Learn to 'Entertain with Style' at Your Local Pottery Barn Store

My friend Kate tipped me off to these great events at Pottery Barn locations around the country.  There are a few about decorating your home, which I know I would love as well, but I am very interested in the event "Entertaining with Style"  which will take place on October 14th and November 14th at 10am. How perfect as we are about to enter the holiday season.

Wedding Series - Kennebunkport, Maine

This is my third wedding post and after re-visiting photos from each wedding I feel so incredibly lucky to have great friends and to have gone to so many fantastic places this year.  I have a soft spot for this one as well since I was born in Maine and I think it is a gorgeous place. 


Alex and Ted were married in Kennebunkport in June 2010, it was a weekend of fun-filled festivities and there were a ton of young people at the wedding, even single ones which is rare these days! A lot of us stayed at the Colony  Hotel which was convenient to everything. That is definitely something to keep in mind if you have a lot of guests in town, make it easy for them.


Since this was a destination wedding, everyone was included in the rehearsal dinner on Friday night at the Kennebunk River Club Casino.  The tables were decked out in checkered  table clothes all made by the bride's mom!.  They served a delicious barbecue dinner and for dessert, a tray of large whoopie pies, which I can't believe I didn't get a picture of these because they were great.  I stole a tip from the passed hors d'oeuvres that night too, they passed around traditional mini lobster rolls and just sliced New England hot dog rolls.  That's we we then did for Lyssa & Joe's engagement party. 


On Saturday, Alex and Ted were married at St. Ann's Episcopal Church which is beautiful.  We then all went on over to the Kennebunk River Club Boathouse, an ideal spot for a wedding reception.  Imagine canoes hanging from the ceiling, wood beams and an amazing deck on the water for cocktail hour.  It was a weekend to remember!

The Colony Hotel, awesome pool overlooking the ocean (which you can't see here):

Kennebunk River Club Casino, location of the rehearsal dinner:

St. Ann's Episcopal Church:

The bride & groom walking into the reception:

Cocktails out back on the water:

I love this...

The room only required simple decorations and the lighting was perfect.

Cupcake tower

  

Free Boston Pops Concert Tomorrow on Boston Common

As part of the 125th anniversary celebration of the Boston Pops, Keith Lockhart and the Pops will be performing on Boston Common tomorrow at 3pm FOR FREE!  The concert will feature The Dream Live On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers.

Three Cheers for MDA - Thursday, September 30th in Boston

Head out on Thursday, September 30th to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  The event will take place at Smith & Wollensky's so you know the food will be good.  There will also be some great auction items and for only $50, this is a deal so bid high when you go!

Unique Event Planner/Wedding Decorator - Ashley Meaders

I came across Ashley Meaders on DailyCandy and had to check out her website.  Instantly I noticed that most of her photographs were taken by Our Labor of Love which are the same photographers from my friend Aimee's wedding.   Ashley can perform a range of services for your event from the creation of one to two items and to planning the whole darn thing.  She also has an etsy shop but there isn't too much posted right now.  She is based in Atlanta, just like my favorite new photographers!


Some examples of Ashley's work from her website, and the majority of these shots are taken by Labor of Love Photography.

Some fabulous Halloween Finds, order now!

Halloween is a fantastic holiday for kids and adults.  I love dressing up and heading out on the town but I also look forward to decorating my garden, buying a whole lot 'o candy and handing out candy on my stoop.  It is somewhat of a South End tradition for everyone to hang outside, enjoy wine and spoil the trick or treaters.  Great neighborhood bonding!  But if you are having a party, start planning now!  I found some cool stuff on ZGallerie.com that I definitely thought was worth sharing. I will continue keep my eye out for other fun Halloween finds.

Black crystal flower stems & Frankenstein cocktail napkins

 

Glitter skulls, these would be so fun to decorate with.

Glittered spiders and a cool hanging bat groom.

Hanging skeletons and bone chilling ice cube trays.

 

Black wall sconce and little skull candles.

 

West Elm Boston - Handmade Art Event - October 14th

I love West Elm. I love Etsy. And I certainly always love a good, unique find for my home.  These are all of the reasons I am attending this cool event at West Elm on October 14th between 6-9pm.  Be sure to RSVP. And did I mention, drinks too?

