Bridal Shower and Rehearsal Dinner Venues on the North Shore

Planning a Shower? Rehearsal Dinner? Party? Intimate Wedding? 

A dear friend's cousin reached out to me recently looking for venue recommendations for a bridal shower she is hosting on the North Shore. I was thrilled to come up with this short list of places for her and am happy to share it here as well. 

Turner's: in Salem: has a great private room upstairs, serves excellent seafood and is in a great location. 

L’Andana: I have not been yet, but I have heard great things about the food.

Davio’s : We love Davio’s. It’s menu is excellent, decor is clean, almost modern and traditional, a very pleasant experience.  There are several locations. I've been to three, all were consistently good!

Hawthorn Hotel

Nahant Country Club: It’s quaint, a little old fashion, but charming and very traditional for a shower and in beautiful Nahant.                                                                                                                       Ocean View Nahant: I love Nahant.

Strega Prime: Old School- Dark/ Sexy- Steak House

Harrington’s Pub

Two more casual, alternative, fun places that have private room and built in entertainment are Kings for bowling or Dave and Busters.

What venues am I missing? Do you have other treasured gems in the North Shore you adore?  

If you're not in the Boston area and struggling to find a suitable venue for your next special event, think about where you like to eat and consider what you like to do on weekends and the hotels in your area. 

*BONUS VENUE:  I was eager to check out the new Beauport Hotel in Gloucester. It did not disappoint. It delivered in food, service, decor and views. It's perfect for an upscale nautical vibe! 

Top of the Hub

We celebrated a phenomenal man last week. My wonderful father in-law turned 75! We needed a celebration fitting of such an occasion, so in lieu of a big party, my mother in-law gathered seven of us for an intimate dinner at Top of the Hub. It was his first visit to this popular Boston restaurant that sits on the 52nd floor of the  Prudential Building, so he was thrilled and so surprised and happy that his grand daughters were there to make this monumental birthday even more special. While we all enjoyed the stunning views of the city skyline and delicious food, we certainly missed the North Carolina crew!

The Cork Factory Hotel

Today my guy and I are heading to Amish Country. I'm very excited to celebrate my dear friend's wedding in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We are staying on site, the wedding is at The Cork Factory Hotel. It looks great, the perfect wedding venue: fireplaces, exposed brick and urban cozy.  I am really looking forward to a romantic weekend away!

The rehearsal dinner is at The Baker's Table.

I am also looking forward to trying the restaurant on site, The Cork and Cap Restaurant.

But of course more than anything, I am excited to get dressed up, see many dear friends and celebrate my friend and her soon to be very new husband.

Have a wonderful weekend.

xo,
Tammy

Brooklyn Venue: The Bedford

A few weeks ago Jessica from The Parlour Brooklyn invited me to co-host a summer neworking event at The Bedford in Brooklyn. Wednesday night a great group of wedding professionals gathered in the back room of this Williamsburg restaurant. The space is equipped with it's own bar, a separate entrance, and sound set up for a DJ. It's a perfect room for celebrating milestone birthdays or hosting engagement parties and rehearsal dinners. The sangria, vibe and company were excellent. I hope to return soon with my Brooklyn Betrothed ladies to taste the food and let you know how the risotto balls and fish tacos rate.

I am off to Wisconsin for a hometown wedding next weekend and some family time. I hope you're enjoying the summer, I can't believe it's almost over. Have a great weekend!

Thank you on behalf of Brooklyn Betrothed

We've been busy bloggers over at Brooklyn Betrothed this week and I just wanted to quickly write and say thank you to those who have been been by for a visit. It's an exciting new project I am so proud to be a part of. Since we've launched on Monday, the feedback has been incredible. This photo was taken at our dinner on Monday, by Kristina Hill. Details of the dinner decor and design are here. If you haven yet been to take a look, please do. My post on rehearsal dinners is here. Carissa talks about ceremonies here, Kristina writes about engagement shoots here and here Sam tells the story of how this came about.

I hope you're having a great week!

xo
Tammy

Tribeca Restaurant

It's been an excellent week of scouting venues, catching up with industry friends, experiencing New York City at it's hottest and oh, planning weddings.




