Introducing Collaborate & Create: A photography and design event
I am so excited to be partnering up with my friend and colleague, Carla Ten Eyck to put together an intimate and intensive workshop dedicated to creativity and photography in the wedding industry. Collaborate and Create 2010 is kicking off with a BANG on May 16th through the 19th at the renowned Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. This workshop is open to both planners AND photographers. Attendees with have the opportunity to collaborate, design, and create their own editorial wedding style photo shoot with teaching, guidance and support by myself and Carla. At the end of this workshop attendees will have a stunning portfolio of work. There are limited (and by limited I mean EIGHT spots total divided between the two mediums) attendee spots for both planners and photographers for this exclusive, one-of-a-kind workshop. All the important details are located at collaborateandcreate.com, where you can learn more about the focus of Create and Collaborate, the ocean house, contributing vendors, and a break down of the workshop schedule.
If you’ve been looking for a means to become creatively inspired or if you’ve had an idea swimming around in your head without the knowledge to make it happen, this is the workshop for you. Seats are selling out before we’ve even made this official announcement, so be sure to contact us as soon as possible to reserve your seat!
Can’t wait to see you!
xo
Eric + Lisa = Mr. & Mrs. Krause | Mystic Aquarium, Mystic Connecticut
On September 5, 2009 I had the absolute pleasure of coordinating the wedding of Lisa and Eric. They are such a sweet couple who chose Mystic Aquarium as the setting of their incredible fall inspired wedding. Lisa and Eric were the kind of couple who incorporated a lot of meaningful details into their day, and as their coordinator, it was such a joy to see their love story come to life!
They’re day was captured by the talented and funny John of Prestige Barkley Photography.
In the early morning Lisa and her gorgeous ‘maids spent the first part of their day enjoying beauty at the Red Door Spa. By late morning, they were sipping champagne in Lisa’s suite at the Mystic Hilton. Lisa’s maid of honor and sister along with her mom got her into magnificent ivory Pnina Tornai gown (purchased at Kleinfeld). Lisa’s satin gown was full of gorgeous ruching and draping of fabric and had a corseted bodice. She wore her mother’s vintage earrings and necklace. Her maids wore beautiful Alfred Angelo floor length satin gowns in a burnt orange color.
In my conversations with Lisa she’s told me that Eric loves to create special things for her– so it was no surprise that he put together a handmade book for their wedding day and wrote in it a message to his bride. How sweet and romantic is that?
Diane Gaudett created the floral decor for the day, and designed these beautiful fall inspired bouquets with orchids, calla lillis, roses, and branches. They were so beautiful!
The ride from the Hilton to St. Patrick’s Church in Mystic was an exciting one for Lisa and her parents as Eric waited with his best man and Father Brian. At 2:15 p.m., once the bridal party had been sent down the aisle and the groom emerged at the alter, the organist began to play the slow intro to Cannon D. A ton of light flooded into the church as the two large wooden doors opened and there stood Lisa, escorted by her parents down the aisle to her awaiting groom. This is the moment I love the most about a wedding. Jessica and I watched through the door’s stained glass windows.
Once they were pronounced husband and wife it was time to head over to Harkness Park. We had prepared several dozen glasses of champagne in their party bus for the 20 minute ride!
At 5 p.m guests began to arrive at Mystic Aquarium for Lisa and Eric’s reception. The cocktail hour was held outside in the atrium known as “Arctic Coast” overlooking the beluga whale tank. It is such a beautiful setting and so unique. Jazz music courtesy of their amazing band, In Transit. Guests got into interact with the beluga whales and toward the end of cocktail hour, Lisa and Eric escorted the penguins out to great their guests!
The dining and dancing portion of the reception took place in the lower aquarium area which is surrounded by sea creatures swimming around in enormous tanks. It was the perfect back drop!
Diane Gaudett created branch centerpieces for each table, which consisted of curly branches, orange orchids, and hanging votives. They were so beautiful and really, really complimented the cool glow of the tanks. Lisa kept the table linens light with a beautiful ivory underlay and gold / soft brown overlay.
The amazing Ana Parzych created an absolutely stunning cake with two nuzzling sea horses as the topper. Sea horses were a reoccuring theme through out their wedding– in the program, on their escort cards, and nestled on top of their cake. Seahorses are known to be monogamous to one another after they experience courtship, and so they are such a fitting detail to weave into a wedding held at an aquarium.
Once they were introduced as the new Mr. & Mrs. they danced to “Home” by Michael Buble… so romantic! Guests enjoyed a delicious spread put on by Ocean Blue Catering. Once dinner was over it was time to kick it into high gear– and let me tell you– In Transit did NOT disappoint. I can safely say that they were one of the most talented bands I have ever seen!!! They sang everything from motown to the black eyed peas. And as you can see, guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves!
At the very end of the evening guests gathered out front and sent the couple off in style with a sparkler send off. The new Mr. & Mrs. Krause took off into their married life, headed for their honeymoon in Hawaii!
Lisa and Eric — It was SUCH a pleasure to be apart of your wedding. Thank you for letting me be a small part of your family’s personal history. I wish you all the joy and happiness that life has to offer! Congratulations!!! xoxox
Rich + Venna = Mr. & Mrs. Williams | The Hilton Hotel, Stamford Connecticut
Event Ingrediants
Planning & Coordination: Jubilee Events
Photography: Carrie Draghi
Ceremony & Reception Location: Hilton, Stamford Connecticut
Florist: DesiFloral
Mandap & Decor: Mandaps by Dhoom
Invitations, Table Numbers and Escort Cards: Lilah Paper
Cake: Sabina Jahic
Caterer: Coromandel
DJ/Entertainment: All Digital Mobile Music
Rich and Veena were married on June 27th, 2009 at the Hilton in Stamford, Connecticut. They were surrounded by 250 of their closest friends and family as they celebrated two ceremonies and an amazing reception! Their amazing day was photographed and documented by Carrie Draghi Photography and we had the incredible honor of coordinating and planning their wedding.
