Christy and Brad at Glen Manor

Christy and Brad were married at the First Presbyterian Church in Newport on Monday, April 22, 2013 with a reception following at the Glen Manor House.  The ladies got ready at the Newport Beach Hotel and Suites and had hair and makeup done by the wonderful Ali from Salon KG. After a gorgeous ceremony, the guests headed to the Glen Manor.  While the bridal party took pictures with Erica Mancini from Adeline and Grace Photography. They guests were greeted at the Glen with mojitos from the Blackstone Catering Staff and the music of a Japanese koto player. After cocktail hour, guests entered the ballroom decorated by Sayles Livingston Flowers.  Once the dinner was served, guests were invited to kick up their heels with the music of Nancy Paolino and the Black Tie Band. At the end of the night, guests were treated to hand make cookies made by the bride's mom and given with thanks and love.

Amanda and Joe, October 6, 2012 Newport Hyatt

On October 6^th, 2012, Amanda and Joe were married at Salve Regina University’s Our Lady of Mercy Chapel with their reception being held at the Newport Hyatt Hotel.  This wedding was many years in the making as Amanda and Joe first met when they were 11 years old and reconnected as adults!

            From beginning to end this wedding was elegant with many fall accents and details.  When guests first arrived at the hotel they were treated to Out of Town Boxes provided by New England Invitations with a Newport theme. The ceremony was intimate and heartfelt, with tears of joy from many! Bridesmaids wore chocolate brown dresses, that were stunning and their bouquets from Stoneblossom were exquisite.  After their ceremony, the bridal party hit the town on the trolley provided by Rockstar Limo to take pictures throughout Newport with their photographer Jennifer Neves.

      The reception was absolutely gorgeous and fit perfectly into the fall theme.  The centerpieces, created by Stoneblossom Florist, was a scape of gorgeous flowers that had branches that protruded out it in every direction.  On the end of these branches hung oil based votive that truly twinkled in the dim room.  The lines were a crinkled cloth in pistachio and were matched with walnut chiavari ballroom chairs. The table numbers were replaced with different venues in Newport, instead of table one the guests would be sitting at the Rosecliff or Newport Bridge table. 

            Keeping to the fall theme, each guest was given a miniature apple pies tied with a delicate chocolate brown ribbon as a favor provided by Scrumptions.  The women were also given pashminas for their shoulders on such a chilly night. 

            Aside from the beautiful fall theme, it’s safe to say that the main attraction at this wedding was the food.  Guests enjoyed a cocktail hour complete with a plethora of passed appetizers, a raw bar, and a soup station.  They then moved onto a four-course dinner, which included a salad, antipasto, entree, and of course, cake for dessert.  As the night drew on and guests danced they were offered what the couple came to a “late night snack.”  This late night snack included pizza and deli sandwiches. 

            From ceremony to reception this wedding was truly a romantic and tasty affair.  Amanda and Joey, thanks for letting us spend your special day with you!       

     

Giovanna and Ian-Cafe Nuovo

    Giovanna & Ian were married the last weekend of September at gorgeous Catherdral of St. Peter and Paul.  The couple held their reception at the gorgeous Cafe Nuovo Rotunda, which is located in the Citizens Bank Buliding, in downtown Providence. 

    

     Guests enjoyed a plethora of amazingly delicious appetizers and were shocked to see the newlyweds arrive by gondola on Providence’s famous waterfire river.  Such a unique feature!

The night carried on with a three course Italian dinner and dancing.  The bride and groom danced the night away and their excitement and happiness for one another was evident.

   Giovanna wanted to have a lot of personalized touches at her wedding and to be able to savor those memories in years to come.  Instead of the traditional guest book and pen, the couple had a large white poster board with a picture of a car tagged “just married” on it, along with the wedding date and their names on the bottom. On the top of the car was a bunch of strings, the only thing missing was balloons. Each guest took a dab of different colored ink and created a balloon out of their thumbprint. The guests then signed their names on their print. The guests loved this idea and thought it was such a great alternative to the regular guest book. Giovanna & Ian plan to hang this in their new home to always remember their special day and the ones they shared it with.  Late in the evening, guests had to complete a bucket list of items that they thought the bride and groom must try and accomplish in their life together.  A lot of guests gave suggestions along with notes to the newlyweds. 

