Friday, November 12, 2010

Belle Turned Bride: How They Met



For the entire duration of our relationship Spencer has been exposed to weddings more than your average boyfriend. To say he is a good sport is an understatement. His football Sundays are often spent with a girlfriend on the sofa cutting out pictures from Martha Stewart’s latest for “inspiration” folders. In the summer our small dining room becomes a design workshop complete with the majority of Michael’s inventory. A stack of wedding magazines left on the coffee table was never considered a “hint” in our relationship. Spencer was doomed from the start.

Let’s rewind a few years…

We met at a bar, in Southie.

{Southie - n. a working class Irish American neighborhood of Boston, probably known most famously for being Whitey Bulger’s former digs; or for being the memorable back drop in 97’s Good Will Hunting. More recently it has become a popular neighborhood among recent college grads and young professionals from the “burbs”.}


Perhaps it was not the most romantic of beginnings, but my parents also met in a bar and have been happily married for over thirty years. They met at Cheer’s in Boston, “where everybody knows your name”. On the night we met, Spencer wanted to know my name, so I think it is fair to say that from the very beginning we were destined to follow in the footsteps of my parents.

Three years later what began as a bad pick up line at the local watering hole is about to become a marriage and we couldn’t be more excited! Spence is a genuinely kind, loving, funny and all around great guy, (a regular catch if I do say so myself). I cannot wait to marry him. Instinctively the inner planner in me also cannot wait to throw (and create) the party of the year…and so, the moment he slipped that beautiful diamond ring on my finger, the transition from “Belle” to Bride began.

This blog will follow our journey during the whirlwind of the year to come; because with an exuberant “YES!” I made it all so very official…this Wedding Belle is getting HITCHED!!!!


Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Belle Turned Bride: A New Series

Meet Emily Griffin

Emily is a wedding and event planner with The Wedding Belle. She has a passion for design and event coordination which is sure to come in handy because Emily just got ENGAGED!!! We, at The Wedding Belle are so incredibly thrilled for our fellow Belle! Emily has been planning and assisting with weddings for 3 years, so she will have no problem honing in on her desires for her big day... or will she? Stay tuned because you get to find out!

Emily will be using this blog as her bi-weekly journal to talk about planning her wedding, starting this week! Hear from an industry insider about everything from her engagement story to choosing a venue, a date, a dress! You name it, Emily will be talking about it. Watch for her post on Thursday about how she and her fiance Spencer got engaged in Italy.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

We want to be your friend!

We have a contest going on Facebook! Our 400th fan gets a $50 gift card to one of our favorite vendors, Joya Beauty! Hurry up and "like" us before it's gone...






Sunday, September 19, 2010

Melissa & Bernie's Wentworth Country Club Wedding- Newcastle, NH

Bernie and Melissa's country club wedding was beautiful, romantic and extremely tailored to who they are as a couple. They tastefully personalized each and every detail of their wedding and reception, with every detail having certain significance to them, including the date the event was held: September 11th. Melissa and Bernie's optimism and positive outlook on life led them to choose the date because they felt it would be a great way to associate the day with something good and as a symbol of the idea that something positive can grow from something dark and difficult.

The day went off without a hitch, and the weather could not have been more perfect for their tented seaside reception. Congratulations to you both, Bernie and Melissa! A much deserved, wonderful day (with some seriously great dancing to top it all off)!
























Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Follow Up: March Bridal Show Scam

Here is an update on the bridal show scam that we discussed here on the blog March 5th. To view our original post, click here.


Alleged mastermind of wedding-fraud scheme arrested
July 27, 2010

Federal authorities say they have arrested the mastermind of a scheme that defrauded hundreds of wedding-industry vendors who registered for a heavily advertised bridal show at the Hynes Convention Center in March but turned out to be a sham.

Karen Tucker, 47, of Pittsburgh, was arrested today in the Pennsylvania city and charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to the office of US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz in Boston. She allegedly also staged similar schemes in at least five other states.

In the Hynes episode, Tucker and an uncharged co-conspirator pretended to be a company called The Boston 411 that heavily promoted a bridal show that was supposed to take place on the weekend of March 5, according to prosecutors. Tucker and her co-conspirator claimed in advertisements that thousands of would-be brides and grooms planned to attend the show, which was a lie.

Based on those promotions, about 100 to 200 wedding-industry vendors paid $350 to $4,000 each to operate booths at the show, Boston Police Detective Steven Blair said in March.

Federal authorities said the conspirators used the money to pay for their own expenses. The affidavit also alleges that Tucker was involved in similar scams, with varying degrees of success, in Miami, Las Vegas, Baltimore, Dallas, and Columbus, Ohio.

"This alleged scheme targeted the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and cost many small businesses thousands of dollars,'' Ortiz said in a statement." Thanks to the tremendous cooperation between the FBI and the Boston Police Department, we were able to unravel a scheme that had a large impact, with victims that spanned across the country.''

Tucker is to make her first appearance in US District Court in Pittsburgh this afternoon and is expected to be extradited to Boston later, said Christina DiIorio-Sterling, a spokeswoman for Ortiz.

If convicted of the charges, Tucker faces up to 22 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Bill & Joy's White Mountain Celebration

Joy and Bill held their wedding at the picturesque Sunset Hill House in Sugar Hill, NH. With spectacular views and beautiful gardens, their romantic ceremony and reception were perfectly accented by the natural beauty of the venue. Guests enjoyed the incredible views of sunset over the mountains and later, as they danced the night away beneath the covered porch, a spectacular lightning storm topped off the evening. Congratulations to Joy and Bill, we wish you all the best!





The Belles (Rachael, Leslie, Kaitlynn) during setup.


Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Jackie & Chris: My Big Fat Greek Wedding...Wentworth Style!

Jackie and Chris held their July 10th wedding at Wentworth by the Sea Hotel in New Castle, NH. Leslie would like to personally thank Jackie and Chris for allowing her to not only design their wedding, but to be a part of their extended family throughout the entire process. Jackie and Chris, you were an absolute pleasure to work with and so amazingly in love! We wish you all the best and lots of beautiful children! Congratulations!

Jackie's bouquet by Ambrosia Gardens.

Jackie and Chris held a very powerful and moving ceremony at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral- Manchester, NH.

Wentworth ballroom at the start of the day.

LED lights and gel beads lit the centerpieces in an icy blue tone.

Jackie was thrilled when she first saw the reception space.

Signs adorned Jackie and Chris's seats at the reception.

Jackie was glowing as she admired the details of her reception with Leslie.

Note the custom-designed monogram by Signed, Sealed, Delivered that was projected on the dance floor.

The intricate cake by Jacques Pastries involved many layers of different shapes. Again note the custom monogram cake-topper.

Fantastic lighting set the mood throughout the celebration.

Panorama of the Wentworth ballroom by Focus Photography.

Jackie and Chris used lovely, small, corked glass bottles as escort cards, and each bottle contained a personal message from the bride and groom to their guests. Along the same theme, a lobster trap was used as a unique card box.

Thank you, Chris and Jackie, for allowing us to be a part of your special day and congratulations from all of us at The Wedding Belle!
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