Tess and Erik | Bermuda Beachside Ceremony

You know, in a way I am happy that it sometimes takes months after a wedding to get the albulm all set up and ready to print. The hardest part is putting together the best images, telling the story and EDITING. Impossible to to when you have an amazing destination wedding on your hands. That is what we had for the wedding of Tess and Erik. This wedding happened last spring on the beautiful Island of Bermuda. Have you been there? If not, I highly suggest it. The first time that I stepped off of the plane on that bit of English heaven in the atlantic, I knew that I would be inspired. It is not tropical, but has tropical elements. It is not English, but it has English elements. I adore it!!

New Year's Eve Wedding at The Four Seasons Boston

OMG here we go again......I am thrilled beyond belief to be working again with the nicest family on the east coast, The Hearn Family. Sarah, one of their two stunning daughters has chosen to be married this New Year's at The oh so swank Four Seasons in Boston. The hotel holds a fond place in my heart as my Kevin and I spent many get away nights there when we first dating and I still had the expense account of a banker. Those days are gone but the romance is still there none the less.

New Year's eve has so many magical details to it anyway, what better night to go over the top, to have guests dressed to the nines to sip champagne and to bask in the romantic glow of a beautiful Grace Kelley bride and her oh so handsome groom.  I have planned the floral and decor details to the wedding to be soft and chic, per the bride. I will be using phaleonopsis orchids, gardenia, branches with crystal and candles and lots and lots of candles. This will all be set on a gorgeous dupioni silk pin tucked table cloth. Our transport shuttles will be providing guests transportation from the hotel to the Church in Wellesley and I get to personally photograph the event......too exciting.

Of course, New Year's day will bring a story and many amazing photos for us to share. I can hardly wait.

 

 

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.

 

 

Strawberry Fall Blush

I am excited to be working with the Hearn family on their daughter Laura's fall wedding to be held at Boston's Marriott Copley Plaza Hotel. Laura right off the bat reminded me of Anne of Green Gables with her strawberry blond hair and radiant old world beauty. She has chosen to wear an incredible lace embroidered gown in ivory and will be surrounded by pale flowers in shades of ivory and chartreuse with just a touch of pale apricot. I am excited to be working in a multi style capacity on this wedding, from the wedding florist, I will quickly change hats and cover the wedding with my photo journalistic style and floral inspired perspective. I am sure the joy that has been felt in the Hean Household will show through on the wedding day. I can hardly wait to get her flowers under way.

After the last dance is danced we will get under way with the planning for yes, another Hearn daughter who has chosen to be married on New Year's Eve at the oh so elegant Four Season's Hotel. Stay tuned for her evening in Paris inspired wedding. 

Delft Details

 

 

There was no doubt in my mind that Alyssa knew just what she wanted for her wedding. She is one of those confident beauties that can pull off a pale butter yellow, vintage inspired gown with style and grace. My team and I were hired to take care of the flowers and the decor and I personally photographed the event.

 

From the moment that I came into the house with flowers and my cameras in tow, I knew that we were in for a stunner. All day long the beautiful details just kept coming and coming and I just kept shooting and shooting. For me the best moment of the night came when the groom performed for his new wife, his "Suite Alyssa". There was not a dry eye in the house as this true romantic sang his heart out for the love of his life and his gathered guests.

 

Chartreuse

 

The groom, who is a marine mechanic by trade, made the most stunning of wedding cakes. The stage was set with a bold spring color scheme of chartreuse, white and touches of chocolate brown. He and his new bride, wearing a stunning silk gown with a nude color sash and train, made their way into their reception with a signature ballroom dance that was the delight of their guests.

Mounds of white peonies, hydrangea and green viburnum sat on tables set with neutral linen cloths, and bleached ballroom chairs. Graceful orchids in chartreuse were scattered among the glittering votives. Gifts for the guests sat wrapped in chartreuse and brown on silver rimmed china. Beautiful details came together in what was described by the bride as a fairy tale 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.

