Kara and Adam | Captain Heman Smith House Weddings | Plum and Marine wedding colorway

I keep saying to myself that I am not going to publish my work without some sort of story to it. It is hard, but here I am taking a break in my busy creative day to launch this cute little couples design rendering for their wedding. The bride, who I know through her family (did her sister's wedding in a big storm a few years ago), told me that I did not have to take the time to do my traditional sketch for her wedding. It does help me and my staff execute and produce the designs that I have so carefully planned with my brides. My bride was pretty clear that she wanted an elegant wedding, on the shore, in a tent. While there is a lot of water here on the cape, there are few venues on the water with tented weddings. She was actually the one that came to me after finding the most amazing spot for her wedding at the Captain Heman Smith House in Eastham, Massachusetts. The site sits right on the water and has an amazing expanse of lawn which extends from the back of a historic Captain's house. I love the widows walk and can imagine the late Captain Heman Smith's wife nervously watching the sea to see if her husband would make it back......dangerous business out there on the water in those days, hence the widow in the widow's walk.

Taking hints from the sea I have worked with Kara and her groom adam to come up with both a seasonal and marine look using shades of the ocean and pops of bright white, purple and orange flowers. Of course there has to be Hydrangea being on the cape and all. I will fill in the low floral designs for the table top with David Austin Roses, Stock, Lisianthus, Dahlias and many other seasonally appropriate flowers. The flowers are just the beginging to the beautful details that will be laid out under a huge white tent. Tables dressed in crisp white cotton will have white glass chargers at all of the place settings along with a strie of blue napkins. Of course the tables will be fully set for this elegant buffet reception. I can't stand just a napkin on the table.

With the tables all set, we will be ready to turn it over to the very talented hands of my good friend and partner Russ Morin of Morin's fine catering. I am always flattered that he, himself shows up and works right beside, getting the catering job done, in style of course. The menu will be divine. Adam, the groom works within the food service business and he has used his leverage to procure amazing steaks and seafood for his wedding. With Russ and his talented staff on the scene, I am not worried at all about the catering details and I can hardly wait for the smell of yummy grilled steaks to fill the air.

This wedding is tomorrow and the weekend looks like it is going to be the quintessential New England fall day. Perfect day to gussy up a bit and to celebrate and Oh Boy these guests will do just that. Congratulations Kara and Adam. We are going to have an awesome day tomorrow!!! My best and Love, CMP

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.

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.