|
Jennifer and John Belding
Our Love Story continued
September 30, 2007 at Chef’s Table (NECI) Montpelier, Vermont
 Previous page
Most Memorable details
John and I wanted the wedding to be cozy, fun and funny, so we tried to work all those things into it. My sister and I did the flowers for the reception together in the morning, and John finished the setup in the afternoon with his best man. This was a really nice, relaxing way to spend the time before the wedding.
There were other little details that stick out in my mind. I made a traditional pre-wedding stop at my favorite coffee shop in my veil just to show them that I could be fancy. Our chef friend who was doing the wedding cake kept what it looked like a secret and so did our other friend who made a bread sculpture so we got to have little surprises when we came into the room. Also, John had stashed a pair of latex gloves for the cake cutting. It was a nice inside joke for the chefs since we’re always reminding students at NECI to wear gloves when they do things like cut cakes. One last memory came from our violinist: he played for the ceremony, played through our photos, and we could still hear him playing as we walked down the street to the reception even after John gave him the ok to head home. Amazing!
Advice
Our first piece of advice is to keep it small. We’ve had a lot of friends tell us that their weddings couldn’t be small because they had to invite this person or that. Well, when you’re writing your guest list set a firm place to make the cut for both sides of the wedding. If you only include extremely close family then no one else can complain, and it will let you focus on doing the best for that small group of people rather than having to cut corners with a larger group. We were able to spend time with everyone at the wedding and still sit down and enjoy our food rather than becoming totally exhausted trying to meet with everyone who we invited. Remember: it’s all about the bride and groom and everyone else is along for the ride.
Use Professional Help
My second point is the “don’t try this at home we’re trained professionals” piece of advice. If you look at our wedding, John and I did a lot or we had friends who did major pieces of our wedding. As professional chefs we’ve worked at more weddings than we can count and we know what works and how to pull it off. If you’re not that comfortable, then be sure to hire a professional. I knew enough to be able to do the arrangements on the tables, but I wasn’t about to do my bouquet myself so I hired the appropriate person. (Oh, and for you professionals out there, there are some things that you shouldn’t do yourself… That’s where your friends come in.) Don’t stress about doing your own cake or catering, get organized and use one of your friends, if they’re capable, to do it for you, or contact a reputable wedding professional.
THE PARTICULARS
Cake Adrian Westrope at La Brioche Bakery & Cafe (NECI)
89 Main St., Montpelier, VT 802-229-0443 - www.necidining.com
Reception Chef’s Table (NECI) www.necidining.com
118 Main Street, Montpelier, VT 802.229.9202
Photographer Expressions by Jackie 802-752-8244
www.expressionsbyjackie.net
Ceremony Christ Episcopal Church Officiant Reverend David Hall
Floral Design Cornellia Flowers
Bridal and Maid of Honor Dresses Madelline’s Daughter
Musician Ray Malone
Make-up & Hair Zerafa Salon, Montpelier
Coffee Gessine’s
Page 1 - PREVIOUS
|
|