The morning began with Veena getting ready for her first ceremony with her maid of honor and mom. Dana Bartone & Co. arrived in the early morning to work on hair and makeup. The bride wore the groom’s sister’s wedding gown and veil and her maid of honor wore a gorgeous purple gown. The groom and his best man wore classic black tuxedos. Their niece and nephew took on the extremely important role of flower girl and ring bearer.
Their “western” style ceremony took place in the Hilton’s gorgeous white tent, which has beautiful chandeliers and amazing white fabric ruching. They exchanged their vows in a room filled with an incredible amount of light. Once their ceremony was complete it was time to change and get prepared for the second event of the day, their Hindu ceremony.
In keeping with traditional Hindu customs, Veena had henna tattooed on her hands and feet — along with all the female friends and family close to her. The hotel suite where the women got ready was a flutter with jewels and gorgeous colorful saris. They helped one another to dress –including soaping up each others hands to get the teeny-tiny bracelets on. Veena was absolutely gorgeous in a red sari and her mother’s jewels.
The Hindu ceremony began with the Baraat, which is aptly named for the marriage processional. While Veena was tucked away in her suite, guests gathered from the farthest point of the Hilton with the groom and made their way inside. It was an extremely jubilant march that took about an hour to complete. There was a lot of drumming (which was AMAZING) and dancing. The history behind the Baraat is the groom being escorted by the bride’s parents and his parents into the bride’s village. I imagine in an era where this really occurred, it would have taken SEVERAL hours to reach the bride. The sweetest part to this story was that Veena watched the entire processional from her suite window.
Once the groom and his guests made their way inside the hotel and reached the meeting point, elders of both the families meet and welcome the groom with garlands and aarati. Then, the ceremony was to begin. The ceremony ballroom was transformed by Dhoom in rich reds and golds. Their mandap was absolutely spectacular, as was all the floral arrangements and special details placed throughout. Once the groom and his family were settled, the brides’ parents went to escort her in.
After their ceremony guests were invited back into the white tent, which was transformed for their reception. They had tall purple floral arrangements and beautiful white lid-top boxes filled with a gold dish and Indian candies at each place setting. Veena had a henna design inscribed on their beautiful white buttercream cake.
Veena changed into the MOST beautiful purple gown. It was so intricate and beatiful with a lot of bead detailing.
The maid of honor and best man gave very touching speeches, and the bride and groom enjoyed their first dance — ‘Til Kingdom Come by Coldplay. They danced ALL night long and had an amazing grand exit at the end of the evening where their guests showered them in rose petals. It was a great way to top off the night!
Many thanks to Rich and Veena for allowing me to be apart of their amazing wedding day. It was such a joy to be with you and your families!!
Will + Debbie = Mr. & Mrs. Boss | Marbella, Spain
When Will and Debbie contacted me to plan their destination wedding to Marbella, Spain, we had a short time period to put together all the details. In my quest to find the most amazing location for their vows and reception, we came across the Hotel Rincon Andaluz, an incredible resort right on the Costa del Sol coastline. They were incredible to work with — truly — and recommended great vendors to help pull together Will and Debbie’s day!
They exchanged vows in a Spanish chapel and had an amazing dinner at the Hotel Rincon Andaluz, surrounded by their closest family and friends. Congratulations to you guys!!
A Napa Valley inspired bridal shower in Connecticut
I’m so very excited to finally share with you the amazing bridal shower that my mother, grandmothers and maids planned for me back in June. It was an incredible day filled with so many wonderful women. I wish I could relive that afternoon every Sunday!! My very good friends and wedding photographers, Robert and Kathleen, joined us for the day and snapped these fantastic images! The day was also featured on my favorite blog, Style Me Pretty, a while back too.
The shower took place at my grandparents home — which is over 100 years old. It is a great place where we spend many holidays and the most important of occasions. We had a fantastic June day too, and spent the first half of the afternoon out on the front veranda sipping wine and pellegrino. My mom made a delicious and refreshing sangria, and hand chose some great wines.
A lot of my favorite things were on hand… wine, cheese, delicious fruits, veggies, and my friends and family. I can’t really take any credit for the design, look, feel, or details of the day. That’s all my mom! She did such an incredible job! There were wine maps (that I did make… but that’s it!!) that told guests about the wine we were tasting from Napa, a jar for guests to recommend a vineyard for Mike and I to visit on our honeymoon, and lots of pretty signs explaining what guests were imbibing. These little touches are a great way to transform your party and do something unique and inexpensive.
The delicious menu was catered by one of our favorite local restaurants, Jesse Camilles in Naugatuck. Carla and Larry did an incredible job on the food. The menu was really light and inspired by the region: citrus grilled chicken, dill and yogurt salmon, and carpaccio. There were a variety of delicious salads to pair with the meats too (my favorite the baby spinach with goat cheese… yum!).
Nestled on the North side of the house was a variety of pretty dining tables. My mom created purple table runners and used flowy white linen on the tables. The gorgeous centerpieces were created by Lori of Flore. They featured a beautiful variety of flowers such as dahlias, purple calla lilies, green hydrangea, white roses, and purple grapes!! Are they not incredible? So beautiful! My mom had been collecting wine corks for the occasion and had them spread around as accents in various jars. I love that touch (and do it often as they make a great centerpiece). I just love all the purples, greens, white, and oranges. It’s so reminiscent of the region and all the colors we saw while we were out there.
The delish carrot cake was a design collaboration between my grandmother and the talented folks at Let’s Eat Cake.
Guests took home red velvet cupcake lollipops, all hand made by my maid of honor and bestie, Corine. They were so delicious! Something even more incredible and awesome was the fact that Corine has started her own business crafting these and other yummy confections. Check her out: lovely-lollies.com.
What an incredible bridal shower — incredible day! Thanks for letting me share. Hopefully it inspires you to do something personal and unique for your friend or daughter’s bridal shower.
xoxoxoo
Modern Trousseau 2010 Bridal Line
Modern Trousseau shared with me their new 2010 line that was shown at market this past week and I’ve been waiting to share it with you! May I introduce…
Addison
Autumn — a personal fav of mine!
