Bright Ideas for your wedding

One of the most important elements of beautiful wedding décor is the floral centerpiece set on each guest table, and here at our northern New Jersey wedding venue, we’re seeing gorgeous, innovative centerpieces inspired by the top wedding room décor trends shown in national and regional bridal magazines from North, Central and South Jersey, as well as the designs shown in real-wedding photo spreads of socialite New York City weddings. Here are the top trends to inspire you:

• Elevated floral centerpieces are back. While low-set floral bunches will always be popular for wedding table décor, today’s trends lift those large, lush, bountiful floral arrangements at least four feet off the tabletops, suspended on equally-gorgeous, decorated floral stands made of bronze, pewter, even wood in rustic-elegant wedding décor schemes.

• Elevated floral centerpieces contain multiple colors of flowers, most often a beautiful blend of brights and pastels.

• Classic, traditional floral pieces in ‘bridal white’ achieve great texture and dimension by using blends of cream and white shades.

• Elevated floral centerpieces reach down toward the tabletop in delicate drapings of floral strands, or a ‘willow tree’ effect of floral branches and suspended crystals on invisible wire.

• Crystals are being incorporated into floral centerpieces in greater number, in elegant style. They may be affixed by floral wire in stand-up, starburst effects, or individual crystals may even be pinned into the centers of roses. The crystals give a sparkling effect in the room when they reflect the flickering of candlelight and the glow of our soft lighting in the wedding reception room.

• New Jersey wedding couples now request the incorporation of locally-grown, in-season flowers to cut down on their carbon footprint, as a green wedding value in their day.

• New Jersey wedding couples are also using more leaves and greenery in their floral centerpieces, as well as in their general wedding room décor to coordinate with our garden wedding atmosphere. The use of greenery provides a lush, natural look and is also among the most effective budget wedding strategies.

• Centerpieces are arranged more often in clear glass vases, either rounds or squares, and also in tall rectangular shapes. Couples are also mixing up the sizes of their glass centerpiece vases to provide an eye-catching trio of low, medium and high-set centerpiece containers.

• Glass vases and bowls may also hold collections of colorful flower petals, with the bowls surrounded by color-matched votive candles in their own decorative glass votive holders.

Elements of nature play a new role in wedding centerpieces, just as they do in the designs of our own wedding gardens, so look into incorporating smooth river stones in neutral shades of gray, tan or brown, as well as mosses and tall, architectural branches to make your centerpieces stand out.

Have a great day!

Laura Madden, Senior Sales Manager, Pleasantdale Chateau

Share the excitement of your upcoming wedding by sending out stylish Save the Date cards to your wedding guests. These colorful wedding stationery Musts have evolved in beautiful design over the past few years, and we have the top new trends in Save the Date style — chosen from national trends as well as from the designs shared with us by our local New Jersey wedding couples from West Orange, Morristown, Short Hills, Princeton, Madison, Chatham and many additional regions:

1. Save the Date postcards are all the rage, with couples ordering or making their own oversized postcards featuring a photo of the moment when the groom popped the question. Guests love sharing that extra-special moment, and brides and grooms now count this as their #1 graphic for their Save the Date cards.

1. Borrowing from wedding invitation style, another top trend in Save the Date card design is choosing a single-panel printed card, as a budget-friendly yet stylish and elegant format.

1. Include your personal wedding website URL at the bottom of the Save the Date card, so that guests can easily find your wedding’s full information, including hotel room block details and where your bridal registries are.

1. Include your full names. With so many weddings taking place in your circle of friends and family, guests don’t want to have to guess which Sarah and James you are. So last name inclusion is a Must.

1. Include the wedding location, so that guests know immediately if travel and lodging will be required. It’s enough to simply put ‘West Orange, New Jersey’ on the Save the Date if your card doesn’t allow room for additional locale information.

1. Bright colors are In, with our New Jersey wedding couples following the hottest wedding trends of going vibrant as opposed to pastel or all-bridal-white. The top wedding colors for Save the Dates are blue, purple, orange, bright pink and summery coral.

1. Design stylish borders to give your Save the Date cards the look of a frame. You might choose a single or double border line, or go more graphic with 1/8-inch filled-in, colorful lines surrounding your card.

1. Add a romantic quote. Check www.quotesgarden.com to find the perfect classic romance quote that you both love, and that conveys the sense of your wedding-to-come. We’re seeing more of our Morris County, Essex County, Passaic County and other New Jersey couples adding quotes about gardens and flowers to convey their garden wedding theme.

