Wedding Blog

I’ve found that when brides start planning their honeymoons, they quickly realize there is no end to the range of possible honeymoon destinations. What is very much the same regardless of location, however, is a bride’s vision of spending quality time with her new husband without a worry in the world.

Barbados is a beautiful, tropical honeymoon destination that easily lends itself to romance and relaxation. On the western coast of this island country is the increasingly popular parish of St. James. With its pristine beaches, luxurious accommodations, and plenty of shopping and restaurants, this area has much to offer honeymooners.

Things to Do:

1. Play at the Beach: If you are into water sports of any kind, be it sailing, snorkeling, or just catching some rays, St. James has absolutely stunning beaches with an array of possible activities for honeymooners.

2. Dance the Night Away: Barbados is home to a distinctive island culture that fosters festive dancing and entertainment. Many St. James restaurants and resorts host elaborate and fun dance shows. So you can either sit back and enjoy…or join right in!

3. Play “Tourist”: Should you tire of relaxing by the water, you can always venture inland to some of St. James’ historic destinations. Check out the St. James Parish Church and Portvale Sugar Factory, to name a couple of options.

4. Shop ‘Til You Drop: Known as the place where the rich and famous go to play, St. James has established some exciting shopping options. Honeymooners interested in expanding their shopping horizons can also venture into Barbados’ capital of Bridgetown, just a twenty-minute drive away. You can top the evening off with a romantic sunset dinner at one of St. James’ fine dining options such as the popular Palm Terrace Restaurant at the Fairmont Royal Pavilion Resort.

If you have questions on this or any other wedding related topic, please post for me here or send me an email to susan.southerland@pwg.com. Also become a fan on Facebook by clicking here and follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Your partner in perfect planning,
Susan

You have heard me talk and talk about the hot trend of peacock feathers and colors. Well my good friend Lana Pelham-Faulkner from Fairbanks Florist posted a peacock-themed wedding that she recently designed on her Facebook page. When I saw the photos, I knew I knew I had to share them with you. Enjoy!

Lana: The bride came with an open mind regarding her flowers, but she knew one thing that would be certain for her wedding, Peacock feathers would be used to accent everything! However, she liked the look of the feather without the fringe; she only wanted the amazing color and clean look of just the eye.

Lana: I took a design concept where I had layered individual eucalyptus leaves in rows to cover a surface, so I suggested a two sided fan covered with the peacock feather eyes. I would then use paphiopedilum orchids, fiddle fern and colored wire coming up out of the slit between the fans in an architectural row along the top creating a truly fun and funky look for her special day.

Lana: We implemented other types of orchids and flowers to pull the colors of lime green and dark blue for her Maid of Honor bouquet and throughout the remainder of the floral decor for her ceremony and reception.

Lana: I came up with the idea for a funky architectural cake top implementing the paphiopedilum orchids and fiddle ferns. She and I had a great collaboration and the end result was a one of a kind cake that really depicted the look and feel that the couple wanted to share with their guests on their wedding day.

Thank you to Val Becker for the beautiful images.

If you have questions on this or any other wedding related topic, please post for me here or send me an email to susan.southerland(at)pwg.com. Also become a fan on Facebook by clicking here and follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan

I have come to especially love blogging on Real Wedding Wednesdays. It always serves as a reminder to me of why most of us get into the business of planning weddings. It is truly about the joining together of two lives and recognizing the joy and beauty inherent in this most special of occasions.

Additionally, through this blog I have had the pleasure of learning about real wedding experiences from brides all over the world who are interested in sharing their stories with us. Today’s story comes to us from Jenna and Nick, a couple whose wedding took place last month in Andover, NJ.

Special thanks to photographer Todd Laffler with Laffler Photography for these stunning images. Here is what the bride had to say about her wedding experience:

“Our wedding day was truly the day of our dreams - straight out of a fantasy, many of our guests said, and it couldn’t have been truer.

We got married at a lovely place called Crossed Keys Inn in Andover, NJ. The grounds are comprised of an inn, playhouse and stone cottage (the latter two form the backdrop for the ceremony) that are from the 1790s, as well as an amazing garden and acres of beautiful space.

The reception took place under a large tent that has been erected on the property (complete with bonfire next to it!).

It was truly a special weekend. My family stayed at the inn and the stone cottage became the honeymoon suite for Saturday night.

The morning of the wedding, my bridesmaids and I got our hair and makeup done and got dressed in the old playhouse, which has a ton of history: to quote the website ‘Groucho Marx, Mae West and Charlie Chaplin kicked back in the playhouse during Summer Theatre.’ (Looks kind of like a barn from the outside). It was a lot of fun and a great space to spend the morning in.

Then it was picture time, then the ceremony. The entire day was extremely emotional for Nick and myself. The ceremony was the most special part. We surprised each other with our vows and were both incredibly tearful.

After that it was time to celebrate! Our band, The Rhythm Shop Band, was phenomenal. They had everyone on their feet from start to finish.

It was an incredible party, a great way to celebrate an incredibly emotional and happy day.”

If you have questions on this or any other wedding related topic, please post for me here or send me an email to susan.southerland@pwg.com. Also become a fan on Facebook by clicking here and follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Your partner in perfect planning,
Susan

I am feeling a bit nostalgic today. Yes, Halloween is approaching, but it is also nearly the one-year anniversary of a very special event that I planned and coordinated. I think you will find the theme to be very appropriate for the season. If you decide to have a Halloween-themed wedding, you will be truly inspired. Thank you to damontucci.com for the stunning photographs.

The spooky table arrangements of dead branches and blood-red roses were made by Raining Roses.

The linens had spiderwebs and each table was named for a family-friendly spooky movie or character.

Guests were treated to “Thriller” complete with a dancing troupe of zombies and a Michael Jackson look-alike. Our makeup artist Julie Winterhalter was truly amazing.

Lurch guided the guests into the reception room and poured a couple of cocktails.

I should mention that while the decor and entertainment is a bit outrageous, the event was very formal. So if you’ve always dreamed about a wedding day full of ghosts and ghouls, you don’t have to feel restricted to a casual celebration.

If you have questions on this or any other wedding related topic, please post for me here or send me an email to susan.southerland(at)pwg.com. Also become a fan on Facebook by clicking here and follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan