Everybody loves Ed....

Yep, they do! Most "thank you" letters we receive start with "Ed"... here's a recent one...
"Ed made my family feel at home and special during the planning and during the entire party; nothing could have been better!  The food and service was excellent, the staff was great and our guests were treated perfectly from start to finish.  I'd like to thank Ed and the entire staff at The Landmark; he treated us like family.  Ed is a real pro and I'd like to note that all of our guests also commented on how special our party was"
Joe & Stacey

Full moon and rainbow for Heather & Shane's wedding...

Crazy storms of heavy rains, thunder and lighting last Friday night-- we were hosting the ceremony and reception of Heather and Shane; miraculously, right before Heather was about to walk down the isle to say "I do".. a full rainbow spanning across to New York City appeared over Route 17!  Perfect timing, perfect rainbow!  Additionally, as the sun went down, a giant moon rose on the horizon also over NYC!  How great is that?!
I tried taking some photos but it does not do it justice; you just had to see it in person to appreciate the beauty and splendor.  Congrats Heather & Shane and may your life together be as beautiful as that rainbow!

Nothing like black & white decorations and a gorgeous bride in the background...

Planning Ideas: Winter Weddings

Winter at the Landmark

Having your wedding during the upcoming winter season? Now's the time to start planning! Keep in mind that a winter wedding doesn't need to mean snowflakes, pinecones and Christmas themed decor. Use these 10 new winter wedding ideas from The Knot to reinvent your winter wedding!

1. Colors

Go for a less-is-more color palette with white and silver.

Add glamour with crystal accents.

2. Flowers

Use fuller flowers such as white hydrangeas and soft ranunculuses.

White boutonnieres accented with greenery or a simple white ribbon.

Wrap bouquet stems in ribbon embellished with crystals.

3. Invitations

For a black-tie event: heavy cardstock and a navy blue, chocolate-brown, or eggplant font with hand calligraphy.

For a fresh, formal tone: thick, frosted Plexiglas invitations in white scripted ink. Send tucked into silver envelope liners.

4. Centerpieces

Bring in the icy outdoors with ice-carved vases filled with tall winter-white branches and hanging crystals to reflect the light from the tables. Surround the centerpieces with votive candles, and top your tables with white dupioni table linens and frosted glass china.

5. Escort Cards

Hand-calligraphed in silver ink attached with ribbon to individual crystals. Hang each from an oversized crystal candelabra centerpiece for a new take on the escort card tree.

6. Music

Consider a capella quartet to sing your favorite jazz and pop songs for the evening, or for a more classical sound, hire a cellist.

7. Cocktail Hour

Serve white hot chocolate in small espresso cups and eggnog in small punch glasses.

At the bar: Saketinis (Japanese rice wine and sweet-flavored vodka) in glasses rimmed with sugar crystals

8. The Cake

A white, vintage-style cake, dusted with edible silver powder.

For accent: add a white sugar ribbon and crystal drops cascading down one side of the cake.

9. Favors

Keep it simple with small packages of chocolate-covered cranberries or roasted chestnuts.

Over-the-top idea: impress with a hot chocolate and churros station at your reception.

10. Honeymoons

Embrace the season! Rent a cozy log cabin for a week in Lake Placid, or stay at a luxurious hotel in Aspen for some serious skiing, wining, dining, and snuggling.

To read the original article from The Knot's website click here.

Indian Inspired Weddings

Located in New Jersey, one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse states in the country, the Landmark has catered to a number of different cultural wedding ceremonies and receptions over the years. These ceremonies widely range anywhere from traditional to Jewish to Indian culture, each with their own unique traditions and customs. Just last week, an Indian wedding ceremony took place at the Landmark. (Shown below.)

You may have read in our last blog post What to Expect from 2011 Weddings that exotic Indian inspiration is one of the main trending themes for weddings in 2011. This trend is becoming more popular today because of the vibrant decor, fashion, and customs of a traditional Indian ceremony.

Indian wedding ceremonies are bright events, filled with ritual and celebration, and are taken very seriously in the Indian culture. They are generally large affairs and sometimes continue on for several days. In the past most Indian marriages were arranged, but today "fusion weddings" are more commonly seen in the U.S. This is when the American and Indian cultures and traditions are combined together to create a unique, personalized wedding ceremony for the couple.