1. Use green wedding-friendly card stock such as recycled papers and earth-friendly soy inks to make your invitations, or order your Save the Dates from the top green wedding stationery websites.

10.  Save the Date magnets are still a hot trend, with couples designing brightly-colored magnets that guests will be able to use on their refrigerators because they love the pretty design of it.

Send out your Save the Date cards or magnets as far in advance as possible, ideally more than six months before the wedding, so that guests can make their travel and lodging plans as early as possible, not just saving the date but saving money as well!

Best,

Michael Mahle, Director of Communications, Pleasantdale Château

When brides and grooms tour a wedding venue, they’re exploring the beauty of the setting, taking in the architectural details of the wedding reception room, the space where their lavish cocktail party will take place, the wedding gardens and outdoor gathering areas. And now, the bride takes a special interest in the beautifully-decorated  bridal suite. This suite, after all, is where she and her bridesmaids will gather to await the start of the ceremony, finish dressing, pose for photos, and even enjoy a private, ladies-only champagne toast and berries before the ceremony begins.

Here at the Ram’s Head Inn, we recently gave our Bridal Suite a designer makeover, creating an elegant setting with full-length mirrors and elegant seating that creates an elegant space where brides take some of their most beautiful wedding portraits. Our New Jersey brides have posted by the mirror, by the windows to glow in the natural light from southern exposures, to show off the beauty and detail of their wedding dresses as they sit majestically on a couch suited to a princess pose we’ll surely see when the royal wedding photos of  Kate Middleton are released.

The bridal suite of your dreams can be decorated with floral arrangements, both elevated and low-set, pillar candles and candelabras, and photo-worthy arrangements of fine champagne and champagne flutes awaiting the bride and bridesmaids.

Another trend enjoyed by brides and grooms is the use of the Bridal Suite for their post-ceremony gathering space, with the elegant room serving as a glamorous indoor setting for some of the wedding couple’s most romantic photos, as well as group portraits and family photos. Before venturing to the wedding reception rooms or the wedding gardens, the bride and groom enjoy valued private moments with their family and friends, including a champagne toast.

One additional trend that the Bridal Suite may play a role in is the bride’s change into her second dress for the reception. Inspired by celebrity brides and royal brides, more of our New Jersey brides create a surprise ‘second look’ for their receptions, changing from a traditional wedding gown into a shorter wedding dress, and we’re also seeing more brides changing into their culture’s traditional wedding dresses in bright colors. Another trend in this ‘second look’ that the Bridal Suite provides the perfect setting for is the bride’s change of hairstyle, going from elegant Up-Do to a more relaxed, curled or straight, flowing hairstyle with a tiara or fresh flowers pinned into place, to make a new impression when they make their public debut at the reception.

The Bridal Suite is a place for celebration and transformation, and is now a high priority for the bride and groom who want their wedding’s most special moments to take place in a setting of great beauty.

All the best,

Caitlyn Bradley, Director of Private Dining, Ram’s Head Inn

Like many aspects of wedding décor, ice sculptures have returned to the top trends list after a brief absence, having gotten a style makeover and a big boost in intricacy of patterns and presentation. Here at The The Manor in West Orange, our in-house master ice sculptors – a father and son team who have been part of our family for over 30 years – have created gorgeous ice sculptures for display in our wedding banquet rooms and at our outdoor garden weddings. Our sophisticated, style-savvy New Jersey and New York City brides and grooms consult with our ice sculptors in order to select and co-design beautiful ice sculptures matching their wedding’s themes and colors, to accent their cocktail hours, their reception décor, and even their location entryways to make a fabulous first impression on guests.

This resurgence of stunningly-cut, intricately-detailed and beautifully-lit ice sculptures as seen in our wedding venue makes the couple’s wedding décor stand out with the kind of attention to detail that’s often seen at celebrity weddings and royal weddings.

Here are the top trends in ice sculpture designs for your wedding:

• Welcome guests to your indoor wedding venue by placing a 5-foot or taller ice sculpture on a gorgeous table set right inside the entrance doors. Surround the ice sculpture with low-set fresh flowers in small glass or crystal bowls or vases to carry the ‘ice’ effect across the entirety of the table.

