Nice Thank-You eMail

We love to hear these kinds of things. Can't wait to help you plan your perfect wedding!

Juli

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From: KathyD418@XXXX.xxx

Sent: Saturday, November 28, 2009 1:33 PM

To: Karen Cotton

Subject: our wonderful wedding

dear karen, liz, and staff,
i'm sure you've heard these words many times before, but we truly cannot thank all of you enough for the breathtaking reception you provided for us and our families. the phone calls and e-mails have been non-stop, all with the highest compliments for a magnificent evening. the Hawthorne was the perfect setting for kristina and bob's wedding. not a detail was overlooked!
all in all, we couldn't have been more pleased . please pass our regards to the chef(s). "multo delicioso"!

Merry Christmas and the Happiest in 2010!

joe and kathy d

A Nice Wedding for a Super-Nice Family

This raw bar was a definite hit at this wedding reception.

This beautiful ice sculpture added a special touch to the ballroom.


A very unique wedding cake -- just lovely.

Some weddings prefer the formal approach of a head table for the wedding party, as you see in these photographs.

Claire Kallelis was hamming it up for our night manager, Lucie, who took these photos while I was out of town at a conference.

Two more lovely thank you notes. . . .

In order to view these more easily, just click on each one to make it bigger.

This first one was for a wedding we catered at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) and the second one is for a wedding reception that took place here at the Hawthorne Hotel.






We hope to be able to make your ideal wedding as simple and perfectly-executed as these two were.

Juli

Beautiful Ballroom, Beautiful Flowers

This bride certainly knew what she was doing when she chose her flowers and other accessories for the ballroom. The golden Chivari chairs and beautiful damask overlays also really mesh with the warm tones in the Ballroom.

I especially like the use of high and low arrangements. It has life and movement to the room. Just lovely!

If you are interested in knowing more about these details, simply ask your wedding coordinator, here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

I hope to see you here.

Juli

Espresso and Cappucino Station

Do you LOVE coffee? Especially espresso and cappuccino? Then this action station is just tailor-made for your wedding.
We just recently added this equipment to our hotel, so now we can offer this crowd-pleaser to you.

If you are interested in this station for your wedding, please contact your wedding planner at 978-825-4358.

Juli

Wedding Shower Thank You Note and Photos

Be sure to check out the post for November 10 on our regular blog. The post is a thank you note for a wedding shower, but the really cool part is that the bride-to-be wore her grandmother's wedding suit to the shower. She looked awesome! What a special thing to do, and what a great way to make the day memorable.

Here is the link to our regular Hawthorne Hotel blog: www.HawthorneHotel.blogspot.com

I hope you will let us know about special things like this that you are doing for your wedding, and related activities, here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Juli

Nice Note in Today's Mail

To better view this image, simply click on it:

With all the hurrah that is Halloween in Salem, we have been remiss in keeping up with our Wedding Blog. This note was in my in-box today, and I was so happy to read it. Karen is our Director of Sales and Catering, and has been with us for over 25 years.

Karen's hospitality skills just come naturally, and when you combine those with so much experience, you get a dynamite combination that is certain to make any event she handles the biggest success.

Thanks, Karen, for all you do for us!

Juli

Yummy, Beautiful Idea for a Favor. Sand Dollar Cookies

We just discovered a wonderful company, Plum Island Cookie Company, that hand makes this luscious shortbread-style sand dollar cookies, complete with a bed of sugar 'sand' in the bottom of the cellophane packaging.

Wouldn't these make a darling favor for a wedding here in the seaside community of Salem, MA?

If you are interested in purchasing these through us, please let your wedding coordinator know. We can do all the ordering, receiving, and even put these out on the tables for you, so you don't have to lift a finger -- bamm! favors done! Check that one right off of your list.

P.S. Did I mention how delicious these are? Baked locally of all natural ingredients, buttery, vanilla-infused, and freshly made. Yummy!

Juli

Mini-Wedding Was Long on Sweetness and Charm

If you think that you need to have 150 of your closest friends and relatives in to the Hawthorne Hotel Ballroom in order to get married at the Hawthorne Hotel, you should think again. Today Faye and Dakota got married here in the Skylark Room, just the two of them and a justice of the peace.

Their wedding could not have been lovelier. The celebrant's style was so sweet, it made me get all teary-eyed, the setting was made very special by our own wedding coordinator-banquet manager, Liz Dube's care and concern, and they received the ultimate in personal attention from one of our top banquet servers, Michael O'Meara.

Here are some photos so you can see for yourself.

We thought you would enjoy knowing that we can work with nearly any budget, and we are happy to be of service to you, whether your wedding is for two or two hundred.

I hope we can be of service to you here.

Juli

A Different Wedding Cake

The bride and groom for this wedding met directly with Montilio's to order this cake, so we don't know a name to put with it. However, we are sure if you book your wedding with us, and bring these photos to your appointment with Montilio's, they can make this same cake for you. Montilio's is our wedding package cake provider, and they do a terrific job for everyone.





I hope you enjoy this insider's look at yet another wedding here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Juli

"Just Buried" as part of an October-themed Wedding

 
 
 
 

I just had to get photos of this candy station for our wedding blog. This was for a wedding this past weekend in the Ballroom. The couple received this darling candle holder at their wedding shower, and decided to use it as the centerpiece to a "trick-or-treat" themed candy station at the end of the evening. So sweetly apropos!

Juli

A Fun Fall Touch

 
 
 
The chefs of the Hawthorne Hotel came up with this unique crouton to garnish salads with during the Fall season. If you are interested in this kind of an upgrade, simply contact your catering sales manager by calling 978-825-4358.

Juli

A Lovely Thank You Note About a September Wedding

This thank-you note is certainly self-explanatory. To be able to view it more clearly, just click on the image.



All of us who choose the hospitality business LOVE to see things like this. They really make our days brighter.

I hope we can assist you with your wedding, rehearsal or post-wedding brunch plans here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Juli

Fall Wedding Cake and Groom's Cake with a Twist

This past weekend we had a lovely fall wedding, and the couple's wedding cake definitely fit the theme, as you can see above.

In this photo above you can see that there were actually two cakes for this wedding -- the second was a groom's cake. In the photos below, you can see that this couple had a bit of a macabre streak, and that the groom's cake was meant to get in the "spirit" of thing with October in Salem, Massachusetts.


I hope you enjoy seeing this little bit of wedding whimsy, here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Juli

Professional Photos of a Hawthorne Hotel Wedding

I recently made contact with a professional photographer who specializes in both weddings and fall foilage photos (through Twitter.) In the course of our conversation on line, he offered to send me some photos of a wedding he shot here in July. That wedding was already profiled on this blog, so I thought you might enjoy seeing some more (professional) photos rather than my snapshots.

I hope you enjoy this alternate look.

Juli (more information below)

These photos are courtesy of:
Jeff Folger

Vista
Photography
978-578-5562
www.vistaphotography.com
www.yankeefoliage.com
www.facebook.com/yankeefoliage
www.vistaphotos.net

New England Bride Magazine Article About Hawthorne Hotel Wedding

Here is a link to an on-line page of New England Bride Magazine, featuring a wedding here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

http://www.newenglandbridemag-digital.com/newenglandbridemag/200909#pg22

This wedding also rated some posts on our blog, so scroll down or look in the archives to see more photos.

Juli

A Unique Ceremony Set-up in the Hawthorne Hotel Ballroom

This past weekend a couple had their wedding in our ballroom. That is hardly newsworthy. However, what is interesting and unique was the set-up which they requested for how the chairs were arranged in the room.

This set-up gave everyone a much better view of the ceremony, and would certainly make the couple feel surrounded by the love and friendship of their guests.

We are thinking about what to call this set-up. I think "Surrounded by Love" would be an appropriate name for it, but I would love to hear what you think, fair blog reader?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. If we get enough entries to make this seems like a contest, perhaps we will even award a nice prize to the winner!

Juli

Beautiful details for a beautiful wedding

This is Marilyn Croteau, a cake maker and friend of the bride who was married here on Saturday night.

The flowers dripped sparkly chains, like chandeliers, and the chandelier theme was used throughout.

The chandelier theme was used on the table number cards and the placecards as well.

A kind of stylized tussy-mussy was used to reserve places mark the rows of seating, and made by a member of her family. Just beautiful.

Can you tell that this bride works as a caterer in another venue? She had every detail planned to the max, but she really wanted her wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel (and we know where she works, and it is a VERY nice place as well!)

