SPECIAL SECTION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 201
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SPECIAL SECTION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2013
BRIDE & GROOM 2013
Putting a personal stamp on a wedding is key to success
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Nephew of the groom Kevin Park carried the wedding rings on a moss-covered rock when his uncle, Rick Park, married Morgan Carey at Lake Louise in July.
MAKING IT YOUR OWN
HERE COMES THE BILL
ever mind the teeming rain. On the day before she exchanged vows with Rick Park under her favorite willow tree at Lake Louise in July, the former Morgan Carey ventured out into a storm with 10 people, includingher93-year-oldgrandmother,topickQueenAnne’slace for the homemade bridal centerpieces.
The cost of tying the knot keeps growing and growing. A survey published in March 2012 and reported on abcnews.com showed that the average wedding budget is $27,021 and has grown, year over year, for the first time since 2008. Two wedding sites, TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com, conducted the annual survey of 18,000 U.S. couples who were 18 or older and had a wedding in 2011. Respondents listed their expenses in 16 categories. The survey showed the average amount spent per guest was $196. Overall wedding spending increased from $26,985 in 2010 and $28,385 in 2009. And that does not include the honeymoon.
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Her cousin and her sister helped the bride dig moss out of the lake to add to the décor, someone found a nice round rock to serve as the ringbearer’s cushion, and the festivities included a bonfire. Is it any surprise that under her formal white gown, the bride wore a bright blue pair of Converse sneakers? Actually, the bride admits, that
was in keeping with a tradition – of her own making. “For my confirmation I wore sneakers. For high-school graduation,Iworesneakers.ForFirstHoly Communion, I wore sneakers,” she said. “So it seemed fitting.” In a way, that sentence sums up See GUIDE, Page 14
Sometimes ‘something blue’ can be a pair of sneakers. ON THE COVER: Kim Winey of Kim Winey Photography captured the image of Morgan Carey and Rick Park, who exchanged vows last summer under a willow tree at the home of the bride’s parents at Lake Louise. The tree had always been special to the bride, who climbed it with her sister when they were growing up.
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By MARY THERESE BIEBEL - mbiebel@timesleader.com
PAGE 4
SPECIAL SECTION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2013
BRIDE & GROOM 2013
Latest big-day fashions examined for bride, maids and matrons
PETE G. WILCOX PHOTOS/THE TIMES LEADER
Angela Reno of Philadelphia, formerly of Wilkes-Barre, admires wedding dresses at Gerri’s Bridal in Pittston.
GORGEOUS GARMENTS By MARY THERESE BIEBEL - mbiebel@timesleader.com
S
he’d already found the perfect wedding dress, one she described with a grin as “the exact opposite of what I thought I wanted,” and she knew her cousin Alana was designing a headpiece to complement it. But a finishing touch remained.
To tie the look together, Angela Reno came to Gerri’s Bridal in Pittston on a recent wintry Saturday to find a veil. “We have fingertip, elbow, chapel, cathedral,” bridal consultant Emily Smith said, naming the different lengths. “You can have anything you want.” Smith put veil after veil on Reno’s head, pointing out the different kinds of beading that added a
touch of sparkle. Reno admired a lot of what she saw – as did her mother, who was feeling emotional. “She’s my only child,” Beth Ann Reno said, becoming mistyeyed. “She told me to get my crying out now.” The wedding will take place June15, when Reno, 25, who lives in Philadelphia, returns to her hometown to marry Matthew
Valvardi in St. Aloysius Church. When she was in kindergarten, mom and daughter reminisced, Angela’s Halloween costume had been a child-size wedding dress. Back then, Reno loved to dress up. She still does, she said, admitting the search for wedding attire has “made me feel like the princess I always thought I’d feel like.” “I love fashion,” she said. As do many brides. Weddings are a time when women peruse magazines and look at Pinterest with fervor. Do they want a perennially popular sweetheart neckline? A full skirt? An A-line look? “I think this is the most creSee GARMENTS, Page 6
Although strapless gowns are still very popular, sleeves are making a resurgence, especially little cap sleeves like the ones on this dress at Gerri’s Bridal in Pittston.
MEN’S ATTIRE GETS ELEGANT T
By JOE SYLVESTER - jsylvester@timesleader.com
he bow tie is back. So is the cummerbund. After years of vests and long ties, the tuxedos of old are returning but with even more elegance and color. “What’s coming back is the old classic look, cummerbunds and bow ties,” said Lindsey Watson, manager of Tuxedo Junction in Hanover Township. “People are so used to wearing suits and ties they want to wear something special. Vests and long ties seem popular, but tuxedos are becoming more formal again.” “The bow tie is coming back into fashion,” said Nancy Sarno, a partner in Scranton-based Sarno & Son Tuxedos. “For decades it had been moving to the long tie.” While black is still the No. 1 color for tuxedos, wedding fashion for men is not all black and white. Watson said tan suits and silver and gray tuxedos seem to be a popular trend. There also is a trend to accent tuxes with a different color tie or pocket square, Watson said. She
noted colors such as tiffany blue, which is a light or aqua blue with a little bit of green tone, and pastel purple are popular. “Even though black is in the majority, you see a strong movement toward color,” Sarno added. For those more nostalgic, Tuxedo Junction still has some more colorful tuxedos in the colorful 1970s style, as well as camouflage and reversible NFL vests. Men who choose those can wear the black on the outside for the wed-
FRED ADAMS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
Jim Hudak gets help from his fiancée, Cindy Polisky, trying on his tuxedo at Tuxedo Junction in Hanover Township. The Hanover Township couple plan to get married in June.
