Cindy and Jared!

When we first met Cindy and her lovely mother Marie last year, one thing was for sure, this wedding celebration was going to be quite the party and a large one at that! Cindy and Jared's wedding ceremony would be personalized and sentimental, held in Cindy's childhood Church and the reception would bring a fantastic band, a lively DJ for the breaks, timeless and classic photography, cinematic videography and drool-worthy florals. Their friends and family brought the party and the day turned out exactly as they had both always envisioned.

A special thank you to Erin Keirnan from Pamela Benepe, Erin Keirnan and Company for these beautiful images!

I arrived to start the day at Cindy's parent's home where the girls were all enjoying themselves. Hair and Make-up artists from two of the state's most sought after salons were helping to further beautify the already beautiful group of ladies! Thanks to Liz and Janice of Naomi Martinez Salon and Amy of Dana Bartone Salon .

Cindy wore a stunner of a gown by Amy Michelson, purchased at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City. It was so appropriately titled "Grace" as Cindy it the epitomy of elegance, style, and grace. Cindy's smile and warmth can light up a room. To complete the look, these hot-to-trot Stuart Weitzman's matched her painted toes perfectly!




With a color palette selected early on, of various pinks - hot please! and greens, it was only natural that Cindy, with her meticulous taste would choose to set the stage from the onset, sending invitations in her beautiful wedding colors. All of her stationary was designed by Christina of Paperzest .



After my stop in at the house, I arrived at St. Pius X Church in Fairfield to prepare for the ceremony. The girls carried boquets of bright pink roses, green hypericum berries, and green cymbidium orchids with dark pink spotted throats. The guys donned matching cymbidium orchids of the miniature variety. The pews were dressed in light pink Gerber Daisies, a large statement arrangement of hot pink lilies were on the Altar. The flowers were provided by Elegant Effects Floral. We love working with Peter and Chris. They know how to go large and do it right! As the ceremony ended, guests were given bells to ring and ribbon wands to wave in honor of the newlyweds as Cindy and Jared exited the Church all smiles!
















I just had to share this one picture of Cindy with her maids as they all looked fantastic in their Coren Moore black dresses and bright pink sashes.







While I spent the first half of the day with Cindy and then Cindy and Jared, Lindsay and our assistant Rachel were over at The Waterview ensuring the reception details came to life. Guests were greeted at the door to this beautiful entrance arrangement of varied height pillars, floating candles and bright florals, grounded with moss and river stones.






Upon entering the ballroom space, towering height arrangements, all a bit different delighted guests mixed with various low arrangements of complimentary styles. Ribbon textured Celadon linens complimented the color scheme to a 'T". Pillars of water with floating candles and table numbers and menus by Paperzest completed the look. As the sun set, the room glowed!











The intros and first dance were not without added excitement. Cindy and Jared knew there crowd - this is one of the most important identifiers to a successful wedding and they were spot on. It was no surprise that the introductions of the parents, bridal party and the newlyweds were a roaring time led under the direction of one of our most highly recommended DJs, Rob from Standing Ovations DJ . He just "gets" it. Each couple had a song selected by Cindy and Jared and each performed an act as they made their grand entrance.



Following the intros, Cindy and Jared shared their first dance, which at first was as expected, a loving couple, a slow and moving song, a teary eyed crowd looked on, then suddenly, they turned it up a notch and finished with a coreographed number to various upbeat songs that had guests on their feet cheering. They were such sports, everyone loved it.

The best man, Jared's brother, Jamie and the maid of honor, Jared's sister, Emily both toasted the couple and Cindy's father gave a welcome that turned into a music video dance act which was truly hilarious. It was so clear how much Cindy's father Jim loves his daughter.

As the night wore on, Guests of all ages danced the night away to tunes played by Heartbeat Dance Band . Barbara is fantastic to work with and her band rocked.

Cindy and Jared also delighted guests with a photobooth from Photobooth Planet which was another huge hit!

