Tara and Matthew get Married!

Engagement photography by Philip Gabriel.

Last Saturday, Duyen and I had the pleasure of working Tara and Matthew's big wedding day!

I first met Tara and Matthew at a cute coffee shop in Philadelphia. They were interested in Day of Coordination services. A few months later, they upgraded to full service, so I was able to be with them every step of the way of their planning.

Tara and Matthew are such a wonderful couple, who really complement each other's personalities. They're both beautiful inside and out, yet do not take themselves too serious, so they're fun and it's obvious their friends think so too! They had a guest count of almost 200 people, and their wedding party was pretty large.

It was such an honor to work with them, and get to know them and their families.

Without further ado, please enjoy my iphone pictures... more images to come from Philip Gabriel.

Ceremony was held at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Lindenwold, NJ. A beautiful church, and the staff there were great! The ceremony was officiated by Matthew's family priest, Monsignor Youtz of Lancaster, PA. All flowers on pews and alter were provided by Domenic Grazianos.



The first thing the guest were to see when entering the ballroom was this foyer centerpiece. It really was a WOW piece (once all the votives were lit). This table was first the card and gift table and plate/sign, and later transformed into a very busy candy buffet!

Tara and Matthew opted to go with high centerpieces for each table - 18 tables! Tammy from Domenic Grazinons worked REALLY hard to achieve the look they were going for. Peacock feathers, leukadendrons, lilies, delphiniums, orchids, and hydrangeas were all part of this elaborate centerpiece. Each centerpiece was pinspotted, in addition to a dance floor breakup lighting, and uplighting, all provided by the great guys at Synergetic Sound.

The adorable menu was placed inside a pocketfold napkin, cocoa cameron napking, on top of the latte bengaline - linens provided by Select Event Rentals. These two linens were used throughout the cocktail and reception to tie the decor together.

They had their table numbers done in Calligraphy by Michael. The table number holders are from Crane and Co.

Another close up of the centerpieces.

The mother of the groom, Stella, wanted to surprise Tara with an additional arrangement for the escort card table, also provided by Domenic Grazianos. The escort cards were little envelopes by Crane and Co, calligraphy done again by Michael, who does beautiful work.

We had some great vendors for their wedding, and everything went off without a hitch. A successful event really relies on good communciation between all vendors, and this wedding was a great example of that.

Vendor Round Up:

Full Service: cHill Weddings, LLC

Flowers: Domenic Grazianos

Ceremony Venue: St. Lawrence Church

Reception Venue: Woodcrest Country Club

Photographer: Philip Gabriel Wedding Photography

Videographer: Janis Productions

Lighting: Synergetic Sound and Light

Band: Barry Warren

Rentals: Select Event Rentals

Calligraphy: Michael at mjwcallig@comcast.net

Transportation: ETA Worldwide

On Monday, I received the sweetest email from the Groom's Mother, Stella:

Dear Christina:

Well, everything went so smoothly on Saturday – thanks to your planning and attention to detail! Your calming presence allowed the bride and groom to enjoy their wedding. The whole day was just perfect for Tara and Matthew. Everyone had a wonderful time. The ballroom at the county club looked so elegant, and the flowers were spectacular. Please let Tammy (the florist) know that we received a multiple of compliments on the floral arrangements.

I’ll forward you some photos when we get them.

Our sincerest thanks and best wishes for cHill Weddings continued success,

Warmest regards,
Stella and Peter Faranda-Diedrich

Thank you to the families of Tara and Matthew, and special congratulations and thanks to the newlyweds, Tara and Matthew! Hope you are having the time of your life in Jamaica!