ding and then reverse the vest to show their favorite team’s insignia for the reception, Watson said. Many times the brides-to-be come in with ideas of their own. “What they see on Pinterest; they already have their mind set
on what they want when they come through the door,” Watson said. Despite the choices, the prices of formal wear have stayed relatively the same for several years. Watson said “I’ve been here at Tuxedo Junc-
tion for seven years, and our prices have relatively stayed the same, about $100,” Watson said. And deals are available. Before Rebecca and Shawn Barry of Kingston got married on Oct. 6, she found a good deal on tuxedos at a bridal expo at Genetti’s in Wilkes-Barre. “We got our tuxedos from Sarno & Son in Wilkes-Barre,” Rebecca Barry said. “I ended up getting a really good deal from them at the bridal expo.” Her husband’s tuxedo was free as part of the deal. Sarno said her business, which has 13 locations, including Wilkes-Barre and Edwardsville, has specials throughout the year. She said there are a lot of different looks today, from a tighter fit for suits, to flat-front trousers and fitted shirts and softer material. “It’s a different world today,” Sarno said. “The world is going so much more casual. Men don’t usually put on a suit, much less a tuxedo. When they do, they want to look great.”
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BRIDE & GROOM 2013
See what’s most popular in the world of adornments
PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER
The sweetheart neckline is a perennially popular look.
GARMENTS Continued from Page 4
ative time in the18 years I’ve been in the industry,” said Kim Angelo Keck, who owns Exclusively You bridal and formalwear in Bloomsburg. “You go on Pinterest, and you’ll find a million ideas. I get to see such eclectic styles come together. It’s not cookie-cutter.” While brides mix and match ideas from many sources to fashion their own look, Keck said, she has noticed trends. After years of strapless gowns, sleeves are starting to return. “It’s not like a sleeve from the ’80s, a big sleeve,” she said. “It’s more like a small cap sleeve that just goes over the shoulder.” Many designers are creating dresses with low-cut backs, lace is popular, and tulle is making a resurgence. “It’s a softer tulle,” Keck said. “Now it’s fitted to the natural waist, not as pleated, not as full.” The silhouette of many gowns is often “fit and flare,” Keck said. “It’s fitted down to the hip and then flares out from the hips (to the floor).” Rather than a traditional tiara, lots of today’s brides look for a headband that fits close to the head or a jeweled piece that fits closer to the nape of the neck. “Ninety percent of my girls have a veil at the church and then take it off for the reception,” Keck said. Whether you’re looking for a veil or dress, Smith from Gerri’s Bridal has this advice: Try it on. “You can’t just look at something in a box or on a hanger. You have to see it on you because 90 percent of the time people end up with something other than what they said they wanted.”
AIMEE DILGER PHOTOS/THE TIMES LEADER
These rings are available at MarcCo. Jewelers in Luzerne.
BEAUTIFUL BAUBLES MARY THERESE BIEBEL mbiebel@timesleader.com
A
sk a bride whether she’s wearing something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, and if she says yes, chances are at least one of those things is jewelry. “During my bridal shower, my grandmother gave me a pearl bracelet with turquoise stones, so that covered old and blue,” said Marc Williams pulls up computer images of a ring he customdesigned for a bride in Atlanta. ‘I wish I could do one of those Kingston native Holly Sir- every day,’ the Luzerne jeweler said. kin, who got married in November. “I borrowed my even custom-designed for her, or happy to work with people who have much smaller jewelry budby her. aunt’s earrings.” “She sent me exactly what she gets. “I borrowed a diamond hairclip from my friend who wore it when she got married,” said autumn bride Lynda Ciaruffoli Lang, whose parents live in Shavertown. “I had a lovebird pin from my grandma,” Morgan Carey Park of Lake Louise said, explaining how it was pinned to the bouquet her mother, Janet Carey, “the most creative person I know,” had fashioned from justpicked Queen Anne’s lace. On their wedding day, Morgan’s husband, Rick Park, sported a matching lovebird on his tie. Of course, heirlooms aren’t the only kind of wedding jewelry. An engagement ring is often the “something new” a bride is wearing, and sometimes it’s
wanted,” jewelry designer Marc Williams of MarcCo. Jewelers in Luzerne said, showing off an electronic image of an intricately carved engagement ring he made “just this past Christmas” to the specifications of a bride from Atlanta. The center stone was a square, naturally yellow diamond appraised at $125,000, that the bride already owned. Williams’ craftsmanship, which included embellishing the band with several smaller diamonds in a floral pattern, added about $5,000 to the value. “The structure of the ring just flowed together,” Williams said. “I wish I could do one of those every day.” That said, Williams said he is
“Somebody could come in here and say, ‘Look I have $500 to spend,’ and I would work with him,” the designer said. The most frequently chosen stone for an engagement ring is a round diamond with a brilliant cut, said Williams’ father, Tom, who worked for Bartikowsky Jewelers for many years. But there are other cuts to consider – among them marquise, pear-shaped, heartshaped and princess – as well as different colors of stones. “The presence of a certain gas when the diamond is formed can influence the color,” Tom Williams said. “Boron makes it blue.” Stones also can be artificially tinted, and then they’re much
SUBMITTED PHOTO
‘I had a lovebird pin from my grandma,’ Morgan Carey Park of Lake Louise said, explaining how it was pinned to the bouquet her mother, Janet Carey, fashioned from Queen Anne’s lace.
less expensive. Speaking of color, Marc Williams said, one bride had an idea to add a small birthstone for herself and for her fiancé to either side of the diamond in her engagement ring. “I believe they were a sapphire and a garnet,” he said. Less expensive jewelry can be an ideal gift for the bride to give her bridesmaids, Williams said, suggesting sterling-silver beads that can be engraved with the date of the wedding, song lyrics or something else that is meaningful to the bride. He makes them in a size that would fit a necklace or bracelet the same way the popular Pandora charms do.
PERFECTLY TASTY PROVISIONS T
By JOE SYLVESTER - jsylvester@timesleader.com
When it comes to the food, traditional route still rules
here may be layers of flavors of wedding cake and as many designs as there are brides in June. But the favorite flavor is still vanilla, said George Blom, co-owner of Bakery Delite in Plains Township, where weddings make up a big part of the business.