Carla
Dalton
Harlow
Hailey
Holly
Lena
McKenzie
Poppy — another fav of mine!
Riley
Sabrina
Vanessa
Violet
an amazing chiffon bolero
fox shrug and a fur bolero
Congratulations to Modern Trousseau on an amazing new line of gowns. You all know my affection for their bridal line — I wore a Modern Trousseau gown myself (Kelsey to be exact!).
If you want to learn more about 2010 bridal market, the styles, fashions, and trends emerging into the new year, take a look at Beth Chapman’s recap from The White Dress by the Shore.
Jubilee Events featured in the new Get Married magazine!
I was super pumped to find out that one of our weddings from 2009 was featured in Get Married’s premiere October issue! You remember the preppy and chic wedding at the Saugatuck Rowing Club that we designed for Kim and Matt back in May? Well their amazing tablescape and details made it into the glossy! You can actually read the entire first issue online too. We have received several copies in the mail and like what we see! It’s so hard to pull together a magazine in today’s industry so many kudos and congrats to our new friends over at getmarried.com. Also, congrats to Kim and Matt for having your gorgeous wedding featured!!
xox
Liz + Jayson = Mr. & Mrs. Tobias | Maritime Aquarium, Norwalk Connecticut
Liz and Jayson were married on July 11th, 2009 at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut. They were surrounded by so much love and support and celebrated their union with their loving family and friends. The Maritime Aquarium is a special place for them — it is the site of their third date. I loved being a part of Liz and Jayson’s wedding which was filled with so many unique and meaningful touches.
Robert and Kathleen Trenske spent the entire day documenting their love story. The day began with Liz and her ‘maids getting ready at their gorgeous apartment in Norwalk. The guys were somewhere close by fluffing their collars and added on their cuff links.
Liz had the most gorgeous wedding gown. I was so in love the first time I saw it at one of her fittings! It was so delicate with lace, a bit of sparkle, and swiss dot fabric. What made it even more beautiful was Liz herself — she just beamed every time she put it on. It was a true testimonial that the woman makes the dress. Look how radiant she is! I absolutely love this photograph that Rob and Kathleen captured of Liz’s mom putting her veil on. Can’t you see the excitement there?
Once Liz and her ‘maids were all ready she went outside into the center courtyard to meet her groom. Their first look was filled with so much emotion!
After it was on to the ceremony at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut. Liz’s bouquet was filled with white Calla Lily’s and little sea shells that my good friend, Elisabeth from BLUSH floral design, created. I created their wedding day paper, include their blue and silver programs. It detailed their love story and the significance of the Aquarium and also explained the various parts of their Jewish ceremony.
As guests began to arrive, Liz and Jayson held their Ketubah signing ceremony nearby. Surrounded by their parents and closest friends, along with their Rabbi, it was a beautiful ceremony. Once complete, it was time to head down the aisle! We took them through the inner workings of the Aquarium to smuggle them away from guests’ eyes.
The ceremony location inside the Aquarium is actually the cafeteria. I know. Hard to believe, right? Elisabeth from BLUSH created this AMAZING chuppah out of flowy white organza fabric and tightly arranged white hydrangea and carnations. It was the most gorgeous chuppah I’ve ever seen! When we set out to design something for this space I loved the contrast of the white against the brick, wood, and metal. The chuppah really stands out and looks so romantic and dreamy. Elisabeth scattered some rose petals and we lined each window sill with a ton of floating and votive candles to add to the romantic glow of the room. It was heavenly!
Their ceremony was so touching. Jayson sang “Grow Old Along with Me” to his bride! One of my favorite moments, that I simply have to share, was right before the ceremony as the processional was ending. It was just me and Liz at the bottom of the staircase. As the music changed to U2, “All I Want is You”, it was time for her to go. She looked at me and took my arm and said, “Oh my god Candice… this is really it!!! It’s here!!” I get all emotional thinking about it!! It was such an incredible moment for me as their coordinator and reaffirms how honored and privileged I feel to be so intimately involved in my couple’s wedding day. Truly a moment I’ll never forget!
After the ceremony Liz and Jayson joined their guests for cocktail hour. Guests mingled up the pathway of native fish tanks, shark tanks, and lots of sea critters and creatures. We had passed wine and champagne with yummy and delicious food from Phillip Stone Caterers. Can you imagine sipping champagne and watching the sharks circle around their tank? It was so unique!!
Some details from their reception: Elisabeth from BLUSH used three different style arrangements on the tables — one with beautiful white flowers, another with white flowers submerged in cylindar vases with blue sea glass and candles, and another arrangement of a hurricane vase filled with sea glass and candles. I love the combination! She created a fun escort card display of silver painted fish netting, blue sea glass, and flowers. Jubilee created the escort cards out of hand drawn vintage fish on pretty blue card stock.
Their friend, a graphic designer, and created this fish monogram for their wedding. We used that monogram on a ton of fun paper items, like custom cocktail napkins, their programs, favor tags, save the dates and invitations. It was a fun way to tie it all together!
Their favors were Hawaiian sea salt in metal tins, tied with silver ribbon and a favor tag. Their cake was a gorgeous, modern two-tiered blue fondant cake from SoNo Baking Company. They purchased the cutest little fish bowl cake topper, too!
Liz and Jayson’s reception was fun, delicious, and emotional! Their friends and parents gave touching testimonials of their relationship and good nature. Liz and Jayson really are one of the nicest couples I’ve had the opportunity of working with. They danced the night away with friends, celebrated the hora, and ended the evening with one final dance.
Big thank you to Robert and Kathleen Trenske for capturing the essence of their day and allowing me to share the photographs with you!
