Pink Orchid Weddings

Custom Chinese Wedding Menus & Gummy Favors

2012-01-23T10:40:00.000-05:00

Last month, I created wedding favors and custom menus for Yvonne and Ben's intimate 20 person wedding reception. They wanted the favors to be something tasty and thought that they would share their favorite candy. Peach rings are the bride's favorite candy, and gummy frogs are the groom's favorite candy. They asked that I personalize each favor so the ladies at the reception received peach rings, and all of the guys received gummy frogs. Each guest got either 46 peach rings or 49 gummy frogs in a gold favor box, tied with a double faced red satin ribbon bow and a tag personalized with their first name.

In addition to the favors, I created menu cards for each guest that included the dishes in English and Chinese, as well as a description of the significance of some of the courses in the traditional Chinese banquet.

There were 15 dishes in total, and they included the following:
Stuffed Mushrooms & Bamboo Tofu Crepes
Crispy Fish with Scallions
Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs
Five Spiced Beef
Seafood Soup
Sichuan Chicken
Sauteed Lobster
Crispy Fish with Pine Nuts
Seared Filet Mignon
Tea-Smoked Duck
Braised Pork with Chestnuts
Salt and Pepper Scallops
Sauteed Okra
Sweet Sesame Dumplings
Fruit Platter

This menu definitely sounds delicious! The menus were printed on a pearlescent white metallic cardstock, with a crimson red metallic cardstock backing. I added the bride & groom's name on the top, along with their wedding reception date and a small red blossom branch.

If you're interested in boxed favors or custom menus, contact me at info@pinkorchiddesigns.com for more information.

~Emilie

2012 Bride's Choice Awards Winner

2012-01-19T12:20:00.005-05:00

We are excited to announce that for the third year in a row, Pink Orchid Weddings has been selected to receive the annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012! This means that we are among the top five percent of all wedding coordinators in the WeddingWire vendor community across the US and Canada. This award is solely based on reviews, so thank you to all of our 2011 newlyweds for nominating us!

~Emilie & Fiona

Lucent Weddings: Emily & Tal's Wedding Highlights Film!

2011-12-22T12:05:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I posted about all of the details of Emily & Tal's Butternut Farm Golf Club wedding. Today, I'm so excited to share their wedding highlights video created by Justin of Lucent Weddings! Justin and his fiancée, Lori, were so fun to work with on the day of, and their video really captures all of the emotion of the day.

Emily & Tal's Wedding Highlights from Lucent Weddings on Vimeo.

Justin, thank you so much for sharing your work!

~Emilie

Emily and Tal's Butternut Farm Golf Club Wedding

2011-12-21T10:27:00.002-05:00

Let's just start with an amazing photo of the couple on their wedding day from one of my favorite photographers: Kelly of Kelly Dillon Photography. To me, it's just perfection.

Photo by Kelly Dillon Photography
Emily and Tal were married on Saturday, October 8th, and it was an unseasonably warm and gorgeous day for the fall! The day started out with the girls getting their hair styled at Tu Moda Spa in the morning, followed up with makeup at the bride's home by Heidi Wells. The bridesmaids wore short brown satin dresses and carried bouquets of white hydrangea. The bride wore a stunning lace Priscilla of Boston gown along with metallic peep-toe Jimmy Choo heels.

The ceremony for 130 guests was held at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Westborough. The bride and groom saw each other for the first time as Emily walked down the aisle with her father to Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Atlantic Strings. After the ceremony, guests made their way to Butternut Farm Golf Club, where they enjoyed a cocktail hour both inside and out on the deck. The grounds at this venue are absolutely gorgeous, and portraits of family and the wedding party were taken outside on the sprawling greens. Passed hors d'oeuvres included coconut shrimp, lobster and cheddar on baguettes, beef teriyaki skewers, scallops wrapped in bacon, and spinach and feta triangles.

Music for the cocktail hour was provided by a jazz trio from the band, Legit, who also rocked out with a nine piece band for the reception. After cocktail hour, guests made their way into the Heritage room for dinner and dancing. The room was decorated with delicate paper table number signs, that also doubled as menu and favor signs. Guest tables were surrounded by chiavari chairs and were topped with high and low hydrangea centerpieces created by Melissa of the Plant Bazaar. For dinner, guests were treated to butternut ravioli as the starter, a caesar salad, and a choice of stuffed filet mignon, chicken saltimbocca, or pasta primavera for their main course. For dessert, there were a variety of pastries and desserts provided by Butternut Farm Golf Club, as well as wedding cake from Konditor Meister. The day was filled with laughter, tears, and a crazy dance party all the way until the very very end. Here are some photos that I took of the day!

It was such a fabulous day from the unbelievable weather to the fantastic families. Justin Scrothe from Lucent Weddings was their cinematographer (just wait until you see the highlight video!), and as mentioned above, Kelly Dillon of Kelly Dillon Photography was their professional photographer. Here's a little fun one of Kelly taking a portrait of the lovely couple:

Emily and Tal, it was so nice working with you both and I hope you had an unforgettable honeymoon in Aruba! I wish you both the very best in your marriage together.

~Emilie

Megan and Billy's Nantasket Beach Resort Wedding

2011-12-02T09:43:00.008-05:00

On Saturday, September 17th, I was the coordinator for Megan and Billy's beach themed wedding. In the morning, the bridal party got their hair done at AZ Studio and Spa, and makeup at Beauty and Main in Hingham. Afterwards, they finished getting ready at Nantasket Beach Resort, where the bridesmaids wore short navy dresses from Aria and the bride wore a gorgeous gown with a sweetheart neckline, paired with the most amazing sparkly blue peep toe Christian Louboutin heels. The bride carried a white and light pink bouquet filled with cymbidium orchids, roses, and callas. The bridesmaids bouquets were much brighter in corals, pinks, oranges, and purples. The bouquets and all other flowers for the wedding were created by one of my favorite florists in Boston, Jennifer Cahill of The Tangled Web.

The ceremony for 120 guests was held at The Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist in Hingham, MA. This church was built in 1919, and was one of the most unique churches I've ever seen with all of the beautiful dark wood. The bride and groom saw each other for the first time as Megan walked down the aisle with her father, and after the ceremony, guests greeted the newlyweds with lots of bubbles as they exited the church! Here is a fun shot of that from their photographer, Alicia Schneider of Alicia Schneider Photography.

Photo by Alicia Schneider Photography
The cocktail hour was held in the Nantasket Ballroom at Nantasket Beach Resort, where guests enjoyed an open bar with four signature drinks named after each traditional "something old, new, borrowed, and blue". Passed hors d'oeuvres included Swedish meatballs, coconut shrimp, mini beef wellington, Maryland style crab cakes, and scallops wrapped in bacon. There was also a fruit and cheese display as well as a nachos and cheese station for guests to munch on.

The reception was held in the Surf Ballroom, and guests picked up their escort cards from sand filled trays decorated with starfish and shells. Tables were adorned with white orchid centerpieces, sea glass candles, coral, and starfish. A lavender packet and a little tin of whale fish candy were set at each place setting as well. Dinner included New England clam chowder, a salad course, and entrée choices of filet mignon, seafood fra diavolo, or chicken saltimbocca. For dessert, Montilio's provided a variety of Italian pastries and a three tiered lemon orange wedding cake decorated with white chocolate shells and navy ribbon. In addition, speciality coffees such as cappuccinos, chai lattes, and frozen mochaccinos from Espresso Dave were served as an after dinner treat. One very special moment of the night was when the father of the bride surprised the couple with a touching slideshow of childhood photos of the couple. Sam from TSG Weddings was the DJ for the evening, and kept everyone dancing all night!

Megan and Billy, it was so nice working with you on this wedding and I hope that you had a wonderful time on your honeymoon in Bermuda!

~Emilie

Destination: Paris 11/23 - 11/29

2011-11-22T13:48:00.007-05:00

Photo sources here and here
I'm off to Paris tomorrow, and will return on Tuesday, November 29th! There are lots of museums and macarons planned in my trip, and I will finally be able to answer the very important question of... Who has better macarons? Pierre Hermé or Ladurée :) I will have limited internet access during my trip, and will return all inquiries and emails on November 29th.

~Emilie

Off for a weekend in San Francisco!

2011-11-10T17:15:00.005-05:00

After an incredible wedding season, my first mini-vacation this month starts tomorrow morning by flying to San Francisco! I'm looking forward to visiting friends, eating lots of great food, and possibly doing some oyster shucking over the weekend. I will respond to any inquiries or emails by Monday, November 14th!

~Emilie

Dylan's Hello Kitty Birthday Invitations

2011-11-03T13:41:00.004-04:00

This past August, I got an email from my cousin, Melissa, to see if I could design birthday invitations for her daughter's Hello Kitty themed 1st birthday. I was really excited to start the design and had the following requests from Melissa: square invitation, big Hello Kitty face, simple but pretty, pinks & purples, and some glitter additions. I played around with drawing Hello Kitty and thought that the best way to display any text would be to have Hello Kitty holding a purple ribbon banner with pink glittered hearts!

The invitation was digitally printed, with hand-glittered pink hearts and bow, mounted onto lavender metallic cardstock, and paired with square pink envelopes.

It's a simple invitation, but I think they turned out to be very cute!!

~Emilie

Michael & Tricia Films: Kim and Adam's Wedding Highlights Video!

2011-11-02T14:06:00.003-04:00

An example of when a wedding highlights video trumps an on-time dinner departure: A couple of nights ago, I told my husband to hurry and get dressed so we could meet his family for dinner. I was already set to go, so while I was waiting, I checked some new posts in my Google Reader and saw that Michael and Tricia Films posted a new film on their vimeo page... it was Kim & Adam's wedding highlights video!!

There was really no choice but to watch it right then and there, so I made my husband wait for me for 4 minutes, and the video was AMAZING. Kim and Adam were married at Spring Valley Country Club in August, and this video really shows how beautiful and fun their wedding was.

Kim + Adam's Wedding Trailer from Michael and Tricia Films on Vimeo.

I loved coordinating this wedding and could not have asked for a nicer couple, family, or group of vendors to work with. Michael and Tricia, you two do incredible work, and I am so excited for our weddings together next year!

~Emilie

Leslie and Matt's Oceanside Ipswich Wedding

2011-11-01T12:37:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, September 10th, I was the coordinator for Leslie and Matt's oceanside wedding on Ipswich's Little Neck. They both live in San Francisco and were long-distance planning for well over a year. The wedding was held in the backyard of three neighboring houses, and the water views were truly spectacular.

The bride had her hair and makeup done on-site and got ready with her seven bridesmaids. For the ceremony, there were 130 guests in attendance, with wild flowers in mason jars hung on shepherd hooks placed along the aisle. Following the ceremony, guests made their way to the cocktail hour area where they enjoyed fruit & cheese, vegetables & dip, mini bruschetta, mini crab cakes, and fried clams.

