A Thanksgiving Feast On Penn's Landing

Lisa & Gene
November 24, 2007
Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penns Landing
Philadelphia, PA
Web Site

The Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn's Landing is nestled among Federal, Colonial, and Georgian homes along the Delaware River in the historic Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia. The floor to ceiling windows and panoramic view of the Delaware River greet guests as they enter this lavish hotel's palatial Grand Ballroom.

Immediately after their cocktail hour ended, the guests entered the ballroom and waited for the bride and groom to enter the room and share their first dance as husband and wife.

After finishing their first dance, the bridal party stepped onto the floor, followed by the entire guest list. I have noticed that an increasingly popular trend for the bridal party is to avoid the awkwardness of dancing with a semi-stranger in an "eighth grade slow song dance" fashion by inviting the entire room to fill the floor for a short slow dance. I think it helps to bring the focus of the guests from the cocktail hour back to the bride and groom.

Gene's family apparently has a family tradition that is observed at every wedding reception. It was something I have never seen before.

After the formalities of the cake cutting and parents' dances were observed, Gene's aunt and uncle stepped out to the dance floor carrying two large bags filled with almost 200 silly hats!

As you can see in some of the photos and the video below, no one hesitated to put a giant zebra hat or Guinness pilsner hat on their head as they danced the night away.

Congratulations, Laurie and Chris!

Click here to see some photos from their event!

Agenda

6:00 PM-6:55 PM Cocktail Hour

7:00 PM Grand Entrance
Bridal Party: "Let's Get Loud" by Jennifer Lopez
Bride & Groom: "Gonna Fly Now" by Bill Conti

7:05 PM First Dance
"Songbird" by Eva Cassidy

7:10 PM Bridal Party Dance
"Friends" by Elton John

7:15 PM Blessing & Toast

7:20 PM-8:45 PM Dinner

8:50 PM Bride & Father Dance
"Daddy's Little Girl" by Al Martino

8:55 PM Groom & Mother Dance
"I Am Your Child" by Barry Manilow

9:00 PM-11:00 PM Open Dancing

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Lisa & Gene's comments about their wedding entertainment: "Steve did an absolutely fantastic job. He had the dance floor packed at all times and his selection of music was perfect! He has such a shining personality and though he was not feeling too well that night you would have never known. He was professional, as well as personable, and I would hire him again for my next event. All our friends and family stated that was the BEST wedding they have ever been to and I thank Steve for that. Thank you Steve for making my wedding the best day ever!"Permalink

For The Groom: Stay Cool In Your Tux

Most of us don't spend too much time in formal wear...

By the time our wedding day arrives, we have probably worn a tuxedo less than five times in our life, so we're not likely to feel completely comfortable when we are forced to wear all that wool.

Personal note: I'm sure the brides are reading this now and are thinking "Boo hoo... My tux is hot... Boo hoo...".

I am sorry, ladies. I don't currently have a solution to helping you feel more comfortable wearing twenty yards of duchesse satin.

For the grooms, I recommend wearing one of these under your dress shirt.

The Under Armour HeatGear shirts are designed to help keep you cooler, wicking away sweat from your body. It will help you look and feel a little more comfortable throughout the day. During the ceremony, during that one-hour, pre-dinner photo session outside your facility, when the dance floor is full, etc...

If you're celebrating your wedding day on one of the hotter days of the year, wearing one of these shirts will be REALLY helpful.

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Un Mariage de Centre Élégant de La ville

Laurie & Chris
November 10, 2007
Sofitel Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Web Site

The Sofitel Philadelphia hotel blends French elegance with American style - providing a refined environment for upscale weddings. This sophisticated downtown Philadelphia hotel serves as the cornerstone of the new French Quarter, just steps from Rittenhouse Square, the Convention Center and nearly all of Philadelphia's most historical attractions.

Beginning with a fantastically beautiful ceremony in the Sofitel's Paris Ballroom, Laurie and Chris' wedding day was a day of splendor. The contemporary look and feel of the ballroom naturally lent itself to a truly elegant affair.

A string quartet provided the music as the ceremony took place, followed by a decadent cocktail hour set to the classical music emanating from the skilled musicians.

After the guests were invited back into the transformed ballroom, Laurie and Chris' bridal party entered the room, standing by the edge of the floor as the new bride and groom shared in their choreographed first dance.

Immediately following the bride and groom's first dance, the friends and family filled the floor for the second half of the newlyweds' dance, a cha-cha set to Michael Buble's song "Everything".

After dinner, Laurie and Chris elected to share in a uniquely French tradition. Instead of cutting the cake, they decided to "crack the croquembouche". A croquembouche is a French dessert, a kind of pièce montée often served at weddings. It is a high cone of profiteroles (choux filled with pastry cream) bound with caramel, and usually decorated with threads of caramel, sugared almonds, chocolate, flowers, or ribbons.

Instead of using a knife to cut the dessert, they used a bottle of champagne to smash the top of the pyramid, allowing both the bride and groom to pluck one of the profiteroles from the stack to feed one another. It is a very entertaining site to see and it's one you will only see at a French facility like the Sofitel Philadelphia.

I must mention, the banquet staff at the Sofitel Philadelphia is in a league with the finest facilities around, rivaled only (in my opinion) by the Hotel du Pont. Their impeccable attention to the flawless presentation of a wedding celebration is not remotely common. I greatly look forward to my next opportunity to provide wedding entertainment direction at this exquisite location!

Congratulations, Laurie and Chris!

Click here to see some photos from their event!

Agenda

6:00 PM-6:25 PM Ceremony

6:30 PM-7:25 PM Cocktail Hour

7:30 PM Grand Entrance
Parents: "The Love Boat" by Paul Williams & Charles Fox
Bridal Party: "SexyBack (Pokerface Remix)" by Justin Timberlake
Bride & Groom: "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC

7:30 PM First Dance
"You And I" by Michael Bublé

7:40 PM Toasts

7:55 PM-9:30 PM Dinner

8:20 PM Bride & Father Dance
"Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

8:25 PM Groom & Mother Dance
"In My Life" by The Beatles

8:30 PM-9:00 PM Open Dancing

9:55 PM Cracking Of The Croquembouche
"Born To Be My Baby" by Bon Jovi

9:35 PM-11:30 PM Open Dancing

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Laurie & Chris' comments about their wedding entertainment: "Steve was probably the most fantastic entertainer I have ever heard at any event. He was fun, energetic and made a point to make sure everyone had a great time. My goal was to have a fun party and I think Steve was a big part of that. Thanks so much!"Permalink

The W.E.D.Guild

I have just begun the application process to join Peter Merry's Wedding Entertainment Director Guild (W.E.D.Guild)!

To see what is involved with applying to this esteemed organization of passionate professionals, click here.

Wish me luck!

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