It doesn't get much better than that, when a competitor chooses to get married in our hotel. Definitely made us smile!

Juli

A Wedding of Historic Proportions

Alice "Nanna" Welenc and Elizabeth Welenc with Alice's wedding photo on the table to the right of Elizabeth. (You can see a larger version of it below.)



This was Alice's wedding bill for her wedding here at the Hawthorne Hotel. A wedding in 1948 certainly cost many fewer dollars than it does today. According to an inflation calculator, $330 in 1948 is worth about $3,000 today. Unfortunately, it seems that the rate of inflation for weddings has been much greater than inflation.

To get a better look at any of these photos, simply click on them.





Claire and Tom Welenc

Mother-of-the bride, Claire Welenc, had her wedding here as well, as you can see in the photo above. The tablecloth on the table in these photos was made from her wedding dress.

Attention: Georgetown Country Club Wedding Couples

If your wedding was scheduled at the Georgetown Country Club, and was cancelled, please contact us to see if we can assist you with a venue. Our very professional staff will kick it into high gear to make all of the details happen quickly and smoothly for you.

If that did happen to you, please mention that you saw this post, and we will give you a courtesy discount of $500 on your wedding of 90 persons or more booked here, as a token of our goodwill, and to help you make up for the deposits you may have lost there.

Call us at 978-825-4358.

We are very sad for you, but we know if you come here, we will make sure you have a wonderful event, without any hassles.

Juli

A Lovely Fall Wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel

Tonight I saw these charming guests waiting in the lobby and asked if I could take their photo for our blog. They happily agreed.

Later on, we were walking back into the hotel and caught these scenes on camera. They looked so casual and unposed, that we could not resist snapping these photos as well.


I hope you enjoy these photos of a wedding party getting ready for the big event.

Juli

Looking for ideas for table numbers?

http://hawthornehotel.blogspot.com/search?q=where+else


Check out our post on our Hawthorne Hotel blog for a uniquely Salem idea. You can also type "favors" in the search window at the top of our blog to bring up more ideas.

Juli

Thank You by EMail Makes Us All Very Happy

This lovely thank you email made our day today. It really says it all regarding our reputation as THE PLACE on the North Shore of Boston for a wedding reception.

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From: Kate B.
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 4:42 PM
To: Karen Cotton
Subject: Re: Our August 15th Wedding!!!

Hi Karen,

I first want to thank you for being so great and accommodating to work with over the past year, it was truly a wonderful experience!

All the wedding day details were perfect, and the food was FABULOUS ( our family and friends are still talking about it and have written us thank you notes)!!!!

The ambiance of the room was perfect and all the little details I fixated on were carried out beautifully.

I don't have Liz's email and I know I thanked her that night after the wedding, but she too was a pleasure to work with. She made the wedding day events complete and everything was smooth and picture perfect.

I have to say that I now understand why the Hawthorne is such a reputable venue, and I could not have been more happy with my experience. One of our guests who already chose her wedding venue decided to have her rehearsal dinner their because of how wonderful the food and room were on our wedding night!

Again, I cannot thank you enough for making our special day into the fairly tale wedding that I have always dreamed about!!!

Sincerely,

Katie B.

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If you want to speak with one of our terrific catering managers, just call us directly at 978-825-4358. I hope to see you here.

Juli

Snapshots of the Hart/Johnson Wedding

Let's run away together!

First dance!

Tossing the bouquet from the grandmother window.


We do!

Wow!!! What a Terrific Thank You Letter for a Hawthorne Hotel Wedding

From: nst*****
Sent: Monday, August 31, 2009 7:07 PM
To: Christine Turner
Subject: Thank You from the Harts & Johnsons

August 31, 2009

Dear Christine…

Meaghan & Matt have been married exactly one month today…and there is no better time for our family and the newest branch of the Hart family to thank you and the entire staff at the Hawthorne for providing a beautiful setting for the wedding and making it a great party! From the moment Meaghan & Matt chose the Hawthorne, couples married one year or 50 years would tell them about their Hawthorne wedding, saying they wouldn’t change a thing! Even family and friends from out of state remembered weddings they’d attended at the Hawthorne over the years. So to say that you had a reputation to uphold is not an understatement. You not only lived up to these high expectations, you exceeded them!

