It’s no secret that we are seriously in love with Winterthur Estate. Between the never-ending lush and beautiful gardens, the picturesque reflecting pool, the drop-dead gorgeous conservatory, and all the private paths in between, the options for you and your guests are endless. Every event there is personal and different than the last.   So, when Nicole from Winterthur asked us to design some Eclatante-style tablescapes to showcase to Winterthur’s favorite clients, we were very honored and thrilled to get to work.

As a leading event planning and design firm in the region, we understand exactly what it takes to create an event that will be flawlessly in sync  – from each detail of the aesthetics to the meticulously planned logistics that make it all flow beautifully from one step to the next in a way that allows your guests to feel that everything about the event is effortless and natural.   It’s an art and a craft, believe me!   I think that’s why we and Winterthur love working together so much — we all have the same philosophy of creating incredible weddings — that is, the secret to a perfect wedding is perfect harmony.

When we set out to design the tablescapes for Winterthur’s very special event, we knew each table should celebrate the beginning of summer in the context of Winterthur’s perfect setting. Not surprisingly, we chose to stray from the more typical concepts of reception table decor and instead, create three different looks, each one demonstrating Eclatante’s unique ability to capture their client’s personal style.  Using uplifting and vibrant colors, and with the incredibly talented Beautiful Blooms’ amazing florals,  we designed three completely different looks: Classic, Modern and Rustic.

Here are the photos taken by the amazing Jim Graham.   We hope you enjoy them!

Classic

Modern:

Rustic:

If you follow our blog, you know that we have an obsession with Winterthur.   Apparently, we’re in good company.

Martha Stewart filmed a lovely segment explaining to her adoring public just how amazing the Winterthur Estate, Museum and Gardens really are.   Log on here to get a tour from Martha Stewart herself.

The one thing missing from Martha's tour was how incredible weddings are there. Here are a few photos that we love from things we've done at Winterthur.

Photo by Mike Kehr

Photo by Mike Kehr

Photo by Marie Labbancz

Photo by Marie Labbancz

Photo by Marie Labbancz

Photo by Marie Labbancz

Photo by Marie Labbancz

This is an amazing time of year at Winterthur.   Absolutely STUNNING.   If you haven’t seen it, you definitely should.   Such an oasis.

We have a couple weddings coming up there and I can hardly wait.   I’m sure the photos will be beautiful!

One of our favorite things is to discover and work at new venues. We’ve known about the Skybox at the 24/24 Studios for a while, but this is our first opportunity to work there.

As you can see from these great photos by Kevin York, the place is amazing!   It’s 6,200 square feet of open space with 30′ ceilings, skylights and gorgeous hardwood floors.  It sits within an incredible community of artists’ lofts and has an ambience of pure creativity.

Photo from the Skybox website

When Culinary Concepts asked us to design a photoshoot at the new Skybox, we jumped at the chance.  Together with Beautiful Blooms (whose stunning florals were perfect), we were able to create an amazing soiree that was perfectly suited for this amazing, cool loft-space very conveniently located in the City.

We chose beautiful aqua shimmer linens that inspired Beautiful Blooms to create coordinated florals of bamboo, dendrobium orchids and mokara orchids.  Other tables had three vibrant vases with tight bundles of roses, hydrangea and  spider mums. LOVE.

As you can see, the lighting was key to producing the dramatic effect we were looking to achieve.  Using LEDs projected across the room (rather than uplighting from the floor) we were able to achieve a stunning color the color saturation on the walls.

The cocktail area was created to reflect the ambiance of the whole room — the divine furniture from Busy Bee was perfect — I totally love their extraordinary furniture!

The bride’s room upstairs is a wonderful sanctuary for someone to collect themslves as their guests begin to arrive.  I <heart> this room. It’s so peaceful.

(See the gorgeous gown hanging on the wardrobe at the far end of the room.)

A ceremony in the round invokes a wonderful intimacy that works beautifully in this space.   We designed the ceremony area around a great wrought iron structure that Beautiful Blooms brought and adorned with lots and lots of ribbons and candles.

We’re very happy to introduce you to this fabulous new venue in Philadelphia.  I can’t wait to show you some of our events there!

Ahhhhh!   PLEASE forgive me!!! I’m so late posting this entry about the scrumptious cakes from Doughmain Baked Goods in Rosemont. You get to vote for the one that will be presented at Faye & Matt’s wedding at the Independent Seaport Museum on May 23rd!  You only have a day to cast your vote for one of these three yummy  cakes!  They are each so different from one another you will likely find your clear favorite.

CAKE OPTION #1 is the “whimsical” choice with five white offset square cakes with alternating textures on each layer, bedecked with fabric bows and ribbon. It’s a very fun cake that pleased Faye & Matt no end!

CAKE OPTION #2 is a modern design with four round cakes bordered with black ribbon and decorated with black butter cream stencil work.  Faye and Matt loved this one from the moment they saw it.   The intricacies of the lace and other flourishes are gorgeous in person.    The not-too-formal vibe is a perfect fit with Faye & Matt’s wedding!

CAKE OPTION #3 is a traditional and romantic cake of three offset square cakes adorned with bright, fresh raspberries. Faye optimistically refers to this option as the healthy cake!    Faye & Matt  loved how the bold color of the berries popped against the white of the cake and the simplicity of the design.

