Gather Greene | Catskill Mountains

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Thank you for your patience as we refocus our attention on blogging! It is not as high on our list as doing the actual work of planning a fabulous event is! One thing we do LOVE is to share new venues. Discovering a new venue is such an exciting thing for a planner. Working at a venue we have never worked at before is like being given a blank canvas and a brand new palette of paint.

There are so many wonderful venues in New York City, old and new, that the list would be too long and the blog endless, so we have decided to focus more on those great venues outside of the city. We are going to share a few new venues over the coming weeks in New York State, at least two in Connecticut and perhaps a few more in Newport or Vermont, as well as a new destination location. It can be hard for couples to find the time to visit every venue, so it is great that we as planners can give an overview so that you do not have to take time off from work to travel around here and there only to potentially strike out! There are many details about a venue that effect both your wedding experience as well as your budget. It can be hard for a client to discern all these details if you have not been doing this for forever and a day.

For now, we set our thoughts and starry eyes on Gather Greene, a stunning venue located at the start of the Catskill Mountains. The passionate and smart friends Amna and Jackie began rounding out their vision of an organic resort where nature was the primary decor starting a good four years ago, maybe more. Before officially owning the land, they reached out to ADE about wedding and event planning in general and particularly in the New York State area. Questions were addressed like ‘what features do couples and planners look for most’ and ‘what are the drawbacks that prevent someone from booking a venue they love.’

Many clients are looking for that weekend away experience where everyone can spend quality time together away from their everyday grind. A weekend wedding is not just more intimate but it is also more memorable, with guests departing feeling more connected than when they arrived. There is something magical about a special event being hosted away from it all. Similar to the theater, when people arrive to a location that they have never been before their attention immediately peeks. This really does set the tone for a weekend of little to no distraction.

Amna and Jackie’s venue site is modern and organic in design. The accommodations are dressed with the conveniences of every day life. The outside comes inside, with floor to ceiling window views of the mountains, and sunsets, for each guest to enjoy while getting cozy in bed with a book.

Another problem they have solved is that this beautiful venue has upwards of 17 cabins. It is not often that a weekend long wedding site can house both the immediate family and the bridal party. Additionally, with the town of Hudson New York so close by, there are many extra options for accommodations. From the standard chain hotels, to The Wick and The Rivertown Lodge in the heart of Hudson, and more. Not to mention the plethora of Air B & Bs in the Hudson and Columbia County area.

The Pavilion is where you will most likely host your main event or multiple events at Gather Greene. Again, the outside is brought inside, while maintaining sophistication. The structure is beautiful all on its own without too much adornment yet built with the potential to become more creative. The cement wall at one end of the pavilion is perfect to dress with floral, anything hanging or even a pattern to be projected. The beams above, modern and smart in feel, can also be used to hang decor. Weatherizing options for the sides of the pavilion are in development and the venue is fully prepared to accommodate any off-site caterer in their kitchen. No cook tent needed at Gather Greene, nor restroom trailers.

We have been so excited about this venue from day one and cannot be more excited for these two ladies and the opportunity to work at this one of a kind spot.

The first photo below was taken by a staff cell phone and the succeeding photos were taken by Kelsey Ann Rose.

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Photo by kelsey ann rose

Photo by kelsey ann rose

PHOTO BY KELSEY ANN ROSE

PHOTO BY KELSEY ANN ROSE

Photo by kelsey ann rose

Photo by kelsey ann rose

Venues | NY State

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As we place last minute clients in venues for 2018 and new clients for 2019, we are happy to share our updated list of venues. Some we have worked at, some we have just visited, other locations clients have hosted accommodations or smaller events and some venues are still being renovated or built. We will update these lists as time moves on soon. 

