Jackie and Nathan gets married!

As a wedding planner, it is my job to care about the details, schedules, and other things that normal people wouldn't really care about.  But I feel like it's my job to remind them that sometimes these little details don't matter, and what really does is that you're marrying your best friend, and that you will have all your friends and family there to witness it. 

Jackie and Nathan's beautiful celebration of marriage reminded me of what is most important about weddings.  It's not the flowers and the food, but it's the company and the memories.

I first got a call from Jackie, who was referred to me by the awesome Kelly from the Down Town Club.  Jackie told me that she was leaving the country the next day, so we'd have to meet in February when she returned.  Little did I know that everything was going to change for them and their wedding plans.

Shortly after they returned, their original June wedding date was pushed up to March, and Jackie and Nathan planned their wedding in a few short weeks.  I remember those few weeks being crazy.  Jackie and Nathan were going their friends' weddings on the weekends and living at home to be with her father during the week.  I remember going to her parents house for a meeting and they had literally just pulled up to the house from a weekend away for a wedding.  Despite everything they were going through, they were both so amazingly graceful.  She was incredibly strong and later at the wedding, I would see that it was a trait that ran in the family.

So the time came and it was wedding day.  It was a rainy Sunday in March, and I came to the hotel room with Cindy Guessford and Jen Cleary, her second shooter.  It was calm, and I remember thinking that this day will go smoothly even if it kills me.

Jackie bought her gown in Thailand during her trip with Nathan.  I think he may have been the first groom to actually see the dress before the wedding. 

The ring shot is on a book of Philadelphia found in Jackie's Omni hotel room.

Much of the day was up in the air.  Her father did make it to the wedding, but he rested in a private room and came out when he was ready.  We knew this day was very important to him, so we wanted to do all the special moments when he was able to watch. 

The ceremony was a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony.  Nathan's sister is a rabbi and she officiated the ceremony alongside Jackie's rabbi that was present at her bat mitzah years before.  I love Jewish wedding ceremonies and one of my favorite details is the walking down the aisle with both parents.

It really is a wonderful way to pay respects to both your parents in raising you, by having them escort you down the aisle together.

The highlight of the night was when her father stood up from his wheelchair to dance with his daughter on her wedding day. 

It was such a touching moment and there wasn't a dry eye in the touch.  This wedding was a very joyous day but it was also a day rooted with deep emotions.  To see all their friends and family come to be a part of this wedding in such short notice was a testament to the relationships Jackie, Nathan, and their families keep in their lives.

The evening ended with prayer and prayer books (Benching).  Nathan's younger brother stepped in and led the prayer.  All guests are encouraged to pull their chairs up to the bride and grooms table.  Red and White are poured into separate glasses, then poured together to symbolize creation of new life.  The bride and groom then each drink from this glass of combined wine. 

This amazing day was made possible by the wonderful vendors on hand.

Thank you to Cindy and Jen for the beautiful images from this wedding.  They had the hard job of capturing all the moments of the day. A lot of my vendor friends are awesome, but Cindy really floored me with her professionalism and creativity.

Also, thank you to Papertini for coming in in such short notice and creating the chuppah and the centerpieces.

Her and her team were true profectionists and their work was great.

Special thanks to the Downtown Club for being so accomodating.  Their staff and event coordinators are so easy to work with.  Always a great time to be had at their venue.

And of course, very sincere thanks from the bottom of my heart to Jackie and Nate for allowing me to be a part of your day! 

In memory of Dr. Martin Cohen.

Jasmin and Steve's Wedding Part Two

So you saw part one here...

Here's part two!  And you can see how awesome Jasmin and Steve's wedding was!

Jasmin and Steve decided to do a first look instead of doing pictures after the ceremony, which is the more traditional route.

I understand why some couples decided to go the traditional route, but the anticipation of seeing each other before the ceremony is still great, and your wedding planner and your photographers can set it up so it's romantic and private.

Seeing each other beforehand really helps settle those nerves leading up to the ceremony and it also gets your pictures out of the way so you don't have to miss cocktail hour!  Also, depending on the time of the ceremony, it may be too dark to take pictures outside afterwards, so planning ahead guarantees great pictures outside.

The ceremony was held outside.  Here is Jasmin being escorted by her lovely mother.

What a beautiful picture!  I love watching guests expressions as they see the beautiful bride walk down the aisle.  It's usually the first tears of the day.  The groom smiling and beaming is always so wonderful.  It's also at this point, that I, as a wedding planner, high five my assistants because "WE DID IT!"  From here on out, it's just managing time until clean out.

