Trash the Dress

A wedding photographer from Brazil started following me on Twitter.
I clicked on his links, and found some awesome wedding photography there, but what piqued my interest was his 'trash the dress' series. Have any of you heard of this practice?

Just curious if I am so much out of the loop, or is this a new trend? The photos are really awesome, but there is no doubt that by the end of a shoot like this, your wedding dress would be trash. Do these brides have two dresses, or do they do this shoot after the actual wedding reception?

Since I can't read Portuguese, I can't see if there is any information on his website or blog.

(here is a link to his website, in case you are curious, too after reading this blogpost -- http://www.jaredwindmuller.com/ )


Fair wedding blog readers, any thoughts?

Curious, I remain,

Juli

A Very Timely and Much Appreciated Email

We received this lovely email, and photographs, today, and wanted to take the opportunity to share it with those of you who might be considering a wedding a the Hawthorne Hotel. We think seeing things from our guests' perspective is probably the most helpful thing we can do for prospective couples.

Juli

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Laura and the amazing Hawthorne Staff:

Nick and I wanted to send you all a note to THANK YOU for everything you did to make our wedding day the most memorable day of our lives! When we began our wedding planning over a year ago, our minds were made up that our reception would be at the Hawthorne Hotel even before our initial meeting with Christine. Laura, you were such a pleasure to work with throughout our planning over the past year. We can't thank you enough for all of your help, advice and guidance in working with us to ensure that our wedding day would turn out exactly the way we had hoped!

We'd also like to thank Claire and especially Liz, our coordinator on the day of our wedding, for everything you did to make us feel so special that day! Liz, you made sure that everything ran smoothly and we are so impressed and are still in awe of how seamless you and your team made the entire evening flow. Everyone at the Hawthorne Hotel from the hotel staff (especially Robyn Sheather, who helped us multiple times with hotel welcome bags for overnight guests) to the waitstaff (especially Cheryl and Sandy) is so wonderful to work with and each and every one of you did such a great job of making our wedding reception so extremely beautiful!!

We can't thank you all enough for helping to make our wedding day one that we'll cherish and remember forever!

THANK YOU!!

Sincerely,

Aubrey and Nicholas E.

Better Late Than Never -- A Lovely Thank You and Photos

We just received these photos and the accompanying note you can read below. We thought you would enjoy learning just how satisfied these guests were with their wedding at the historic Hawthorne Hotel.

Juli
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Bridesmaids at the Grandmother window overlooking the Grand Ballroom.


The shadow.

A fitting tribute.

An almost formal photo in our "photo room", the Pickman Room.

Dear Karen, Kelly, Christine, Britony, and the rest of the Hawthorne catering/event department:

This note comes exactly 7 months and 20 days overdue, but none the less, I wanted to thank you for all the work you did helping make our July 3rd wedding a wonderful, memorable day.

Leading up to the wedding, everyone was so helpful in putting together the details so that I didn't have to worry about them-- from arranging a private tasting for me, to helping me pick out hors d'oeuvres long distance over the phone, to walking me through the "homework" I forgot to do-- I always had help, guidance, and personal attention.And the personal care did not fade, even through the wedding day!

My event planner Britony went above-and-beyond the call of duty. Not only did she have the whole day exquisitely planned and have everything executed perfectly, but she actually came to the rescue when disaster struck! A guest spilled red wine on the back of my dress while hugging me in the receiving line, and before I knew it, Britony was crouched down behind me blotting my dress with club soda for what must have been at least 15 or 20 minutes (as if she didn't have a million other things to do). She was a life saver!

I really could not have asked for a better environment or staff for our wedding day.I have attached some pictures that I think accentuate unique parts of the Hawthorne and that I think you'll enjoy seeing.

We had the greatest day of our lives, and we can't wait to come back and celebrate at the Hawthorne again soon!

With our gratitude,

Moriah and David

White Rolls Royce Limousine Sets the Tone For a Beautiful Wedding

With a beautiful bride leading the way. . .


Lovely embroidered napkins filled with Jordan almonds were the favor, in keeping with a family tradition.

This past Saturday night's wedding here in the Ballroom at the Hawthorne had many lovely touches that all added up to understated elegance. A perfect match for our historic hotel.

Juli

A Different Chair Cover Resource

For a wedding that will be taking place in the Ballroom tomorrow evening, there is a new resource for chair covers. I love the fact that these chair covers have gathered skirts, because it makes sitting in them more comfortable -- if you want to tuck your feet underneath the chair, you can do so, while with a straight skirt, you cannot easily do that.

These covers look lovely. Another thing that makes them unique is the combination of jacquard and plain weave fabrics, which adds texture to the room. Let us know if you are interested and we can help you obtain this service.