“Plain old vanilla is still the most popular,” Blom said. “We sell filled cake, a variety of strawberry- or raspberry-filled, with butter-cream or creamcheese icing. Butter cream still seems to be the favorite (icing).” But Bakery Delite can be creative and welcomes ideas from its customers. “People bring in their own ideas,” Blom said. “They bring in a sketch.” He sometimes receives requests for sugar-free or some other kind of specialty cake. “One or two people in a wedding party might get special cake for the side,” he said. “Nothing is as good as the original cake.”
Blom said Bakery Delite offers more than 50 different flavors and combinations. “We can produce pretty much anything.” Prices vary widely on wedding cakes, depending on the size, design and flavor. At Bakery Delite, prices start at about $2.50 per serving for tiered cakes, but fancier, more complex cakes can cost $10 per serving on up, depending on the structure, design and ingredients. Besides bakeries, some newlyweds-to-be also can have their cakes made where they are having their wedding reception. Some venues have in-house bakeries that make wedding cakes as part of the wedding package.
By JOE SYLVESTER jsylvester@timesleader.com
SUBMITTED PHOTO
This chocolate and vanilla marble cake with fondant icing and green icing leaves was made by Community Bake Shop in Clarks Summit for Shawn and Rebecca Barry of Kingston for their wedding Oct. 6 at Irem Clubhouse in Dallas Township.
Newlywed couples and their guests have a seemingly endless selection of dining options for their receptions. But for the most part, most wedding meals are sit-down affairs. “Seventy-five percent of the weddings are plated, seated meals,” said Rick Kornfeld, owner and general manager of the Woodlands Inn in Plains Township. He said the bride and groom can choose between the seated meal or stations, also known as cabaret style, with which guests move around the banquet hall to different food stations. Kornfeld said even with seated meals, guests are given a choice of entrees. “We recommend … at least
three or four choices. There’s always a vegetarian choice, always a children’s choice,” Kornfeld said. Guests are given the choice of steak, chicken or fish. “They can also do a duet, which is two entrees on the same plate,” he added. “We create different duets based on families’ needs.” The three most popular entrees at Woodlands weddings are lobster-encrusted tilapia, Parmesan-cheese-encrusted chicken, Gorgonzola cheese and herbal breadcrumb-encrusted medallions of beef. At Irem Clubhouse in Dallas Township, event manager Laurie Knauer said there are two different options: the all-inclusive wedding package or a sta-
SPECIAL SECTION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2013
BRIDE & GROOM 2013
See FOOD, Page 14
PAGE 7
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By JOE SYLVESTER - jsylvester@timesleader.com
hether couples tie the knot in a church or elsewhere, they have a number of options for celebrating the union afterward. Those venues could be indoors, outside or a combination. But wherever the wedding is celebrated, it can be elegant.
Shawn and Rebecca Barry of Kingston enjoyed their experience at Irem Clubhouse in Dallas Township for their wedding Oct. 6, despite some bad weather. “We were supposed to have our cocktail hour on the patio, but it rained,” Rebecca Barry said. “We had it inside.” The Barrys enjoyed all the amenities of their wedding package, including a tasting of their dinner pick, and centerpieces. Be-
cause they already had picked their centerpiece flowers, Event Manager Laurie Knauer put that money toward the appetizers. Knauer said Irem offers two different packages – the all-inclusive wedding package as well a stations package. Meals can be served or offered via buffet style. “They are complete packages, everything’s included – hors d’oeuvres, meals, selection of alcohol, floral centerpieces for the guest tables, wedding cake, linens and napkins and captain service throughout the evening,” Knauer said. Irem Clubhouse also offers two sites for outdoor wedding ceremonies – the first tee area that overlooks the golf course and right off the clubhouse building, just beyond the outdoor patio. As for the entertainment, that’s See VENUES, Page 20
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A wedding table is set at the Genetti Hotel in Wilkes-Barre.
So, where to have the big party after the ceremony? A number of local venues have always been popular with local couples, and some have grown in popularity in recent years. Well-known local options, in addition to The Irem Clubhouse and Oyster/Genetti’s, include: • The Fox Hill Country Club in Exeter • The Wyoming Valley Country Club in Hanover Township • The Woodlands Inn & Resort in Plains Township • The Highlands at Newberry Estates in Dallas • A Touch of Class at the Palace in the Parsons section of WilkesBarre • The East Mountain Inn in Plains Township • The Valley Country Club in Sugarloaf • Edgewood in the Pines in Drums • The Radisson at Lackawanna Station in Scranton • POSH at The Scranton Club in Scranton • The Colonnade in Scranton • The Parish Center/La Buona Vita in Dunmore • The Nichols Village Hotel & Spa in Clarks Summit • The Stroudsmoor Country Inn in Stroudsburg • Skytop Lodge in the Poconos
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BRIDE & GROOM 2013
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FANTASTIC FLORA Experts say flowers should have ‘pop’ of color alk to floral designer David Stout about what your bridesmaids will wear, and he’ll suggest flowers that “pop.” “I tell people, ‘Don’t get flowers that match the gowns. Get something that complements the gowns.’ ”
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Green is her favorite color and added a summery touch to her bouquet, said Rachel Rosenbaum Stewart, who got married Sept. 15 in Danville. ‘I didn’t want it to be too fall-ish,’ she explained.
So if a dress is coral? “Maybe a hot pink, yellow or lavender,” advised Stout, who works at Mattern’s Florist in Kingston. What if a gown is green? “Oh, if it’s green you can get really crazy and go into oranges and creams and off-tone greens.” As for the bride, more often than not she’ll carry something especially vivid that stands out against the white or cream of her dress. “We do very few bridal bouquets that are actually solid white,” Stout said. “They’re more likely to be all yellow or all red – flowers that really pop.”
