Wedding cakes are an important part of a couples reception. They represent tradition and good luck. Guests watch and smile as the newlyweds cut their cake in front of everyone and feed a small piece to one another in the center of the dance floor.  When I was little and went to a wedding, this was my favorite part of the reception and still is today.

The themes and flavors for wedding cakes today are countless. A couple can really show off their personalities with their cake or cakes. Some brides may have their wedding cake, but then surprise the groom with a cake that represents something such as the grooms favorite hobby or sports team. Other couples may go above and beyond with only one cake to really “Wow” their guests.  For our engagement party and my bridal shower, my cakes really made a great impression in looks and flavor. The compliments for both cakes were and continue to be endless. Now that we have set such a high precedence from previous celebrations, we knew that the wedding cake truly needs to stand out.

When it was time to discuss cake vendors, the Venetian offered two different bakeries in the Bergen County area. Well, when you grow up around here you already know who to choose without a doubt, and it’s none other than Palermo’s Bakery. I called and set up an appointment to choose our cake design and have a tasting. On a sunny Saturday me, Rob, and my mom all headed over to choose the perfect cake.

Palermo’s Bakery is one of the most popular and delicious bakeries in Bergen County. They have and continue to make cakes for many celebrities and high society events. Their outstanding cake designs and yummy flavors are hard to beat! Palermo’s cakes have been present at some very special occasions that  Rob and I have celebrated, including the day we got engaged and the day we bought our home. Now that  it’s time for the most important cake we will ever choose, we knew we had to go with the best. Since I always research everything ahead of time, I had already checked their website with Rob and had some different styles in mind. Once we got there my mom, Rob and I all loved the same one that we had never seen before. It was displayed in their cake showcase and was the perfect cake for us. As we waited, I knew we had found the cake that truly matches our wedding theme and even our venue style.

Within a few minutes, we were called over by an exceptional employee named Lidie. She discussed all the different styles that were available to us. There were so many choices and options, but I knew exactly what I wanted and it was the gorgeous cake in the case. Needless to say, I still listened to all my options and she showed us the cakes that were available with our contract from the Venetian. I looked through them all, and although each one was very beautiful, none of them were comparable to the cake I had fallen in love with already. As we were looking through the different options available, Lidie went to get us cake samples and coffee, which of course made Rob very happy.  When she returned there were twelve different awesome flavors and she described each of them to us. Me, Rob and my mom all picked up our forks without hesitation and tasted each one. Rob and I fell in love with two flavors, so we chose both. Then it was time to discuss cake design.

Lidie asked me if I knew what I wanted and I turned around and pointed to the cake in the case behind me. She began giving us all the information about that style cake and pricing. Lidie talked to the cake designer about exactly what we wanted, along with cake size and she then began writing up our contract. From there, everything was very easy and exciting. Rob was happy about having his coffee and cake and I was happy to have found a cake that I felt will be perfect for our wedding.

Lidie was so helpful, informative and patient with us and made the entire appointment a breeze. I was so happy leaving Palermos because I knew I found my dream wedding cake and that it is going to be perfect for the big day which is quickly approaching! I would highly recommend Palermo’s Bakery to everyone, especially brides, because you will truly have a great experience and beautiful cake. They can make anything your heart desires and you will leave feeling excited for the day your cake makes its debut.

Thank you to Lidie and Palermo’s Bakery! Rob and I are looking forward to seeing and tasting our wedding cake on June 16!

Two years ago today Rob popped the big question; “Will you marry me?!?” That was one of the most amazing days in our relationship and since then we have had so many great experiences. We have enjoyed doing all of the exciting and interesting things engaged couples do. When reflecting on the 24 months that have just passed, I realize we have had an incredible two-year engagement.

We have experienced: having an amazing engagement and a celebration with our immediate friends and family on the day I said “Yes!”, two engagement photo-shoots, visited a variety of wedding expos and vendors, had an unforgettable engagement party, enjoyed registering for gifts at Bed-Bath and Bloomies, planned and hosted our Bridal Party Tiki BBQ to announce our bridesmaids/groomsmen, bought our first home together, designed and bought furniture for our home, planned our Honeymoon, began shopping for our Honeymoon, and recently began house renovations and had my beautiful surprise bridal shower. All of these wonderful things have added to more amazing days in our relationship, along with a lot of overwhelming days. While everything we have done is happy and exciting, it does take a lot of energy, patience and love to do it all. Some things were easier and a lot of fun, while others were time-consuming and continue to be during the final days of planning and preparing for our wedding and home.

