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Real Wedding at the Belvedere Mansion: Elegant Evening Chic & Victorian Romance
Sarah and Dan's wedding at the Belvedere Mansion in Staatsburg, NY on October 3, 2009 soared to the heights of romantic Hudson Valley elegance while still managing to be
a throw down, unforgettable dance party. Sarah and Dan pulled it off with style.
The Location – Belvedere Mansion
Sarah had been dreaming of her wedding at Belvedere Mansion from the time she was sixteen years old when her parents took her out to a "fancy" dinner at the restaurant to celebrate her birthday. Sarah and Dan love touring old houses, making the Belvedere Mansion's Victorian romance a natural choice.
The food was unbelievable! (It's true; I rarely eat at weddings and Jeff barely restrained me from licking my plate.) Sarah told me Jill and the staff delivered outstanding service and did everything she wanted.
The Dress – Town Shop Bridal in Poughkeepsie, NY
Sarah didn't want to spend a lot of her wedding dress, but she was set on a gown that didn't look like any other. The perfect dress had to blend with their outdoors wedding and couldn't be super pouffy.
After lots of bargain hunting, she settled on a Watters gown from the Town Shop that she purchased for a "ridiculously low" price. Sarah would definitely recommend this shop and all her bridesmaids got their dresses there, too.
"They will definitely tell you the truth about whether you look good or not," Sarah laughed. "And the tailoring is exceptional! They had to cut the lace in half and rework it to make the dress small enough to fit me, and you couldn't even tell. Your dress will look beautiful."
The Photographer – Michael Polito *All photos in this blog courtesy of Michael Polito.
From what Sarah told me, capturing these amazing images of Sarah and Dan was no easy task. (Though this is hard to believe, looking at the
gorgeous couple.)
"We HATE getting our picture taken and we didn't want any posey pictures," she told me. "Michael was super easy to work with and he really captured our 'goofiness.'"
The Music – The DJ Solution
Yes, it was us. Sarah has forced me to include her rave review, so here it goes...
Jeff's acoustic guitar music for the ceremony was just the right fit, an "artist's twist" on the songs he learned just for them, "Any Other World" by Mika and "The Promise" by When In Rome.
You can watch my rather clumsily filmed video of Sarah and Dan's ceremony below. Check out the little happy dance Sarah does when Dan comes to escort her down the aisle.
At the reception, everyone was on the dance floor together the whole time: parents, college friends, family, friends from law school. Afterward, guests called them to say theirs was the most fun wedding ever.
Sarah and Dan brought such amazing energy to their wedding that their guests would have had to be comatose to resist dancing. After a romantic first dance to Hall and Oates, "Sara Smile," they and 20 of their friends launched into a surprise choreographed dance from Slumdog Millionaire to "Jai Ho." That bold, fun move was a critical piece that ignited the dance floor. Sarah and Dan also introduced us to the best Hora ever, "Hava Nagilah" by Alex M.
The Flowers – Rood's Florist 
"Mr. Rood was unbelievable!" Sarah told me. "I just told him I wanted, 'very elegant bouquets with off white, a hint of green, a little bit of caramel and you do the rest.' He did an amazing job!"
One of Sarah's bridesmaids came to her appointment with Rood's and was shocked that she could trust him with no samples and no pictures. But while Sarah admits that Mr. Rood can be quirky, you can totally trust him because he is super reliable and dependable; just give him a little bit of information and he will "magically do what you want."
Makeup & Hair – Jenny Magliano of Makeup By Jenny and Marc Mazzucca
They were both exceptional!
The Theme – Elegant Evening with a hint of Victorian Romance
Sarah and Dan wanted an elegant evening wedding under the tent with a Victorian feel to match the Belvedere Mansion. Their colors were black, cream and caramel tones that achieved a look of evening chic in the romantic candlelight.
Bridesmaid Gifts – Novica
Sarah wanted to get her bridesmaids handmade gifts, something unique that would also match their dresses. She purchased handmade bead bracelets from Thailand available from Novica, an organization that works with National Geographic to support the artwork of craftspeople from all over the world.
Shoes – Zappos
Sarah wore $20 shoes and her bridesmaids got the same ones for only $12 each! They were all extremely excited about their cheap shoes.
Sarah Suggests...
"Consider whether you really want a veil," Sarah advises. "I spent $300 on mine and didn't even wear it."
