Sarah and Tommy's Four Seasons Boston Wedding!

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

Arielle and Steve's Wedding at Brooksby Farm

On Sunday, June 20th, I was the day-of coordinator for Arielle and Steve's wedding at Brooksby Farm in Peabody, MA. The bridal party had hair and makeup done by Pyara Spa & Salon, and carried beautiful bouquets from Bow Street Flowers. The wedding day started with a first look for the bride and groom in front of the gazebo at Brooksby Farm, followed a Ketubah signing ceremony. The forecast showed thunderstorms right in time for the outdoor ceremony, but even with dark skies and clouds, the rain didn't come down! Guests were able to enjoy a dry and beautiful Jewish ceremony under a traditional chuppah, and a cocktail hour outside the Smith Barn.

The details for this wedding were just amazing. The guestbook included little library cards and envelopes for guests to fill out. A gorgeous birdcage for cards was decorated by the bride with bits of moss and flowers. The escort cards had little skeleton keys tied to them, and were all placed in stoneware bowls that were handmade by the bride! Arielle has her own etsy shop where she makes and sells bowls, mugs, and other stoneware items. Guests absolutely loved being able to take these home with them.

The tables were named after authors, and were topped with gray linens, burlap runners, a couple of handmade stoneware vases, pink peonies, sprigs of lavender, a few jars filled with a variety of items, a book by the author, a tree stump, and a sign in each tree stump with the author's name.

The food for the cocktail hour and reception by Green Olive Catering was probably the tastiest I've ever had at a wedding. There were three stations of food and an incredible range of hot and cold dishes, like hummus and homemade chips to salad and pasta. They also provided dessert, which were three different kinds of cupcakes. Instead of a traditional cake cutting, the bride and groom cut into a red-velvet cupcake together.

The groom, Steve, is actually part of a band, and they really rocked out during the reception and had guests dancing. Later on in the night, there was actually a group sing-a-long, where lyrics were passed out to everyone in the crowd, with the bride and groom leading on banjo and piano. Songs included classics like "Eight Days a Week" and "Sweet Baby James".

It was definitely one of the most unique weddings that I've been a part of, and loved how creative everything was! Professional photos from Emily Sterne of Emily Sterne Photography will be coming later on, but for now, here is a little sneak peek!

A special thanks to my assistant, Rachel, for helping me throughout the day! Arielle and Steve, thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your wedding day, and I hope that you enjoyed your honeymoon in Europe!!

~Emilie

Simple and Elegant Chair Reservation Cards

I always love the little touches in weddings. During wedding ceremonies, usually the first row or two are always reserved for relatives of the bride and groom. For my own wedding, I wanted to specifically designate the chairs of our parents and grandparents in the first row. This little touch was probably not necessary since they would have found their way to those seats anyways, but I thought it was nice to acknowledge them in this small way with six chair reservation cards.

The reservation card was personalized with their name and with their relationship to the bride or groom. The pearlescent metallic white card was simple decorated with a single glittered orchid, with a metallic brown card stock backing, and pink satin ribbon in between the two cards. This ribbon was used to tie the card between the rungs of the mahogany Chiavari Chairs in my ceremony.

last two photos by BKB Photography

If you would like to have some chair reservation cards made for your wedding ceremony, please email me at info@pinkorchiddesigns.com.

~Emilie