In addition to the vendors listed above, Cindy and Jared's cinematographer is one of the best of the best. We can not wait to see what he has produced for them, Wales Wedding












Cindy and Jared, it was such a pleasure working with you and your families to plan your beautiful wedding. You are both wonderful and so much fun. Your wedding was a true testament to your love for each other, your happiness together and the high spirits of all of your friends and family. May they surround you with as much happiness in years to come as they did on your memorable August wedding day.


Cheers and much love,


Talia

Jennifer and Charles

When we first met with Jen and Charlie last January, their vision was clear: a monochromatic floral palette and statement worthy flowers polished with a soft and rosy glow. Over the past year we became close as we searched for the right florist to bring the look to fruition as well as the perfect blush pintuck linen. Guests gasped with delight as they entered the ballroom, and continued their excitement as they danced the night away. Jen and Charlie definitely got their wish and we were absolutely ecstatic to execute their dream from start to finish.

All photos courtesy of Stelcar Photography.

I started my day checking in with Jen and her ladies as they were prepped by Liz and Candice of Naomi’s Salon and Spa. They all looked incredibly glamorous, and incredibly calm as they brunched and got all done up.

Jen wore a gorgeous Jim Hjelm gown, purchased at Mariella Creations, with a fabulous broach detail on the back, juxtaposed by hot pink shoes! Her ladies in waiting looked equally lovely in clean-lined yet dramatic floor length black Bill Levkoff dresses. Jen carried a bull’s eye style bouquet of watermelon colored roses, callas, stephanotis and hydrangea while the girls arrangements of hot pink and watermelon colored roses, stock and and green hydragea. Carey of Stems (who Talia and I were reacquainted with at the Newport LaBella Bride showcase) provided the incredible flowers and was an absolute pleasure to work with.




Charlie and his groomsmen took a few minutes for formals before the ceremony. They sported tuxes from Formals by Antonio and were quite the animated crew!


Jen and Charlie were married in the late afternoon on Saturday, August 8th at the Ethel Walker Chapel. They wanted to bridge both their Protestant and Jewish faiths by being married under a softly draped Chuppah, within which hung a prayer shawl from Charlie’s family. The pews were decorated with really fun hot pink carnation wreaths, adding just the right about of splash of color to the otherwise neutral space. Jen walked down the aisle with both her father and step-father, which was incredibly touching to witness. Millennium Music accompanied the ceremony and as always, the music was beautiful and timing flawless.




Cocktail hour followed at the Hartford Marriott Downtown, in the expansive art deco style foyer. Guests were greeted by a large table with a myriad of different same flower arrangements such as callas, hydrangea, and Bells of Ireland.


The ballroom was completely transformed with a mix of high and low centerpieces, uplighting, ceiling wash and gobo. Tables were dressed with blush pintucks from Dove Linen, off-set by ivory napkins. Tall & low centerpieces were composed of hydrangea, Bells of Ireland and callas and really brought the space to life.



DJ Jon March of PowerStation did an awesome job with the lighting as well as keeping the dance floor packed both in between courses and after dinner.

The cake was from the venerable Modern Pastry Shop and had very interesting detail, which played off of the couple's invite.


Last but not least, an enormous and extensive candy bar featuring every single kind of pink candy you could ever think of bid guests a sweet good night. Jen and Charlie were thrifty indeed and picked it all up the day after Valentine's.



Jen and Charlie, it was wonderful getting to know you both this year. Your wedding was a true success and we loved every second of working together. We wish you the best in your married life.

xoxo,
Lindsay & Talia

Congratulations Amanda and Kyle!

We couldn't be more excited for today with Amanda and Kyle's vineyard wedding taking place today at the Saltwater Farm Winery in Stonington, Connecticut. We first met Amanda, her mother, and her sisters - they travel as a team ;) back in February. Amanda was a bit unsure that we could plan her wedding in 6 months, but it is going to be fantastic from start to finish and we can't wait to get back here and tell you all about it afterwards!

