I have been lucky enough to be apart of countless special days over the past 5 years, and have seen many different wedding themes come to life. I have met a variety of amazing couples, worked with many talented vendors, and have even shed a few tears for others during a beautiful ceremony--but, this past weekend's wedding was different for me.

Saturday, September 26th was a picture perfect day with a partly- cloudy, tinted blue sky, and 68-degrees of crisp fall air.

Saturday, September 26th was Pat and I's vey own wedding day! 

The morning began at 7:00am with an array of breakfast snacks, pastries and of course, mimosas--as my nine bridesmaids and I got our hair and makeup done in our ombré inspired matching kimonos.

(If you loved Gossip Girl back in the day, you may love this framed saying as much as I did when I got it!)

The morning hours began to trickle away, and soon it became time for our photographers (we love you Jenni & Jess!) to snap a few getting ready photos of the girls and I before heading off to the CCB to prepare for Pat and I's first look!

If you are deciding whether or not to do a first look before your ceremony, I will forever say YES you should! Those moments are the best intimate ones you will ever have before your ceremony! We also decided to do a first look because we had a large wedding party, lots of pictures to do and had dueling pianos during the cocktail hour that we didn't want to miss!

Our day went off without a hitch and had a lot of fun surprises! The biggest surprise for me came during our ceremony. Pat had told me he was going to say "a little something" after our vows, so I wasn't surprised when he pulled out a small piece of paper that he had written on. What surprised me was how moved he was while reciting them and how everyone (including myself) was brought to tears by his words.

We did the majority of traditional wedding events (first dance, cake cutting etc) but also added a few things along the way! I did a swing dance with my father to Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely", surprised my mother by presenting my bouquet to her instead of tossing it--and even had our DJ dedicate a special song to my parents for their upcoming 30th wedding anniversary! The biggest surprise event of the night was when Pat and his twin sister Katie did a choreographed dance of a variety of songs mixed together! (I didn't even know about it!!)

Overall, our wedding was everything we hoped it would be!

One thing I've learned over the past 5 years of working in the wedding industry, is that everyone has their own story and sacred memories of their special day. Most of those stories began with, "make sure to enjoy every moment, because it will fly by!". What's funny for us, is that we both woke up the morning after our wedding and agreed that it didn't fly by. We were able to be present and enjoy every aspect of the day--from our ceremony (which was officiated by my uncle!) to our very last dance. We laughed, we cried  and we danced until we couldn't dance anymore.

If I can give any future couples any advice to take from our experience, it is to be present. Enjoy every aspect of your day, completely and fully--and to appreciate everything. (And...to do a first look!!!)

I remember a moment during our ceremony where I looked out and began to notice everyone that was there to be apart of our special day. I noticed my parents in the front row, smiling from ear to ear. I noticed my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who I am lucky enough to spend every holiday with. I noticed a few coworkers by the DJ stand. I noticed friends from middle school, high school, and from college, Pat's fraternity brothers and their wives and even a few faces of those I would soon meet.

In that very moment, I was humbled. All of these wonderful people had come together to witness Pat and I be married after 9 years of being together--and for that I couldn't be more thankful.

So to all of our amazing couples out there whose special day is approaching:

Be present, be thankful and appreciate those around you. 💜 Jillian    

Not sure what to get the soon to be Mr.  & Mrs.? While most times it is easiest to just stick to the registry every once in a while you might want to break out from the typical pots, pans and house linens and get something a little more unique. Here’s a list of unique wedding gift ideas that your bride and groom will cherish many anniversaries from now.

Personalized touch- Everything is better with a personalized touch. Embroidered linens with the new couple’s last name stitched into them for their bedroom or champagne flutes with their wedding date etched into them to are a wonderful way to commemorate the big day.

Milestone Wine Labels- If you’re looking for a cute and unique gift that won’t break the bank try milestone wine labels. Who doesn’t love wine and there’s a for bottle for each occasion, from your first anniversary even to your first lovers quarrel .This fun personalized gift will be one they will remember for many miles stones to come

Engraved Cutting Board- Engraving a cutting board with an old family recipe is a great idea especially if you are a family full of chefs. This gift makes a wonderful family keepsake and the bride can even hand this down to her children and keep the old family recipe in the family for years to come.

Love seat- If the bride and groom share a home or are planning to right after the wedding, something for their new home is always a good gift idea. A love seat is a great addition to any newlywed home, and if they have an outdoor porch a beautiful wooden loveseat swing is a great place sit and grow old together.

