Announcing our new Willow Package, full of Branches amenities and outstanding cuisine PLUS the ability to design your own wedding features and pricing.

Some features include:

• Four and one-half hour Wedding with premium open bar
• Ivory chair covers with shimmer sash
• Two Chef ’s Chilled Stationary hors d’oeuvres
• Chef ’s Table of three hot selections in silver chafing dishes
• Eight Butler~Passed hors d’oeuvres
• Tulip champagne toast
• Three-course Plated Dinner or Buffet
• Custom-designed Wedding Cake
• Beachfront or Waterfall Garden ceremony additional.

This package is all inclusive pricing at $75-$85 per head plus 7% tax.

Go to WeddingWire.com to read why Branches is rated an amazing 4.9 out of 5 by brides.  Also remember that our pricing is plus 7% tax only.  Call now toll free 1-877-316-1753 to make an appointment. Visit www.BranchesCatering.com.

Whether it be a jersey shore ceremony or another off site catering location this couple definitely went one step further with their post-wedding  travels. They have been traveling around the world with the bride’s wedding dress in hand. Taking photographs in each new place, the dress has traveled more than 100,000 miles! They’ve just published a book of all the photos they have taken so far, but a second edition is planned for the future.

Source: nj.com

Jennifer Salvage’s wedding dress has traveled more than 100,000 miles and been worn 183 times — so far.

The dress goes with the former bride and her husband, Jeff Salvage, wherever their love of adventure is headed. The gown already has been worn hiking in the Swiss Alps, visiting the Great Wall of China, riding a camel in the Egyptian desert, bungee-jumping in New Zealand, and making a snow angel in Medford.

Not surprisingly, Jennifer Salvage was married in the gown.

She and her husband exchanged their vows in 2008 on remote Easter Island off the coast of South America.

Despite their heavily stamped passports, the couple’s latest adventure has been a foray into the publishing world.

They recently released “One Dress, One Woman, One World,” a book featuring a collection of photographs that shows the “bride” in various locations, both exotic and familiar. A written travel log accompanies the images taken by Jeff Salvage, a computer science professor at Drexel University and part-time photographer.

Their inspiration for the book derived from their own wedding, and the idea kept evolving.

“My husband asked me to get in the dress multiple times while we were on Easter Island,” Jennifer Salvage said.

A shared love of travel, nature and hiking subsequently led the township residents to other corners of the world. Each time, they took the dress.

“We realized we were on to something,” Jennifer Salvage said.

The “unofficial” photographer for the national race walking team and author of several books about the sport, Jeff Salvage directed a model for the first time with this project. A guidance counselor at Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, Pa., Jennifer Salvage also was taken out of her comfort zone by posing for the images.

“I’m not a model, and it’s not something that comes naturally to me,” she said. “Although the shots are glamorous, the photo shoots are not.”

At the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, one of several local shoots, the couple stepped into a stingray tank. In New Zealand, they hiked for four days in the pouring rain and were rewarded with a rainbow.

In Luxor, Egypt, camera lights were prohibited and the Salvages were allowed to take just one photograph before being told to leave. A fellow traveler on a cruise offered to lend Jennifer Salvage jewelry after the couple realized they didn’t have a necklace for their shoot.

“Usually we’re greeted with kindness and help,” Jeff Salvage said. “I’ve been traveling to Third World countries for 10 years. We always ask. We don’t want to offend anybody.”

Jennifer Salvage said many people stop to watch the sessions, believing she’s getting married.

“A lot of people wanted a photo with the bride, which was flattering and sweet,” she said.

Wear and tear has taken its toll on the wedding dress, for which Jennifer Salvage paid less than $400 plus the cost of alterations. But the gown appears pure white and unblemished in the photographs.

For the full article click here.

Organizing the guest list is typically one of the first things couples do when they begin planning a wedding. Does your dream wedding have a small, intimate guest list, or are you bringing the whole family (plus some friends)? Either way, this Jersey Shore wedding venue has all different facilities to suit your needs!