VENUES - HUDSON VALLEY + CATSKILLS

Apple Barn Weddings 

Ashokan Dreams B&B

The Barn at Libery Farms 

Bascobel 

Basilica Hudson 

Bear Mountain Inn

Blenheim Farm 

Blooming Hill Farm

Brown Barn Farms

Buttermilk Falls Inn

The Carey Institute for Global Good

The Catamount

The Catskill Mountain House

Clermont State Historical Site 

Crested Hen Farms

Emerson Resort and Spa 

Floating Farmhouse 

FoxFire Mountain House

Full Moon Resort

The Garrison 

Gather Greene

Glenmere Mansion

Glynwood Estate 

Grasmere Farm - awaiting it’s reopening date

Handsome Hollow

Hasbrouck House 

Hayfield Catskills 

The Highlands Country Club 

Weddings at The Hill 

Hilsinki Hudson 

Historic Barns of Nipmoose   

The Kaaterskill  

Kirby Hill Farm

Lambs hill 

Liberty View Farm

The Linden House

Locusts on Hudson 

M + D Farm 

Mohonk Mountain House 

Mount Tremper Arts

Oak Hill

Onteora Mountain House

Owls Hoot Farm

Oz Farm

Pioneer Farm

Preston Barn

Red Maple Vineyard 

Roundhouse at Beacon

Roxbury Barn and Estate

Shakesspeare on the Hudson 

Showdow Lawn NY 

Southwood Property 

Spillian

Storm King Art Center

The Tin Ballroom 

Willow Ridge Farm

 

KATERINA + BRIAN | Country Club of Fairfield | Southport, Connecticut | October 2017

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This wedding was featured on the ever popular Over The Moon (OTM) blog in April of 2018. This wedding will also soon appear, in print, in the pages of Fairfield Living Magazine.

This wedding was a long time coming. While we were hired just about a year out from their wedding date, the parents of the bride took Ashley out to dinner to discuss their daughters FUTURE wedding almost four years ago. We had been in business four years at that time and they did not know when exactly this young man, this future son-in-law of theirs, was going to finally propose! NO JOKE! Flash forward three years, they are engaged. Phew! 

The newlyweds met at college their Freshman Year at St. Lawrence University. That is pretty impressive when it comes to commitment if you ask me. They both really are a pair, immediately seem meant to be, like their pulses are on the same wave length and they can read one another's thoughts. Calm, cool and collected they both were on their wedding day, a site you do not see everyday. 

The Bride Katerina is nothing if not tasteful and understated. Her mother Donna is a frequent party planner herself, spending decades assisting and planning charity events, as well as, her own social events at home. Surprising people with decor choices and other details was important to her as she really knew a good portion of their wedding attendees. Katerina on the other hand did not have those same experiences under her belt and cared very much about not appearing to try top hard or try too hard period. The day will be enough as it is - let's just hope for good weather. We did get fantastically perfect weather! 

We brought on Katherine from KDJ Botanica out of Westport, CT. Katerine and I totally speak the same language, truly finishing one another's sentence and knowing what the other is thinking before we say anything, when talking about decor that is! It is a treat to work with a talented florist that has the same aesthetic sensibilities. Chemistry is everything in life and she and I have it! 

What we love and what spoke to both Katerina and her mom Donna, was making sure color did not seem like a theme or too deliberate. Romantic and creative to an extent was necessary for them both to be pleased but also white and green alone was not enough. It would have been an easy choice given Katerina's own aesthetic but we worked hard to get the right balance or romantic color that seemed naturally occurring and also in muted tones. We did not want people to look at a picture and say something like oh they had a pink and tangerine wedding or a pink and yellow wedding...just a romantic wedding, fitting enough for the date and setting, with color blending well. 

The setting of this wedding was perfect. As CT wedding vendors know, The Greenfield Hill Church is a staple for weddings in Fairfield County, CT. It seemed to have been built for weddings! Ironically and so sweet, both the Bride's grandparents and parents had been married in the same church years ago! How remarkable is that! Also, this is such an open and welcoming church - no matter what your religion, you may want to visit on Sunday's after planning a few weddings here. The nicest people in the world run this congregation, on top of a cute picturesque hill in Fairfield, CT.

Then the wedding guests made their way down to one of the most stunning waterfront sections in the state of Connecticut. Country Club of Fairfield sits on a pristine portion of the Long Island Sound, with sunsets to die for - they will make you want to learn golf, if you can find a friend at this small club to sponsor you in order to go play! They also have really good shoe string french fries at the beach pavilion but I have gotten off track....

Having a Sperry Tent from Greenwich Tent Co. directly on the sand, waterfront, is a treat that planner's do not come across very often. 

