Style Alert

By Roman Bienkiewicz, Banquet Manager, The Manor

The unthinkable has happened – no, your groom didn’t get cold feet. But you think this is almost as bad. You – or a now mortified guest – has spilled something on your wedding dress. The first rule of spills: Don’t panic. Making a scene won’t help. But there are a few simple steps that can. First of all, realize that you probably won’t get the stain out during the reception, but you can treat it so that it won’t set permanently. Chalk is great for covering stains on a wedding dress. For example, the bride traditionally takes photos outside, and sometimes nature leaves its mark on her dress. That’s the kind of fabric blemish simple white chalk can fix. Make sure you or one of your bride’s maids has some ready just in case. Red wine, lipstick and ink can also end up on a wedding dress. Here’s how to deal with each:

Red Wine: The chances of a red wine stain happening are quite high, so remember these basic steps. Dab the stain with a clean cloth. Club soda (or water in a pinch) can be poured generously on the stain. Dab again, but don’t rub vigorously.

Lipstick: Kissing is common at weddings. And some mothers-in-law wear more lipstick than others. If for some reason you get lipstick on your dress, ask the maitre d’ or your bridal assistant to get some baking soda from the kitchen. Apply it generously to cover the stain. It will mask the stain until your dry cleaner can carefully get it out.

Ink Stain: Though less likely than the lipstick or red wine stains, ink stains are possible nonetheless. Good news – the solution should be readily available in the bathroom! Hairspray does the trick. First test the hairspray on a nondescript part of your dress to make sure it doesn’t stain (some hairsprays don’t work well with certain fabrics). Then put a clean cloth behind the fabric where the stain is and spray the ink stain carefully. Wait a few minutes then dab gently with a damp cloth.

Thanks!

Roman

By Laura Madden, Senior Sales Manager, Pleasantdale Château
Remember playing the daydreaming game, “He loves me, he loves me not?” Well, if he’s marrying you, he obviously does love you, but some brides-to-be play a version of this game with their bouquets: they put so much attention and thought into them, they ask themselves, “Should I or shouldn’t I toss my real bouquet?”

Be that as it may, it’s smart to spend time planning your bouquet. And invariably the first question that comes up is, “What size should the wedding bouquet be?” The answer depends on a number of things. And the flowers you want to use aren’t the only consideration. Your size and, believe it or not, even your strength – no, not so you can toss the bouquet across the room – are important factors to consider, as well. The size of the wedding bouquet should be appropriate to the size of the bride. Petite brides could get lost behind an overly large bouquet, while a larger bride could make some bouquet arrangements look undersized. And consider your strength – You’ll be holding the bouquet for a long time, so you don’t want a bouquet that’s going to seem like a lead weight after a few minutes.

And let’s not forget the boutonniere for the gentleman. A smaller flower for the guy is a must. Keep the boutonniere a modest size. I’ve seen some grooms parties where the men look like they’re wearing corsages. For bouquets and boutonnieres alike, size does matter.

Have a great day!

Laura

By Laura Madden, Senior Sales Manager, Pleasantdale Château
Bill Idol was right – it is a nice day for a white wedding. But the solid white wedding gown is seeing some competition these days. In an effort to challenge conventional wisdom – and longstanding tradition – some brides are adding a splash of color in their gown’s sash. It doesn’t mean the bride is rebellious or out to topple the establishment. It’s just a simple way to express a little individuality. I’ve seen more of this trend at the Pleasantdale Château, and from talking to my colleagues at our other Knowles restaurants – The Manor and Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange, New Jersey and the Ram’s Head Inn in Galloway , just west of Atlantic City, I know they are noticing this, too.

We like the idea of the colored sash and think it’s perfectly acceptable – as long as you pay attention to a couple of caveats. First, make sure the color is appropriate for the season – for example, reds, oranges and yellows in fall, and greens and lavenders in the spring. And keep the colors muted, not glaringly obvious. A little bit of color goes a long way against the background of a white wedding dress. And it’s a fine way to add a fresh tone to a bridal wardrobe.

Have a great day!

Laura

Welcome to The Art of Reception, a blog about everything to do with weddings. The Knowles properties (The Manor, Highlawn Pavilion, Pleasantdale Chateau and Ram’s Head Inn) have been hosting wedding of every size, style, nationality and budget since 1953. That’s more than five decades of experience, something few others can claim.

As a result, we have some of the finest, most capable bridal experts both in-house and as preferred vendors. This blog will feature the expertise and helpful hints from our in-house bridal experts and occasionally we’ll hear from our preferred vendors too, on trends specific to their line of work. Here’s a Who’s Who of our blogging wedding experts… Read more…

Being asked to be a bridesmaid is a very exciting moment for all involved. But more often than not, bridesmaids-to-be immediately switch from being super-ecstatic to wary of their friend or family member’s style choices – specifically regarding the bridesmaid dress.

One way for brides-to-be to ensure that the bridesmaids aren’t feeling locked into some sort of stylistic jail sentence at the same time showing contemporary taste is to let the bridesmaids pick their own dress within a monochromatic theme. And preferably of designer quality.

And don’t worry brides-to-be…your bridesmaids will pick out a dress nice enough that they’d want to wear again and again. Bridesmaid dresses for as far back as we can remember, have only been suited to one thing – the wedding day. Weddings cost a lot for everyone involved, so by letting your bridesmaids pick out a dress that they can use for other events, they might just spend a little more on your gift or bachelorette party.

Jokes aside, this style tip will make both your bridesmaids and photographer happy as well as showing your contemporary spirit!

Have a great day! Laura