Jill and Ryan, November 28th, 2009

Wow, what can I say about these two? I’ve known Jill since the day she was born! Her mom and I have been like sisters for nearly 30 years, and Jill is like one of my own. You’d think this would be easier to write, because I know her and her family so well, but in fact, it’s harder!
First I just have to say that planning this wedding with Jill and Ryan was nearly as much fun as planning Megan’s wedding. We had such a wonderful time kicking ideas around and making plans.
Their wedding was at Trinity Lutheran Church, downtown in Valpo, which has been her church all her life. I think it’s ironic that I have known them all these years, and never really seen this church! I didn’t know it had a balcony! It has the beautiful “inside out boat” ceiling you see in a lot of older churches, particularly Episcopal churches. Gothic arches all around and Indiana limestone—it’s a beautiful church!
Here's a shot from the wedding—

The Flower Cart from Chesterton provided their flowers—beautiful as usual!!

On the tables, they used two different designs. One had a square vase filled with red roses,the other design was a low bowl filled with "California crystals" that look like ice chips, with three purple cymbidium orchids in each bowl. Lovely!!!

The head table had a series of low vases with orchids and roses, and candles, all across the front. Something to keep in mind decorating the head table--keep it low! Your photographer will love you for that!
Jim and I actually got to sit in the ballroom and have dinner (this is a rare occurrence!) even though it feels SO strange to us! Our staff runs so well on auto pilot, that when we are “invited guests” it’s fun to actually sit and be a guest! The menu cards matched their invitation, and really set off the color theme which was aubergine (eggplant purple) and dark red with ivory accents. The aubergine bichon table cloths looked amazing! So elegant!

Dinner was yummy—bruschetta chicken, sour cream and chive mashed potatoes and chef’s medley. Followed by Linda Monroe’s delicious and beautiful wedding cake for dessert.

Ok, this was my favorite thing of the whole wedding (I know Chris, I'm weird!) Their cake topper was SO cool!!! Yes, at first look you think "holy cow, why did they use that cheesy cake topper?" Well this cake topper has been used in Chris's family for ages! What a hoot! They paint the hair on the bride and groom to match the real ones! Ha! I love it! Cousins, aunts and uncles, all sorts of relatives in Jill's family have had this cake topper. Some have added lace, and beads and such. It's just SO sweet and warm and well, just so like Chris's big happy family! She is from a really close family of 8 kids. This cake topper, to me, just really embodied the whole feel of her family.

This is the kind of thing I really love to see at a wedding. Making it personal, making it reflect you and your families, your interests, your personalities. This is the sort of thing that makes a wedding real and meaningful.

Jill looked absolutely stunning! We had had a sneak preview when she came by the shop a couple of weeks earlier to try on veils and jewelry after her “trial run” of hair and makeup. But wow, all together with the gown and everything she looked amazing.

Her gown, another of the simply fabulous gowns of 09—was just beautiful. Simple, elegant, and shapely. At the back where it came down to a point above the train, probably about knee height, she wore one of our beautiful blingy brooches, it was just perfect there! Just the right touch.
Mike was at the mike from Transaudio and was his usual stellar self, keeping everything rolling and the crowd dancing.
What a wonderful evening. We had so much fun, and it was such a thrill to be able to make this such a special day for Jill and Ryan. It’s something we always strive for, but when it’s a couple that mean so much to us, it’s even more meaningful.

And of course, I just realized that I don't have a picture of Jill and Ryan!!! Gees! I'll have fix that later.

Best wishes and lots of love and hugs to you, Jill and Ryan!

Catching up!

Sorry folks, it's been a busy couple of weeks and I have severely fallen off the blogging wagon!

We had our Taste of Aberdeen party and vendor fair on Sunday the 15th. About 160 people attended! it was a lot of fun seeing everyone and having a chance to talk about their plans. it seems like our couples have a great time talking with each other and comparing notes as well. We had a really nice group of vendors attend as well, and most of them donated some nice prizes for our raffle. All in all it was a delightful afternoon. I always look forward to our party.

So following the party (as in, we left for the airport from the party!) we hopped on a plane and scooted down to Florida for a little vacation time. It was nice to relax for a few days, play some golf, and visit with our friends there. The following weekend, Friday, November 2oth we had a wedding for a delightful couple, Janet and Rob. What a lovely event. They really spent a lot of time and effort to make everything special for their guests. Their meal was fantastic. It began with hors d'oeuvres in the North Room followed by dinner in the South Room. We placed the gift table in the middle of the partition to make a "window". It's really a nice effect. It looks spacious and you have the look of the windows on both ends of the room, but it downsizes the room for smaller groups. I have actually seen people go up to the gift table and try to touch the window to see if it was solid or not!

Janet and Rob used an autumn color theme. The copper bichon tablecloths looked awesome! here are some photos from their event:

The following evening, Saturday the 21st we had a wedding and reception for Leslie and Jon.

