The CBG will be pen through the holiday season with the following adjusted schedule. We will be closed for Christmas and the day after 12/25 and 12/26. We will be open 12/27, 12/28 - 11:00 till 8:00, 12/29 - 11:00 till 5:00, 12/30 - 10:00 till 4:00 and Closed Monday, January 1.
Sarah & Will CBG Wedding
We love seeing our CBG Brides and Gents and this one was so special. Thank you to Sarah & Will along with their photographer Ardita Kola for sharing these beautiful photos of the wedding. Ardita, is a modern wedding, portrait and lifestyle photographer based in Bucks County, PA.
Best wishes to Sarah and Will!
Cake or Not to Cake
Tips from Trish
The inventiveness and creativity of those who bake, continues to impress.
Obviously, the traditional wedding cake is still a strong and delicious presence in wedding receptions everywhere. But more and more modern brides are choosing variations on this theme. Wedding cake has been expanded to be wedding dessert and the options are gorgeous - and delicious. Some of the most intriguing and stunning desserts are appearing at weddings all across the country.
In celebration of National Cake Day, this is a list of just a few cake "replacement" ideas that we have seen and admired.
- Towers of frosted cake donuts.
- Towers of cupcakes with a small classic wedding cake starring on the top of the tower.
- Two tiers of rice crispy cakes frosted with whipped creme.
- Towers of whoopie pies. Or small individual fruit pies.
- Three tiers of heart shaped cake and/or pie pops.
- Three tiers of stacked Oreo cookies.
- Tower of ten tiers of multi colored macaroons on a dramatic base filled with gorgeous fresh blooms.
- Five tiers of various flavors of Cheese cake. (Each one with a tiny flag specifying the flavor)
- Four tiers of mini Bundt cakes in varying flavors.
- Tiers of various cake cups served in engraved glasses that become the guest favors.
- Towers of classic donut holes with tiny accents of flowers and greens.
Small Business Saturday
We all are aware of the post Thanksgiving shopping tradition of Black Friday. In 2011 American Express began promoting small businesses across the US with Small Business Saturday. As a thank you to our continued customers we have extended the National Bridal Sale through Thanksgiving Weekend and hope you will join us on Saturday, November 25th and Shop "small" with big savings!
Thanksgiving Hours
Our hours will be adjusted to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday. We will close early November 22nd at 6:00 PM and be closed Thanksgiving Thursday, November 23rd. We will re-open Friday, November 24th. To schedule an appointment during this busy time please give us a call at 215.699.1480. Happy Holidays!
Wedding Time Gap?
Tips from Trish
One of the biggest challenges in wedding planning is managing the time gap between the end of the ceremony and the start of the reception. Ideally the one should flow from the first, but the reality is that there is often a gap between the two that can be difficult for guests and a conundrum for brides and their families.
Here are some helpful and workable suggestions.
If your wedding and reception are in two separate locations, try to minimize the travel time for guests moving from one spot to another. Try to consider this when booking venues. As a rule of thumb, guests shouldn't have to drive more than 20 - 30 minutes (including traffic) from one to another.
Consider taking as many photographs as possible prior to the ceremony. That gap between ceremony end and reception beginning can be managed more efficiently if there are only a few post ceremony photos. To insure that guests aren't sitting in their cars at the reception site or wandering around on their own, arrange for a host couple to handle greeting guests at the reception while the wedding party is delayed. The host couple's names should be listed in the wedding program notes.
While wedding guests are waiting for the bridal party to arrive, they should be served beverages and appetizers. Music should be playing when they arrive. There should be a coat check area available and the gift table should be highly visible. There must be someone there at the gift table to accept gifts on behalf of the couple. Someone from the venue staff or a family member should be there to help with seating plans.
Once the wedding party arrives, the maitre d’ should introduce the party. As the stars of the evening, bride and groom are introduced last. Introductions are in this order: first are the parents of the bride, followed by parents of the groom, followed by the "little people" (if any), the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and the maid of honor and best man. Once the bridal party is in place, the bride and groom are announced and make their grand entrance to special music.
Be sure that names are double checked for pronunciation and that information is passed on to the person in charge from staff or to the reception hosts.
Maleana & Andrew CBG Wedding
Thank you so much to Andrew and Tianna Photography for sharing photos of our real bride, Maleana, recent wedding on the Eastern Shore. She looked absolutely beautiful!
Your Planner is Terrific!
Tips from Trish
Your Wedding Planner is Terrific…but know that there are some things that only you and/or your family can deal with!
Your planner can help with a truck load of issues and projects that will help you pull off your vision of your wedding. They can help you screen and hire local vendors. They can see that everything goes as planned from your walk down the aisle to your honeymoon get away. They can help you save money and stretch a wedding budget, but there are some things and decisions that the bride and her family must control.
- They can’t manage who sits where. They can suggest and assist but only you know the complex family relationships and arrangements that govern who sits where and why. You must make those decisions. You communicate those decisions and he/she can handle the mechanics of it. They can offer ideas, facilitate compromises, but in the end it is your decision.
- They can’t change your budget. Only you know how much you can afford to spend. Be honest with your planner and let him/her help you have the fabulous wedding within those budget guidelines.
- They can’t select the members of your wedding party. Only you can decide who matters enough in your life to be selected to be a member of your wedding party. No one else can make that decision. They can offer opinions, but in the end it’s your call.
- They can’t select your music. Only you and your groom can make the final call. They can offer a wide variety of options. They can suggest bands, string quartets, vocalists. You make the choices.
- They can’t write your vows. They can offer suggestions, help you think through options, suggest resources, but vows are a highly personal statement of what the bride and groom mean to each other.
- They can’t write your Thank You Notes.
We would love to hear what you think. Have any additional tips for working with your wedding planner?
A Country Bride and Gent Wedding
Thank you so much to Tricia Maziarz and Kevin McFarlane who shared their gorgeous wedding photos (courtesy of Faith West Photography) from the Ballroom at the Ben in Philadelphia. It was such a pleasure working with this beautiful couple.
May you enjoy many wonderful years together!
Beautiful Bride
At the Country Bride and Gent we strive to make every bride’s experience memorable and find the perfect dress for the occasion. We are always happy when they send us notes and photos after the wedding.
Here is one of our most recent favorites including gorgeous photographs by Divine Light Photography.
“Hello Ladies!!
I hope you all are having a great day. Thank you so much for helping me find the
dress of my dreams. It was stunning and fit perfectly the day of the wedding. My
mom was able to corset me up nice and tight and I even got a “wow” from my
groom!! You all were such a joy to work with.
Please see some photos to see how your hard work and service pays
off!!”