“Sophistication & Charm”
Mike and I met at a friend’s party. It’s a debate as to who made the first move, but soon after we went on our first date, to Devon on Rittenhouse Square. We visit Devon each year on the anniversary of our first date.
We’ve always wished on eyelashes we find on our cheeks. I would beg Mike to know his wish, but he would refuse to tell me, “Until I gave him one million kisses.” One beautiful September day, Mike suggested we go for a picnic. We took our dog, Cricket, for a walk and set up our blanket on a grassy spot overlooking the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We poured some wine and Mike suggested we take a picture. As we stood, Mike kissed me and said, “That was the millionth kiss.” He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Our parents and my sister, Whitney, appeared with champagne to celebrate, and the photographer Whitney and Mike had arranged was there to capture the entire thing!
With its sophistication, character and charm, Hotel du Village was the perfect place for our wedding. The grounds are spectacular and the unique estate is an experience. The small hotel allowed our entire bridal party and our parents to stay on-site and gave us that wedding weekend feel, something we thought only existed in movies! The planning experience was excellent.
The entire staff, especially Liza Stankowski, the event stylist, was extremely accommodating. Liza was intuitive, on top of every detail, and made sure we were happy and comfortable with every aspect of the planning and our wedding day. We selected beers of our choice, extended the dancing time, and had Philadelphia soft pretzels delivered. Christine Ayers, the chef, served me a special order of halibut in addition to the selected meal options offered to our guests. Valerie Gwin and Lauren Bartlett, our bridal attendants, were phenomenal. Allison Ricciardi, our maître d’, kept the night on schedule while ensuring we never felt rushed and enjoyed every moment.
Our ceremony, held at Trinity Episcopal Church, was personalized and meaningful. A moment we will never forget was when our Reverend had us turn around and look at all our guests. It was breathtaking to lock eyes with so many loved ones. Our cocktail hour at Hotel du Village was on the outdoor patio and in the historic ballroom. Shrimp cocktail was passed around as a special request from the groom, along with other favorites. Our specialty cocktail was a huckleberry mule, made with huckleberry vodka from a distillery local to one of our favorite vacation spots, Jackson Hole. We personalized our reception tables by naming them after locations meaningful to us, with photos representing those places. The tables were decorated with low bouquets placed on gold stands and filled with beautiful flowers of white and green. Various sized candles accented the centerpieces and a little sprig of rosemary on each place setting gave the room a fresh scent. Our sweetheart table had a more elaborate cascade of similar flower arrangements and behind us were two tall stands, reflecting a taller version of our guest table centerpieces.
Dinner began with a panzanella salad followed by red wine braised short ribs or a roasted free-range Amish chicken. Our sweet ending was our beautiful custom wedding cake, mini cannolis, crème brûlée, cheesecake lollipops, macaroons, and chocolate-covered strawberries! We are both big dancers, so the extra time for dancing was a must. Hotel du Village and our band were gracious in extending the music time to give us maximum time to party.
By the second song, Mike was on the microphone singing Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and the tone for the rest of the night was set! If our guests wanted to rest their dancing feet, the patio was open with fire pits for them to relax, talk, and enjoy s’mores by the fire.
So many people helped make our dream weekend come to life. Our parents, Jeff and Katie Bairstow, threw us an incredible night, and Regina and Paul Lynch gave us a wonderful rehearsal dinner. Thank you all so very much. We are forever grateful to Liza and the team at Hotel du Village for providing us with a flawless experience. Our florist, photographers, hair and makeup artists, band, and cinematographers all became like friends to us. To our bridal party, thank you for helping us celebrate all weekend long! We felt so loved.
Hotel du Village, New Hope, PA, call/text: 908.418.4186, landmarkvenues.com
“With its sophistication, character, and charm, Hotel du Village was the perfect place for our wedding. The grounds are spectacular and the unique estate is an experience. The hotel allowed our entire bridal party and our parents to stay on-site and gave us that wedding weekend feel. The planning experience was excellent.