But, of course, there’s room for the traditional. “My florist tried to get me to incorporate pink flowers or ribbons or any kind of color. He was extremely surprised that I decided to keep them colorless,” said Holly Sirkin, formerly of Kingston, who carried white calla lilies when she married Eric Danko in November in Washington, D.C. “I felt that having colorful bouquets would take away from the dresses, and I wanted the flowers to be an accent, not a focal point,” she said. “When it came to planning the wedding, I wanted things to be warm and simple yet elegant.”
Simple or complex, rustic or elegant, florists will tell you just about any flower is available any time of year nowadays. So the floral possibilities seem infinite. Recognizing that, Alison Taroli decided that because each of her attendants was an individual, there was no reason for Lauren, Kristin, Julie, Maria and Kylene all to carry the same kind of bouquet. “Each of my bridesmaids had a different color,” said the Dallas native, who exchanged vows with Eric Gelsleichter in October. “One was yellow, one was a deep blue. There was deep red, and a pale green. It suited their personalities. My bouquet was a combination of all their flowers put together.” “It’s really cool to do something like that,” Stout said, adSee FLOWERS, Page 11
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SPECIAL SECTION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2013
BRIDE & GROOM 2013
FLOWERS Continued from Page 10
mitting he hasn’t seen that very often. What the designer has noticed is a trend to pay more attention to the groom’s boutonniere. After decades of being content with a simple carnation, today’s groom might sport anything from a red orchid that matches the bridal bouquet to a mix of herbs and berries. “We’ve done some that are very herbal, with rosemary and mint and things of that order,” Stout said. “We’ve used berries and branches – little twigs and stuff – or had a variation of different greens, like ferns and pine.” For a very individual touch, summer bride Morgan Carey Park said, her mother, Janet Carey, personally crafted a boutonniere for new son-in-law Rick Park, using burlap and a fishing lure in honor of his enthusiasm for fishing. Adding to the rustic feel at the Carey/Park nuptials, the bride said, “We used handmade farm tables, mismatched napkins and
Can you guess that groom Rick Park likes to fish? His motherin-law crafted a boutonniere from burlap and a fishing lure.
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
October bride Alison Taroli Gelsleichter decided there was no reason each attendant had to carry the same kind of flowers. So maid of honor Lauren Haynes and bridesmaids Kristin Gelsleichter, Julie Jones, Maria Winters and Kylene Phillips each carried a different kind of bouquet.
old bottles to decorate the tables. “We made all our own centerpieces from hydrangeas and Queen Anne’s lace. The day before the wedding my family and friends, about 10 people total including my grandma, got up at 6 a.m. to collect flowers from the side of the road and neighbors’
yards. “It took us six hours in our garage to cut and make all the centerpieces.” Everything was beautiful, the bride said, though “One of my bridesmaids got a giant blister on her finger.” If you’re going to let a profes-
sional florist handle the flowers, designer Stout from Mattern’s recommends setting up an appointment at least six months before the wedding. “But we’ve done it with as little as a month’s notice,” he added. “Ideally, as far as choosing flowers,” he said, “I suggest the
SPECIAL SECTION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2013
BRIDE & GROOM 2013
bride have her gown and at least know the color of her bridesmaids. That dictates style.” If you’re planning a wedding for six months or so from today, that would be late summer or early fall. “Gerbera daisies, roses, calla lilies, hydrangea, dahlias and anything in the berry line” would be ideal for that time of year, Stout said. “Try to be prepared,” he added. “Start looking at magazines early on. Tear out the pages or earmark them, and please bring them in. Then we’ll have something to start with.”
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PAGE 11
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SPECIAL SECTION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2013
BRIDE & GROOM 2013
EYE-CATCHING IMAGES
Modern, traditional mingle, today’s pros say
S
By JOE SYLVESTER - jsylvester@timesleader.com
ome couples like unusual shots for their wedding albums. Photographers will take the candid shots, too. But when it comes to most families, they also want the traditional photographs. “I think they still look for the standard shots,” said Bob Dellarte, owner of Golden Photo Studio in West Pittston. “They like the family shots. Family unity is still a big thing.”
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Newlyweds Kristen Pizzano and Eric Eviston peek around a tree in this photo by Bob Dellarte of Golden Photo Studio.
Golden, in business for 30 years, does a combination of photos. That includes some unusual shots that, for the most part, have been done before. “Some of the things we did way back when come back in style,” Dellarte said. A staple has been a shot of the bride with the train of her dress fanned out and bridesmaids’ flowers placed along the train’s perimeter. Nicole Halding of Kingston, whose wedding Dellarte shot June16, had that photo done with
her bridesmaids’ bouquets along her train as she posed outside the Woodlands Inn & Resort in Plains Township, where she and husband, Josh, held their reception. “It was one of my favorite photos,” Halding said. Then there is the photo of the bride and groom kissing with the rest of the wedding party watching or pretending to gasp. “Everything pretty much has been done before,” Dellarte said. “The coolest wedding we did that was really out of the ordinary was a couple that got married in a
hot-air balloon,” he said. The ceremony took place in the tethered balloon. Dellarte also went up in the tethered balloon and shot down on the bride and groom. He’s done weddings involving horse and carriage, antique cars and a wedding that took place on Halloween. Everyone was required to dress up for the reception, and the dance floor was made up like a haunted cemetery. “In all the years I’ve been doing weddings, it’s always interesting,” Dellarte said. Dellarte said what he charges depends on the package, but generally his services cost $2,000 for photos and $1,000 for video. Rebecca Barry of Kingston, who got married Oct. 6, used a photographer and videographer from Frankie Carll Productions of Clarks Summit. “The photos were absolutely stunning. The photographer and See IMAGES, Page 13
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videographer were with me pretty much the entire day,” she said. “We did a bunch of jumping up in the air,” Barry said. “We did close-ups of our hands with linked pinkies. They had planned to do some photos outside the reception at Irem Clubhouse in Dallas Township, but it rained. Golden also does video for more than 90 percent of the weddings the business shoots. The business employs one other photographer besides Dellarte and two videographers. “When I got married, it was only then I realized why people like (videos) so much,” he said. “It’s a totally different perspective. You get to be a witness to your own wedding.” Dellarte said he has a good rapport with the people who hire them, and he tries not to bother them too much during the wedding. But he said it is important to be in position to get the right shot. He said it takes experience
Kristen Pizzano and Eric Eviston enjoy a relaxing moment at their wedding reception at Fox Hill Country Club in this photo by Bob Dellarte of Golden Photo Studio.