Juli

Another Nice Thank You EMail with Photo Link

From: Jocelyn F...
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 11:11 AM
To: Karen Cotton; Christine Madigan
Subject: Hello

Hi Karen and Christine,

I'll send you a more formal thank you when things settle somewhat for us but I did want to drop you a quick line now that we are back from our honeymoon thanking you and Liz for everything in the planning of our wedding!! (I don't have Liz's email so please thank her for me, she was so professional and perfect - everything was exactly how it should have been and better!) Everything was wonderful that day!! We had such a great time, it flew by and we already can't wait to see our video so we can recapture and relive the day! The hall looked beautiful, and the wreaths outside looked great too! Our photographer posted a few pictures on facebook from the day, many aren't in the Hawthorne but many are too so we thought you might like to see some of them! Our photographer was amazing as you'll see! They shot in the Hawthorne before but it was a while ago and they said they remembered the room once there and how beautiful it was!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4680486&id=161426317817#/photo.php?pid=10375748&id=31169760460

thank you again!!!

Jocelyn and Kevin F

Something Unique -- A Gobo at a Wedding

An awesome touch for a wedding. Check out the link in the email below:

-----Original Message-----

From: Stacie Giannetta

Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 10:00 PM

To: Christine Madigan

Subject: Follow Up

Christine,

We had spoken a couple weeks ago regarding the Stanick-Finn wedding that took place at the Hawthorne hotel on 1-9-2010. First off I wanted to say that the Hawthorne Hotel is beautiful! When we went to set up the gobo we were very impressed!

Secondly, I wanted to share the link to the pictures of the gobo at the Hawthorne Hotel from the Stanick-Finn wedding.

http://www.facebook.com/requestingyourpresence?ref=ts#/photo.php?pid=4680486&id=161426317817

If this is something you think other brides and grooms would enjoy for their wedding day please feel free to pass my information along.

Enjoy and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

THANK YOU,

STACIE GIANNETTA

www.requestingyourpresence.com

A Teal Wedding

In case you are thinking of other colors than those that we usually see used in the Ballroom, here are some photos of the room set up with teal napkins. In addition, this cake is iced in a color called sand. Normally we see ivory used most often for wedding cakes in our Ballroom.

You can certainly choose whatever colors you prefer for your special day. We just thought you might like to be able to see this particular set up, which is different than the usual.

We hope to see you here.

By the way, if you think you cannot afford a wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel, you may not have seen our VALUE wedding packages. Be sure to look at them before you make your decision. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Juli

Another E-Mail Wedding Thank You Note with Photos

From: Deanna

Sent: Fri 1/8/2010 4:26 PM

To: Karen Cotton

Subject:[our] Wedding

Hi Karen, Happy New Year!

I wanted to send you some photos of our wedding from Saturday, November 28th.
I think the one of us outside the front of the Hawthorne portrays how gorgeous of a hotel it is.

I just want to thank you as well as Kelly and Liz for everything. Kelly and yourself were so helpful during the planning process. Kelly always was so calm and quick to answer all my crazy questions!

I thought planning a wedding in 5 months was going to be very stressful but you guys made it very easy and enjoyable.

Liz was great the night of the wedding and I never once had a worry that something was going to go wrong. She did an excellent job!

The ballroom came out absolutely beautiful and we got so many compliments on how gorgeous it was. Feel free to use the pictures on the website!

It was a pleasure working with you and your team!

Deanna and Robb

A Different Perspective of a Wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel

I just got done reading an awesome post on someone else's blog! It was so good, I just have to post a link to it here, especially since it says such nice things about so many members of our terrific Hawthorne Hotel TEAM!!!

http://anitapatel.com/?p=275

In addition to great writing, it is filled with photos, as well as a kind of step-by-step, play-by-play narrative of what it is like to have your wedding reception at the Hawthorne Hotel. If you are a couple who is looking for a place to have your wedding, or even if you have already booked your wedding, I think you will want to read this lovely piece.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Juli

New Year's Eve Wedding

Darling place cards shaped like champagne bottles -- how perfect for a New Year's Eve wedding! Votive holders were shaped like miniature wine buckets, just visible in the background of this photo.

The beautiful bride posed for me in front of the photo of the first bride of the Hawthorne Hotel.

The balloon drop was all set and ready for midnight.


Table numbers were years representative of special times for this couple.

A Wedding Detail Not Always Considered

It is doubtful that many couples think about celebrating future anniversaries as a criteria for choosing the location of their reception. However, we do think it is something that the couples who choose the Hawthorne Hotel are happy with, at least after the fact, as you can see evidenced in this sweet story that is posted on our regular daily diary blog:

http://hawthornehotel.blogspot.com/2010/01/celebrating-anniversary-and-new-baby-at.html

This is hardly the first time we have posted such a story on our regular blog, but I thought perhaps you might be interested in reading one here.

Happy New Year!

Juli

NEW Value Wedding Package -- for Opportunity Dates

If you think you cannot afford a wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel, you really need to see this:

http://www.hawthornehotel.com/weddings/documents/ValueWeddingPackage2010.pdf

It is for special dates, which is why the big discount -- we know these are not the most desirable dates for many, but they could be exactly right for you.

So if you have not yet booked your wedding reception, and you have always dreamed of a wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel, this Value Wedding Package might be just the thing for you.

If you are interested in learning more, give our professional wedding planners a call at 978-825-4358. They are even here on Saturdays, and some evenings to make it easier for you.

I hope to see you here.