            Overall, Giovanna and Ian had an amazing wedding that was both interactive for guests and incredibly unique.  Congratulations Giovanna & Ian!  We wish you all the best! Many thanks to Cafe Nuovo, Scott Zuehlke Photography, Flowers by Semia and Rentals Unlimited for all their hard work!

 

Jody and Shawn, Blithewold Mansion

  On September 7^th, 2012, Jody and Shawn held a truly classic affair at the Blithewold Mansion.  The couple truly embodied the essence of classicism and traditionalism.

            In this century, weddings have become much than the traditional “I Do.”  Today we find that most brides are looking for that “wow” factor and a more interactive experience for the guests.  Jody and Shawn’s wedding had all of these factors but most importantly they remembered that this day was about them. 

    The bride’s gorgeous lace gown all the way to the lovely white floral arrangement this wedding was the definition of beautiful.  The centerpieces, actually arranged by a friend of the bride, were set in mason jars with a simple white ribbon for decoration.  The table was also set with cards asking each guest questions about the bride and groom and also for some advice for the newlyweds. As an added bonus there were flip-flops for all of the ladies who attended so they could “kick off their heels and dance,” as the poster read.

The wedding was, as it should be, very tailored around the bride and groom.  When guests entered to get their escort cards they could see photographs of both the bride and grooms family on their wedding days.  There were photos of their parents and well as their grandparents.  These photos added a very personal touch to the wedding.  The picture theme continued on the other side of the table where the guest’s escort cards were located.  Jody came up with an amazing idea for the escort cards.  There was a picture of every single guest hung up on the twine supported in rustic wood frames.  On the back of the guests photograph there was their table number as well as their meal choice.  Most of the photographs were of couples on their wedding day or of the couples together, a great special touch. 

Between the great food provided by Blackstone Catering, beautiful venue, and special details, Jody and Shawn had an amazing wedding that I’m sure their guests, along with themselves, will never forget. 

Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Something That Says Moo!

   The band is playing the traditional "Here Comes the Bride", all of the guests are staring at the end of the aisle waiting to see the lovely bride make her entrance but she is nowhere to be seen.   In the distance across the acres of farmland a carriage pulled by a beautiful horse is bringing the bride swiftly to the ceremony.  Talk about a grand entrance!

Melissa and Matt were married on August 4, 2012 on Melissa’s family’s cow farm in West Greenwich, RI.  The ceremony and reception took place on their beautiful farmland, making a great landscape for their special day.

Every detail of this wedding fit the theme and made it a truly special occasion.  The ceremony had sunflower floral arrangements set on hay bales giving the ceremony a very rustic and unique look.  Every guest was given bubbles to blow into the air as the newlyweds took their first walk down the aisle as husband and wife. 

As the night continued onto the reception the cow theme really presented itself.  Every table setting was set with a personalized menu card, a cowbell, and a baby sapling for each guest to grow at home.  To further enhance the theme there was a picture of different types of cows at each table replacing the typical table number.  It was truly unique and a way of naming tables that we have never done before. 

Aside from the lovely cow, sunflower, and farm details at the wedding the bride and groom made sure to make a grand entrance into the reception, one their guests are surely not going to forget!  The bride and groom rode into the reception on a big green John Deere tracker.  All of their guests hooted and hollered for the newlyweds who needless to say arrived in their very own style. The night was full of country music and dancing.  Not a single guest left without a smile on their face. 

Overall, Melissa and Matt had a gorgeous wedding that was different from any other that Planned to Perfection had been a part of.  Thanks for sharing your special day with us Matt and Melissa, we wish you all the happiness in the world! 

Venues that Change Your Event into an Experience

Venues that Change Your Event into an Experience

            Imagine, it’s the day of the wedding and you take your seat at your reception table.  Looking around you see all of the major components of wedding.  There is of course a bride and groom, floral arrangements, a beautiful cake, a band, and a tank full of sharks.  Wait, a tank full of sharks?  Since when has that become a part of a wedding? 

