|
This past Saturday was Theresa & Brian’s wedding at the Grand Lodge of Maryland in Cockeysville. It will be a few weeks before we have the professional photos but I wanted to share a shot of the ballroom where their reception was held. I am so happy with how all of the design elements came together after working on this one for about a year. The “after” shot was taken by the fabulous florist, Sheila Smith of Eufloria Floral Design.
Today, Theresa will marry Brian! We are excited for this wonderful couple who have quite the love story. We’re also excited because this will be one our most design intensive weddings to date. See for yourself.
Can’t wait to see it all come together! Last weekend we had the pleasure of assisting another wonderful couple with their wedding. We worked with one of our favorite photographers on this one and I cannot wait to see the professional photos. I was able to snap a few amateur shots with my trusty Blackberry. Outdoor ceremony setup
The ballroom with lighting
Close up of the centerpieces (submerged orchids)
Sweetheart Table
Tiffany and Ronald were married Saturday, May 15th in downtown Baltimore. I really enjoyed working with this fun couple. Our meetings were filled with laughter and plenty of conversation. The fuchsia, purple and apple green color palette was infused throughout their wedding. Their ceremony and reception were held at the recently renovated Hotel Monaco. The wedding party walked down the aisle to an instrumental Led Zeppelin version of Stairway to Heaven. The Bride was given away by her grandfather. The weather was wonderful on their wedding day so they were able to take wedding photos all around downtown Baltimore while their guests enjoyed cocktail hour. Also during that time, the ceremony room was “flipped” for dinner. After dinner and dessert, the dance floor was packed the remainder of the night. I think it’s safe to say a fun time was had by all. It was such a pleasure to work with Tiffany & Ronald and all the wonderful vendors. The Bride’s bouquet
After being pronounced husband and wife
A few formal shots inside the hotel
Then it was time to head outside to get a few photos around downtown
The ballroom setup for dinner. We alternated floral centerpieces and candles on the guest tables
Wedding cake
Bouquet Toss and Dancing
Vendor Team: Wedding Planning – Affairs With Elegance Venue & Catering – Hotel Monaco Photographer – Daniel McGarrity Photography Flowers – Radebaugh Florist Cake – Sugarbakers Cakes Music – DJ Harvey Dent Makeup – MRM Designs Invitations & Escort Cards – Wedding Paper Divas Wedding Dress – Betsy Robinsons Bridal Salon Men’s Suits – Men’s Warehouse Hair – Xscape Hair Studio When I meet with couples for an initial consultation, I usually ask them to tell me about the BEST wedding and the WORST wedding they’ve attended. I ask them to tell me their experiences individually not as a couple. Asking this question helps me see what wedding elements are most important to each of them. Their BEST wedding example shows me what should be the focus of their big day…beside the actual wedding and marriage of course. Their WORST wedding shows me the things they’d least like to see at their wedding.
I met with prospective clients and I posed my question to them. The bride’s “best” was a wedding where the couple used elements from their native New York City. She incorporated post cards with NY landmarks into their table numbers and other wedding items. The groom’s “best” was a garden wedding with about 40-50 guests which he described as intimate and elegant. The bride couldn’t think of a “worst” pick at that time. The groom however, quickly mentioned a wedding he attended where guests arrived in casual attire (jeans, khakis, etc.) and the ceremony started very late. All of their comments told me that the bride wanted a wedding that included unique, personal touches that would represent them as a couple and the groom wanted a formal (not black tie) wedding that was timely. Fortunately, that exercise helped them see what was most important to them as well. So before you hit the ground running with your wedding planning, take a moment to think about the best and worst weddings you’ve attended. It might help you hone in on specific elements you’d really like for you own wedding. We often receive inquiries from brides asking for pricing on our wedding packages. Once we provided the requested information, some schedule an initial consultation while others we never hear from again.
I discourage brides from shopping based on price alone. Our prices are higher than some and lower than others. I tell prospective clients to make sure they compare the services offered in each wedding planner’s package, their years or level of experience and their personalities. That way you are comparing apples to apples instead of apples to oranges. One wedding planner may charge a higher fee because they’ve been in the business for 25 years, planned thousands of weddings or includes everything but the kitchen sink in their package. Another wedding planner may charge a much lower fee because they’ve only been in the business for 6 months, only planned 3 weddings or only includes the bare minimum in their package. So after viewing their website I encourage you to meet with the wedding planners that pique your interest. Ask how long they’ve been in business, how many weddings they’ve planned (not including their own), are they members of any associations/organizations (if that is important to you), will they provide references, etc. The initial consultation is also a chance for both you and the planner to assess each other’s personality. You will work with this person on one of life’s biggest milestone celebrations therefore you need to know if your personalities mesh and if you will work well together. Once you’ve taken all of these things into consideration, you should be able to narrow down your choices and make an informed decision. When guests entered the foyer for cocktail hour they retrieved their escort cards from a table with a huge curly willow centerpiece with hanging votive candles. Once formal photos were done it was time to do the introductions in the mansion’s ballroom. They entered to the ever so popular Let’s Get Married – Remix. The couple went right into their first dance to So Beautiful by Musiq. They lead their 150 guests into the tent for dinner. Their guest tables included high and low centerpieces, CD favors and menu cards (created by the Bride). Later in the evening their DJ did a great job keeping the dance floor packed. In addition to serving wedding cake Eboni and Nate also did a candy buffet. At the end of the evening we passed out sparklers with personalize matchbooks to their guests for the couple’s grand exit. The couple honeymooned in the Bahamas.
CLICK HERE to see the original blog post of their wedding. Congratulations again Eboni and Nate! We were honored to be included in your big day. We didn’t do it alone though. Check out the great list of vendors who came together to pull off another great wedding. Wedding Team Stationery & Aisle Runner: DIY by the Bride
|
 Hi and welcome to the Affairs With Elegance blog! My name is Lakendra and I’m a hopeless romantic who loves everything WEDDING! We'll share great finds and design inspiration, wedding planning advice and real weddings. So stop by often and feel free to leave a comment.  |
|
Copyright © 2007- 2012 Baltimore Wedding Planners Affairs With Elegance Blog - All Rights Reserved |
|
