Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Brand new gallery on the website!

Over the last few years, this blog has definitely been the source of updated content and photos for our readers and clients. Our website has been more of a static information source for things like listing out what we include in our day-of coordination package, and our contact form for new inquiries. The website has stayed pretty much exactly the same since 2008, but we still love the general look and feel, and the simplicity of the HTML based site.

What we did want to do though is update the gallery section with a more updated portfolio of some of the weddings that we've done over the years, and we really love how it turned out!

The gallery shows gorgeous photo collages from 15 different weddings, and you can easily navigate between gallery pages through the arrows at the bottom of the page. Here is a little peek into the new gallery!


& some photo collage highlights!

Photos from pinkorchidweddings.com

It was definitely fun to rebuild the gallery section and create all of the photo collages. CSS style sheets and HTML code have both been used a lot this past week =) Let us know what you think (you may need to refresh your page if you've visited the site before)!

~Emilie

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

2011 Bride's Choice Awards Winner

We are excited to announce that Pink Orchid Weddings has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 - our second year in a row! This means that we are among the top five percent of all wedding coordinators in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 200,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. The WeddingWire Network includes leading wedding planning sites like WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding, and Weddingbee. Thank you so much to all of our 2010 newlyweds for nominating us!

~Emilie & Fiona

Monday, January 24, 2011

All-Clad Measuring Cup Set Giveaway Winner!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered our Pink Orchid Weddings giveaway! I've picked a winner via random.org and it is...

HINA!
she said: "I will make that red velvet cake recipe I've been meaning to try for months..."

Photo from Cookware.com

Hina has won an All-Clad 5-piece stainless steel measuring cup set (1-4-cup, 1/3-cup, 1/2-cup, 2/3-cup, and 1-cup). Thank you so much to everyone for participating!

~Emilie

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

All-Clad Measuring Cup Set Giveaway!

After coordinating weddings in Boston for a few years now, I have seen that many of our previous brides and grooms have started to have children. They go from buying wedding gowns and designing floral centerpieces, to purchasing homes and picking out swing sets. I wanted to do something fun for not only couples in the wedding planning process, but also for anyone like my previous clients - those of you who are already settled into a house with cake and favors way behind you!

So, Pink Orchid Weddings is doing another giveaway!! I always like to give away things that I would personally LOVE to have, so after some thinking, I remembered that over the holidays, I saw that my sister had these gorgeous All-Clad measuring cups in her kitchen. They were heavy, shiny, and they looked like cute mini All-Clad sauce pans. Now, you have a chance to have these beauties in your kitchen!

Photos from Cookware.com

Pink Orchid Weddings is giving away an All-Clad 5-piece Measuring Cup Set (value: $50.00)! It is a stainless steel 1/4-cup, 1/3-cup, 1/2-cup, 2/3-cup, and 1-cup measuring set that is a little bit of luxury in your kitchen that will literally last you a lifetime, with All-Clad's amazing lifetime warranty. This set is great for cooking or baking with dry ingredients. Each cup features an easy-to-read size marking on the handle. It is dishwasher-safe but hand washing is recommended.

To Enter the Giveaway, you must complete ALL THREE of the following steps:

1) Become our fan on Facebook! Go to our Pink Orchid Weddings Facebook page (FB link on the right side of this blog) and click on "Like". If you're already a fan, then step #1 is already done!

2) On our Pink Orchid Weddings Facebook page, place a comment on our All-Clad giveaway post with the dish that you would want to cook/bake first using the All-Clad measuring cups!

3) On this blog post, comment below letting me know that you've already commented on Facebook, and then copy and paste the same dish that you would want to cook/bake first using the All-Clad measuring cups! (this makes it easy for me to figure out who did every step)


You do not have to be engaged or married to enter! Anyone can enter, but prizes can only be shipped to the U.S. and Canada. Entries for this giveaway will end at 12PM EST on Monday, January 24, 2011. One winner (out of all who completed all three steps) will be picked at random by the True Random Number Generator at Random.org and I will announce the winner of the giveaway later that day on the blog, twitter, and on our facebook page. I will also contact the winner via Facebook. Good luck!!!

~Emilie

Friday, January 14, 2011

Rachel + Dan Featured on Bridalhood!

I am dying to do a full recap post of Rachel and Dan's Moraine Farm wedding with pro photos from Heather España Photography, but there are many other 2010 weddings from earlier in the year that I need to go through first! But, when the weddings that I coordinate are featured in fun places, I love sharing the news. This past week, their wedding was featured on Bridalhood.

Photo from Bridalhood

I can't resist showing you a couple of photos from the feature! The bride and groom flew in their photographer all the way from Oregon... and I totally know why =) I LOVE Heather's work and hopefully another one of my clients will fly her back out to Boston soon!

Photos by Heather España Photography

~Emilie

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Ally + Randall Featured on Beantown Bride!

One of my favorite wedding blogs, Beantown Bride, featured Ally and Randall's wedding today! I absolutely loved coordinating their wedding at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum and Hei La Moon, and the day was beautifully captured by Erica Ferrone Photography.