Thank you SO much Liz and Jayson for allowing me to become a part of your history. It was such an honor and a pleasure working with you!! xoxo
Vintage French Inspired Photoshoot with Carla Ten Eyck, Part II
To recap from my previous post, a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of working with Carla Ten Eyck for her September Ten Eyck Tuesday. To view the first portion of this shoot check out my previous post, here! I collaborated with Elisabeth of BLUSH floral design and Beth Chapman of White Dress by the Shore on the color story of teal and pink. All the hair and makeup was done by the talented and super amazing Dana Bartone & Co., who are responsible for making almost ALL of my brides gorgeous on their wedding day (me included)!! My studio roomie Thomas Morlock of Vantage Point Films also shot the entire event from his viewfinder. He ate all the cake AND drank all the champagne!!!
Soo… is Signature Event Rentals not awesome? Their furniture totally made our tablescape go from cool to incredible. I loved their white dining table and we decided to use their Alice Pop hot pink chairs, mixed in with the white padded, clear backed. Elisabeth created a series of beautiful and simple pink arrangements down the center of the table in vintage milk glass containers… gorgeous!!
Party Rentals Ltd in Greenwich and New Preston supplied the hot pink glass chargers and some of the dinner plates. We also used their gold rimmed wine / champagne glasses and gold flatware. All the other pieces are vintage china (lots of limoges), including the tea cups and saucers, white/gold dinner plates and the aqua soup bowls are all courtesy of my friend and etsy shop owner, Jen. Check out her store, Jen’s Closet!
I added little bottles of Moet at each place setting and floated white raspberries in each champagne glass (they were yum!). The beautiful art deco napkins came from this fabulous antique store in Seymour, Connecticut called Yesterday’s Luxuries. They are made of linen and are so delicate and beautiful! Definitely a set of keepers.
Thanks to all the awesome vendors who contributed to the shoot! You can see more of it here on Carla’s blog!
xoxox
Vintage French Inspired Photoshoot with Carla Ten Eyck, Part I
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of working with a lot of my absolute favorite people on a photoshoot with Carla Ten Eyck for her September Ten Eyck Tuesday. I collaborated with Elisabeth of BLUSH floral design and Beth Chapman of White Dress by the Shore to come up with a unique and fun color story in teals and pinks. All the hair and makeup was done by the talented and super amazing Dana Bartone & Co., who are responsible for making almost ALL of my brides gorgeous on their wedding day (me included)!! My studio roomie Thomas Morlock of Vantage Point Films also shot the entire event from his viewfinder. Plus, he drank all the champagne.
For those of you who don’t know, Carla runs an amazing workshop for photographers once a month where she spends an entire day shooting, educating, and discussing her artform. I’ve attended two Ten Eyck Tuesdays and Carla is amazing!! If you are a photographer in the area (you should travel here if your not!) I highly recommend Carla’s workshop. They are so thorough and detailed. Plus, Carla puts the sass in sass-a-frass.
The location for the shoot was really awesome. The building is an interior designer’s dream, full of lots of shops from furniture to lighting. We took over a blank industrial space with nothing except a few sheets of unused drywall laid up against the wall.
This gorgeousness is all courtesy of Carla and Beth Chapman of White Dress by the Shore who dressed and styled our gorgeous models. Don’t you just LOVE this short wedding gown and feather hair fascinator? It was so delicate and pretty in person! I could have played dress up for hours with all the amazing accessories Beth brought.
That gorgeous, vintage pink bouquet is by the equally talented Elisabeth of BLUSH floral design. I love Dan’s peacock feathered boutonniere. Can you see the peacock feathers tucked into Mandie’s bouquet? Check the neck collage of images!
Pretty gorgeous, right? The furniture is from my FAVORITE rental company, Signature Event Rentals, who are responsible for most of the awesomeness you see. That gorgeous white couch? The clear-backed and hot pink dining chairs?! The leather tufted wall panels?!?! The WHITE dinning table?!?!?! Yeah, they pretty much rule. They’re the best, hands down, and we LOVED having their furniture at the shoot!
Elisabeth created a bed of tightly arranged hot pink carnations for our escort cards, which were pennant flags that I made and hand wrote in gold ink. Antonia from Flower upon Flour blew us away with her tasty little gold petit fours with the hot pink fleur de lis… but the pièce de résistance was definitely her INSANE cake!!
Antonia and I had discussed the color story and inspiration behind the shoot… and when she showed up with this…. we were like… seriously?! A teal cake with a gold birdcage on top and hot pink feathers?!
…. up next, our table and some other fun stuff!
xoxo
Matt + Kim = Mr. & Mrs. Uccellini: Saugatuck Rowing Club, Westport Connecticut
Matt and Kim were married on May 30th, 2009 at 2:30 in the afternoon at the Assumption Church in Westport, Connecticut. Immediately following, guests enjoyed a gorgeous preppy and nautical inspired fete at the Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport. Kim and Matt were an amazing couple to work with! At our initial meeting I knew we’d be a good match — they wanted a preppy, tailored, and nautical wedding in blue and yellow with pops of red.
The day began with Kim getting ready at her apartment with her parents and bridesmaids. Kim had her makeup done by the talented artists at Naomi’s Makeup Studio out of West Hartford. Kim wore a gorgeous and simple Matthew Christopher satin gown with an elbow length Mantilla Veil, purchased at Bridal Trousseau on Main in Branford. Her bridal bouquet (by Peter’s Wholesale Florists in Stamford) was made up of white peonies, yellow ranunculous, and white hydrangea wrapped in yellow and white polka dot grosgrain ribbon. It was absolutely stunning!
Matt and his Groomsmen spent the later morning and early afternoon having lunch at his parents house. They wore gorgeous seersucker jackets from Brooks Brothers with a navy brooks brothers tie and khakis. The groom wore a head of ranunculous as his boutonniere and his groomsmen wore a single yellow rose. The flower girls and ringer bearer were all Matt’s nieces and they wore the most darling little red and yellow polka dot dresses!
After their beautiful ceremony at Assumption Church in Westport, Matt and Kim went to the spot that was very meaningful and sentimental to them. A place where they spent many nights watching the sun set as a couple. They love Combo Beach in Westport and try to visit at least once every weekend during the summer months. Her love of rowing and his love of the water really drew them together. After the ceremony, Kim took off her gorgeous veil and pinned a fabulous little white flower in her hair. Doesn’t she look STUNNING?