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Josh and Nicole Halding pose with their bridal party at the Woodlands Inn & Resort after their wedding. Bob Dellarte of Golden Photo Studio shot the photo.
to know what’s going to happen next and to get the right angle, especially during the wedding ceremony. And good photos make for happy customers. Kristen Pizzano of Exeter was
pleased with Dellarte’s work at her July 7 wedding to Eric Eviston. “He does beautiful work,” Pizzano said. In one photo at Fox Hill Country Club, where the reception
took place, Dellarte came up with the idea to have the couple peeking around a tree at each other, said Pizzano, who lives in Los Angeles with her husband. Halding said Dellarte was good at capturing the scenery behind
the wedding party in the shots outside the Woodlands. “He was very good at making everybody feel important and comfortable with everything,” Halding added. When Charles and Nicole Hampton of Nanticoke got married on Sept. 28, they used Jeremy Hess Photographers of Lancaster. “I was absolutely 100 percent satisfied with my experience with Jeremy Hess,” Nicole Hampton said. “They were super professional and made us feel very comfortable on our wedding day. “They were one of my favorite things about my wedding.”
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BRIDE & GROOM 2013
FOOD
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tions package. “They have a wide selection of chicken, beef or seafood combination meals,” Knauer said. “We probably have about 15 to 20 different offerings. They can choose three different entrees they can offer their guests.” With the station package, guests have even more choices. Those include choices at a carving station, a pasta station with two different pastas and two different sauces. “On the main buffet line, they would have a salad, starch, a selection of two vegetables and two additional entrees,” Knauer said. There is a special fourth option for those who are vegetarian. Lindsay Bezick, social sales and catering manager at Genetti Hotel & Conference Center in Wilkes-Barre, said the Genetti Wedding package includes a full meal, full service, family style, or buffet, while the Oyster Wedding includes a five-course sit-down dinner or station package with flaming desserts.
the perfect wedding. However a bride and groom decide to celebrate, it should feel right to them. It should “fit.” Perhapstheywanttosharewith their guests the DJ music they’ve enjoyed at several of their friends’ weddings; perhaps they prefer to optforfiddles,banjosandasquare dance. A couple might write their own vows. Or they might be more than happy to recite the age-old “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer” pledge their parents and grandparents promised before them. A bride might join a long line of womenwhocarriedthesamefamily Bible; a groom might be the most recent of many generations to get married under the family chuppah, or canopy. Or a couple might decide to be the first in their families to have a camouflage-themed wedding, perhaps in honor of their enthusiasm for the outdoors. For Rachel Rosenbaum and JoshuaStewartofBloomsburg,an
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This pink champagne cake with fresh strawberry and whipped cream filling is among the choices for wedding cake at Genetti’s, which has its own in-house baker.
Genetti’s also makes wedding cakes and offers Viennese desserts. “They get to pick their wedding cake,” Bezick said. “We have our own bakery here.” Among the flavors are vanilla, chocolate marble, cherry nut, red velvet, vanilla with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Meal options include hors d’oeuvres menus, chicken, beef, fish, ham and veal entrees along with numerous desserts.
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Rather than having a conventional guest book, Rachel Rosenbaum and Joshua Stewart invited each guest to supply a thumb print to create a leaf on a decorative tree.
out-of-the-ordinary addition to their wedding resulted in a special keepsake. They ordered a guest-book signature tree the groom spotted on etsy.com and set out several ink pads in shades of green and yellow. Each guest was invited to dip his or her thumb into the ink and “add a leaf” to the tree that way. “We were afraid if we did the (conventional) guest book, it would be closed and put away,”
the bride said. “But this is framed and put on the wall. You can see it and reminisce about who came.” In case anyone is worrying about stains, the couple arranged for some pre-moistened towels to be conveniently placed for guests to wash the ink off their thumbs. As Lois Kammerer of Hanover Township plans her March wedding to David Brace of Luzerne, she’s already given the guests a noteworthy keepsake – an invitation decorated with a black-andwhite image of Elizabeth Taylor and Conrad “Nicky” Hilton on their wedding day in1950. The wedding will have a flavor of “Old Hollywood,” said Kammerer, who has been told many times that she resembles the famous actress and calls her “my idol.” Even a salon worker noticed when she was waxing the brideto-be’s eyebrows. “Did anyone ever tell you that you look Liz Taylor?” Kammerer remembers the young woman exclaimed.“Youareidenticaltoher.I even forgot that she was dead.” The salon worker was so amazed, Kammerer said, “she inadvertently waxed the same spots twice, and I was a hurting puppy with scabs on my face for a week.”
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W
hen it comes to getting the bride and her wedding party to and from the church or any other venue on time, most couples still depend on the horseless carriage. True, there are the occasional nuptial affairs that take on a Cinderella, royal wedding or old western tone, or some couples opt to hop a trolley. But those are more the exception.
