After the wedding . . .

Yes, this post is about babies (namely, mine) and no, it's not what you think (wink, wink) . . .

Rather this post is really about how the formality (or not) of planning a wedding can change you, and what aspects you carry on with you forever. For some, it inpires an obsession with letterpessed stationary for all correspondance in life. For others, it could mean printed invitations for every possible get together. Still others, it may mean place cards, menus and folded napkins at all holidays and family functions. And finally others may be ready to throw the towel in on all this hoopla and be happy just to hang out with beer and pizza (my husband).

While I love my stationary, do obsess over letterpess (I mean, how can you not?), for me the one thing that stuck with me most was professional photography - probably because I can't even hold my camera straight. And while I didn't get a formal album for my own wedding, it was important to me to document my pregnancy and the first year of my son in such a fashion. And I must say, I am so glad I did as the majority of the photos I have taken are either 1) not that good or 2) still reside in the camera.

I met Jane Shauck of Iris Photography at a wedding we worked back in December 2006 and after running into her again in West Hartford where we both live, I knew she was someone I would be totally comfortable with for both maternity and family shoots. I'll spare everyone the photos of me preggo in a bikini, but in the meantime, here are some shots she has taken of Landon over the past year at two weeks, 5 months and one year, respectively:

As Landon changes day by day, I am so grateful to have such amazing and real photos of him at these points in time. We can't thank you enough!

xoxo,

Lindsay

Lori and Bill

Lori first rung me up last July, and I couldn 't be more excited to hear her request. A Connecticut native and Chicago resident, she was looking to us to plan a small and intimate wedding in the Hartford vicinity on December 28, 2008. The first of two weddings, the Connecticut nuptials would be for East Coast family and friends unable to travel to the second and larger celebration they were planning on New Year's Eve in Florida.

With a particular list of must haves for the potential location, I searched high and low until I serendipitously came upon the Silas W. Robbins House Bed & Breakfast (as detailed here), which turned out to be perfect match in all facets. With numerous Friday night calls, emails and a two day visit to Connecticut in October, we finalized the rest of her vendors and meticously planned the details of her day.

All photos courtesy of Dolce Photography, unless otherwise captioned.

On Sunday morning, Lori began getting ready bright and early with the assistance of Dana Bartone, who provided hair and make-up services. Her look was soft and romantic and a lovely compliment to her flowy dress by Jasmine, which she was lucky enough to score off the rack.

What would this post be worth without the famous shoe shot??? I loved her peeps!

Soon following, Jane of Just For You arrived with the bridal party flowers. Lori carried a vintage inspired cascade of hydrangea, delphinium, roses and lisianthus. It was just the right proportion for her petite frame.

Once everyone was dressed, formal photos followed. I've grown to be such a fan of pre-ceremony formals, as the fanfare simultaneously makes everyone both relaxed and excited. Lori was attended by her two sisters, in mineral cocktail dresses from Macy's. Bill's two brothers wore their own snappy suits.

During this time, we were busy setting up the ballroom for the Jewish ceremony. Jane constructed a gorgeous chuppah with draping and lemon leaf garland. It made such a statement!

Another pic of the ballroom set for the ceremony.

The ceremony began with the signing of the ketubah in the lower dining room. Rabbi Howard Herman presided.

During this time, guests began to arrive and once upstairs, were greeted by a table covered with an antique lace tablecloth and book style place cards. So fitting for our Harvard alum!

Surrounded by 35 guests, Lori and Bill were married at noon. The ceremony was especially personalized and mentioned both the Jewish and Christian faiths. Tara Lockyer of Heavenly Elegance accompanied and played beautifully.

Following the ceremony, all wedding party guests went outside on the unusually warm December day for a group photo. The result was fantastic and gave us a chance to turn the room for cocktail hour.

Inside, we decided to make good use of our statement arrangment and placed the sweetheart table under it.

The four guest tables were sweetly dressed in white linens and low arrangements of delphinium and hydrangea. Personalized champagne flutes added another splash of color and doubled as favors.

Once the photos were done, socializing was off to a great start. Emily's Catering did a fabulous job with the event. During cocktail hour, Tara and her crew passed up yummies such as grilled asparagus with smoke salmon and boursin and balsamic glazed figs and chevre cheese!! Their brushetta is a hit time and time again.

Following cocktail hour, first course was a combined apple soup and spinach salad, with a dressing shooter - so sharp! A buffet luncheon continued featuring a beef carving station, salmon and roasted portobello mushroom with ratatouille. The rest of the event was marked by numerous toasts and merriment. This was my first wedding of this size and I really enjoyed every aspect of it.

