Wedding Planning | The Liberty Hotel | The Tasting

I will never forget the day that my bride Carissa called into my office to discuss her wedding. From that moment close to two years ago, each and every time that I have been with her, or talked to her on the phone, we have grown a little closer. Each time we have expanded on our own personal jokes and sense of humor. She and I nearly died of laughter when our very first morsel graciously served by the Liberty was tuna tartar. It sparked a funny memory that came up in the course of our planning and set the tone to a very relaxed and exciting day.

I adore both she and her fiance and her whole family for that matter. It is hard not to, they love humor as I do and they trust me completely to do the work that I know I am meant to do. They have all been more than effusive in their praise of my work and involvement in the wedding. For that, I want to take a minute to personally thank them.

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with my bride and her family to discuss her wedding at The Liberty hotel, the decor details and of course the amazing menu that I worked on with Carissa's mom, Corine. She was the voice of reason at the table as Carissa, her handsome brother Chauncy and I gossiped and chatted like school girls at the table over the planned details to the wedding mixing in banter over all of our lost dreams of great tennis careers. In our heads, I think that Carissa and I saw ourselves as a pseudo Sampras, Williams match up. Our effusive chatter was made a little easier with our serving as the official libation taste testers. We loved the blueberry, pineapple, golden signature cocktail.

Over our SUPERB lunch I recalled the story to Carissa's father, of how I had no idea who he was in the world of sports. I know my die hard Red Sox fans are reeling right now. I have a lot of respect for great accomplishments in life but to be honest,  I am much happier to have met the charming and dapper Jim Rice as a proud father of the bride and doting grandfather.

The details to the wedding continue to evolve, I promised my bride Carissa and her mom and my friend Corine that I would deliver a once in a lifetime celebration. With the help of The Liberty Hotel, Ten 31 Productions, Person and Killian Photography, Rentals Unlimited, Praez Occasions and the many talented hands that make up the chad michael peters team, we will deliver the height of this Summer's fashionable weddings.

 

 

W Hotel | Boston Wedding

  

W is for women, who love each other and got married tonight in Boston, Massachusetts. W is also for ultra chic and modern hotel. Fabulous evening does not even begin to describe the night that I have just come from. A beautiful and intimate wedding for two southern ladies who chose the city scape of Boston as their destination wedding backdrop. There were so many surprises for them both, I know that I just blew them out of the water and as I write this they and their guests are having the time of their lives.

I wanted to give them a special surprise when they wake tomorrow as newly married wives, a story here on my style blog that would bring them right back to the minutes and moments that made up their fairytale wedding. I have wiped away many happy tears tonight on such a joyous occasion. Karen and Caroline you and your guests have stolen my heart. I am so very proud to have been with you both as you committed your hearts to one another. Congratulations to you both, you are lovely brides.

Many thanks to The W Hotel, Jenny's Cakes, 10.31 productions, Praez Occasions and last but not least my amazing assistant Bethany.  Without each and everyone of you working as a well oiled machine, tonight would not have been possible. Thank you all so very much for what you do, it is so appreciated.

New Year's Eve Wedding at The Four Season's Boston

 

When I was a little boy, I dreamed of gorgeous parties and girls in romantic dresses. Glittering candles would light up the ballroom of a five star hotel where guests waited anxiously for the bride and groom to make their entrance and to dance their first dance as husband and wife.

That dream came true this New Year's Eve at the incredible Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. The wedding of Brian and Sarah took place with romance, excitement and anticipation against the magical backdrop of historic Boston frosted with snow. The Hearn family, gathered in a suite at the hotel each one of them looking beautiful, dashing and sophisticated, just like their daughter and sister, Sarah, the bride.

I had a chance to talk with Mr. Hearn, who reminisced about his family and their time in Boston as he looked out the window of the suite into a winter wonderland. He was so excited to see his second daughter married and to have each of his ten brothers and sisters with him to celebrate this First Night.

We made our way along with wedding party to the church in Wellesley where Brian and Sarah were married in a candle lit ceremony. My company's transportation services were in full gear and on high alert as we shuttled the guests, the wedding party and the parents from the hotel in the city on roads that were icy and covered with snow. I have to admit I was nervous for all of these people to be out and about with the weather as bad as it was. In the end, the timing, the service of my staff and the staff of the hotel, the church, everyone and everything was just flawless.

I was happy to have everyone back to the hotel safely so we could capture the romance in the formal portraits for the bride and groom. I have to say, the photo of Sarah and Brian in front of the chandelier at the hotel, is amazing, regal almost. 

The ballroom at The Four Seasons glittered filled with candles, crystal and mercury glass. The flowers, modern and romantic at the same time came to life from the sketch that I had first presented to the bride and groom. Sarah, the bride attended culinary school in Paris, so it was no surprise that the menu served to her guests would be sophisticated and pure bliss to the palette. I had the salmon with baby root vegetables in cream sauce......magnifique! To finish the evening a personal friend of the bride made her cake. A mountain of cake, filled with creme' anglaise and covered with coconut shavings. As I stood close to the cake my senses were on overload and my mouth was literally watering from the heavenly scent of the cake.