Thanks to Megan LaBarbera - Creative Image Collections for the yummy engagement picture above!

Congratulatons Liz and Garry!

Tomorrow our clients Liz and Garry will tie the knot and celebrate with a hip and fun wedding reception in downtown New Haven! We had a blast designing and coordinating their entire stationary suite and can't wait to share the pictures afterwards!

Thanks to Alissa Dinneen for the engagement picture above!

Kara and Andrew

The rain pittered and pattered on and off on Kara and Andrew's June wedding day. You would never know from the smiles, the laughter, the love, and friendship, that surrounded this couple and their fantastic wedding!

When I first met Kara, back in January, she had so many ideas and so many fun details to incorporate into their wedding day. She wanted to ensure that it all came to life, and reflected their personalities, while looking cohesive, tasteful and fresh. We loved it all and the crisp and neutral palette of the Guilford Yacht Club couldn't have been a better place to see it happen!

Thanks to Vicki Souza Photography for all of the fabulous pictures!

Kara and the girls started their day at the Chameleon Salon in New Haven for their hair and make-up. I met up with them back at the Omni Hotel, just as the beautiful bouquets were being delivered by Elisabeth from Studio Blush Floral and Kara was stepping into her stunning lace gown by Vineyard. The girls wore Kelly Green Sophia dresses from J. Crew.

We found a great spot outside of the second floor ballroom for some inside formal pictures and they came out so cool.

I made my way over to the First Congregational Church in Guilford for the ceremony, greeted Andrew and the groomsmen and assisted with handing our programs. All of Kara and Andrew's wedding day stationary was designed by Ashley at Smashing Cards and printed, cut and assembled by Sixpence.

The ceremony ended with a dramatic kiss, clearly these two were thrilled to be married and guests began their exit towards the Guilford Yacht Club for the reception!

The original plan of cocktails and hors d'oeuvres on the lawn didn't quite work out, but it didn't stop a few from playing a fun round of bocce. The rain let up, the sun almost popped out, and Vicki was able to capture some stunning moments of the newlyweds.

Inside, while guests enjoyed the cocktail hour upstairs, the reception space lay waiting. Everything came together exactly as expected. The steel gray pintuck linens, the rich cobalt blue napkins, the bright green touches in the centerpieces all looked fantastic together. We finished off the table decor with stationary items - menus and table numbers. In addition, Marissa and her staff from Jordan Caterers are always excellent to work with and this day was no different! Guests raved of the food and the service.

Powerstation Events offered the entertainment, with a string duo for the cocktail hour and Jon for the evening DJ. We had some fun introductions of the bridal party, then Kara and Andrew were introduced and shared their first dance as husband and wife to Crazy Love, by Van Morrison. One of my all time favs!

Later in the evening, Kara and Andrew cut their beautiful cake, provided by J.Cakes and gave warm and touching thank yous to their families for making such an incredible wedding possible. They followed this with a bouquet toss to all the single ladies from the second floor balcony and an evening of fun and dancing!

We couldn't end the evening without a candy bar in wedding colored goodies, and handmade chocolates from Kara's aunt at Harbor Sweets. Yum! The candy bar was a major hit!

Kara and Andrew, we had so much fun working with you to make your wedding day so special. We wish you lots of love and happiness in the years to come.
xoxo,
Talia and Lindsay

Shelby and Ryan

Friday, June 12th at Westover we knew
And of course, the school colors of yellow and blue.

I thought it was only appropriate to start of this blog post about my sister in law’s wedding with a piece of my matron of honor speech. It was very different experience, indeed, planning a wedding for a family member; an event in which I was more than personally vested - an emotional involvement that can only be described as similar to the way I felt about my own wedding.