Big thanks to Courtney and Anne-Marie for hosting a lovely event on Monday evening. What a great crew, I look forward to the next one!

Tribecafe is an excellent space for an intimate rehearsal dinner or engagement party.





I was not able to partake in the delicious looking food, since I came after class (I have nearly completed the second fast trac course offered by the Levin Institute) but my colleagues assured me that the food was as good as it looks here.




I was, however, just in time to enjoy this sweet corner of the bar. So pretty!






Relaxed guitar music was the perfect soundtrack to the evening, provided by Elan Artists.


The restaurant's natural decor is a great backdrop with exposed brick walls and dramatic lighting.


Thanks to Carlos for sharing his beautiful images of the evening with me.



Happy Friday to all, I hope you enjoy your weekend!



Photo Credit: Carlos Andres Varela Photography

Tasting at L'Artusi

Disappointed to miss a much anticipated lunch with make-up artist Anni Bruno, a very decadent "meeting" and one of Gabriella's fabulous parties due to my accident, drained and broken I was determined to go through with the scheduled photo shoot. It was far too important to me to sacrifice. The shoot was for a contest and it was impossible to reschedule due to other commitments. After a successful shoot, I was invited to a very special tasting. I was very reluctant to be seen in public (anymore) but was certainly tempted by:

housemade ricotta with honey, Garganelli pasta with mushroom ragu, Cavatelli pasta with spicy lamb sausage, Branzino with roasted lemon and olives, and olive oil cake

*Tips for getting people to attend your party? Include the menu in communications leading up to the event. Do you have a good guest list? Let it leak.

Then the guest list tipped the scales for me. I was not going to let vanity get the best of me.

My decision to attend the tasting at L'Artusi, was well rewarded by a delicious evening of amazing food and lovely company. I always appreciate a quality culinary experience right before I leave New York to visit my family in the Midwest. I am happy no exception was made this time.











Three cheers for the fresh ricotta, olive oil cake and the Amaretto cookies covered in pine nuts. This restaurant is a lovely venue for bridesmaid luncheons, showers and rehearsal dinners.

Photos Courtesy of Jen Huang Photography

Real Weddings: Catherine and Adam

Valentine's Week is the perfect opportunity to share one of my most elegant weddings. I had the honor of planning and coordinating a traditional, classic New York City wedding at The Yale Club of New York.

Elegant Affairs arranged the beautiful bouquets and centerpieces.

I love this image of the bride waiting outside the church, watching as her guests are seated.

The ceremony took place at the Church of the Incarnation.

The couple hired a Dixieland band to lead their guests on foot from the ceremony to the reception via the streets of Manhattan. This was a nice nod to their southern roots.

The couple steals an intimate moment taking in the views of the city.

The beautiful calligraphy was provided by the bride's mother and the wedding was photographed by Carolyn Monastra and Sue Kessler of Christian Oth Studios.

The Yale Club does a superb job preparing delicious cuisine and the artistic presentation of each course was consistent through dessert. After a formal dinner, the music of Manhattan Swing had guests on their feet all evening long.

As the night concludes, the newlyweds walked across the street to Grand Central Station...

where they enjoyed their last dance of the evening.


Other nuptial treasures:

Thursday night as out-of-town guests began to arrive, they were invited to an informal welcome reception of cocktails and cupcakes at a nearby rooftop bar.

The bridal luncheon was at The Rainbow Room. The bride gave her attendants the softest monogrammed bathrobes. The boxes were beautifully wrapped in paper the bride selected at Kate's Paperie. The bride hired a masseuse to pamper the bridal party in her suite after the luncheon.

The World Yacht cruise was a fun and festive alternative to a restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. Out of towns guests and New Yorkers alike enjoyed the boat ride with views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.


Thanks to Laura Chavis of Wedding of Lorelei for opportunity to plan this wedding. Laura was expecting her second child as we started planned this wedding. Sharing the planning process was an excellent collaboration.

Thanks to Christian Oth Studios for sharing the beautiful photography.