 

Farm to Table Photography

 

 It is so wonderful to show up at an event having no responsibility for any of the planning, set up, serving or cleaning. I had the great opportunity to be the photographer at the second annual Farm to Table Dinner held last night at the famed Great Hill Farm in Marion, Massachusetts. The event, is geared toward the promotion of local farmers and bringing food from the local farm to the table in an elegant and stylish way. Kudos to How on Earth in Mattapoisett for their fundraising efforts for SEMAP.

 

 

 

Disco Divas Destination Wedding

 

Planning a destination wedding is a dream come true. To do it again in Provincetown, Massachusetts was just thrilling. I knew that it would be beautiful. I just wondered what might pop up in this artsy, east- coast gay community. When Dottie, Julie and I started planning this wedding, we knew that the disco chic vibe would be perfect at the famed Crown and Anchor Resort.

We all felt strongly that if we were going to show off P-Town, we were going to do it in a way that have never been done before.

The weekend started for the guests on Thursday with a welcoming dinner at a local restaurant. From there, Friday night's rehearsal dinner showed off the best of the area, the local seafood, with a lobster bake for family and friends.

Saturday night was the night that all the stops were pulled out.

This was all about two ladies and a celebration of love, happiness, family and fun, all with a disco vibe. We had started working a year ago to make sure that the disco vibe, was still pretty. I am excited to see my original sketch of the two gals and to see it against the finished work of their wedding. I could see it in my head all along, drop dead gorgeous, disco fabu.

The brides chose the Crown and Anchor to host their ceremony and reception. Famed for their drag performances, this club brings world class to campy entertainment. Of course, we could not have a wedding there with out surprising the bride's guests. Cher (Thirsty Burlington) stole the show in  her stunning Mackie inspired gown and showstopper performance of Sonny and Cher's "I got you babe". She was amazingly gracious as Cher and really brought that 70's glamorous, anything goes,  feel to the party.

The room looked so amazing with bold, bright summery colors. With the modern clear chairs and disco lighting touches. We could have been in any major nightclub around the world. Just short of coming in like Bianca Jager and famed stories from the heyday of Studio 54, these ladies gave their guests an amazing night that I am sure they will be talking about for years to come.

 

OMG, we had so much fun shopping for the dresses that made up the "outfit change" portion of the celebration. When you are a disco diva, you change to impress your guests. These dresses were to die for from the moment that we saw them. The guests went crazy and the party went to the next level the moment that these married gals made their grand re-entrance. Who would have known that Ms. Cher would end up inspiring the look to these dresses. I love that they are vintage, but look so today. Ladies, I told you that you would look stunning. GO Girls!

Of course there is no better way to end the evening than with a sweet treat. This double trouble bridesmaid looks stunning against the display of yummy pink candy. We had a blast when we got into Provincetown checking out the local penny candy displays in the stores. We got just the perfect blend of pink, orange and a touch of blue to carry out our color way. Love the pashmina and the hint of blue in the compostion.

Many thanks to Bryce Vickmark for his incredible photography of this world class wedding. His photos of Cher, the candy bar and the gals in thier disco frocks leave me wanting more. He has put together a slide show that will knock your socks off, to view it please click here. I am just in love with his photography and I am happy to call him a friend and a signature partner here at my creative firm, chad michael peters. I so look forward to working with him again soon !

 

Signature Partner, Bryce Vickmark Photography

  I know best of class when I see it. Bryce Vickmark brings his own style to world class photography. His amazing eye and ability to capture light and emotion has left me speechless. I am so very proud to announce that he has become a signature partner here at my creative firm, chad michael peters. It is with great pride that I give Bryce my CMP thumbs up, way up! He has put together a slide show of this fabulous wedding in Provincetown, Massachusetts. To view it please click here.

 

 

 

Beautiful details with amazing vendors

 

 

I am really lucky to have a select group of vendors, my "A-team,"  to work with on my weddings and events. Over the years our relationships have grown along side the growth of my business. I am proud to work on world class events with such talented people; they never fail to make me look good and it is so very much appreciated.