The reception was held at the Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport. The views? Stunning. It was obvious to them that it was the perfect location, which would marry her love of rowing and his love of the water. Guests were greeted on the blue slate patio overlooking the Saugatuck River and the docks that lead out into the water. They enjoyed Matt and Kim’s signature cocktail, the Pimms Cup, served from large sea glass canisters into high ball glasses which were garnished with a lemon wheel, cucumber spear, and a seersucker swizzle stick. Heaven.
The tablescapes were gorgeous and filled with SO many details. We used navy linen as a base, and brought in beautiful beechwood chiavari chairs with white pads from Party Rentals, Ltd out of Greenwich. Centerpieces were of one tall, french galvanized bucket filled with white peonies, ranunculous and hydrangea. They were fluffy and tightly filled — so gorgeous! There were three satellite arrangements of yellow and white gerbera daisies in smaller galvanized buckets. Each bucket had the same yellow and white polka dot grosgrain ribbon from Kim’s bouquet wrapped around them. The taller, french galvanized buckets had thick red grosgrain ribbon.
Each place setting had a rattan charger with an accompanying blue polka dot plate and clear glass saucer for the chilled gazpacho, all rented from Party Rentals, Ltd. Their navy napkins were rolled and tied onto them was a menu “tag”, which we created in the round. It had a seersucker boarder and a cute little yellow grommet, tied together with white grosgrain ribbon. Each guest received a cute little galvanized bucket filled with red swedish fish. We created red and blue favor tags with lyrics to their first dance song by U2 and tied it on with red grosgrain ribbon.
Each table was named after a New England town that held special significance to the bride and groom. Places like Westport, Newport, Nantucket, Block Island, Bar Harbor, Mystic…. we even inserted the GPS coordinates of each location onto their table sign. A fun little detail we carried through out the event — like on the custom stamp we made for their invitations!
Guests dinned on chilled gazpacho, surf and turf with filet mignon and lobster tail with steamed red potatoes and corn on the cob. There were even toothpicks on the table for pickin’ corn out of your teeth! The entire event was catered by the Club’s restaurant, Riverview Restaurant. Chef Danny and his team did a fabulous job!
Their delicious cake was made by Sweet Cakes out of Fairfield, Connecticut. Suzette did a fabulous job bringing Kim and Matt’s vision to life. The guests REALLY enjoyed the cake and complimented on how delectable it was! We displayed escort cards on a red linen wrapped cork board with some retro metal pushpins. It was perfect! We also had custom napkins, swizzle sticks, and coasters made for the event. The beautiful calligraphy was done by Lisa Ridgley of Pen and Ink Calligraphy out of Westminister, Maryland. I LOVE Lisa. She is so good to our brides and does AMAZING work! One of the little details I loved most about this wedding that you may not be able to notice was the lowercase letters we used on everything — even their yellow monogrammed letters that were tied to the back of their chairs. When I think preppy I think kate spade and j. crew, so we channeled some of their branding. A little detail that goes a LONG way! In lieu of a traditional guest book, guests also signed rowing oars. They also dropped their cards in a lobster trap.
Guests danced the night away to music provided by Jim Nuzzo of Dance to the Music Entertainment. He did an AWESOME job! Photographs are courtesy of Kelley and Todd Whittaker (website coming soon). Matt and Kim made their grand exit via a sparkler send off and rounded out the evening across the street with their family and friends, sipping Margareta’s at Vivas!
The day was captured on video by Matthew Fink of Digital Media Odyssey. He already has their teaser trailer up! Check it out below!
Kim and Matt Teaser Trailer from Matthew Fink on Vimeo.
Thanks Matt and Kim for letting us share in your SPECTACULAR day. It was a pleasure designing your event and working with you.
Dagney + Michael = Major & Mrs. Stone: Oxford Airport, Oxford Connecticut
Dagney and Michael were married on May 16th, 2009 at Calvary Church in Trumbull, Connecticut in a moving ceremony filled with personal touches and a lot of song! Their reception was held at Oxford Airport, in Oxford Connecticut in one of the working hangars. It was truly spectacular! But before we delve into the details of their one-of-a-kind event, here is their incredible love story.
They met after being matched up on eHarmony. They were two pilots who had individual loves of aviation, they hit it off from the start. Dagney grew up flying planes with her Dad and Michael is a pilot in the military. Their love of planes and their faith brought them together. Michael actually proposed in an airplane as he flew them to a celebratory dinner. One word to describe that: amazing! I think you’ll be hearing me say that a lot about this wedding.
When Michael & Dagney contacted me in January to help plan and coordinate they had one idea – they wanted to be married in an airplane hangar. If you knew them and their families (with long aviation history) it was a no brainer. People may have said it couldn’t be done, but they had an incredible set of people helping them to pull it together.
The event was catered by emily’s catering, where guests dined on a duet of chicken and salmon with delicious vegetables passed around the table family style. They had the most incredible band, The Joe Holmes Swing Band from Norwalk, Connecticut. They LIT UP the hangar and provided throw back, 1940’s war time sound. They were nothing short of amazing! Bouquets and floral centerpieces were provided by Flore Floral Design in Southbury, Connecticut. The cake was provided by a family friend, Crystal, who did an incredible job! Lastly, the event was captured by very good friends of Jubilee, the talented group at Robert & Kathleen Photographers. They did an amazing job of telling the story of how Dagney & Michael’s day began and ended. Finally, Jubilee Events (that’s us!) coordinated and planned the event. Big thanks to Style Me Pretty who featured this event (before we even did!) in their Friday edition. Thanks Abby and Eddye!
The day began with the bride getting ready at her parents’ home with her maids.
She wore a gorgeous dress by Maggie Sottero and her mother’s vintage 1960’s veil which was cathedral length. Believe me when I tell you it was magnificent!