Wedding Series - A North Shore Wedding

This past June, one of my very close friends was married on her grandmother's property in Essex, Massachusetts.  I was honored to be a bridesmaid and I am even more excited to share photos of this gorgeous day.  Aimee has a creative flair like no other and she worked on all of the details without the help of a wedding planner.  Weddings at a home are very special but can also require more planning and more work but Aimee did an incredible job and wait until you see the tent, it will knock your socks off!  People are still talking about it.   

Last week's post from Newport Life Magazine inspired me to get some more information from Aimee about vendors, etc. so this can really be a useful tool for others.  Below you will find some photos taken by friends and then I need to showcase shots from Mike and Aimee's photographer, the husband and wife duo from Our Labor of Love Photography. At first I thought they were crazy to fly them in from Atlanta, but now that I have seen the photos, I can see why. These are some of the greatest wedding photos I have seen, they add a little artistic touch to each shot. 

Enjoy these photos from Mike & Aimee's wedding!

The location of the wedding on the property was extra special since Mike & Aimee will be breaking ground on a new home there.

Photographs from Labor of Love: 

Aimee looked stunning in her Valentino dress.

Name cards were hanging when you walked into the tent, very simple but this added a touch of country charm. Aimee had the cards professionally written and then we tied the names and table numbers together with twine.

I loved that the flowers were simple yet beautiful.  Aimee used hundreds of vases that varied in shape and size combined with small candles.

There were hundreds (literally!) of candles hanging from the tent, which was amazing as the night went on.  To note, these were fake candles to avoid any potential disasters. You could not tell.

They used long, rectangular tables. 

There were two tents, one for cocktails (on the left) which also served as a late night lounge and the main tent to the right.  You can see how stunning the tents were and the lights made all the difference at night. 

Event details: 

Wedding Dress:  By Valentino, purchased at L'Elite on Newbury Street in Boston. 

Bridesmaid Dresses:  Designers varied, we were all asked to buy long dresses in shades of gray. Also bought at L'Elite.

Tent Company: Sperry Tents

Catering Company: TSH Catering, Tim Hopkins 

Cake: Traditional white cake with Butter Cream frosting from Mirabella's Bakery Tewksbury, MA

Rentals: Chairs, tables, china, benches, etc.  came from Be Our Guest in Boston

Hair & Makeup: Makeup, Lauren Genarossio from Sarra Studios, Boston.  Hair: Bliss Salon in Marblehead

Photographer: Husband and Wife team, Whitney and Jesse Chamberlin -  Our Labor Of Love Photography

Lighting Company: Boston Uplights

Advise from Aimee: "I think just to remember that it's your (couple's) wedding, not your parents, your planner, your caterer... etc. (you get the drift)-   So make your decisions based on that.   Mike and I wanted clean, modern, natural and formal.  I think we accomplished that!  It was so fun! "

Win $500 to Towne Stove & Spirits in Boston

Visit Bloomspot to win a $500 food & bar tab to Towne, a new restaurant to the Boston scene.  While I was not super impressed during my one and only visit I really want to give this place another try and check out that great looking dining room.  I am also attempting to have a private event there, so I will be sure to let you know how that works out.  

Enter before October 14th, good luck!


http://www.bloomspot.com/boston/towne-stove-and-spirits/

Two private rooms to consider

I recently went to Noche for the first time, the restaurant that took over the old Icarus location in the South End. I am excited to see new restaurants opening up in the neighborhood.  We went during restaurant week and it was quite amusing because the entire crowd was women (note to men) which I am sure my date was secretly super excited about! I couldn't help notice the great private room as we were led to our table, another fantastic option for your next dinner party to celebrate something special.  The room holds 12 and includes a separate sound system so you can listen to your favorite tunes, and a TV in case you have a video to roll. 


If you like sushi, I was really surprised by the private room at Haru when we went for my friend Lyssa's "bachelorette" dinner.  With doors to shut off the room, I was able to introduce the ladies to Saki bombs which are sure to get any party started. In all seriousness, it was a great space and I would highly recommend dinner there. It is also an easy walk from the Back Bay or South End. 

Room at Noche:

Room at Haru:

Girls night out at Haru: