We started the day getting ready with the girls in Whitestone

This is one of my all time favorite shots of a bride to be!

From Whitestone we headed to Planting Fields in Oyster Bay.  This is a great location for photos because you have use of the entire estate.

They have beautiful arches throughout the Planting Fields that make not only stunning photos but fun!

The ceremony and reception took place at Crest Hollow Country Club.  This is a perfect ceremony site with no decorate needed.  It is beautiful all on its own.

Cocktail Hour was outside, pool side.  This truly is one of my favorite places for cocktail hour.  Again, no decoration needed!

Simply yet beautiful centerpieces and fantastic uplighting!

Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs.!

A big thank you to Steven at SLR Photographer (www.slrphotographer.com) for sharing his beautiful work with us!

Vanessa is one of the most fun spirited brides I’ve ever worked with, she is always smiling and laughing!

Between an upbeat bridal party and working with one of my favorite photographers (Kiva @ Annandale Photography); we had a perfect day!

We started the day getting ready in Milford.  Doesn’t she look amazing?

I was really excited to see her chapel.  The chapel was located in Vanessa’s high school; Our Lady of Mercy in Milford.  I attended the same high school on Long Island.  The chapel was beautiful.  The school has a nice tradition of ringing the bell right before the bride walks down the aisle.

The flowers were the perfect color combination for a perfect spring day.  Plus, every girl needs some bling!

A very cool Ipad shot!  Plus a little history; we were told years ago no one was allowed to step on these stairs per the convent tradition!

The new Mr. & Mrs.!

After the ceremony, we headed over to The Water’s Edge in Westbrook.  The lighting was absolutely perfect for Kiva to work his magic!

One of my favorite photos!

We provided a candy buffet for guests, they went crazy for it!

Annandale Photography also provided a photobooth for guests which this fun crowd loved!

Wishing the New Mr. & Mrs. the best of luck!

We were hired as Day of Coordinators for her and Rob’s December wedding.  Not only did Melissa do a beautiful job putting everything together, she chose some of our favorite vendors; Duet Photography (Jay’s team), AJ Ingoglia Films, After Hours Music and Camelot Limos.

Getting ready!

Melissa definitely loved the bling!

Jay did a great job at capturing Melissa, doesn’t she look stunning in this photo?

The New Mr. & Mrs.!!!

And as a side note, this was one of the friendliest churches I have ever worked in!

Lots of churches are strict on having no petals or rice, so streamers are a great alternative!

The centerpieces tied in perfectly with the holiday decor

One of the best Father Daughter Photos I’ve ever seen!  Melissa’s father was also one of the nicest dad’s I’ve ever met!

Wishing the new Mr. & Mrs. all the best!!!

What some people don’t realize is that with our day of packages, we offer unlimited email throughout the contract, so you get to know your couples really well.  Sireeda was one of the funniest brides I’ve ever had, we had such a blast together.

They were one of the sweetest couples we’ve worked with and she had some of my favorite vendors.

Purple was a popular color for 2011 and she used it perfectly!

They had the most unique space for their ceremony.

Nassau County Museum of Art and it was absolutely gorgeous!

One of my favorite photos!

We then heading over to Chateau Briand where everything was executed beautifully!

Look at how adorable they are together!

Wishing Sireeda and Sammie a lifetime of happiness and health!

Photos: Benchwerk Photography

]]> http://www.pieceofcakeevents.info/2012/02/real-wedding-sireeda-sammie/feed/ 1 http://www.pieceofcakeevents.info/2012/02/real-wedding-alyson-chris/ http://www.pieceofcakeevents.info/2012/02/real-wedding-alyson-chris/#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:55:05 +0000 admin http://www.pieceofcakeevents.info/?p=322 Back in the Fall of 2011 we had the pleasure of being apart of Alyson and Chris’s beautiful wedding day!

It was a gorgeous September day on the North Fork of Long Island, one of my favorite spots!

The area is surrounded by beautiful vineyards, beaches, mom & pap farms and vintage architecture. We tried to incorporate all of these in their photos.

We started the day at a local hotel where all the girls where getting ready!

Look at that gorgeous smile!

Alyson’s dress was one of my favorites!  I loved the gorgeous flower, a little bit of pop without overpowering the elegance of the dress.

We made our way to Macari Vineyard where we did a private reveal and then some bridal party photos!

This bridal party was so much fun!

Before heading to the reception we made a quick stop at this beautiful windmill and the beach

This is one of my favorite pictures!

The reception was in Baiting Hollow, Alyson had some really beautiful details and we helped make sure everything was set up accordingly.

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Alyson and Chris!  Thank you for choosing us to be apart of your special day!

All photos from Patken Photography.

I had the pleasure of being a part of Lauren & Mat’s special day in Mystic, CT.  From our first meeting, we immediately clicked.  They are truly one of the nicest couples I have had the honor of working with.

The day started off right in the heart of Mystic where the girls were getting ready! It was an emotional day, there was so much love in that room!

Candi from Candi’s floral creation handled all the flowers for the bridal party

Lovely details of Lauren’s stunning gown

We traveled in style on a beautiful Trolley to the church.  The church was historic and intimate.

They absolutely radiate love…look at those big smiles!

Before heading over to the reception we stopped at some beautiful grounds in Stonington

The reception was held at Latitude 41, Mat’s family and friends did a beautiful job with the lighting along the back tent!

And for their grand exit, guests lit sparklers which lined the way to their boat departure!

Wishing Lauren & Mat a lifetime of happiness!

Finally a huge thank you to Meg from Creative Collections who captured their perfect day flawlessly.

http://www.creativeimagecollections.com/

One area where brides are trying to cut back are centerpieces.  Now sometimes DIY is easier said then done, it takes time, research and a hunt for a good bargain!  Here are some DIY centerpiece ideas!