The reception tent had lights strung throughout the space, and the tables were topped with wild flowers in galvanized containers and L&M letters. All of the flowers for the wedding including bouquets were created by A Whole Bunch. Dinner started with a plated cranberry apple salad with walnuts and gorgonzola cheese, and a choice of New England clam chowder or vegetarian soup. Then, guests went through a buffet of cucumber salad, lobster rolls, grilled steak tips, scallops, marinated vegetables, and red bliss potatoes. It was quite a feast, with catering provided by Ipswich Clambake, and bartending by Premier Bartending. For dessert, La Cascia’s Bakery made a three tiered wedding cake along with 200 pastries such as mini fruit tarts and éclairs for guests to enjoy.

After dinner, everyone danced to music from The Po Boyz band until the early hours of the morning. This was actually the first wedding that I've ever coordinated where I really had no idea when it was going to end. I left around 1AM because the bride and groom said that the party might go until 4AM and they were all set to go =) The bride and groom flew out Sheila Garvey Photography from California to capture their wedding, but for now, here are some photos that I took!

Leslie and Matt, it was a pleasure working with you both on your wedding, and I hope you enjoyed your honeymoon to New Zealand and Tahiti!!

~Emilie

Maressa and Ben's Goethe-Institut Boston Wedding

2011-10-31T12:47:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, August 27th, I was the coordinator for Maressa and Ben's cocktail style wedding at the Goethe-Institut Boston. The bride got her hair styled at the Will Charles Salon on Newbury Street, and carried a simple bouquet of yellow calla lilies. This August weekend was the weekend of Hurricane Irene, and even though the ceremony and reception were both held indoors, the weather impacted travel plans to the Boston area, and unfortunately a few people out of an intimate 75 person guest count could not make it. But, after hearing about other weddings that had to be completely cancelled due to power outages or mandatory evacuations, I think we were pretty lucky!

As guests walked in for the ceremony, they were greeted with Prosecco and sparking water. The bride and groom really wanted people to feel like they were part of a cocktail party even before the ceremony started! The groom's sister officiated the ceremony, and it was short and sweet. A pianist and bassist filled the room with jazz music as hors d'oeuvres were passed and the bar opened with beer, wine, and two signature drinks: the Old Fashioned & the Gimlet. There was also a delicious raw bar for guests that included a selection of New England Oysters and shrimp.

For dinner, the cocktail style reception continued with small plates that were served on side tables: sake poached salmon, wild mushroom and fontina arancini, summer salad, and cormal crusted snapper on a spicy corn and pineapple salsa. All of the food was catered by MAX Ultimate Food, including the wedding cake, which was a yellow cake with chocolate fudge frosting, served with fresh berries.

Not having a sit-down dinner with seating for everyone really make it great for guests to be able to mingle with each other, and work their way around the room. There were lots of high and low cocktail tables in the room covered with grey dupioni and pearl grey bengaline linens. Each table was topped with candles and yellow floral centerpieces that were created by the bride's mother.

Toasts were announced by just a simple clinking of a glass, and instead of a DJ or band for dancing in the evening, the bride & groom pre-selected songs on an ipod to play. It was officially my first ipod wedding, and it worked out great! Jen Ing of Jen Ing photography was their wedding photographer, and here are some photos that I took of the night.

Maressa and Ben, it was so nice to get to know you both through the planning process, and I hope you had an amazing honeymoon in Italy!!

~Emilie

Kelli and Nick's Engagement Photos by Armor & Martel

2011-10-28T10:35:00.000-04:00

I can't think of a better way to end a fantastic wedding season than with Kelli and Nick's wedding. They are an incredibly gorgeous and sweet couple, who have really been a dream to work with. Kelli and Nick are getting married at the State Room tomorrow and will celebrate with a reception for over 230 of their friends & family! I thought that it would be great to share some photos from their engagement session with Chris Martel of Armor & Martel to give you a little preview of the couple.

Photos by Armor & Martel
Thanks so much, Chris, for sharing these lovely photos!

~Emilie

Featured in Brides Boston Fall/Winter 2011 Magazine

2011-10-27T10:33:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited that one of the weddings that I coordinated earlier this year was featured in the latest issue of Brides Boston Magazine! Amy and David's Thompson Island wedding was the first of four in the Real Weddings section, on pages 102-103, and they also had a huge photo on page 5 of the Contents section. The gorgeous photos on these pages were all taken by Michelle Turner Photography.

Congratulations on this feature, Amy & David!

~Emilie

Elizabeth and Michael's Engagement Photos by Meredith Perdue

2011-10-07T13:27:00.004-04:00

Sunday is forecasted to have absolutely gorgeous sunny weather with a high of 84 degrees, and on this beautiful day, Elizabeth and Michael will be getting married at the chapel at Wellesley College, followed by a reception at the Wellesley College Club. Their fabulous photographer, Meredith Perdue, took the following engagement photos of the couple in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Meredith again this weekend!

Photos by Meredith Perdue
Dogs seem to be a trend in my client's engagement sessions!! Thanks so much for sharing these photos, Meredith!

~Emilie

Emily and Tal's Engagement Photos by Kelly Dillon Photography

2011-10-03T13:35:00.003-04:00

This upcoming Saturday, Emily and Tal are getting married at Butternut Farm Golf Club in Stow, MA! I am so excited for their big day, especially because I know that it will be beautifully captured by Kelly Dillon of Kelly Dillon Photography! Her photos are oh-so gorgeous and here are a few photos from her engagement session with the couple.

Photos by Kelly Dillon Photography
Thank you, Kelly, for sharing these photos!! I'm really looking forward to Saturday!

~Emilie

Kelley and Jarred's Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center Wedding

2011-09-29T12:20:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, August 21st, I had the pleasure of being the coordinator for Kelley and Jarred's wedding at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center. The bride and her bridesmaids got ready a few blocks away at Hotel Marlowe, with hair and makeup by Sarah Bortner. The bride wore a gorgeous ruffled Melissa Sweet gown, and carried a bouquet of garden roses in shades of pink with accents of mint. The bridesmaids wore short navy blue J.Crew dresses and carried bouquets similar to the bride, but in lighter shades of pink.

The bride & groom decided to do a first look at the venue prior to the ceremony, which was followed by a Ketubah signing ceremony with immediate family. Due to a high chance of rain and passing showers, we set the wedding ceremony indoors inside of the theatre. Gold chiavari chairs were set for 130 guests and Petalena, who created all of the florals for the day, created a beautiful gold bamboo chuppah with sheer organza fabric at the front.

Following the ceremony, there was a cocktail hour held in the Upper Gallery. Guests enjoyed an open bar along with passed hors d'oeuvres such as mini portabella mushroom burgers, poutine, and grilled cheese with a spicy tomato dipping sauce. The bride and groom took a few more portraits together during cocktail hour, and I just had to share a little preview of the gorgeous couple from their photographer, John LoConte of John Lo Photography.

Photo by John Lo Photography
The main theatre was transformed into an elegant reception after the ceremony, with gold chiavari chairs surrounding tables with sea foam green linens, and lush floral centerpieces in mercury glass, milk glass, and silver antique tea containers from Petalena. Guests found their names on an escort chart with hanging keys, and packaged cookie favors were set at each place setting. Colorful pennant flags were hung in strands on the wall and pinned into the front of the sweetheart table along with an antique lace runner from the bride.

Guests enjoyed food prepared by Wildflour Catering, which included a mesclun green salad with fresh berries and raspberry vinaigrette, and a choice of chicken or grilled salmon for an entree. The wedding cake was served as dessert and included red velvet, carrot, and key lime custard flavors. Ari of Beat Train Productions provided music for the evening, and one of the craziest things that I've ever seen at a wedding happened during the hora dance immediately after dinner.

Everyone participated in the hora by dancing in large circles, the bride & groom were hoisted in the air on chairs, then parents were hoisted on chairs, and more dancing... then I notice that the middle group of the dancing circle isn't really moving anymore, and then all of a sudden, I see the groom literally flying in the air and then he drops to the ground... and then he is flying through the air again way over guests' heads and drops to the ground. Some guys had taken a linen off of one of the high top tables in the cocktail hour area and used it like a giant trampoline bed to hoist the groom up in the air over and over and over again. I was so afraid that the linen would rip or someone would lose a side and the groom would crash hard on the floors head first! But, who would I be to stop the fun and possibly distract one of the linen holders, so I just had my back against the wall and a hand over my mouth to cover the look of fear & shock on my face... After around seven times in the air, it was finally over and one of the guys came up to me with the linen in his hands and a huge smile on his face and said "here you go, sorry we borrowed a linen!" I just said "I'm just glad you didn't drop him!" and that was the start of a very fun evening!

Kelley and Jarred, it was a pleasure working with you both and I hope you had an amazing honeymoon in Paris!!

~Emilie

Megan and Billy's Engagement Photos by Alicia Schneider Photography

2011-09-15T13:18:00.003-04:00

This Saturday, I'm so excited to be coordinating Megan and Billy's wedding at Nantasket Beach Resort in Hull, Massachusetts. It's such a beautiful spot right along the beach, and they are going to take the beach into their reception venue with starfish, sand, and sea glass as components of their decor. To give you a small preview of the couple, I thought I would share some of their engagement photos taken this past winter by Alicia Schneider Photography.

Photos by Alicia Schneider Photography
~Emilie

Michael & Tricia Films: Kim and Adam's Wedding Trailer

2011-09-07T16:00:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week, I received an email from Michael of Michael and Tricia Films with a link to the wedding trailer for Kim and Adam's August 6th wedding at Spring Valley Country Club. It's a very short and sweet trailer that shows how in love and how gorgeous this couple is!! I can't wait to see the longer highlights video!

Kim + Adam's Wedding Trailer from Michael and Tricia Films on Vimeo.

Michael, you were incredible to work with on the wedding day and thank you so much for sharing your work!!

~Emilie

David and Justin's Lenox Hotel Wedding

2011-09-06T11:02:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, August 20th, I had the honor of coordinating David & Justin's wedding at the Lenox Hotel. This was my second ever same-sex wedding, and let me just say that there was just an overwhelming feeling of joy at this wedding that I don't think I've ever seen or felt before. The reaction from their friends and family during many points of the day was incredibly moving and brought many guests to tears. Just as an example, when David and Justin were introduced into the reception, guests were making as much noise as they possibly could (clapping, yelling, screaming, you name it!) and this went on for quite a while as the couple just soaked everything in and cried happy tears on the dance floor. I'm so excited to be writing this post!

The day started off with the two grooms enjoying a three hour massage together at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Boston. If only every wedding couple could start their wedding day with pure relaxation like this!! Then they joined their four groomsmen and nine groomsmaids in a suite at the Lenox Hotel for lunch and got ready for formal portraits before the ceremony with their photographer, Kelly Griffith of Closed Circle Photography.

The ceremony for 76 guests was held at in the Dome Room at the Lenox Hotel, and was set beautifully with walnut chiavari chairs and white draping from Rentals Unlimited. Warm amber uplights were placed around the room from Groove Entertainment, and alternating green and blue square petal envelope programs were placed on the chairs. The aisle was covered with a navy blue lamour runner, with 10 giant hurricane vases with ivory candles lining the aisle along with yellow rose petals and violet orchid flowers from Orchids N' Blooms, who created all of the flower arrangements for the wedding day.

The Amherst String Ensemble played "Claire de Lune" by Debussy for the last part of the processional where Justin came in with his mother, and then after they made it to the front, the doors re-opened and David came in with his mother. It was one of those moments where everyone watching held their breath... loved it.

