Annie + Hunter: The Reception

This wedding reception was pretty much a wild, crazy, fun party. The food was served as a buffet (featuring beef tenderloin and Maryland crab cakes)in the Barn by caterer Kim Wharton who has a reputation for doing great cooking for parties in the beautiful "horse country" part of Baltimore County. Because Boordy Vineyards does many public events like concerts and wine tastings, the "Saloon" was the perfect place for a huge bar which would accommodate serving drinks for 400 people.

These fabulous images are from the always pleasant photographer Cappy Jackson, another familiar face to all the locals. Cappy probably knew more people there than anyone. She has a wonderful style and calm about her and is so quick to get all the formal photos so that the bride and groom can thoroughly enjoy their guests and their day.

The adorable mason jar glasses were a find at Party Rental Ltd along with the natural look chivari chairs. The linens from Gala Cloths were perfect for the barn setting.

The decor of the party was enhanced by the clever lighting installed by Perkins Productions as they not only installed uplights and pin spots in the most strategic places, but also provided the really cool rustic chandeliers which hung in the Barn. The tabletop lanterns were theirs as well.

The Jody West Band is one of our all time favorite bands and they came through again and really made the party jump as they played and played and played. The reception had an official end time of 11:00 pm but the party continued on and on until finally the police stopped by in the wee hours of the morning to say it had to come to a close.

Other fabulous vendors:
Loane Brothers - china, glassware, flatware;
Posh Photo Booth - old fashioned black and white photo booth
Freedom Services - the best shuttle van company anywhere
Marriott Hunt Valley Inn - over 50 rooms were taken here by wedding guests and they did a fabulous job of making everyone feel comfortable.
Maryland Portable Restrooms - no explanation needed
Sweet Bakery - the wedding cake!

Annie + Hunter: The Ceremony

Despite a rainy rehearsal the night before, when the wedding day arrived in the beginning of June, the sun was out and the temperature perfect for an outdoor ceremony and reception for 400 guests.

The bride's home is also the site of the popular Boordy Vineyards in Baltimore County. The family owned vineyard was the perfect setting for a Provence inspired wedding to take place.

Annie’s wedding dress for the ceremony was Monique Lhuillier and her dress for the reception was a CHANEL dress (photos in another post). She first saw the CHANEL dress on the runway in Paris years ago and vowed to dance at her wedding in that dress. Her earrings were CHANEL Fine Jewelry Camelia. Her veil originally was worn by her great, great grandmother and was antique lace.

The bridesmaids wore Vineyard Collection in French Blue and the Groomsmen ties were Vineyard Vines French blue with wine bottles and corkscrews.

Another cool detail was a lovely watercolor painting which the bride’s great grandmother painted of the farm which was reproduced for the save the date cards, ceremony programs, and welcome book that were included in the hotel gift bags. In each welcome gift was a bottle of Boordy wine with an "Eat, Drink, and Be Married" label, and a Boordy cork screw. The wonderful trousseau of stationery was from The Pleasure of Your Company stationers.

The wedding flowers were so beautiful and were created by the very talented Carol Westerlund, the grand dame of flowers in Northern Baltimore County. Because there were so many guests, we asked Dan Hawkins of Music Masters to bring in a sound system complete with wireless mics for the ceremony so that all could hear the vows.

Getting a wedding party of 24 down the aisle is no easy feat, but luckily we had Pam, Carly and Kelly from our staff there to coordinate the processional that (only) seemed effortless. The piper played as all the buses brought the guests from the Hunt Valley hotels to the ceremony and the guests walked over the small foot bridge to be welcomed by the program attendants and wheelbarrows filled with ice cold bottled water. There were white paper fans on each ceremony chair and the ceremony musicians were from BK Trio.

Jennifer + Bryan: The Reception

The dining room at The Baltimore Country Club is a wonderful setting for a seated-served wedding dinner. Our group of nearly 150 guests were seated at guest tables with beautiful "Camden" linens and napkins from Gala Cloths . The silver chargers belong to the club as do the chivari chairs. The menu cards were created by Chelle Paperie who had also designed the "save-the-date" cards, wedding invitations, ceremony programs, table numbers and place cards.

Beside the fact that the bride and groom are wonderful human beings and that the bride's mom is one of the most gracious and kind women on the earth, the details stood out at this wedding. Jenn provided flip-flops for dancing feet, amenities baskets for the restrooms, a coffee table book of Italy (honeymoon site)as the guest book, and upgraded decor elements throughout the venue (like a lighted curtain behind the band). It was lovely.

The Baltimore Country Club consistently exceeds our expectations in both food and service and they are so easy to work with on the wedding day. The other star of the evening was the band Onyx who kept the dance floor completely full all evening. Their energy is contagious.

Congratulations Jenn and Bryan. It was such a pleasure to plan this wedding with you.

Other Wonderful Vendors:
Lighted Band Curtain: Accent on Events
Wedding Cake: Mary Elliott
Sound System for the Ceremony: Music Masters
Hotel Guest Rooms: The Inn at the Colonnade
Transportation: American Limousine
All Images are Courtesy of Brian Slanger Photography

Jennifer + Bryan

It was the gorgeous Sunday of Memorial Day weekend when Jenn and Bryan were married. The Baltimore Country Club was the setting for the outside ceremony followed by a cocktail hour (also outdoors) and a lovely seated served dinner inside the club's beautiful dining room. After dinner, the formalities melted away and what followed was a spirited, fun and lively dance party facilitated by one of our favorite bands: Onyx.

