Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Berkshire-Lenox Tour & Design Challenge



I had the great pleasure of being invited to tour some amazing properties in Lenox, MA as part of a get to know the Berkshires trip. It is the perfect 2 hour getaway from the city and the charming, local kind of town you would want your wedding guests to experience. It is a cultural mecca, consider it a more refined Woodstock!

All the planners who came on the trip had the pleasure of being hosted by different B&B's and estates. I felt extremely honored to be a guest at The Winthrop Estate. The proprietors Jamie and Ethan Berg were the greatest hosts and have a level of service, style and sophistication that is infused in every detail of your stay with them. 



As part of our trip we were asked to participate in a design challenge inspired by an invitation set we received from Crane, who is actually local to the area. We used local rentals from Classical Tents and had flowers donated to us by Sea Groatt Riccardi, a local flower wholesaler. Also I pilfered amazing antiques and decor items from around Winthrop Estate as part of my table design and really wanted to reflect the Berg's enthusiasm for interior design in my concept.  Here's how it all came together!



This is a wood table in the foyer of the Estate and chairs from their music room. I kept the 2 lamps that were already on the table. The forest green napkins are from Classical Tents as are the gold rim plates and glassware. I added a olive colored ribbon a a napkin ring. The gold candlesticks and books are all items I picked up around the house. The silver candlesticks however I brought from home and are from IKEA! I love mixing metals! Also I added the black ribbon on the candlestick to soften the look a little and add a little whimsy. I mixed the colors of the candlesticks as well to give it a slightly more fashionable and contemporary vibe. For flowers I ordered eucalyptus which I'm obsessed with at the moment and white lilies along with some Salal and Ruscus leaves for fullness. I used an antique urn as a vase for the centerpiece!
HELPFUL TIP: Look around your house for items you can use to decorate a holiday table! You'll be amazed at what you can put together from things you already have lying around the house!

Jamie let me use their family heirloom silverware that has their monogram engraved in each piece!

  And a portrait of me sitting at my table. (Had I known we would be taking photos with us in it I might have splashed on a little make up!)

Additional thank you to:

Lisa Light of Destination Bride + Lenox Chamber of Commerce for organizing the event

and Lisa Vollmer for photographing my table design!

I hope to be sharing video and additional photos of my trip and tour of some of their amazing venues with you shortly!


Lisa Vollmer Photography: www.lisavollmer.com

Monday, November 21, 2011

Our holiday tips in Shape's November issue!

 

The holidays always tend to be a stressful time so we're offering a few tips on how to at least reduce the stress of entertaining!

Happy Thanksgiving all!



Also check out Shape Magzine's new iPad app. Download it for free and watch me explain some of my favorite party planning tips!