The ceremony was held at the Bride’s church in Trumbull, Connecticut. Dagney walked down the aisle first with her father, and turned around to face the church doors while she waited for her groom to come and receive her. It was very moving and unique!
After the ceremony guests waited outside for the sabre arch. They dashed into an awaiting black towne car and off they went to their amazing reception!
Their reception was held at Oxford Airport in Oxford, Connecticut. I think everyone, guests and vendors alike, were overwhelmed with how awesome it was to be celebrating in a working airplane hangar, surrounded by 7 planes. Dagney and Michael had a vintage 1948 Beech D-15S flown in especially for the occasion. It was gorgeous and the perfect centerpiece to their event. We positioned it, along with two other planes, behind the The Joe Holmes Swing Band and black and white checkered dance floor.
When guest arrived to the hangar they were greated with fabulous hor’dourves and cocktails from emily’s catering. They were invited to look at photographs that documented the couple’s families aviation history, sign their handmade wooden propeller, and grab their boarding pass which promised to take them to an amazing location that was significant to the couple. Each table was assigned a gate number for the guests to fly out from.
The tablescape was dreamed up by Dagney’s mom, who loves to dress up tables! Her and I worked together on the design, but all the credit goes to her. They really loved a family style table setting and wanted something unqiue, so we used rectangular tables instead of round or square. They had custom yellow overlays made to bring in a pop of color, and we brought in stone slabs to pay homage to their new last name (Stone). Sitting atop each stone slab was a floral centerpiece by Flore Floral Design. Filled with spray roses, ranunculous and other yellow and white flowers arranged in a glass pedestal vase. The centerpieces were flanked by hand cut lilacs in silver mint julep cups and tall fluted vases with hand cut branches, both of which Jubilee Events arranged. It was really breath taking!
The cake was lovely — white buttercream with green scroll work and their monogram on the second tier. It was decorated with pretty yellow roses and sat on top of a fun green poodle linen that Dagney’s mother picked out. It was simply gorgeous with one of the planes as a back drop!
They danced their first song to At Last by Etta James, as sung by their good friend Ana. It was extremely romantic! Guests danced the night away to big band 1940’s war era songs preformed by the The Joe Holmes Swing Band, who I can’t stop raving about. They were amazing!!
Their final exit came about a half hour before the soiree ended. Originally they were to fly out, but because the fog was so thick and bad, we had to come up with a Plan C. Dagney’s father has a vintage 1967 porsche and they used that as their get away car. We opened up the hangar doors and invited all the guests to join us outside on the ramp. Bubbles were passed out on silver trays as we got the bride and groom ready for their final exit. With the car in position, they made their way outside and into the awaiting car. It was quite emotional! My favorite image from the night is above. Robert and Kathleen really captured the day so perfectly; their images are amazing. We loved working with them!!
Dagney and Michael — we wish you all the love, joy and happiness the world has to offer. It was an amazing experience that I am so proud to be apart of!
Spring Centerpieces from Blush Floral Design
I spied these really gorgeous spring arrangements on Blush Floral Design’s super fabulous blog the other day and wanted to share! Elisabeth has such amazing style and I love everything she creates. Major talent! I love the lilacs — they are my favorite flower and so in bloom right now. I love when you drive down some of our country roads with the window open and you can smell them!
Jubilee Event’s introduces The Studio!
In March we opened up our planning studio (alongside raw photo design and Paradigm Digital Video). It has become an amazing space for Jubilee Events and our clients. The Studio is a relaxed planning atmosphere where we sit down with our couples to design and plan their wedding. We have a ton of inspiration on hand, from design books, magazines, vendor portfolios, fabric swatches, prop rentals — you name it!
We are located in Danbury on the Bethel line, conveniently off I-84. Visiting The Studio is by appointment only. For more details, please contact us at 203.632.5654 or at info@eventjubilee.com.
Modern Trousseau 2010 Collection: Sneak Peek!
A bunch of awesome landed in my inbox yesterday when Modern Trousseau emailed a glimpse of their new 2010 bridal collection. Yep, it is gorgeous.
left: Laura; right: Liza
left: Macey; right: Sasha
left: Scarlett; right: Stephanie
left: Summer; right: Taylor
left: Willow; right: Zoe
I also just read on The White Dress By the Shore’s new blog that they are exclusively hosting the new collection this weekend.
Real Connecticut Wedding: Lisa & Marc in Greenwich
This week we have the super gorgeous wedding of Lisa and Marc at the L’escale in Greenwich, Connecticut which was photographed by one of our favorite photographers, Robert and Kathleen. Stay tuned!
Part of the Real Connecticut Wedding: Lisa & Marc series
Trash the Dress with raw photo design
Two weeks ago I had the AMAZING opportunity to be photographed by the ridiculously talented Eric Langlois of raw photo design in Danbury, Connecticut. I contacted Eric many months back to set up a trash the dress session BEFORE my wedding and he was totally game! I wanted to do something different, fun, and geared toward me. I didn’t want to do anything that included water, sand, or woods–so not me. In college I would sneak into old, abandoned and decrepit buildings to photograph them (some of my favorites were Norwich Mental Hospital and Holy Land in Waterbury). I love the stories they would lend and it was so much fun to investigate their history.
Before we go any further — HUGE thanks to Eric Langlois of raw photo design who was totally game for breathing in asbestosis. Also, Tom from Paradigm DV collaborated with us and filmed the entire thing. I saw some raw footage of it and let me tell you, it is SICK (I can’t WAIT to share it!). The dress I wore was “Aimee” from Modern Trousseau via The White Dress by the Shore. The dress was so gorgeous and comfortable– it fit like a glove! My good friend Elisabeth from Blush Floral Design designed the most gorgeous bouquet, inspired by the vintage location we were shooting at. My favorite part? The little bits of tulle she incorporated through out the. My hair and makeup was done by Catie Bane of Dana Bartone & Co. She took my idea of Dita Von Teese and Katherine Heigl and merged them together. Don’t you think she did a super fabulous job? The birdcage veil and fascinator was from Brenda’s Brdal Veils via etsy.com.
