Vintage Charm

Lauren and Jason were married at the bride's family home on Neville Island. A perfectly maintained civil-war-era farmhouse with phenomenal landscaping, the home blended itself into the relaxed vintage feel of the day.

When we first meet with a new couple, we get to know them and try and eek out their styles from their story. The budget discussion follows the inspiration discussion and things naturally fall into place. With this couple, it was clear that they had an exact idea of what they wanted, which we love. This is our journey with Lauren and Jason:

Part One

Budget

Some couples come to us with firm numbers, a budget not be exceeded. Other couples just want the best, whatever the cost may be. Typically, most couples fall somewhere in between. Working with Lauren and Jason, we decided the best idea would be to present a low/middle/high-end option for each choice made along the line.

Venue

The bride was lucky enough to have a family property sitting on the water, with a gazebo for the ceremony, and a great spot for a reception. We ultimately decided to tent their large, flat cement area for dinner and dancing, and use their beautiful yard for the cocktail hour. A small addition was added to the tent to be used as a rain plan, which luckily was not needed! All Occasions Party Rentals went totally above and beyond in their dedication in making our layout plan work. They installed the tenting, set up all of the tables and chairs, provided all of the servingware, and were able to make on-the-fly-decisions day-of. 

Flowers

Cuttings provided the flawless florals for the ceremony and reception. Working with Jim was a breeze, he was able to circle in on Lauren and her mother's style immediately and created a luxe look with blush and cream. 

Food

Once we decided that family style would suit their laid-back/upscale vibe, we knew that Bistro to Go was the right caterer. Nikki and her team always deliver relaxed elegance. Side dished were plattered and the three main course choices were passed. Everything was grilled on site - so while the guests were noshing during cocktail hour, we heard all about how great dinner smelled! 

In Part Two, we'll talk about the desserts, music, after-party, and guest wrangling! 

All beautiful photos courtesy of Dave + Mary Photography

Erin & Drew, December 31, 2012

Portrait courtesy of Ashley Dru Photography

 Erin & Drew were such a lovely couple to work with, we had a great time planning their New Year's Eve wedding. They wanted a non-traditional venue, and after checking out some places around town we all decided on the Fe Gallery in Lawrenceville. They space was essentially a blank slate, so it was easy to transform it into whatever we pleased.

 

The bride and groom, as well as their families, were very hands on in preparing the gallery. We all spent the day together in late December getting everything assembled and hung - this truly was more of an ongoing art installation than a wedding reception venue.

The far wall was covered with white lights and sheer panels to create a glowy, romantic haze over the vows.

 

The bride worked for weeks creating these hand-rolled paper flowers that hung from floor to ceiling.

 

Guests were invited to arrive late in the evening in preparation for Erin & Drew's 9:30 arrival. Because of the timing, heavy hors d'eouvres were served instead of a traditional dinner; everyone loved it. After midnight, we served the guests pierogi and heavier fare - after hours of celebrating, everyone was ready for another full meal!

 

Without the need for full-sized dinner tables, we were able to be more creative with the table decor and the space available to us. The bride and groom brought these branches and sticks back from a family members' home. Drew created the artwork that hung in the gallery that evening.

Our talented intern, Brittany, used the same branches and sticks to create this stunning chandelier to hang over the couple as they married.

 

Erin & Drew were married right at midnight and their first kiss and husband and wife was after the countdown.

Congratulations, Erin and Drew! Here's to a wonderful life together!

 

Personal, non-pro photo/graphic

 

 

All photos, unless noted, courtesy of A Love Worth Telling and Ashley Dru Photography

Venue, Fe Gallery

Catering, Adams Bread & Moore

Invitations, Jamie Stoltz (contact info available upon request)

Planning and coordination, floral design, lighting, concept, and installation On the Nose Events

 

 

 

Sweet Sundays at Dozen Bake Shop

Dozen Bake Shop has invited us to be a part of their first ever Sweet Sundays Bridal Show! We will be at the Butler Street, Lawrenceville location from 12-5 on Sunday March 3rd. Come and chat to see what we have to offer.

If you are interested attending, email Nicole at nicole [at] onthenoseevents [dot] com. This in an invitation only event.

We'll also have decor samples on site from Something Borrowed! We are working hard to make sure that we have great choices at the under $15/table range. You can have the wedding of your dreams for less than you thought possible!

Candles

Nothing says drama like a table full of candles. The flattering glow makes everyone look amazing, I guarantee your guests will be stunned, and you cannot beat the price. What's better than that?!


This combination of white flowers and silver vases makes a very simple and chic statement




Simple and elegant


This is my absolute favorite! The wooden boxes used to elevate the bowls could be books, cake stands, or even wine glasses.

Something Borrowed offers a huge selection of votives and church candles in every size and shape. With 12-15 candles on each of your ten tables, you could potentially decorate everything for right around $200!

The sweetest thing

Candy buffets - guests love them! And as a bonus, they take the pressure off of you when it comes to favors and extra desserts. A cute velum bag at each seat and fully stocked jars of goodies are all you need for a sweet ending to your big day.


Do it Steeler style!

Keep it elegant with black and white treats


Match your bridesmaids dresses


Go crazy with childhood favorites

Most companies charge per person, usually from $5-$10. That can get a little pricey with bigger weddings, so why not do it yourself?
Ordering bulk candy couldn't be easier!

You'll need about 1/4 pound of candy per guest, so for 100 people plan on purchasing a minimum of 25 pounds of candies. 5 different types of candy should be more than enough variety for most guests.

For an all pink candy buffet*, you could get:
Raspberry candy sticks, 80 sticks, $15
Pink and white sixlets, 5lbs, $30
Maple bacon salt water taffy, 5lbs, $30
Pink wintergreen buttermints, 5lbs, $20
Strawberry yogurt covered pretzels, 5lbs, $25
Total: $100 or $1 per person!

