Shake, Rattle and Roll

We celebrated our daughter's first birthday party with a musical celebration. With over 65 friends and family, the party hit all the right notes! Decor include primary colors, musical notes and instruments and photos of our daughter's first year.

The two main tables had themed backdrops. The food table had a backdrop covered in records and the dessert table was covered in sheet music. The poster of photos and giant film strips were ordered from Social Print Studio. The dessert table featured the cake made by Popovers on the Square.

 

The favors were a "Build your own band" bar. Fabric bags were filled with kazoos, flutes and tambourines. Desserts included cake, musical note lollipops, themed sugar cookies, pretzel drum sticks and record licorice wheels.

We hosted the party in our barn - it was our first celebration in the space and it worked great! The space allowed room for tables, mingling and activities. The front doors let people roam in and out.

 Children could make their own shaker with plastic spoons, Easter eggs and assorted fillers.

We had a music station with cymbals, drums and chimes that the guests loved banging away at.

 

 

The birthday girl enjoyed her own mini smash cake!

 

Young guests could also decorate their own guitars to take home.

 

The hosts and guest of honor!

Wedding traditions

One of our hopes was to incorporate marriage traditions from both our families and our English and Polish ancestry into our wedding. With stories from our parents and online research, we incorporated several legends and traditions throughout (and an explanation in our program so that guests could appreciate the story behind the activity).

“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a sixpence in your shoe.” Something old represents continuity; something new offers optimism for the future; something borrowed symbolizes happiness; something blue stands for purity, love, and fidelity; and a sixpence in your shoe is a wish for fortune and  prosperity.

I wore an English silver sixpence in my shoe, a new charm representing our wedding on my wrist and a handkerchief from my mother-in-law's family pinned to my dress.

 

In England the youngest children in the family are responsible for presenting the bride with a silver horseshoe after she leaves the church. The horseshoe’s U-shape is believed to hold good luck for the new couple. Traditionally church bells are rung after a wedding to frighten away evil spirits.

 

At Polish Weddings, the parents of the newly weds, greet the couple with bread sprinkled with salt and a goblet of wine. With the bread, the parents are hoping that their children will never hunger or be in need. With the salt, they are reminding the couple that their life may be difficult at times, and they must learn to cope with life’s struggles. With the wine, they are hoping that the couple will never thirst, and wish that they have a life of good health, good cheer and good friends. The parents then kiss the couple as a sign of welcome, unity and love.

 

A traditional English Wedding cake is a fruitcake covered with marzipan and royal icing. The cake is made several months in advance and regularly “fed” brandy. The cake is sliced and sent home as a favor. It is believed that unmarried women who sleep with a slice of cake under their pillows will dream of their future groom. The top layer of the cake is sometimes called the “christening cake” and is set aside to celebrate the christening of the couple’s first child. 

My sister and mom baked and decorated the fruit cake.

The Pros that made a wedding perfect!

Although I knew that I wanted to create many aspects of my wedding and include projects that my family could put their own touch on, I also knew I wanted professionals to make the day picture perfect. We met with vendors at wedding expos, pursued recommendations and interviewed potential partners. The end result was absolutely perfect and we couldn't be happier with the professionals who helped make the day a success!

Photography: Wilton Brothers Photography

 

We are so excited with our photograph from Matthew of Wilton Brothers Photography. I haven't been able to stop looking at them. Matthew was fantastic to work with and made us all so relaxed. His photos capture the small details and the overall spirit of our day. The weather was uncooperative and rainy - but Matthew was not deterred and without the umbrellas you might not even realize the weather was less than perfect.

Florist: Harrington Flowers, Londonderry, NH

 

  

Brad at Harrington Flowers created our bouquets, wreaths for the chapels, arrangement for the podium and centerpieces for the reception tables. The designs and flowers were absolutely beautiful! Brad took our ideas and inspiration, added his expertise and creativity and the results were even more beautiful than I could have imagined!

Cake: Popovers on the Square

Our Wedding Cake was beautiful and absolutely delicious thanks to the creative and talented Pastry Chefs at Popover's on the Square. The simple, elegant buttercream decoration, done by Pastry Chef Katie, were perfectly accented by our wedding color flowers. The tiers were three layers of chocolate, vanilla and marble cake sandwiched with raspberry filling and chocolate hazelnut fudge. So delicious!

DJ: Mr. Jonathan

 

Mr. Jonathan was our DJ and he kept the dance floor hopping the whole night! He played the perfect mix of music that allowed guests to show off their ballroom dancing skills, swing and just get down. Mr. Jonathan was quick to respond to the vibe of the crowd and asked throughout the night if they was anything we needed. He was a real professional and the perfect ingredient to an evening of fun for all.

Dance Lessons: Paper Moon Studio, Merrimack, NH

 

Neither David or I are naturals when it comes to dancing, but we wanted our first dance to be a relaxing and memorable experience. We stated private lessons with Maria at Paper Moon Studio several months before the big day. We learned a routine of the Foxy to the song, You are the best thing. Maria was a great teacher - very patient and motivating! We practiced, fine tuned and practiced until it felt very natural. The final performance was so close to perfect and we were having so much fun we didn't have to worry about remembering to smile!

I'll share more about the venue and hair & make up and fashion in another post.

Happy 60th Birthday!

This weekend we hosted a fabulous Birthday party for a very special woman, my mother! It was an honor to celebrate her 60th Birthday with an al fresco Tuscan Dinner Party.

 

The scene was set on the back deck ... rich, vibrant fall colors of rust, crimson, gold, purple and brown carried through from the mums to the table centerpieces. Large bulb lights were strung high giving the air of street festival.

 



 

Alternating chairs were draped with coordinating pashminas which served to break the chill for the female guests and favors at the end of the evening.

 

 

 

 

The table was set with bright, crisp white linens, white plates and then a colorful centerpiece that ran the length of the table. Silk sunflowers, berries, and fall leaves were accented with pilar candles and twinkling lights. Each place setting was accented with a colorful menu outlining the culinary delights of the evening.

 

 

A bar stand greeted guests with a glass of red or white Italian wine upon arrival.

 

 

The Pastry Chef puts the finishing touches on the Birthday cake - perfectly decorated to fit the theme of the evening.

 

Twenty guests joined us to celebrate the guest of honor.

 

After dinner, we sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed delicious cake!

The first course was a trio of antipasti: Tuscan bruschetta, fresh fig with goat cheese and honey and a medley of marinated vegetables. The second course was fried ravioli with tomato drizzle and shaved parmesan.

 

The main course featured cornish game hens with vin santo and chestnuts, risotto and roasted baby vegetables.

 A fun panoramic shot of the table to end the post. Click the photo to view larger.