Blogs

“Getting to Know Sue Clifton, Dooney & Bourke”: A...

Eric and Alice's Reception Blog

by - edited

This was my first time organizing a wedding reception, and overall, it seemed to turn out well. There were a lot of decisions to make and lots of leg work, but Alice, our new daughter- in- law, was a HUGE help to me!

About 200 people came to our “reception in the states” on June the sixth to congratulate Eric and Alice on their marriag. Our family, friends, and colleagues who weren’t able to travel to London for the wedding back in April joined us in celebration.

We held the reception at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. We were unsure where we wanted to hold it and then one of my friends suggested we go take a look. And the second we saw it, we knew it would be perfect! Eric works in government and the constitution center is decorated with flags, plus there is a gigantic American flag in the center! Ever since Eric was two years old he has been fascinated with the “Amewican fwag” as he used to call it in his toddler voice!

The above photo of Alice and Eric under the flag is courtesy of www.morbyphotography.com

We were thrilled to have Merry Miller join us and share her talents with us for the evening. She is an award-winning, professional harpist and if you’re not familiar with her work, I urge you to visit her site here: www.harpmusictogo.com You will be blown away. Merry is such a good friend; she and her sister drove all the way from Texas to be with us!

The cake and the flowers were the best I’ve ever seen! In fact, when we arrived and I saw the result of the hard work of our florist and the master baker, I started to tear up. I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of it all! The cake tasted so yummy! You know how some cakes are just pretty, but don’t taste so hot?! Well, not this one …..not only was it pretty, it was also moist and delicious! It came from our friends at: www.cakeartstudio.com

The flowers were red white and blue, but not over-the-top patriotic. They were classically and elegantly understated and were just absolutely beautiful! They came from my dear friends at:

www.ilonkfloraldecorator.com

It was wonderful seeing everyone dressed to the nines, especially those from QVC! The dress Mark Zunino designed for me made me feel like a queen!

We set up Luminara Lanterns on the stairs and on the outside patio. They shined beautifully and were completely safe!

For the party favors, I went online and ordered little chocolates, one with the American flag and the other with the British flag, since Alice is form London. We added a Bible verse and placed them in a wedding favor bag.

Our second son, Cory, was the DJ, He DJ's AND dances, but the evening seemed to go by so fast there didn't seem to be much time for dancing. But I did see Gabrielle cutting a rug with her husband! There's a video somehwere.........

I didn’t have much time to take pictures but Erika, who helps me with my social media, was there capturing the festivities of the night, and I am so grateful to her! In fact, most of the pictures in this blog were taken by Erika, my right-hand girl! I do hope to show you the professional pictures at some point, They were fabulously taken by: www.morbyphotography.com

Being parents is not easy and takes a lot of work, but what a very proud moment for Mark and me to see Eric and Alice so happy in love and to speak so well from the stage. It made our hearts swell with overwhelming joy and love for our children!