Even before they were engaged, it was always Shelby’s dream to be married at Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut, where her blood runs deep. My father in law has worked there for over 25 years, she attended school herself, and since college has returned to hold a number of positions and now resides on campus. Ryan and Shelby envisioned a late spring country wedding with a bit of panache, and we carried the yellow and blue theme throughout. With an exceptionally large guest list in a rambling, unique space we had to be creative, but the end result was awesome and everyone is still raving about what an incredible day it was.

All photos courtesy of Eileen Broderick , assisted by Julia of Salty Grapes Photography. Both were so wonderfully sweet to work with and really told the story of Shelby and Ryan’s day. Thank you both!

Early morning preps began in Shelby’s dorm apartment by the ever so fabulous Naomi Martinez and Angela from Naomi’s Studio & Salon of West Hartford.

Shelby donned a Bellisima "Chloe" lace dress with a custom band and skirt alteration from Mariella Creations. As luck would have it, we are similar in size and thus, she she also wore my Fenaroli veil and Vera Wang for Stuart Weitzman shoes (Ebay, baby!) and carried my beaded clutch as her something borrowed and her grandmother’s necklace as her something old.

We went downstairs into one of the libraries for her to put on her dress, and during this time Ryan sent over a gorgeous diamond and sapphire bracelet. Jane of Just For You provided the bridal party and ceremony flowers. Shelby carried a beefy calla bouquet with blue delphinium.


Then it was time for bridal party photos outside. The maids wore metallic navy dresses from Jim Hjelm Occasions and Nine West shoes, along with jewelry and yellow clutches Shelby gave to us as gifts. We carried yellow calla bouquets.
Flower girl Hannah in a dress from Target (yes, target!), customized with a sash from the maids extra fabric and my little chap Landon, head to toe in Janie and Jack (love that store).

The guys wore custom navy suits from Antonio’s in Waterbury and looked dapper, indeed. Ryan’s father was his best man, so touching. My husband (the shorty) and his two brothers are on the left of the photo.

The ceremony took place at Saint John of the Cross, just a few steps from Westover. The church was decorated with two yellow glad arrangements and the pews were tied with lanterns, a nod to Westover’s signature symbol.

With a kiss and lots of applause they were married at last! Guests walked from the church across the street to Westover's Senior Garden where Emily’s Catering put on the most fantastic spread, and were waiting with glasses of wine. The first thing guests saw was the two Adirondack chairs guest book, along with place cards along the old stone wall on a wide ribbon. All paper designed by Talia of Sixpence For Your Shoe.
Inside in the dining hall, we swapped the original ladder-back chairs for white chivari. Tables were dressed with navy linens, white folded napkins and Westover’s own Spode china. All rentals were through Durants Tents and Events. Table numbers and menus complimented the original stationary suite. The candle centerpieces were provided by a local florist. Dinner commenced with a trio of cold heirloom tomato soup, spring salad with sweet basil dressing and a miniature pancetta BLT, followed by a choice of gorgonzolla encrusted beef tenderloin with a roasted shallot merlot, herb roasted sea bass with a cherry salsa or spinach & fresh motzarella stuffed chicken breast. Desserts consisted of cupcakes from Edible Dreams, Italian cookies from Shelby’s grandmother and a gelato bar via Gelato Guiliana. We had originally planned to dance outside, but with the iffy weather, the dance floor was set up on Red Hall. Our back-up plan worked out well as it made a great statement in the space. Following dinner, Shelby and Ryan danced their first dance to “Everything" by Michael Buble. This couple had no need for dance lessons, they floated like they were on air.
Guests danced until 2am to tunes of all kinds. DJ Rob Waldron from Standing Ovations kept the dance floor packaged for 4 hours straight.

Shelby and Ryan, it has been my honor and privilege to be part of your engagement, as well as your wedding from start to finish. It was an absolute blast sharing in the anticipation and excitement of your engagement to the very last detail of your wedding. I need not wish you happines, because I know you have it.

xoxo,
Lindsay