A few years ago I came across this abandoned girls college in New York and knew that someday I would have to go back and investigate it myself. Eric and I were tossing around some cool locations to shoot at and then the light bulb went off in my brain! Armed with flash lights and bail money the three of us created a way inside and investigated the top three floors. The site was as scary and desolate as it looks above. The inside was VERY decayed and heavily vandalized; overall, it was pretty dangerous — a whole section of the building had caved in from three floors down (Watch where you step was really an understatement). Having been abandoned for over thirty years the floors were very soft, the paint chipped, weeds and vines had made their way inside. It was absolutely awesome and lived up to every expectation I had.
Eric had some killer ideas and his guidance was amazing. He has such a keen ability to make you feel COMFORTABLE in front of the camera. I was so nervous I was going to give bad Zoolander face — but he steered me in the right direction!!
On our way back, we jumped out of the truck and took a few photographs in this roadside field.. They turned out to be some of my absolute favorites!
Eric has so many more amazing photographs and a killer slideshow on his blog — click here for the slideshow and click here for some additional shots! I didn’t want to post all of them here so go show his blog some LOVE!
Real Connecticut Wedding: Alex & Jeremy in Wolcott
Alexandra Mucha and Jeremy Papazoglou were married on September 21, 2008 at the Lily Lake Inn in Wolcott, Connecticut. They were surrounded by 150 of their closest family and friends as they exchanged vows under a beautiful willow tree and danced the day away. Wait until you see the AMAZING flowers by Fleur de Lys Floral in New Haven, Connecticut. They are so colorful and plentiful!
Vendors
Robin Dini Photography captured this amazing day in photographs; the couple married and entertained guests at The Lily Lake Inn in Wolcott, Connecticut; hair and makeup was provided by the brides friend, Eden Chapman of Moda Hair Studio in Milford, Connecticut; the brides gown was by designer 2 Be Bride and was purchased at Harolds in New Haven, Connecticut; the groom wore a Ralph Lauren black pin striped tux with an ivory shirt, taupe vest and tie; the four bridesmaids wore beautiful black dresses and the groomsmen wore a simple black tux and shirt with a dark platinum Ralph Lauren tie; the amazing florals were provided by Fleur de Lys Floral in New Haven, Connecticut; the delicious cake was crafted by Cerratos Pastry Shop in West Hartford, Connecticut; guests danced the day away courtesy of WJProductions out of Stratford, Connecticut; the ceremony was officiated by a family friend, David Hendel;the invitations, programs, and paper items were all lovingly hand crafted by Jeremy’s aunt Sharon; favors were hand made by the bride and her mother, which included personalized bags of coffee and biscotti
Part of the Real Connecticut Weddings: Alex & Jeremy series
- Real Connecticut Wedding: Alex & Jeremy in Wolcott
- Real Connecticut Weddings: Alex & Jeremy | The Beginning…
- Real Connecticut Wedding: Alex & Jeremy | The Ceremony
- Real Connecticut Wedding: Alex & Jeremy | Details and Reception
Jubilee Events on Style Me Pretty
On my way out the door to meet Studio Foto for lunch I saw in my Google Reader that we were featured on Style Me Pretty this morning! I did a fun tablescape inspired for the DIYer in some necessary spring color! Click here to check it out. Thanks to Abby & Michelle for featuring us!!
Chalkboard Wedding Decor Details
I think everyone appreciates chalkboard. I’m not sure why – it must hearken back to our elementary school days when getting called to write on the chalkboard was fun (at least it was for me!). I love the way chalkboard has been utilized at weddings and thought I’d give you a bit of chalkboard inspiration.
The obvious is chalkboard-turned-menu. I love how this couple used an old surf board as their surface to paint. Since chalkboard paint can go on virtually any clean surface, you can make anything your chalkboard menu. You can do a traditional bistro-style chalkboard menu, or maybe hang chalkboard tiles from clothes line strung between two trees. There are a million opportunities here to be creative and the best part: it is super expensive and easy to do!
In my search for this post I came across this fun and innovative chalkboard vinyl wall decals from Spell It Out Designs on etsy.com. To say I love these vintage / Victorian-inspired chalk frames would be an understatement! Vinyl is easily removable from any surface and leaves no trace that it has been there. While it is great for using on the walls, doors, or windows of your venue you should inquire first whether your location will allow you to do it. If they do, great! You can use these again as menu cards, place card displays, wedding signs (“wedding this way!”), inscribe a quote, thank you, note. Leave it blank and allow your guests to leave you messages! The possibilities are endless. And if you can’t put it on a wall, simply build a surface to put it on.
I’m also totally loving these chalkboard plant stakes used instead as a place card. These are from Crossroads Cottage, but you can easily make them yourself with a little time and energy. They’d be perfect for a smaller wedding! I also love them used in the tablescape design, tucked into a floral arrangement. They would also look perfect tucked into your stationary hors d’oeuvre display, or if you can, on your passed hors d’oeuvre trays.
This isn’t done often enough, probably because it isn’t that simple, but I love the look of these giant chalkboard seatting arrangement displays from a fete event. The key is to have a wedding planner who not only has gorgeous handwriting, but write in a straight line!
This fun and thoughtful idea comes from a wedding featured on one of our favorite blogs, OnceWed. The bride got the idea from Wonderful Graffiti to have a word search at the reception to entertain guests. If anything, it is just pure beauty, and makes for a great photo op. I’m sure her guests had a fabulous time using it, too!
Last but not least, why not add a chalk board (or dry erase board) to your wedding’s photo booth? You never know what message might turn up! Just be sure to have something handy to wipe all the chalk that is bound to rub off on everyone’s black clothing. This is where we tell you that the dry erase board might be a better idea!
Inspiring Spring Tablescapes
I think all of us are over winter, and what better way to remind us of what is to come than a little spring tablescape inspiration! All these tablescapes are not only colorful and spring ready, but they incorporate fun vessels like painted tin cans, vintage egg cups, bud vases with chandelier crystals, and green depression glass drinking cups. I also love all the mercury vases and candle holders used in the fifth picture… so timeless and romantic!