Something Borrowed has beautiful apothecary jars and scoops available for rent for just $10, bringing your grand total to $1.50 per person for a sweet and thoughtful sendoff! Enjoy!





*All prices from nuts.com
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Something Borrowed

Here at On the Nose Events, we are super excited to announce the launch of our new business:

Something Borrowed!

Something Borrowed specializes in wedding and event decor rentals. We know firsthand how tough it can be to plan your dream wedding on a budget; Something Borrowed is just what you need! Browse through our hundreds of items online or stop by our studio to see it all in person. Don’t see what you want? Contact us and we’ll work with you to get the exact look you want at the price you need.

We love planning weddings and events, but can’t stand how wasteful and cost-prohibitive beautiful decor can be for our clients. Our solution?  To curate a collection of the most-requested items and offer them at a fraction of the price, with none of the waste. Something Borrowed will save you time, money, storage space, and the hassle of trying to coordinate one more thing on your big day!

The site is simple to navigate and fun to shop! Check it out! Looking for the perfect decor for your next event? Try Something Borrowed!

Here are some photos of our rentals in action:

Apothecary jars, church candles, hanging votives, and twinkle lights

 

Burgundy linens, apothecary jar, glass votives, submersible LEDs, and cylinder vases

 

Twinkle lights illuminating the ceremony

 

Contact us to learn more or to make an appointment for a consultation

 

Something Borrowed Online

Facebook Page

Tissue Paper Pom Poms

Not only is this one of the easiest DIY projects of all time, it's also one of the cheapest! Tissue paper pom poms are a great way to fill up a lot of space on a budget, or just add a few pops of color to a stark room. Martha Stewart of course (of course!) has a wonderfully easy to follow step-by-stap diagram here, check it out!

I love the look of a wall covered in all different colored poms, just a few hanging from a garland or even one or two hanging over each table. You can expect to spend about 25 cents per pom, so the more the merrier! Making this is also a super soothing project to take on when the wedding stress gets to you. You can just pouf the night away while watching a movie. Storing these couldn't be easier - just keep them in a large garbage bag until the big day, then hand them over to your planner to re-pouf and hang for your reception. Adorable!

Wedding Planner FAQ - Part 2

"Aren't professional planners super expensive?"

You might be surprised! A professional planner will typically bill you for a percentage of your total budget for A-Z planning, per hour for special projects or a one time all-inclusive fee for DOC services or running your rehearsal. But, while that may seem like you would be paying more than you originally set out to, 9 times out of 10, you won't. Here is an example of how a planner can save you money:

You and your fiancé still need a photographer and would like hire one asap since it's getting down to the wire. Since we have already discussed your budget and your preferred style, we can go through our list of contacts and set up a few meetings with vendors we think you will like working with. Once you have chosen your photographer, we can negotiate a better rate on your behalf.

I think that an article on Offbeat Bride said it best:  "This is a horrible fact of the wedding industry, but some nasty vendors out there give crappy service because they don't think they need to impress you. You're likely to only get married once, then they don't have to deal with you again. However, they DO want to impress me, because I can recommend them to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of potential new clients. The alternative is badmouthing them with my planner friends and doing my best to make sure they never get another wedding. Unlike some rating sites, the planning community doesn't take bribes to remove bad reviews."

Professional planners aren't just for the rich and famous, they are for any couple who has things to do besides figure out which company to use for chair covers, hand assemble 15 floral centerpieces or any of the one million other little things that need to be done. Not having to worry about every little thing is such a good feeling - you can focus on getting married! You can't put a price on that.

Now What? Budget!

One of the most important decisions you will make surrounding your wedding is your budget. Knowing early on how much you have to spend will make the entire process a breeze. Traditionally, you and your fiancé would sit down with both sets of parents to discuss how much each of them would be contributing and the brides parents would say "Oh, we have $100,000 put aside for your wedding! We've been saving for your whole life!" If that happens to you, congrats! But more realistically, you and your husband-to-be will be contributing something financially to the cause.

Make plans to sit down with your fiancé and talk openly and honestly about what you can afford. This should be a fun conversation free from guilt and pressure. As one of the very first things you two are doing together, as a team, you should be looking out for each other and supportive - but most of all honest. You are going to be together for a lifetime, don't start out in debt! Here is an example of smart financial wedding planning:

Michael and Michelle are newly engaged and have decided on a May 2013 wedding, that leaves 15 months until the big day! They have met with both sets of parents and know that each family will be contributing $2,500. Michelle is about to sock away $250 per month, while Michael is working on paying off his student loans and can put away $150 per month. He has $3,000 in savings that he is willing to spend on the honeymoon and she has $1,000 in savings that she will use to buy her wedding gown and shoes. This means that they will have $11,000 to spend on their wedding. Wasn't that easy?

One of the best things about wedding plannings is that you don't need all of that money up front. Most venues, photographers, planners, etc will only require a deposit and then full payment on your wedding day. That gives you lots of time to save.

As soon as you have that number set, you should do two things:
1. Open a separate bank account for wedding savings and spending. Keeping everything separate from your everyday money will go a long ways in keeping you both on track. Plus, it's fun to watch your money grow and work towards a goal together. Stay in one Friday night instead of going out to a fancy dinner? Put that extra $50 into the wedding fund!
2. Meet with your planner to decide how to best allocate those funds. Love flowers? Make sure a big chunk of your budget goes towards the florist. Not into the blooms? Move that money over to the food category and really wow your guests with a gourmet selection. A professional planner can make your dollars stretch farther than you ever thought possible.

Besides your first home purchase, this is probably the biggest chunk of money you will spend at one time. Let a professional planner tell your money where to go so you don't wonder where it all went!