Quilt -Another more time consuming but equally as thoughtful gift is a quilt stitched with important fabrics from their life together. Whether it be an old sweatshirt he gave her or a piece of her old baby blanket, repurposing these unusable fabrics into something the couple can share would be a gift they won’t soon forget. 

It is one of the most well-known wedding traditions out there, but do you know what the old saying “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” actually means?

Well the saying itself comes from an old English poem “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe”. Each item is the poem refers to a token of good luck for the bride. And the old tradition goes that if a bride carries each of these tokens of good luck down the aisle with her on her wedding day she will have a long and happy marriage.

But what does each item mean?

Something old: represents continuity with the bride’s family and her past

Something new: Optimism and hope for the future

Something borrowed: Item from a happily married friend or family member that will carry over to the new bride, symbolizes borrowed happiness

Something Blue: Stands for purity love and fidelity

Sixpence in your shoe: Wish for good fortune and prosperity

Here are some examples of ways to take this old tradition and incorporate it into your modern wedding.

Something Old: Many brides keep things tradition by wearing their mothers dress or grandmothers jewelry, if you want a modern spin on this tradition try adding an old photo locket or pearl necklace of your families to your bouquet, to make a vintage statement as you walk down the aisle.

Something New: Many Brides use their wedding dress or their jewelry as their something new. If you’re looking to make this token extra special, try exchanging gifts with your groom right before you walk down the aisle. These brand new gifts will be a perfect way to start your new future together.

Something Borrowed: If you don’t want to wear your mother or grandmothers dress but still want to incorporate it into your wedding day borrow a piece of lace or other fabric from their dress and have it sewn into yours somewhere. If you are unable to add it in your dress, use the fabric to wrap your bouquet for an elegant touch.  

Something Blue: For brides who really want their something blue to stand out try adding blue heels to your wedding dress. Or, if you want to keep things simpler, use blue stitching to have your wedding date or initials monogrammed onto the inside of your dress for a special touch only you can see.

Weddings are becoming increasingly more interactive than ever before, with so many people using social media today, why not incorporate it into your wedding. Social Media is a fun, easy and inexpensive way to make your special day one you won’t forget. Here are a few tips to help you incorporate social media into your wedding.

Use social media to help your plan your wedding.

Pinterest is now the most popular social media platform for wedding planning, and is chalk full of wedding ideas, many that can save you money too. Create a Pinterest board to remember all those fun and creative money saving ideas to use in your wedding.

Utilize a wedding website.

Nowadays, almost everyone uses the internet to find information, so make it easier for your guest and create a website that has all the information they need to know in one place. Avoid the chance of guests misplacing an invitation and not knowing important details like, time location or even date, add all important information to your wedding website so people can access it anywhere.

Create a hash tag

A hashtag is a fun way to get all of your wedding photos in one place. And it has been increasingly popular, in fact 55% of couples use a wedding hashtag. When creating a hashtag get creative and have fun with it, and make sure it’s unique to you, or your photos may be mixed up with another couples special day. Create your wedding hashtag early so that your wedding party, friends and family can use it to collect pictures leading up to the special day. Pre Wedding events such as engagement party bridal shower and even the bachelor and bachelorette party are a great way to collect all these photos & memories in one place.

Promote Hashtag & Invite your guests to use it

Create fun signs or posters inviting guest to use the hashtag. Place them on each table or at the guest book so when guest arrive they see it and can begin snapping photos. As the bride or groom there’s no way you’ll be able to be with everyone all night, so this way you can share the memories of your guest even if your busy catching up with your great aunt you haven’t seen in years.

Take videos on Social Media

Sometimes pictures aren’t enough, make sure you capture special moments in video as well. Instagram and vine are a perfect way to capture short but sweet videos throughout the night. These social apps add a new twist to the typical wedding video. You can share snippets of the wedding in real time without spending the entire night behind the camera.

The question has been popped, you’ve have taken your engagement photos and you and your fiancé are looking for the perfect wedding outfits and accessories. The wedding planning process is coming together quite well. Now it’s time to work with your fiancé and customize their outfit for the special day. Here are some cute and original tips that will spruce up both of your outfits in a way that you both can match!


1.       (Splash of Color) His: Colorful socks. Her: Colorful nails.