Photo from Beantown Bride

Check out the Beantown Bride feature here, and if you're interested in a detailed recap that I posted of this wedding, you can read all about it here!

~Emilie

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Kim & Adam's surprise proposal shoot!

In the midst of engagement season, I thought it would be fun to do a post on the surprise proposal shoot of Kim and Adam, whose wedding I'm coordinating later this year in August! The shoot was done by Lexi and Simon of Lexi Photography, who captured the surprise proposal at Boston College. Adam knew that Kim loved Lexi's work, so he had worked out a plan with Lexi of a place and time for the proposal, and the photos of Kim's reaction are priceless!

It was only after the proposal that Lexi and Simon came out of hiding (Kim was shocked of course to see one of her favorite photographers!) and they did a little engagement session immediately afterwards. Boston College was the perfect spot for the proposal because Kim and and Adam are both alums, and in August, their wedding ceremony will be on campus at St. Ignatius.

Photos by Lexi Photography

To see more from the shoot, check out Lexi's blog! The proposal actually happened in October 2009, and they became Pink Orchid clients in February of 2010. It's been a lot of fun so far working with them on wedding details, and I cannot wait for their Spring Valley Country Club wedding!

~Emilie

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Julie and Gabriel's Mandarin Oriental Hotel Wedding

On Saturday, December 18th, I was the coordinator for Julie and Gabriel’s wedding on a bright and beautiful winter day. The day started early in the morning in the bridal suite at the Mandarin Oriental, where family members from both sides gathered for a tea ceremony. Afterwards, the bridesmaids helped Julie into her absolutely stunning Melissa Sweet gown, along with a breathtaking matching veil. I literally gasped the first time I saw her in that dress! Grace Mahoney from Blushing Brides, who did the bride’s makeup and hair, stayed to change the bride’s hairpiece. The bridesmaids wore custom red floor-length gowns tailor-made in Hong Kong.

A trolley was on hand to shuttle family members, the bridal party, and the bride and groom to the Park Street Church. A sweet ceremony filled with beautiful music followed. I should note here that the groom comes from a musically-gifted family, so guests were treated to performances throughout the day. The ceremony had four music changes just in the processional! I was also witness to a very impressive soprano solo in the middle of the program. A photo session with family and the bridal party followed the ceremony, and then the bride and groom went to the Boston Public Library for their own portraits.

The 150 guests headed over to the Mandarin Oriental for the cocktail hour and reception. At the center of the cocktail hour space were three birdcages framing an eye-catching floral centerpiece of branches and roses. Guests filled out cards (Advice, Wishes, or Predictions) and placed them in the cages. The escort cards were attached to origami cranes, all of them folded by the bride's family. The paper cranes showed up throughout the rest of the venue, in the gorgeous centerpieces created by Orchids N’ Blooms (who provided the rest of the flowers for the wedding) and scattered on cocktail tables. As guests munched on canapés such as lobster daikon rolls and duck confit scallion pancakes, they were able to view a montage of the couple’s engagement pictures that were shown on video screens embedded on the walls inside the room. At the request of the bride, a magnificent Christmas tree, decorated for the hotel by Winston Flowers, was also on display in the room.

The ballroom featured dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of Back Bay. The tables were topped with peony silk linens and an assortment of tall and short floral centerpieces made of curly willow branches, tulips, and roses. The table names (of various fashion designers, since the bride has a fashion background) were propped on top of wine bottles and were created by Pink Orchid Designs. They also denoted that donations to Children's Hospital Boston were made in lieu of favors. Each place setting had a menu tucked into the napkin, which sat on top of a stunning glass ‘starburst’ charger plate. A Steinway grand piano, which was delivered and tuned that morning by M. Steinert & Sons, was situated at the front of the ballroom. The beautiful cake with delicate, handmade sugar flowers was displayed right next to the piano. Guests enjoyed a plated lunch of artichoke soup, a main entrée choice of miso black cod or roasted chicken, and then wedding cake for dessert.

The reception was full of unique programming. After introductions, the bride and groom danced to “All I Ask of You” from The Phantom of the Opera, played live on the piano by a family friend. Then, guests were delighted by a surprise performance by a groomsman and his father (the same family friend), who re-wrote a piece of music with hilarious lyrics all about the newlyweds. One of the sweetest moments of the day followed, when Gabe got up to perform a short piano piece and told all the guests that it was the same piece he played to woo Julie when they first started dating. After the entrée was served, everyone enjoyed piano performances from the flower girls (so cute!), the groom’s stepmother and his aunt (holiday music from the Nutcracker), and finally, the groom’s father. The “mini-recital” really captivated the guests AND the staff. The level of playing was amazing!

The evening ended with a yummy dessert fondue station and dancing, with music provided by Jake Lewis of DJ by Jake. Daniel Nystedt of Nystedt Photography and Jim Greene from Boston Wedding Films were on hand to capture the music-filled wedding day.

Special thanks to Emilie who stopped by in the morning to help me with set-up (she had another wedding to coordinate later that day!). It was a truly stunning event and it was a pleasure to be a part of it. Julie and Gabe, hope you had a wonderful honeymoon in Italy, and best wishes to you both!

~Fiona