Read more from Dracony below:

Newly engaged couples have plenty of wedding planning to do. You have to first get over the excitement of getting engaged! Take your time and enjoy it. Then once you announce your engagement and set your wedding budget, you can begin talking about the wedding guest list. Here are some helpful tips for planning your wedding guest list.

All About the Budget

Before you even start your wedding guest list, figure out how many people you can invite to not only the wedding, but to the reception, as you’ll provide dinner and spirits. If you’re not picking up the tab, it’s only appropriate to involve those who help pay for your wedding and reception.

Also, consider if you’d like a small intimate wedding with close family and friends only, or if you’ll go all out and invite all your family and friends to celebrate your big day. One of the most helpful tips in planning your wedding list is to stick strictly to your budget. Also, make sure you and your fiancé plan on the same page.

Start at the Top

You and your fiancé must ask yourselves: who are the most important people in both our lives? Start with listing family members and then your closest friends. Now stop and look at your list. How many more seats do you have for your wedding guest list?

A wedding can also serve as a time to mend fences with estranged family members or friends. Talk with your fiancé and come to an agreement on this sometimes touchy issue. On the flip side, make sure not to invite people to your wedding purely out of obligation or guilt. This is your special day and you want to spend it with those who you love, support and help to honor your relationships.

Approaching the Limit

If your wedding guest list already approaches your budget’s limit, take a step back. You might want to consider making your wedding an adults-only affair. Another idea is to allow those with children to bring them, but then hire some help to watch and entertain the children during the dinner hour. Anyone with children will understand a tight budget and will most likely appreciate the break and chance to enjoy themselves.

Alternatively, you could limit guests of those who are single, “the plus ones,” which can often save you quite a bit of cash. After all, your wedding guests aren’t the people picking up the tab. Also keep business acquaintances in mind—do you want to invite any co-workers? Could it be a good (and strategic) idea to invite those “higher up” in your business?

Create Magical Chairs

Once you have your wedding guest list set and the RSVPs are in, you can have some fun with seating. You want people to have fun, so create dynamic seating arrangements. Often, couples will seat their guests based on similar interests or age groups and, as a general rule of thumb, have an even number of seats so no one feels left out of the conversation. Also, strategic seating is important. Perhaps consider placing exes and divorcees away from each other. And always seat those party people near the dance floor, as they’re sure to get the party off to a great start and fun ending.

Gathering Addresses and/or Email Information

Your respective parents may take on the task of helping you not only with listing your wedding guests, but sending out your invitations to family members, especially. Younger couples could consider saving some cash on wedding invitations by sending paper invitations to family and older, more traditional guests, but for your many younger guests, consider a nicely-designed wedding invitation sent by email.

Organizing address and email information often proves quite a task, so we suggest ordering your guests alphabetically using a software program such as Microsoft Excel or even a simple text document, where you can easily store, cut, paste and edit information. It will prove helpful to have all your information stored in one place. Also look into wedding guests managers at the Knot or the Wedding Channel. Using any type of organization software will help you with tasks such as grouping, color coding and then keeping track of those who RSVP.

Keep in mind that keeping your wedding guest list organized will also help you once it’s time to send ‘thank you’ notes to those who attend.

If you feel overwhelmed, find comfort in knowing that planning your wedding guest list can prove stressful and time consuming, there’s no doubt about that. Remember the most important tips: plan your wedding guest list according to budget, guest importance and stay organized and you’re sure to quickly and more easily create a dynamic and thoughtful wedding guest list. Enjoy the big day!

Source: Dracony

Times are tough and money may be tight, but every girl deserves the perfect dress for her wedding day. We found these great tips on how to get the dress you want at the price you can afford.

By: Chanelle Glassford

In austere times, money may be tight, but a girl still wants an ideal big day. Using the price of an average wedding going into the many thousands, couples are experiencing to be creative when planning their big day on a budget. Fortunately, with a little legwork and a bit of imagination, that’s a lot more than possible.

The single most significant decision about any wedding is the dress. It is the first concern of brides around the globe, and something that has to be just right. With the dress alone costing a few thousand, it is a part of wedding planning that could see some cash saving if done right.