I have gone at this creative endeavor of mine with great passion. There have been moments of struggle, pride and pure joy as my visions have come to life more beautifully than I could ever have imagined. I have had shivers up my spine and tears welling in my eyes at the completion of the beautiful environments that we have created together. It is an amazing creative collaboration of vendors that makes it all possible and I am thankful not only to the vendors mentioned here, but to each and every one of you who have helped make my dream possible.

Carinna Raznikov of Raznikov Photography is one of those amazing vendors. She is of a rare breed of photographers who bring a pure eye and 15 years of photo journalist experience to the wedding arena. She was doing it before it was chic and has been published countless times in all the major wedding magazines. Her great success has limited her schedule, and I am so thankful that she still makes time to cover my events. I count her as not only one of my favorite photographers, but also as a true friend. She and I spoke recently and she was kind enough to send along the detailed photos that you see here of an uber exclusive wedding that my company, chad michael peters, produced last season.

For this event I called in one of my best friends, Mark Abdelnour of Chase Canopy in Mattapoisett. He and I have been friends since the seventh grade and he has always outperformed himself on the many weddings that we have worked on together. He drives me crazy, but I love him and I know that he too is passionate about his work. For this event,  I wanted to use new products, as an ordinary tent just would not do. Mark worked tirelessly to source all of my requests. We had a collection of modern, clear frame tents for the ceremony. For the reception we kept the clear theme, but decided on a more decorative rope and pole tent. With many changes, including the ever unpredictable New England weather, right up to the last minute, Chase Canopy exceeded my expectations. They are always my first choice for tenting. 

 

The table tops were a masterpiece in subtle color and style.  My friends Larry Soloman and Stephanie Penn of Rentals Unlimited are always on my speed dial to provide best of class rentals for my weddings and events. Through thick and thin, their unsurpassed attention to detail and their dedication to getting things done has always impressed me. I look forward to partying with them for many years to come.

 Many thanks to my wedding planning and floral team for pulling off this amazing event. We logged close to a thousand hours in the grand production. When I think of the guests and their effusive commentary over the decor I still get goose bumps. Thank you, thank you; you all make me so proud.

Chad Michael Peters season opener knocked out of the park.

 

 

The wedding of Matt and Kelli was a treat for a guy like me.  Kelli came to me with her mom about a year ago and since then it has been nothing but fun, laughs and lingering meetings over Sunday brunch. Through the process, I learned that I was dealing with a great family that loves to party. I am happy and proud in the end to count each and every member of the Jones family and of course the handsome groom, Matt, as friends.

Kelli and Matt have a lot of interests together, but their love of baseball is apparent. Go Sox! We chose to incorporate some nice touches to the decor at the rehearsal dinner. I filled tubes with "mounds" of white tulips and placed baseballs on display with the flowers. I used small glass cubes and filled them with Cracker Jack and then scattered peanuts around the arrangements for a fun and tasty take on opening day. Kelli was so nice to call from the rehearsal dinner to say that she loved them.

The day of the wedding was one that spring brides dream about. Seventy degrees and clear skies, who could ask for more in April in New England? The inspiration for the colors came from Kelli's eyes, a gorgeous turquoise-blue. We mixed in bright colors to match the bride's personality and we created a stunning palette for the wedding. I thought that it was just so pretty to have the girls in navy with a touch of the blue at the waist. We added pops of citrus flowers and the end result was simply stunning. I just adore the photo of the gals crying their eyes out. Kelli's dress from the famed Priscilla of Boston was modern and flirty. The cutest touch was the pockets. I loved the gown, as it was just so perfect for the bride.

I am still overwhelmed with their response to the wedding. Even big macho Mr. Jones took the time to say how gorgeous everything was and to thank me for making his daughter so happy. Short of giving me a deposit, I know that I will be on call in the years to come for the wedding of the adorable younger sister, Maura. I can hardly wait. Thank you Kelli and Matt for having me and my company as a part of your amazing day. It was a privilege.

To view more photos from the wedding please click here to visit the photogallery.