Near the end of the event, the couple cut a single layer cake spice cake with chestnut filling, provided by was from Audra Weisel of Lettem Eat Cake . It was to die!
Emily's also served up cran apple crisp and three flavors of gelato. All around great hits. Photo taken by me:

One preference Lori expressed to me early on was to have a video of this wedding so that her guests at the celebration in Florida could re-live the Connecticut ceremony and reception. We hired David Lammey Productions and within two days he made an amazing little piece of cinema that arrived in Florida in time for wedding #2!

Lori and Bill, it was such a wonderful experience planning your Connecticut wedding with you and your families. I think back fondly to our meeting in Chicago and the vision you spoke of. The Silas Robbins House was a dream come true to us and I hope you loved your wedding as much as I did. The happines on both your faces on your wedding day was so contageous; it really just touched my heart. I wish you the best of luck in the future and a lifetime of happiness.

xoxo,

Lindsay

PSA: Tim Massa Memorial Scholarship Fund Event

To be honest, I'm not exactly sure who reads our blog, but for those who do, I wanted to post a charity event in honor of my future brother in law's best friend, who sadly passed away. The details are as follows:

Tim Massa Memorial Scholarship Fund
Event: Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser
Date: Wednesday, January 28th

Time: 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Place: Waterbury Arts Magnet School - Cafeteria

16 South Elm St
Waterbury, CT 06706

Tim Massa, who taught at the Waterbury Arts Magnet School, was loved and admired by many people. He will be remembered for the enthusiasm he brought to the classroom and for his caring personality and love for children. Tim died unexpectedly but his spirit and love for all will remain with us forever. A scholarship has been established in his honor by family and friends, which will be given to a WAMS senior each year. All proceeds of this event will be donated to the Scholarship Fund.

Tickets: $15.00 Adults, $10 Children & WAMS Students
Tickets must be purchased in advance for this event

For Tickets Contact:

Sean Pennington: 203-558-1283
Anthony Giampetruzzi: 978-855-1816
Ryan Neal: 203-982-3919

Donations can be sent to the

Tim Massa Memorial Scholarship Fund
Care of Naugatuck Savings Bank
87 Church Street Naugatuck, CT 06770

Meal includes Pasta, Meatballs, Salad, and Bread

This event is sponsored by the Waterbury Arts Magnet School

Tim was a great guy, and would have been a groomsman in my husband sister's wedding this summer, so this cause is near and dear to my heart.

Thank you,

Lindsay

Salutations new website!

Talia and I are thrilled to announce our flashy new site is *finally* up and running! The redesign was a lengthy process, but in the end it was well worth the wait.

Please take a peak:

http://www.sixpenceevents.com/

Yay!
Lindsay

Move over Wedding Cake...!

Whoever said the prettiest of cakes need be reserved for weddings alone? At Sixpence, we happen to adore beautiful party cakes for all occasions!

Wedding cakes have certainly come a long way over the years, gone are the days of the large tipped piping, off-white stacked layer on layer, tasteless confections. Pastry chef's have been perfecting their art to include incredible design, sugar paste flowers, hand painted fontant and elaborate shapes.

So it is no surprise that the days of a sheet cake for shower's are disappearing as well! A cake can speak to a girl's personality and with endless possibilities, why choose anything else! Here are a few we have fallen head over heals for:

For a bride with a winter shower, this variation on the more common "gift box" cake is beyond fun. It almost seems as if every guest will be plated one individual gift for dessert! YUM. Courtesty of Colettes Cakes

And if you love period fashion, how is this for a blast right back into the 50's. We love the work of Jacques Pastries for all of the beautiful work they produce, including this adorable tribute to the poodle skirt.

And right here in Connecitcut is the The Cake Boutique. These girls just GET IT when it comes to party cakes. How adorable is this Prada show box cake?

Or, for girls like Lindsay and I who adore hand bags, check out these confections! Gucci, Chanel, Louis or D&B... let's be honest ladies, why should anyone have to choose just one?

Courtesty of The Cake Store, Rouvelee Cakes, Just Cakes, Cakes by Audrelle,

Lastly, this "show stopper" from the The Pink Cake Box is absolutely incredible! For the most feminine of feminime, an ivory frock with pale pink petals. English tea comes to mind for me! If it only tastes half as good as it looks, I am sure it will be divine!

When it comes to occasion cakes, you can definitely have your cake and eat it too! I know we certainly prefer it that way. Enjoy!

PSA: 25% off all stationary at Horchow

If paper is your crack, then you know that Horchow offers some great "off the shelf" and semi-custom stationary. Fan of their stuff? You are in luck as the 25% off sale is for the next three days!