After the ceremony, guests walked across the hall to the Heritage Room for cocktail hour. There was a framed guestbook tree where guests signed a leaf and stuck the leaf on a tree branch in addition to many old wedding photos of generations past, and two large canvas prints of the couple's engagement photos. Along with an open bar of beer, wine, and "Bostonian" signature drinks, there was a stationary artisan cheese display as well as passed hors d'oeuvres such as vegetable spring rolls and mini crab cakes with an orange-chipotle aioli.

Guests found their table assignments on an escort chart propped on a bed of wheat grass in the foyer as they made their way back into the Dome Room for the reception. Navy blue pintuck ruffle linens and lemon bengaline napkins adorned the tables along with gorgeous centerpieces from Orchids N' Blooms. Tables were named after places in Boston like The Esplanade and Beacon Hill, and there was a mini jar of wild blueberry Stonewall Kitchen jam as the favor at each place setting. The entire room looked spectacular with tons of candles and deep violet uplighting along the walls and the columns.

For dinner, the starter was an oak leaf lettuce salad with warm hazelnut crusted goat cheese, pecans, red grapes, and balsamic vinaigrette. It was then followed by a choice of three entrées: filet mignon with garlic whipped potatoes and green beans, vegetable risotto, or roasted statler chicken breast with tarragon and roasted tomato veloute and roasted fingerling potatoes with rosemary and olive oil. For dessert, there was a wedding cake from The Icing On The Cake with chocolate covered strawberries on the side, as well as a milk & cookies bar with cookies baked by one of the groomsmaids.

Going back to the wedding cake, the cake cutting was definitely interesting! The grooms cut a slice of the cake together and once it was on the plate, David cut the slice perfectly in half... (my thought was, hmm.. that's a rather large piece to eat) then he placed the knife down, and in the next second, each of them grabbed a half and totally smashed chocolate cake in each other's faces! It by far was the best cake smashing of all of my couples =) Guests danced the night away with music by DJ Deja, and here are some photos that I took of the day!

David and Justin, you two are truly one of the sweetest couples that I've ever known and I'm so grateful to have had the chance to work with you both. You were surrounded by so much love on your wedding day!! I wish you both the very best in your marriage together and hope you had an amazing honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta.

~Emilie

Anne and Justin's Fairmont Battery Wharf Hotel Wedding

2011-09-01T10:35:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, August 13th, I was the coordinator for Anne and Justin's wedding at the Fairmont Battery Wharf Hotel. This modern hotel is right along the water, and the bride and groom got ready here as well. The bride had her hair and makeup done by Caitlin Murphy, and wore an elegant dress by Mikaella Bridal of Paloma Blanca with a romantic chiffon bow on the back of the dress. The hand-tied bridal bouquet was made of white mini calla lilies and freesia on a bed of green hydrangea.

The ceremony for 45 guests was held in the Old North Skylight Room. It was set with Chiavari chairs and had two large arrangements in the front made of large white calla lilies. Justin saw Anne for the first time on their wedding day as Anne and her father descended down the staircase and down the aisle for the processional.

Following the ceremony, cocktail hour was held in the Old North Foyer, with an organic rainbow crudités platter as well as a variety of passed hors d'oeuvres such as mini grilled cheese and roast tomato soup, bacon wrapped scallops with a Vermont maple glaze, and blue crab in lettuce cups with lemon and aioli.

The Old North Skylight Room was transformed into the reception space during cocktail hour, and the tables were set with Frette charcoal linens, and beautiful low floral centerpieces. All florals for the day were created by Jeri Solomon Floral Design. For dinner, guests were treated to a delicious buffet that included caesar salad, crabcake station, risotto station, Jamaican jerk chicken with mango salsa, New York strip loin with caramelized cabernet soubise, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus. For dessert, there was a gorgeous wedding cake from Jenny's Wedding Cakes. This three tiered square cake was covered in fondant with sugared white roses as accents, and had two flavors: key lime coconut and pistachio buttercream.

Music was provided by Ari of Beat Train Productions, and the professional photographer for the day was Edson Dias of Dias Photography. Pro photos will be coming a bit later, but for now, here are some that I took!

Justin and Anne, it was so nice working with you both, and I hope you had an amazing honeymoon in Tahiti!!

~Emilie

Jen & Joel's Barn at Gibbet Hill Wedding Featured on Style Me Pretty

2011-08-24T11:19:00.005-04:00

Happy to share that Jen & Joel's May 2011 wedding is featured on Style Me Pretty today! They got married at The Barn at Gibbet Hill, and Shang Chen of Shang Chen Photography captured their day beautifully.

Photo from Style Me Pretty
Check out all of the details of the feature here!

~Emilie

Kim and Adam's Spring Valley Country Club Wedding

2011-08-23T17:12:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, August 6th, I had the honor of being Kim and Adam's wedding coordinator. Kim actually contacted me at the end of 2009, so I have been waiting for their wedding day for quite a while!

The bride and her five bridesmaids got ready at Kim's family home in Sherborn, with hair and makeup done by Special Event Beauty. The bridesmaids all wore matching strapless dresses and carried bouquets of white calla lilies. The bride wore a beaded white gown with a sweetheart neckline, and carried a bouquet of green hydrangea, white & purple callas, soft orange roses, and yellow cymbidium orchids. The groom and his nine groomsmen got ready at Courtyard Marriott Norwood, and traveled by a party bus from Black Tie Limo to Kim's family home.

Kim and Adam decided to do their first look at the house, and photographers, Melissa & Kjeld from Kjeld Mahoney Photography captured this special moment, as well as videographers, Michael & Tricia from Michael and Tricia Films.

Afterwards, everyone traveled to Chestnut Hill for the wedding ceremony at St. Ignatius on the Boston College campus, where Kim & Adam went to college together. Since there ceremony location was approximately 30 minutes away from the reception site, the couple decided to offer three coach buses from Local Motion as transportation from two hotels in Norwood, to both the ceremony and reception venues. In addition to the party bus for the wedding party, there was also a white stretch limo and towne car for the parents. Lots of vehicles to coordinate! =)

Following the ceremony, guests were driven to Spring Valley Country Club for a cocktail hour and reception. Cocktail hour was held in the lobby area as well as the outdoor patio, complete with fire pits, tiki touches, and cabanas. A sangria cart was available, as well as a full open bar and a pear mojito as their signature drink. In addition, there was a cheese & fruit station, silders & chips station, and vegetable crudité station along with passed hors d'oeuvres: vegetable spring rolls, scallops wrapped in bacon, baby lamp chops, shrimp cocktail, bruschetta, and Jamaican jerk chicken. Cards for the couple were put into a very cute mail box, and there were old wedding photos of generations past as well as memorial candles displayed on the piano.

The reception in the dining room had so many gorgeous details: hanging chandeliers, purple uplighting, Chiavari chairs from Rentals Unlimited, and stunning floral centerpieces from The Tangled Web. All of the stationery was created by the bride such as menu cards, donation cards, and also table numbers which were framed photos of Kim & Adam at the age that matched the table number!

For dinner, guests enjoyed a plated baby spinach salad with candied walnuts, gorgonzola chese, crisp Asian pears, and dried cranberries tossed in a sherry vinaigrette, followed by a choice of four entrées: goat cheese, spinach, & sun dried tomato filled chicken breast, grilled beef tenderloin, pistachio crusted Chilean sea bass, or walnut brown butter ravioli. For dessert, the groom's aunt made one of the most spectacular wedding cakes I've ever seen. It was a seven tiered cake that was covered in beautiful fondant flowers, pearls, and swirls. Also, there was a very impressive cookie bar which covered nearly 25 feet of tables - all homemade by the couple's friends & family, along with little takeout bags available if they wanted to save some for later!

The dance floor was packed all night with music by band, Eye 2 Eye, and if guests weren't dancing, they were probably enjoying the cigar bar out on the patio, which was Kim's surprise to Adam because he loves cigars! Photos and a highlights video will be coming a bit later, but for now, here are some photos that I took.

Kim and Adam, it was such a perfect day and I hope you are enjoying married life!! I loved working with you both and wish you the very best.

~Emilie

Rose and Joe's Codman Estate Wedding

2011-08-22T11:02:00.002-04:00

On Sunday, July 31st, I was the coordinator for Rose and Joe's wedding at the Codman Estate in Lincoln, MA. Back in 2009, I coordinated Rose's sister Hilary's wedding, and it was so nice to be able to work with the bride's family again!

Rose and her bridesmaids got ready at the Aloft Lexington Hotel, with hair done by James Whittier from Dellaria and makeup by Kimberly Fosher. The bride chose to wear a stunning gold dress instead of a traditional white gown and carried a cascading bouquet of white flowers.

Guests gathered in the Codman Estate Italian Garden for the ceremony, and it was definitely a very picturesque backdrop, with a pool of lily pad covered water down the middle. The ceremony programs and all of the other stationery for the wedding were created and designed by the bride. Following the ceremony, 120 guests made their way over to the Carriage House for the tented reception, with florals provided by Jen from The Tangled Web.

The bride & groom decided to have an afternoon brunch wedding catered by East Meets West, and guests absolutely loved the food. They started out with passed hors d'oeuvres of vegetarian stuffed mushrooms, feta and watermelon skewers with fresh mint, potato pancakes with caramelized apple chutney, and dill crepes with smoked salmon and asparagus. Then there was a plated tropical fresh fruit salad drizzled with a honey-lime dressing, followed by a brunch buffet that included items like brioche French toast served with berries, spiral cut honey glazed and orange zested ham, along with many types of homemade egg frittatas.

Instead of offering alcohol, they instead had fresh squeezed orange juice, ginger lime iced tea, homemade lemonade, and a full espresso bar from Espresso Dave, which included hot and iced espresso, cappuccino, cafe latte, chai tea, and frozen white chocolate mochaccino. If that wasn't enough, there were little extras to add on to the drinks like fresh ground cocoa, crystallized sugar sticks, chocolate shavings, cinnamons sticks, and whipped cream. Yum!!

For dessert, there were French macarons from L.A. Burdick, raspberry & orange sorbet from Christina's, and assorted pastries from Canto 6. Music was provided by DJ Ed, and the professiona l photographer for the wedding day was Jamison Wexler. Pro photos will be coming a bit later, but for now, here are some pictures that I took!

Rose and Joe, it was so nice to work with you both and I wish you all the best in your marriage together!

~Emilie

David and Justin's Engagement Photos by Closed Circle Photography

2011-08-19T11:23:00.005-04:00

David and Justin are getting married tomorrow at the Lenox Hotel, and I am so thrilled that they are the second same-sex couple for Pink Orchid Weddings! They really are one of the cutest couples I have ever worked with, and I just had to share some of their engagement photos, taken by Kelly Griffith of Closed Circle Photography.

Photos by Closed Circle Photography
~Emilie

Jason and Richard's King Hooper Mansion Wedding

2011-08-12T18:10:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, July 23, I had the honor of being the coordinator for Jason and Richard's wedding. Their wedding was the first ever same-sex wedding for Pink Orchid Weddings, and I could not have been happier to have been a part of their special day!

Jason got ready at his parents' home in Swampscott, while Richard got ready at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Boston. The two grooms traveled by black escalades to the ceremony, while guests rode in a shuttle bus provided by Able Limousine.

