By Christopher Gellings, Banquet Manager, Highlawn Pavilion
Here at the Knowles restaurants in the New Jersey, New York metro area, we’re seeing more interest in all things “eco friendly” and “green” when it comes to wedding ceremonies and wedding receptions these days. These “green” trends range from choosing wedding and reception locations that minimize travel for guests, to selecting invitations made from recycled paper. Now we’re also seeing the green trend in the wedding favors the bride and groom bestow upon guests.
If you’re interested in giving guests an eco-type gift, here are a couple of recent examples from ceremonies hosted at the Highlawn Pavilion . One couple gave their guests potted saplings. We’ve seen other couples make charitable donations in their guests’ names to organizations from Greenpeace to the Environmental Defense Fund. You could also dispense with favors altogether and explain it’s part of your effort to minimize the footprint of your wedding celebration, and save yourself some green in the bargain. The things you can do to inject a green element into your wedding are almost limitless. However, we would draw the line at choosing recycled burlap for your wedding gown!
We want everything to be perfect on our wedding day. But sometimes things out of your control go wrong – for example, a vendor messes something up. Maybe the flowers are droopy, or the photographers or musicians are dressed sloppily. The possibility of a vendor faux pas is one reason why it’s important that a contract or contracts with vendors for all your wedding services stipulate the last check is due at the end of the wedding day. That gives you leverage to hold out on final payment if you are unsatisfied with the performance of any of your vendors. If you are unhappy with the way the flowers look or the musicians are dressed, for example, make sure someone you know takes photos of the culprits or offending items so you have visual documentation of what you are unsatisfied with. Even pictures from a camera phone can suffice, and almost everyone has one of those today. That way, even if your dream wedding isn’t completely picture perfect, you can help ensure vendors will make the proper financial adjustments to their fees.
By Laura Madden, Senior Sales Manager, Pleasantdale Château
Remember playing the daydreaming game, “He loves me, he loves me not?” Well, if he’s marrying you, he obviously does love you, but some brides-to-be play a version of this game with their bouquets: they put so much attention and thought into them, they ask themselves, “Should I or shouldn’t I toss my real bouquet?”
Be that as it may, it’s smart to spend time planning your bouquet. And invariably the first question that comes up is, “What size should the wedding bouquet be?” The answer depends on a number of things. And the flowers you want to use aren’t the only consideration. Your size and, believe it or not, even your strength – no, not so you can toss the bouquet across the room – are important factors to consider, as well. The size of the wedding bouquet should be appropriate to the size of the bride. Petite brides could get lost behind an overly large bouquet, while a larger bride could make some bouquet arrangements look undersized. And consider your strength – You’ll be holding the bouquet for a long time, so you don’t want a bouquet that’s going to seem like a lead weight after a few minutes.
And let’s not forget the boutonniere for the gentleman. A smaller flower for the guy is a must. Keep the boutonniere a modest size. I’ve seen some grooms parties where the men look like they’re wearing corsages. For bouquets and boutonnieres alike, size does matter.
Thursday, June 17th, 2010 | Filed under: Party Planning | author: By admin,
By Lars Johnson, General Manager, Pleasantdale Château
The music selection for your wedding literally sets the tone for the ceremony. You’ve got a lot of options to consider – not only in terms of the music selection itself, but also the kind of musician or ensemble to play it. Do you want a harpist? A flautist? A string quartet, or Mariachi band? The truth is, you can use recorded music, but having live musicians can be a really nice touch. Keep a few simple rules in mind. First, make sure the choice of musicians is appropriate for the venue. For example, if you plan to have a harpist and your ceremony is outside, make sure that you aren’t underneath the path of low-flying airplanes – Your guests might never hear a note of music, otherwise. In a church wedding, organists traditionally provide the music, but duets singing Ave Maria or other classic songs are gaining favor with brides. We’ve seen family members who are opera singers lending a hand, or rather, voice, to wedding ceremonies, too. But we’re talking about trained singers. Your wedding is not a time or place for Uncle Al to show off the vocal talents he’s too old to showcase on American Idol. So put a little time into your music selection, and you’ll start your wedding ceremony off on the right note.