Happy Valentine's Day Catherine and Adam!

Handwriting Analysis

Q: Do you know what your handwriting says about you?

A: Most people do not, especially in our generation of g-chat, facebook instant messages, tweets, texts, e-mail and bbm. You may not even recognized the handwriting of someone you love.

Weddings are an opportunities to celebrate, acknowledge and connect with those closest to you.

I've discovered an excellent an original idea to introduce at your next event.
Now you can incorporate an analysis of your family and friends’ handwriting into your pre-wedding activities, in a heartfelt way.

It can be:
• a personal and intelligent way to acknowledge the ladies at your bridal luncheon or shower.
• an excellent way for your and your fiance’s families to get to know each other at the rehearsal dinner.
• an amazing alternative to standard place cards when dressing a table.
• an original way to thank your wedding party for participating in your day.
• a great start to a thoughtful and sincere scrapbook.

Adorn this idea with:
• a magnified glass
• a beautiful pen
• personalized stationery
• an engraved journal
• a book
• or simply a (handwritten, of course) love letter

How does this work?
Simply request a one page sample of the individual's handwriting in the event invitation. Provide the paper, a self addressed stamped envelope and give them a choice of a few topics to write about in case they need some encouragement or inspiration.

For example:
• advice on how to have a long and happy marriage
• story of how we met
• love letter
• favorite memory

These samples are used to generate thorough and wildly accurate handwriting profiles. This confidential analysis describes the many important motivational traits that handwriting samples show are a significant part of individual's personality.Particular attention is focused on the characteristics which most influence the relationships with others.

The reports are divided into the following categories:

Communication
Stress Level
Thinking Patterns
Imagination
Goal
Achievement
Emotional Structure


Here are some highlights from my handwriting analysis:

"You tend mostly to be balanced in stressful situations" "You enjoy searching for answers and are resourceful in gathering your own information" "vivid, active imagination" "ability to come up with original innovative ideas" "You are probably happiest when you can work in creative way and you will likely achieve rather spectacular results if you can deal with the practicalities of bringing your ideas to fruition."

Interested? Check out Graphology Consulting or Contact Sheila Kurtz at 212.799.9296

Big thanks to Dianne and Courtney of One Source Worldwide, Inc. for hosting and organizing an excellent day! They arranged tours of great venues in Manhattan for a group of event planners. We started at the new and very swanky Lucky Strikes Lanes and Lounge. This new bowling "alley" is a great destination for a Friday night with friends or perfect for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

Next stop: lunch at Etcetera, Etcetera. We were treated to a delicious meal. We sampled roasted Atlantic salmon with a pistachio crust, parma prosciutto and parmigiano stuffed chicken breast and vegetable risotto. The dessert made me to oooooh out loud. The meal was delicious. The service was warm, welcoming and efficient. The private room upstairs was beautiful, it's a pre-theather treasure. I recommend this venue to those hosting rehearsal dinners, bridal luncheons, birthday parties, business functions and more. I look forward to trying their sister property Vice Versa on 51st Street.

Urban Ride chauffeured us around all day in a comfortable van.

Then we went to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum.
This was a first for me, they closed for two years and have now reopened stronger than ever. This is a great family day activity; interesting and educational. It's huge, and they are fully equipped to handle events of any size. I look forward to returning with my next young and curious visitor.

After a quick walk through of the IAC Building, pictured above, and designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry we were welcomed at City Winery. This large, woody but beautiful space marries wine and music. The stage houses bands and since the owner ran the Knitting Factory, the acts on stage will be worth the trip. If by some chance the music sucks, you can drowned your sorrows in one of 300 bottles of wine they hope to offer very soon. They have a partnership with my beloved Murray's Cheese who will move their cheese classes to this new home. Private dinner in a barrel room or where the wine is being made, of course: no problem.
You can also buy a private barrel for $5000, this promises you 250 bottles of wine, the perfect gift for the couple who has everything or or a bride and groom looking to serve something special to their guests at their wedding. After selecting the grapes, the process takes about one year. Clearly, I was impressed with this place and plan to return to this Soho newby again. They opened on New Year's Eve.