Planned to Perfection has noticed a great trend popping up in the event planning realm.  We found that a lot of clients are looking to take their event from ordinary to extraordinary by hosting them at exotic and entertaining venues.  Some venues that we have noticed to fit into this category of extraordinary venues are the Mystic Aquarium located in Mystic, Connecticut, the New Bedford Whaling Museum located in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the Roger Williams Park Botanical Gardens located in Cranston, RI, Jonathon Edwards Winery & Vineyard located in North Stonington, Connecticut, and lastly Sakonnet Vineyards located in Little Compton, RI.

The Mystic Aquarium has truly transformed from one of the finest aquariums in New England into a full functioning event space.  Imagine getting married with thousand gallon fish tanks a your backdrop, a naturally beautiful landscape for any event or wedding.  The Mystic Aquarium takes pride in working with Ocean Blue Catering to provide an excellent meal that correlates to the amazing surroundings of the aquarium itself.  The most unique characteristic this venue has is the amazing sea creatures that always try to make an appearance at your event.

Moving onto another extraordinary venue we have the New Bedford Whaling Museum.  This museum has eight different galleries and rooms to choose to hold your event in.  Each of the rooms represents a different part of whaling history.  You could sit below the skeleton of a whale or be surrounded by various whaling artifacts, either way this venue definitely provides guests with much more than an ordinary reception.

Another venue that does just that is the Roger Williams Botanical Gardens, Jonathon Edwards Vineyards, and Sakonnet Vineyards.  These three venues don’t necessarily have rich history or sea creatures but they still fall in the extraordinary venue category for one main reason, which is landscape and atmosphere.  These venues are equipped with gorgeous floral landscapes and lush vineyards that would make the backdrop for any event go from average to amazing.  Guests have the opportunity to educate themselves on wine and grape growing as well as educate themselves on different flower species in the botanical gardens.

One common characteristic that all of these venues have is the “Wow” factor.  Each one of these places takes an event and transforms it into an experience that you, as the guest, are sure not to forget.

So, when you’re planning your next function keep in mind these unique venues and how they can change your event from ordinary to extraordinary.     

Megan and Seth

Seth and Megan

   On Friday June 29^th, 2012 Planned to Perfection found itself finally at the day of Megan and Seth’s wedding.  The morning started out with some light showers but as the day progressed and the ceremony time drew closer, mother nature couldn’t have conjured up a more beautiful summer day for the couple to get married on.

            Seth and Megan were married at the gorgeous lighthouse at the Newport Hyatt.  Megan and Seth were married under a gorgeous chuppah decorated with an array of white and pink floral details provided by Golden Gate Studios.  The lighthouse was a backdrop the whole scene and can be seen in the following photo.  The ceremony was short and sweet with a few friends of the couple participating in four readings.  The ceremony itself was a personal one due to the fact that a friend of the family, who is a judge, conducted the ceremony himself.  The couple even had their dog take a walk down the aisle.

            As the night drew on and we now had a happy pair of newlyweds it was time for the reception.  The entire cocktail hour and reception were decked out from head to toe in white and pink accents.  The floral arrangements used for this special day all were of different heights and sizes.  The arrangements ranged from a tall centerpiece that had extending branches with chandelier type accessories on them to a simple table floral piece.  The cocktail tables all went along with the couple’s rustic theme and had floral arrangements inside of little medal pales.  

            One of the most unique features of this wedding was one of the bride’s favorite items at her wedding.  There was a pink lemonade bar that was available right after the ceremony at cocktail hour.  The guest enjoyed refreshing pink lemonade out of monogramed mason jars.  These mason jars were also used as wedding favors to the attending guests.

            Another great feature at this wedding was the candy bar that was brought to the wedding by Sweet Indulgences.  It was all pink and monogrammed to match the overall theme of the wedding.  Between the various jars of sweets and cake pops guests found them selves in a sugar wonderland.

            Megan and Seth’s wedding ended with a lot of dancing to the sounds of Nancy Paolino and the Black Tie Band and good times with their friends and family.  They even enjoyed some pictures with the gorgeous sunset that fell just beyond the Newport Bridge.

Thanks to Steven James at the Newport Hyatt, Sweet Indulgence, Nancy Paolino and the Black Tie Band, John Lovgren Photography, Artistic Wedding Video Group, and Rockstar Limo.