My husband and I are still coming down from a fantastic wedding day last weekend June, 2, 2012 in New Hope, PA. This area is known for weddings and B&Bs and you don't want to know what some people are paying for it! I did alot of research and did NOT want to spend a fortune on everything, but yet wanted it to be nice, personal, outdoor, garden-party style. I wanted to share some of the amazing vendors we worked with and our guests often told us this was among the best weddings they have ever attended!
We customized our ceremony with Gerald Fierst, a civil celebrant who has written a book on weddings! He's picture perfect, at ease with the job, and worked with us to get more creative and personal with everything from the vows, to creative tie-ins for the rest of the day.
http://geraldfierst.tumblr.com/My friends and family all came from out of town, so we rented out the entire B&B called Stephan House Inn. I am certain that many of these guests will be back. They commented on how lovely the rooms and grounds were, and how comfortable they were without strangers in the house, but still having private bathrooms! The yard in the back is where we married and had the reception. The roof deck was a nice spill over section as was the next door restaurant bar. It was perfect! I managed to fit in all 115 of my guests. They had a chance to walk around New Hope, and some took the train ride. Other guests spilled over to The Porches, The Fox and Hound, and I got less expensive rooms reserved early at the New Hope Ramada, which is nicer on the inside than it looks from the front.
The restaurant next door, Villa Vito on Bridge Street in New Hope, is a family owned Italian restaurant that provided the buffet also served the alcohol, and they made a few off-the-menu items special per my request. It seemed like I was working with new family members by the time the wedding arrived. These people at Villa Vito were top notch! They have some experience with catering, but not in the way that makes you feel like it's an assembly line. They asked all the right questions, and always wanted me to get what I wanted. They spent alot of time with the layout and flow of the traffic in the yard, the decorations and delicious tastings to be sure it was right! My guests were happy -- eating more than they wanted to! The caters brought out special surprise things throughout. Wherever I sat with guests a new platter of something would show up! AMAZING!!!
The best kept secret in New Hope is the flower vendor at the flea market. Vincent. He's amazing. He doesn't deliver, he's low tech on the quote, you may need to follow up a few more times. But he's extremely creative and talented especially if you don't sweat the small stuff. Give him some space to create and the results are astounding. I brought him two large vases I picked up from Michaels and he filled them with the altar and cake table arrangements that would have been in a hotel lobby. No kidding.
I also worked with a fantastic day-of-coordinator, Natalie Diener. From our first meeting she found a custom tailor for Ian's suit that saved us hundreds of dollars, she "handled" a few day of issues, I still haven't had to hear about. Her and her assistant have a background in theater production, and we benefited from their help with sound system, iPod control, VIP Parking conversations, last minute decorations and more and more and more!
Overall I am very happy with the Wedding. Ian and I will have nothing but good memories thanks to all who we worked with! Bravo!!!
