Wedding Guide Add grace to your wedding with flowers Page 2
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Adding some more beauty and spectacle Getting to know the different types of flowers for your wedding By ERICA SCHMITT STAFF WRITER
Among bridal trends that have evolved over the decades, flowers always add timeless grace to a wedding. Whether pink, white, red or yellow, in arrangements round or square, they adorn church pews, formal-wear, reception tables and most notably, the bride’s bouquet. “Flowers add to the beauty and spectacle of the wedding,” said Michael Piskorski, owner of Jayne Eugene Florist, 141 Main St. in Terryville. Since his shop is celebrating 65 years in business, Piskorski recently reminisced on how wedding flowers have evolved over the decades. “Back in the forties, fifties and sixties they used to be traditional, long cascading bouquets,” he said. Back then the petal of choice was usually a
rose or carnation, maybe even an orchid. Selections and arrangements became more elaborate in the later years, up until the current day. Today’s brides are opting for simplicity and often choose hydrangea and calla lilies. In a Catholic ceremony, Piskorski creates arrangements for the altar, in addition to those carried by bridesmaids. Men wear pinned boutonnières and corsages and “the flower girl” drops petals along the aisle. Color schemes tend to compliment formalwear and other décor, but sometimes different hues are used to convey feelings. “White flowers are for purity, red flowers are for
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Getting to know your flower lingo
Continued from Page 2
love,” Piskorski explained. Scott Hamel, owner of Scott’s Flowers, 678 Arch St. in New Britain, agreed that wedding flowers symbolize the beauty of the event. After 27 years in the business, Hamel is now noticing more brides opting for the most cost-effective package. “They want the nicest looking flowers for the most reasonable price,” he said. Flower prices vary greatly, depending on the size of a wedding and how many places a couple chooses to showcase them. Hamel, however, is willing to work with any family, regardless of how much they want to spend. “We don’t discriminate against anyone, no matter your budget,” he said. “We’re here to make sure everyone has a good experience.” Contrary to the long cascades adorning years past, today’s wedding flowers tend to be simple, hand-tied bouquets.
The Flower Girl, located at 1237 Shuttlemeadow Rd. in Southington, offers some good tips on its webpage, to assist couples planning the floral portion of their wedding day. “Bring any pictures, dress swatches or other items that may help you choose your flowers,” shop owners suggest. While most florists deliver, some families prefer to pick up arrangements themselves. In this case, ask to have them packaged for safe transport. Bridal Consultant Dawn Pinkowish has the secret to keeping flowers looking beautiful. As owner of The Artificial Flower Shop, 246 Lake Ave. in Bristol, all of her flowers are silk or dried. “It’s one less thing a bride has to worry about,” said Pinkowish, whose mother opened the store 70 years ago. Now at age 90, she still opens its doors every morning and can usual-
ly be found taking orders inside. “She’s amazing,” Pinkowish said. “This is what keeps her sharp.” Since their flowers have no expiration date, they are more affordable than the fresh kind. Silk flowers are graded by quality, so the shop uses the highest grade for weddings. This ensures they look most like the real thing. The silk option appeals to more than just brides allergic to live plant material. They can be saved as lasting memories of the special day, and the shop can duplicate fresh flower arrangements into silk for this same purpose. “If it’s a hot day they won’t wilt and die; if it’s a cold day they won’t freeze,” Pinkowish said. Pinkowish always tells brides, “You’ll have a keepsake that lasts forever, like your love.”
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Savoring everything on your special day Local caterers are there to make your wedding the best of the best
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BRISTOL — Local caterers are ready to work with brides and grooms to make sure that they savor everything about their special day, especially the food! In New Britain, Angelo’s Market at 349 W. Main St. has been catering weddings for 80 years. Manager Sal Avella is no stranger to the business, having worked in catering for 35 years 20 of which were at Angelo’s. He says he receives “fantastic” feedback. “People rave about the food,” he said. “We are not high-priced and we always strive for a quality product. We never skimp out.” Avella said he typically caters a dozen weddings between May and October. He said pork medallions have been a popular selection in the last few years. “I think people are getting tired of having the same prime rib and shrimp at weddings,” he said. “Besides the pork tenderloin I serve a lot of stuffed chicken breast. For desert, we do a cannoli
cream cake, which is delicious. Its a puff cake with cannoli cream inside and whip cream frosting.” Avella said he sits down with couples to pick out a menu that fits the dietary needs of all guests. “Lately I’ve seen a lot of weddings that seat 40 to 50 people or occasionally 100,” he said. “Not as many people hold big weddings anymore. At each wedding there are usually one or two people who are looking for something gluten or lactose free. We’ll cook separate dishes for them.”