Today, limousines, the mainstay of many weddings, are bigger than ever. They not only transport wedding parties, the luxury vehicles transport family members and guests, as well. “We have luxury limousines, Cadillac Escalades, Hummers, pink limousines, the Excalibur, which is the Rolls Royce style, hot-pink limousines for bachelorettes, luxury buses for wedding guests,” said John Nasser, owner of Nasser Limousine Service in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and the Poconos.
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The eight-passenger Legendary Excalibur from Nasser Limousine Service is roomy and classy with a throwback appeal.
Up to 27 people can sit in Nasser’s luxury buses, up to 20 people in an Escalade. Rates for Nasser’s wedding packages range from $349 for a three-passenger Lincoln Town Car to $1,099 for a 27-passenger luxury limo bus. Joe Sisky, owner of Touch of Class Limousine in Edwardsville, says his limo service offers six-passenger and 10-passenger limos. The rate for a three- to five-hour
wedding package is $550, excluding gratuity. “Springtime and fall time are the busiest,” he said. “Wedding parties are still large.” To Nasser and Sisky, limos are more popular than ever. “They always use the limos,” Nasser said. “You don’t see horse and carriage too
much.” Dave Swingle, owner of Black Horse Farm in Honesdale, which provides wedding carriage rides, said his business had slowed but is now picking up again. “Actually, since the economy took a downturn, (business) dropped off in the past couple years,” Swingle said. “The past couple months, I’ve been getting more calls. It’s starting to pick back up.” And yes, he can transport families and guests. “Generally, I just use the one carriage for weddings,” he said. “I have used some of my bigger wagons when a bride wants the whole bridal party to ride.” He generally uses one horse for his carriage, but he’ll use two if the terrain includes a lot of hills or if the bride requests two. Excluding travel, he charges $500 for the horse, carriage and driver. Swingle drives the carriage, decked out in tux and tails. And he’s the only one who drives for weddings. “That’s lot of money invested in that
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BRIDE & GROOM 2013
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BRIDE & GROOM 2013
TERRIFIC TYKES Etiquette experts weigh in on little ones
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By MARY THERESE BIEBEL - mbiebel@timesleader.com
hen they were planning their September wedding at Frosty Valley Country Club in Danville, Rachel Rosenbaum and Joshua Stewart wondered whether to invite children as well as adults. “We at first were torn about it,� Rachel said. “But in the end we decided to invite them – and they were the life of the party. They were so much fun to dance with.�
In addition to several young children among the guests, the couple invited two nieces – 7-year-old Jocelyn and 4-year-old Madison to be flower girls who would carry and scatter petals. They did a good job – and provided some adorable photo opportunities. As did little Fiona Rowe and RoweWeber, who served as “flower children� for their cousin Morgan Carey, when she married Rick Park at Lake Louise in July. After the outdoor ceremony, the bride said, she took off her veil. Guess who put it on? “The little girl ended up putting on my veil. She wore it the whole time, and the little boy kept walking around asking her to marry him.�
An older nephew of the groom, 8-yearold Kevin Park, served as ring bearer, Morgan said, and joked that he was the ring BEAR. “I think he did growl when he was practicing,â€? the bride said, “but during the actual wedding he took it very seriously.â€? If you are planning to have children strew flowers, carry nosegays or bear rings, it’s a good idea to prepare them in advance of the big event. Future bride Marianne Wright of Swoyersville said she and her fiancĂŠ will explain to his 3-year-old daughter, Myla, what she’ll do as flower girl during their
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Fiona Rowe and Rowe Weber, who are cousins, served as ‘flower children’ for their cousin, Morgan Carey Park. After the ceremony, they did a bit of play-acting about what they had seen.
See TYKES, Page 17
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June wedding. “We’re taking her to church to show her where the aisle is and get her used to the idea that’s where she’ll walk,” Wright said. That’s a good idea, experts say. Check out a website such as theknot.com and you’ll find other suggestions for making things go smoothly for the youngest members of a wedding party. Among them: • Never underestimate the power of the buddy system. Having two flower children or pairing up ring bearer and flower girl so they can proceed together, side by side, can give the children added confidence. • To communicate the importance of her role, while minimizing the pressure, the bride should explain the flower girl’s duties to her well in advance. The parents should follow up with pep talks and rehearsals. • If possible, arrange to have the flower girl attend the shower and/or the bridesmaids’ lunch (if the bride is having one) to boost her comfort level around the other bridal attendants. Seeing friendly, familiar faces on the big day will help to ease any anxiety. • Seat the flower girl’s parents toward the front of the ceremony so she can focus
on them and be encouraged by their smiles of reassurance. The very young flower girl should sit with her parents after she walks; poised little ladies may stand at the altar with the other bridal attendants. • Flower girls aren’t limited to wearing mini replicas of the bride’s dress. Tealength white dresses with a bonnet or satin bow are standard and sweet, but there are many little-girl looks from which to choose. Etiquette consultant Jill Evans Kryston of Shavertown also offers these suggestions: • At home you can begin talking about what it means to be a flower girl, or ring bearer, and practice playing dress-up. Stage a formal family dinner to pretend you are at the reception. Describe the order of events and the behavior you expect. For example: place the napkin on the lap; chew with the mouth closed; don’t talk with food in the mouth; no elbows on the table; the importance of staying seated; and the proper handling of utensils. Review the use of please, thank you, and excuse me. Children age 4 and older should be taught to shake hands while making eye contact when being introduced to adults. • On the day of the wedding, be sure your child is well-rested but do not allow a nap just before the wedding if he or she tends to wake up grumpy. Have a favorite stuffed animal on hand in case you have to coax a child down the
aisle and some mess-free snacks on hand to keep him or her quiet during the ceremony. Reinforce positive behavior by planning a surprise reward at the end of the day; either a special toy or a favorite treat. • It is impossible to have complete control when children are present. Do not be embarrassed if something doesn’t go according to plan and she dumps all the petals in the aisle at once or he runs up the aisle. Your daughter or son was asked to be part of the wedding party for their personality and preciousness. Whatever happens, it will become part of the day’s story; one that can be retold on their wedding day.