Make sure you plan a second by second timeline for your wedding day. They ended up being late and then running like crazy. If you have an early morning, block out extra time for getting ready.
Sarah strongly suggests taking your wedding photos BEFORE your wedding so that you can take your time with it, then relax and enjoy the party with your guests later on.
Sarah and Dan chose an amazing location and hand picked their wedding vendors to ensure an unforgettable wedding day, but it was their exuberant enthusiasm and love for each other that made it a raving success. Kudos!
Want to see more REAL Hudson Valley weddings?
Real Wedding at the Grandview: M & M Theme in Chocolate and Tea Rose
Melissa and Mark’s wedding on October 10th 2009 at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie, NY was everything they could have hoped for and more. As Melissa put it, “I was 
on cloud nine the entire day!”
The Location – The Grandview
After 13 years of dating, Melissa and Mark were finally engaged!
Melissa and her mother had looked at several Hudson Valley wedding locations based on reputation. As soon as they walked beneath the gorgeous Grandview tent, Melissa looked at her mother. “This is where the wedding is going to be,” she said.
The Grandview tent’s outdoor beauty was perfect for Melissa and Mark who both love to spend time on the water, jet skiing the Hudson.
Melissa had high expectations based on the Grandview’s stellar reputation, but they were absolutely blown away on the day of their wedding. “They were so attentive to every single person there…I just threw ideas at Margaret and she made them happen.”
The Wedding Planner – Sage from Hudson Valley Ceremonies
Sage knew the bride’s personality and came up with ideas she hadn’t even thought of. “Sage had just as much to do with our wedding as I did.” Melissa laughed. “By the time of the wedding, she could finish my sentences!”
Working with a wedding planner saved the couple a lot of money with the discounts available. Sage helped coordinate Melissa’s tea themed bridal shower along with the wedding vendors, the favors and made sure everything went smoothly on the day of the wedding.
The Ceremony – St. Joseph’s Church in New Paltz
Melissa and Mark really tried to include the talents of all their loved ones in order to make them a special part of their wedding day.
The bride’s great Aunt and Uncle sang “Ave Maria” after Communion and the white twig arrangements decorating the pews were handmade by Melissa and her mother.
The Dress – Alfred Angelo princess cut
The Theme – M & M Chocolate Brown and Tea Rose
Melissa and Mark had fun using their initials to create an “M & M” theme integrated throughout the wedding: their M&M monogram was projected onto the dance floor with a gobo light and included on the invitations, napkins and wedding favors.
Their colors were chocolate brown and tea rose pink and the tables featured feathers and animal print linens. A Pumpkin Martini signature cocktail matched the autumn season.
The Favors – M & Ms (of course!) and homemade Italian cookies
The couple gave their guests wedding favors of chocolate and pink M & M candies. Melissa’s grandmother over 1,000 homemade brown and pink Italian cookies for guests to take home after the wedding.
The Music – BBE DJ
BBE DJ was easy to work with, professional, personal and attentive. They made sure Melissa and Mark had everything they needed to really customize their wedding. 
And Josh was great the night of the wedding, keeping everyone on the dance floor!
Josh also helped Mark pull of a surprise for the garter removal. Since Mark owns an auto repair shop, he rolled out on a “creeper” to get the garter. It was hysterical!
The Photos – Ulysses Photography *All photos in this blog courtesy of Ulysses Photography.
“I LOVE them!” Melissa gushed. “I knew the second I met Ulysses and Jenni that they were for us.”
The couple’s engagement session with Ulysses and Jenni made them feel totally relaxed. On the day of the wedding, they took candid photos that really captured their personalities. Melissa says that she got to be so close with Ulysses and Jenni that it felt like they were guests at her wedding.
“When looking through our gallery [of proofs] they captured moments I didn’t even know happened—and I was in them!”
The Cakes
The Grandview pastry chefs did an amazing job with Melissa and Mark’s wedding cake, a five tiered chocolate fondant masterpiece with rhinestone embellishments topped with an M & M rhinestone cake topper.
As a surprise, Melissa’s mother surprised the couple with a groom’s cake: a replica of Mark’s prized Plymouth Prowler sports car.
Tip for Grandview Brides
Melissa and Mark called the Mid-Hudson Bridge before the wedding to request pink bridge lights to match their wedding colors. They did it and it was FREE.