  

 So many people ask how I am able to do all of the things that I do. I don't know the answer, but do know that I would not be able to do it with out the help of my own staff and the staff of the fine hotels and resorts where I am lucky enough to work. With this wedding I added a little something extra with my Flip Video coverage of certain parts of the night. It is nearly impossible to view the night from behind the camera and flip phone, but in the end I am so glad that I captured the snow falling and special insights into the day.  

My love of flowers continues to grow. I want each wedding to be unique, sumptous and to reflect the taste of the bride and the groom. Of course, I love white flowers, the headier the better. To come in from the cold to the warm candles and heavely scent of gardenia is an experience that I will never be able to do justice to with words.

In looking at the photos I love the mercury and silver and stark white of the vases that I chose. It immediately makes me think of winter and now will forever remind me of this very special New Year's Eve. 

 As midnight approached the waiters and butlers at the hotel passed out hats, tiaras and noise makers to all the guests, so perfect in white and silver. I have to specially thank my friend Lois, the mother of the bride when she so proudly had told me that she had gone out and gotten all of the favors for the celebration.....all in black, not so good for the color palette that I had been working on for the bride. No sweat for this professional mother of the bride, she happily returned all of them to get the silver and white that I was looking for. In the end, it makes for stunning photos so I am so happy that she did this for her daughter. Thank you Lois.

My assistant and I gathered all of the guests to the dance floor for the "countdown".  They all looked so elegant in their eveing clothes and tuxedos, really a surreal look. Five, Four, Three, Two, One.....and the bride and groom kissed, champagne glasses in hand and love in their eyes. Bravo! 

 

A very special thanks to the entire Hearn Family, you could not have been nicer or more gracious. Second to Sarah Kovel at The Four Seasons Hotel for her amazing attention to detail and natural grace. Third to my first cousin, one of my best friends and photography assistant, Misty. I love you, your work is amazing and I am happy to have you work with me on these most amazing weddings. Last but not least to my unflappable assistant Bethany, the rest of my floral and planning staff and my boys on the transport home front, Thank you, thank you.

Happy New Year everyone. Brian and Sarah, this night will be the most special for the rest of your lives. I will never be able to forget just how gorgeous you both were in the romance of the evening. Thank you for having me and my company be part of the memory. 

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.

 

 

Elegant Eastover Farm | Erin and Alex

Eastover Farm in Rochester Massachusetts was the local for the wedding that I planned this past Sunday. Each and every time I am there, there seems to be a romantic magic in the air. Sunday was no different. It was a day that you dream about as a wedding planner and certainly as a bride. As of Friday the weather looked to be cold and rainy for all of Sunday, but when the day actually came the weather could not have been more perfect. We moved ahead with a lake side ceremony for my bride Erin and her groom, Alex.

Guests gathered by the lake to wait for the bride who made her way to the ceremony in a beaded deep ivory gown and taupe sash on the arm of her dapper father. The cutest part of the day had to be the bride's adorable children who served as ring bearer and flower girl for the day.

I arranged the flowers for the ceremony to draw out the color of the seasonal foliage which has just started to turn and made for the most incredible of backdrops. The bride and groom and their good looking wedding party looked absolutely surreal against this to die for setting. 

As the sun began to set and the bride and groom moved around the property for their photography, a most incredible fog rolled into the serene setting of the farm. I have never seen something so beautiful and as the stylist and photographer of the event, I was literally running from field to field with my camera hoping to capture the details of the day in this most incredible light and weather conditions. Before the guests ate I once again grabbed the bride and groom to head out into the stone lined fields to take in the beauty of the farm and their once in a life time day. I am glad that I did, their photos and the detail shots of the bridal party bouquets in antique pewter containers are some of my favorite wedding photographs of all time. 

Just before the sun set, I got a chance to head into the tent to photograph some of the sweet and harvesty details of the day. The bride's cake table was right out of the pages of a magazine with it's floral cake and display of minuature flower arrangments. The light of the setting sun dappled this display and made the yummy cake the focal point of the room.

Eastover Farm remains as one of the finest examples of a working New England Farm and is the very definition elegance when it comes to hosting a wedding or a special event. I am more than proud to exclusively represent the farm for such events. For more information on Eastover Farm please visit my web site by clicking here.

 

Summer Wedding Classic

 

Mary and Barrett
View Photo Slideshow

It has been a busy few weeks here in my studio and offices. I always want to be on top of getting out the gorgeous photos from the weddings and parties that I work on, so you too can see how amazing some of these details are, sometimes writing the stories that go behind the photos comes a few weeks after.