Juli

A Terrific Photographic Slide Show of a Hawthorne Hotel Wedding

I recently found this slide show on another blog, of a Hawthorne Hotel wedding. If you click on the link, you should be able to then click on the slide show of the Hawthorne Hotel wedding. The photos are terrific, and you can really get an idea of what a wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel is all about, from getting ready in one of our rooms, to the wedding ceremony in the Grand Ballroom, to the end of the night -- it is like a documentary of a Hawthorne Hotel wedding.

http://photographybylinda.blogspot.com

I hope you enjoy seeing this as much as I did.

Juli

Stephanie is Planning Her Wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel

As I was making my way through the hotel yesterday afternoon, I ran into these two charming young women right here in the entrance to the Ballroom. I stopped to ask if they needed any assistance, and introduced myself, only to find out that I knew the bride, Stephanie (on the left) through posts on Twitter.

Steph and her maid of honor were here working on some of the fun details of her upcoming wedding. After their meeting with our staff member, they enjoyed some food and drinks in front of the fireplace in the Tavern -- altogether a great afternoon as I learned in a message from Steph this morning on Twitter.

You can be sure we will be following Steph in her wedding plans, and featuring it on this blog!

Juli

More BEAUTIFUL Wedding Photos

Yesterday this email was forwarded to me by Karen Cotton, our Director of Catering here at the Hawthorne Hotel. It was so lovely, I just had to share.

I hope to see you here.

Juli

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From: Elizabeth
Sent: Tue 12/22/2009 5:20 PM
To: Karen Cotton
Cc: Liz Dube
Subject: Wedding Photos

HI Karen and Liz

I have attached some of our wedding photos. I picked out ones that really showcased how beautiful the Hawthorne Hotel was for our wedding!!!! Trust me, there are so many! These are just a few!!! Thank you for everything again… I just relived the wedding looking through all the photos again~ I want to do it all over again

You are welcome to use them if you want =) If you need a JPEG of any of them to use, let me know and I can send you a CD or send you the file. I just didn’t want to send you all the files since it would take up so much room!

Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!!!!!!!!!

Liz and Chris C

Another nice thank-you email

From: A. . . . . y

Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2009 2:53 PM

To: Karen Cotton

Subject: Re: FW: The Kalp-Whyman Wedding Was Gorgeous
[Blog Post]

Hi Karen,

Thanks for sending this along, we love it! We loved our wedding, everything was wonderful and everyone kept commenting on how great the room looked, how great the food was and just how seamless the night went. Thank you so so much for all of your help along the way and for accomodating us with every, little thing. It was an absolute pleasure working with you.

Have a great, great Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!

A. . . . y

E-Brochure for Weddings at the Historic Hawthorne Hotel

There is no doubt that the Hawthorne Hotel is historic, and that we embrace our history, and our place in the history and fabric of life in Salem, Massachusetts. However, that certainly does not mean we are moldy-oldy in how we think, live, act and work.

Here is an example -- our new wedding e-brochure. Just click on the link, and the brochure is right there on your computer screen. I hope you enjoy this preview, before this goes up on our website.

http://ebrochure.hawthornpublications.com/go/HawthorneHotel

Juli

Some Photos and a Thank You for Last New Year's Wedding

If you have ever wondered about having a winter wedding, here are some photos and a thank you note to consider.

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From: Kara

Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 11:32 AM

To: Robyn Sheather

Subject: Re: Hawthorne Hotel Reservation

Robyn

First, we never formally thanked you and your team for hosting the perfect wedding celebration.

From the night before the wedding when my out of town guests dined at the Tavern to the morning after when the crowd was filling up the lobby to say goodbye, it was a perfect event.

Our guests had such a great time that both sides of our families are planning to host family parties on New Year's from time to time as they couldn't imagine not doing it after last year's event.

You and Karen were so patient in the planning process and I know why now - you're great at it and I didn't need to worry about any of the little things I was worried about.

Sean was thrilled by the food and the sudden arrival of a case of his favorite beverage - between having his own firefighter's helmet cake and that beverage for just him, he didn't know who to thank or which to have first! The DJ, Chris Culkeen, who you recommended was fantastic - the group had a blast. The food was great, the wait staff took care of everyone, and our host was amazing - she even found my sneakers for me so I could run out to get pics in the snow then fixed my veil when the wind had blown it off.

Can't say enough about how thankful we are that the Hawthorne was where we started our life together. Also, I have attached a few of the pics I have of the hotel from that night - snow and all. I have a group of them to send via snapfish. It really was a perfect night and I can't thank you all enough for making it so.

And back to our original topic...our wedding package included a one night stay for the 1st anniversary and we can't think of a better place to celebrate the first one than at the Hawthorne - our guests still tell us how much fun they had that night.

As the anniversary is New Year's, is it even an option to arrange the stay for that night? If not, is there any availability for Saturday the 2nd? If that weekend doesn't work, I will have to check with Sean as his schedule is not a typical 9-5 so he works weekends and I don't know his January schedule aside from New Year's. Let me know if there's anything available on those dates and we'll go from there.

Hope you all had a wonderful, successful year and we wish you more of the same in 2010.

Cheers,

Kara