Country Chic for a New Yorker

One of my brides asked me for a list of beautiful sites for family portraits and as I was naming a few, I realized I never posted about Marissa & Scott’s wedding back in June!   I worked with the two of them for a little over a year and half so it was bittersweet to see the day come to an end.  Marissa & Scott are both artists so they came to the table with tons of design ideas…the tricky part was focusing it all into one clear theme.  We ended up with country chic.  This was truely a destination wedding because every single person was from out of the area, the majority coming from New York.  Although there’s always family drama thrown into the mix, by the end of the night, I only heard what a wonderful time they all had.  Marissa & Scott did  a great job of thinking about their guests right down to dietary restrictions & comfort.  I”ll miss working with these two!  Enjoy some pictures we had time to snap and one below from the very talented Scott Church. 

And thank you to the talented professionals that helped to pull this day off!

The Inn at Westwynd Farm

Events Etc.

Special Occasions

Florals by Heather Ann

Rosies Creative Cakes

Photographer Scott Church

Where has the time gone!

Was my last update seriously in April and now it’s the end of June?  I can not believe how this year is flying by.  I haven’t filled you in on any of our weddings for this year so I’d like to share with you one from May.  Nicole & Darin were married May 3oth at Ski Liberty Resort in Fairfield, PA.  They had a gorgeous day and I had a blast at their wedding.  Nicole was by far one of  my most organized brides.  I loved her eye for detail and sense of style.  It made the last year quite enjoyable as I kept up with her on her very own wedding blog. 

The wedding itself went of fantastically but unfortunately we did have an “oops” a week and a half before the big day.  One evening I got a call from the mother of the bride letting me know that the dry cleaners has destroyed the dress.  I must say, I have never talked to a mother so calm.  I think I was more frantic as one point then she was.  To make a long story short, we were able to find a store in the area that had the same dress, same size and the ability to have it altered in a few short days.   I swear, I always think I’ve seen it all and then every year there’s a “first”.  Well, let’s hope that’s it for big “oop’s” this year. 

Below are a few pictures I caputured during the evening along with some pro pics.  Check out the adorable blue birds photographed by Dustin.  Dustin was by far one of the funnest photographers I’ve ever worked with and his work is amazing!  Although he’s based in California, no worries, he tells me he’s up for travel;)

Provided by Sight Photography

Be sure to check out Nicole’s blog for more amazing photo’s from Sight Photography!

thank you and reviews

I know a lot of wedding professionals use websites such as Wedding Wire to market themselves and collect reviews but I’ve never taken the time to ask my brides to review my services. When a thank you comes along, it’s just the icing on the cake for me! And this morning, when I received an email that one of my brides from 2008 had reviewed my services, it brought a smile to my face when reading it. Sometimes being a wedding planner can be a thankless job but it’s mornings when you wake up to stuff like this that keeps you going. Thanks Elizabeth!
“Jamie is a wonderful planner…if you can get her anymore! She helped me from beginning to end – with picking vendors to bringing us lunch at the salon. Although there were a few vendors that I was little disappointed in (florist and invitation), Jamie made everything work in the end. She is relaxed but was responsive to all my needs. She was professional and got back to me on anything I needed. I would highly recommend her for for weddings or any other event needing planned.”

Corks for Placecards

I wanted to share with you a great store I came across this weekend in the Lemoyne area.  It’s inevitable, each year I have at least one bride ask me about doing wine cork place cards.  And each year, my only advice is to drink a lot of wine and save the corks….no, usually I send them to an on-line site but most of my brides like that advice.  Anyways, my husband and a friend of his are both looking into home brewing so we stopped in at Scotzin Bros. to check out their products.  I had no idea that I would find wedding inspiration in there!  So, you wine loving brides, if you happen to be near the Lemoyne area and your looking for corks or even fancy bottles for your reception, look no further than the Scotzin Bros.  They’re only opened Wednesdays and Saturdays so be sure to check their website for hours before making a trip there.  Below is a picture of Kathryn’s wedding back in 2007 and how she used wine corks for her place cards. (photo by Jimmy Ryan Photography)

2009 Availability

I hope everyone had an awesome holiday season, I know I did!  Below are the months that are still open for weddings.  We will only be taking weddings through November of 2009 so if you are looking for a planner for your 2010 wedding, we’ll be happy to recommend someone.  Things have gotten quite busy around here, in a good way, so the blog will be quieter this year compared to last.  However, I’m really excited to focus on our ’09 weddings as we have a wide variety of styles going on and I’ll do my best to get a post on here every so often to show you how each unique bride and her wedding comes together this year. 

