Piano, organ and vocals from Liszt, Blake and Saint-Saens provided heavenly music for yesterday’s wedding at The Historic Old Church in downtown Portland. Giant tissue blossoms (made by the bride) decorated the aisle and the altar. After exchanging vows, Jennifer and Tom sang If I Had Words to each other and then invited the audience join in. At the reception, guests were treated to a delicious farm fresh menu prepared by the groom. The choices ranged from chicken tea sandwiches and mini-baked potatoes w/crème fraiche to maple syrup bacon crackers w/candied walnuts. Also served were yummy gluten-free cheese puffs baked by the bride’s mom. The couple met in the PSU Music Department and have been together for 12 years. They reside in Beaverton where Jennifer teaches music and Tom is exploring a catering business. Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Colett. May the sweet music of your wedding day echo in your hearts forever.
Category: Music
Connecting Brides to a Mission
A Festive Heart is proud to partner with Adorned in Grace and their new Grace Note$ program. Every bride that makes a wedding purchase at the shop receives a Grace Note$ card with exclusive discounts from select wedding vendors. There are 16 categories offering a wide range of services from beauty products to venues. Best of all, Grace Note$ supports the efforts to promote prevention and raise awareness of human trafficking in Portland and beyond. Did you know that human sex trafficking is the largest growing organized crime on the planet? And it’s happening in our neighborhoods. Adorned in Grace provides a simple yet powerful way to help the cause. The store is staffed and managed by volunteers. The lease is provided for by Fred Meyer. All the gowns are donated. (And we’re talking exquisite designs, sizes 2 to 22, starting at $100). All donations are accepted with gratitude and what can’t be sold goes to their Design Studio where at-risk teens are taught valuable repurposing skills. Gowns worn with love … donated with love … supporting a mission of love. Make it your first place to shop and make a difference! Click here for store information.
Weddings on the Water Showcase
Come experience a wedding on the water. Actually, make that FOUR weddings. During the floating bridal showcase being held on November 9th you can tour the Portland Spirit, the Willamette Star, the Sternwheeler and the Crystal Dolphin to see all the possibilities. Each boat will feature a different themed wedding reception complete with bride and groom, flowers, caterers, decor and more. I’ll be aboard the Portland Spirit representing Adorned in Grace, the nonprofit bridal shop that is dressing all four brides for the event. Hope to see you there! Click here for details and registration.
Romantic Vista for Summer Wedding
Black, white and peridot were the colors chosen to create the sophisticated fun of yesterday’s wedding at the Oregon Golf Club in West Linn. The ceremony was held in the scenic rose garden under sunny skies. Romantic violins provided the program music as Natalie and Jonah became husband and wife. As a symbol of unity, the newlyweds placed their vows in a keepsake box and locked it with a key. Both the key and the box will have a place of honor in their home. After the ceremony, guests enjoyed drinks on the veranda before dining on grilled salmon, beef sirloin, asparagus and wedges of butter leaf lettuce dressed with gorgonzola and bacon. A cold seafood bar featured crab legs, jumbo shrimp and oysters on the half shell. A highlight of the reception menu was the elaborate sweets table that included handmade truffles, fruit tarts and white chocolate skeleton keys. Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Nelson. May life hold nothing but beautiful vistas for you both!
Here Comes the Bride – 13k of them!
There were 13,960 weddings in the PDX metro area in 2012.* That’s a wow of vows! Since June is the official kick-off of wedding season, I thought I’d share a few numbers on what is being spent on nuptials. You don’t need to see the charts to guess the number one expense: food. There’s no shortage of ways to spend the bucks for reception menus. Based on the average size reception of 140 guests; simple, appetizers only average about $4k with full dinners going upwards of $10k. Tack on the bar, the cake and the rehearsal dinner and you can see how the dollars add up. After how it tastes, brides care about how it looks. Diamonds truly do appear to be a girl’s best friend. No. 2: the engagement ring (wedding band is extra). Average starting price was $3k with higher end bling going for upwards of $9k. Reception venue came in at No. 3 with a price tag average of $2500 up to $6k depending on location and package. The wedding dress and photographer round out the top five expenses.
So, is anything going DOWN in spending? Well, music for one. Only 25% of couples now choose to use a live band resulting in a savings of between $1500 to $3k. DJ’s provide favorite tunes starting at less than half of that. And it’s not in the report, but I know more brides are on the DIY track opting to be creative with invites, favors and decor. My take on all of this? I’ve yet to hear a bride say “I wish we had spent more money on our wedding.” And how many times does this come up in conversation? “That basil chicken rice pilaf at Jan’s wedding was the best I’ve ever had!” Enjoy your day but spend wisely. It doesn’t take a bank roll to create magic. Speaking of curbing expenses, watch here for announcement on NEW package deals for savvy brides.
*Source for numbers: Proprietary Surveys; The Wedding Report Inc.2013
Haste to the Wedding
Celtic Harp music has been around since the 10th century and although it has had its rise and fall in mainstream popularity, it remains a top choice for weddings. The versatile harp can produce sounds as soft as angel’s wings for processionals, joyful tunes for recessionals and lively jigs for the reception. The music works for small intimate ceremonies as well as mega gatherings. Popular with brides and harp lovers everywhere since its debut in 2000, Haste to the Wedding by Ann Roos presents a a wonderful array of choices for your special day. The gifted harpist released the CD in 2005 and it comes beautifully packaged with a 48-page hardcover book that includes recipes, Celtic toasts, blessings and more. Makes a perfect wedding gift for yourself or a loved one. Click here to read more about the album and listen to sample tracks.
Wedding Music
Looking for just the right music for walking down the aisle? You can’t go wrong with Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks. And this recording by Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields is one of the best. Whether you are using a DJ or playing your own CD’s – keep this one in mind. Track 1 is perfect for the processional. This recording also includes Handel’s Water Music and just about any of that suite works well for your recessional. I especially like Tracks 9 through 11. Listen to samples and enjoy!
Beautiful Wedding Music
Inspired choices for your ceremony. This is a wonderful collection of classical favorites – all beautifully arranged and performed. Handel, Vivaldi, Pachelbel and more. Perfect for helping you choose just the right music for your processional and what to play as guests arrive. Lovely for home listening, too.
A FESTIVE HEART 