Thinking about incorporating an Indian inspiration in your upcoming wedding ceremony? Here are a few traditional elements and some new trends being used in Indian wedding ceremonies today.

• Colored dance floors/lighting
• Decorative linens
• Larger than life centerpieces
• Bold colors or earthy tones
• Out of the box entertainment
• Pop art sculptures

Below is a video that documents the decor, fashion and customs of an Indian wedding ceremony in America. Watch for additional ideas for your own special Indian inspired wedding ceremony.



What to Expect from 2011 Weddings

Wedding Spending Increasing with the Economy

According to The Wedding Report Inc, American couples spent almost 23% more on their weddings in 2010 than the year before.

Source: theweddingreport.com

11 Wedding Trends for 2011

from The Knot

1. Prohibition-Era Elegance

1920's Fashion

Ladies: dusty nude and lace dresses

Men: wing-tip shoes
Root: New HBO hit show Boardwalk Empire

2. The Redefined Princess Wedding Dress

New princess silhouette: body-skimming with a bold train
Statement-making head wear: tasteful tiaras & cathedral-length veils

Accents: sophisticated sequins and beading

Root: Fashion icon Kate Middleton (Marrying Prince William April 29, 2011)

3. Sultry Ballerina-Inspired Weddings

Romantic candlelit ceremonies after 8 pm,
feathered headpieces and shredded fabrics,
and pale pinks paired with black.

Root: 2010 thriller Black Swan

4. Ivy League-Chic Weddings

Retro meets Preppy

Plaids, Stripes, Blazers and Sweaters

Root: Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf

5. Exotic Indian Inspiration

Vibrant color palette: purples, reds and golds

Lavish decor: beading and rich drapery

Exotic Food: spicy dishes

Root: Katy Perry and Russel Brand's Indian Wedding

and memoir made movie Eat, Pray, Love

6. Wedding Man Caves

Blackjack tables, brandy bars, PlayStations and stogies

Root: The home "man cave"

7. Prewedding PJ Parties

Slumber parties, matching pj's, pampering and bonding

Root: Alternative Bachelorette Party

8. Food Truck Fun

Waffles, tacos and dumplings

Sidewalk carts during the cocktail hour or after-party

Root: Gourmet Food Trucks

9. Haute Desserts

Desserts & wedding cakes with gourmet flavors and haute style

Root: Top Chef: Just Desserts, Amazing Cakes and Cake Boss

10. Video Guest Books

Confessional-style video booth for your guests or an iPad guest book

Post wedding, easily share online via YouTube, Facebook & more

Root: The iPad by Apple

11. Surprise Honeymoons

Ladies, leave it up to the groom to plan a surprise honeymoon

Root: Chelsea Clinton's top secret honeymoon

To read the original article from The Knot's website click here.

Client Spotlight: Jodi

At only nine years old, Jodi is already a musical genius. She studies singing and piano at the Mannes New School of Music in New York City, and was blessed with the gift of a perfect pitch. Jodi also enjoys writing, storytelling and illustration. A collection of her stories titled "The Extremely Curious Adventures of Katie Silverbell" can be downloaded for free in the iTunes store for your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Additional  illustrated shortstories that Jodi has created can be found on her blog.

At the age of two, Jodi was diagnosed with autism. At three she had trouble speaking, but could sing and read. She currently attends a special school for autism in Paramus, The Alpine Learning Group. Although Jodi struggles with the difficulties that autism brings everyday, she hasn't let it hold her back from doing what she loves. She recently wrote and performed a song for the Toys"R"Us 2011 Autism Campaign about heros that surround us everyday.

Jodi's story is an inspiration to everyone persuing what they love to do in life. We are looking forward to helping her celebrate her First Communion here at the Landmark this May. To find more information about Jodi's story and to see what she's up to now you can visit her website jodigirl.com.

Table to Table

The Landmark has a long tradition of donating to food rescue programs such as Table to Table. Every Monday morning for the past 5 years Table to Table visits The Landmark to pick up the leftover prepared and perishable food items from the previous week. In 2010 The Landmark donated a total of 2,650 pounds of food, helping Table to Table reach their goal of delivering over 6.5 million meals. For the new year, The Landmark is excited to continue this wonderful tradition of helping Table to Table deliver food to those who need it most.

