prepared. Even I am totally and completely impressed. Chatham Bars Inn job well done!!

We ended our tasting and Bob and I escorted our dates across the beach and to the south lawn of the property and discussed many other details for the wedding. Champagne glasses in hand and a warm glow of the day capped off for me, a new level in five star wedding planning. 

A very special thank you to my friend Lauren Killian of Person and Killian Photography for capturing these elegant details. I love keeping my camera in it's case and anxiously awaiting to see your glorious perspective. Of course you never disappoint and continue to amaze and inspire me with your photography. To Rentals Unlimited for their continued commitment to my work and their undying support in the course of this journey that I am on. To my husband for getting up a four this morning to get me the exact flowers I wanted, to my friend and personal assistant for the day, Missy who was delighted with the bride's invitation to share in the day as an official cake and champagne taster. She deserved it after getting her hustle on all day long.

I look forward to working toward an absolute perfect day for my bride and her family.

 

Wedding Web Sites

Of course I am crazy about the digital world. What better way to show off your engagement photos than with your own wedding web site. My brides of course get custom. Here you see the look of the wedding web site that I am working on for my bride and groom, Amy and Gregg. Their wedding is going to be held at the historic Chatham Bars Inn so I think that the shades of grey and platinum will look amazing. It reminds me of the incredible strie of neutral and natural color that can be found along the shores of my beloved Cape Cod.

When I publish the finished work next week, I will be sure to let you know. Many thanks to Perez Photography for their amazing capture of this stunning couple. The images are so rich, filled with color and inspirational to me as I work on this digital project.

 

 

CMP at The Chatham Bars Inn, Photography by Julia Cumes

 

I have been receiving praise over the wedding that I threw this past Saturday at The Chatham Bar's Inn. We had all the elements of an incredible day and I am so happy that Julia Cumeswas there to capture the day for the bride and groom. Her photography of one of my favorite places in New England has me feeling giddy. Thank you Amy and Andrew for having us with you on this most incredible day and many thanks to you Julia for your amazing eye.

 

 

Fall Couture Floral at The Chatham Bars Inn

 

It has been such an amazing experience working with my bride Amy on her fall wedding at The Chatham Bar's Inn. We have both worked very hard to have our mutual  visions come to life. Today we did the demo for her floral details. It is such an amazing experience to see my sketch and all the gorgeous flowers that we have talked about for months, come to life. The flowers in this colorway are so seasonal, fresh and bold and not at all cliche for her October wedding. For me it is so important that every detail be finished to perfection, this is the difference between off the rack and couture. I put this crazy attention to detail in everything that I do....right down to the candles. I adore the fresh flower button detail on the olive velvet ribbon.

I was also so completely shocked to see the finished invitations. Amy had asked me to do a sketch of a rosette so it could be used in the print material. I think that it looks so nice and I can hardly wait to get the finished envelopes back from the calligrapher. Even the stamps are custom.....so to die for.

I learned today that one of my absolute favorites, men in uniform will make their way into Amy's wedding. Marrying a Navy man is often marked with a walk through raised swords and a pat on the behind to welcome a new bride into the Navy tradition. I can hardly wait to see this gorgeous bride her handsome groom decked in military finery against the stunning backdrop of  The Chatham Bar's Inn. Amy your moms tears said it all, we are in for a stunner of a wedding.

 

 

 

Elegant Oceanside

Working at the Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham, Massachusetts is a treat for any wedding planner or designer. This amazing Cape Cod hotel dates back to 1914 and remains a beacon of historic luxury on Cape Cod. It is the quintessential location of choice for a seaside destination wedding.

To work there with a family as nice as the Krants was simply a dream come true. I started the design process with Kelley, the bride, and we had such a good time adjusting our theme and design as the day of the wedding neared. You can see in my original sketch that most of the colors and styles of arrangements and decor were laid out almost a year before the wedding. Kelley had a hand in most of the selections, and Kelley and I, and her mom had numerous conversations to come up with just the right details for all of the guests to enjoy. We decided on vendors together and it was my job to manage them on the big day. While every vendor stepped up to the plate with their A game, our photographers, Person and Killian Photography, simply knocked it out the park.

Both the bride and the groom work on Wall Street, so the weeks leading up to their wedding, with the market melting down, and a wedding coming up, it was no surprise that there was stress. My job is to manage that stress and I had it under control and I just knew that this would be a wedding that would leave the guests talking. Every petal and detail were in place by the time that I saw Kelley for the first time. She was an amazing beauty in her stunning dress trimmed in lace. I stood with tears in my eyes as I gave her the most lush and rich fall bouquet. As she started to walk down the aisle on the arm of her dapper father, I held my breath as the train of her dress flowed over the many candles that lined the aisle, and finally heaved a sigh of relief when she took the hand of her handsome waiting groom.

 

Chatham Bars Inn Weddings, Plum and Chartreuse

 

I am having a great time working with Amy and her family on her fall wedding at the fabulous Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod. Here you see my original rendering for her event. We spoke this morning on the phone and have decided to make a few adjustments to color and style so that it is just perfect for the bride and her guests. That is the design process, after all. I will be sure to post the new rendering just as soon as I hit the sketchpad. I can hardly wait for the wedding. My mouth is watering for the lobster salad served on a brioche roll. Yummy!

 

 

Fall Floral Wedding Invitation

I am having a great time working with Amy and her family on their fall wedding at the Chatham Bars Inn. The elegant seaside setting is just amazing and the wedding plans are progressing in rich autumn colors.

We are working toward finalizing the print material and I just love the use of a modern floral motif in antique gold ink on the ivory cards. There will be a lovely and modern aubergine, grosgrain ribbon trim on the enclosure.

The envelope that the gorgeous announcement will come in will have the same floral motif and will be sent with custom stamps. The piece de resistance will be the hand done calligraphy in a flowy, flirty style. I can hardly wait to see them all printed up and ready to go to.