As you can see, they used a black and red color scheme. Very pretty, particularly with Leslie's white gown, which was so pretty! Very delicate and feminine. I also liked her hair in sort of a low "up-do" if that makes any sense! It worked beautifully with her veil.

Incidentally, we thought it was interesting that every single weekend in November was beautiful weather for a wedding! How often does THAT happen? While it was cool for most, it was clear and crisp, mostly 50's and 60's. What an unusual year. Particularly when you consider that October, which is normally a month where we have lots of beautiful days, was rainy and gloomy for the most part. Go figure!

It just goes to prove, that there really isn't a good or bad time for a wedding in Indiana! You take your chances no matter what. We can have torential rains in September, tornadoes in July, and 70 degree days in January! We just never know what's going to happen around here. So it's great to be prepared for any contingency.

Kate and Michael 11-14-2009

Well, I must say, we have had a run of EXTRAORDINARY GOWNS this year! Katie's was no exception! SO elegant! It was made from a heavy duchess satin, in a lovely shade of ivory, almost antique ivory, but not yellowish, it was rich and deep ivory, if you're with me on this. Her bouquet of ivory roses matched it perfectly! When they arrived she was still wearing her veil, in a matching shade of illusion. Wow! It was a stunning combination! When they arrived she replaced her beautiful veil with a fresh orchid.

Their wedding was at "that other chapel "(the big one in town, haha!) Here are some photos of their reception:

This was the little ring bearer busting a move during the introductions. He was SO cute!

As you can see, they are one very happy couple! Congratulations you two!

Bella Photography's Video--We'll try again!

Well for some reason (probably something I am doing, no doubt!) I can't get this video to embed. So I will connect a link to the website for Bella Photography. Go there and take a peek at the video of pictures from Jillian and Marc's wedding. Awesome!

Annual Conference 2009--Indianapolis

Wow, for once, I didn't have to fly to get to the Annual Conference of the Association of Bridal Consultants! I have attended past conferences in Orlando, New Orleans, San Antonio, San Diego, and a couple of other locations and it's always been a major trip. This was terrific to drive to Indy for the conference. The Indiana team did a fabulous job with it too!
Megan and I attended a number of educational sessions on a wide variety of topics. We were both very impressed with a session on"Branding" presented by Mark Kingsdorf from Phillidelphia. His company, "Queen of Hearts" does some amazing events in Philly, and Marc has taken the task of branding his company to a whole new level! Amazing!
We both really enjoyed the three keynote speakers--Frank Andonoplas from Chicago presented a very entertaining talk on how he went from being a banker to a wedding consultant, complete with slides of many of the weddings that inspired him to go in that direction, as well as slides of some of his work. Peggy Post presented a talk on wedding etiquette and how it has changed over the years, the things that confuse brides, and such. By the way, the website for the Emily Post Institute is a great place to find answers to just about any etiquette question you can think up!
The final keynote speaker was the Queen of Cakes, Sylvia Weinstock, live and in the flesh! What a spunky little thing she was! (I have a picture somewhere in my Blackberry of me with Sylvia, however I can't seem to bring it up in the Blackberry. If I find it, I will post it later.) For any of you gals who would like to order an authentic Sylvia Weinstock cake, I would be happy to obtain that for you. Her cakes START at $17 per serving. That doesn't include shipping and handling. Eek! She actually ships cakes all over the world. Each one has a little white chocolate disk on the base with her logo--the big black round glasses that she wears. Too cute. Her cakes have been an inspiration to bakers all over for many years. The gum paste flowers that her company creates are absolutely amazing. It was really a thrill to see her in person!

The breakfasts and luncheons that were presented were each an inspiration onto themselves. Different themes, decorations, and favors, menu cards, the whole nine yards. We had a great time checking out all the centerpieces and specialty linens.

Oh, I almost forgot! We attended a 2 hour session on Sunday presented by "Sandals"! What a beautiful group of properties they have in the Caribbean!! Megan and I are both ready to pack and go visit! We have the brochures and literature in the shop, and will be setting up an area shortly that will have all the Sandals information for our couples as well as phone numbers to call for the best deals. The all inclusive concept is such a great way to go. Sandals prefers to call it the "luxury included vacation". No muss no fuss, everything is already paid for, and you just go and have a fabulous time. (Kind of like Aberdeen Manor :) They also offer a line of properties under the "Beaches" name that are family friendly resorts. Those are some pretty amazing places as well! Stop in and see us, we'll tell you all about it!

It was a terrific experience, and we are both looking forward to the 2010 conference in Phoenix, Arizona!

