Understated Elegance: April 18, 2008

Tomeka & Terrelle were a cool couple and their day turned into a perfect spring afternoon! Here you can see the ladies modeling the freshly budding arbor bathed in lots of April sunshine! Tomeka chose subtle shades of white and champagne that really let the spring afternoon speak for itself!

And here's Tomeka with the giggles. What secret is she keeping?

Inside the ballroom, the delicate coloring allowed Tomeka and Terrelle to shine. Tomeka chose sheer champagne colored overlays, with tall floral centerpieces of white flowers and lots of green. White lighting enhanced the elegant effect.

What a fantastic way to kick off the spring season! Cheers to Tomeka and Terrelle!

Megan and Dan: July 25, 2008

What a sweet couple and they were blessed with a beautiful day for their garden ceremony and reception.

The guests were all assembled but then it was time to find the guys! Here they are at the bar posing for one last "shot!"

Meanwhile, the ladies found time for a shot of their own under the arbor.

The ceremony was beautiful and Dan and Megan included a sand ceremony during the service.

Afterwards, the happy couple found time for a few photos around the hotel while their guests enjoyed a festive cocktail hour and dinner/dance reception in the ballroom.

Megan beautifully coordinated everything in soothing blue and silver. What a lovely touch she has with decorating! The DJ kept the dance floor packed all night!

What a handsome group they made!

Best wishes Megan & Dan for a long and happy marriage!

All photos are courtesy of RMN Photography at rmnaft22@gmail.com or http://www.rmnphotography.com/.

Helpful Facts and Figures: Part 3 - Table and Dance Floor Shapes & Sizes

I am frequently asked questions such as "How large are the tables?", "What size is the dance floor?", and "How many people sit at each table?" These questions are difficult to answer in a general way because each party is different and as the event planner, you get to make decisions that affect the outcome. Here are some tips to get you started!





We have two sizes of round dinner tables. The 5' round seats 8 - 10 guests and the 6' round seats 10 - 12 guests. Feel free to mix and match table sizes based on the individual groupings for your guests. I generally recommend that you start each table at 10 guests and increase or decrease seats based on how your guests naturally divide into groupings. As you can see from the photos, the tables don't look all that different from one another and most guests will never realize if you use two sizes.

This diagram shows the two different sizes of tables set for differing numbers of guests. Of course, you may have uneven numbers as well. Feel free to have groups of 9, 11, etc.
The diagram also shows several other types of tables available to you for your reception. A table that is a 6' x 30" rectangle is great for place cards, gifts, your DJ, and we group a number of them together to make a head table.

A head table for just the bride and groom is called a sweetheart table.

Other table types include the serpentine and the half moon. A serpentine can be used to make a large cake table with something behind it such as plants and lattice panels or a carving station with your carver behind it. A half moon makes a nice smaller cake table or small display table.

The dance floor that we have is hard wood and made up of 3' x 3' square tiles. It can be assembled in a variety of sizes including squares and rectangles and placed in several different locations in the room. The edge pieces finish the look.

Here are several diagrams for the Providence Ballroom featuring the dance floor in different locations. The exact placement of all tables and dance floor is up to you. Please note that each event will get it's own custom floor plan.

Below are several options featuring the Prosperity Ballroom.

50 Years x 2

While we love to do weddings here and watch as our newly married couples embark on their future of love and happiness, I personally appreciate the opportunity to see what comes next.


One time, I had worked with a bride that later referred me to her friend. In all of the discussions with the friend, the original bride must not have come up too much in conversation. On the day of the friends wedding, I kept anxiously waiting to see Jackie and catch up with her and thank her properly for referring me but as the guests arrived for the reception, she was not among them. Finally, as the guests were preparing to be seated in the ballroom, Jackie showed up with her husband, 8 months pregnant and apologetic that she was running late but that "Baby" needed a little snack along the way from the church.


Among my favorite events to work with are the anniversary celebrations. I recall one couple celebrating their 35th with a vow renewal ceremony followed by a reception. The husband and wife decided to enter the ceremony from separate doors on opposite sides of the room and walk towards one another, meeting in the middle before walking down the aisle to the front. I was with the wife as she entered so I could only observe the back of her as she crossed the room but what I will never forget was the expression of joy that her husband had when he first caught sight of his wife entering through the doorway. He smiled the biggest smile that light not only his whole face but the whole room and opened his arms wide to embrace her.


This summer, I've had the opportunity to work with not one, but two 50th anniversaries. It is truly amazing to be in the presence of these couples who have weathered the ups and downs that life brings and are still so much in love. What I especially observed was the way each partner seemed to be so completely in synch with the other - knowing their likes and dislikes, the way their thoughts pattern themselves and even communicating without speaking.


Mrs. Condes brought her original wedding dress as a display for the dining room and the guests were serenaded by mariachis while they ate. Unfortunately, I do not have photos from this heartwarming occasion because of a technology glitch (user error?!) I can tell you that afterwards, I asked Mrs. Condes what makes a marriage last 50 years and she told me that you must give every day. Words to live by!




This is a photo of the Barth family guest book. They had a lovely luncheon for their family.













Their grand daughter created this lovely photo collage highlighting wedding photos and their time as a couple throughout the past 50 years. We displayed it on our easel outside the entrance to the dining room.







These lovely flowers in yellow, orange and white were the centerpieces with bud vases for each guest as a favor. It made the room so bright and cheery - perfect to celebrate a 50th anniversary!

Tim and Brittany - all in the Hilton Family: July 26, 2008

Tim has long been a favorite at our front desk for his easy going, friendly nature and his willingness to help out no matter what the task is. I first met his girlfriend Brittany two years ago at the Employee Holiday Party and was struck with how adorable and sweet she was.

Sometime during the next year, Brittany joined our Hilton team and her friendliness made a warm welcome for all of guests.

On the night of our holiday party in 2007, Tim was planning to surprise Brittany with a proposal. The entire room was buzzing with anticipation and I was ready with the camera to catch the moment. Unfortunately, due to my lack of technical expertise and a failing battery, none of those pictures survived the event. However, what did survive was Brittany's acceptance of Tim's proposal and the whole hotel celebrated!

You can check out more of their planning bio here: Tim and Brittany

Meanwhile, although the wedding and reception were held elsewhere, Brittany and the bridesmaids did have the opportunity for a photo session in our upstairs garden.

Unfortunately, Brittany has moved on to a position outside the company but Tim has been busy not only at the front desk but also completing an internship rotation throughout the entire hotel. Look for him on your next visit!

Helpful Facts and Figures: Part 2 Decor - Columns, Podiums and Lattices

We have two decorative columns that you can use to enhance your ceremony or reception. They are great on each side of the arbor for floral arrangements. They can also dress up your cake or sweetheart table. Talk to your florist about possible designs!

Each column is 36" tall and the top is 9 1/2" square.

Here you can see Julio modeling them for us! Thank you Julio!

At right, you can see the columns in use for a garden ceremony. What you can also see is our lattice podium. We have two. They are great for your officiant or ceremony readers to use.

But as you can see below, the podiums can also do double duty as a great place to set your guest book. Being taller than the average guests waist, they won't have to bend over in order to sign their wishes to you!

The lattice panels are a lot of fun and have many uses. They serve to fill the space under the arbor during a garden ceremony and also as a decorative front to an indoor ceremony. They can also be used as a great photo back-drop for your sweetheart table or cake table. In addition, with some fun lighting, they can fill large corners in a room that is under capacity!