Many brides will recoil in horror thinking of having a “budget” wedding gown. However, if it’s done correctly, nobody will ever know.

First, know where to find cheap wedding gowns. There are many stores around that sell them at a discount, or at lower prices than a wedding shop.

Be wary of buying a dress over the internet. While there are many respectable outlets selling them, it’s really something you have to see and feel to make sure it’s right. Using the myriad of different fitments, size combinations and materials available, it isn’t a choice to create from miles away. The internet is ideal for research, as well as for selecting dress shops to visit, such as the buy one online.

The only exception to that particular is that if you’re going second-hand. Auction sites are filled with used or unwanted wedding dresses that can easily be altered to suit. Shop carefully though, ask questions, read the description properly and focus any images of the dress. This leads us on nicely to the next easiest way of getting a great dress on a budget. In these austere times there is a real nostalgia about “how things used to be.” This can be accustomed to produce a vintage theme for any wedding.

Utilizing a mothers or grandmothers dress is an ideal method to work within that theme, honour your family and save a bit of money at the same time. Vintage things are big and try to will be. Nostalgia is a strong emotion and one that pervades all ages. It’s an ideal thing to use to obtain what you need on a tight budget wedding dresses.

If you are lucky enough to know a dressmaker, or are pretty handy having a needle, then your troubles are over. Make your own dress, saving hundreds in the process. Alternatively, you could buy a cheaper dress from the cheap store and modify it to match. You’d never be recognised wearing a store-bought dress whether it didn’t look anything like one!

By: Chanelle Glassford

We can’t all be princesses but at least we can feel like one on our wedding day! Here are some helpful tips from Allure!

Looks like my childhood fantasy of becoming a princess was crushed yesterday with the official announcement of Prince William’s engagement to long-time girlfriend Kate (now to be known as Catherine) Middleton…tear. While I will be spending the next couple of months coming to terms with the reality of the situation, I’m sure Middleton will be busy planning her royal nuptials–and while things like the location and a majority of the guests will be chosen for her, she’ll get to make the decisions on her hair, makeup, and nails. She has great taste, and she’ll be getting the best of the best to help beautify her for the special day—but for us commoners, the process isn’t always easy. Here are a few expert tips on how to prep for your wedding day, that even a prospective princess should follow:

Hair

Book a consultation and a trial beforehand so you know exactly what to expect. After the initial appointment you should feel confident and beautiful, not uncertain. Then, take your style for a spin. If it collapses or begins to fall out, tell your stylist—it could be a sign your vision needs a revision.

Makeup

If you’re going to book a pro, it’s no different than getting your hair done—go for a test-run a week or two before the wedding (the same goes for if you’re doing it yourself). Make sure to give the makeup artist as much detail about the event as possible (the location, how formal it is), as well as your everyday makeup preferences. If they suggest something you’re not feeling, speak up. “Ultimately, it’s your big day. You want to look back at the photographs fondly, not full of rage,” says makeup artist Chrisanne Davis.

Nails

Ji Baek, founder of Rescue Beauty Lounge in New York City, suggests getting your manicure the day before your wedding, and our editors agree: “You are going to have a million things to do on the actual day, and you don’t want to be dealing with wet nails,” contributing editor Allure Alyssa Kolsky Hertzig says. “Just be extra careful that you don’t chip, so bring along a bottle of nail polish on the actual day for emergency touch-ups.” Choosing a pale pink or beige will also help since it will be much less noticeable if you do nick your nails—and you won’t regret it later, as you might if you went for a more trendy color.

Self-tanning

Wearing white can make pale skin look even more washed-out, but an orange faux tan can leave you Snookified. So if you’re going to use a self-tanner or get a spray tan, try it out several weeks before the big day. It takes time to figure out which faux tanning option works best for you.

For the bridesmaids

Word of advice, Kate: you may be in line to be Queen of England one day, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to dictate what your bridesmaids should look like at your wedding. “All of your bridesmaids looking the exact same is too much too ask, and not everyone is flattered by the same hairstyle or makeup shades,” Allure beauty director Amy Keller Laird says. “Plus you don’t want them to look like robotrons either.”

Source: Allure