• Choose a unique theme and shape for your wedding décor ice sculpture. Our Passaic County, Morris County, Somerset County and other regional wedding couples have recently looked beyond the traditional oversized heart to such wedding symbols as intertwined wedding rings, wedding doves, and wedding swans. With a garden wedding theme in mind, many wedding couples have commissioned ice sculptures in the shapes of butterflies, hummingbirds, floral bouquets, and seasonal and cultural shapes may also be expertly carved and intricately finished in a unique design.

• Engrave your names, initials or monogram on one, central, focal-point décor piece to personalize your ice sculpture ‘collection’ throughout your reception rooms and wedding gardens, or feature your full names on this one, large ‘centerpiece’ sculpture, while the additional, smaller ones feature just your initials.

• Lighting effects now make the ice sculpture a true work of art, with ice design artists training décor effects lighting on the ice sculpture from above, and also from within the ice sculpture. White, pastels or bright colors are used like paints on an easel to create the perfect, complimentary effect for an ice sculpture, and wedding décor takes a modern twist when eco-friendly LED light blocks are placed inside smaller ice sculptures.

• Speaking of smaller ice sculptures, it’s becoming a beautiful wedding décor trend to set small, individual ice sculptures as the centerpieces on each of the wedding room guest tables. Choose an identical style for each table, or select different theme-coordinating designs – such as different flowers or different butterflies – for each table.

• Set themed ice sculptures on your buffet tables, as décor on food stations, and also behind your cocktail bar. The design of each sculpture is sure to impress in its size and detailing, as well as its sparkling in the room’s lighting.

• A fun aspect of a cocktail party bar setting is offering a more refined twist on the ‘ice luge’ that you might see in more casual lounges or collegiate nightclubs. In this more upscale presentation, our bar managers pour flavored vodkas or other liquors down an intricate, impressive ice luge and into a stylish serving glass.

• Also at the bar, our ice sculpture masters can create ice blocks in squares or cylinder shapes, fill them with ice shavings, and place cone-shaped vodka glasses or stemless drink glasses in them for a stylish any-season drinks presentation. Especially when they feature a glowing block of colorful LED light below the ice shaving surface, giving this ice sculpture a magical, gemlike effect.

Thank you,

The Manor

Your sisters, friends and cousins will certainly be thrilled to hear you say, “Will you be my bridesmaid?” It’s a very big moment for the ladies who are asked, since being invited into a bridal party circle is a great honor, a sign of great admiration, one of the biggest thrills that you can share with each other.

In today’s world of wedding planning, especially in our northern New Jersey region and in the surrounding counties of our tri-state area, brides are taking extra steps to make this invitation even more special to their future bridesmaids. Here are some of the creative ways that brides are planning unique ways to ask, “Will you be my bridesmaid?”

• Send your bridesmaids flowers at their homes or offices, with a hand-written note from you (if possible, since long-distance flower-sends will produce computer-printed notes) asking the big question.
• Send your bridesmaids chocolate-covered strawberries or chocolates from one of our award-winning NJ chocolatiers, with a note inviting the bridesmaid to make the bridal party a sweeter circle of friends with her involvement.
• Send a voice-recording greeting card, especially to a far-away friend, so that she can receive an indulgent gift and your voice-added greeting card inviting her to the bridal party circle…and serves as a keepsake of your relationship and this big moment.
• Send your bridesmaid a stuffed bear, outfitted to look like a bridesmaid, with a hidden voice player that you’ve used to record your invitation message.
• Schedule a Skype meeting with your friend so that you can ask her in a high-tech way.
• Buy each of your ladies a bridesmaid guidebook or a New Jersey wedding magazine and send them to your bridesmaids with a personal note from you, inviting them into your bridal party group.
• Invite your bridesmaids to a VIP dinner party, cocktail party, a fine dining restaurant or your favorite gourmet cuisine spot, or simply out for cocktails at your favorite cocktail bar or family restaurant as a celebratory get-together where you ask the big question, then clink cocktail glasses for the first time as bride and her bridesmaids.

Best,

Michael Mahle, Director of Communications, Pleasantdale Château

Upon the occasion of your engagement – whether it happened yesterday or months ago – you’re likely planning to schedule an engagement portrait session with a professional photographer as the first of your many, exciting, upcoming wedding photography tasks.