When a couple is engaged, they are not only planning a wedding, but putting together a whole new life that they have never experienced before. In a little over two months, this part of our journey will come to an end, and we will begin a new life as husband and wife. We both truly wanted to make sure to enjoy being engaged, while hopefully accomplishing all of the goals we set as a couple before our wedding day. It has not always been easy and it takes a lot of heart, dedication and hard work to do so much in a certain amount of time, but we both feel that we have definitely stuck to our plan and are almost at the finish line.

Rob and I can’t wait until June 16th is finally here, when we can reap all of the benefits of this two-year journey. Besides for the two of us, our parents have been an incredible support system and extremely helpful. We both know that we are exceptionally lucky to have such a loving and generous family along with the love we have for one another.

Recently Rob and I went to The Graycliff in Bergen County for what I thought would be a 65th birthday party.  We went with my parents and when we pulled up to the venue, an attendant asked us “Are you here for the birthday brunch?” We said “Yes” and parked in the direction she guided us to. As we walked in, we walked down a short hallway and Rob opened the door for me. The next thing I heard and saw were over 100 women standing there shouting “Surprise!!” Immediately I began to cry, which I swore I’d never do, and my mother-in-law came up to me and gave me a big hug and kiss.  Right next to me was Rob, laughing at how shocked I was and a few steps behind me were my parents. The only thing I could say to all my guests was “Thank you all!” I turned around to give my mother a huge hug and kiss and thanked her for the incredible day that was about to begin.

As I walked into the room and greeted all of my guests, I was trying to visually take in all of the décor. The shower’s theme was “rose garden” and everything was in beautiful spring colors such as: pink, gold, ivory and white.  My mom had designed it all and she did an amazing job!  The seating card table had a Manzanita tree arrangement with roses around the base, hanging crystals, balls of roses, and my future initials “RS.” There were some tall vintage style candle holders, votives, and pictures of Rob and me in frames adorned with pink crystals. A sign-in book, matching pen set, and the bridal shower invitation were also on this table.  Not too far from that was an amazing candy bar provided by The Finishing Touch. It was so adorable with yummy treats in pretty colors. It not only looked great, but it tasted great as well! Everyone loved it.

Every table setting had The Graycliff’s signature table charger and the chairs were covered with ivory linens and bows. On each charger were napkins with beautiful rose and pearl napkin rings. When it was time to use their napkins, almost everyone wore the roses as bracelets. I loved it because it looked like everyone had on a small rose corsage.

In the center of the table was a beautiful floral arrangement with roses and hydrangea in a clear vase and a thick pink ribbon around the vase, placed on top of round mirrored glass with votive candles.  There were also floating pink rose candles around the vase, and pink crystals were everywhere. The table numbers were placed on gold easels and matched the invitation. There were pink personalized pens that said “Rosemarie’s Bridal Shower” along with a bridal shower bingo game and famous couples game for each guest. All of the seats had the new (201)Bride Magazine on them, with a personalized ribbon bookmark that was placed on the page where Rob and I are shown in an engagement picture and used as examples for a “last name” article. The two tables where my mom and mother-in-law sat at were set up the same as the others, only they had taller vintage style candle holders, in replace of the floating rose candles.

The head table was set for the bride and bridal party. There were four floral arrangements, tall vintage candles, a gorgeous towel cake made by Stefanie, my MOH, a tulle bride and “Bridal Table” sign in place of a table number. A beautiful garden vintage book and a porcelain and lace rose pen were also on the table for Stefanie to use when it was time to open the gifts and write down what I received.  In front of the table was a chair that was decorated in tulle and roses on the front. I even loved the back of the chair so much because it had a short veil with crystals and longer veil with a brooch and white satin ribbon.  It was so elegant and sophisticated, I truly felt like a princess sitting in it when I was opening all of my gifts.

A table was next to our head table, and had another beautiful towel cake made by my future mother-in-law and Rob’s grandmother, along with a card box that matched my sign-in book, an adorable recipe box that guests were filling with cards they had received with the invite. There was also a cute jar with spring colored Hershey Kisses with small cards next to it for everyone to guess how many candies were in the jar.

My cake was a four-tiered Victorian themed cake with roses. Everyone loved the cake. It was delicious and it fit perfectly with the theme.

My maid-of-honor gave a beautiful champagne toast at the beginning of the shower and then it was time for the brunch which had an extensive and incredible variety of food. The unlimited Bellinis and Mimosas were also a yummy addition.