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Rachel Rosenbaum Stewart dances with 4-year-old flower girl, Madison, at her reception.
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PAGE 18
BRIDE & GROOM 2013
TIMELY TRADITIONS
passed down for generations By MARY THERESE BIEBEL - mbiebel@timesleader.com
W
hen it comes to giving wedding traditions a twist, Alison and Eric Gelsleichter’s nuptials take the cake. It’s not that the patent attorney and future veterinarian turned their backs on cherished customs. Far from it.
When the couple exchanged vows Oct.13 at Newberry Estates in Dallas, Alison carried “the family Bible that was carried by 13 brides in our family.� “That was perfect in keeping with our themes,� said the former AlisonTaroli,whogrewupinDallas and fell in love with a fellow booklover from Tunkhannock. Also in keeping was a cake crafted to look like a stack of books. For a couple who count “going to used-book sales� as a favorite activity, the bride said, the cake was perfect. The cake came from Unique Desserts by Chef Ann Louise of West Reading, who fashioned it to resemble volumes the couple especially enjoyed. “We had ‘The Great Gatsby’ on
top,� Alison said, “and ‘Once a Runner’ was the second one. It’s the most popular novel ever written about running.� Thatwasappropriateforacouple who have participated in marathons together. Their interest in history was reflectedinabookaboutJohnAdams, and “The Pleasure of Finding Things Out� by Richard Feynman was a tribute to the author who “inspired the groom to go into science as a career.� Actually, both bride and groom earned bachelor’s of science degrees in chemistry from King’s College before she went to law school and he entered veterinary school. The cake was a gift from the See TRADITIONS, Page 20
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When Alison Marie Taroli wed Eric Gelsleichter in October, their cake was fashioned to resemble books that were especially meaningful to them.
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BRIDE & GROOM 2013
VENUES
TRADITIONS
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Continued from Page 18
up to the couple getting married. “They would contract with a DJ or a band,” Knauer said. They also could opt to get their own wedding cake. A sit-down affair starts at $95 per person and can cost up to $115, and a stations package is priced at $92 per person, Knauer said. If the couple gets married onsite, there is a $300 ceremony fee. The couple also could add to the package with a chocolate fountain, Viennese dessert table or other options. Lindsay Bezick, social sales and catering manager at Genetti Hotel & Conference Center in Wilkes-Barre, said wedding packages there are designed to make it easy for the bride. There are the Genetti Wedding and the Oyster Wedding, which includes everything, from flowers to linens to a free room for the bride and groom, drapery, lighting, chair covers and a martini bar.
bride’s godmother, Elaine Stanko. The Sirkin/Danko wedding in Washington, D.C., was also a mix of old and new. “We had a modern spin on the Jewish wedding,” November bride HollySirkinsaid.“Wedecidednotto have a cake, and we didn’t throw the garter. The food was kosher, with a lotofMiddleEasternandMediterranean appetizers. In keeping with long-standing Jewish traditions, Eric Danko did break the glass, and the couple exchangedvowsunderachuppa,orcanopy, made by the groom’s grandmother, the late Serita Kolom. “She made it for her children’s weddings, and all of her grandchildren got married under it,” the bride said.“It’sbeenloanedouttonon-relatives, too.” From flowers and food to kisses and kudos, so many traditions tend to work their way into a wedding. Then of course there’s music and dancing. “The dancing was the best part,” said Rachel Rosenbaum Stewart of Bloomsburg,whoseweddingguests
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Special lighting in the Oyster ballroom in downtown Wilkes-Barre makes for a purple-hued wedding.
The rates run from $45 per person for the Genetti Wedding to $130 a person for an Oyster affair. A Genetti Wedding includes an unlimited open bar for the cocktail hour and for after dinner, a custom wedding cake made by Genetti’s specialty baker, floral arrangements and other amenities. The Oyster Wedding comes with formal white-glove service, a professional wedding coordinator, professional piano player for the cocktail hour, candlelight, draperies, linens, valet parking and other extras. At The Woodlands Inn in Plains Township, the wedding package
starts at $90 per person and includes a cocktail hour, open bar, the meal, hors d’oeuvres, the wedding cake, flowers, linens and a complimentary bridal suite for the bride and groom, said Rick Kornfeld, owner and general manager. “Plus, we have the hotel and after-party location,” Kornfeld added. “When the wedding is over, you don’t have to drive after you’ve been partying for four hours.” Guests can also stay at the Woodlands hotel rooms and, if they wish, take a shuttle to the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs casino. “There are not many places that offer all that,” he said.
danced to the music of a DJ in September.“Itwasveryrelaxed.Hetook requests and played what people asked him to play – and a typical variety of songs, some country, some modern.” “We had Elvis Presley’s ‘Can’t HelpFallinginLove,’”LyndaCiaruffoli Lang said, reflecting on the song sheandherhusband,NicholasLang, chosefortheirfirstdanceashusband and wife. At many weddings, just as poignant as the bride’s first dance with her husband is that father/daughter dance that acknowledges Daddy’s little girl is all grown up. “OurneighborRobertMay,whois a big producer, created a father/ daughter slide show to show during our father/daughter dance,” summer bride Morgan Carey Park said, explaining how the images “started outwithalittle,tinybaby.Alotofpictures focused on my dad and me and other people who were important in my life.” The music included “You Are My Sunshine,” a song her father, Dr. JohnCarey,“usedtosingtomeinmy crib,” as well as Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” “People were crying and laughing,” the bride said. “And then everyone got on their feet for some really fun dance music.”
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Rachel Rosenbaum Stewart and Joshua Stewart enjoyed a ‘snuba’ adventure in Hawaii.
Alison Taroli Gelsleichter and Eric Gelsleichter enjoyed some idyllic kayaking in scenic New Zealand.
