Don & Kate are friends with the maid of honor of a wedding I did last September. They have been such an easy couple to work. I honestly don't know how they manage to do everything that was going on in their lives. Kate just finished grad school, was looking for a job in Boston; Don was getting ready to start grad school at MIT and meanwhile, try to plan a wedding, pack, and get ready to go on their 2 months long honeymoon and pack for their move to Boston! Phew!
Accuweather told me it wasn't going to rain and it didn't! Although, it was one of the hottest days (90s) of the year and extremely humid. I think I had sweat through all my clothes the moment I stepped out of my car! The ceremony and reception were held at Billingsley Museum grounds in Upper Marlboro, MD, a plantation home from the 1660s and currently owned by Prince George's County Parks & Recreation. It has a breathtaking view of Patuxent River. The rental rate is very reasonable, have its own tables and chairs and a tent, and Sue, the house manager was very easy to work with. The grounds are beautiful with lots of photo ops.
Basikneads Catering provided the catering. I was a bit disappointed with my experience with Basikneads. I hadn't worked with them yet but was waiting for an opportunity. Our original sales person was Issac. Although I didn't deal with him often, he seemed a bit disorganized and unresponsive. He left and the person that replaced him, Lena was 10x better. However, for reason she did not disclose, she could not come to the wedding to ensure that everything will go smoothly. She assured me that the supervisor will take care of everything. When the catering team arrived, the supervisor didn't know which linens were suppose to go on which table and how many tables had been rented, even though all of this was thoroughly detailed in their own documentation. The supervisor said he didn't even have the timeline and kept looking to me to direct him. Later, I finally see him pulling out his own copy of the BEO. Hm. The food was their saving grace. Don & Kate did a Thai inspired menu as that is their honeymoon location. The food was great but I heard from several guests that the service was not up to par. Guests complained that some of the waiters did not speak English. They also ran out of silverware.
Melanie Swann provided beautiful flowers for event. DJ Red Clay from The Pros kept the dance floor packed (I've never heard anything good about The Pros but our DJ was pretty good; although looking back, I rarely saw the older guests dance. I don't think he played any oldies or slow songs.) Our photographer was Anh Tranh from Bella Photos. If the photos will be anything like the previews I saw, I think the photos will come out great. Anh was right in the thick of things during the reception, especially during the dancing. Just what I like to see from a photojournalist. He didn't just sit back and took photos from afar. Peter Brett of PeterBakes baked the most yummy cupcakes, along with one giant cupcake which Don and Kate cut as their ceremonial cake (Peter was the pastry chef at the Park Hyatt for 15 years). There were two different flavors and I think I could have eaten many more! He was really nice and stayed to help set it all up. Oh did I mention we had a bagpiper!
Another successful polaroid guestbook. Lots of fun pages!
The Billingsley Museum's tent lit up at night.
Escort card table. I ended up using the stones along with a shear ribbon to hold down the cards as it was a bit windy that day. Floral arrangement by Melanie Swan. Don's Mom made those cute candles.
Daylight view of the tent - a theme of black, white and pink.
A view of the Patuxent River (not a great picture since it was a bit hazy)
The best for last! Peter's cupcakes! See the extra large cupcake in the middle.eaTip: The guests sent Kate and Don off with sparklers. If you choose to do the same, make sure that it is OK with your venue. Second, have several candles available so people can light their sparklers within a timely manner. Third, have a metal bucket of sand ready for used sparklers. Better safe than sorry. Contact us and we can help you make sure your event is safe!
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