We Love to Get E-Mails Like This One

The following email sure made our day! This is in reference to yet another event that was handled by our Offsite Catering Division's Lindsay Otis. I hope you enjoy reading another guest's perspective of our efforts.

Juli

To: Lindsay Otis; Natalia Laskaris
Subject: last Saturday
Dear Lindsay and Natalia,

I wanted to thank you both for all you did to coordinate my wedding. The event far
exceeded my expectations, in everything from the exquisite set up to the small
details you arranged to the vendors you recommended. Everything was perfect. Thank you for all the care you took with the planning, as well as for your patience with Josh's and my last-minute decision-making!

If you could also pass along my thanks to the chef at our event for me, I would much appreciate it. Everyone commented on how good the chicken was. They also noted how well coordinated the service was!

Thank you both again so much.

All the best,

Briana

A Lovely Thank You Note for a Wedding Catered by Our Off-Site Catering Division

Many people simply don't know that we have another division of our operations, and it is called Hawthorne Catering.

This thank you note was for an event that we catered at the Peabody Essex Museum (aka the PEM) recently. Lindsay Otis is our Offsite Catering Manager.

If you are looking for a unique venue to use to hold an event, the PEM may be the place for you. And if the PEM doesn't meet your needs or expectations, Lindsay knows all of the places that we can utilize on the North Shore.

If you wish to talk to Lindsay, you can reach her on her direct line at 978-745-9500, extension 3156.

If you want to be able to see an enlargement of this lovely thank you note, just click on it.

We hope to see you here.

Juli

A Literary-Themed Wedding in the Library at the Hawthorne Hotel

We absolutely are in awe of this excellent wedding cake, done for a bride and groom who obviously love books and reading. Yes, these two photos above are of their cake, created for them by our favorite bakery for wedding cakes, Montilio's.


The Library at the Hawthorne Hotel is simply a perfect place for someone who enjoys all things literary to use for a special event.

Can we create a dream wedding for you?

Contact us at 978-825-4358.

I hope to see you here.

Juli

Another Nice Thank You Note

If you have a hard time reading this image, just click on it and it will become instantly large and readable.

Juli

A Thank You Note From a February Wedding

Two cool links about a wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel

I recently found a blog post on another blog that mentioned a wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel. Here is the link:

http://www.blog1923.com/?p=445


The blog was written, I believe, by a photographer who photographed a lovely winter wedding here recently. The following link is to that photographer's Picasa album of 37 photos of that wedding. If you are interested in seeing someone else's photos of the Hawthorne Hotel, I would highly suggest you take a look. There are some great shots.

http://picasaweb.google.com/gallery1923/AmyAndDan


I hope to see you here.

Juli

Some Unique Touches to Friday Night's Wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel

 
 
 
 

Judy and Glen, whose wedding is pictured above, had some unusual elements that we don't often get to see. The most exciting was the arch of swords provided by the honor guard.

The most touching was the groom's cake that the bride provided as a surprise for her new husband. It is emblazoned with a family crest that the groom’s father (who is deceased) made years ago. As a boy Glen would stamp all his books and papers with this crest. The bride had the groom’s mom search for it and found it. She then provided it to the cake decorator to inscribe on the groom's cake.

This couple specifically wanted this date of Leap Year when they booked.

All of these very romantic touches made a wedding night to remember, and one we and they, enjoy sharing with you.

Juli

Our Guests Are Our Best Advertisement

We have to admit, we advertise only to keep our image as 'top of mind' because the overwhelming way we get our wedding business is by referrals. Time after time, when we ask the question "What made you choose the Hawthorne Hotel?" we learn that someone either had had a wedding here, or had attended a wedding here, or knew someone who had a great experience here.

The following is another nice email which demonstrates that thought. Of course, it made our day this week. This was from a wedding couple from this past weekend:

Christine,
I wanted to take a minute this morning as life adjusts back to normal and say THANK YOU! The wedding was great. Everyone has commented on what a good time they had and how excellent the food was and Liz made it so easy for us and took a lot of the stress and worry away by just taking care of things. The room looked great and all the details came together well. Start to finish Kate and I had fun, even Steve the limo driver was EXCELLENT.
Pat

I hope to hear from you, too. And don't forget, now you can call your compliments in to our blog. Just click on the "Call Me" button to in the column to the right of this post.

Juli

Voicemail on a Blog? Absolutely! Try it Out on Our Wedding Blog

While the Hawthorne Hotel might be housed in a lovely old building, there is nothing old about our attitude towards technology.

I recently learned of a service whereby you can call our Blog and leave a voice message. The following one is a test I did to try it out. I hope you will leave us a message too. Obviously, please keep them clean and polite so I can publish them, okay? Thanks so much. I hope you enjoy this new service.

Juli

A Nice E-mail to Start Our Day

This email arrived in Karen Cotton's mailbox recently, and I thought you might like to read it too.