Boudoir Sessions with Orchard Cove Photography!
My friend Amanda of Orchard Cove Photography is introducing Boudoir photography to Connecticut and New England brides! Amanda has such an amazing eye and I can’t wait to see her style translate into these intimate portraits. Take a look at a recent Orchard Cove boudoir session below and get on the phone to schedule yours!
Inspiration Board: Pear & Canary Meet Wine Country
Beautiful California wine country and weddings are like peanut butter and jelly — they just make sense. Who wouldn’t want to get married amidst the sprawling green mountainside, on the cusp of the pacific ocean? Us Connecticut girls with a love of grape vines and rolling symmetrical hills are certainly disappointed when we look around at our landscape and see just the opposite. Well, that isn’t entirely true: you just need to know where to look!
My inspiration for this board came out of my own love for wine country weddings. In Connecticut, that can seem near impossible, but we’re fortunate in having the most gorgeous of locations, Jonathan Edwards Winery. Located in North Stonington, the views here are amazing. You just have to see it for yourself!
The Color Palate
I chose Pear and Canary because I love the way green and yellow look together. Does anyone remember Pottery Barn’s catalogs from last year, with all those fabulous green and yellow livingscapes? I literally thought about redesigning my house! The colors together are so fresh and can be whimsical, romantic, or tailored and preppy. I think our inspiration board incorporates a little of each. I also included the colors of Crisp Linen to break up the boldness of the green and yellow. The color of Espresso Brown is also just so complimentary of all three others and helps add some rustic wood elements to the design in branches or wooden tables.
Another reason why I love this palate is it is cross-seasonal. While it is fabulous in Spring and Summer, it can work equally as well in Fall and Winter. And while you may not be able to have a fabulous tented fete in the dead of January at a winery, you could have a beautiful indoor affair at one of the local renovated Barns in Connecticut and it would have the same effect!
I think this is one of my favorite inspiration boards to date. I try to not just slap pictures together, but put genuine thought into each element and how it plays off one another. Its like building a mini wedding. My only regret is the space isn’t larger to fit MORE ideas and inspiration.
The Inspiration Board
From the top: Photograph of Jonathan Edwards Winery, located in Stonington, Connecticut; Lemon Tart from the real wedding of Liz & Chris via Southern Weddings Magazine; Green and white ceremony decor from Brides.com; Yellow signature cocktails on green and white lacquer tray from Brides.com; Pear escort card from Brides.com; Delicious pear dipped in chocolate as wedding favors from Chocopologie in SoNo, Connecticut; “Carmen” satin peep toe pumps in Bright Saffron from JCrew.com; Bridal gown “Tanya” from Modern Trousseau’s 2009 Collection, located in Woodbridge, Connecticut; Hanging votives, mini french fries in white cones, and mini burgers topped with green dill pickles from a Real Wedding via Southern Weddings Magazine; Canary yellow dining chair from Chameleon Chair; Yellow and white letterpress invitation “Estrella” from Bella Figura; Bridal bouquet of champagne roses, hydrangeas, cream anemones, and green hypericum berries tied with cocoa brown Midori ribbon from The Knot; The gorgeous green and white tablescape is from the real wedding of target=”_new”>Katrina & Matt via Southern Weddings Magazine; Bridesmaids dress “Becca”in Honey Eastern Shangtung (style JYSE-462) by Jenny Yoo in their Spring 2009 collection.
Real Connecticut Wedding: Ashley & Mark in Mystic
I was so excited to hear about the wedding of Ashley and Mark from their photographer Amanda of Orchard Cove Photography. I remembered seeing their wedding on her blog a few months ago and I’m so thrilled that we can feature it here!
Ashely Kilpatrick and Mark Hodson were married on September 20th, 2008 in a jubilant ceremony at the Noank Baptist Church in Groton, Connecticut. Later on in the day, their 140 guests gathered to celebrate at the Seamen’s Inne in Mystic, Connecticut. I love Ashley & Mark’s wedding for all the personal touches they incorporated and its “Old England” (check out some of the guests fun hats!) meets “New England” vibe. Plus, WAIT until you hear all about the amazing Cymbeline dress she wore — her wedding day look is definitely glam couture and we love it!
How did you two meet?
Mark and I worked together at Major League Soccer Camps in Mystic, Connecticut. We were friends for several years before we started dating.
How did he propose?
Mark and I were visiting his family in England for the holidays [and] he took me to York Mister, which I had been dying to see. It’s an absolutely incredible cathedral where he graduated college. With the holiday season and amazing scenery, he got down on one knee in a quiet corner of the cathedral and asked me to be his wife.
Next up: The ceremony…
The Vendors
The story of their day was told in photographs by the talented Amanda Herzberger of Orchard Cove Photography. The wedding ceremony was held at Noank Baptist Church in Groton, Connecticut with a classic New England fete at the Seamen’s Inne in Mystic. Hair and makeup for the wedding was by Deanna & Danielle of the Rob Rivers Salon in Mystic. The bride wore a magnificent gown by Cymbeline Paris, purchased at Lili Bridal in Tarzana, California. The bride’s attendants wore beautiful dark champagne colored Jim Hjelm satin dresses. The groom donned a custom tuxedo by Mattucci in Redondo Beach, California with a black and white stripped tie by Brooks Brothers. The groomsmen wore suits by John Galante. Personalized cup cakes were deliciously designed by You Take the Cake in New London. Floral design was by Adams Garden of Eden in Pawcatuck, Connecticut. Guests danced the night away to music and entertainment provided by Rich Conway . The day was captured on video by Casey Moran, and the bride created the invitations and designed the wedding herself!
Part of the Real Connecticut Wedding: Ashley & Mark in Mystic series
- Real Connecticut Wedding: Ashley & Mark in Mystic
- Real Connecticut Wedding: Ashley & Mark | The Ceremony
- Real Connecticut Wedding: Ashley & Mark | The Details & Reception