Table to Table is a community-based food rescue program that collects prepared and perishable food that would otherwise be wasted and delivers it to organizations that serve the hungry in Bergen, Hudson, Essex and Passaic counties. It is the first and only food rescue program in Northeast New Jersey.  With five refrigerated vehicles and dedicated drivers, Table to Table picks up food that is unable to be sold, but still of good quality, from a wide range of food establishments each day. The food is delivered on the day it is donated to day care centers, pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, programs for women and children who are victims of domestic violence, senior adult centers, substance abuse rehabilitation centers, and programs that assist the working poor.

Get Involved!

Table to Table invites any and every one to join their table! Whether you are a corporation, small business, food establishment or individual, your donation is appreciated and useful. Donations are accepted in a variety of ways including food, money or time. Visit http://www.tabletotable.org/ to see how you can play a part in helping to deliver food to those who need it most in our community. 

Wish Upon a Wedding

The Landmark recently signed up as a sponsor for Wish Upon a Wedding - a nonprofit organization that provides weddings and vow renewals to couples facing terminal illness or other serious life-altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation. What makes this organization great is that it takes care of all the wedding details, offering couples a chance to relax and enjoy their special day while surrounded by loved ones. Wedding wishes include a Boutique Wish for couples looking for an intimate event of 25 people and a Romantic Wish for couples looking for a larger event of 50 people. Wish Upon a Wedding currently has over a dozen chapters to serve Wish Applicants, and services couples residing in or wishing to get married within 300 miles of any of the chapter locations. Visit the organization's website to learn more at http://wishuponawedding.org/.

A Fulfilled Wish
The St. Louis Chapter of Wish Upon a Wedding helped Danielle English, a young woman from Fenton, Missouri suffering from end-stage cystic fibrosis, make her dream of marrying her finace, Tony, come true. The wedding took place on September 1, 2010 where Danielle and Tony were surrounded by more than 40 of their closest friends and family. Wish Upon a Wedding coordinated all of the event's details including a dinner reception themed "A Night in Paris," which reflected Danielle's love for the city of lights. Because of Wish Upon a Wedding, the St. Louis Chapter, and the donated time and services of local wedding professionals Danielle and Tony were able to create lasting memories that day which will be cherished for years to come.

If you know a couple in need of Wish Upon a Wedding have them visit this link to apply for a wish!

Helping these couples is not only for the professionals.. You can help too!

How YOU can help make wishes come true:

• Make a donation
• Donate airline miles - Many wishes include flying family and loved ones to celebrations. Your donation will help make these trips possible.
• Become a wish granter - Wish Upon a Wedding relies on the generosity of professionals from the Wedding and Hospitality industries to provide goods and services for Wish Recipients.
• Host a fund raiser
• Volunteer
• In Lieu of favors and gifts at your wedding. Current Landmark clients who plan to have their wedding at the Landmark in November 2012 have already started thinking about this idea for their own wedding favors!

No, wait...it's holiday season again?

Where did the year go?  Is it possible that another year has passed?  It feels as if last December was just a few weeks back! December is one of the busiest months here at The Landmark so it keeps us hopping.  We host nearly 100 parties in a 3 week period--great for business, tough on the feet!

I thought I would add a few photos of my favorite decorations this year, I hope you like them as much as I do.

Wedding Reality TV Shows

The new reality TV show "My Big Friggin' Wedding" aired this week on VH1.  The Landmark hosted one of the couple's reception.  Megin and Johnny's wedding was not only different from our usual weddings since we don't normally have a TV crew of approximately 20 people invade every part of the building including the kitchen-- what also made it special was Megin and Johnny themselves.  This couple was fun, original and certainly entertaining.  A reporter from the New York Times says this about Johnny :  "He also probably never could have mustered up Johnny’s enthusiasm for this particular kind of theater, which results in a performance of goombahness so seemingly studied that it would not be a surprise if we all eventually learned that Johnny is really a graduate student at the Yale School of Drama who comes from Colorado. He appears to have internalized Joe Pesci in “Goodfellas” the way previous generations looked toward Richard Burton’s “Hamlet.”  Follow this link for the entire article. http://tv.nytimes.com/2010/11/01/arts/television/01wedding.html?_r=2