In the past, engagement portraits looked very similar – with the bride standing behind the seated groom, her arms wrapped around his shoulders and chest, with her new and sparkling engagement ring prominently showing on her left hand. Now, this traditional pose is just one of a collection of new engagement portrait poses that lead the way in first-couple-photo trends. Think of the beautiful engagement photo recently released by royal wedding couple Kate Middleton and Prince William. Kate and William posed in a near embrace, showing their closeness and natural affection as a couple, and yes the engagement ring was prominently-featured.

As a leading New Jersey wedding venue and top garden wedding location in New Jersey, we can attest to the natural beauty of our surrounding region here in the northern part of the Garden State where we have so many scenic overlooks – including the Highlawn Pavilion’s view of New York City – and natural vistas such as springtime blooms and the fiery colors of the autumn leaves. With engagement portraits experiencing a wedding photo trend evolution into using more nature scenes as backgrounds for these couple photos, our local wedding couples are quite lucky to have access to beautiful botanical gardens, estate homes, and especially beaches on our many shore and lake destinations here in New Jersey.

Here are some of the top engagement portrait setting styles that New Jersey wedding couples and our many New York City wedding couples choose for their signature couple photo:

At the Beach

• Sitting or lying directly on the sand
• Sitting or lying on a colorful beach blanket
• Splashing ankle-deep in the ocean’s edge water
• Groom carrying bride into the water, or along the ocean’s edge into the sunset
• Bride and groom sitting in a lifeguard stand
• A favorite of our New Jersey wedding couples – photos located at the family shore house where they’ve spent many summers, and perhaps where they became engaged
• At the precise spot on the beach where the couple became engaged.
• A natural, just-walking-along shot of the couple by the water’s edge

On the Boardwalk

For playful couples, a beach-setting engagement portrait session may include a quick stop at the boardwalk, where they may pose:

• On a carousel
• In the seat of their favorite ride
• Holding colorful cotton candy while overlooking the ocean
• Holding enormous stuffed animals the groom and bride have won for each other.

In the Park

The park may be easier for you to reach, and many New Jersey couples choose their nearby park setting, or a favorite spot in a state park overlooking a waterfall or a brook, as their engagement portrait setting. When couples look for places to take NJ wedding photos, it’s often the park that provides the setting closest to a gorgeous garden wedding’s feel. Here are some of the top trends in park photos:

• At a gazebo
• On a park bench
• By a fountain
• On a wooden bridge crossing over a stream
• On a playground’s swingset
• Lying on the grass in the middle of a softball field where you’ve played or watched games together
• Kissing in the end zone of a park football field, where you may have had childhood sports memories

The goal is to design an engagement portrait that will join your spectacular professionally-taken wedding photos in your home displays for all time. Your wedding photography expert will guide you in suggesting poses that make you both look your best, but it’s up to you to choose your stunning location, bring several different styles of outfits or dresses to your photo session, and speak up when a setting or pose is what you want.

Many of our New Jersey wedding couples say they fall in love with several of their engagement photos, framing those for home display and using those for their personal wedding website and wedding program designs.

Best,

Michael Mahle, Director of Communications, Pleasantdale Château

When a wedding celebration lasts long into the late-night hours, our recent New Jersey brides and grooms love to serve their guests an unexpected additional wave of wedding menu items during the last hour of their reception. In the past year, the trend of ‘late-night bites’ has increased dramatically, as a growing number of New Jersey, New York Metropolitan and Long Island brides and grooms experience post-midnight food service at company parties, fundraising galas, and even university formals. Further inspired by shows like Top Chef and upscale wedding reality shows, local brides speak to our illustrious banquet managers and chefs about creating a gourmet, late-night menu that’s served in style.

Here are the top two categories of late-night wedding menu features, as well as some of the foods most often requested by our local tri-state area wedding couples:

Late-Night Snack Bites:

• Hamburger and cheeseburger sliders, with gourmet toppings such as artisan cheeses or marinated onions and peppers
• French fries and onion rings, dusted with gourmet spices and served in ceramic bowls or fair-inspired paper cones
• Mini pizzas, again given the gourmet treatment such as spiced sausage topping and five types of cheeses on top
• Empanadas filled with pork, beef or chicken
• Tacos filled with pork, beef, chicken, beans, fish and rice or vegetables, with gourmet salsa
• Soft pretzels, served with gourmet dipping mustards
• Funnel cakes or zeppole, a New Jersey-favorite snack bite, especially when made with a flavored sugar sprinkling.