Available months for 2009

March

April

August (only the 15th & 22nd)

October (only the 3rd & 17th)

Merry Christmas

We’ll be out of the office till January 5th and when we get back I’ll post available dates for 2009 weddings.  I personally hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Elizabeth & Dave Professional Pictures

Although I’ve been taking a break from blogging recently, I wanted to share with you the fabulous picture’s Leslie sent me from Elizabeth’s and Dave’s wedding this past Labor Day weekend.  They turned out absolutely gorgeous!  The talented Leslie Gilbert did a great job in capturing the spirit of the day.  Thanks Leslie!

Heather & Tom’s Wedding

Whew! It has been quite the busy event season and with our last wedding 2 weeks ago already, it ended on a great note!  Well I should re-phrase, weddings are done for the year, but there are more events to come:) 

September 27th I had the pleasure to work with Heather & Tom at the Eagle Rock Resort in Hazleton, PA.  This basically was a destination wedding for them as both Heather and Tom live in Harrisburg.  I began working with the two of them this summer when they contacted me about having various problems wrapping up the details being so far away.  I had a great time getting to know the two of them and it was quite the adventure traveling to Hazleton and meeting all new professionals.  As soon as I get pictures I’ll be sure to post.  Thanks to the following for making Heather & Tom’s wedding so special!

Eagle Rock Resort

Picturesque’ Photography

Harry C. Productions DJ

Janie Lou’s Cake Shop

Stewarts Floral

Floral Array

Labor Day Weekend Wedding

Yes I know, I apologize! It’s been quite awhile since my last post but it’s also been a little busy around here.  However, I had a moment so I wanted to let you  know how Elizabeth & Dave’s wedding went.  It was held at the Hershey Lodge September 30th and after close to 2 years of planning, it was bitter sweet to see this come to an end.  I had so much fun getting to know the families that I can honestly say, when we had meetings, it never felt like work.  More like friends getting together.  I wish they were all like that!  So here are a few pictures Tara was able to snap before the doors were opened.  Also check out Leslie’s blog for more photos.  I only wish I would have taken pictures of Sunday’s brunch…a down-home southern pig roast.  Although I’m not a huge fan of meat, or being able to see where the meat comes from, it was still a fun time and even I will admit, the food tasted great!

 

Thanks to all the vendors who pulled the day together!

Hershey Lodge – a special thanks to Sarah for taking over and doing a tremendous job!

Special Occasions

Dingeldein Bakery and Sweet Confections Cakes

Stardust Dj’s

Mack Video Productions

Leslie Gilbert Photography

Love2bCreative

Tidbit Tuesday – Honeymoon Planning

I’ve been told by many of my brides that their favorite part of the wedding process was looking forward to their honeymoon.  I completely understand because it’s that “reward” for all your hard work put in the last couple of months and it’s a wonderful time to relax with your new husband.  Honeymoon’s involve planning too, and often times, brides forget that part.  I often hear that the groom is in charge of the honeymoon plans or that the couple will be planning it themselves.  This always worries me because like a wedding, your dropping a lot of money in hopes that everything will turn out just the way you imagined.  So, just like you would hire a wedding planner to make sure those expectations come true, you also need to consider hiring a travel agent to make sure your honeymoon dreams come true. 

When looking for a travel agent you want to look into their specializations.  Do they plan family vacations, destination weddings, honeymoons?  Some one that specializes in a certain travel area will have more contacts and resources to give you.  They can also save you a lot of money when it comes to knowing what strings to pull.  You also want to check into references.  The Internet is a wonderful thing these days and makes it easy to find compliments and complaints on businesses.   An agent that I will always recommend is Lindsey Hoffman with Ultra Tech Travel.  Lindsey came highly recommended to me and throughout our time working together I see why.  She has given my bride, who is getting married in Jamaica, awesome service.  I know that if anything were to happen before or during the wedding or honeymoon, Lindsey would be one phone call away to make things right, and that’s peace of mind that’s worth every penny!