Happy Anniversary, Joe and Ann!

We received the following thank you note and photo of a wedding which took place one year ago on the same day that Joe and Ann came to celebrate their anniversary with brunch for themselves and friends and family. To better read the note, just click on the image to enlarge it.



Today this very happy family came to our Sunday Jazz Brunch in Nathaniel's to celebrate the First Anniversary of Joe Wojtowicz and Ann Gilmor (pictured below). They were married right here in the Hawthorne Hotel last year, and could think of no better place to celebrate their anniversary than with us.

We love it that our guests are able to establish such a connection with us, and are able to continue their life celebrations by coming back to the Hawthorne. This is something that you cannot do when you have your wedding in a catering-only function hall or other historic home, since there is nothing there that is open to the public. While we realize this is not going to be the sole determining factor when you choose where to hold your wedding reception, it is just another little thing that sets the Hawthorne Hotel apart from all the other places you can choose -- we do have a way for you to celebrate your special anniversaries. Whether a romantic dinner for two, a big family brunch, an overnight getaway, or just a casual lunch in our Tavern, there are many options here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

We hope you will choose us for your most special day -- and for many celebrations beyond this one.

Juli

The Ballroom in its Most Classic Holiday Look

Here are some photos of Friday night's wedding in the Ballroom. I took them because I thought the Ballroom looked its CLASSIC BEST -- the Christmas wreaths with greens, lights, and bows make a lovely background, the chair covers and their gold bows echoed the bows in the windows, the dancefloor was gleaming in the candlelight. It just seemed perfect.

I thought you would enjoy seeing it too.

Juli

A Nice Thank You Email

Check out our post on the Hawthorne Hotel blog today for a lovely testimonial about a wedding, that we received yesterday.

www.hawthornehotel.blogspot.com

Juli

A Nice "Happily Ever After" Photo-Thank You

To see this post, check our our regular Daily Diary of the Hawthorne Hotel at:

www.hawthornehotel.blogspot.com


Juli

Tonight's Wedding Tasting

Once you book your wedding here at the Hawthorne Hotel, or Hawthorne Catering, you will be invited to a Tasting for your wedding. This was tonight's tasting. I took photos of some of the elements so that the couples didn't have to remember everything.

I hope you enjoy getting an insider's look at what we do here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Juli


Upgraded Flower Arrangement

Standard Flower Arrangement with upgraded linen (runner)

Standard Flower Arrangement

Standard Flower Arrangement (candle ring), with upgraded overlay tablecloth

Sophia's set for the tasting

Wild Mushroom Risotto Cake with Tomato-Basil Sauce

Field Green Salad, Goat Cheese, Spiced Pecans and Champagne Vinaigrette

Napkin Fold Samples

One Year Later . . .

Here you see Atina and Brian, who were married here at the Hawthorne Hotel one year ago.
They came back this week to celebrate their first anniversary, and we offered to take these photos since they forgot their camera. I had them pose outside under our awning, like the wedding photo you see of them one year ago.

. . . and still madly in love!

A Beautiful Couple Sends Us a Beautiful Note

Here is a very lovely and heartfelt thank you note that we received in our off-site catering division office this past week. It is for a wedding that we did at the Peabody Essex Museum.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did.

Juli

Flower Girl?

If that is what the tee-shirt says, it must be true, right?

This past weekend we had yet another reason to be happy that we are a pet-friendly hotel here at the Hawthorne -- "Miss Dottie", the Flower Girl, was able to participate in Wendy and Don's wedding here in the Library of the Hawthorne Hotel.

Rarely does the photographer get into the photos, for obvious reasons, but it is apparent that David LaChappelle really enjoyed getting to be involved in this wedding, so we snapped his photo for this blog post. David is a great photographer, so I'm sure his photos of this unusual flower girl are better than these.

Wendy looks ready to go, but "Miss Dottie" seems to be on strike.

A face only a 'mother' could love?

I hope you enjoy this peek at yet another unusual wedding here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Juli

The Ballroom Looks Beautiful in Blue

While not the color one would normally choose to use in our Ballroom, these photos show that this room is just neutral enough to work with virtually any color palette.

The navy blue satin bows, blue hydrangeas, and blue fondant ribbon on the wedding cake all coordinate so nicely.

The use of alternating tall arrangements, with the lower arrangements on some tables gave a nice energy to the room.



This was the charming favor, given to each guest. What a nice thought!

I can't wait to see what you choose for your wedding.

Juli

Wedding at PEM in Salem, Massachusetts

As you may already know, we are the preferred caterer for the functions held at the Peabody Essex Museum here in Salem. We also hold the liquor license there, so we are the exclusive provider of alcoholic beverage service.

We recently received this link to a wedding video that is on You Tube, of a wedding at PEM where we provided both the food and the liquor. I thought you might enjoy seeing it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yH0tmbujQk



If you are interested in learning more about having your wedding reception at the Peabody Essex Museum, (PEM) please contact Lindsay Otis at 978-745-9500, extension 3156, or Natalia Laskaris, extension 3115.



We hope to see you here or there!



Juli

The First Dance

 
 
Here are two photos that I snapped from the Grandmother Windows overlooking the Ballroom. These windows were once used by the grandmothers of the community who came to chaperone dances held in the Ballroom. Today, they give me a perfect opportunity to take photos of the activities in our Ballroom here at the Hawthorne Hotel. Tonight that activity was the couples 'first dance' as man and wife.

Juli

A Beautiful Wedding and Our New Dance Floor

 
 
 
 
I could not resist taking these photos on Friday night. The wedding set-up was so beautiful. They used an upgraded overlay on the tables, and rented gold ballroom chairs. The look was opulent, yet refined.

Don't you love our new dance floor? It is bigger than our old one, and so shiny and nice!

I hope you enjoy this peek at a weekend wedding in the Ballroom of the Hawthorne Hotel.

Juli

This Thank You E-Mail Came with Photos

Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 10:16 AM
To: Karen Cotton
Subject: Thank you for an amazing night



Karen,

I just wanted to thank you and your staff for such an amazing wedding on the 13th of September. The entire day was just perfect and the wedding reception itself exceeded all of my expectations. The staff was great and Britony was so helpful. I didn't have to worry about one thing the entire night, every last detail was taken care of. Having the gifts delivered to our room with champagne and some pieces of our cake was just the extra touch that made the night so memorable. I have had many people comment that it was the best wedding they have ever been to. I may be biased but I certainly think it was the best wedding!



Feel free to use me as a reference if you ever need one or to post the pictures that were taken. What an amazing night!



Thank you again,

Courtney and Damian

Our Mail Box Was Full of Thank You Notes This Week

Here they are! It is so nice to read that we have met and exceeded our guests expectations when we host a wedding for them. I hope that seeing these will be helpful to you.

Juli