For brides and grooms who wish to end their receptions with sweets rather than snack bites, we offer you the top trends in surprise second dessert offerings:

Delectable Desserts

• A second slice of wedding cake, which many of our New Jersey wedding guests say is their top wedding wish…one slice is just not enough.
• The groom’s cake may be presented at this time, as a twist to the tradition presentation alongside the wedding cake, designed in a theme, shape and flavors of the groom’s choosing.
• Chocolate-covered strawberries, bananas, raspberries, cantaloupe and pineapple half-moons, pound cake squares and other dessert tastes, already dipped in a variety of chocolate sauces and paired with fresh whipped cream and berry sauces.
• Tiramisu squares, for a touch of alcohol-tinged sweetness and perhaps the bride and groom’s favorite dessert incorporated into their wedding menu.
• A gelato bar, also a favorite of our New Jersey brides and grooms who wish for a different, richer taste at the end of their wedding reception, with their favorite flavors featured.
• Cake pops and cupcakes are also top trends in wedding menu desserts that our pastry chefs have arranged for our wedding receptions, with a wide variety in classic, creative and even cocktail-inspired flavors.

The key to these late-night wedding menus is formal, detailed presentations, with each slider plated with great care, chocolate-covered berries arranged in artistic designs, dipping sauces presented in modern ceramic bowls, and more. Even with so-called ‘bar food’ bites, we elevate each wedding menu option to its most attractive and most impressive presentation, all to impress your guests and make your night unforgettable from the first to the very last bite.

Best,

Michael Mahle, Director of Communications, Pleasantdale Château

A wedding’s cocktail party stations allow the bride and groom to showcase a generous variety of their favorite gourmet cuisines, from European cuisine to Asian cuisine, Italian gourmet cuisine, new American cuisine, Middle Eastern cuisine, and more. As our culture grows more interested in the culinary arts, and as our New Jersey wedding clients come to us with truly thrilling ideas and requests for eclectic, elegant dining paired with fine wines and elite vintage champagnes, we at the Pleasantdale Chateau – as well as at our sister wedding venues The The Manor, The Highlawn Pavilion and theRam’s Head Inn – relish the chance to co-create a stunning lineup of the top trends in cocktail party station fare.

Our chef Robert Albers has created an extensive menu of delicious dishes within the new trends in station themes, and our brides and grooms choose from among them to customize their event’s culinary experience. Here are the top trends in cocktail party stations to consider for your wedding menu:

• The Fresh Garden Crudités Station – During the past few years, wedding guests have grown increasingly fond of the fresh, crisp vegetable platter, opting for organic, healthier treats within the collection of cocktail party menu options. A crudités station offers elaborately-presented pieces of broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, red and yellow bell pepper, carrot sticks, celery stalks, zucchini sticks, sun-dried tomatoes and a creamy Parmesan dipping sauce.
• Fresh Fruits and Berries Station – Also a popular choice among wedding guests, as well as brides and grooms planning green weddings here in New Jersey, this station features an array of fresh, sliced seasonal fruits and berries such as golden pineapple, watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, seedless red grapes and strawberries. Guests who must eat in a healthy manner now find themselves delighted at a wedding, not frustrated by an array of fried options.
• Imported and Domestic Cheese Station – In the world of wedding cuisine – as well as gourmet dining influenced by European cuisine as well as the tastes of our domestic heartland and New Jersey farms’ fresh offerings – cheeses are the new It food on wedding menus. If a couple doesn’t have a cheese station planned, they ask for a cheese course within their reception menu. Some of the most popular cheeses featured on our cheese station include aged Gouda, Coupole goat cheese, herbed Swiss, Vermont white cheddar, Brie, Camembert, Farme D’Ambert and Gourmandises, served with seeded flatbreads and chutney.
• Normandy Display Station – A Normandy display station brings a variety of international cuisine to a wedding menu, offering hummus, baba ghanoush and cucumber yogurt dip, charcuterie platter of sliced ham and dried sausages, pencil asparagus with hearts of palm, toasted Israeli couscous with golden raisins and pine nuts, and more. Our wedding couples from Morris County, Passaic County, Somerset County, Hudson County and surrounding regions of New Jersey and Metropolitan New York City have dined in some of the finest restaurants in the world, and they’re quite particular about offering some of the finest cuisines from around the world.
• In a cocktail party menu trend that surprises some wedding couples, fondue is back as a hot trend, with the fondue style being a cheese and ale-based fondue, served with vegetables and apples, spicy sausages and assorted breads.
• Even with a meat-based entrée planned for the reception menu, our brides and grooms often wish to include a carving station. The top trends in carving stations right now include unique types of meats, looking beyond the classic prime rib or pork loin to sushi grade ahi tuna, apple and ancho braised brisket of beef and more. When guests are treated to a unique cocktail party station menu item, they’re all the more impressed with your lavish gourmet wedding celebration.
• Seafood stations remain at the top of brides’ and grooms’ wishlists, with chilled oysters on the half shell, jumbo Gulf shrimp, snow crab claws and other iced seafoods presented to guests.
• Chafing dish menu items give wedding couples their choice of several gourmet cuisine items such as mussels, clams and shrimp in garlic and white wine over orzo, Osso Bucco, eggplant stuffed with ricotta, plum tomatoes and garlic sauce, country escargot with garlic and leeks, and an array of regional specialties, exotic dishes, cocktail party menu items chosen to please kosher menu requirements as well as vegan and other dietary requirements.
• The pasta station’s newest trend in the gourmet sauce our chefs prepare to make it stand out. Our New Jersey home to weddings specializes in Italian gourmet cuisine, and as such our chef’s pasta station sauces include classics like vodka sauce and pomodoro sauce, plus gourmet twists such as Italian sausage and pesto sauce, marscapone cheese and garlic cream, brandy mushroom sauce, seafood sauces, and the creamy, cheese top trend of wild mushroom and sage risotto, or Louisiana crawfish risotto, and more.
• A favorite station among our foodie wedding couples is the Asian station, including a sushi bar where attendants make hand rolls to order, or where guests can feast on chicken teriyaki dumplings or moo shoo duck hand rolls – again, unique dishes that guests may not order for their own dinners on the average visit to a local Asian restaurant.
• Additional cocktail party stations include: smoked fish displays including smoked salmon, gravlox, pastrami cured salmon and smoked trout and more; and a caviar station with several different top-grade caviars, blini, toast points and garnishes.

