Gorgeous Waterfront Wedding at Celebrations at the Bay!

On this beautiful winter day -- the sky is so blue, the sun is shining so brightly, the air is crisp and the ground has about 2.5 feet of snow on it -- I thought you might like to escape the chilly day and see some pics of a beautiful wedding I coordinated on the waterfront in Pasadena, MD.

Jennifer and Brian contacted me in February of 2015 (via my website, and they also knew 2 other brides with whom I was working) to provide month-of/day-of coordination for their September 2015 wedding at Celebrations at the Bay. What a great venue choice for their wedding day!  I had been to the venue years ago for a networking event, but never for a wedding -- it was amazing! Jennifer & Brian were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous early fall day for their wedding, and enjoyed a day full of love and good times shared with family and friends, creating beautiful memories.

Jen and Brian were a wonderful and fun couple with whom to work!  And, they currently live only a few blocks from where I lived in Northern Virginia when I moved east from Northern Wisconsin (the move was a long time ago!!!)!  Their contracting with me was just meant to be!

Jen's very bubbly personality made working with this couple a complete joy!  She was very organized and kept good notes during the planning process.  I'd check in with her every few weeks or so to see how plans were going so we could check things off of the list!  We chatted more often as it got closer to the wedding date sharing the information I would need to know so that I could make sure the wedding day went just as they dreamed it would!

Jen chose these gorgeous purple dresses for her bridesmaids!

Getting ready!

Hair and make-up providers did a lovely job with an already beautiful bride, bridesmaids and moms!

First look picture!

Lovely setting for the wedding ceremony!

Rabbi Robin Silverman officiated at the ceremony and did a beautiful job!

Enjoying a quite moment at sunset!

Guests were on the dance floor pretty much all night!

The day of the wedding arrived and all went very smoothly!  The staff of Catering by Uptown were great to work with and we all worked very well together!

Providers who were part of making this wedding day just as Jen & Brian wanted it to be were:

Flowers by Judy, who provided the soft Chuppah, the bouquets of colorful roses, and babies breath, and the centerpieces of glass vases filled with water and stems of white spray orchids, with a white candle floating on top -- very romantic feel which is what Jen wanted! 

Soft Touch Photography, who took so many amazing photos of the wedding.  The staff of 4 photographers and assistants captured every minute of the day, which resulted in loads of lovely pictures!

Dual Cam Productions captured the many moments of the day through video.

Catering by Uptown provided fabulous food and a full bar  ~ passed hors d'oeuvres of  Spanikopita, mini beef wellington, chicken satay, cucumber rounds with salmon, and grilled shrimp; Stationary hors d'oeuvres of fruit, baked brie and Mediterranean spreads, and Lobster bisque.  Fabulous dinner of crab cake and grilled filet mignon!  To end the meal was a beautiful and delicious cake ~ yellow cake with raspberry filling and buttercream icing!  Yum!!!  

Chariots for Hire provided transportation services for guests and the bridal party to and from the venue.  The drivers were wonderful!

Bridal Artistry crafted lovely hairstyles for the bride and her attendants!

Kimberly Hughes-Song, ksong9173@gmail.com, added just the right amount of makeup to enhance the natural beauty of Jen and her bridesmaids and the mothers ~ all looked so pretty!

DJ Delights owner, Tom Gavin, kept the dance floor alive!

It was a beautiful day for a wonderful couple and

I was honored to be a part of it!

Weddings Around the World

In the United States, we typically think of weddings as a one-day affair with a white gown and a large cake, but in other parts of the world, wedding traditions can look very different than what Americans typically see. Here are some of the more interesting traditions from around the world that may inspire you to bring some of your heritage into your wedding day.

In the Congo, the bride and groom aren't allowed to smile on their wedding day because smiling is seen as not taking marriage seriously.

In France, the bride and groom traditionally enjoy chocolate and champagne after the reception - yes, please!

Ladies who don't want to go on a diet to fit in their wedding dress should get married in Mauritius! Tradition says that a man with a bigger wife is seen as wealthier because he has the money to feed her.  Therefore, women will eat more before their wedding day.

In Germany, guests traditionally break porcelain dishes to ward off evil spirits - which the bride and groom then had to clean up!

Thinking of eloping? Gretna Green in Scotland is traditionally a popular place to do so. Centuries ago, English law stated the bride and groom had to be over 21 in order to marry but Gretna Green did not have this law, so many underage couples would get married there.

Greek grooms traditionally look to their best man to make sure he looks well-groomed on his wedding day -- by letting the best man shave him, Also in Greece, the new mother-in-law would gift almonds and honey to the fresh-faced groom.

In Guatemala, it's a tradition that the groom's mom break a white ceramic bell, filled with grains like rice and flour, to bring prosperity to the couple.

In Norway, the typical wedding cake is called a kransekake and is make with iced almond cake rings with a bottle of wine place in the hollow center.

In Philippines, the couple releases a male and female dove on their big day to signify a harmonious life together.

Finally, in Venezuela for good luck, the couple tries to leave the reception without being caught. The guest who realizes they are gone also receives good luck. 

Some of these traditions are still going on but some are from the past just waiting to be brought back!

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2016 Wedding Trends

Happy New Year!! Hope everyone is having a good start to their year. For those of you who got engaged over the holidays, congratulations and best wishes as you begin this new chapter in your lives!  You’re in the right place if you want to get a head start on some of the trends for weddings this year!

The biggest trend you’ll probably see this year, especially in the spring, will be the Pantone Colors of the Year – rose quartz and serenity, calming colors that will no doubt bring out the joy of your special day! Not into those colors as much? Pantone predicts colors used by designers will be a variety of soft, soothing colors with the occasional pops of bright colors like Fiesta! Perfect for a high energy wedding party. Pantone’s color called Iced Coffee would be a great transitional color into fall and Green Flash would be a great color for an outside wedding. Perhaps you'll opt for letting your bridesmaids get their own, similar looking dress for the day. 

For your own dress, Glamour predicts that Boho brides, with light, off the shoulder, dresses and simple hairstyles will be popular. 

Culinary trends on the whole are predicted to continue with the recent farm to table and locally sourced foods movements. According to restaurant.org, savory, mini desserts and homemade ice cream offer a different take on the traditional wedding cake.

One trend that looks to become popular this year is having a brunch wedding instead of the traditional dinner wedding, Eggs Benedict anyone?

No matter if you consult Pantone, Glamour, Restaurant.com or go with your favorite color and foods since childhood, I hope wedding planning is fun and as stress-free as possible.

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