Items I am loving:

Formalized bill payer envelops. A pretty way to tip your vendors!

Crown note cards for every your highness:

Move over 3M, a new post-it is in town. I think I need these on my desk:

Who says gents can't have stationary too? These could be great for a dude birthday thank you or bachelor party thank you. I know most guys, my husband and his posse included, think that e-viting and texting is the way to go, but I would like to prove them all wrong. If Banana Republic were to come out with a paper line, I feel like it would look like these below:

So, we've seen the personalized napkins and coasters time and time again, but how 'bout drink stirrers??

Personalized gift wrapping for a new Mr. & Mrs!

And finally, once again, Ms. Vera proves she can master any medium. These cheery orange cards with the fabulous liner are the business, people. And now, with the 25% off coupon, they are much more affordable!

Happy Shopping!

Lindsay

The Knot - Featured Wedding

Swing over to The Knot and check out our clients Jacky and Ben who are the latest feature in their Real Weddings section!



Jacky and Ben are such an incredible couple, with infectious personalities and immense love for each other. Their wedding was absolutely beautiful and we are thrilled to see it featured.

A huge shout out to Steve Depino, who photographed their wedding to perfection!

Excitement on the horizon for Sixpence!

So this image above may not mean too much to you, but we are over the moon
for our new logo and have some more excitement which lies on the horizon!

Stay tuned for our big announcement soon!

Love REAL SIMPLE Weddings????

If so, head on over to Crate and Barrel where advance copies of 160 pages of pure deliciousness awaits!

Seeing as Blue Back Square is up the street from me, I can't get there fast enough! In this weather, I'll be sliding right on over.

Sigh, if Lucky & Domino would *just* come out with their combined spin on weddings . . .then life would be totally grand.

Happy 2009!

Lindsay

Tweet, Tweet!

Sixpence For Your Shoe has joined the ranks of many and is so excited to be noting our ongoings on Twitter.

Friends, Clients, Colleagues alike... we would love it if you followed us HERE

Drop a comment to us below with your name and we will follow you too!

Engagement Session

Photo Credit: e. broderick photography

At first my fiance, Gary and I weren't even sure if we wanted to do an engagement session. At that time we were thinking of getting a photographer just for full wedding day coverage. Shortly after, I had a conversation with Lindsay from Sixpence and she gave me the pros and cons of engagement sessions. Gary and I decided to do an engagement shoot and we couldn't be happier with our decision.

Here are in my opinion the top five reasons why I think engagement sessions are a must have if it is in your budget.

5.It is a fun day that you will always remember! It is not too often that you get to change outfits and settings to have someone take pictures of you...So soak it up and enjoy it!.
4.You can use the engagement photos for your save the dates, guest book, or incorporate them at the wedding in any way you want.
3. When in your life will you ever have a photographer taking pictures of you in love.
2. You have the opportunity to get to know your photographer which will help you relax and feel more comfortable as they photograph you on your wedding day.
1. You get a before wedding day preview of how the photographer will photograph you.

Photo Credits: e. broderick photography

Finding a wedding photographer can be a difficult process. As an upcoming bride, I could visualize the type of pictures I wanted but the difficult part was filling in the missing piece of who would be the person behind the camera. There are so many talented photographers that work throughout the state so booking this vendor can often seem overwhelming. After careful consideration, we decided to book Eileen Broderick. She is such a sweetheart and her photographs speak for themselves. We are so happy with our engagement pictures!

Photo Credit: e. broderick photography

Rachel@sixpence
Assistant Wedding Coordinator & Future Bride

LaBella Bride Magazine - Newport Wedding Showcase

This weekend Sixpence For Your Shoe will be heading to Newport for the La Bella Bride Magazine's, Newport Wedding Showcase. There will be so many incredible and well respected vendors in the biz there, so for any bride's and grooms still searching for just the right vendor, head to Newport and you just might find what you are looking for.

Here are the details!

PREMIERE WEDDING SHOWCASE Details:

Sunday Jan. 11, 2009 11am-5:30pm

Bridal Salon - with Wedding Professional Booths and Seminars - Several Opportunities to Participate in Mini-Workshops Hosted by Key Wedding Professionals (Priority Seating)

Invitation to Saturday night free appetizer party to networking one on one with wedding professionals and/or you can book yourself a spa getway package at the Hotel Viking or just an overnight room!

Special Prize Giveaways including a 7 day stay on Sandals Resort, land only package!!!!!

Grooms’ Lounge

FASHION SOIREE Fashion Show


We hope to see you there!