Jillian and Marc 11-7-09

Sometimes there are weekends where everything just goes SO smoothly that we wait for the other shoe to drop! Everybody is on their game, the servers, bartenders and kitchen staff are on top of every detail, and all I really have to do check to make sure everything is moving along, and punch the towels down in the bathroom wastebaskets every couple of hours. Some weekends are just so easy that I wonder why we ever worry. This has been one of those weekends. I love these weekends. I love it when we have couples that really appreciate how hard we work to make their day special and awesome, and as perfect as it possibly can be. I love it when they understand that we really, really care about them and their day. That this isn't just a job for us; it's something we eat, drink and breathe. That if something went wrong we would be just as upset as if it was our own daughter or son. I love these weekends. They validate us, they make us feel like what we do really matters, and we are able to move on with enthusiasm and purpose. This has been one of those weekends. We had two awesome couples and two awesome receptions. It was a wonderful weekend.

I already told you about last night with Jodi and Chris. Tonight we had another wonderful wedding, for Jillian and Marc. What a nice couple. Jillian had so much energy around the look of the room: the centerpieces, the favors; and she was thrilled when she walked in.

Their favors were caramel apples, made, I think, by a family member (maybe the groom's mom? I don't recall for sure). Their centerpieces were lots of different designs. Half were different types of glass containers filled with Granny Smith apples. The other half were done by their florist and were also in various containers and different types of flowers. Very interesting!

Jillian looked spectacular, and the gentlemen looked equally fab in beige suit/tuxes that were super with their chocolate, grass green, and beige/ivory color scheme. I just love the beige suits. They look so comfortable and classy. The ladies wore knee length chocolate brown dresses--so cute.
I had only seen Jillian with glasses and her hair down to her shoulders (and very cute by the way, her glasses are darling), so when she came in with her hair in a beautiful up do, no glasses, and stunning makeup, WOW! She looked terrific! Her gown was very fitted with a sparkling band of crystals or rhinestones at the waist (I'm not sure which they were, and I didn't think it would be appropo to get down and stare at her waistline!) I wish I could figure out how to get that sparkle in pictures! What a stunning gown!

It was a wonderful evening. Nice couple, lovely families (the bride's grandparents won the anniversary dance--56 years!) everyone, including our staff and the two of us, enjoyed it immensely!

Their photographers, Jodi and Rick Bella from Bella Photography (NOT Bella Pictures folks, that's a different company, national and very big) sent me a video montage from Jillian and Marc's evening with us. I have been trying to embed it here for you to see! Consequently, the delay in posting the above. I still haven't figured it out, however, if I do, I will just post it seperately, as it was VERY cool! I think it may be in the wrong file format for Blogger. Hmm.
Congratulations you two! It was a beautiful evening!

Megan and I are off to Indy for the Association of Bridal Consultants Annual Conference tomorrow. I'm excited to introduce Megan to all of my friends in the Association. I'm sure we

will come back with lots of exciting new ideas and products.

Jodi and Chris 11-6-09

I just love winter weddings! I love when it's dark outside and the candles and fireplace are lit. I love the luminaries across the parking lot to the chapel, and I love sparklers. Our anniversary is in December, so I practiced what I preach! Winter weddings are cozy, warm, and have an intimate sense of closeness. It's kind of like the difference between Christmas Eve day and the actual evening of Christmas Eve--the magic comes out only after it's dark!

Last night was our first wedding and reception since the time change last week. It was wonderful to have that magic again! Having Jodi and Chris made it even more special! What a wonderful pair these two are! Jodi's smile could light up a room, and it was evident that it lit up Chris's life!

I knew from the first time I talked with them that they would have a really great party!

Their colors were chocolate, red and ivory (ok blog readers, who can tell me how many chocolate weddings we have had this fall? I think chocolate is the new black!) I LOVE red in our ballroom though, and it is so pretty with chocolate brown (who would've thought it!)

House of Fabian created two beautiful arrangements for the chapel that were in giant white pumpkins--so pretty. Their bouquets were stunning as well. Kind of a mixture of flowers in the dark fall hues with bright red accents, Jodi's had lots of ivory touches worked into the other colors.

Their placecard table was darling--little mini white pumpkins that were cut at an angle to hold the placecards. Too cute.

Following the ceremony, the couple went back and released guests themselves, and the attendants passed out sparklers to the guests. It was a little windy for the luminaries, but they managed to stay upright for the most part.

When Jodi and Chris had finished greeting all their guests they rang the bell and walked out through a pathway of sparklers over to their reception. (They had done their photos before the wedding, so they were free to go enjoy their cocktail hour after the wedding.)

The guests raved about their dinner! Crab stuffed mushrooms, antipasti trays, and artichoke crostini along with the wine upgrade at the bar (wine lists on the bar! at a wedding! can you imagine?!? The guests LOVE it!) What a great combination. Chicken piccata with sour cream and chive mashed potato and chef's medley (zucchini, yellow squash, green beans and red pepper strips) made a beautiful plate. Their yummy wedding cake topped it off.

What a fun evening. Their guests danced till the end, and partied the night away. It was a wedding where we enjoyed watching everyone have such a good time.