The cocktail party menu begins the celebration in fine style and with gourmet taste, delivering a new trend seen at weddings – people taking pictures of the cocktail party stations and hitting send to share the beauty and sumptuousness with their networks of friends and family far away. In our digital age, that’s quite a high compliment, among the many you’ll receive for your cocktail party menu collection.

Best,

Michael Mahle, Director of Communications, Pleasantdale Château

As you discuss your dream honeymoon locations as you begin to think about your getaway of a lifetime, it can be quite overwhelming once you see all of the beautiful island resorts throughout the world and as you hear about your friends’ amazing honeymoon experiences. As I write this, the world is buzzing about the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, speculating that the royal wedding couple may go on safari for part of their honeymoon.

With so many inspirations out there — so many Top 10 Travel Locale website articles and specials on travel channels, not to mention bridal websites’ honeymoon articles and their annual Top 10 picks for the perfect honeymoon location – it’s best to begin your honeymoon discussions by assessing what both of you wish for in your dream honeymoon experience.

Here are some style-setting considerations:

1. Tropical environment. It may be your dream to go to a 5-star tropical resort, sip pina coladas on the beach, swim with dolphins and sea turtles and listen to steel drum music by the pool

1. Overseas city environment. A growing number of our New Jersey wedding couples are headed to Italy for several weeks of touring the famous, historic cities and historic landmarks, not to mention enjoying the Italian cuisine and upscale shopping. A flight overseas may take you to a dream destination on any continent, perhaps even to visit with family and friends overseas.

1. Big-city environment. In this era of careful spending, more wedding couples are choosing honeymoon locations within the continental United States, planning their getaways for big cities such as New York City – with the couple staying in the finest hotel, enjoying fine dining, theater, shopping, the VIP experience. Many New Jersey wedding couples say they’re always bringing friends to visit the hotspots of New York City, but they have never checked into the finest city hotel or experienced celebrity-style luxury there before. Other big-city destinations for our local wedding couples include Los Angeles, Chicago, and especially New Orleans.

1. Celebrity-style casino environment. Our wedding couples from Morris County, Somerset County, Hudson County, Passaic County all the way down to Cape May County are now booking their honeymoons at the top Atlantic City casino hotels, bumping into celebrities at nightclubs, dining in fine restaurants, shopping, taking in concerts and shows, experiencing the VIP honeymoon treatment just a short ride away…eliminating the need for pricy airline tickets.

