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

Paisley Place Cards + Marriage Quotes

I can't believe it's been a few weeks since my last post! It's been crazy busy with non-stop weddings for Pink Orchid recently, and on top of it all, I had to squeeze in a trip out of the country because I was a bridesmaid in my friend Amy's wedding just this past Saturday! The wedding was held at the Four Seasons Resort in Whistler, Canada, and my goodness, that hotel is gorgeous. The spa, the rooms, the service, the food.. everything was phenomenal, and I really enjoyed my four days there, along with a few days in Vancouver beforehand.

Here are some photos of Vancouver, and the top of Whistler Mountain, where there was still lots of snow!

I designed a few pieces of wedding stationery for Amy, including her programs, place cards, and table numbers, and other than that, I tried to stick to the bridesmaid role as best I could. But, who am I kidding, right? The coordinator side of me kicked in throughout the rehearsal and wedding, but in a much smaller scale because of the help of the hotel staff and four other amazing bridesmaids. Thankfully, I was still able to enjoy the wedding!

Her stationery included a paisley design, and the colors matched all of the bridesmaids dresses perfectly. The place cards were attached on little Crate&Barrel memo clips, which guests were able to take home as a favor. Guest names were printed on the front, and a marriage quote was on the back. There were ten total quotes so every guest at each table had a different one. They weren't your typical lovey-dovey marriage quotes. Let me know if you have a favorite!

“What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.” – Leo Tolstoy

“Many marriages would be better if the husband and wife clearly understood that they're on the same side.” – Anonymous

"Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage." – Lao Tzu

"An archaeologist is the best husband any woman can have: the older she gets, the more interested he is in her." – Agatha Christie

"People stay in love because they’re intrigued, or because of chemistry, kindnesses, and even luck. But part of it has got to be forgiveness and gratefulness!" – Anonymous

“The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person. You know they're right if you love to eat with them all of the time.” – Julia Child

“Marriage is a three ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffering.” – Woody Allen

"You don't marry someone you can live with - you marry the person who you cannot live without." – Anonymous

“Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed.” – Albert Einstein

Amy and Eugene, it was so fun to celebrate the weekend with you, and I wish you both the very best!!

~Emilie

Liz and Joel's Wedding at The Stevens Estate

This past Saturday, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and I had the honor of coordinating Liz and Joel's wedding. The bridal party started out their day getting hair and makeup done by Caitlin Murphy. Eight bridesmaids wore navy dresses by J.Crew and the bride wore a sweetheart neckline gown by Enzoani.

The ceremony for 190 guests was held at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish. The pews were decorated with ivory hydrangea, and Joel saw Liz for the first time on the wedding day as she walked down the aisle. The bridesmaids carried bright bouquets of pink peonies, and Liz's french wrapped ivory bouquet was filled with hydrangea, gardenias, tulips, and peonies. All of the flowers for the wedding were created by Jennifer Cahill of The Tangled Web, and after working with Jen many times and even hiring her for my own wedding, she still amazes me with her designs! A brass trio, Occasional Brass and Strings, performed during the ceremony and cocktail hour, which was held at The Stevens Estate.

The escort cards were placed on a bed of carnations and peonies, and as guests made their way into the tented reception, they were greeted with huge clusters of paper lanterns, navy linens, chiavari chairs, lush floral centerpieces, lots of candlelight, a tree patterned dance floor template, and letterpressed menu cards wrapped in a ribbon belt. All of the wedding stationery, including invitations, programs, menu cards, and table cards were all letterpressed by Blush Design Studio.

In addition to the delicious food provided by Simply Elegant Catering, guests enjoyed one of the best dessert buffets I think anyone has ever seen. Check out this list of goodies: chewy chocolate chip cookies, sprinkles of love cookies, strawberry shortcake jelly bellies, white chocolate covered gummy bears, swizzle sticks, swirley pops, blow pops, pop rocks, ring pops, chocolate covered pretzels, pink and white salt water taffy, navy and white M&Ms, nonpareils, grapefruit slices, tuxedo fudge, and chocolate peanut butter fudge. It seems like Liz and Joel picked out the best dessert on the planet, right? Guests started filling their silver dessert boxes with sweets even before the salad came out!

The three course dinner ended with wedding cake from I Dream of Jeanne, and then guests danced the night away with music by Beat Train Productions. The entire day was filmed by Wedding Stories RI, and near the end of the night, hot sliders were served right next to the dance floor as a late night snack!

The details for this wedding were just dreamy, and I loved putting everything together on the day of. Professional photos from Lexi Photography will be coming a bit later, but for now, here are a few of some details!

Liz and Joel, I hope you are enjoying your honeymoon in Spain, and I wish you both the very best in your marriage together!!

~Emilie

Chrissy and Pete's Wedding at Habitat

Last Saturday, I was the coordinator for Chrissy and Pete's wedding at Habitat in Belmont, MA. Clouds of rain hovered over the wildlife santuary, so the outdoor wedding was moved entirely indoors, into Habitat's gorgeous historic building.

The day started out with hair at Stilisti on Newbury Street in Boston, and then makeup by Dani Wagener at the Westin Waltham Hotel, where the bride got ready along with her bridal party. Chrissy looked incredible in a fitted lace gown, with a small white flower tucked behind her ear.