Although Johnny comes across as a natural at acting on TV, he is also a sharp businessman.   He has a food business which sells meatballs, hence the name Johnny Meatballs.  Yes, we did serve Johnny's meatballs at the wedding; I had some and I must say they were very good!  I do know my meatballs after all ;-) ... I spent the first decade of my life in Italy so I consider myself and expert!  On a serious note, I believe that Johnny's business, now in its infancy, will be very successful--I won't be surprised to see it in all supermarkets in the near future.  Check out their website:
www.johnnymeatballs.com

It's been too long...

I can't believe I haven't posted anything since November?!  This year's holiday season was so busy it left little time for anything!  In addition, (for some unknown reason to me) we are having a busy January and slower February?  It's usually the other way around... go figure!

Something new to report-- we have added these amazing lights to our Warwick Room (pictures below) and depending on our clients reviews, we also also considering adding them to our second floor rooms as well.  Take a look..

All I can say about this recent Quinceanera is "WOW"

This past weekend, we had the pleasure of hosting Alexandra's Quinceanera in our Warwick Room-- I'll say it again, WOW!  The court alone had approximately 15 couples, the choreography looked something like a Broadway show production and the table centerpieces were fun yet elegant!  There was only one problem with this party and it's a personal one.  You see Alexandra's parents were married here approximately___... well you do the math, I'll just say a while ago and yes, I was around back then!  Needless to say it made me feel a bit old... however, take a look at this couple, don't they look great?! They told me I look great too so I got over it pretty quickly ;0)

Let me share some photos...

Halloween Party

We had an unusual number of Halloween parties this year-- I am sure it's partly due to the fact that Halloween was on a saturday...something that had not occured in quite a while.  Additionally, (I think) people were just in the mood to play!  I personally have an annual party for my son at my house; I've had this party since he was a baby-- I suggested we not have one this year since I was so busy at the Landmark; however, my 7 year old didn't take that very well and accused me of breaking traditions and being a mean Mom!  Yep, you guessed it... I had the party and I was glad I did-- the kids had an amazing time.  He was right about one thing...traditions should not be broken!
Here are a few photos from one of our Halloween parties; some great costumes and boy did this crowd know how to party!  thank you Jessica for sending them to me.

Some great photos...

One of my favorite photographers, Julio Bulnes (http://www.juliobulnesphoto.com/) sent me these photos recently from a wedding he shot here a few weeks back-- what a nice shot of the building and ceremony room.  Thanks Julio for sending them over to us.

Ceremony Room

Irish Beauties...

I know you will all agree with me that these women are absolutely gorgeous!  Cara was married here a few years back--  we had the pleasure of hosting her sister Jacky's wedding a few weeks ago.  The gown, the flowers, the entertainment etc. was perfect!  Oh, yes, the groom is quite handsome too!  I wish I had taken a photo of him as well...

How clever...

This is a "Sign In" board from a wedding a few weeks back, I loved it!  Robyn & Dwayne look amazing in this photo-- do you remember the movie?

The trend continues for unusual Table Centerpieces

Here are a few examples from this past weekend's weddings..

Some of my favorite clients....

Special congrats. to Kussilla & George on their 40th wedding anniversary; I say clients but they've become more like friends after hosting many events for their family over many years.  During the event their children and family presented them with a "world cruise"-- Wow, please take me with you!  Such an amazing couple.
Baci.

Facebook | Wedding Reality TV Shows

Facebook Wedding Reality TV Shows

Lena's Bat Mitzvah

The Landmark has the pleasure of hosting many Bar/Bat Mitzvah's in a year, so we get to see all types of party "themes"-- Last week at Lena's BM, I was pleasantly surprised to see a new one!  The Music of Woodstock.  I loved it! I guess it was fitting since Lena's Mom is a musician-- speaking of which, when she stood up to sing a tune or two with the band (boy could she sing), the guests went wild.  We had difficulty getting them to sit back down to serve the Entree!  Brava Amy...
Lena looked fab as you can see from the photo and the room was transformed into a peaceful setting with soft lighting and revolving centerpieces.  Very nice indeed!