Juli


Dear Karen,

Chris and I want to thank you and your whole team for making our wedding a beautiful, unforgettable, and seamless event. Everything went very smoothly, and I was completely at ease in Jessica's very capable hands.

All of our interactions with you and your team were very professional which we also value very highly.

Overall, we had a wonderful experience with the Hawthorne Hotel for our wedding, and would recommend it to everyone we know!

We will send some pictures when we get them, after our honeymoon.

Thank you again,

Chris and Phyllis,

 

Flowers by Peter Barter at our most recent Wedding Tasting Event

 
 
 
 

Another Chair to Choose From

 
We also have access to this rental chair, if you should so desire a different look for your wedding.

Juli

Ivory Damask Linen

 
 

Fiona Gold Floor Length Overlays

 
 
 

Different Kinds of Overlays

Sheer "Sharen" Ivory over Burgundy Cloth


Antique Gold Runner




Gold Organza Overlay (it will not be a floor length as it appears here, because this sample was set up on a cocktail table -- it would fall to overlay length on a 60" or 72" round, which is approximately a 12" to 18" drop)

Pearl Satin Band

All of these specialty tableclothes and runners are upgrades from the wedding package. We are simply presenting them to you here for informational purposes.

Juli

Chair Covers, Bows and Sashes

 
 
 
At our most recent 'wedding tasting' event here at the Hawthorne Hotel, we displayed several different kinds of chair treatments. You can see them all in these photo. Even the ties have different finishes, from a traditional bow, to a tailored look, to a simple small knot.

Please ask your wedding coordinator for more information about these upgrades for your wedding. If you don't already have your wedding booked with us, please contact our catering office at 978-825-4358.

Juli

Some Very Sad News

On Thursday our beloved harp-player, Nina Vickers, passed away after a valiant fight against cancer. Not only was Nina such a special part of many weddings here at the Hawthorne Hotel, but she was also a part of every special holiday event held here at the Hotel.

Nina, you were such an inspiration.

We will miss you greatly.

Juli

Details Make a Difference

 
 
 
Here are some close-up shots of some of the details that were part of Saturday night's wedding. I thought the flowers were especially lovely, and the use of the chocolate suede-cloth 'hat box' for gift cards was a charming touch as well.

Juli

The Ballroom Set for a Wedding

 
 
 

These photos show the Ballroom set up for a wedding this past Saturday. The chair covers were white with chocolate brown organza ties. The ties were done with a 'new' style bow. What do you think?

Juli

An Unusual Chocolate Wedding Cake

 
 
 
 

These photos show a more contemporary look in our Ballroom here at the Hawthorne Hotel, yet it most certainly works with our decor. I hope you enjoy this different look at our hotel.

Juli

The Pickman Room for Photos

 
 
 
 
Here are some photos of today's wedding, the Consolazio-Mackay wedding party, taking photos in our Pickman Room just prior to their wedding ceremony in the Ballroom. The bride was so lovely, and agreeable to having her photos on our Wedding Blog.

I hope you enjoy seeing them.

Juli

A Different Take on an Idea Seen Here -- Wedding Party Uses the Old Typewriter Guest Book Style

 
 
 
 

Another Beautiful Wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel

 
 
 
These photos were taken by Laura Beals Photography, and are of a wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel this winter. I thought they were excellent photos, and asked Laura for her permission to use them. We also received Rainelle and Doug's permission to use them. More to come.

Juli

Roxanne Writes Back

We recently posted some photos on this blog of a wedding reception that took place in Nathaniel's and Sophia's, which had a Christmas Holiday theme. This was the bride's response:

Hi Karen,

Happy New Year to you also!! I love the blog...I was waiting for my photographer to send me photos so I could send them to you...but your photos are beautiful. Rich and I are in the process of filling out the survey and comments for you. Everything was just PERFECT!!! rave reviews

Thanks again for everything!!!

Roxanne

PS Just thought I would let you know that at least three people I know want to have a December wedding at the Hawthorne.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Here are two more photos of that wedding reception:




We would love to feature your wedding on our blog. Just let us know if you want that extra attention!

Juli

A Wedding With Unique Style

 

We were cleaning house recently in the Catering Office, and found this old wedding photo. We are guessing that it took place in either 1994 or 1995. If you happen to know some more details, we would love to hear from you.

A wedding that includes a ride on a bicycle built for two has to stand out in someone's memory.

Juli

Ballroom setup with Dance Floor at the Parking Lot End

 
 
 
 

The Grand Ballroom is set up here for 150 persons.

Usually we set up the Ballroom with the dance floor in the middle of the room, with the DJ or band right next to the kitchen doors. That particular set-up does have its advantages.

From time to time we get requests for this alternative style of set-up, with the dance floor and DJ or band at the end near the parking lot. I shot some photos of this alternative setting just for the wedding blog, so that you could see it. The majority of the other shots on this blog have the dance floor in the location near the kitchen doors.

