We just got a copy of The Knot's spring and summer 2010 magazine and guess what?!  We are in it!!!
Katie & Nick are an adorable couple who were married here in June of 2009.  As a couple they truly savored every minute of their day!  Their wonderful photos were taken by Melissa Grimes-Guy of Melissa Grimes-Guy Photography.  (Some are even being used in our advertising this year!)  Shirley of Seasonal Flowers added her incredible touch to the flowers and Candy of Silent Sous created the delicious carrot wedding cake that no one could get enough of. DJ David Johnson provided the music that kept everyone up and dancing all night long!

Congratulations Katie & Nick on being featured in the 2010 Spring/Summer issue of The Knot Weddings!!

As our wedding season comes to an end for 2009 it is time for us to scrub the floors, repaint the walls and get started on our new projects for 2010!!!  The project I am most excited about is the new garden being planted, just past the bridge, out by the ceremony site.  The guests and then the bridal party and finally the Bride will all be able to walk over the bridge and then through this beautiful, flowering garden on the way out to the ceremony point, providing a spectacular backdrop for photos of the processional and recessional!  The garden has been planted full of a variety of different flowering bulbs and plants, that are in bloom at different times throughout the year in order to provide fabulous flowers all wedding season. 

Once the garden is finished, new sod will be rolled out with a brand new sprinkling system, which will ensure whether or not mother nature is on our side, the grass out on the point will be green all season long!  These are just a couple of the improvements going on here at The Oaks this winter.  Check back soon for updates and information on some of the other exciting things we have in the works!

The Fall on the Eastern Shore, while bringing fantastic colors, lovely days and brisk evenings, occasionally brings with it some showers as well.  So while you may be dreaming of magnificent reds, oranges and yellows perhaps you are a bit wary of some sprinkles (or downpours) that may come along with that. Unfortunately there is nothing you (or I) can do about Mother Nature. So if your wedding day forecast calls for rain you may wonder how it is going to affect your special day. There are, in fact, many different beliefs about what it means when it rains on your wedding day. Here are a few of the most common:

Many cultures believe that rain on your wedding day is good luck. In the Hindu tradition rain on the wedding day is considered lucky, as it is believed to foretell a strong marriage. The logic behind this belief is that a wet knot is more difficult to untie. (Getting married is often referred to as “tying the knot.”) So if it rains on your wedding day you will have a long, happy marriage.

Rain is also believed to be a symbol of fortune and abundance, which falls generously on the bride and groom. It brings good wishes and washes away all the couple’s troubles and woes. It also means you will be blessed with fertility and have many children because rain is what replenishes reservoirs and sustains crops.

A more direct interpretation of rain bringing luck is the thought that if it rains on your wedding day and everything proceeds smoothly, the marriage will be a success because it shows that you work well together under pressure in the face of obstacles.

No matter what the weather is on your wedding day keep this in mind: You have a lifetime of sunny and rainy days alike to spend with the one you love throughout your lives together. Plus The Oaks has a variety of lovely, beautiful and covered ceremony locations in case you are blessed with the Good Luck omen of rain on your special day!

You can tell how special a couple are when people come from all over the world to help them celebrate their wedding!  Much of Liz's family flew in all the way from England.  While the Dan's side came up from Louisiana, where his family has a Pecan business.  They brought with them yummy chocolate covered pecans which they had available for their guests both at the rehearsal dinner and the reception.

These two can really dance!  They danced throughout the weekend, starting at their rehearsal dinner, which was a crab feast on the dock. Then Saturday we woke to rain clouds and a less than positive forcast so the bride and groom decided to move their ceremony upstairs to our covered deck, where they could still enjoy the beautiful water view and magnificent fall foliage. 

After the ceremony everyone moved inside where the hit of the night was the special Mint Julep bar (complete with the groom's secret recipe!).  The groom made the mix before hand and brought in his own special mint, after all a secret that good can not be given away willy nilly!!!  The groomsmen all had special mint julep glasses that they used throughout the rehearsal.

The entire event was a huge hit.  The Bride's mother recently wrote us, "we are still savoring our time at The Oaks.... bottom line, our daughter married the love of her life ... and The Oaks made it a joyous, wonderful occasion for all of us who love Liz and Dan"  With a couple as great at these two, surrounded by cherished family and friends, our job is easy!

 The following morning, the couple cut the grooms cake as well and everyone ate cake for breakfast!
It was a great weekend and a fun event for everyone who attended!

These two were the sweetest of the sweet and their wedding proved it! 

First off lets start with the incredible decorations (many of which Amanda made herself)!  There was a Fall undertone to the entire wedding and that showed through in the adorable signs for each table, the place-card tree and a congratulations sign as you entered the ballroom.  They also found and had made, adorable wooden signs with phrases about love, that they placed all around the property!  I couldn't forget to tell you about their elaborate candy bar as well. It was a child (or child at hearts) dream!!!  Everything from Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares to rock candy to M&M's to candy bracelets.  The children's tables also had candy trees instead of traditional centerpieces, which I must admit I am sure the kids appreciated!  The flowers fit right in and added to the fall theme in an elegant and beautiful way.  Petals created beautiful centerpieces of oranges and green hydrangeas with willow sticks. Words can't describe how great it looked.  Dana of Petals even created an arch specifically to fit their theme and decorated the bridge.

