Bedford Village Inn Winter Destination Wedding

 

Today I got to do two of my favorite things, shopping and.....shopping. For wedding dresses no less. Most of my brides don't get dresses. They get gowns. Over the top affairs call for them. The bride is the center of attention and should be dressed accordingly. My bride is throwing a lavish destination wedding in the middle of January. I can hear the soft jingle of the horses as they make their way through the snow with my bride in sparkling white and my groom in a tuxedo and mittens. We have chosen the Bedford Village Inn as our choice to entertain her guests and to celebrate the wedding.

It is quintessential New England, charming in it's architecture, lovely in its appointments. We have had many discussions regarding the wedding although it is still a year away. But we do have to remember that this is a destination. Meaning everyone including the west coast bride and groom are flying in for this event. So needless to say there are a lot of details that need to be taken care of.

Today it was about dresses and the look and color way of the wedding. All went well as we chattered away over lunch. So many details to take care of and now we have decided that we will move forward with a rehearsal dinner on site as well. I was lucky that the vast majority of my appointments today were on Newbury Street. I even had time to pop in on my favorite Back Bay Blonde, Lauren Killian, from Person + Killian Photography. She has been hired for this event and I can hardly wait to work with her on this frozen inspired engagement shoot and of course the wedding.

It is no wonder why we start working on weddings sometimes two years before the event, man there is a lot to do. Hey there is still time to dream a little bit. I think that I will take a moment to do just that. To picture what my bride might look like as she triesvon on the most amazing collection of gowns. I know that within,  her gown is there. Just which one? Will she wear the long elbow gloves that I suggested. Of course you won't know until I publish pictures from the event in some time from now.

You can tell that I am thinking that a winter bride needs to steal the show. I want her to have a gorgeous silhouette to her gown along with enough embellishment to wow, but not so much that she ends up looking like a Russian Princess. (Think Dr. Zivago)

We will find a way to work in all of the winter classics that one would expect from this sort of wedding. West Coast is going to represent of course. We have planned to have a regional selection of wines and cheeses from the west coast so guests can experience a bit if where the bride and groom are coming from.

There will be more of course, for now the look and my nervous anticipation as to my bride and her gown.

I just want to hum, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

 

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

Lucky Girl

 

I adore the movie "Pretty in Pink", who doesn't right ? When I started working with my very special client, Lucky Girl on celebrating her high school graduation, I knew that this would be a perfect opportunity to throw a party, that was fresh, flirty and elegant just like Lucky....filled with lots of pink accents.

The family has an amazing home for entertaining with terraces, verandas and sprawling lawns. My favorite, the pool house, with it's own kitchen and media room was the perfect VIP access only area of the party. What happens in the pool house stays in the pool house right? The grounds of this grand estate are filled with gorgeous roses and peonies all planted in pink in honor of this fabulous party and it's incredibly gracious young hostess. I love mounds of English garden roses and in shades of peony they provided the perfect pop of color through out the party. The perfect pink accessory to the party was of course Lucky in her short pale pink party dress which had such an elegant overlay of the finest lace.

I love any and every opportunity to hire and work with the very best in the industry. On this party, I knew that I just had to work with my very favorite catering team at Russell Morin. There have been too many, countless times that we have worked together to throw the very best in parties here on the south coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

They, as always, were perfect in the planning process helping me and my client to come up with just the right choices for their guests. From the pink hued bar glasses to the staffs friendly faces, the got it so right, perfect in fact.  I just have to say that my favorite was the cake, that the baker at Morin's created for us. Tipsy, topsy, and filled with fun patterns, it was a perfect accompaniment to the Coldstone Creamery ice cream station that was the absolute hit of the night.

 

It was so fun to have planned such an incredible party for this amazing family and their daughter, who I am happy and proud to say is one of my very good friends. The details could not compare to the fun that was had by all. I can hardly wait for the next celebration........where will lucky take CMP next? 

 To see all of the photography from this event please visit my facebook page by clicking here.

An Evening in Provence

The Bay Club at Mattapoisett was the setting for this lovely summer dinner party. To the sounds of 1920's French bistro music we laid out tables with linen and burlap overlays and adorned the tables with wreaths of herbs and summer field flowers. The spicy scent of rosemary, mint and of course lavender filled the air. The flowers were loosely arranged in assorted rustic pottery as if we were going into the gardens and cupboards of a fabulous country house to decorate the dinner table.
It was important that the flowers be lit in a way that would conjure up imagery of the sun setting. It was used to light the pools fountains and landscaping that surrounds the pool. The effect was magical, as if the sun took all evening to set.

The club's executive chef created a menu pairing French country wines with simple but elegant fare, topped by a special dessert of pear tartlet with lavender ice cream.