The ceremony was held at Chandler Hovey Park in Marblehead, which is right next to the Marblehead Lighthouse. The views of the water are amazing, and we used that as the backdrop for the ceremony, with garden chairs set out for all of the guests. Reserved signs were tied onto the chairs with silver satin ribbon, and ceremony decor included two large hydrangea arrangements on pedestals and a bed of rose petals for the grooms to stand on. All floral arrangements for the entire wedding day were created by Flowers by Darlene at North Shore Fruit Basket. Ceremony music was provided by a string quartet and vocalist from Music Management, and the first time that Jason and Richard saw each other on the wedding day was when Jason walked down the aisle with his parents to "Heavenly Day".

After the ceremony, there were some portraits taken next to the lighthouse, and then guests traveled over to the reception venue, King Hooper Mansion. The cocktail hour was held in the King Hooper Garden, where guests enjoyed passed hors d'ouevres and a raw bar. Then, guests made their way into the mansion to the third floor for the reception. Large white hydrangea centerpieces adorned the tables, along with fruitwood Chiavari chairs, and pewter pintuck linens. Catering was provided by East Meets West, and dinner included a salad course of seasonal greens, followed by an amazing entrée of poached lobster tail and filet mignon. The dessert course was a delicious Boston Cream Pie from D'Amici's Bakery. Live music for the evening was provided by the same quartet from the ceremony from Music Management, as well as a pianist. Photos will be coming later from their professional photographer, Will Tangorra from William Tangorra Photography, but for now, here are some photos that I took!

It was a truly a pleasure working with both of you on your wedding and I hope you had an wonderful honeymoon in Sweden and Greece!!

~Emilie

Catherine and Ian's Boston College Club Wedding

2011-08-08T10:33:00.010-04:00

On Saturday, July 16th, I was the coordinator for Catherine and Ian's wedding. I actually met Catherine when she was a bridesmaid in another wedding I coordinated last September, and my former bride (hi martha!) was now a bridesmaid in Catherine's wedding! The girls got ready at the Hilton Boston Financial District Hotel, and had their hair and makeup done by Caitlin Murphy, who always makes everyone look stunning! The bride wore a beautiful and modern trumpet style Amy Kuschel "origami" gown, and carried a bright bouquet in varying shades of pink and purple. The bridesmaids all wore different gray colored dresses of their choosing, and carried pink floral bouquets.

The ceremony for 140 guests was held at Boston University's Marsh Chapel, and classical music was performed by a violin and cello duo from Azaela Chamber Music. Catherine and Ian saw each other for the first time on the wedding day as Catherine walked down the aisle with her father.

The cocktail hour and reception were both held at the Boston College Club in downtown Boston. This event facility has amazing floor-to-ceiling views of Boston and the Charles River. In addition to the view, guests were treated to lots of delicious passed hors d'oeuvres such as salmon tartar with cilantro and lime, mini lobster salad rolls, and scallops wrapped in bacon. Childhood photos of the bride and groom adorned the cocktail tables, and paper cranes folded by the bride and groom (yes, I actually said the groom - and he folded most of them!!) were the escort cards. Instead of a traditional guestbook, guests wrote notes on little cards that had either a heart, love, congratulations, or best wishes on the top, and then placed them in mini envelopes that were already pre-attached to the guestbook, and sealed the envelopes with a sticker.

Near the end of cocktail hour in the Grille Room, the bride and groom participated in a traditional Korean tea ceremony, also known as a Paebaek Ceremony. This is a ceremony in which they bow deeply to parents and relatives, in addition to receiving words of wisdom as well as catching dates & chestnuts, symbolizing how many girls or boys they will have in the future. I saw a couple of sneak peek photos from their wedding photographer, Lisa Rigby, showing parts of the ceremony and I can't resist showing you!

Photos from Lisa Rigby Photography
The reception was held in the Harbor Dining Room, with centerpieces of pillar candles and florals by John LaRoche of blueGuava. After the introduction of the bride and groom, they went directly into their first dance, "Such Great Heights" by Iron and Wine. Guests enjoyed a four course dinner which included an appetizer of assorted mushroom bruschetta, a classic caesar salad, entrée choices of grilled tenderloin of beef, roasted salmon, or vegetable risotto, and wedding cake for dessert. The three tiered wedding cake from Enchanted Wedding Cakes was decorated to match the origami pleats on the bride's gown, and had two flavors: chocolate chip cake with cappuccino filling, and yellow cake with vanilla filling.

After dinner, guests were surprised with a photobooth from ShutterBooth Boston, and used lots of fun props for their photos like fake mustaches! Flip flop baskets were placed out on the side of the dance floor and many guests definitely took advantage and threw off their high heels. DJ Nato of White Label DJs kept guests dancing all night long, and literally at one point, Nate and I both wondered if the floor was going to strong enough to support 140 jumping people =) It was a great party, and at the end of the night, guests took home edible Korean treats: Mochi (sweet bean rice cake) and Hwa Gwa Ja (sweet bean cake).

The videographers for the wedding day were two friends that they flew up from Alabama, Paul & Justin. The professional photographer is definitely one of my favorites in Boston, Lisa Rigby of Lisa Rigby Photography. More pro photos will be coming later, but for now, here are some photos that I took!

Catherine and Ian, you were so fun to work with and I hope you come visit Boston again soon!! I hope you had an incredible honeymoon in Cabo, and I wish you both the very best in your marriage.

~Emilie

Patty & Nate's Four Season Boston Wedding Featured on Style Me Pretty!

2011-08-04T10:18:00.006-04:00

Oh, how I swoon over weddings on Style Me Pretty! So happy to share that Patty & Nate's elegant Four Seasons Boston wedding is featured today, with gorgeous photos by Kate McElwee Photography.

Photo from Style Me Pretty
This stunning wedding was coordinated by Fiona, and if you're interested in a full recap of details, you can find them here!

~Emilie

Donnaree + Chris Featured on Beantown Bride!

2011-08-03T17:44:00.008-04:00

It has been a busy busy wedding season so far, so I apologize for the lack of blog posts! I have some incredible July weddings to recap, including my first same-sex wedding, but for now I just wanted to share that one of my favorite wedding blogs, Beantown Bride, featured Donnaree and Chris's wedding today! It was such a fun and colorful wedding at The Villa, and the beautiful photos were taken by Melissa DeSchamp Photography.

Photo from Beantown Bride~Emilie

A Fourth of July Party in Marblehead

2011-07-14T14:46:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, Brittany Blando of Beantown Bride and BKB Photography asked if I could design and create some table cards for a fourth of July party that she was throwing at her residence in Marblehead. I put together table names, and signs for the flip flop basket, cigar bar, and self service drink bar all with a silver metallic backing and some fun fireworks graphics. Here are the professional photos from the event!!

Photos by BKB Photography{vendors}

• Photography: © BKB Photography
• Styled by: Brittany Blando
• Farm Tables: New England Country Rentals
• Chalkboard Table, Cocktail Tables & Linens: Be Our Guest Rentals
• Table Cards: Pink Orchid Weddings
• Paper Products: Etsy
• Lighting: Creative Uplighting
• Flowers: The Flower House
• Catering: Blue Ribbon BBQ
• Music: Siman Entertainment

Rachel and John's Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center Wedding!

2011-06-29T17:20:00.008-04:00

Last Saturday, I was the coordinator for Rachel and John's wedding at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center. It was one of those days where it was cloudy all day and it looked like it could rain at any moment. We were all keeping tabs on the weather channel on our phones and the doppler radar to see where the green highlighted areas were indicating thunderstorms. The venue had a really gorgeous outdoor courtyard area and if we could hold off the rain, I know Rachel and John would prefer doing the ceremony outdoors.

To try to delay making "the call" for inside vs. outside as long as possible, we actually set up the ceremony both indoors and outdoors, and so in the case of rain, we could quickly move people inside and we would still be prepared. I have no idea how I get so lucky on wedding days, but literally as guests were arriving, the clouds parted and the sun was shining for the first time all day, just in time for the 5:30pm ceremony. This late afternoon sun lasted all the way through portraits and we really could not have asked for better weather!!

The wedding party arrived in a limo from Carey Limousine after getting ready at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. Four bridesmaids were in strapless turquoise dresses and all carried bouquets of white peonies and roses. The bride wore a modern one shoulder dress and carried a bouquet of all white peonies. All of the personal flowers as well as ceremony and reception arrangements were provided by Tamara Reid Designs.

The bride and groom saw each other for the first time on the wedding day as Rachel walked down the aisle with her father. The North Shore String Quartet played classical music for their ceremony, and it was officiated by Robin McCree. Immediately after the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktail hour inside of the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center upper gallery. Capers Catering provided the food and setup for the wedding, and guests enjoyed mini lobster rolls, corn and crab fritters, shaved tenderloin in a baby popover, and fresh springrolls.

At the start of the reception in the theater, Rachel and John made a dramatic entrance for their introduction from the balcony in the room and walked down the stairs right into their first dance. The room was stunning, with blue uplighting provided by Beat Train Productions, white Chiavari chairs and celadon linens from Be Our Guest, and tall floral centerpieces made of white dendrobium orchids. Guests enjoyed a plated dinner starting with salad, then choice of pan seared salmon, grilled beef tenderloin, or lemon risotto for an entrée. For dessert, Cakes for Occasions provided the wedding cake which was a vanilla cake with strawberries.

Guests danced to music from Brick Park, and the professional photographers on the wedding day were Peter and Lauren from Monin Photography. Photos from them will be coming later, but for now, here are some that I took!

Rachel and John, I wish you the very best in your married life together!!

~Emilie

Sarah and Tommy's Four Seasons Boston Wedding!

2011-06-24T11:20:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday, I was the coordinator for Sarah and Tommy's wedding at The Four Seasons Hotel in Boston. They are so cute together, and they actually met in the 7th grade and starting dating their junior year of high school! Not only was their wedding a celebration for their 187 guests, but there were also 1.5 million Bruins fans that came into town that same day for the parade! Since no one could predict that the Bruins would win the Stanley Cup, we only had two days notice for the parade, and of course, we were right ON the parade route! Overall, the driving traffic was actually less than a normal Saturday because no one drove into town, and it even made things extra fun in the morning because Sarah's Four Seasons Hotel suite had five windows that all had amazing views of the crowd and parade. All of the girls getting hair and makeup done had front row seats to the big event, and a few of the girls even spotted the groom in the crowd below. I couldn't help but snap a few photos =)

It was definitely a fun way to start the day! The bride and bridal party all got their hair and makeup done by Michelle DeVoe and her team from Demiche Beaute'. The bride's Monique Lhuillier dress was absolutely stunning with intricate applique flowers and beading on the top. The bride also wore shimmering gold Badgley Mischka shoes, and a cathedral length veil. The bridesmaids wore knee-length fuchsia Lazaro dresses, and carried bouquets of beautiful pale pink peonies.

Sarah and Tommy opted to do a first look on the grand staircase with their photographer, Kate Femino of k.Photographie. Afterwards, they went to the Boston Public Garden for some portraits with the entire wedding party. This way, they could take a lot of photos prior to the ceremony so they could enjoy the cocktail hour with their guests later on.