Additionally, this set-up had chair covers with black sashes, something we don't see very often. So the photos serve a dual purpose.

By the way, the yellow-tinged photos were shot using a tripod and existing light, and the other less-yellow photo was shot with a flash and digitally lightened. Neither are great photos, but they were the best I could get with the little digital camera we keep here for this purpose. Makes me think I should look for a better camera!

Juli

An Unusual Christmas Wedding Theme

 
 
 
 

This wedding took place in our Nathaniel's and Sophia's Rooms on the second weekend in December. The couple chose a Christmas Theme, and carried it out with centerpieces that looked like presents, a wedding cake in the same theme, and Christmas Trees for the placecard holders. The favors were Christmas 'crackers' of course.

What made this wedding even more unique was that the couple chose to use family photos representing special milestone events, such as when they met, their parents' anniversaries, when Roxanne was born, when Rich was born and other special dates in their lives as the table numbers. We thought you would enjoy seeing this unique slice of wedding life here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Juli

Here is the outcome of all that planning

 

A few days ago we wrote about Betsy and her planning organization. Today we receive a lovely thank you card, which read:

Dear Christine, Kelly, and Liz,

From start to finish you all helped provide Kate and Andrew with a wonderful wedding. Thank you so very much. I cannot believe how quickly the evening went by -- good thing other people were in charge!

We have received many compliments on how beautiful the ballroom looked, how delicious the food was, and how smoothly everything went -- All due to the three of you and the rest of the Hawthorne staff. Thank you.

Betsy

We thought you would like to see the snapshots that she sent us from that wedding, so we scanned them in to our computer so we could share them with you.

The photo of the bride and groom are Kate and Andrew. Kate is Betsy's daughter. The photo of the bridesmaids shows, left to right, Kate's twin sister, Kristi, as well as Meg and Kaela.

I hope you enjoy getting to see a slice of wedding life here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Juli

Here is a DIFFERENT view of a Hawthorne Hotel bride

 

We found this photo on a roll of pictures, and are not sure of who this is, nor when it was taken. However, we do think every bride should get familiar with this kind of scene, because it may happen to them.

This is called 'bustling' the wedding dress, and it is just one more thing that your wedding coordinator will make sure that your mother or attendants know how to do for you. Here at the Hawthorne Hotel we are experts in all of the fine details that are important to be sure your wedding is perfect.

Juli

Organization is the Key to a Great Wedding

 

Here you can see Christine Turner, on the left, posing with Betsy, a mother of the bride, on our stairs in the lobby of the Hawthorne Hotel. The mother had to be the 'person on the ground' while the bride planned her wedding long-distance from Australia!

When Betsy came to meet with Christine she had a folder full of things, which she spread out on the conference room table. When our ultra-organized Christine 'strongly suggested' that Betsy get a binder, to make her life easier, and more organized, Betsy went right out and got one, and put everything in it. At their next meeting Betsy was happy and proud to show off this binder to Christine, and they both thought this would make a nice story for our wedding blog.

So, a word to the wise -- get your binder BEFORE you come to meet with Christine, and you will get off on exactly the right start with her.

Juli

The Winter Holidays are a Great Time for a Wedding

 
 
 
 

You can see from these photos how nicely the winter holidays and atmosphere here at the Hawthorne Hotel can be carried ofer into your personal decor elements.

Juli

DJ and Wedding Coordinator Share a Special Story

 

Several months ago we had two weddings here at the Hawthorne Hotel - a Day Wedding and a Night Wedding. The DJ, and the Hawthorne Hotel Wedding Coordinator, both worked both weddings. The DJ said that in 25 years of being a DJ he had never done back-to-back weddings in the SAME LOCATION before, and this was a first for him. Don't they look fresh and ready to rock and roll! This was taken after the first wedding, and before the second one.

Juli

Wedding Ceremony Line-Up on the Stairs

Here is a VIDEO of the wedding party from Friday night's wedding in the Ballroom. This bride had many attendants, so it took awhile for everyone to make their way into the room, and it took the wedding coordinator's ultimate attention to make sure everyone knew where to go, and how to get there.

I hope you enjoy seeing another slice of wedding life here at the Hawthorne Hotel.
Just double click on the arrow button to see this video that I shot.

Juli

A Very Unique Groom's Cake

Tonight's wedding features a groom's cake. Now that in itself is still a bit unusual. But this one is even more unusual, because it is made in the shape of a controller for an electronic game. Can you guess what this groom enjoys doing in his spare time?

Also in these photos you can see the floral centerpieces for tonight's wedding in the Ballroom. I thought they were so pretty, that you might like to see them. They were created by Peter Barter Florist, although they were a bit of an upgrade to the standard flower package, due to the quantity and specificity of the flowers used.

Juli