The hotel’s location and atmosphere were perfect. We had lots of out of town guests, and there was so much for them to see and do between wedding events. Many of them especially enjoyed taking the Salem Ferry into Boston. And, there wasn’t a single time we came down into the hotel lobby or restaurant and didn’t find a group visiting or sharing a meal or a drink.

The wedding package was elegant, beautifully done, and allowed Meaghan & Matt to choose so many things (from the food to the décor) that were a reflection of their preferences and taste. They were even able to incorporate the Red Sox theme in the table names and on the favor table! The package included so much that you coordinated (the wedding cake, limo, the bridal suite, the table flowers) that it really reduced the number of things this busy couple had to think about. Can’t tell you how many times we said, “This is almost too easy!” And the cost, compared to other locations and based upon the value of what was provided…very reasonable.

Finally, we cannot say enough about the stellar customer service. The communication with Meaghan & Matt and with us was wonderful. Your guidance, expertise, sense of humor, calmness, and flexibility made us very comfortable and reassured us that everything really was under control! This was especially important when we had to move the ceremony inside at the last moment because of the weather. Everything went so smoothly that it was impossible to tell that the ceremony was not planned for that space!

To you, Christine, for making the whole planning process fun and easy, to Jessica at the front desk (who carried Beth's clothes upstairs and hung them in our room when she saw Beth juggling her luggage), to the servers in the restaurant and at the reception, and to Lindsay Otis, the coordinator who made sure that the night went perfectly…thanks for going WAY above and beyond! In a time when great customer service often seems like a lost art, the Hawthorne does it right. We noticed and our guests are still talking about the graciousness and attentiveness shown by all of the staff.

The biggest compliment we can pay you is that we hope that our younger daughter, who was Meaghan & Matt’s maid of honor, will have a Hawthorne wedding!

Please feel free to share any/all of this email and the pictures in your blog.

Meaghan & Matt Hart Beth & Tim Johnson
The Bride & Groom The Parents of the Bride

A Persian Wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel

We received this lovely thank you email, which is regarding the following wedding story:

Hi Kelly,

Thanks for your e-mail and your well wishes. The wedding went amazingly well. Liz was incredible. Although we had some last minute changes, delays, problems with our dresses, a brand new groomsman, etc..... she handled it like it's what happens every time and it's nothing out of the ordinary. On top of that she managed to keep me calm as well. Your entire staff was remarkable and the food, wow !!!! I just can't say enough about how wonderful and overly accommodating every single person at Hawthorne was. Please feel free to post this and any pictures you took on your web site. We will send a real thank you note once our thank you cards are printed.

Thanks again, Farah and Bob”


Here is the link to our Hawthorne Hotel blog page that has many photographs of a Persian Wedding Ceremony.

http://hawthornehotel.blogspot.com/2009/08/persian-wedding-at-hawthorne-hotel.html

We found this such a delight, that we felt like sharing this post with more than just our wedding constituency.

I hope you will take a moment to look at this.

Juli

Wedding Anniversary Post with Wedding Photos

If you go to our main Hawthorne Hotel blog, you will see an interesting post regarding a seventh anniversary celebration. There are some photos of the wedding, and a nice testimonial from the couple.

Here is the link:

http://hawthornehotel.blogspot.com/2009/08/wedding-anniversary-celebration.html

Juli

Unusual Wedding Details

Several weeks ago we hosted a wedding that had some unusual details attendant to it. We thought you might like a look at those details:


A special drink, created by the couple getting married, in honor of their little dog -- how cute is that!


Click on this image to see how they used the different aspects of a relationship to name the courses of the meal. This was also a very creative touch that we had not seen before.

Instead of a basket for gift cards, the couple created a house, in the hopes that the checks and cash they might receive in greeting cards would help them achieve their goal of putting the down payment on a house. Again, this was something we had never seen before, and we thought it was unique.

I hope you enjoy seeing how someone else handled the details of their wedding.

Juli

Another Satisfied Mother-of-the-Bride

We love getting thank you notes, emails, and the like. This one certainly made our day:


Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 1:55 PM
To: Karen Cotton
Subject: Thank You

Hi Karen,
I wanted to let you know what a wonderful job your staff did for my daughter's wedding ( 7/24/09). Christine Turner coordinated the event for us and Liz was on site the night of the wedding and they could not have been any more helpful, pleasant or professional at every interaction.

