Friday, August 8, 2014

Boston Wedding Coordination: Yvonne and Phil's Artists For Humanity EpiCenter Wedding

Earlier this summer, I had the honor of coordinating Yvonne and Phil's wedding day.  There were traditional Door Games and a Chinese Tea Ceremony to start off the day, and then the bride and bridesmaids got ready with hair and makeup by Elaine Tsang, Christine Bellemare, and Tammy Tan.  The bride's bouquet contained white feathers and crystals, while the bridesmaids had modern bouquets of fresh calla lilies.

The bride and groom decided to do a first look so they could try to take most of their portraits in the afternoon before the ceremony.  The ceremony for 200 guests was held at Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton, and the bride and her father walked down the aisle to the classic "Trumpet Voluntary".  Following the ceremony, everyone made their way over to the reception in South Boston.

The cocktail hour and reception were held at the Artists For Humanity EpiCenter, and this was such a gorgeous and unique space for a wedding.  The art on the walls bring so much color to the space, and the bride and groom were really able to customize what they wanted the room to look like based on all of the rentals and decor that they chose.  All guest tables were covered with grey linens and surrounded by white garden chairs.  Origami flower centerpieces topped each table along with table numbers on baby easels and giant cookie favors that served as place cards.

The caterer for the event was the amazing, Cuisine Chev Vous, and for cocktail hour, they offered passed hors d'oeuvres such as gingered duck in sesame crepes, bruschetta with tomato, basil, and mozzarella, and fresh Vietnamese spring rolls with a cilantro sesame dipping sauce.  In addition to these passed hors d'oeuvres, there was a mashed potato cosmo bar which was a huge hit with the guests.

For dinner, guests enjoyed a spring mesclun green salad with roasted gala apples, spiced pecans, and crumbled goat cheese, followed by a choice of entrĂ©e:  herb crusted New England haddock with tomato and sweet pepper relish, marinated boneless beef shortrib with aged balsamic glazed onions and reduction, or portobello wellington with sherry coulis.  Instead of the traditional wedding cake, the bride and groom cut into a giant red velvet cupcake, and guests were treated to slices of New York style cheesecake.

DJ Sheldon Gentles from EPIC Entertainment kept everyone dancing all night, and he also provided the uplighting and a fun prop-filled photo booth on the balcony throughout the wedding as well.  Here are some photos that I took of the day!


Yvonne and Phil, it was so great to be a part of your wedding day, and I hope you had the most amazing honeymoon in Hawaii!

~Emilie

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Emily and Carson's Gore Place Wedding Photos by Simply Bloom Photography

This is a long overdue post of one of the most gorgeous and DIY-filled weddings that I have ever coordinated. I had the honor of being the coordinator for Emily and Carson's "Up" themed wedding at Gore Place in Waltham, and their reception at China Pearl in downtown Boston.  The bridal party got ready with hair and makeup at the Courtyard Marriott in Brookline, and the entire wedding party participated in the traditional door games where the groom and groomsmen have to complete a series of tasks in order to see the bride.

After the door games, a tea ceremony was performed for the groom's family, and then everyone made their way over to Gore Place for the wedding ceremony.  The heartfelt ceremony took place in the hedge gardens at Gore Place, and this is such a unique space for a ceremony because everyone was completely surrounded by beautiful hedges, with access only through three narrow openings.  The bride and groom were married under a gorgeous floral arch created by Petalena, and placed "love notes" to each other in a box that they locked and will read to each other on their one year anniversary.  Flowers in tones of peach, green, and pink lined the aisle on shepherd hooks.

Following the ceremony, a cocktail hour was held outside on the lawn, with tables topped with lemon and gray linens, and small delicate floral arrangements from Petalena on little wooden slices, marked with Emily & Carson's initials.  The guestbook was placed on a table next to a large dollhouse (built by the groom!), topped with a large collection of colorful balloons.  Going along with the "Up" movie theme, there was a Paradise Falls jar filled with some change next to the dollhouse.  Guests enjoyed hors d'oeuvres from Currier & Chives like mini beef wellington and scallops wrapped in bacon, and there was also a large collection of colorful Izze sodas that was a huge hit with guests.  Lawn games such as croquet, bean bag toss, and bongo ball were setup near the cocktail hour area, and made for a very fun afternoon prior to the evening reception.

The traditional Chinese banquet reception was held at China Pearl in downtown Boston.  The room was decorated with dozens of hanging paper poms, as well as gold bengaline floor length linens.  The banquet consisted of 12 courses and was an absolute feast! DJ Profenna kept the night filled with music, and there was a Smilebooth setup in the room that was a really big hit. There were so many fun props and a sparkly silver background, and guests were able to take photo strips of their poses home with them.  The wedding cake was created by Jacques Pastries, and was decorated with mini penant flags.

Vania from Simply Bloom Photography, flew out to Boston from Alabama to document the big day.  Her photos are simply stunning!


Emily and Carson, it was so nice getting to know you both, and I hope you are enjoying married life!!

~Emilie