Thank you to Glen Allsop of Christian Oth studio who we love. You captured the romance and twilight of the setting so well in your photos and thank you to The Light Mill for also capturing the mood so well in their wedding video. Cannot wait for the world to see these images in both the Over the Moon Blog (OTM) and in print in the pages of Fairfield Living Magazine. This will be our first Over the Moon Blog! We cannot wait to be featured on this gorgeous and discerning site. Many thanks to all people involved with making this happen! 

Enjoy! XO

Planning + Design | Ashley Douglass Events

Florals + Design | KDJ Botanical

Photography | Glen Allsop of Christian Oth Studio

Venue | Country Club of Fairfield

Band | 45 Riots

Cake | Lovely Cakes

Cinematographer | The Light Mill 

Lighting | Social Event Decor

Hair | Lachers: Hair by Demand

Make up | Emily Roznick

Tent | The Greenwich Tent Co.

Invitations | Sarah Parsons Invitation

Donut Station | Festivities

Cigar Rollers | Martinez Cigars

Piper | Jonathan Henken

Lounge Rentals | Gather and Lounge

Rentals | Nuage Designs

Rentals II | Party Rental LTD

Rentals III | True North Event Rentals

Rentals IV | Reserve Modern

EMILY + CARLOS | Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club | Cold Spring Harbor, New York | September 2017

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This wedding was featured on Carats & Cake in April of 2018.

What to say about this fun loving, super chill, smart, all around wonderful couple and refreshingly simple wedding celebration! Emily and Carlos met at work. More specifically - when Carlos interviewed Emily. Needless to say she was offered the job but don't read into this; she was running circles around Carlos in no time and technically he was not her boss when she came on board to the company. 

Both hail from incredibly fun families that do not take themselves too seriously. Both their sets of parents ripped up the dance floor as you can see in photos. Even grandma busted a move and Carlos's mom got up on stage with the band to dance and she even sang a tune with them as well! Nothing better than a packed danced floor with three generations. 

We have to give a shout out to Mama Mary Alice for being so much fun, gracing us with too many treats and always having the best attitude about planning her daughter's wedding. Seriously, while we were looking out for our clients she was always looking out for us and so appreciative, as was the whole entire clan. And they are a clan of loyal families these two -  their love was busting at the seams on their wedding day. 

Additionally, last year was another season where we found overlapping faces from that season, as well as, seasons past! It is always nice for us to see past clients, couples and wedding guests that we have seen at many previous wedding - it is icing on an already delicious cake. 

Emily and Mary Alice both already knew of the adorable, sweet and kind flower man Andrew Pascoe who has been a respected staple on Long Island for decades. Simple white flowers with grass-green greens - the freshest you can find. That was the note and what he does best. Andrew does procure the freshest flowers from his wholesalers, like they had just been cut down the road and arrived arranged to the tent. Emily, Carlos and Mary Alice (MOB) are not fussy people, so too much going on was not necessary. They didn't need to blow people away with things they have not seen before but wanted to engage them, find personal touches and make sure fun was number one. 

The cocktail hour had a beer tasting bar. Emily and Carlos are beer connoisseurs and went out of their way to procure beer from various places, some on their own and some with the help of the caterers they hired, Sterling Affairs. As an example, Emily and Carlos visited Other Half a few times to get enough of a particular brew that they limit customers to only buying a certain amount each time! This was a station separate from the main bar. We had a large chalk board describing the seven various beers, served as tasting flight or alone. 

Another personal detail were the menus that had a back side with a custom made MadLib. There were four versions - one version for Emily and one for Carlos, then one in Spanish for both. We preset these with tiny golf pencils that had their hashtag printed on them. So freaking cute! These answered MadLibs made for great entertainment the next day at brunch which was held at Emily's charming childhood home, with perfect weather to boot. 

Thank you to CSHBC! You guys were so flexible and willing to come on board our detailed insanity. It is not a club that hosts such weddings yearly - Gary and the team were truly hospitable! Not to mention the water being so damn blue right there! Love to CSH. 

Thank you to Carats & Cake for featuring this wedding. Thank you to the vendors for a job well done. Thank you to Emily, Carlos, Mary Alice, The Boss FOB Michael, Carlos's Mom, Dad, and family for their spirit as well! We cannot wait to see you at more tables at other weddings soon! ;-)

See link to Carats & Cake HERE and more photos below, along with the participating vendors.