Final Advice from Melissa
“I spent so much time paying attention to the small details no one notices,” Melissa told me. “What makes the difference are the people at your wedding, not the details. Think more about your guests and less about your hairstyle.”
“When the priest announced we’d been together for 13 years, I could see and feel the anticipation of everyone in the church. All our favorite people were there in the same room to celebrate. It was the best day in the world!”
Want to see more REAL Hudson Valley weddings?
Real Wedding: Dutchess Golf and Country Club In Poughkeepsie Coming Soon Summer 2010 
My fiance and I have been dating for nine years, so our engagement was a long time coming! During that time, I imagined various scenarios of what our wedding might be like someday. Then he proposed…which almost instantaneously propelled my brain into overdrive, until I developed what resembled a panic attack at the mere glimpse of a wedding magazine.
This unnecessary stress caused me to scrutinize my fiancé for the most ridiculous reasons (like having an opinion.) Eventually, I began to simply talk to him and came to realize that “I” was not planning a wedding, but “WE” were planning it together.
At that moment, we set out to enjoy ourselves through the overall planning process. We talked about our expectations, our vision, our limits; which made all of our decisions that much simpler. From there, everything just started to come together naturally.
I am in no way implying that there haven't been any “bumps” in the road, but during this overwhelming, and at times, all-consuming process, I found it important to remember that we are not attempting it alone…just like the rest of our lives.
The Location – Dutchess Golf and Country Club
With that in mind, we are truly confident that we have found some of the best vendors in the area. We decided to have our wedding at the Dutchess Golf and Country Club in Poughkeepsie, due to its convenient location (close to several hotels), gorgeous grounds, and spacious (we expect about 250 guests) clubhouse overlooking the golf course. The event coordinator, was incredibly accommodating with both menu and pricing options. We coordinated with her and their experienced culinary chef to create a package that easily suited our exact needs and expectations.
The Officiant – Hudson Valley Ceremonies
Our wedding ceremony will also be located on the golf course, so one of our first agenda items was obtaining an officiant. We contacted Hudson Valley Ceremonies and booked Rev. Debra Romano, who vowed to work with us as closely as possible to create our own personal and unique ceremony.
Little did we know, making that call would be one of the best decisions we ever made! Since then, we have worked with the wonderful (and life-saving) Jeanne Stark to order our save-the-date magnets, invitations, and even booked our honeymoon to St. Lucia! She is always professional, provides valued advice from years of experience, and has been so incredibly helpful in getting everything we have needed (with discounts to boot!). We consider her our "Jeanne"-of-all-trades.
The Dress – The Bridal Cottage
When it came time to order my gown, I went to the Bridal Cottage in Kingston. Although I originally found the dress elsewhere, I had Gladys specially order it there. Not only is she one of the most adoring people to work with, but she is also an experienced seamstress with an impeccable eye for how clothing should fit and look on your body (her counterpart Arnee has dubbed her, "the boob lady.")
I was so impressed that I decided to have my bridesmaids dresses ordered there as well. These ladies have made each of my girls feel comfortable and confident that they will look amazing for our
wedding.
Photos – Duane Beyer Photography
Video – Kennerson Productions
As with most couples, documentation of our wedding was important to us. We feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon both our photographer, Duane Beyer Photography, and videographer, Kennerson Video Productions. They offered quality, exceptional work for a fraction of the typical cost.
Both Duane and Michael were incredibly accommodating, experienced, and most of all, genuine. They simply just love what they do, which is demonstrated with every piece they produce.
The Colors: Black & White with Bright Jewel-Tone Flowers
Our ultimate goal was to have the wedding reflect our personalities. We like the idea of simple, yet elegant design, so we decided on black and white (damask pattern accents) with bright jewel-tone flowers.
As far as wedding details, I read an article written by Stephanie Padovani, "37 Easy, Cheap Ways To Wow Your Guests With A Wedding That Is Totally You". We were able to use this as a guideline and came up with different ideas, such as having the guest book surrounded by photographs of our family (I got the frames at Hobby Lobby at 50% off!). We both love to play games, so we are adding touches of "fun", like field games for the kids and personalized decks of playing cards for our favors.
My bridesmaids and I are also planning on collaborating to hand-make our ceremony programs, menu cards, and maybe even our centerpieces (that depends on how creative we can get!) We hope that these touches will create that personal effect to surprise all of our guests.
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