The ceremony was held in the Governor's Ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel, and their talented florist, Lotus Designs, decorated the room with four large pedestals with gorgeous peonies and cherry blossoms, and rose petals along the aisle. The ceremony was officated by Beverly Cook, and classical ceremony music from a trumpet, violin, and cello trio was provided by Occasional Brass & Strings. Immediately after the ceremony, the bride and groom changed into hanbok, and returned for a traditional Korean tea ceremony. They bowed to several members of their families and even had to catch dates and chestnuts thrown from the honorees. Dates represent girls and chestnuts represent boys, so however many were thrown and caught are supposed to symbolize how many children they will have in the future.

During cocktail hour right outside of the Grand Ballroom, guests enjoyed a martini bar, hors d'oeuvres such as truffled fontina risotto balls, sesame chicken, cocktail shrimp, as well as dumplings served from two traveling carts. There were two guestbooks to sign, one of which was a traditional Chinese red silk cloth and the other was a book of their engagement photos taken by k.Photographie.

The reception in the Grand Ballroom was absolutely gorgeous, with candles and stunning florals of hydrangea, peonies, and phalaenopsis orchids from Lotus Designs, gold Chiavari ballroom chairs from Tommy Wholesale, and cream triple pintuck linens from Table Toppers of Newton. Guests were treated to summer trio starter, with a bristol style crab cake, salad, and gazpacho soup, followed by an entrée of either grilled filet mignon or herb and potato crusted halibut.

Then, how about a little bit a dessert? Or in this case, a LOT of incredible desserts starting off with a four tiered wedding cake from Montilio's made of two different flavors: the top three layers were vanilla sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberries and the bottom layer was white cake with ricotta chips and coffee. Then there was the dessert bar which included chocolate dipped strawberries, miniature strawberry and vanilla bean crème brûlées, miniature cream puffs with chocolate drizzle, mini whoopie pies, strawberry shortcakes, and chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries. Oh, did I mention the "make your own sundaes" station with your choice of chocolate, strawberry, of vanilla ice cream with 11 different toppings to choose from? It was incredible and guests LOVED it.

The dance floor was packed all night with music from Brick Park, and the bride and groom changed into a traditional Chinese qipao and jacket for a portion of the evening. If all of the desserts earlier weren't enough, minature chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies were passed on the dance floor later in the evening. On the way out of the ballroom, guests picked up favors to bring home, which were little Korean wedding duck magnets. Photos from k.Photographie will be coming a bit later, but for now, here are some photos that I took!

It was an incredible wedding, with so many amazing details. A special thanks to Philip and Aaron at the Four Seasons for being so accommodating, as well as my assistant, Alicia! Sarah and Tommy, I hope you are enjoying your honeymoon in Greece and Italy, and it was so much fun getting to know you through the planning process. Best wishes in your married life together!!

~Emilie

Sarah & Tommy's Engagement Photos by k.Photographie!

2011-06-15T17:40:00.006-04:00

Sarah and Tommy are getting married this upcoming Saturday at the gorgeous Four Seasons Hotel in Boston. These high school sweethearts have been together since junior year! As a little preview to the big day, I thought that I would share some of their engagement photos taken by Kate Femino of k.Photographie, who will also be photographing their wedding.

Photos by k.Photographie
To see more from this engagement session, head over to Kate's blog. I had a chance to work with Kate on a wedding back in 2009 and I'm excited to be able to work with her again!

~Emilie

Michael & Tricia Films: Donnaree and Chris's Wedding Highlights

2011-06-14T16:11:00.003-04:00

To engaged couples: if you're thinking about videography, but aren't sure if you really need it or not, definitely check out the highlights video below of Donnaree and Chris's wedding by Michael & Tricia Films. Simply stunning! I posted their wedding trailer a few weeks back, and I'm happy to be able to share a longer highlights video:

Love love love it =) It definitely brings me back to the wedding day and it's so fun to see the wedding from a different perspective.
Michael & Tricia - thank you for sharing!!

~Emilie

Boston Wedding Coordination: Carrie & Chris's Liberty Hotel Wedding!

2011-06-10T11:55:00.013-04:00

On Saturday, June 4th, I had the honor of coordinating Carrie and Chris's wedding!! Carrie is so sweet and an incredibly good-hearted person. It's hard to say that about a lot of people, but anyone will say that about my dear bride, Carrie!

Carrie and her bridal party got ready in a fabulous suite at The Liberty Hotel, with hair and makeup by Lypor Leong of Lypor Hair & Makeup Artisan. The bridesmaids wore blue dresses from Lela Rose, and the bride wore a beautiful strapless gown by Essense of Australia. All of the bouquets, boutonnieres, and a wristlet for the mother of the bride, as well as all of the other florals for the wedding were created by Nicole Pirani of Blooms of Hope. The wristlet for the mother of the bride was so unique because there were pearl bracelets used instead of just an elastic band. Also, I loved how Nicole incorporated photos of the bride's grandparents in lockets so that Carrie could have them with her throughout the entire day. Not only is Nicole's work stunning, but her company, Blooms of Hope, also donates 50% of their profits to charity.

The wedding ceremony for 100 guests was held at Our Lady of Victories Church. There were flowers that adorned the pews as well as two large altar arrangements. The bride, her parents, and her bridesmaids took a white stretch limo from LTI Worldwide Limousine from the hotel to the church, and afterwards, the newlyweds and their entire wedding party took the limo to Beacon Hill for some fun portraits with their photographers, Tara & Ben of Hitched Studios.

Cocktail hour was held in the 5th Floor Rotunda at The Liberty Hotel, and guests were greeted with the bride and groom's signature drink: a fig vodka martini! In addition to a full open bar, guests munched on passed hors d'oeuvres such as mini crab cakes, wild mushroom empanada with roasted tomato salsa, and coconut coated shrimp with sweet chili sauce.

The reception was held in the modern and chic Liberty Ballroom, and in addition to silver Chiavari chairs from Rentals Unlimited, there were beautiful low floral centerpieces, and little seed packet favors on the tables. For dinner, guests enjoyed three delicious courses. Salad: arugula with Vermont goat cheese, fried shallots, and sherry dijon vinaigrette. Entree: braised beef shortribs with half lobster tail and lobster mashed potatoes. Dessert: coconut panna cotta with fresh mango and limo shortbreads. In addition to all of that, there was also a wedding cake from Sweet Tooth Bakery. It was a three tier cake covered in little fondant flowers to match the couple's wedding invitation. Two layers were vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberries, and the middle layer was chocolate cake with chocolate ganache.

Guests danced throughout the entire reception to music by Superband. A really special moment was when the entire crowd gathered in a circle around the newlyweds singing along with the band to the very last song of the night, "Piano Man". Overall, it was an amazing wedding!! Photos from Tara & Ben of Hitched Studios will be coming later, but for now, here are some photos I took.

A special thanks to Kate & Elizabeth at the Liberty Hotel for being so nice to work with on the wedding day. Also, thank you to my assistant, Alicia, for being everywhere and anywhere that day with me!

Carrie and Chris, have a wonderful honeymoon in Europe next week!! I'm so jealous =) I wish you both the best in your married life together!!

~Emilie

Amy and David's Thompson Island Wedding

2011-06-06T16:40:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, May 29th, I was the coordinator for Amy and David's elegant wedding on Thompson Island. Yes, it's actually an island, and takes approximately 25 minutes via ferry to get to the island. This small fact proved to make everything a bit more challenging, but as their wedding coordinator, it was my job to make sure everything went smoothly! In addition to three vendor ferry rides over to the island, there was also a bigger boat chartered through Boston Harbor Cruises for all of the guests from the Long Wharf dock.

The bride, groom, and some of their close friends & family came to the island earlier in the day before the rest of the guests. The bride, her sister (who was also one of their officiants), and her niece got their hair and makeup done by Charlotte Phinney. Amy wore a gorgeous Monique Lhuillier gown and carried a white and green floral bouquet from Winston Flowers. The bride and groom decided to do a first look to maximize the amount of time they would spend with their guests later on, and it was captured by Michelle Turner Photography and also on video by Vera Ventura of Veracious Productions.

After guests arrived at the island, they walked along the dock to find photos of Amy and David attached to the railing, starting out as babies, and progressing through the years. A guitarist played music on the dock as guests walked by, and they also helped themselves to two different "hydration stations" where there was fruit flavored water: strawberry water, lemon & lime water, orange & mint water, and rosemary & cucumber water. There were also baskets of flip flops lined up by size available for guests to change into.

The ceremony area faced the water, and the chairs were perfectly under the shade of some large trees. Amy's sister and David's brother were the two officiants for the ceremony, and a few of the bride's cousins were the ceremony musicians. During the recessional, guests blew bubbles out of bubble tubes that the ushers passed out earlier in the day.

During cocktail hour, guests enjoyed drinks, appetizers, and games like cornhole and horseshoe. Afterwards, guests took a scenic path around the island to the North Lawn Pavilion, where the dining and dancing tents were. The dining tent was truly stunning. Fruitwood chiavari chairs from Peterson Party Center lined the rectangular dining tables. Winston Flowers decorated the tables with unique succulents and square glass vessels to hold the lobsters. CJC Event Lighting provided the uplighting in the tent along with the gobo texture projections of a leafy pattern on the ceiling. The amazing custom lantern chandeliers in both the dining tent and the dancing tent were created by Erik and Christen of Ryan Designs, who also provided the fire pit, custom lounge vignettes, driftwood tables, draping along the corners of the tent, luminaries & lanterns around the island lighting the walking paths, as well as some cool wooden signs to point guests in the right direction.

Guests enjoyed a dinner buffet of lobster, steamers, clam chowder, bbq chicken, ribs, and vegetable lasagna, all catered by Thompson Island. Following dinner and toasts, the newlyweds cut into a pie instead of a regular wedding cake, and a cute little pair of birds in a nest were placed on top of their wedding pie. To start the dancing portion of the night, Amy and David began their first dance in the dining tent, and then made their way into the dancing tent asking the guests to follow. Guests danced the night away with music by the band, Men in Black. Surrounding the dancing tent, there was a firepit with a basket of s'mores items, and two other picnic blanket areas with large lanterns and baskets of games. Photos from Michelle Turner Photography will be coming later, but for now, here are some photos that I took!

This was definitely one of those weddings where I'm so glad that it didn't rain! There were just too many fun elements that would have not happened if the weather did not cooperate.

So, a fun little fact about this wedding: a few weeks before the big day, David emailed me asking if I could help put together a small surprise for Amy for the room that they'd be staying in on their wedding night. Specifically: candles lit around the room, champagne on ice, and a few chocolate covered strawberries. Of course, I said no problem and I made some calls to Denise on Thompson Island to see what she could provide (champagne, champange glasses, and ice bucket), and also called in a favor to Ryan Designs (thanks, Christen!) for 10 extra votive candles since they were providing a bunch already for the wedding. The only thing left were the chocolate covered strawberries, so I made some at home the night before and brought them to the island on the wedding day, concealed with some wax paper in a little plastic container.