The bride's bouquet was full of white peonies, and the bridesmaids held bouquets of soft pink peonies. Winston Flowers created the lush bouquets, along with centerpieces, and ceremony aisle decor. Lanterns in various sizes, lit with pillar candles, set the ambience in all of the rooms, and a simple framed escort chart showed guests to their seats.

The catering staff, East Meets West, was amazing to work with during the entire wedding, and guests enjoyed cocktail hour hors d'oeuvres, followed by a three course plated dinner. At the end of the night, guests took home little bags of cookies, which were baked "with love" by the mothers of the bride and groom. The flavors included chocolate chip, ginger snap, kiss cookies, and tea cakes.

Punam of Punam Bean Photography captured the entire day, and thankfully was able to take some portraits of the bride and groom oustide in between the rain showers. I absolutely cannot wait to see her photos (her work is stunning!!), but for now, here are a few that I took of some details.

Chrissy and Pete, thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your special day, and for being so sweet throughout the entire planning process. I hope you are enjoying your honeymoon in Hawaii!

~Emilie

Escort Card Booklet Favors with Quotes

When is the last time you opened up a little book and read quotes from George and Martha Washington? Well, the guests at Allison and Aaron's wedding a couple of weeks ago took home a little square booklet of quotes as their favor, and they also doubled as escort cards for the wedding.

The inside pages included six quotes from George and Martha Washington, and the last page had the bride and groom's favorite love quote by Lisa Hoffman: "Love is like pi - natural, irrational, and very important."

The pages had their monogram across the top, and were tied together to the metallic lavender cardstock cover with silver double faced satin ribbon. The cover was personalized with the name of each guest, along with their assigned table, which were all named after presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, Hamilton, Madison, and Hancock.

I never knew George Washington was so sweet! This was a fun project to create, and was a hit at their wedding!

~Emilie

A Wedding at the Taj Hotel and China Pearl!

On Saturday, June 5th, Fiona and I were the coordinators for Bernice and Art's multi-cultural wedding. Bridesmaids wore light spring dresses from Anthropologie with lavender accents, and the bride had a total of four dresses: a Thai dress for a Buddhist ceremony at their rehearsal dinner the night before, a traditional Chinese qipao for the tea ceremony, a wedding dress from Kleinfeld's for the church ceremony, and a Melissa Sweet dress from Priscilla of Boston for the reception.

The day started out with a traditional tea ceremony at the bride's family home, followed by a wedding ceremony for 200 guests at the Arlington Street Church in Boston. The church bells were rung as guests entered, and after they were married. Bernice and Art exchanged vows by Walt Whitman, and after the touching ceremony, guests enjoyed a cocktail reception with gorgeous views of Boston in the Rooftop Ballroom at the Taj Hotel.

After cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, guests made their way over to China Pearl Restaurant for a 10 course wedding banquet. A damask print covered the escort cards along with the specialty raspberry linens from Rentals Unlimited. Purple teapots filled with loose jasmine tea from the bride and groom, acted as centerpieces, along with lush peonies. The tables were a mixture of numbers (in Chinese, Thai, and Roman numerals), and some names of places at Dartmouth College, where they are both alums. The embossed menus highlighted the symbolic meaning of some of the dishes, and were placed on raspberry bengaline napkins.

Instead of a traditional guestbook, there was a beautiful scroll that included some of their vows from Walt Whitman, where guests could sign their name in a designated box. The scroll read:

"I promise to love you without reservation, honor and respect you, comfort you in times of distress, encourage you to achieve all of your goals, and always be open and honest with you. I pledge to be your faithful partner in joy and in sorrow, in beauty and in plainness, in sickness and in health, because for me, there is no other way. I give you my love, more precious than money. I give you myself before preaching or law. I will stick by you as long as we live."

"Entreat me not to leave you, and to turn back from following you. Wherever you will go, there I will go. Wherever you stay, there I will stay." ~Ruth 1:16

In addition to this scroll, there were little notecards where guests could write a little wish to the bride and groom. At the end of the night, little packets of jasmine tea were displayed as favors for guest to take home, and they included cute quotes like "If you are excited, tea will calm you" and "If you are hot, tea will cool you".

Uplighting in shades of purple by Boston Uplights really transformed the room, and DJ Brian Delac from Murray Hill Talent kept everyone on the dance floor all night. Martin Haseman of Martin Haseman Photography, along with his two assistants, captured the entire day and were such a pleasure to work with. Professional photos will be coming later on, but for now, here some photos that we took of some details!

Bernice and Art, both of your families were so warm and inviting to us, and it was such an honor to be part of your wedding day!

~Emilie

Ally and Randall's Engagement Photos

What do you get when you have a couple in love, a fabulous photographer, and huge bright yellow balloons? That's easy: incredible engagement photos! I'm coordinating Ally and Randall's wedding at the end of this month, and wanted to share some of their engagement photos with all of you. Erica Ferrone of Erica Ferrone Photography took these gorgeous shots, and will be capturing their wedding day as well. Doesn't it look like they're in some sort of fantasy forest?

To see more of Ally and Randall's engagement session, visit Erica's blog!

~Emilie