All three cakes will have the same wonderful combo of flavors:  the bottom, layer will be chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and raspberry puree; the middle layer will be a traditional yellow cake with a raspberry filling, and the top layer will be a banana cake with cream cheese filling.

So, hurry up and VOTE for one of these three.   Voting ends tomorrow.  And it’s really close!   So your vote really could make a difference!

In Part 1, we told you about how this wonderful couple overcame the snowy elements for a joyous pre-ceremony experience.   Now, Carolyn & Steven come in from the cold for their touching and beautiful ceremony at St Clements Episcopal Church in Philadelphia (as seen through the lens of Marie Labbancz’s magic camera).

The little flower girls were absolutely adorable — and beautifully accessorized by these flower purses created by Beautiful Blooms.

Don't you just love how this little girl has learned to admonish the little boy to shhhhhh!

After the ceremony, the celebration commenced at the historic Franklin Institute.   The lighting and decor plan came together beautifully.   Beautiful Bloom’ did an amazing job on the floral centerpieces.

And the dancing went on all night long.   Everyone had a fantastic time — especially the bride and groom!

All’s well that end’s well.   In spite of the wintery weather, this was a beautiful and joyous wedding we always remember!

This winter was one for the record books — not just for the record snowstorms, but the amazing weddings we were honored to be a part of.    Carolyn & Steven’s wedding happened during one of those famous snowstorms, but nothing put a damper on their incredibly wedding day!  The photographs by Marie Labbancz truly show you how wonderful that day was — in spite of the weather!

Their engagement photos showed no sign of the crazy weather in store.

But when their wedding day arrived, Mother Nature gave them a truly romantic snowy day.  As it turns out, this special winter bride secretly wished for snow on her wedding day. She said that the lace on her gown reminded her of snowflakes, which was why she chose it.

Carolyn was beautifully prepared with this pair of amazing snow boots!

Carolyn and her girls got ready at The Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia.  Claudia Seyler did a beautiful job on everyone’s hair and makeup.

b

The beautiful bouquet created by Beautiful Blooms was all about Carolyn.  It was perfect for her!

The couple met in the lobby of the Four Seasons for their romantic moment before heading off to Waterworks on the Schuylkill River.

Thank goodness Claudia was able to stay throughout the day so that Carolyn could be touched up after bracing the elements.   Of course, part of the romance of the day was the warmth the couple gave each other throughout the pre-ceremony photo session!

Stay tuned for Part 2, where Carolyn and Steven com ein from the cold for their beautiful ceremony at St. Clements Episcopal Church and fabulous reception at the Franklin Institute.

When we last talked about the planning of Faye & Matt’s wedding, you were asked to chime in on the difficult choice between two wedding gowns that were beautifully designed and custom created for Faye by Janice Martin Couture. Here is the stunning winner:

Now is your chance to decide between two really beautiful  floral centerpieces created by the incredible team at Beautiful Blooms.   You can vote on Philly.com for either of the two beautiful pieces below.  Faye and Matt love both, so it really is up to you.

By the way, these photos were taken by Kevin York.  Faye and Matt are extremely lucky to have Kevin as their wedding photographer – it’s a certainty that their photos will be AMAZING!

Design#1  (“Organic Chic”) is created from an organic mix of hydrangea, protea, frog’s eye euphorbia, stock, hypericum berries and curly willow.  I just love how the colors compliment each other in the shades of apple green, purply blue and yellow. It will look stunning on the square tables dressed in a great purple pintuck linen with accents of yellow.

Design #2 (“Fishbowl Fashion”) has a more modern feel and was created in a large fishbowl. This arrangement is a combination of plum calla, yellow protea placed on a base of green split peas.   This centerpiece will look equally beautiful on the purple linens.

Hurry.  You only have until Tuesday night to vote for either of these gorgeous pieces.

After the centerpieces are decided, you’ll get to vote for the beautiful wedding rings from Safian & Rudolph.

Eclatante Boutique and some of the other very cool shops here on Liberties Walk have joined up to give you a Valentine’s Day shopping experience like none other. Every day from February 8th through Valentine’s Day (which is Sunday, February 14th), each of our friends is offering you something a little different.

This postcard and poster will give you the details about what we’re all doing!

For our part, Eclatante Boutique will be offering free, beautiful Valentine’s Day cards and wrapping paper with every $15 purchase made every day during the Romancing The Walk event.  Plus, we’ll be offering fun chocolate stuff and yummy bubbly all along the way.

And a really great part of this is that every participating shop will offering you the opportunity to enter a great raffle to benefit the American Heart Association’s GO RED FOR WOMEN CAMPAIGN.  (it is HEART month y, know!)

Your raffle ticket only costs $5 (which you can get that back when you shop at Eclatante Boutique or at any of our friend’s shops).   You will not only be contributing to the American Heart Association – a great organization that has done so much to educate women about taking care of themselves and protecting their hearts – you will have a chance to win a grand prize which includes some pretty incredible gifts from our friends’ shops AND a romantic night’s stay at the very very chic new boutique hotel,  the Hotel Palomar in Philadelphia. All for $5 which you can get back!   How amazing is that?

If you haven’t made it down to Liberties Walk yet, this is the perfect reason to come down.   Talk about falling in love!!!!