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Offering something for everyone Continued from Page 4
Sunday, July 19, 2015 | 5
mignon, chicken and baked stuffed shrimp are all popular foods at weddings she caters. For desert, she said people are fond of her Reese’s Peanut pie, molten chocolate cake and Bourbon pecan pie.” “We cater to everyone, if something is not on the menu we don’t mind cooking it, we just need about a month’s notice to plan,” she said. In addition to catering Weddings, Marilyn’s Pub has a ladies’ night and live entertainment once a month. Brian M. Johnson can be reached at (860) 584-0501, EXT. 1806 or bjohnson@bristolpress.com.
Joe Tropea at Angelo’s Market in New Britain.
Kevin Bartram | Staff
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In Bristol, Dianne Boral, owner of Marilyn’s Pub Restaurant and Lounge at 388 Broad St., has been catering for area residents for the past 2-and-aw-half years. The venue, which is adorned with Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, typically attracts a dozen weddings a month. “We have excellent food, friendly staff, a nice, clean establishment and very reasonable prices,” said Boral. “We stand behind what we cook. If you don’t like it, don’t pay for it, but I’m sure that you will. We invite everyone to come enjoy the Marilyn experience.” Boral said the prime rib, filet
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Making a memorable wedding entrance METRO NEWS SERVICE
Once wedding vows and rings have been exchanged, many couples join their friends and family to celebrate with a wedding reception. Many brides and grooms eagerly await the moment when they can make their grand entrance to the reception, and over the years it has become customary for couples to make a bit of a splash when making their first appearance as husband and wife. Some enter with a special song. Others prefer something a bit more theatrical. Explore these ideas for memorable wedding reception entrances. Catch guests by surprise
Wedding guests will probably expect the wedding party to enter through a certain door and the bride and groom to follow afterward. An element of surprise, such as the couple rising from the floor or appearing from a different area in the reception hall, may not require a lot of planning but can have a dramatic effect. Unpredictable
entrances also include unexpected prove memorable. song choices or dramatic lighting Make sure everyone to immediately draw everyone’s is on board attention. Couples should recognize that Stick to one or two songs some members of the wedding Some couples think it might be party may be uncomfortable acting fun to have each member of the like clowns in front of a crowd. Do wedding party enter with a different not force anyone to participate in song. Not only will this take a lot of crazy antics if they do not want to. coordination on the part of the Find things each member of a weddeejay, but it can make the entrance ding party feels comfortable doing. choppy as well. Introductions may Include the entrance go more smoothly if couples have in your planning the entire wedding party enter to a particular song that revs up the If you want to follow a cercrowd and gets them excited for tain theme, such as “Star Wars” the grand entrance. At the height of or “Mission Impossible,” coordithe song, the bride and groom will nate in advance with a deejay or enter. The entrance typically segues band members. Talk about what, if into a couple’s first dance. any, props you plan to use and the type of music that will be playing. Go with people’s strengths If entrances involve choreography, A couple may want to showcase be certain to practice in advance special skills as they enter the recep- of the wedding so everything will tion hall. There’s no limit to what work out well and look professional. couples can do, from acrobatic tech- However, even stunts that go awry niques to tap dancing to juggling. can be entertaining and funny for Make sure your wedding entrance is special. If it’s entertaining, it very well may guests.
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Pointers for planning your bachelor party
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A bachelor party is a tradition that some might be surprised to learn extends far beyond North America. Though bachelor parties go by many different names, these get-togethers held for a man shortly before he gets married are enjoyed in Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and South Africa. The responsibility of planning a bachelor party traditionally falls on the shoulders of the groomto-be’s best man, who can choose to plan the party on his own or enlist the help of his fellow groomsmen. Immortalized in films such as 1984’s “Bachelor Party” and the 2009 comedy “The Hangover,” bachelor parties range from the tame to the relatively raucous to the outrageous. While best-men-to-be might be nervous about planning a bachelor party, the following are a
handful of tips for men who want to make a friend or family member’s bachelor weekend as memorable as possible. Just because you are the best man does not mean you need to plan the entire bachelor party on your own. While you might want to add a few special and personal touches to the festivities, that does not mean you can’t enlist the help of your fellow groomsmen or the groom’s friends who are not included in the bridal party. Enlisting the help of others can be especially helpful when planning a party for a large group, which can be difficult to organize. If the group is large and spread out, ask someone to represent each particular group of friends, such as childhood friends, college buddies and any professional associates who will be joining in the festivities. If the groom is your family member,
you can take on the responsibility of coordinating with family members. Breaking things down can make it easier to organize and help the groom’s other close friends and family members feel like they are more involved in the festivities. While it’s tradition to prevent the guest of honor from participating in the planning, it is a good idea to ask the groom for a list of people he wants to invite. This can help a best man who is not familiar with all of a groom’s friend’s or associates to organize the party, and it also ensures that friends who were not invited to the wedding are not mistakenly invited to the bachelor party. In addition, the groom may want certain people excluded from the festivities for personal reasons, so asking him for a list of invitees can help avoid any confusion or conflicts down the road.
