Real Wedding Part II: Stephanie + Ben - The Reception

Ben & Stephanie had such an amazing wedding full of classic details and captivating moments. When choosing which pictures to share, I found myself struggling as each and every one was amazing. Morgan Lynn Photography is very talented in capturing the moments that matter with so much life and vividness to her pictures.

After the full Catholic mass wedding ceremony, the couple and their bridal party boarded the trolley with much festiveness to shoot more post ceremony pictures. The couple choose to return to Hotel Derek for its contemporary decor and modern settings. This also allowed them to include their precious 4-legged family member.

For couples who may have a little time lapse between the ceremony and reception, this is an ideal opportunity. During this time, a couple is most relaxed, happy and solely focused on each other. This sometimes can replace a "day after" session.

As the couple finished pictures, the guests enjoyed the cocktail hour at The Courtyard on St. James as the DJ spun jazz tunes in the background. In my experience, I find that many brides choose to have seating arrangements for their guests. Many do not think about the display to which it will be communicated to the guests. I love that Stephanie chose to make the table assignments a design focal point in the cocktail hour space. To maintain an affordable option, we utilized the alter arrangements and restyled them into one main arrangement for the table.

Stephanie and Ben share a love for wine. As a unique touch, we used wine bottles as their table numbers. To remember the evening, the guests were encouraged to write messages on the bottles with a silver pen. Ben & Stephanie will enjoy the memories for years to come each time they open one of the bottles from their wedding.

The guests were treated to a 4 course sit-down dinner at the Courtyard on St. James. One of the highlights of the meal was the champagne intermezzo. This is served prior to the main course to cleanse the palette to fully enjoy the flavors of the next course. When it came to toasts, the Best Man and Maid of Honor opted to pre-record the most entertaining excerpt to play as part of their toast. Truly one of the most entertaining I've seen thus far.

Congratulations to Ben & Stephanie! May the next 50 years be just as memorable and enjoyable as their wedding day.

Escort Cards: Getting Creative

Every bride wants their wedding to have unique personal touches that reflects their style and vision. One easy way to do this is by giving your escort card some flare. There are many ways to personalize your escort cards so that they can fit your style, budget, and theme.

If you are going for a glam wedding, one fabulous way to display escort cards is in ring boxes. To display these escort cards you would open the box then attach the name and table number to the inside. These cute boxes can be ordered online and are very affordable. They come in crystal clear, white or black velvet. To make the boxes pop, rest them on a bed of rose petals or lay them on a bright colored linen.
(Picture proveded by Occassion to Celebrate)

If you are having a fun, laid back summer wedding get a long rectangular plant pot, fill it with sand and then place large round suckers standing in the sand. Attach the escort card in the center of the circle and it will look incredibly creative.



If your wedding is in the fall, pine cones are always an excellent escort card holder. Cut off the end so it is nice and flat, display them on a table and insert the escort cards.
(Picture provided by weddingbee.com)


Do you love music? Why not combine your escort cards with favors for your guests. Make a CD of songs that are important to you and your hubby then print off CD Labels with an engagement picture as the background. Either attach the escort card onto the CD or incorporate it into your CD label. Don’t want to bother with the labels? No problem, many companies will custom make them with every detailed touch you want. An easy way to display this would be in long sheets of CD holders that can be hung onto the wall.

There is something special about a wedding during the holidays. If your wedding is in December and you love a little holiday spirit, print off your escort cards on normal rectangular paper. About one third above the bottom edge of the escort card glue a stick of cinnamon on the back.
This will make the card stand on its own, add a wonderful aroma and fit your theme.


If you love the organic look but still want a bit of glitz, you can have the florist make you a large willow like branched tree or you can buy one yourself at the store. Attach beautiful flowers sparingly throughout the branches. To give your escort cards some sparkle, attach some beading onto the bottom for a really couture look and hook them onto the tree branches.
(Picture provided by weddingbycolor.com)

More great ideas to come for fabulous brides with unique styles!



Always Learning, Always Fabulous,

Vanessa Sinatora
Associate Planner