A SWEET LITTLE WEDDING

When Danea called me to help her with a small wedding for 50 people, I thought "what can I do to help her?" She had a venue picked out, but as we explored it we found the cost was prohibitive and full of hidden charges. So, I set about trying to find a perfect spot for Danea and Joseph to have a perfect day on a budget. When I saw The Joseph Ambler Inn, I was excited! Not only was it a beautiful place to get married, but Danea could custom desiign a wedding based on their budget. Wendi was wonderful to work with and very helpful in giving us ideas of what to do. As soon as Danea and Joseph saw the Inn, they were hooked! Joseph Ambler Inn has gorgeous grounds for a ceremony, several reception locations and accomodations for the wedding couple and the guests. The food is perfect and the charm of the property are unsurpassed. .






















































The next thing Danea needed help with was flowers. Again, with a small wedding on a small budget we had to be creative. Who better to call than Leslie at Whimsical Welcomes! Leslie always has great ideas and perfect product to make any bride happy! These are some of the wonderful flowers that Leslie has created- beautiful...Yes?!









We found cameras for the tables and decided to let the guests be the photographer. Candids from the guests in a beautiful book would be personal and fun. Danea and her aunt could make the invitations from a computer template. Danea was so easy to sork with because she was flexible, realistic and understood the limits of her budget. Her expectations never exceded her wallet and that is key to making a wedding on a budget look like the "sky's the limit"! Girls, decide what your priorities are, be realistic and hire a planner who can help you find the right fit for your budget and your dreams!

PARKLIFE PRESS

Parklife Press- a wonderful example of letterpress invitations. This little North Carolina company is based in North Carolina, but will work with you wherever you are! They are flexible, personal, can work quickly and are very affordable. They also use tree- free, acid- free cotton paper.
This is the latest design for Parklife- Quill. It is beautiful!














Other favorites of mine are Arboretum and Velvet Waltz.

There are several designs perfect for a "green" wedding. Orchard and Californian are examples of these. So, go to Parklife's site and look at all of the simple and elegant designs. They are unique and beautiful!

ENGAGEMENT ON ICE

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have him pop the question right here in the Big Apple?! Well, you can drop the hint by sending him the link to how at http://www.therinkatrockcenter.com/. Here are the details:

The cost of the Engagement on Ice package is $200 from Jan. 5 through April, all inclusive. Reservations are required and availability is limited. Call 212-332-7655 to schedule an Engagement on Ice, which includes: · Admission front-of-the-line access for two · Two skating passes · Skate rentals for two · Signature song played during or after the proposal (music provided by proposer) · The option to drop off a bouquet of flowers that can be skated out and presented to new fiancée · Private time on the ice for proposal and ‘victory lap’ · Champagne toast at rink-side restaurant Rock Center Café· For an additional $200, a three-course dinner for two is available at Rock Center Café. Window tables can be reserved.

If he didn't do it over the holidays, maybe this will inspire him! GOOD LUCK LADIES!!

photo courtesy of Stak Photography

A GRANDMOTHER'S PLEA

From the moment she was born and every day since, she has been my heart and my joy! Now, at 5, she has been taken from me, taken from her home, her stability, her toys, her life by my child, whom I also loved and nurtured and who gave me joy. Now, all I have is pain in my heart and fear of the future of not only my child ( at 32), but my precious grandchild. I am resolved to find a way back for this little jewel. She is smart beyond her years, she is funny and clever and loves to cuddle. For the last year, she has shared my bed, as she feels safe with me. There is no other human on the Earth that I love more. What can I do?! I must do something. If you know what or how I would appreciate knowing. I am lost and broken and devastated beyond words. I write this to you all as therapy and as explanation of my absense and with the hope that someone has something positive to offer. I must get back to my daily posts- again as therapy and because I miss all of you. I just have not had the strength to be creative. My creativity and my brides are what will keep me going and give me purpose to forge ahead every day. Please continue to read- as I will try to get back to reading. Thank you all for your patience, your loyalty and your wonderful feedback!

I'M STILL HERE

Dear Readers:

It has been a very long stretch since my last post. I apologize for the absence and I promise that after the new year I will be back! I have been steeped in a family crisis for the last year and for the last few months things have come to a critical point, which has taken me away from all of you- and even my daily reads! I miss all of you- your feedback, your ideas and sharing with you every day. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!!