Planning your Bachelor party can be fun and easy.
Many couples have their bachelor and bachelorette parties on the same weekend, and such parties are meant to be a chance for the groom to spend time with his male friends while the bride spends time with her female friends. So when
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planning the bachelor party, the best man should ensure he does not choose the same locale as the maid of honor chooses for the bachelorette party. While many couples have abandoned traditional bachelor and bachelorette parties.
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How to handle guests who don’t RSVP METRO NEWS SERVICE
Wedding invitations are often a great source of information for guests. While wedding websites also provide a great opportunity for couples to get the word out about their weddings and share pertinent details like the date and location of the wedding, many people are still unfamiliar with the concept of a wedding website, and therefore they rely on invitations as their primary source of information about a wedding. One of the most important bits of information couples must include on their wedding invitations is the RSVP date. The RSVP, which stands for “repondez s’il vous plait,” is a couple’s request for a response to their invitation. The RSVP is typically a specific date by which guests must let the couple tying the knot know whether or not they plan to attend the wedding. There are no rules that govern how far in advance of the wedding couples should ask their guests to RSVP, but some venues might want a final headcount or at least a close estimate of the final countdown three to four weeks before the big day. As a result, it’s best to ask guests to RSVP at least three weeks before the wedding and preferably four to five weeks before the festivities commence. If invitations are mailed two to
Couples need to remain composed when contacting guests who don’t respond to invitations.
three months prior to the wedding, that gives guests ample time to determine whether they can or cannot join in the celebration. While many guests will respond immediately or in plenty of time for couples to arrange seating and notify their reception venue, nearly every bride and groom has been forced to deal with guests who simply failed to respond to their invitations, a potentially precarious position for couples to find
themselves in as their wedding day quickly approaches. When guests fail to respond on time, couples should maintain their composure and not take it as a sign of disrespect or indifference. Guests might not be planning a wedding, but chances are they’re busy, too, and their failure to respond is likely just a mistake. Before contacting those who failed to provide a timely response, wait a few extra days so responses that were mailed at the
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last minute can be counted among those that were received on time. Once the deadline and subsequent extension has passed, couples can begin to contact those guests who have not responded to their
invitations. If it’s a close friend or family member who hasn’t responded, simply call them on the telephone and politely ask if they plan on coming to the wedding. They won’t need to mail the RSVP at this point, so just jot down their response and thank them before moving on to the next person. When a person who hasn’t responded is less familiar to the bride and groom, such as a parent’s distant cousin or professional colleague, then it’s perfectly reasonable to ask for help. For example, if a parent’s neighbor has yet to reply, ask Mom or Dad to drop by their house or call them on the phone to determine if they plan to attend. The majority of invitees, if not all of them, who fail to respond on time will understand when contacted directly and asked if they plan to attend, so couples need not be nervous or confrontational when making phone calls or writing emails. Keep things short and sweet and let guests know their attendance is appreciated or their absence will be felt if they cannot make it.
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Calming last-minute jitters Prioritizing before your wedding day Brides- and grooms-to-be are often nervous when the day they will tie the knot finally arrives. The realization that months and months of planning and anticipation are finally about to come to a head often inspires some jitters in the days leading up to the wedding. But the following are a few ways couples can calm those nerves in the hours leading up to the moment they have devoted so much time and effort to planning since becoming engaged. Get a good night’s rest
Couples should prioritize a good night’s sleep the night before they are set to walk down the aisle. Make your last night as an unmarried couple an early night so you will look your best and have plenty of energy on your big
day, which will no doubt start early and end late. A good night’s sleep can go a long way toward ensuring you’re in a good mood as you handle a full slate of responsibilities on your wedding day. Spend time with family and friends
a list is overwhelming, brides- and grooms-to-be should not be afraid to delegate some of the tasks on their lists. Bridesmaids and groomsmen can no doubt handle any outstanding tasks that don’t require any input. Relax as the ceremony draws nearer
Chances are your closest friends and family members are playing significant roles in your wedding, and spending time with them is a great way to keep your nerves in check while having a fun time before, during and after the ceremony.