I got the great chance to work with long time Rochester friends on the wedding of Mary and Barrett. It was so fun over the course of the year and a half planning out her details such as flowers, and menu, chit chatting about this escort card style and what type of table numbers should be laid out for the guests. As a wedding planner I always want the details to be beautiful AND reflect the personalities of the bride, her family and the groom. This wedding was just that. With a love for sailing and a backdrop of the Beverly Yacht Club and the groom's amazing sailboat as a backdrop for formal pictures it just all came together so amazingly well.

I first want to thank not only the staff on our floral and decor team but also our ever faithful staff at CMP transport and their late night efforts to get the bride's guests home safely. We rolled out the vintage Rolls Royce to transport the bride and the groom, a shiny ten passenger limo for the wedding party and our shiny town car for the parent of the bride. Seamless, effortless and gracious service. Thank you CMP Transport.

Of course it goes so well because of the incredible vendors that are involved with such an event. It was so my pleasure to call on Russ Morin and his fine team to deliver a world class meal by world class staff and the cake, the cake that they baked was literally one of the best morsels of food that I have ever had in my mouth.

And last but certainly not least to Lauren from Person and Killian Photography. Her photos which are showcased here in this story are just amazing. The weather was not working with us that day but she managed to get the photos out on the boat for the bride and did so with amazing work. She and I had such a good time chit chatting and styling bridal bouquet photos in the house while we were waiting to send the bride off to the church to be married.

Tickle My Fancy

I have loved working with my bride Lindsay on her upcoming wedding. The process of creative discussion, to drawing my original rendering, to doing up demo flowers, tweaking the design, to delivering a knock your teeth in wedding for me is a creative thrill time and time again. With this bride and her mom, it has been a true pleasure. Her mom is one of my biggest digital style blog fans. Every wedding, every detail she has looked at, to say the least it is flattering. She assured me the minute that this is published she will be one of the first people to read it.

Today we had the wonderful opportunity to see my original rendering come to life for the bride. Gorgeous phaleonopsis orchids, crystal trimmed candles and lush mounds of flower in mercury glass on platinum ruffle table cloths looked amazing laid out for my bride. There wasn't a change to be made. Happy high fives all around. We are now on the countdown to the wedding to be held at The World Trade Center in Boston. I can hardly wait to share the finished product with you. Cheers !

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.

Shades of Melon

 

When one of my BFF's from high school called me to help with her wedding, I was flattered and so excited to see her again. I also knew Jill's best friends from our high school would be in the wedding and that I would have a chance to be among so many crazy friends.

Jill chose the soft and summery shades of cantaloupe and honey due melon as the cue for her wedding. I worked with her to scale back her budget for fresh flowers and to add soft, shimmery linens to hide the hideous chairs and to drape the tables. In the end I think that the look is so clean, pretty and fresh.

Congratulations Jill and Chuck. And to all my ORR peeps that I cut a rug with that night great to see you all ! My best and love guys !

Many thanks to Imagemakers for their awesome photography of this special day. For a link to view the rest this wedding please click here.

Indian Summer

 

Any wedding or event at Eastover Farm in Rochester, Massachusetts is a special one. Having spent some time in India, I was totally excited to get a call to host a wedding this past Saturday night for an amazing Indian family that has lived here in Massachusetts for the past twenty five years.

I knew right away that color would be the key. Ladies in Saris were the inspiration and there were so many guests that came to the party in these traditional Indian ladies garments, just stunning. We hosted the guests for cocktails by the pond at the farm. Blackstone Caterer did a superb job with a fresh fruit juice bar and yummy appetizers from watermelon and feta to coconut shrimp.This was followed by a sit down dinner in another tent with a choice of traditional vegetarian or a delicious chicken dish with jasmine rice, thumbs up, way up !

  

Here you see my original design rendering for the event. Bright, bold, Indian color was the cue from the very get go. I just adore seeing these sketches come to life.

The farm is so stunning and with close to seven hundred acres, the choices for how to host your party there are virtually unlimited. We were very lucky that it had rained so much in June. Normally July is a dry and dusty time in any field. This year, the gardens were lush and the fields were long and luckily with all the rain we were able to light the bonfire to welcome the guests to dinner.

 

 

The Indian Goddess of dancing, greeted the guests as they made their way into the dinner tent. So appropriate for a party that was about to rock.

As a special treat to the American guests, I had yards and yards of bright and auspicious yellow garlands made in India and specially flown in for this party. Many hands and thousands of flowers worked overtime to pull off this stunning look. Guests could hardly believe that they were real.

 

 

Because it had been wet this past month, I got lucky and was able to light the fire for the guests. The smell of wood smoke and the purification and balance of water and fire was just so perfect as guests moved and celebrated through out the farm. My absolute favorite part of the night was when the lights went down. The candles, the luminaries and the custom lighting depicting the national bird of India, the Peacock and the good luck lotus were the talk of the night.

Congratulations to the Chowdri family on the marriage of their son Siddhartha to Arati. Cheers!

For more information on hosting your wedding or event at Eastover Farm please click here.