Dinner was a delight, though after all the fabulous appetizers at cocktail hour (shots of Mushroom soup, spoons of lobster mashed potatoes, bacon wrapped scallops and more!) people were a bit full.  Julie Bakes made such a delicious cake (there were Spice, Carrot and Chocolate layers) that people even came up for seconds and thirds.  To finish off the night there were mini cheeseburgers placed out near the bar for everyone who had danced up an appetite again to the great music, provided by Steve Moody, that had people up and grooving all night long!

Of course we can not forget the stunning photos, thanks to J Perez Imagery, that captured this beautiful day, magical memories and wonderful couple!! All in all Amanda and Jason's wedding was a very sweet way to end the weekend!

These two were so obviously, overwhelmingly in love with each other it would have been nauseating except for the fact that they were also completely adorable!  No one was able to take their eyes off the newlyweds as they danced their first dance as husband and wife.  They had smiles that wouldn't leave their faces all weekend, including when it looked like they might have a bit of rain on their wedding day. 

Their wedding weekend started off with a traditional Maryland Crab Feast out on the dock for their rehearsal dinner.  About 60 of their friends and family had a great time eating freshly caught crab (the Marylanders taught the Michiganders the way to do it).   After a great (and messy) meal of crab, potato salad, chicken and veggies, out came the strawberry shortcake that must have been delicious because it was all gone within 10 minutes!!! 

Caitlin and Dylan had a variety of lesser known traditions, including burying a bottle of bourbon for good luck on your wedding day.  Which appeared to have worked, as the cloudy skies parted an hour before their ceremony and made for a lovely day. They also had a Love Letter and Wine Box ceremony which was completely adorable and romantic.  In short you each write love letters to the other and choose a bottle of wine and then during your ceremony you lock the box and are not to open it until your (5th - 10th - 25th) wedding anniversary, unless you hit a bump along the way in which case you open it and read you letters while drinking a glass of wine before making any rash decisions. 

The whole wedding had a nautical undertone as the groom was a sailing enthusiast.  The cupcakes were each topped with an anchor, life ring or sailboat and the giant cupcake the bride and groom cut was named Miss Tilly after the grooms boat!  Their tables alternated between a beautiful floral centerpiece and a series of 3 pillar candles each with a different Michigan Lighthouse on them.  These and their beautiful ceremony arch were all done by Petals.  Beth Bailey was their wedding coordinator and added lots of adorable touches like a bird cage for cards and white wedding signs pointing the guests towards the ceremony.

Instead of a guest book Caitlin and Dylan had two beautiful photos (taken by Amy Deputy, their fabulous wedding photographer!!) of them matted and framed for guests to sign and instead of place cards guests could just look on a poster sized board that had everyone's name and table typed up.  As a fun twist they also brought in a photobooth from Posh Booth, where all their guests were able to dress up and get some fun and funky photos taken.  Each person was given a copy of their photos and another copy was put in a scrapbook as a memento for the bride and groom!  The band, Marquise kept everyone up and dancing providing a great mix of classic dance favorites and modern hits.  In the end the night was a huge success and every last detail was perfect!

At a recent wedding here I was introduced to a lovely ceremony I had not heard of before (which is somewhat rare for me!).  It is called the wine and love letter box.  This beautiful ceremony is a unique idea that you can incorporate into your wedding that will keep your guests talking for days.

Here is what you will need:

• A wooden wine box
• a bottle of your favorite wine
• two love letters sealed in separate envelopes
• a small hammer and several nails.

A few weeks before the wedding, take some time to each write a letter to one another, expressing your thoughts about the good qualities that you found in your future partner, the reasons for falling in love with them and your hopes and dreams for the future. In other words, you write a "love letter" to each other and place it in a sealed envelope, with the name of your partner on the outside. Do not read what the other has written.
Be creative with the box by putting foam inside to support the wine bottle. Line the inside with satin material. You can also include CDs of your favorite music, favorite pictures of you together, and other mementos making it your own romantic time capsule. After the wedding keep the box in a place of honor as a constant visual reminder of your love and commitment to each other. The box can be a life preserver in years to come.

The Wine Box should be opened on your 25th wedding anniversary.

There is only one other reason the box should be opened before your anniversary. If there should come a time when you hit a bumpy road in your relationship, before you give up or make any irrational decisions, sit down and open the Wine Box. The hope is that there will never be a reason to have to open the box except on your anniversary! Hit a rough spot in your relationship? Sit down together, open the box, uncork the wine and unseal the envelopes that you wrote for one another before your wedding, go to separate rooms and quietly read the love letter while enjoying a glass of wine. Even if you are not seeing eye-to-eye at that very moment, it will remind you of all the reasons you choose this person as your partner and all the things that helped shape the life they've created together. Never take your blessings of being together for granted.

The romantic sentiments you wrote, the declaration of love, the clear thoughts about why you chose this person as your life partner will help put you back on even ground. This is the perfect ritual to remind you of your wedding day and your intention to love and cherish each other in good times and bad for as long as you both shall live.

Toward the end of your ceremony the Officiant will state the purpose of the "Love Letter & Wine Box Ceremony." The Officiant will elaborate on the reasons for the sealed love letters, place the sealed envelopes in with the wine bottle and will speak about the exercise that you went through. It should be emphasized that the letters have not been read by the Officiant or by anyone else. The box will then be nailed shut. The Officiant begins with the first nail, followed by the Bride and Groom sealing the box shut. You can have each member of your wedding party or parents step up and nail the box shut as well.

Your guests will be pleased to have been a witness to something so unique and different at your wedding ceremony.


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