Kingston native Holly Sirkin said her husband, Eric Danko, teased that she was crazy for suggesting bungee jumping.
HAPPY HONEYMOONERS
From adventurous to relaxing, honeymoons hit the spot By MARY THERESE BIEBEL mbiebel@timesleader.com
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hile most Americans were sitting down to turkey and cranberry sauce last Thanksgiving, newlyweds Kimberly Krutski and Joshua Machlus were enjoying a meal of Thai chicken, rice and custard, steamed in banana leaves. “There were no utensils,” Kimberly said, “and we wore traditional Thai clothing for the day so the elephants would recognize us as a trainer.” Elephants? You bet.
Some of the most memorable aspects of the Machlus’ honeymoon trip to Thailand and Bali involved animals most people don’t see everyday. “We donated our time to an elephant farm,” said Kimberly, 28, a GAR High School and Penn State graduate whose parents live in Wilkes-Barre Township. “We each got our own elephant for the day. We bathed them, and we learned Thai commands so we could take them from one camp to the other.” Riding the elephants was exciting, the bride said. “At the same time I was really nervous going up the steep mountains.” In Bali, the couple visited the Ubud Monkey Forest, a sanctuary for thousands of monkeys. “You could feed them bananas, and they would jump on your shoulders,” said Kimberly, who now lives in Orlando, Fla., with her husband. A honeymoon can be as simple as a drive through the Finger Lakes Region of New York or a dip in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape May; as far-flung as a boat ride down the Amazon or even an Arctic expedition. The important thing, Karen A. Monko-Nagle of Sea the World Travel in Forty Fort said, is to choose a place that suits your interests, style, budget and zest for adventure. “Honestly, I’d say 95 percent of travelers just want R&R,” said Monko-Nagle, explain-
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On their honeymoon, Joshua and Kimberly Krutski Machlus learned Thai commands, the better to communicate with elephants.
ing why sunny beaches in Mexico’s Riviera Maya and the Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana are very popular. For Kingston native Holly Sirkin and her husband Eric Danko, “R&R” was what they wanted in the second part of their trip. “We wanted a little bit of culture and adventure, which was New Zealand, and we wanted relaxation afterward, which is why we went to Bora Bora,” said Holly, 28, who is an assistant vice president for Seneca One Finance in Washington, D.C. New Zealand did offer plenty of adventure, from swimming with sharks to bungee jumping. “I was the one who wanted to do it,” Holly said, laughing at the memory of the bungee jump. “My husband kept saying ‘You’re crazy. You’re crazy.’
“When the time came he was more fine doing it than I was.” As for swimming with those sharp-toothed creatures of the sea, Holly said, you didn’t have to worry the fish would bite you because the outfitters fed them first. “The sharks are used to it,” she said. “They do this every day.” October bride Lynda Ciaruffoli Lang, whose parents live in Shavertown, also had an unusual swimming adventure on her honeymoon. She and husband, Nicholas, donned helmets and swam in a cave in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. “It was very cold but very pretty, with all the stalagmites and stalactites,” she said. On their honeymoon to Hawaii, meanwhile, September bride and Tunkhannock native Rachel Rosenbaum Stewart and her husband, Joshua Stewart, signed up for Snuba, which she described as a “combination of scuba diving and snorkeling, where the oxygen floats on top of the water; it’s not on your back.” From their vantage point 20 feet below the surface, the Stewarts saw all sorts of colorful fish, an eel and sea urchins. Speaking of water, Alison Taroli Gelsleichter, 27, a patent attorney who grew up in Dallas, and her husband, Eric Gelsleichter, 28, a veterinary student who grew up in Tunkhannock, enjoyed kayaking during their autumn honeymoon in New Zealand’s Milford Sound, where “high peaks come straight out of the Tasman Sea.” “Rudyard Kipling called it the eighth wonder of the world,” Alison said. Avid outdoorspeople who have completed marathons together, the Gelsleichters started their honeymoon with three days of backpacking – and made a pleasant discovery. “Normally when you backpack the heaviest thing you have to carry is water,” the bride said. “But New Zealand is such a clean country you can just bring a little cup and take water out of any river or any stream. It’s fine to drink and really delicious.”
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horse and that carriage,” he said. A.J. Limo Coach in Berwick offers a trolley for weddings and other events, said owner John Bower. “We use that quite a bit,” Bower said. That’s usually on weekends, from March through December, and mostly for weddings, though people can rent the trolley for the prom or other occasions, such as a night of shopping. “A lot of time it’s for the bridal parties,” Bower said. “A lot of times we use it to shuttle guests back to the hotel.” Danielle Rooney and her husband, Tom, of Frackville, used the trolley for their wedding June 23. “The trolley came and picked me and the girls up first and took us to the church,” Rooney said. “After, it took the wedding party to the reception.” They had 14 in the wedding party, counting the bride and groom, flower girl and ring bearer. After the ceremony in the Tamaqua area, the trolley transported the wedding party and family members to the reception at Edgewood in the Pines in Drums. “The driver of the trolley was extremely nice,” Rooney said. She recalled how she was crying because she was feeling overwhelmed on the way to the church. The driver pulled down street so Rooney could collect herself. When the bride headed into the church, the driver carried the back of her dress. “She went above and beyond,” Rooney said. The cost, she said, was less than she thought it would be. “It was under $1,000; (it was) 900 some,” she said. A.J. Limo Coach also offers stretch limos, stretch Hummers, stretch Cadillac Escalades, stretch Lincoln Town Cars, shuttle buses and charter buses that can carry up to 36 passengers. “We do any type of wedding service,” he added. “We also do a lot of guest shuttles, guests from out of town staying in a hotel.”
SPECIAL SECTION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2013
BRIDE & GROOM 2013
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SPECIAL SECTION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 201
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PAGE 24
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