2.       (All White) His: White Suit. Her: White Dress

3.       (Something Blue) His: Blue Socks Her: Blue Shoes

                                 Her & Her: Blue Shoes

                                 His & His: Blue Socks

4.       (Silver & Gold) His: Gold/Silver Cufflinks Her: Gold/Silver Jewelry  

5.       (Double Flowers) Her & Her: Same colored flower headpiece

                                His: Boutonniere Her: Flower Head Piece

6.       (Mark the Wedding Date) His & Her: Engraved in Wedding Bands

7.       (Special Message) His: Custom printed sunglasses Her: Custom printed bag

                                  His & His: Custom printed sunglasses

                                  Her & Her: Same custom printed bags

8.       (Buttons on Buttons) His: Custom Buttons on his shirt. Her: Custom buttons on the back of the dress

9.       (Modern Old-School) His: Colored suspenders Her: Matching colored ribbon on her bouquet

10.   (Bold Colors) His: Colorful & Vibrant Shirt Her: Colorful & vibrant lip color or eye shadow

                                 Her & Her: Matching a bold & vibrant lip color

11.  (Copy Cat) His & His: Bright & Bold Bow Tie

Congratulations, it's finally your wedding day! You have pushed through all the planning & months of preparation for this big day. Relive your wedding day for years to come by capturing these once-in-a-lifetime moments for your wedding album. The Canoe Club Ballroom has listed 20 of the most important images for your wedding photo check list.

1.       The Wedding Dress: Preserve the memory of the first time you laid your eyes on "The One"...your wedding dress that is! Take a still, full length photo to keep and share for years to come.

2.       Getting Ready: We suggest capturing both sides of getting ready, which includes the men putting on their jackets and ladies doing their zippers.

3.       Shoe Shot: A cropped pic of just the bride and grooms shoes is a fun and creative picture.

4.       Welcome Bags: With all the effort and planning you put into your welcome bags, you should be sure your photographer captures them before they're gone.

5.       Bridal Shot: Capture the beauty that made your true love pop the question with a clear and elegant photo.

6.       First Look: Have fun with the bride putting her hands over the groom’s eyes.

7.       Other First Look: Your bridal party will be stunned to see you in your wedding dress. Relive the moment time and time again by snapping a photo at the perfect moment.

8.       Pre-ceremony with Notes: This is one of the few personal moments the bride will have all day. This is a touching moment when the bride will be in her own world reading the vows.

9.       Wedding Party Kids: If you have kids in your party, there may be a few pictures as cute as these. When they’re all grown up, it will be a touching memento.

10.   Walking Down the Aisle: Capture the touching moment of being given away and walking down the aisle to be with your true love. 

11.   Groom standing at the Alter: Capture the anticipation of the groom waiting to see his bride for the first time in her wedding dress. It's a remarkable sight.

12.   Far-away ceremony shot: Take in your ceremony from a point of view you'll never be able to see for yourself. Capture the entire ceremony from far away.

13.   Couple Sharing Vows: Capture the expression of true love with a picture of the couple sharing vows.

14.   Cute Signs: Sporadic signs laid out throughout the wedding venue telling guests where to go is worth a picture or two.

15.   Wedding Cake: The cake is such an iconic part of your wedding. Capture it’s elegance before it’s gone forever!

16.   Food: Mouth-watering pictures of the food are a great way to relive the elegance and beauty of the meal.

17.   Reception Tables: Capture the elegance of your reception venue while the settings are still clean and immaculate.

18.   First Dance: You can only have one official first dance as bride and groom. Relive this magical moment forever with a photo of you in the arms of your true love.

19.   Dancing: After the first dance, everything is fair game. Be sure to capture the memories of your family and friends on the dance floor.

20.   The Farewell: Whether you are having a notable exit or just something low key, this is the perfect picture to place at the end of your album. 

Not only are summer weddings beautiful, but they are also very popular! As you plan your big day, keep these tips in mind to ensure your day is perfect.

Location 

When choosing an outdoor location, take into consideration your surroundings. A beach is a beautiful location, but it might be windy, chilly or could be hard to hear a ceremony over the crashing waves. The gazebo and courtyard area here at the CCB provides couples with the best of both worlds! A riverside ceremony location with acres of endless photo opportunities!

Plan B

Having a “plan b” is one of the most important factors of a summer wedding. New England weather is so unpredictable so what would you do if it rained? It’s a good thing that here at the Canoe Club Ballroom, our indoor ceremony set up is just as beautiful as the outdoor scene! Always remember that any outdoor décor can be re-purposed inside to create an elegant atmosphere!