Not only were my husband and I pleased with EVERYTHING, but I can’t tell you how many phone call, e-mails and even thank you notes we got saying what a fantastic time our guests had and how everything was so terrific.

We’ve all been to weddings where the food is less than great and the ambiance is lacking but without a doubt everything at the Hawthorne was top notch. I’ve been to several “big” weddings in Boston at the Seaport and the Bay Tower Room and believe me ours was just as nice and I might even say better!

I also want to thank the dining room staff for accommodating all of our overnight guests with my breakfast coupons, again just a great staff that really knows customer service.

Thank you all for making our daughters wedding the special evening we’ve always dreamed of.

Regards,
Johanna

A Lovely Thank You for a Very Lovely Wedding

I hope you enjoy reading this letter, which says it all regarding the terrific job that the Hawthorne Hotel TEAM does in producing your dream event.

If you want our help in making your wishes come true, call us at 978-825-4358.

I hope to see you here.

Juli

PS Just click on the image to enlarge it for easier viewing.

Guys Getting Married at the Hawthorne Hotel

Bennett Zaifert and Sean McClory were recently married here in the Ballroom of the Hawthorne Hotel. You can see just how very happy they were on this very special day.
 

We love making people happy. Can we help you plan a wedding? Call us at 978-825-4358 so we can help you get started.

Juli

Another Special Thank You Letter

Just click on the image to enlarge it for easier reading.

Juli

Special Favors Created by a Very Special Grandmother of the Bride

 
 
 
 

More Wedding Details

 
 
 
 
These are some more photos of the Clickstein/Palm wedding from 10 days ago. They chose to have a bagpiper 'pipe' their guests in the front door -- a touch that was enjoyed by many guests and passers-by as well.

The flowers were lovely, and I thought you might like to see those too. The arrangements were created by a friend of the family.

Juli

A Daytime Wedding at the Hawthorne Hotel

 
 
 
 

Last Saturday Amy and Mark Bucelewicz had their wedding reception in the Hawthorne Hotel Ballroom. They chose to have a daytime wedding, and the elements of sunny lemon-yellow flowers, gold ballroom chairs, and a classic tiered and elevated wedding cake all came together beautifully to compliment the sunshiny-day!

Aren't they a lovely couple?

We hope that we have the opportunity to help you celebrate one of the most special occasions in your life, right here at the Hawthorne Hotel. Let one of our talented and experienced wedding consultants help you plan your special day! 978-825-4358.

Juli

First Dance Video

A wedding couple whose event was profiled here on our blog not long ago submitted the link to the video of their first dance. Be sure to watch it at least half of the way through, even though it is a bit long. Things really heat up at the end -- it is a fun video to watch!

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From a recent email we received:

Soooo.... We had a really good time with our first dance - Hopefully, you will enjoy watching it just as much!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ojykpUyueA
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Katie & Ryan, you two ROCK!!!

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Juli

More fan mail. . . for Hawthorne Catering

This email thank you for a wedding we catered at the Peabody Essex Museum came in recently, and we thought you might like to see it. Hawthorne Catering is the preferred caterer at PEM.

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Hi Lindsay,

Haven't talked to you since our wedding, but I wanted to check in about a
few things.

First: the wedding was amazing! We were so happy with the way everything
turned out and we are still getting comments like "that was the best wedding
I've ever been to" from our friends and family. Most importantly, Nate and
I had a blast.

Everyone raved about the staff and the food. Everything was delicious, but
the sea bass was especially amazing. The room also looked so gorgeous. I'll be sure to send you some photos when I get the back from the photographer.

Second: My mother in law would like a copy of the bar invoice but I left it
in Massachusetts. (Nate and I are back in CT now.) Could you email her a
copy?

Thanks again for everything! I cannot tell you enough how happy we
all were with absolutely EVERY detail.

My parents have been pestering me to thank you and I finally got around to
it. Please pass my thanks on to Natalia as well. My mom said, and I quote,
"Lindsay and Natalia were EXCELLENT! You are so lucky you had such wonderful professionals running your wedding."

Best, Lauren

A Beautiful Ballroom Wedding

This wedding was so beautiful, we just had to blog the photos. I hope you enjoy seeing them.

I especially love seeing the mix of high and low floral centerpieces, as it adds such dimension to the room.

Doesn't the cake look delicious?!?

Juli