Opening my gifts was so much fun and everything was wrapped in clear and tulle with beautiful ribbons and bows. I was so shocked at the amazing gifts given to us by our immediate family members, my bridal party, our grandparents, our brothers and sister-in-law to be, and my future mother-in-law. Everyone put so much thought and effort into everything, and it truly showed. My mother gave an emotional speech before I opened her beautiful and heartfelt gifts.

The dessert tables were filled with The Graycliff’s Viennese selection along with some specialty items. Macaroons were specially ordered by my parents, my mother-in-law had ordered mini-cupcakes that I love because she remembered how much I had liked them at a party months before, and trays of Italian cookies were made by Rob’s grandmother.

I truly can’t put into words how happy I felt that day. Everything was just so incredible and I couldn’t believe it was actually happening. I have always dreamed of my bridal shower, but I never thought it would be as gorgeous as it was. I am so thankful to my mother and father for all their hard work and effort. I am also thankful for all the help given by my maid-of-honor Stefanie and my Aunt Laura. Thank you to my cousin Rosa for the adorable hat she made and to my bridal party who did a wonderful job helping me open all of my gifts because I know it must have been exhausting. I love you all! A bridal shower is an amazing time for a bride-to-be and when you have loving family and friends it makes everything even more special.

Wedding cinematography has truly evolved throughout the years. In the past, videos would be hours long and have few graphics, but today the options for a wedding video are endless. Some brides want their video to be a feature film, while others just want a preview. How is this possible? Well, depending on your personality some videographers are able to make your entire wedding day into one short trailer or preview. People will choose this option when they want a quick video to show others, without taking up too much time or having to constantly fast forward through the not so exciting parts. The wedding preview will focus on the main aspects of the day from the moment you put on your gown, to the traditional cutting of the wedding cake and everything in between. If this type of video is entirely too short for your taste, then there is more of a traditional style. This is edited to capture all the moments of your day and will showcase your guests a lot more than a shorter style film. Depending on your budget and video package, you may even want to do both.

After searching for about two months and receiving many price quotes, Abella Studios was the best choice for us. We loved the videos on their website and heard great things about the company from others. Abella Studios consists of cinematographers that are creative, experienced and modern. All of the qualities anyone would want in a company dealing with memories that will last a lifetime.

After all is done and the wedding becomes a distant memory, the video will be a wonderful reminder of the events that took place on our wedding day. It seems unconventional that a couple must think about what they want and need to remember their wedding once it is over, but in the world of marital planning worrying about what you need after the big day is as typical as worrying about what you need to do before and during it.

Every large production must be rehearsed to be sure things go as planned. Whether you realize it or not, your wedding day really is an actual production no matter how grand or intimate it is. There are musicians, officiates, a bridal party, guests, a caterer, a car service, florist, beautiful attire and much more. This is the day every bride wants to be perfect, so a rehearsal is a mandatory necessity. A wedding rehearsal is usually scheduled 1-2 days in advance before your big day.  The church or ceremony grounds that you choose will set this up with you. The rehearsal is important so that there is no confusion and every person who is involved in your wedding day ceremony will know their part. Bridemaids, groomsmen, parents, grandparents, readers and anyone else who may have any involvement in the ceremony will need to be at the rehearsal to know exactly what thy are expected to do, how to do it and when.

The night of the wedding rehearsal, there is also a rehearsal dinner. This dinner is hosted after everyone leaves the church or ceremony grounds. This is a nice time for everyone in the wedding, along with immediate family members involved, to get together and relax before the whirlwind of the wedding day. During the dinner, the bride and groom are also able to present any gifts they have for their bridesmaids, groomsmen and other family members or friends that are closely involved in their upcoming nuptials. This dinner should be very intimate and no one should let themselves feel stressed planning this small event. Although, you may feel some stress at the actual rehearsal when trying to get everyone and everything organized, the planning towards it should not be the reason why.

Rob and I have been given a date and time for our rehearsal from the church and we have also booked our rehearsal dinner. My mother-in-law will be hosting this pre-wedding event. We will be enjoying our dinner with friends and family  at Hamilton & Ward Steakhouse. This is one of our favorite restaurants and we even spent our Easter holiday there with both of our families last year. We wanted a completely different style of cuisine for the rehearsal dinner, given that the wedding is only 2 days later, so we opted for the classic steakhouse theme. We love going to Hamilton & Ward for dinner and we hope our guests will enjoy it just as much as we do.

I just want to take this time out to say “Thank you” to my soon to be mother-in-law for hosting this special dinner for us. We love you and are so happy and thankful for your generosity.