Now here's the funny part about the surprise. A week before the wedding during our walkthrough on the island, Amy pulled me aside and told me just as a heads up that she had asked some of her friends to decorate their wedding night room as a surprise for David! I said "that sounds great, thanks for letting me know!" not wanting to mention that David wanted to surprise her! So on the wedding day, Amy's friends and I collaborated and their decor (which was different than what David had requested) was just added onto what I provided and so both of them were surprised on the wedding night!

A special thanks to Fiona & Rachel for assisting me on the wedding day. Amy and David, it was wonderful getting to know you through the planning process. I wish you the very best in your married life together and I hope you had a wonderful mini-moon in Nantucket!

~Emilie

Jen and Joel's Wedding at The Barn at Gibbet Hill!

2011-06-03T15:42:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, May 21st, I had the pleasure of being the coordinator for Jen and Joel's wedding at The Barn at Gibbet Hill. The bridal party got their hair styled at Elite Hair Design & Day Spa, and then finished up with makeup in the bridal suite at the venue. The bridesmaids wore purple satin dresses and the bride wore a short tea length gown with purple heels!

This wedding was full of fun modern touches, with felt & button bouquets, hair pieces, and boutonnieres created by Miss Jennifer Rae on etsy, and a travel theme that was consistent throughout with their postcard guestbook, luggage tag escort card display, and destination table names.

The morning ceremony for 76 guests was held on the covered deck of The Barn at Gibbet Hill, and after a whole week of rain before Saturday, the wedding day itself was sunny and gorgeous, so the deck walls were all opened to the outside and guests had a fresh breeze during the ceremony. After the ceremony, guests took part in a large group photo, taken by Shang of Shang Chen Photography, and then afterwards when they returned to the deck, the room was already transformed for cocktail hour.

Later on, guests moved into the barn for the reception, where they enjoyed a plated salad of baby greens with fresh blueberries, goat cheese, toasted almonds and blueberry vinaigrette. Following the salad, there was a lunch buffet with pan seared chicken with mushrooms and shallots, cheese ravioli with roasted red pepper pesto, and an amazing shrimp and scallops station sautéed to order. The tables were covered with white striped linens, purple floral centerpieces from Spencer Florist, and the cutest little favors homemade by the bride: cupcakes in a jar! Jen actually baked these herself, added the frosting, and sealed each one with a personalized sticker, tiny fork, ribbon, & button!

After guests finished lunch, they had a wide selection of desserts to choose from: assorted cookies, brownies, mini pastries, and sliced fresh fruit on one side of the room, and a beautiful cupcake tower on the other side of the room. One of the bride's family friends, Kim Desy, baked all of the cupcakes, and just look at these mouth watering flavors:

*Orange Pineapple Cupcake w/Pineapple filling & Coconut Frosting
*Red Velvet Cupcake w/Cappuccino filling & Cream Cheese Frosting
*Almond Cupcake w/Coconut filling & Chocolate Mousse Frosting
*Coconut Cupcake w/Mango filling & Mango Frosting

Everyone had a great time, and Seth from Beat Train Productions was on hand to play the music for both the ceremony and the reception. Photos from Shang Chen Photography will be posted a bit later, for now, here are some that I took on the wedding day!

It was wonderful to finally get a chance to work with Shang Chen Photography. She actually had two second shooters, Joyce and Suzanna, with her as well, and when I saw them doing some fun wedding party shots on the lawn, I had to snap a quick photo. Here's a little behind the scenes shot of Shang (in the middle) giving some direction to the wedding party for a fun pose!

Jen and Joel, thank you for allowing me to be part of your special day!! You and your families were so kind and I hope you are enjoying your three week honeymoon in Greece!

~Emilie

An engagement photo of Carrie and Chris from Hitched Studios

2011-06-02T13:14:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited because I get to coordinate Carrie and Chris's wedding in TWO days!! They are getting married at the gorgeous Our Lady of Victories Church, and will have their reception at The Liberty Hotel. I won't give away too many details, but I wanted to share one of their engagement photos from Hitched Studios to give you a little preview of the couple!

Photo by Hitched Studios
Click here to check out more photos from their engagement session with Hitched Studios!

~Emilie

Patty and Nate's Four Seasons Hotel Wedding

2011-05-26T13:09:00.007-04:00

On Saturday, May 21st, I coordinated Nate and Patty's wedding at the Old South Church and Four Seasons Hotel in Boston. After literally 5 days of non-stop rain, I couldn't believe that the sun was out when I woke up that morning! We were blessed with gorgeous weather all day.

The day started with the bride and her bridesmaids at Four Seasons getting their hair and makeup done, by Jennifer Guerriero and Veronica Kim, respectively. The bride was radiant in her Augusta Jones gown, while the bridesmaids looked beautiful in their dark blue BCBG floor-length dresses. The bride's ivory bouquet was elegant and unique with two small orchids topping the arrangement, while the delicate yellow bridesmaid bouquets offset their blue gowns perfectly. Hiroko Takeshita of Hanaya Floral arranged the flowers for the entire wedding. The couple's photographer, Kate McElwee, arrived that morning to snap pictures of the girls getting ready, and then moved on to capture the groom and groomsmen prepping on another floor of the hotel. Family members also gathered in the groom's suite to pin on boutonnieres and corsages.

A "first look" was organized in the grand staircase of the hotel. It was such a touching moment when Patty and Nate saw each other for the first time that day, as the bride was overcome with emotions! They took that opportunity to exchange gifts to each other too. Afterward, the bridal party and the couple's parents joined them for portraits in the Public Garden. After about an hour, a white stretch limousine and a vintage Jaguar, provided by Excelsior Limousine, took everyone to the church. A trolley from Super Tours was also on hand to take guests that were parked at the hotel to the church.

The ceremony was held at the more intimate Gordon Chapel at the Old South Church. It was a perfect space for about a hundred guests. The 30 minute ceremony was officiated by Reverend Doctor Ken Orth, with music provided by the church organist. After the ceremony, guests were handed "Yay" and "Hooray" flags to wave as the couple exited the church!! I can't wait to see pictures - the flags were too cute! It was quite a spectacle for all the people strolling Boylston that afternoon. Guests were then chauffeured to the hotel by three trolleys waiting outside, while the bride and groom and family members took the Jaguar and limo.

Cocktail hour began right when guests arrived, and everyone was treated to miniature bristol burgers, crab cakes, smoked salmon with corn griddle cakes, truffle parmesan fries served in bamboo cones, amongst other delicious bites. The couple was able to join their guests and also took some time out for portraits with extended family members. The reception was held in the former Aujourd'Hui restaurant space, with breathtaking floor-to-ceiling views of Boston Public Garden. Fruitwood Chiavari chairs were brought in to adorn the tables along with blue bengaline linens from Table Toppers of Newton and boxed favors which were little photo frames that were personalized with Patty and Nate's names and their wedding date. After introductions, the couple danced to "Got to Get You Into My Life" by the Beatles and then all the guests joined in on some pre-dinner dancing. DJ Pete O'Karma from Beat Train Productions continued to keep the high-energy crowd entertained all night. In between the three courses, everyone was treated to witty and poignant toasts from a few family members and friends. There were also parent dances and an impromptu one with Nate's grandfather being twirled around in his wheelchair by multiple members of his family. It was one of the sweetest moments of the reception!

As the guests were eating their entrees of either filet mignon or herb-crusted halibut, Kate and her assistant photographer, Leah Haydock, set up a photobooth in the cocktail hour area. She also provided fun props like huge scissors, wands, mustaches, and hats, which made for some hilarious pictures! The hotel also set up a spread of delectable desserts for a late-night buffet. It was an impressive array of sweets that included triple chocolate brownies, mini fruit tarts, mini cheesecakes, lemon whoopie pies, vanilla creme brulee, chocolate raspberry almond tortes, and apricot shortcakes. In addition to this incredible dessert spread, the couple had a four tier lemon and raspberry wedding cake from Flour Bakery. Everyone enjoyed the photobooth and desserts and the dance floor stayed packed until midnight!

Patty and Nate, it was truly a pleasure getting to work with the two of you and I hope you enjoyed your wedding day! =) Special thanks go out to my assistant Rachel, who helped with the set up and my husband Mike for driving me and the church flowers back to the hotel. Also, I have to thank Emilie for "dropping by" the reception (this was after coordinating another wedding earlier that day), but ended up staying and helping the whole night!!

~Fiona

Katie and Doug's State Room Wedding Photos by Lisa Rigby Photography

2011-05-23T13:27:00.001-04:00

Oh, how I loved working with Katie and Doug! Katie was a stunning bride that had exquisite taste when it came to her wedding dress and accessories. I coordinated their big day in October 2010 at The State Room, and had the opportunity to work with one of my favorite photographers in Boston, Lisa Rigby of Lisa Rigby Photography. All of the elements of the wedding were described in detail in my previous post here, but for this post, I'm so thrilled to share the gorgeous pro photos of this wedding.

Photos by Lisa Rigby & Fat Orange Cat Studio for Lisa Rigby Photography
{the vendor team}

• Wedding Coordination: Pink Orchid Weddings
• Ceremony Venue: St. Mary's Parish
• Reception Venue: The State Room
• Photography: Lisa Rigby & Fat Orange Cat Studio for Lisa Rigby Photography
• Getting Ready Venue: The Langham Hotel
• Hair Stylist: Michelle Arruda DeVoe of Demiche Beaute'
• Makeup Artist: Katrina Hess
• Bridal Gown: Kenneth Pool
• Bridal Headpiece: Maria Elena
• Bridesmaid Dresses: Jim Hjelm
• Bridal Bouquet: Winston Flowers
• Wishing Trees: blueGuava
• Floral Centerpieces: Custom Floral Design by Karen Street
• Band: Men in Black
• Lighting: High Output
• Linen Rentals: Rentals Unlimited
• Wedding Cake: I Dream of Jeanne
• Trolley: Kenny's Coach

Thanks so much to Lisa for sharing these photos! Can't wait to work with you again in July!

~Emilie

Jen and Joel's Engagement Photos by Shang Chen Photography

2011-05-20T12:15:00.002-04:00

Jen and Joel are getting married tomorrow!! They have been long-distance planning from California, and they are having their ceremony and afternoon reception at The Barn at Gibbet Hill. I'm so excited to finally get a chance to work with Shang Chen of Shang Chen Photography tomorrow, and I thought it would be a perfect time to show you some photos from their cute engagement session!

Photos by Shang Chen Photography
To see more from their engagement session, check out Shang's blog. Next week, I'll be doing a recap of their wedding day, so stay tuned!

~Emilie

Michael & Tricia Films: Donnaree and Chris's Wedding Trailer

2011-05-17T16:13:00.005-04:00

Earlier today, I received a link to the wedding trailer for Donnaree and Chris's May 1st wedding at The Villa from Michael & Tricia Films. I absolutely LOVE it, and this is only the trailer (a highlights video is coming later)! I couldn't wait to share it with you, and even from only a 1 minute and 22 second video, I think you'll see how amazing Michael and Tricia are at what they do. They were also so nice to work with on the wedding day!!

Christopher + Donnaree's Wedding Trailer from Michael and Tricia Films on Vimeo.

Donnaree's vows are just perfect and so heartfelt =) If you're getting married and have just said to yourself, "I need a videographer", you should definitely contact Michael and Tricia on their contact form or by emailing info@michaelandtriciafilms.com.