I LOVE her dress.

This part is usually one of my faves as well. Being announced the first time as husband and wife (or husband and husband, or wife and wife) is so beautiful to me! 

The dinner was supposed to be held outdoors, with dancing under the tent, but do to the weather, we had to move everything under the tent.  The ceremony and cocktail hour was outside, so I consider that a success!

Natasha, Sara, and Duyen worked their butts off hanging up those lanterns. 

But I think they look great and it really added to their overall look.

Looks like it was a fun party! Kim of No Macarena kept the music going all night.

Thank you to Margaret of Unusually Fine Photography for the awesome images!

And thank you to Appleford and Robert Ryan Catering for the beautiful venue and wonderful catering!
Part three is next with some great detail shots!

Jasmin and Steve's Wedding - Pre Ceremony

On May 22nd, cHill Weddings was busy!  Christina was out with Sarah at the Sofitel for Jamie and Lynn's wedding, while Natasha and Sara was at Appleford for Jasmin and Steve's wedding.

Sadly for us here at cHill Weddings, this was Natasha's last wedding. Hopefully this won't be the last time we see her!  I'll be doing a post soon about her other business venture!

Special thanks to the amazing Margaret of Unusually Fine Photography.  We just wrote about them recently about their contest!

Without further ado, I present to you Jamin and Steve's wedding!

Okay... I want these shoes.  Jasmin, I'm coming over to steal these!


Appleford is a gorgeous venue, where Jasmin and Steve had their ceremony and reception.  I'm a lover of old homes, especially homes made with stone.

Here Jasmin is wearing the right shirt the morning of her wedding.  Wear a button down shirt so it is easier to take off without ruining your hair and makeup!*

I love love love this first look picture.  I'm a big fan of dimples!

I really loved Jasmin's gown.  It's always so refreshing to see brides wear something different.  She didn't wear the traditional veil and donned a flower instead (cool!) and had little sleeves with her sweetheart neckline gown.  I love again.

I think at this point, it may have just stopped raining... There were thunderstorm warnings left and right in the Philly area that day.  Around 4pm, Tasha texted me to let me know that cocktail hour was scheduled to move outside! 

Part Two will be coming shortly! Stay Tuned!

*True story: I think my sister cut or ripped my tank top off of me because I completely spaced and wore a tank top instead of a button down shirt. 

Wedding in Center City Philadelphia- Part One

I had the amazing opportunity to assist Christina with Jamie and Lynn’s wedding on May 22^nd in Philadelphia. Jamie and Lynn were such a great couple to work with and truly wanted the best for their friends and family on their special day. Their strong family values were incorporated throughout the ceremony. Their wedding was not just a joining of two people but, a joining of two families. You could really see their deep commitment for each other and I wish them the best!

Jamie’s shoes were a perfect match for her simple elegant dress

Jamie’s dress was absolutely stunning! Her all lace dress fit her like a glove and complemented her petite figure perfectly.

Doesn’t everyone look amazing!?! The deep purple of their bridesmaid dresses looked beautiful on each and every one of them. Papertini, the florist, did such a great job at putting together their bouquets. Roses are such a timeless classic.

This photograph was taken right outside the Sofitel where the reception was held. Inku from inkuphotography was their photographer and did such a great job at capturing the excitement and fun throughout their day.

Inku had everyone walk down the street to beautiful Rittenhouse Square for some actions shots. I love how Jamie and Lynn stand out in this photo. It looks like Jamie has a glow around her!

You never know what will be going on in Rittenhouse Square! This young boy was playing his violin and it made for a great opportunity for the couple to share a dance. The videographer was Darrell from Aubert Films. I’m sure he loved capturing this moment on film!

This photo was taken outside a small restaurant named Tria. It began to drizzle a little during the photo shoot but I’m almost glad because the umbrella was such a good prop to use! Luckily, the rain stopped before the ceremony began and held off for the rest of the evening.

The cake looked so yummy! I loved how minimal the decorations were, it really made it look chic. Besides serving cake, the couple had traditional Korean rice cakes called Dduk for the guests to munch on.