As the start time for the ceremony approaches, couples about to tie the knot should take time to sit down and relax. Once their hair and makeup is finished, brides-toMetro News Service be should sit down and exhale or Being prepared is the best way to remain calm as the big day approaches. arrange for the photographer to snap some fun pre-wedding photos with Don’t be afraid Bristol’s Oldest Florist their bridesmaids. Grooms-to-be can to delegate responsibilities Designing for Brides do the same with their groomsmen, since 1916 In spite of months of planning, sharing a few last-minute jokes to couples will still have a to-do list ensure everyone is relaxed and ready come their wedding days. If such to go before taking their places. Offering creative floral bouquets
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Wedding showers continue to break from tradition METRO NEWS SERVICE
Breaking away from the wedding shower traditions.
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Rain showers on a wedding day may bring good luck, but they are seldom coveted. However, a different type of shower altogether is often highly anticipated and can help couples feel like they’re one in a million. Wedding showers are gift-giving parties held for couples about to get married. The custom began in the nineteenth century and continues to present day, primarily in North America and Australia. Guests traditionally “shower” the bride-to-be with all the necessities (and some fun extras) that she will need after she ties the knot. These gifts will help the soon-to-bemarried couple establish a home together. Bridal showers are steeped in tradition, but today’s bridal showers continue to veer off the beaten path. Nowadays, bridal showers feature fun and games much like a party having nothing to do with a wedding. TheKnot.com, a website that aims to help couples plan
their weddings and all the events leading up to the big day, identifies these key trends in modern bridal showers. Modern couples who like to be all-inclusive are now planning bridal showers that cater to mixed audiences. Dubbed a “couple shower,” these parties include female and male friends and relatives. Gifts are still the main focus of the event, but they’re varied and include guy-friendly items within the mix of household goods. Many are familiar with the terms “man cave” and “bromance,” but few may know that there are now wedding showers geared entirely around the groom. Known as “power showers,” these events focus on the groom-to-be, who is showered with a bevy of gadgets
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and power tools that are certain to stock his future garage. The parties are decidedly more testosterone-friendly and can include golf outings, poker nights or action movie flicks as possible themes. Rather than having guests hang around a restaurant watching gift after gift get unwrapped, some bridal parties opt to throw an activity shower. These showers are focused around a particular activity. For example, ladies may be treated to a day at the spa. Other ideas include horseback riding at a stable or a day at the ballpark. Because hosting an activity shower for dozens of people may get expensive, these types of showers may be reserved for only your closest friends and family members.
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Timing makes weddings go off without a hitch or other religious ceremonies. An afternoon wedding may end a few hours before the cocktail hour begins at the reception site, leaving guests with time to kill before the reception. Couples can try to remove as much time between the reception and ceremony as possible by coordinating with their catering managers. If finances allow, couples can request the wedding reception begin early. This way guests can arrive at the cocktail hour and comfortably
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As any holiday host can attest, timing is crucial to getting a meal out hot and ensuring each course is ready for the table. Timing is equally important when planning a wedding. Various elements must come together in the right order to create a seamless day for couples and guests alike. In addition to organizing floral deliveries, ensuring the wedding party arrives on time, and getting hair and makeup done promptly, couples who will be having their ceremony in a different location from the reception will need to spend more time factoring timing into their wedding day equations. Factors like traveling to and from the site, as well as hunger pangs and potential weather-related complications, will need to be considered. Many couples choose to have their ceremonies and receptions at the same site, a decision that makes scheduling much easier. Once the ceremony is over, guests simply go inside or to another area of the grounds to begin the reception. Some traditionalists, though, prefer to have their ceremony in a place of worship and then travel to a separate reception location afterward. Both scenarios are acceptable, but the latter option requires a little more planning. Couples will need to know when the church or temple is available for the ceremony and when the reception hall will be open to guests. Some weddings are held after daily masses
mingle among themselves. These requests are common, and many catering managers will be happy to meet requests to keep a bride and groom’s business. If this is not possible, couples have a few alternatives. If the reception site is a good distance away, the travel there may take up the idle time. Otherwise, the bride and groom may need to come up with another plan. In some instances, a family member opens his or her home up to some
of the guests, who may enjoy light refreshments. It may be possible to use a cafeteria or gathering space at the ceremony site for a little while as well. If the photographer plans
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053847
95 Riverside Avenue, Bristol, Connecticut www.thecarouselmuseum.org 860 585-5411
050789
The Carousel Museum
Wedding
860-225-4601
to take outdoor photos between the ceremony and reception, the couple can invite some guests along to witness the shots or be a part of the photo shoot.
• From I-84 West - Exit 31, West Street - Take right at end of exit, Store 1 1/2 miles up on left side of road. • From I-84 East - Exit 31 West Street - Take left at end of exit. Store is 1 1/2 miles from left side of road.
12 | Sunday, July 19, 2015
WEDDING GUIDE
The Herald Press