1. Adventure sports environments. Some honeymoon locations provide adrenaline-pumping adventures such as ziplining, mountain biking down a volcano, white water rafting, scuba diving and other activities that may play into your dream honeymoon experience.

1. Heritage environments. What better time to explore the homeland of your ancestors, and share the illuminating trip with your new spouse? This trend ties into my earlier mention of local wedding couples heading to Italy, as both an international city destination and a connection to heritage, and heritage-connection honeymoon locations may be anywhere across the globe. You might wish to visit all of your heritage hotspots during a several-stop trek or during a cruise through the Mediterranean or Caribbean.

Today’s lengthier honeymoons see wedding couples visiting several locales, perhaps visiting a big-city locale for a few days, then heading to an oceanfront resort for a beach-style honeymoon – giving both of you the chance to make your wedding location wishes come true.

Best,

Michael Mahle, Director of Communications, Pleasantdale Château

When the Mess the Dress photo trend first started, many people were shocked that any bride would subject her wedding dress to destruction. But we’ve come a long way from the days of brides sliding down muddy hills or smashing chocolate wedding cake against their skirts. The trend now is to arrange for artistic mess the dress photos, with the bride posing for magazine fashion spread-inspired stylistic images in the ocean surf or in other natural settings. The resulting mess to the dress is purely exposure to natural elements like sand or a grassy field; it’s the bride relaxing and not worrying about getting anything on her dress. The mess the dress photo sessions that our New Jersey wedding couples are booking with our preferred wedding vendors and other New Jersey wedding photographers work very much just like high-fashion photo shoots, complete with stylists, makeup artists, and pro photo teams with light reflectors and other professional photography equipment.

Wedding Photography

Before you worry about your wedding gown, keep in mind that many brides purchase second, often inexpensive, wedding gowns to be used in their mess the dress photos. Local brides purchase these gowns at NJ wedding gown shops’ sample sales and trunk sales, or through online auctions, choosing pretty styles that suit their vision for elegant and artsy mess the dress photos.

Here are some of the most popular styles and settings of mess the dress photos:

• On the beach, with the bride standing ankle-deep in the ocean surf, perhaps kicking some water, or holding her skirt up a bit and dancing in the surf. Since many of our New Jersey beaches have beautiful, fine sand as well as sparkling sandy beaches like Cape May’s, a popular beach photo is the bride simply walking barefoot along the water’s edge in the perfect sunlight to get those Cape May diamonds and sea glass pieces sparkling.
• Underwater shots, with the bride looking like a mermaid fully submerged, her hair flowing, the dress flowing.
• Field shots, with the bride walking, dancing or lying in a grassy field of flowers.
• Farm shots, which are especially popular with our New Jersey wedding couples who enjoy the natural atmosphere of our many New Jersey family farms. These photos may be posed in an apple orchard – perhaps with the bride perched in an apple tree, with an apple in her hand – in a pumpkin patch, sitting on top of an enormous hay bale or on a hay bale pyramid, even on horseback.
• In a tree, another favorite of our New Jersey wedding couples. They may invite their wedding photographer to their family home so that they may have photos taken of the bride and of themselves as a couple sitting in the same tree the bride may have climbed as a little girl.
• Snowy shots, with the bride playing in a fresh snowfall, or making snow angels, or a playful shot of the bride sledding down a hill in her full wedding regalia.
• Fall weather shots, with the bride playing among piles of colorful fall leaves, making the most of our beautiful New Jersey autumn foliage scenery and creating a colorful photo that may be displayed in the couple’s home.
• Painting the dress, a new trend in mess the dress photos, inspired by high-fashion’s recent showing of hand-painted dresses. New York City bridal gown designers have even opened their fashion shows with artists painting bridal gowns with watercolors, so brides are quite inspired to do the same with watercolor flowers and designs painted onto their dress’s skirt.
• Sitting on a vehicle. Some popular vehicles on which the bride may perch include classic cars and convertibles, perhaps the wedding-day limousine, and some brides ask permission to hop onto the back of a parked fire truck for a fun photo.

Mess the dress photos no longer raise eyebrows when they’re styled fashionably and when they reflect the bride’s love of the shore, or a farm setting, or when they capture the exuberance of her winter wedding. And many brides create flip photo books of their entire mess the dress photo sessions, finding these as pleasing and keepsake-worthy as their official wedding day photos.

Best,
Michael Mahle, Director of Communications, Pleasantdale Château