Professional Pictures from Matt and Amy's Wedding

I wanted to post some of the professional pictures from Matt and Amy's Wedding. The photographer was Jeff Turner who did an amazing job.

Amy and Matt- June 20, 2009

I know that it is July and the wedding was in June but I am taking a break from my busy schedule and getting these pictures up!

Our next wedding at the hotel was a special one to us, as Matt – our food and beverage manager- was getting married in Newton and then having his reception with us!

Amy and Matt live in New Hampshire, but yet both work here in Boston. With her parents down in PA, there were many emails back and forth to get everything planned and ready for the big day. They had a wedding planner, Rachel, from RCH Designs. She was absolutely fantastic to work with- I haven’t worked with a wedding planner yet so I was a bit nervous! But she was great- we talked often about the wedding, she let me know what she needed and I always offered any help if she needed anything.

Matt and Amy wanted Ice Sculptures. The plan was that Matt was going to make 2 out of the 3. We ordered one professionally done for them the letter “G” for their last name… and Matt was planning on making a martini shaped ice luge and a heart that was a vase on the top (don’t worry the pictures are below!) Matt made them here at the hotel the week of the wedding. He did an amazing job- they came out great!

Here are some pictures of Matt making the ice scultpures before:

Here are the ice sculptures after:

They added a few more things to the wedding- other than the ice sculptures. Amy’s father wanted to make sure there were plenty of desserts! Especially one that he liked- Black Forest Cake! And boy did we make sure we had enough of it!
They added an extra dessert station of cakes and pastries for their guests to enjoy after dinner.

The day finally arrived- June 20th, they had their ceremony in Newton at 5:30, they took limos from here to the church (actually Amy went to the church in a beautiful Rolls Royce- and then Matt and Amy came back together in it!) After the ceremony they came back into the Back Bay area to take some pictures. Which came out awesome (I will post those later- once I get them from matt!)

The Event Time line for the night was as follows:
5:30PM Ceremony- in Newton
7:00PM-8PM Cocktail Reception
8:00PM Doors Open
8:20PM Introductions
8:35PM Dinner
9:35PM Cake Cutting Ceremony
10:00PM Bride and Groom's First Dance
10:05PM Father/Daughter Dance
10:10PM Mother/Son Dance
12:30AM Bar Closes

here are some pictures of the pre-function area set up with their second bar and martini glass ice sculpture:

A Picture of Pre-Assembly Set up: Westminster set up, which is where we put the main bar:

I came in a little later than normal since they had a wedding planner here taking care of most the items that I would handle. The room was set up in advance as we did not have an event on Friday. Rachel brought Navy overlays for all the tables- as they had a Navy and Silver color scheme.

Below are some pictures of the Ballroom set up, with the Navy Overlays:
I helped Rachel with anything that may have needed to be done at this time that wasn’t. Everything looked perfect! The place card table, the gift table, the ice sculptures were up in the right spots, the band was here, the flowers looked beautiful (done by Rachel), and the guests were starting to arrive at 6:50PM. We were ready!

I seemed to wait forever for Matt and Amy- they were off taking beautiful pictures down the street. J They finally arrived with 10 minutes to spare- as the doors to the ballroom opened at 8:00 and I found them walking over to the hotel at 7:50PM. Because it was such a late wedding I really wanted to be on time for the food.

We were on time! As always! We did the introductions, toasts and then went into dinner. They wanted to do the dancing after dinner. They chose the Warm Goat Cheese Tart for the appetizer, the Baby Frisee Salad and for the entrée they offered their guests the Filet and Shrimp, and the Statler Chicken Breast, and we substituted the Salmon for Breaded Haddock. Their cake was from Konditor Meister- and then had their dessert table with tons of different pastries that we made in house and a few Black Forest Cakes- all delicious of course!

Pictures of their cake! and their Cake Cutting Ceremony:

The night went great. We got amazing compliments on the food and with lots of dancing going on- the night was a HUGE success.

The next morning they hosted a breakfast for their guests. Matt and Amy spent another night here at the hotel before they left to go on their honeymoon to Hawaii! All I know Is that Matt, Amy and their parents left happy- which makes me happy!

Below are some pictures from the night! Enjoy!

Make Up Tips for you on your Wedding Day

Ladies, here are 13 of my favorite Make Up Tips for you on your Wedding Day!

1. Waterproof It-make sure you choose a mascara that's waterproof; it lasts longer and withstands tears.

2. On the Line- Charcoal, navy, or mahogany are your best options for eyeliner. Black or brown may look too severe, especially if your wedding will be held during the daytime and/or outdoors.

3. Lighten Up-Use a white shadow as a highlighter on your brow bone if you have light skin; a warmer light peach or vanilla shade will suit deeper complexions.

4. Shade Your Brows- Define your brows with a pencil or shadow that matches your hair color.

5. Get the Red Out- Pop an eye drop if your eyes look red or tired, but stick with a brand you've used before to avoid unwelcome surprises!

6. Sweet Cheeks- Don't forget your blush! A pop of color on your cheeks is like an instant facelift. For fairer skin, a pink tone will work; those with deeper skin tones can choose a rosier hue.
7. Zap a Zit- If you have a blemish or breakout just before your wedding day, keep your hands away from your face -- the spot will heal more neatly if you leave it alone. In the case of a sudden monstrous pimple, see your dermatologist and ask for an cortisone injection that will shrink it instantly.

8. Blend, Blend, Blend- Blend well all over, especially at the corners of your eyes, since cameras pick up visible makeup lines.

9. Get a Good View- For your makeup application, natural light is best. If possible, set up an application table near a window. If there's no natural light available, use a superbright lamp -- halogens work best.