Jamie and Lynn decided to have a traditional Korean Paebaek ceremony at their reception. This was such a treat for me to watch because I had never seen one before. Everyone came into the foyer of the Sofitel to watch while Jamie and Lynn entered wearing the traditional attire called hanbok. Both Jamie and Lynn’s parents took turns sitting across from the newlyweds as they carried out the ceremony. My favorite part was when the couple had to throw chestnuts and dates to see how many children they were going to have. I don’t remember the exact number but by the time the ceremony ended the number was well past fifteen!!

The ceremony was followed by some great music from Magical’s, Tom the DJ! He got everyone up on their feet and dancing and kept it that way until the end of the night!

Jamie and Lynn had such a great wedding! I’m so happy that my first wedding with cHill weddings and Christina was with such a gracious couple!

Congratulations to Jamie and Lynn!

Vendor Roundup

Wedding Planner- Christina Hill of cHill Weddings, LLC

Florist- Papertini

Cake- Sofitel
Photographer- Inku Photography

Ceremony Music/ DJ- Magical Sight & Sound (Tom)

Videographer- Aubert Films(Darrell)

Placecards- Jasmine Lee
Programs- Dulcetta Designs, LLC
Invitations - White Aisle

Ceremony- The First Baptist Church

Reception- Sofitel Philadelphia

Paebaek Ceremony- Bidulki Judon (Jessica)

Parking- Patriot Parking 1616 Chancellor St.

Special thanks to Inku for providing us with the awesome pictures! We can't wait to see more images for our later posts. 

Wedding in NJ - Tara and Matthew - Part One

I am so happy to share with y'all one of my favorite weddings of 2009.  This update is long overdue on my part, but I also wanted to make sure I do it right!

Special thanks to the talented Gabriel and G2 of Philip Gabriel Photography for sharing these images with us!

Last year, I met with Tara, a nurse, and Matthew, an attorney, at a little coffee shop in Philadelphia.  We chatted for a while, and they said they need help with day of services.  Of course, I was happy to help.

A few months later, the mother of the groom, Stella, called and said she wanted to hire me for full service to help her son and her future daughter in law, and the first order of business would be flowers.

I learned they met down at the Jersey Shore a few years back.  They don't really resemble anyone from the show Jersey Shore; Tara is so much prettier than Snookie!

I had a great time working with Tara and Matthew because they were down to earth and just so sweet overall.  To be quite frank, I've been blessed with the most grateful clients who are genuinely sweet and so generous, and cHill!  It's nice to work with people who really can trust you to help them achieve the wedding they want.  And Tara and Matthew did just that, and the wedding was great, and the party was fun!

Here is Matthew looking dapper!  Don't call him Matt... because that's what people step on.

Matthew was one of the best grooms I've worked with, because he was great in communicating with me and expressing what Tara and he needed or wanted.  He was involved with the planning, and even included his parents and his sister in law to some our meetings.  He's funny, smart, and down to earth.





Tara is a sweetheart and gorgeous inside and out.  I loved getting emails from her because she made me feel special and not like just a planner.  She must also be a great loyal friend because they had a large wedding party, and I remember her congregating with her girlfriends throughout the wedding chatting and being there for them.  The wedding wasn't just about the bride; it was about her new husband, her family, and friends.

Ah Stella!  Sometimes working with parents of the couple can be difficult because they love to push their opinions or be judgemental, or they are just not involved at all.  Stella was not like that.  She called me a few times to express her concerns about making sure Tara and Matthew (and especially Tara) were making decisions based on what they wanted, not because they were being pushed by vendors or anyone else.  She hired me because she knew I could help and guide them without influencing them.  Smart lady!

Tara got ready in her parents home with all the girls in her wedding party, including the flowers girls.  When I was going through Gabriel's images of their wedding day, I noticed there were a lot pictures of Tara helping the flower girls with their dresses.  They were such sweet pictures, and a great example of how giving Tara is.  Even though it's her wedding day, and most brides like to be pampered and not lift a finger, she helped these little girls get ready too.

But of course, Tara is the bride afterall, and indeed received some special attention.  I loved this image because her future sister in law was placing the veil on her.  While they were planning their wedding, Matthew's brother and sister in law had a baby girl!  And Tara and Matthew bought a home together nearby.  When I went to visit their house for one of our last meetings, I was jealous that they were able to be so close to their brothers and sisters and parents.  (Move back to the east coast Mama and Papa cHill!)

Their wedding day will be broken down into three parts.  This post is Part One (see post title). :)

Part Two willl be portraits and Part Three will be details.  I hope you'll come back to visit to read more about their fabulous wedding!