The images here are from talented photographer Brian Slanger. Jenn and (her) Bryan decided to have a photo session before the ceremony so their "first look" photo is pictured here. The cloistered garden walkway at BCC is the perfect, private setting for a bride and groom's first moments together on the wedding day.

Jenn's gown was a wonderfully detailed Ramona Keveza dress from Betsy Robinson's Bridal Collection and the groom and groomsmen's tuxedos were from Tuxedo House. The bridesmaids chocolate brown (short) dresses were by Thread and purchased at the fabulous Garnish Boutique on Falls Road in Mt. Washington.

The bride's hair and make-up were flawless and the work of Lorraine Ross (hair stylist) and Jamie Leboe (make-up artist). These are two women that I turn to many times to provide a bride and her girls with terrific styling in a friendly manner. The bride looked stunning.

The flowers in these images were designed by the amazing Carole Langrall of Garden of Earthly Delights. She is talented, creative and kind and we loved working with her on this wedding. She incorporated the wildflowers that Jenn loves so much while keeping the florals formal enough to match the venue.

Next post: the (very fun) reception.

Ashley + Evan - The Reception

When almost 300 guests arrive for a wedding reception on a Saturday night, a good time normally follows. This was the case on the beautiful summer evening when the wedding guests drove up to the magnificent, historic Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore Hotel and were met by friendly valets.

The guests were invited to enter the Versailles Room at the hotel for a lavish cocktail hour which included many passed hors d'oeuvres and a premium open bar. The director of catering at the hotel, Jay Day, is a wonderful, experienced, smart and hilarious person who has spent many days coordinating Baltimore's best parties. It was such a pleasure to work with someone who was so intent on making the evening wonderful for the bride and groom and everyone there. He is a true asset to the hotel.

After the cocktail hour, the guests were invited to The Calvert Ballroom which in my opinion is the prettiest hotel ballroom in the city. Because the wedding party was so large, we designed a spectacular, long bridal table which seated all the wedding party and their dates. As the doors opened, the fabulous sounds of Tony Berry and New Money Band could be heard. Tony and his fellow band members are so nice and so talented. The excitement could be felt from the very beginning of the party.

Ashley looked amazing as she and Evan floated to the dance floor for their first dance to "Into The Mystic". A welcome speech by her dad, toasts by the honor attendants and a blessing by Baltimore's famous Father Jack all led into a delicious dinner served by the hotel banquet staff.

After dinner the band exploded with music that kept the dance floor packed the entire evening. There was craziness and mayhem and everyone seemed to be having a great time. It was a wonderful party.

During the reception we went to Ashley and Evan's suite to add some romantic touches like rose petals, candles, champagne and custom pillow cases.

Congratulations Ashley + Evan!

Other Outstanding Vendors:
Flowers: Romance of Flowers
Wedding Cake: Sugar Bakers
Table Linens: Table Toppers
Chairs and Table Top: Party Rental Ltd.
Make-Up: Gregory Dean
Hair Stylist: James Bryant
Wedding Gown: Betsy Robinson's Bridal
Collection
Bridesmaids Dresses: Garnish Boutique
Dance Floor and Stage: Event Dynamics
Favors: DeBrand Chocolatier
Limo Bus: ZBest Limousine

Ashley + Evan

Even though the morning started with a little rain, soon the skies cleared and it was a glorious day for Ashley and Evan's June wedding. These beautiful images were taken by photographer Jennifer Domenick from Love Life Images in Savage Mill.

It is so important to start a wedding day with friends and calm and food and drink like Ashley and Evan did. While Ashley and her girls were getting dressed and ready at a lovely (huge) suite at The Radisson Lord Baltimore Hotel, Evan and his groomsmen were chilling at his home in Baltimore. And there were plenty of friends! Ashley had 2 honor attendants, 10 bridesmaids, 1 junior bridesmaid and 2 flower girls while Evan had 1 best man, 9 groomsmen and a ring bearer. A wedding party of 26!

The historic SS Philip and James Church was the site for the Catholic ceremony and the incredible flowers were designed by Victoria Claussen at Romance of Flowers.

The processional music of Canon in 'D, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring and Trumpet Voluntary was led by Wally Ford, the music director and organist at the church.

Everything was captured on video by our friends at Black Tie Video and the very cool vintage Rolls Royce is from City Lites Limousine.

Stay tuned for more photos of this fabulous Baltimore wedding.

M.I.A.

Miss me? I just completed a fabulous marathon of 19 events in 12 weeks and although it was a great experience, it is one not to be repeated anytime soon. It was a test of endurance with fantastic rewards and an incredible sense of satisfaction. There are still a bunch of 2009 weddings to plan and coordinate, but the pace will slower. So, even though there haven't been any blog posts lately, we have been busy creating memories for many happy couples and will share the details with you in the coming weeks via the blog.

It has been a whirlwind Spring and Summer and I couldn't be happier with the results. Wait until you see the photos! The events took place at every imaginable kind of venue (hotels, clubs, private homes, historic sites) and we worked with nearly 200 vendors during the marathon. It is those wonderful professionals and my team (Lisa, Caroline, Kelly, Cassy, Camilla, Laura, Carly, Pam, Barbara and Kate)that came together to produce these amazing events that I am looking forward to sharing. In future posts I will specifically mention and recommend the vendors with whom we worked that went above and beyond and exceeded our expectations (which are high to start with).

The weather was also a star. 100% of the events took place with the "good weather" plan in action. Nothing was rained out and every bride who wanted to get married outdoors, did so.

Special thanks to the clients who are loyal, fun, and so smart. The best part of this business is the people I get to meet. I am honored that they bring us in to share this very important life event with them.