BRIANNA'S LITTLEST GUESTS

I have to start with these two little guys! They didn't do any dancing, but they were at the wedding! Nathan and Noah are only 2 weeks old! That's Noah with grandmom before the wedding. And, both are asleep in the bridal room after feeding later on in the evening. They are so adorable- and so little! I got to play babysitter in the morning while I waited for the bride to return from getting her make up done. It was a real perk for the day, I have to say!! Are they not precious?!














Now, on to the official members of the wedding party- in miniature. The two little flower girls were dressed in dresses fashioned after the bride's. with a blond and a brunette, it was really cute. They had matching fur stoles, but neither wanted to wear them. Of course, Jennifer wanted to have make up like the big girls. But, Katie didn't want anyone "looking at her". Jaydon was very handsome in his tiny tux! He is only two, but he practiced and after tears at the door, he walked down holding Braden's hand to the gazebo!














Keeping everyone neat and happy was the job of one of the younger bridesmaids. Trucks that made noise seemed to do the trick! Of course, Jaydon had a mini meltdown. But, Thomas the Tank Engine helped to smooth things out.














Katie was so cute. She was very shy and wasn't at all sure she was going to be in the wedding. But, Jaydon hung on late into the party and I can't wait to see his dance moves on the video! Here, he is a little bewildered by the whole thing!














Little ones at weddings is sometimes a sticky situation. But, in this case, it was wonderful. There were plenty of grown ups to look after them and it was really cute to see them walk down that path!! Well, that is the end of Brianna's wedding. I have so enjoyed telling you all about it. Almost as much as I enjoyed Brianna and her family!!!

BRIANNA AND CHRIS- THE DETAILS

Brianna's flowers were so beautiful! On the left is the bride's bouquet and the bridesmaids' bouquets. On the right are the mothers' flowers and a small corsage for all of Brianna's aunts who really helped to make her day special! All the personal flowers came from Bonnie's Flowers in New Britain. Thanks, Bonnie!














The venue is a charming little place called Nostalgia in Chalfont, Pa. The grounds are beautiful and very well kept and the house is adorable! The owners, Gail and Joe Morosky, are there from start to finish and they don't miss a thing! I love the way they clear the tables with big wicker baskets lined in pale blue fabric! No messy trays or scraping of dishes in the ballroom. It is such a wonderful idea. The room is lined with windows that look out onto the beautiful grounds and there is a porch out back for guests to get some air or mingle during cocktails.















The food is lovingly prepared by Gail and Joe. Every dish is presented with flair. I just love the angels that look over all the fresh fruit and vegetables. Brianna and Chris chose a buffet so that their guests, many from out of town, could mingle and feel relaxed and really enjoy the party. But, Nostalgia does sit down dinners too. Their menu is extensive and the extras, like the cappucino and espresso bar with homemade biscotti, the fresh dacquiris and the sweet table make it easy to make your wedding unique. The staff is courteous and very pleasant. Kathleen, the maitre' d was wonderful! And, Joe was carving the roast beef himself.
It's not often that I get to see the cake assembled. But, I was there when Jeanne got there to assemble this delicious confection!! It was an amazing cake!! "Enchanted" is a perfect name for Jeanne's business. Girls, contact her. I'm telling you, it was the best chocolate cake you will ever eat! And, she works from scratch and uses butter and real eggs. She even makes her own vanilla. Wow! The inspiration for the cake was the favor. They were a mini wedding cake for fall. Jeanne made the cake look just like it! She put every leaf on the cake while I watched. I wish I could make something this lovely!

All the decorations for this wedding were the brain child of my clever little do it yourselfer! This bride thought of everything! There were three different centerpieces. All the elements were nature inspired. There were no flowers. She used pine cones, leaves, branches- and lots of candles! Sorry to all of you Michael's shoppers! I think Brianna collected all of the fall she could since last year!! We spent Friday decorating the ballroom. It was a great way to spend the day and I got to meet all of her bridesmaids. I also got to dismantle all of this on Saturday night for Brianna's dad and uncle to pack in the cars. I didn't mind at all! I did wish I had about 4 more hands though! It was a long walk form the ballroom to the bridal room.









































The linens were a shiny wine pin tuck. The napkins and chair bows were yellow. We used 200 little pumpins! I think we used that many candles too! The room was aglow all night. It was so beautiful! This was fun to work on and the results were- well, just take a look! Brianna knew what she wanted and she set about making it happen. Everyone pitched in and we all had fun. No doubt about it- Brianna had a perfect day!