Planning + Design | Ashley Douglass Events

Florals + Design | Andrew Pascoe Flowers

Photography | Karen Wise

Venue | Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club

Catering | Sterling Affair

Gown | Harbor Bridal

Band | LUXE from Hank Lane Productions

Hair | I DO! Glam

Make up | RJ West NY

Tent | Sperry Tents Hamptons

Rings | Van Busch

Invitations | Ipanema Press

Day of Stationery | The Printery

Rentals | Party Rental LTD

Instagram Obsessed vs Smart Consumers

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Social Media is a part of our lives now like Netflix and brushing our teeth. We are use to being turned on and inspired by pictures wherever and whenever...harmless of course. However, small bits of information, photos and the non regulated flow of information on most sites, such as Instagram, is just that, a random unregulated flow of information.

When many people become engaged, such as maybe yourself, they become obsessed with all of it. And you make assumptions and draw opinions about choices and vendors, and everything under the sun because of what you have gleamed from these sites or photos. The thing is if this cumulative impression of a vendor's quality, as taken from social media and press alone, is a driving force in your decision making, you are bound to come up short a noticeable portion of the time. You are being sold. 

Photos are not indicative of a job well done, nor is press, nor are followers. We know our social media presence and press is not a direct by product of our success with our clients, neither is it our definition of success and it should not be yours either.  Having a consistently exciting social media presence takes time and attention, perhaps away from clients. If you are a blog or a product like a bridal gown designer that is different - social media may actually be your job, your money-maker and passion. If a company wants to be huge they will bring on additional personelle, an expense that only increases the cost of a vendor or planner or that company's volume increases. Granted we have gotten substantially better with social media so it takes significantly less brain space and time. Also, companies can purchase followers and likes, and do not think that they do not. Lastly, when some attend industry seminars, they whip out manuals, programs and brochures and follow each and every person that is also in attendance or speaking. There is nothing wrong with being wonderful with PR, in fact it is smart. A good first impression is irreplaceable but there is a mountain more to be putting above what little you gleamed from a vendors social media presence. 

Why do we post this blog when we hardly blog at all? It is because talking with clients about why they should hire some vendors over others has become a larger part of the conversation since social media, in particular Instagram, has become more prominent in our every day life.  We are all susceptible to being sold - gather information and make educated choices but do not believe everything you read or view.

You may be thinking we are hypocrites because since January we have been in print twice and had four blog posts on national sites. We also have three more weddings for print to come out prior to September of this year and three more blog posts on the horizon. Well, some of this is luck, the fact that these weddings were enough "on-trend", those clients' hired great photographs that are popular on their own, and the fact that many of these time demanding submissions were handled by those appointed to do so at the photographer studios or the photographers themselves. Oh and did I mention luck?

Some ideas to ponder...

A luxury wedding client is not looking at the larger industry media outlet listings of vendors so they are significantly less inclined to go online and review a vendor because they never joined such and such a site in the first place - the process is much ore annoying to begin with a profile you otherwise would not have made. Many would prefer to write a hand written note, perhaps send a gift, as a thank you rather than go onto a website. They also don't want to reveal their identity on such sites and don't want more spam!  Furthermore, the luxury market puts more stock in referrals than reviews, made by random people, whose taste may be different than their own. The volume of reviews online should also not be a deciding factor. 

Maybe a vendor does a kick back to the past client once they review them with five stars? Maybe if they do so a bouquet will show up at their door or another person's door, so they save reviewing the vendor until the day of their BFF's birthday so their BFF gets fresh flowers delivered to their door for free. These are all realities we have heard about and know to be a fact. You are smart - do not be sold but fluff! 

There are photos out there that are lies. Planners posting as the full planner and designer on weddings they worked on starting three or four weeks out - this is a super common one we see all the time. 

There are photos of events posted by various vendors that are not even weddings or events they have worked on. Make sure posts are very clear about what they did on such and such an event, and who did what. Taste does have value but not misleading posts, those are lies. 

Hire vendors you know in your gut are straight shooters, have engaging conversation with you rather than just ask you what you want from them because they should already know the job and be asking you thought provoking logical questions.

Do not purchase a price tag or a package - Hire a person you want to be around that is highly passionate, experienced and competent, and with whom you feel heard.  

This concludes our Saturday afternoon-wine-blog-chat. Happy Spring. 

{Insert clever photo}  Ha!