Thursday, June 10th, 2010 | Filed under: Party Planning | author: By admin,
By Preston Postlethwaite, Banquet Director, The Manor
When love blossoms, flowers often mark the occasion. That’s why the floral selection is such an important part of wedding celebrations, and why so much time and attention is devoted to their selection. Usually the choice of flowers is based on the season. So with the end of winter in sight, let’s take a moment to talk about flowers for a spring wedding.
Of course the availability of flowers depends on where you live as well as the seasons. We’re assuming that anyone reading this is in the New York tri-state area and has access to great vendors like Crest Florist and Betina’s at Parkview. Of course some flowers are appropriate and available for a wedding any time of year. These include popular flowers like Roses, Lilies, and Gerber Daisies. But if you really want to say spring with your flowers, consider choosing Lily of the Valley, hyacinths (which are nice and fragrant), peonies (which have great volume, making them a great value), and Forsythia. Want to add something a little different? Think about using herbs as part of your arrangements – like lemon verbena, basil and the like. That’s a fresh idea that’s ideal for putting a seasonal spin on your floral displays for a spring wedding.
By Laura Madden, Senior Sales Manager, Pleasantdale Chateau
Move over, Mom! The bride and groom are taking center stage in making wedding plans.
Mothers have traditionally taken a large hand in planning their daughter’s weddings. And Moms’ plans and those of their daughters haven’t always been in sync. But today, many mothers seem more comfortable deferring to the bride- and groom-to-be when it comes to making planning decisions, from what kind of wedding ceremony to have, to where to hold the reception.
Several factors are behind the change. Couples are getting married a little later, so they’re often more established and independent to begin with. Mothers themselves are more likely to be remarried or single, and be less concerned with reliving their own wedding through their daughter. And society as a whole has loosened up a little, so Moms are often less rigid about protocol or concerned with what other parts of the family may think if their daughter or future son-in-law wants to do something untraditional.
This is saving a lot of wear and tear on many mother-daughter relationships. Wedding planning can be a stressful time under any circumstances. Experts tell us that weddings represent a big change in the relationship between mother and daughter. After years of watching out for her little girl, mothers, consciously or subconsciously, can fear losing that relationship. And daughters can feel that their Moms are being too stifling, and are often eager to show their independence. Additionally, mothers and daughters often view what the wedding is about differently. For mothers, the wedding is a statement about the family, while to the daughter it’s a statement about the bride and groom.
Whatever the extent of their involvement in wedding planning, both Moms and daughters should remember that this can be an emotional time. Work together, and those emotions can be ones of joy. We should know. Our restaurants have been helping couples and families have joyous weddings since 1953.
By Roman Bienkiewicz, Banquet Manager, The Manor
Looking for a way to keep the cost of your wedding in check? Rethinking the plans for your reception dinner can provide some significant opportunities for savings, without skimping on the hospitality you offer guests. Consider a buffet instead of a formal sit-down meal. A multi-course sit down meal is more expensive than a buffet for two major reasons:
First, the server-to-guest ratio is much higher for a sit down meal: the wait staff has to be large enough to make sure everyone is served their courses almost simultaneously. Secondly, the food selections can be pricey for a sit down meal, if guests are offered choices like steak and lobster, seafood appetizers and other premium items. With a buffet, the size of the wait staff can be considerably smaller. That alone can save significantly on costs. If you want to save even more, you can choose a menu that provides lots of variety and ample quantities of food at a lower cost per person than a surf and turf meal, for example.
But buffet doesn’t have to mean “budget” in the menu department. For example, here at The Manor, we’re well known among regular customers for our Lobster Buffet evenings. And now the Lobster Buffet is becoming a popular choice at the wedding receptions we host. There are additional reasons beyond cost that can make a buffet a good choice. Your guests can serve themselves as much or as little as they want, unlike a sit down meal where all portions are the same size. It can also create a more informal ambiance. And by encouraging guests to move about the dining room and serve themselves, it can get guests to interact with each other more. And a buffet is also a festive display in its own right. Even though it costs less than a comparable sit down meal, a buffet looks impressive – and mouthwatering! So when it comes time to plan the menu for your reception, talk to your caterer about your buffet options, and you’ll have some tasteful, money saving ideas to consider.