Michael - thanks so much for sharing this video!! I'm looking forward to our upcoming weddings together!

~Emilie

Patty & Nate's Engagement Photos by Kate McElwee Photography

2011-05-10T13:06:00.002-04:00

In a couple of weeks, Fiona will be coordinating Patty and Nate's wedding at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston. I have been following and loving the work of their photographer, Kate McElwee of Kate McElwee Photography, for a couple of years now, and I'm really excited that Fiona will get a chance to work with her! I thought that it would be great to give you all a little peek of the incredibly cute and easy-going couple by sharing their amazing engagement photos!

Photos by Kate McElwee Photography
If you would like to see more from this engagement session, check out the post on Kate's blog. Kate, thank you so much for sharing these beautiful photos!

~Emilie

Stephanie and Andy's Seaport Hotel Wedding Photos by Jen Ing Photography!

2011-05-06T10:28:00.002-04:00

Last year, one of the most popular dates ever for a wedding was 10.10.10, and Fiona and I were lucky to be able to coordinate one of those weddings! Stephanie and Andy had their ceremony in the Wintergarden Room at the World Trade Center, and they celebrated their marriage with 150 guests right across the street at The Seaport Hotel in the Lighthouse. They infused a few Chinese traditions in the wedding, like having the double happiness character on the cake and their favor boxes, Chinese characters as table numbers, and the bride changed into a gorgeous custom qipao in the middle of the reception. You can read all about the details here.

I'm so excited to share a bunch of photos from Jen Ing of Jen Ing Photography. She was so easy to work with and I'm really excited to work with her again on another wedding this upcoming August!

Photos by Jen Ing Photography
{the vendor team}

• Wedding Coordination: Pink Orchid Weddings
• Venue: The Seaport Hotel
• Photography: Jen Ing Photography
• Videography: Jim Greene of Boston Wedding Films
• Hair & Makeup: Lypor Leong
• Bridal Gown: Alfred Angelo
• Floral Design & Décor: Mimosa Fresh Flower Design
• Ceremony Musicians: Boston String Quartet
• DJs: Anthony and Edwin of Jetset Sounds
• Linens and Chair Rentals: Rentals Unlimited
• Wedding Cake: Konditor Meister
• Photobooth: Party Booths

Jen, thanks again for sharing your beautiful photos!!
~Emilie

Donnaree and Chris's Wedding at The Villa at Ridder Country Club

2011-05-03T10:06:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday, I was the coordinator for Donnaree and Chris's wedding held at The Villa at Ridder Country Club, which is one of two properties offered by the Saphire Event Group. The day started with hair and makeup for the bride at her home. The bride wore a gorgeous strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline and detailed beading, along with a lace edged veil and fuchsia Nine West shoes. The bride's bouquet was stunning and very colorful, with a mix of flowers like ginger, orchids, mini callas, peonies, spider mums, and roses all wrapped with teal and fuchsia satin ribbon, French twisted with white pearls.

The bride and groom decided to do a first look prior to the ceremony, and it was definitely one of the sweetest moments I had ever seen. It was captured by a team of photographers and videographers, who were all fabulous to work on the wedding day. It's only been two days, but I can't wait to see the photos from Melissa DeSchamp and her second shooter, Aubrey B. Greene, as well as footage from videographers, Michael and Tricia from Michael and Tricia Films.

The ceremony for 195 guests was held on the lawn of The Villa next to a picturesque gazebo. White garden chairs were set in curved aisles, and the area was beautifully decorated with tropical floral arrangements flanking both ends of the aisle, soft white tulle between the chairs, pink fabric draped along the top of the gazebo, and rose petals scattered across the aisle. All of the ceremony decor, personal flowers, and reception decor were created by Erica and Scott of Orchids N' Blooms. Ushers handed out programs and palm fans that were tied with fuchsia satin ribbon to the guests. The ceremony processional was unique because the area between The Villa and the gazebo area is a bit too long to really walk as a processional the entire way, so a golf cart was used to transport the bride, parents, and bridesmaids to the start of the aisle. Also, they picked a great recessional song: "Now that we've found love" by Heavy D, and as newlyweds, they danced their way together down the aisle.

Cocktail hour was held in the lounge at The Villa immediately following the ceremony, where guests found their escort cards which doubled as favors: Jamaican jerk seasoning handmade by the bride and groom! These were placed in a sunburst pattern on a bed of grass, surrounding a birdcage with lush tropical florals such as red ginger and birds of paradise. At the end of cocktail hour, the bride changed out of her veil into a fun fuchsia feather hairpiece!

The reception was held in the Grand Ballroom, with gorgeous tropical floral centerpieces, pink organza linen overlays on the tables, and bright uplighting around the room. Guests were treated to a three course dinner, with a main entree of ginger marinated seared chicken with mango salsa, and wedding cake for dessert. The topsy turvy four tiered cake surrounded by sugared green orchids and a bright fuchsia sugared peony on the top was designed by Cake. and was a golden cake with strawberries and vanilla butter cream. After dinner, guests danced the night away to music from DJ Matty D of Klass Universal Entertainment. Here are some pictures that I took of the wedding!

Donnaree and Chris, it was so nice working with you both, and I definitely have to say that your friends and family were a LOT of fun =) Thank you for trusting me to coordinate your big day, and I hope you have an amazing honeymoon in the Caribbean!!

A special thanks to my assistant, Claire, for helping with set up and many other tasks. Also, this wedding marks the start of my wedding season this year, so it gets me really excited to see what's in store for the rest of the year!

~Emilie

The Royal Wedding: William and Catherine

2011-04-28T16:20:00.009-04:00

With the royal wedding less than a day away, I just had to do a quick post! Everyone's been talking about it, and earlier this week, I finally looked up the time when a predicted two billion people will be watching the wedding. The ceremony starts promptly at 6:00AM EST on Friday morning, and if you're already going to wake up that early, why not wake up a little earlier so you can see what some guests are wearing, and watch the bride and her father drive to Westminster Abbey? I'll probably start watching around 5:00AM =)

Photo by Mario Testino / Art Partner
I love this new photo of them released today, and the part I'm looking forward to the most tomorrow? the unveiling of the wedding dress of course!

~Emilie

Rachel and Dan's Moraine Farm Wedding Photos by España Photography

2011-04-27T15:04:00.001-04:00

Last October, I was the coordinator for Rachel and Dan's wedding at Moraine Farm. I loved the vintage Halloween theme, complete with white and sparkling silver pumpkins! I did a full wedding recap in a previous post here, and today, I'm so excited to highlight some stunning photos from their photographer, Heather of España Photography. Rachel and Dan flew Heather to Boston all the way from Oregon, and I am so glad that they did. I absolutely love Heather's work, and if anyone in the Boston area is looking for an incredible photographer, she can travel anywhere so do not hestitate to contact her!

Vendors for this wedding included: reception tent from The Event Co, hair from Aveda Radiance Salon, makeup from Rouge Cosmetics, bridesmaids dresses and bride's shoes from J.Crew, bridal gown from Christos, flowers from Atmosphere & Floral Designs, catering by Timothy Hopkins Catering, music by Felix Brown, French macarons from L.A. Burdick, cupcakes from Lyndell's Bakery, and wedding cake from Ula Cafe.

Photos by España Photography
Thank you so much to Heather for sharing these incredible photos! I hope I get the opportunity to work with you again soon!

~Emilie

Bee Themed Baby Shower Invitations & Favor Tags!

2011-04-20T18:05:00.002-04:00

A few months ago, I was contacted by Melissa to design and create invitations and favor tags for her bee themed baby shower in March! I had created candyland birthday invitations for her daughter's first birthday last year, so it was a lot of fun creating a new design for Melissa again! She had a few different ideas to start out with, but in the end, we settled on a yellow and pink design, with gardenias and bees. Every element of the invitation was hand drawn in Adobe Illustrator, and I loved how everything came together!

The invitations were made of pearlescent white metallic paper, with hand glittered gardenias and bees, matched with pink metallic cardstock as the backing, as well as a pink metallic invitation envelope. At the shower, Melissa was planning on having little honey jars as favors, so I also created matching favor tags that she could tie onto the jars. The tag had the words "Thanks for bee-ing here" along with the baby shower date.

Melissa also came up with the cute phrase used on the invitation: "Heard the Buzz? A little honeybee is on her way!" Melissa, it was so much fun working with you on the invitation design again, and I wish you the very best with the new addition to your family!!

~Emilie

Martha and Marc's State Room Wedding Photos by Cly Creation

2011-04-12T15:28:00.013-04:00

Last September, I had the pleasure of coordinating Martha and Marc's wedding. Their ceremony was held at Gate of Heaven Parish, and their reception was held at the State Room. I spent more time with them than other coordination clients because I designed and created all of their stationery items as well. They were incredibly sweet throughout the entire process, and I'm so excited to get to see them again this summer when I coordinate the wedding of one of Martha's bridesmaids!

Vendors included: Millennium Bostonian Hotel as the getting ready location, bridal party makeup by Caitlin Murphy, bridesmaid dresses by Jim Hjelm, bridal gown by Priscilla of Boston, bridal shoes by Badgley Mischka, trolley transportation by Kenny's Coach, and flowers by William Mizuta.

They hired New York based Cly Creation as their photographer and videographer for the day, and they were amazing!! The photos below speak for themselves.

Photos by Cly Creation
Thank you to Cly Creation for sharing these wonderful photos! If you want to see more from the wedding, check out the slideshow below:

~Emilie

Erin and Dan's Harvard Memorial Hall Wedding Photos by Eric Laurits

2011-04-08T12:05:00.000-04:00

Last August, I had the pleasure of being the coordinator for Erin and Dan's wedding. The ceremony was held at St. Catherine of Genoa Church, and the reception was held at Harvard's Memorial Hall. The wedding of 250 guests consisted of a lot of Harvard alumni, and brought back lots of memories for them because the reception was in their old freshman dining hall. I feel so lucky to have done a wedding here because it's actually only available for weddings when no students are on campus, which is extremely rare! I love the photos below from Eric Laurits, and I hope you do too.

Vendors also included: the Charles Hotel as the getting ready location, bridal gown by Paloma Blanca, personal flowers (bouquets and bouts) by Nellie's Wildflowers, catering provided by Crimson Catering, and wedding cake from Lyndell's Bakery.

Photos by Eric Laurits
Fun Fact: Dan and Erin used the groom's sword from the Marines to cut the cake, and they actually cut through the entire cake! You can see the action photos above.

A big thank you to Eric for sharing his photos, and if you'd like to see more from this wedding, check out the slideshow below!

~Emilie

DOC Details: pliers & bobby pins

2011-03-30T11:08:00.000-04:00

So, I'm not sure if this "DOC Details" post is going to be the first of a series of future posts, but it definitely could be! Every time I get asked what my job as a wedding coordinator entails, I can always talk about things like the creation of a timeline, vendor recommendations, coordinating all of the moving pieces on the wedding day, etc. But, I always think that one of the most important parts of coordinating a wedding is how the moments that cannot be predicted are handled.

I could probably do a whole post about one tented wedding where there wasn't enough ice at the bar and there was still an hour left of dancing/partying to go, so I drove around a really small town looking for ice and every place I went to was either closed or ran out of ice already because it was a hot summer day. Long story short.. after I thought all hope was lost of finding ice anywhere, I happened to drive by a restaurant that was open at 10pm with a big ice chest on the sidewalk (it literally said ICE on it in huge letters), and I was able to get the 12 bags that I needed. It was like DOC fate =) But now, you already got the short story, so let's talk about pliers & bobby pins instead.

Pliers & bobby pins?? Well, bobby pins always were part of my day-of emergency kit, but after a wedding last summer, pliers will always be with me as well. Just last Friday, I did a photo recap of Rachel and Steve's wedding here. In addition to the typical DOC duties, here were two examples in just a span of 15 minutes where I stepped in to help: Rachel had a gorgeous dress, but it was also one that had a clasp at the top of the zipper that had a mind of its own. When hooked at the top, the clasp got bent in a way where it was poking Rachel in the back, and digging into her skin! So, I quickly ran down the stairs and asked the site coordinator to see if she had a tool box in the venue office. After she pointed out where it was, I looked through it and thankfully found a pair of pliers. The photo below shows me using the pliers to gently bend the clasp back into place, and also protecting the dress from the dirty pliers by layering some of the plastic that the dress was stored in between the fabric and the metal. No more poking clasp!

Then after the dress was on, the only finishing touch was the hair flower. It was a white football mum, and since Rachel had her hair done off site at a hair salon, there was no hair stylist on hand to help. So instantly the DOC becomes the next best thing to a hair stylist, and I happened to have about 40 varying colors of bobby pins in my pocket (you never know when you'll need to fix falling pieces of hair throughout the day!). The photos below show me securing the flower on Rachel's side-swept curls, and I'm happy to say that the flower stayed put through the entire night!

Photos by Jodye Alcon Photography
Using a pair of pliers or some bobby pins is no big deal, but if I didn't have those tools with me or available to me somehow, these small tasks would be much harder to take care of. There are definitely more stories that I could talk about, but I will save those for another post =)

~Emilie

Rachel and Steve's Commandant's House Wedding Photos by Jodye Alcon Photography

2011-03-25T11:32:00.000-04:00

In July 2010, I coordinated Rachel and Steve's wedding at the Commandant's House in the Charlestown Navy Yard. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and the ceremony and reception were both held on the grounds of the historic venue. All of the details of the wedding can be found here in my wedding recap.

Vendors for this wedding included Salon Acote for hair, Chris Lewis for makeup, florals from the amazing Michelle Rose of Blooms Flower Shoppe, delicious food from Capers Catering, liquor and beverages from Kappy's Fine Wine & Spirits, DJ Lee Wilson from C-Zone Entertainment, cupcakes from Lyndell's Bakery, and the tent from The Event Company.

Professional photos below are from Jodye Alcon Photography, who is based in Woodland Hills, California.

Photos by Jodye Alcon Photography
Fun fact about the wedding: one part of the reception that was a huge hit with guests was the row boat full of beer! I fastened four bottle openers by string to two small pails for guests to fill with their bottle caps throughout the night. It was definitely a fun "self-serve" beer bar for guests!

~Emilie

Brides Boston Spring/Summer 2011 Magazine

2011-03-21T17:15:00.008-04:00

Photo from Brides Boston
It is always so much fun to see Pink Orchid Weddings in bridal magazines. A few days ago, I picked up the latest Spring/Summer 2011 issue of Brides Boston Magazine, and along with an article where I contributed some advice for welcome bags, there were some fun surprises! As I turned the pages, I noticed some very familiar photos. Some of my favorite Boston vendors were featured in the magazine as well, and there were photos and details from a couple of weddings that I coordinated last year as part of the articles.

The first was a gorgeous bouquet of cymbidium orchids created by John LaRoche for blueGuava, and the lovely photo was taken by Joyelle West Photography. This was one of seven bridesmaids bouquets that John created for Mark and Rhonda's stunning wedding last year.

The next was an article on how four different photographers captured the Boston Public Library. A beautiful photo from Am and Ken's wedding was featured in the article, taken by Lisa Rigby Photography.

Then I found the article about Welcome Bags for Out-of-Town Guests, where I was one of six local wedding planners who contributed some ideas on what you could add. My favorite of the list is definitely under the category of "something sweet" where I mentioned S'mores from Sweet Lydias. Her treats look amazing, and more importantly, taste delicious!

This issue of Brides Boston is on newsstands now. It's filled with a lot of advice and information on local vendors. It was fun working with the editors on the article, and I hope to contribute to many more issues!

~Emilie

Night at the Museum Birthday Invitations

2011-03-14T12:19:00.004-04:00

This past January, I was contacted by Alice to create another set of birthday invitations for her daughter, Emma. Last year, I created these carnival invitations for her, and this year there was a brand new theme: Night at the Museum. The party was held at the Miami Science Museum (how cool is that??) and Alice gave me a few suggestions for elements to include such as planets, dinosaurs, and a scavenger hunt. It took me a while to play around with how to fit all of these together, and I really love the end result.

I wanted it to seem like you were on another planet, with the Earth in the background behind the sand dunes, hand drawn telescope, menacing T-Rex, and dinosaur prints in the sand. The stars make it seem like it's night time, even though the invitation is white, and that makes it easy to read the invitation details and the poem for Emma's big day. I also created matching thank you cards, which Emma will write out herself after her big party.

If you are interested in these invitations or another custom design, please contact me at info@pinkorchiddesigns.com!

~Emilie

Meghan and Matt's Omni Parker House Wedding Photos by Catharine Morris Photography

2011-03-04T12:53:00.008-05:00

Back in July 2010, Fiona and I were the coordinators for Meghan and Matt's Red Sox & Yankees themed wedding. Meghan was a bride who knew exactly what she wanted, and she was definitely one of the easiest brides I've ever worked with! The ceremony was held at the historic King's Chapel, and then the cocktail hour and reception took place right across the street at the Omni Parker House. The wedding was photographed by Catharine Morris Photography, and you can find a full write-up of details in my previous post here.

Vendors for this wedding included: florals by Orchids N' Blooms, wedding cake by Montilio's, cookie favors by A Dozen Eggs Bake Shoppe, hair styled by Will Charles Salon, makeup by Krystal Treanor of I Do Faces, videography by McElroy Weddings, and music by DJ Aaron Topfer.

Photos by Catharine Morris Photography
Fun & Random Fact: the boutonnieres that I pinned on the groomsmen were probably the biggest flowers that I've ever worked with in a bout. They were bright orange callalilies!

~Emilie

On Vacation from February 15-22

2011-02-14T09:58:00.007-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!! Just a quick announcement to anyone who may try to reach me this upcoming week. I'll be heading out of the country on vacation for a week from February 15-22, with extremely limited email access. I will respond to all inquiries when I return, and in addition, I'll hopefully be able to post some photos of my adventure like this:

Photo from Pictures Depot
Can anyone guess where I'm going?? =) I'm really excited to take a nice vacation before things get busy in the 2011 wedding season!

~Emilie

Affordable & Luxurious: White by Vera Wang

2011-02-11T11:50:00.002-05:00

I absolutely love the new line, White by Vera Wang, which debuts today at David's Bridal. All of the dresses are gorgeous, and are anywhere between $600-$1400. The amount of detail is incredible for such affordable prices! The one thing that it makes me curious about though is for all of the brides who purchased gowns from the Vera Wang bridal collection (not from David's Bridal), and whether they are upset that there is this new line of MUCH cheaper gowns that also have the Vera Wang name. Would you be upset?

Either way, I still love this line, and I think it's wonderful that more brides will have access to great wedding gown designs because the price falls within their budget.

Photos from David's Bridal
Aren't they gorgeous? I especially love the strapless organza dress with hand cut-bias flange skirt in blush, and it also comes in ivory and soft white!

~Emilie

Arielle and Steve's Smith Barn Wedding Photos by Emily Stern Photography

2011-02-09T10:32:00.000-05:00

Arielle and Steve were such a sweet couple to work with, and I absolutely loved coordinating their June 2010 wedding at Smith Barn in Peabody, MA. It was filled with personal touches, and lots of stoneware bowls handmade by the bride! All of the wedding details are described in detail here in my wedding recap.

Vendors included Pyara Spa & Salon for hair and makeup, catering by Green Olive Catering, bouquets by Bow Street Flowers, and the following professional photos were taken by Emily Sterne Photography.

Photos by Emily Sterne Photography
Fun fact about this wedding: it was the first time I've seen a group sing-a-long at a wedding! It was really unique and totally fit in with the couple's musical talents.

~Emilie

Chrissy and Pete's Habitat Wedding Photos by Punam Bean

2011-02-03T13:35:00.012-05:00

I am so excited to share photos from Chrissy and Pete's June 2010 wedding at Habitat. It was photographed by Punam Bean, who is seriously talented, and super sweet in person! Punam photographs weddings all over the world, so I was so grateful to have the opportunity to work with her. Fun fact: she actually just moved to Massachusetts!

Some amazing vendors were involved in this wedding: East Meets West for catering, Dani Wagener for makeup, and Winston Flowers. To read more details about the wedding, check out my previous blog entry here. Now, onto the photo eye candy. Enjoy!

Photos by Punam Bean Photography
Punam, thank you for sharing your stunning photos. The portraits that you took are definitely some of my all time favorites!

~Emilie

Brand new gallery on the website!

2011-01-26T13:34:00.005-05:00

Over the last few years, this blog has definitely been the source of updated content and photos for our readers and clients. Our website has been more of a static information source for things like listing out what we include in our day-of coordination package, and our contact form for new inquiries. The website has stayed pretty much exactly the same since 2008, but we still love the general look and feel, and the simplicity of the HTML based site.

What we did want to do though is update the gallery section with a more updated portfolio of some of the weddings that we've done over the years, and we really love how it turned out!

The gallery shows gorgeous photo collages from 15 different weddings, and you can easily navigate between gallery pages through the arrows at the bottom of the page. Here is a little peek into the new gallery!

& some photo collage highlights!
Photos from pinkorchidweddings.com
It was definitely fun to rebuild the gallery section and create all of the photo collages. CSS style sheets and HTML code have both been used a lot this past week =) Let us know what you think (you may need to refresh your page if you've visited the site before)!

~Emilie

2011 Bride's Choice Awards Winner

2011-01-25T10:47:00.005-05:00

We are excited to announce that Pink Orchid Weddings has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 - our second year in a row! This means that we are among the top five percent of all wedding coordinators in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 200,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. The WeddingWire Network includes leading wedding planning sites like WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding, and Weddingbee. Thank you so much to all of our 2010 newlyweds for nominating us!

~Emilie & Fiona

All-Clad Measuring Cup Set Giveaway Winner!

2011-01-24T15:45:00.006-05:00

Thanks so much to everyone who entered our Pink Orchid Weddings giveaway! I've picked a winner via random.org and it is...

HINA!
she said: "I will make that red velvet cake recipe I've been meaning to try for months..."

Photo from Cookware.com
Hina has won an All-Clad 5-piece stainless steel measuring cup set (1-4-cup, 1/3-cup, 1/2-cup, 2/3-cup, and 1-cup). Thank you so much to everyone for participating!

~Emilie