Protection From the Sun

The summer sun can be tough on your skin so consider providing sunscreen or sunglasses for your wedding guests upon arrival!

Stay Cool

During summer weddings, it can get extremely hot with the sun beating down on your guests. Our outdoor ceremonies include a complimentary water and lemonade stand for yours guests to enjoy before you walk down the aisle!

Summer Food

While guests are enjoying cocktail hour, provide light hors d’oeuvres! Lighter options such as shrimp cocktail, spanakopita, or a delectable stationary display of cheese, crackers, fruits and vegetables are a great option!

Decorations

Lanterns are a beautiful alternative to additional floral décor for your aisle! They tend to be a less expensive option as well. Nautical and beachy themes are always a popular choice for summer wedding décor!

Fabrics

Please consider the fabric of your wedding party’s attire! Gowns, dresses & tuxes can be a heavy material so look into a lighter material that won’t leave your wedding party sweating, such as suits for the gentlemen and chiffon options for the ladies! Cocktail or tea-length styled dresses seem to be a more popular summer option than the traditional long bridesmaid dresses. 

Wedding Date: July 18, 2015

Wedding Color: Aqua and Pink! 

Meaghan and Jeff's special day was picture perfect in every way! 

As Jeff and his groomsmen began to arrive, so did many of their immediate family members in excitement! Everyone was anxiously awaiting the start of the ceremony and of course, our bride Meaghan’s arrival! The big day had officially arrived, the day that would finally bring Meghan, Jeff and little Avery together as a happy family! 

From their beautiful outdoor gazebo ceremony, to their reception details and decor--every aspect of their special day was done so in a personalized way! Each table was named after a word of inspiration (some of our favorites: love, admire, passion!) and included a definition for guests to enjoy. 

The special parent dances after dinner were made even more memorable that day once Jeff whisked little Avery into his arms for their surprise father/daughter dance! 

Here are just a few of the many special moments we captured from their big day! 

At first, seating your guests may seem like a quick and simple task, but don’t be fooled as this can be one of the most frustrating parts of planning.

With that being said, start early, this may be a longer process than you expect. You don’t want to be stressing over this the night before the big day, you have more important things to worry about then.

One way to make it easier on you from the beginning is to create a spreadsheet. This way you have all the information you need in front of you. Add a Column to the RSVP list that explains the relationship of that attendee. Knowing the relationship to the bride, groom or other guests will make it easier for you when deciding on where to seat them. If you are more of a visual person, draw it out. Get a large piece of paper and outline your venue and tables, labeling out where, and with whom everyone will be seated with.

When it comes to the actual table set up, get creative. Do not feel trapped by the traditional wedding set up of a large head table facing the guests. Try having a separate table for just you and your newlywed—this is what we call a sweetheart table. This way throughout the hectic day you can still have some time to enjoy each other, after all this is your day.

Another great idea is to seat friends from college, high school, and childhood together creating a great chance for people to catch up who may not have seen each other in a while. Try to avoid creating a table of complete strangers or an all singles table, this usually leads to awkward conversations and unhappy guests. Instead mix in singles with couples they know throughout the seating arrangement. If you must create a table of strangers try adding fun icebreaker games at the tables that have to do with you and your fiancé. A game like “Who knows the bride or groom best” would be a fun way to help strangers socialize and feel more comfortable.

Another important aspect to consider is the dance floor and music volume. Seat the younger people or the people you foresee dancing more, closer to the music and dance floor and reserve the quieter tables for the older crowd.  If you have a lot of children attending consider making a kids table with some kid friendly activities (crayons and paper etc.) to keep them entertained throughout the night.

Although seating guests at your wedding may seem like a daunting task, just remember to start early and follow these simple tips and everyone will have a wonderful time!

Wedding Date: July 11, 2015

Colors: Red and Gold

Jennifer was a beautiful vision in white as she stepped out of the limo with a vibrant bouquet of red roses before her gazebo ceremony.  The bridesmaids were dressed in a hand-crafted red gown with gold accents and head pieces to match.

Grinning from ear to ear, all of her wedding day details were already perfect as Jennifer counted down the minutes until she could finally walk down the aisle to meet Mario, her soon to be husband, and the amazing father of their children!

Jennifer and Mario had the perfect summer day for their wedding! Adorned by lanterns and candlelight, their aisle was romantically elegant during their ceremony service. 

Here are just a few of the many special moments and details captured from their big day!