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!

A BEAUTIFUL DAY-BRIANNA AND CHRIS

Brianna and Chris got married on Saturday in a lovely little setting in Bucks county. As I promised, it was a perfect fall day. The dress looked like a cloud and the bride was a dream floating in it. She was breathtaking! Brianna wore her mother's veil that had been beautifully restored by her seamstress. It was fun to have all of her bridesmaids helping me with Brianna- and when I have some pro pics, I will share them.














The girls wore persimmon and canary dresses and the vibrant fall colors in all the flowers and decor made for striking photos. Lucky for Brianna, her parents have a huge back yard with a gazebo, which was a great spot for pre- wedding pictures of all these beautiful ladies.











As Brianna sat in the red roadster waiting for everyone to go inside, she started to get nervous. It was the first time! Up to that point, she was calm and excited. Now, she was anxious and had butterflies! But, the smile never left her face!! She was such a happy bride!















Brianna's bouquet was exquisite! All the personal flowers and the arch and pomanders in the gazebo were done by Bonnie's Flowers in New Britain. Every bouquet was perfect! The girls carried ivory bouquets and the bride had all the colors of fall in her bouquet. Visually, it was stunning!! After Chris's mom walked him down the path to the gazebo, Brianna took her parents' arms and took the lovely walk down the path to meet him. Her mom was in tears and her dad was so proud. It was a beautiful ceremony, with participation from the guests and the lighting of the unity candle








.


















After the ceremony,the bridal party gathered for formal pictures on the wonderful grounds of the venue. More about this pretty place later. I love the backdrop of that picket fence and the trees in the background. The group shot is missing the two handsome ring bearers- who were not so anxious to have their picture taken!! Anton Frid was the photographer and he never stopped shooting!














Brianna, in addition to being beautiful and so sweet, is also very talented!! The escort cards were all pinned to little pumpkins and the centerpieces were her creation. We spent Friday at the venue assembling them and decorating the whole place with fall's beautiful and natural colors. There were no flowers, but plenty of pumpkins, leaves, pine cones, branches and candles!! It was so pretty. Instead of a guest book, Brianna decorated a basket and scattered pebbles on the table with markers for everyone to write a note and throw into the basket. What a clever bride!




























The cake, made by Enchanted Cakes, was one of the most delicious wedding cakes I have ever eaten!! It was fashioned after the favors, which were little mini wedding cakes. The edible leaves were placed on the cake when it arrived and the base was scattered with leaves, as were also scattered on all the tables. Brianna's toss bouquet was added to the table for color.














I had to add this photo of the guys- all clowns! They were relaxing in the bridal room with the shrimp dip in a large martini glass shaped bowl.















From my vantage point, it was hard not to get Kelly from Wellspun Weddings in the picture. He was awesome- as Wellspun always is! But, the bride and groom danced to Green Eyes by Coldplay and ended with a super dip and a kiss! I know Kelly go that. Chris danced with his mom to In the Life, by The Beatles. And, one of my favorite moments of the day was Brianna and her mom embracing on the dance floor to Slipping Through My Fingers from Mama Mia. It was such a tender moment!! Look at how they are hugging!! Later on, the mood shifted into high gear with the help of Bob Palio of East Coast DJ's. The bride and groom are big Grease fans ( they even came to rehearsal- on Halloween, dressed like Danny and Sandy!!) They did Greased Lightning and the Hand Jive. Of course there was plenty of dance music! I love this shot of the bride and her mom doing the Electric Slide! This was a great party!














The cake didn't get cut until very late! Everyone was having so much fun that the bride and groom couldn't stop the party to cut it! Finally, to the sound of Sugar, Sugar by the Archies, they cut into the luscious confection and didn't make too much of a mess!! After an entire day of hugs and dancing and pictures, the bride still looks perfect! She was wonderful to work with!!! I really loved her and her whole family. Conratulations, Brianna and Chris!! Enjoy Europe and each other!