10. Even It Out- Use bronzing powder on your chest and neck if you need to even out your skin tone -- it will make your skin more luminous and ensure that your face doesn't look too different from your body.

11. Watch That Gown- Don't, however, use foundation on your decolletage -- it can stain your dress.

12. Brighten Up- Choose a lip color that's a bit bright. Pale nude or brown lip hues can make you appear washed out in photos, particularly since you'll be wearing white. If you normally wear a neutral hue, wear it as your base with a pink or rose color on top. If you normally wear dark lipstick, use that as your base and apply a lighter sheer pink on top to give you a lift.

13. Greet 'Em With a Grin- You can have the softest lips and the perfect lipstick, but if your teeth are yellow, you won't want to flash a smile. There are lots of safe, reliable over-the-counter teeth-whitening systems, which all whiten teeth by a few shades.

Christine and Larry's Wedding June 6, 2009

Christine and Larry were an amazing couple to work with. They have been together for a LONG time, and booked their wedding January 2008. Once I took over their wedding, I met with Christine right away! Talking about the set up, the bars (how many, their set up, etc).

As the months went on I would hear from her every now and again asking different questions. We set a date to have her and Larry come in for their tasting, after the holidays of course! February 3rd. They really enjoyed themselves, and I really enjoyed getting to know them better. This is where they picked the hors d’oeurves, the appetizer, salad and entrees they wanted to offer their guests. They wanted to offer all 3 choices, and I told them that they were more than welcome to do that. While they ate all the delicious food we offer, I did my normal routine, we went through everything about their wedding.

Christine let me know that she wouldn’t be having place cards, but they were doing a framed seating chart- so they needed an easel. And would also need another easel for a picture frame for their guests to leave them a message and sign.

One thing that they wanted to let me know, was their plans for after the wedding. They wanted to be able to use one of our meeting rooms to spend some time in after with their friends, have some more drinks, maybe a late night snack. I told them that we can definitely make that happen and we can set aside a room and talk more once we get closer to the date.

They were not doing a head or sweetheart table. They would be sitting at a regular round with their siblings/friends/bridal party.

They were getting married at St. Cecelia’s which is the church located directly behind the hotel. Which is very convenient!

After the tasting we would email back and forth with any questions comments, concerns, and I wanted her to know that I had her on my mind, even though I had 3 other weddings before hers!

The week of the wedding was here. Christine was busy, as was I getting everything ready for them. She checked in on Friday morning, in hopes to drop off a lot of her items for me. But she was running late, so she had her Aunt come by with some of her things, some of the guest gift bags to be given out to her guest upon arrival, and the picture frame. Christine was out getting pampered at the spa, and would be around in the afternoon with the rest of the items. Later she brought me their bathroom basket amenities, seat chart, guest’s favors, table names, more guest gift bags, and everything else you could imagine! I took everything from her and placed them all in my office for safe keeping until my arrival on Saturday.

Larry and Christine had their rehearsal at the church and then went to Maggiano’s for their dinner.

Saturday, I got to the hotel around 2pm, I had lots to do! The schedule for the day was:
5PM-6PM Ceremony at St. Cecilia’s
6PM-7PM Cocktail Reception
7PM Doors Open
7:10PM Announcements
7:15PM first dance
7:20 PM Father/daughter dance
7:25PM Mother/son dance
7:30PM Toasts (4) (BM, MOHs, FOB)
7:45PM Dinner (approx)
8:45PM Cake cutting
11:30PM Bar closes
12:00AM Wedding had come to an end!

First I always make sure there are enough tables, and the correct amount of chairs at every table. Placing their table names where they belong, putting their chocolate covered almonds on the tables for guests to eat during the night, their chocolate covered biscotti’s at every seat. I put together the bathroom amenity baskets. Made sure everything that we talked about was all set. Which it was.

Now all I had to do was wait for my bride and groom to get married and come back over to the hotel and have a good time!
With them getting married behind us, it couldn’t have been more stress free for me! I knew when the guests would be arriving and when to expect my bride and Groom.
After their ceremony, they took some pictures at the church, while I waited and waited in the lobby. It was getting close to 7:00 – the doors were opening soon! They hadn’t arrived yet- so I walked down to the church to see how things were going. Christine and Larry were done taking pictures and ready to come have a good time. The photographer wanted a few more shots of just them, so I led the bridal party to the hotel and got them in the elevator up into the Bridal Party room. We got hem some hors d’oeurves and drinks to keep them content for about 15minutes until we were ready to announce them into the room.

Christine and Larry had quite the wedding party! There 28 people to announce in! Whoa!

We got them in, they did their dances, had their toasts, and then a Slide Show! They had about a 10 minute slideshow with pictures of Larry and Christine when they were babies and through the years until now. It was really cute. (Stephanie took a picture of everyone watching it all on one side of the room! I’ll post it below).

Then dinner started- Appetizer first, which was the Porcini Ravioli, then the Baby Frisee Salad wrapped in a cucumber. Since they let their guests choose between the 3- we had quite a bit of entrees being eaten during dinner. Larry had to have just a filet- since he is allergic to seafood!

Then it was dancing time! Everyone seemed to have a great time. The DJ really had everyone on the floor and involved throughout the night.

The bar closed at 11:30- but reopened after most of the guests left. Larry and I planned having an ‘after party’ event. We closed the air wall from Belvidere and Westminster- we kelp the bar open for another hour and a half and made them some pizza. They spent their time, hanging out, having a few more drinks and eating a nice and tasty late night snack. It was a great way to end such a great night.

Below are some pictures of the night!


The next morning- Larry’s parents planned a breakfast for all of their guests to attend. This was a fantastic way to get the chance to say goodbye to everyone and end such an amazing weekend.

Christine and Larry’s wedding was another unbelievable celebration that I was happy to be a part of.