Lisa Castaldo and Robert Alesi celebrated their love and future together during a September wedding at the Palace—with a twist. “We had a Cinderella wedding and what better place to hold one than The Palace,” Lisa said. The bride and her father arrived on a horse-drawn Cinderella Pumpkin Carriage, a lifetime dream of his. “The Palace arranged for our guests to see our grand entrance prior to taking their seats upstairs and it was unbelievable. My father couldn’t hold back his tears seeing all of his brothers and their families standing there watching him arrive with his first daughter.” As Lisa says, there were “no details left out.” There was a dove release, ice sculptures from Cinderella, glass slippers, a custom Cinderella-carved candle, and as guests waited for the valet to retrieve their cars, they were greeted by an ice … Read more

What’s the first word that goes out about your wedding besides a well-timed Facebook status update? Naturally, save the date cards are your first formal step towards announcing your big day. One invitation designer we love is Manhattan-based Lauren Brooke (pictured), who creates custom handmade invitations for any occasion. Here we see the breadth of styles for her Save-the-Date clients. It’s an opportunity to inject some personal touches into the first point-of-contact for your wedding. Get creative and have fun creating a statement card.   . … Read more

The boutonniere is a wonderful wedding staple for many reasons: it’s another chance to personalize and be creative with your color scheme, it makes the groom look even more handsome and, most obviously, it’s a tradition! While a lot of men get their boutonnieres handled through their flower vendor or a friend, making it at home can be just as easy, and rewarding. Here’s how: You’ll want a flower with a big head that can withstand a little pressure (i.e. a rose or a calla lily). Might as well get a few to practice on. It’s also great to have the flower match the color scheme of the wedding. After remove foliage, thorns, less-appealing petals, cut the stem at an angle, leaving three inches of stem. Create the ‘bed’ by taking ferns, ivies, or other greenery and nestle it behind … Read more

Winter, spring, summer and fall. Everyone has their favorite season—but which time of the year will be best to place one of the most important days of your life? In this two-part series, we’ve put together a pro and con hit list for each season to help you make your decision. In this part, we’ll go over summer and fall. (You can also read our previous post about winter and spring.) Enjoy!   Summer—Pros1) The weather. Especially if your reception is happening at night, you can’t argue with summer weather.2) Vendor availability. Because the wedding rush season will be over, you’ll have a better chance at your pick of the litter.3) Extend the party. Longer days means more sunlight and more memories to make. Summer—Cons1) Summer vacations. It’s not a serious con—just make sure to send your invitation early.2) Hot … Read more

ALAN & CHRISTIENNE //SDE from MPW Media Group on Vimeo. Thank you MPW Media Group for sharing your video and photographs from Christienne and Alan’s big day at The Palace. As you can see, mother nature created a magnificent backdrop for the day and from the looks on everyone’s faces, it was a joyous event. We love the iconic nighttime shots in our front entrance as well as the creative shots on our grounds. Congratulations to Christienne and Alan!   … Read more

Winter, spring, summer and fall. Everyone has their favorite season—but which time of the year will be best to place one of the most important days of your life? In this two-part series, we’ve put together a pro and con hit list for each season to help you make your decision. In this part, we’ll go over winter and spring, and in the second part we’ll examine summer and fall. Enjoy! Winter—Pros1) A natural theme. Use ‘winter wonderland’ as a great, pliable aura to work off of.2) Shorter days. Sunset is earlier, meaning you can start your big day earlier and still have it be an ‘evening affair’.3) Photographer availability. It’s a fact that less couples choose the winter, meaning that in-demand photographer is more likely to book with you! Winter—Cons1) Holiday vacations. You’ll may have to accept some guests … Read more

Seating charts may seem like a daunting part of the wedding prep process—after all, it involves choreographing all of your friends and family into groups such that everyone is satisfied and no one feels left out in the dust. But they don’t have to be. Below we have a few great take-home tips that can help make the seating chart as fun as it should be. The Rule of 50: It’s generally agreed if your guest list is over 50, it’s practically necessary for you to have a seating chart. Directing guests to a given table, makes them feel comfortable. Don’t feel assigning individual seats is required. The ‘X’ Rule: If you are inviting divorced spouses or ex’s, it’s always best to be safe before sorry. Even if their friend groups collide, only place them at the same table if … Read more

If we’re being completely honest, we know Pinterest is good for a lot of things, but especially great for one thing in particular: weddings. Below we put together some incredible wedding Pinners you have to check out: Chic Vintage Brides: The vintage wedding blog of a lifetime. Everything is vintage-inspired, from veils to bouquets to grooms, hairdos, floral crowns and more. Ottawa Bridal Party: We go across the (northern) border for this one. Billed as ‘curated collection of wedding professionals for the modern Canadian bride, this one goes above and beyond in bringing you the most beautiful in all things wedding. The Perfect Palette: If you’re color-obsessed, this board is for you. We’re talking matchy-match taken to the next level, plus a lot of practical and useful wedding tips. Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine: ‘Ideas, inspiration, and the inside scoop’ from … Read more

You already know the importance of the bridesmaid dresses—it is, after all, what some of your most important people will be wearing on one of your most important days. But in choosing the exact dress(es), the options can be a bit overwhelming. Beyond cut, style and hem, there is the one factor that matters more than any other: color. The first step is to pick a shade and hue that matches the rest of your wedding’s color scheme (which we’d be more than happy to work with you on). The second is to consider your bridesmaids. What would be complimentary to them (or not)? The channel TLC lists it’s top ‘10 COLORS YOUR BRIDESMAIDS DON’T WANT TO WEAR‘ in order of 10 to 1: salmon, gold, silver, poo green, peach, prison jumpsuit orange, barney purple, aqua, anything neon and school bus … Read more

Recently, photo booths have emerged from a simple catalogue of couples to a way of capturing family and friends laughing their heads off. Props like glittery boas, oversized fake mustaches and top hats have added to the fun. Now, with the advent of slow motion photo booths, guests can laugh even harder. In the video below, we see those in attendance making full use of this new technology. Punching, slapping, a belly squish or two—these guys spare nothing for the camera.     Though this trend is definitely just catching on, expect it to come out in full force in the upcoming months. Take a look at SloMo Booths to see your options. … Read more