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 | Filed under: Party Planning | author: By admin,
By James Levinsky, Banquet Manager, The Manor
A wedding reception is a wonderful occasion to eat, drink, and be merry. But often, with all the toasting and revelry, someone has a little too much to drink. So here are some practical tips to deal with over-imbibing:
If it’s you that has had too many, remember to drink water. Then drink some more. It won’t cure what ails you, but you’ll feel a little better come the morning. Listen and believe your friends, family or (gasp) your new husband or wife if they tell you, “It’s time to slow down on the drinks” or “Sit this next dance out.” (Then follow the advice above about drinking water.)
If it’s a family member that’s partying a little too heartily, remember that it often happens – no reason to be upset or embarrassed. Have an appropriate family member intercede. If you are the bride and your uncle has had too many, ask your dad or mom to intervene.
If it’s a friend, ask them if they’re having fun. They’ll likely respond with a “Heck yeah” or something even more emphatic. Your response of simply “I can see that” might be enough to send a strong message of moderation. It’s okay to use nonverbal clues like eye rolling to let a friend know if they’re getting a little too wild and crazy, too.
If it’s your boss, let him or her get totally crazy, and then they’ll owe you one. Just kidding! Handle him or her like a friend (just leave out the eye-rolling).
Whatever the relationship, don’t let tipsy guests drive. Have the telephone number of a local taxi company that can take guests home or to their hotel if needed. That’s an idea everyone can raise a glass to!
Monday, March 22nd, 2010 | Filed under: Party Planning | author: By admin,
By Patti Carlin, Banquet Manager, Ram’s Head Inn
You’ve heard the old adage about the best laid plans going astray. Well, sometimes things don’t go according to plan on your wedding day. Maybe an important vendor doesn’t show up. Believe me, we’ve seen it happen. What to do? The first rule: Stay calm. Don’t panic. Turning into a Bridezilla certainly won’t help matters.
For example, let’s say the limo hired to take the bride to the ceremony doesn’t show up. First, have a friend who’s not in the wedding party call the limo company. Chances are they got stuck in traffic or got a flat tire, and are just a little delayed. If it’s a bigger problem, go to Plan B: Call any traditional car service. They’ll likely be able to send someone very quickly to pick you up. Don’t worry about appearances, either – few people actually ever see the bride arrive at the church or other wedding ceremony location.
Anticipate potential snafus beforehand and have a backup plan to deal with them. And rest assured that if your wedding is like the overwhelming majority of them, it will all come off without a hitch.
By Christopher Gellings, Banquet Manager, Highlawn Pavilion
The rehearsal dinner guest list is always a matter of discussion. Who should you invite? The answer depends mostly on your budget and the size of your wedding. Certainly all bridesmaids and groomsmen, as well as anyone who will be speaking or performing a reading during the ceremony should be invited. You might want to include close family members from out of town, giving you a chance to actually sit and visit and spend some quality time with them, which you probably won’t have on your wedding day.
But even with a large party, you can keep costs of your rehearsal dinner down. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a fancy, sit down affair. It can be as simple as a BBQ in your own backyard. The facility where you’re having your wedding reception may also be a good option for where to hold your rehearsal dinner. They may even offer packages that provide a discount for this meal, since they are also hosting your reception.
At the Manor and Highlawn Pavilion, two Knowles properties in West Orange, New Jersey, we offer private dining rooms for rehearsal dinners, or simply accommodate the wedding party in the Terrace Lounge at The Manor or the Main Dining Room at Highlawn Pavilion.
With a little thought put into your guest list and the location, your rehearsal dinner can be one of the most memorable events of your entire wedding.