Simple yet elegant, the beautiful lose orchids bring everything together!

This is a popular trend I’ve seen a few times this year.  Submerged flowers in vases

Another popular trend, a great alternative to high centerpices

Fruit is becoming very popular in centerpieces, it’s vibrant colors give a pop to any table

I love these earthy centerpieces, these are centerpieces that guests can truly keep forever!

The reception and ceremony  were at The Madison Surf Club located right on the beach in Madison, CT.  Thank goodness this beautiful site did not sustain any damage and we had beautiful weather!

Jen was incredibly crafty and created the perfect touch on everything.

Upon arrival at the rehearsal, a local resident must have hung this up and we definitely needed a photo!

This was such a great idea, simple and DIY.  It gave just the amount of decor for the ceremony without taking away from the beautiful backdrop.

And possibly the cutest alternative to the ordinary ring bearer pillow!

During cocktail hour we were able to get all the guests together for a giant wedding photo!

One of my favorite shots of the newlyweds!

There’s a great little story with this photo.  Two teenage boys were out sailing and noticed the wedding so they decided to come ashore.  They wanted a photo of their boat with the newlyweds.  They were so excited, even positioned the boat different ways!

Fantastic Sunset Photo!

Lisa and I loved the tables we got to set up.  Everything flowed so beautifully and created the perfect ambiance!

Love this!

We truly had such an amazing time with Jen & Luis.  The vendors were absolutely amazing:

Fiona Johnson Photography, a special thanks for the photos!

http://fionajohnsonphotography.com/

Party Pro DJ’s

www.partyprodjs.com

B&M Clambake

www.clambakeco.com

I am going to address all these concerns today! First, a bride contacts a wedding coordinator because they are obviously feeling stressed or doesn’t have the time to dedicate to the planning process.  Unfortunately, sometimes while planning a wedding, stress comes with the territory.  It’s not everyday you plan a wedding, but we do.  We are here to alleviate that stress or take on some tasks for you.  As most of my clients can attest, we are incredibly fast with email and phone calls.  Anytime you have a question, concern or just need to vent, we are here for YOU!  We are always happy to attend vendor meetings with you or for you.  Also, we can make vendor recommendations for you as we have worked with many fabulous people.

So why hire a wedding coordinator?  We have many different packages.  Each package can be completely customized to meet your needs and budget…yep the “b” word, budget!  We strive to make our clients happy so anything you need, we are here for you.  By hiring a wedding coordinator, you will have a great support system behind you to help make decisions and suggestions throughout the planning process.  We know your wedding inside and out, so when the big day comes, we are there to take care of everything.  Here is just a tid bit of what our day of package includes:

Before the Wedding Day:

-          Initial consultation with your wedding coordinator

-          Unlimited email and phone contact from now until the big day

-          Provide checklists and check-in’s (as needed)

-          Review and verify all vendor contracts

-          Create custom timeline that can be distributed to bridal party and vendors

-          Confirm all wedding vendors the week of

-          Final meeting with client to go over all the details

The Wedding Day:

-           One or two coordinators for up to 10 hours

-          Arrive to bride and bridal party and ensure timeline is kept

-          Act as communication leader for vendors to ensure correct set up and breakdown

-          Set up of bridal party for ceremony

-          Set up ceremony décor and distribution of any items (programs, flower petals, bubbles, etc)

-          Clean up of ceremony space (if needed)

-          Oversee setup of any reception décor (placecards, menus, favors, centerpieces)

-          Setup of any specialty reception decors

-          Gather & lineup of family and friends for photographs

-          Access to our top of the line emergency kit for any unforeseen circumstances

-          Distribution of final payments and gratuities to vendors

-          Handle and oversee any unexpected matters with vendors

-          Hotel check in for bride & groom (if needed)

Now on to that second statement that I get a lot, “Well my fiance doesn’t think I need one…”  My husband said the same thing when our wedding came around.  He didn’t want to “waste” the money.  So I have been in your shoes.  Every single wedding I have done, the husband always comes up to me and says something like “Wow, I can’t believe how helpful you have been, you have kept my wife sane and let her enjoy the day, THANK YOU!”  Our #1 goal is to make sure you can enjoy the wedding day.  You are spending a lot of money to have the wedding of your dreams and the last thing you should be thinking about is “I wonder if my centerpieces have the right orchids in them”  Leave all of that to us.  We want you and your future husband to have the time of your life, so leave all the set up, clean up and special attention needed to us!

We are truly blessed to do what we do.  There is nothing like being apart of someone’s special day.  And the best part is, we have developed such amazing relationships with our clients that we don’t feel like coordinators, we feel like a guest who just have to work, haha.

Feel free to check out our amazing reviews on weddingwire.com

We are almost completely booked for 2012, so don’t wait too long while deciding if to hire a coordinator.

Lastly, a big THANK YOU to all of our past and current clients who have made us such a huge success!

The venue was at The Foundry in Long Island City.  It is truly a unique space with clean modern accents.

The dress is from Saks Fifth Avenue and look at those shoes!

The food was created by Red Table Catering (http://redtablecatering.com/)

Brooke & Melanie were amazing to work with and the food was truly out of this world delicious!!!

The decor was simple yet earthy to bring out the natural state of the space.  My favorite was the greenhouse where the ceremony was held.

The floral was done by Rose Red & Lavendar.  She did a terrific job to bring a pop of color and incorporate some industrial aspects of the space.  Look at the base of the centerpiece!

And now on to our beautiful couple!

The photography was done by JP Wedding Photography (http://jpweddingphoto.com/)

Jake was such a cool laid back guy.  We really enjoyed working with him and hope to again in the future!

Congrats Cathy & Tom!!!!