Blog
Category: Wedding Tips - Page 2
April 2, 2010
Our Favorite Wedding Vendors: Sperry Tents
Jane and I love tent weddings. Dining and dancing under a canopy can’t be beat, and–as a bonus–tents are great to photograph in…letting in natural light in the day and providing a huge light box for bouncing light at night.
We especially like Sperry Tents, so….I spoke with Drew Partridge, Sperry Tents’ Director of Sales and Business Development, about what makes Sperry Tents special in the world of wedding tents.
As Drew notes, the beginning of Sperry Tents was “darn close to an accident.” Steve Sperry started Sperry Sails on the coast of Buzzard’s Bay MA back in the ’70s. A decade later, with a bunch of old sails destined for the trash on hand, he stitched them together to make a canopy tent for his own use.
Being a craftsman, Sperry made one great looking tent out of those sails. People started asking to borrow his canopy tent…and Sperry knew he had a new business opportunity on his hands. Sperry Tents’ business took off in the late ’90s, growing 1000% from 1999 to 2001 with little marketing.
OK, what makes a Sperry Tent special? As Drew mentioned, it’s all about the “appearance of the tent canopy”, the elegant look which everyone comments on. Made from translucent tent cloth draping from mast-like wooden poles, Sperry Tents’ nautical roots are evident. Often people call the fabric sailcloth—but it’s actually a stronger tent cloth that’s fire retardant and waterproof, with welded seams and stitching. Drew made a point that “these are not fairweather tents”—they’re built to withstand wind gusts up to 70 mph.
Their translucency allows the tent fabric to become part of your wedding design–with the seams showing up as darker lines against the light ochre color of the tent cloth. In the day, the tent fabric allows more light inside, and at night Sperry Tents glow a beautiful amber color. The other key element of the tents are the wooden poles, which Sperry mills themselves in their Buzzards Bay facility. These poles are the perfect platform for creative lighting fixtures.
You can’t read a blog like Kate Parker Weddings or Style Me Pretty, or open a wedding magazine without seeing Sperry Tents (Drew counted 7 weddings in the latest issue of Well Wed that featured Sperry Tents). And despite having a reputation as being expensive, Drew noted that a true apples to apples comparison shows Sperry Tents to be competitively priced.
Today the business is still family run by Tim Sperry with Matt Sperry on the manufacturing side, although they’ve grown to nine regional affiliates that sell and service their tents. Sperry has done an outstanding job of branding, making a quality product that’s stylish and adds a distinctive element to your wedding…no wonder clients seem to refer to them as one word: SperryTent.
For more information check out the Sperry Tents website!
March 28, 2010
Choosing Wine For Your Wedding
The web is teeming with wine websites and blogs giving recommendations for wine from all over the world. But oftentimes at weddings, the wine choices are the old standbys..some kind of sparkling wine for the toasts and Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay.
Nothing wrong with that, but here are some idea starters to liven up your wine choices for 2010 and to discuss with your caterer and venue. And you don’t have to break the bank in the process.
Just think of the M’s.
Meaning
Weddings are all about meaning…so why not follow suit with the wines. If your family has Portuguese heritage, serve up wines from the Douro and Alentejo. If your family is originally from Michigan, buy some bubbly from L. Mawby, a top sparkling winemaker from the Leelanau Peninsula in Michigan.
One of our brides from 2008 served red wines made by her dad’s company, Black Rock Vintners, at her Fairfield County wedding. And Sara, our 2009 client who works at a wine importer specializing in South African wines, naturally chose a Kanonkop South African red to pour at her wedding at the Branford House in Groton CT last summer.
And, of course, if you and your fiance have great memories of drinking Veuve Clicquot, well then…relive those memories at your wedding!
Menu
Instead of hard and fast rules on red and white wine food matches….just remember what the chefs and vintners say: “What grows together goes together.”
Whatever cultural direction your wedding menu takes, try to pair wines from the same region (or wines made in that region’s style). Of course there’s oysters and Champagne (ok they don’t come from the same region…for that you could try a Muscadet), and for your tapas why not try an Albarino from the Rias Baixas region in Spain. Rose wines from the south of France also pair well with rich wedding appetizers. And a Cotes du Rhone or spicy southern Rhone wines from Vacqueyras (made from Syrah and Grenache) go well with all kinds of savory red meat dishes (the ’07 vintage is amazing).
Multitude
Remember that today there are wines made in all 50 US states (give me some of that Alaska vino!) and that great delicious wine comes from everywhere from Austria to New Zealand. Broaden your search and have fun in choosing the wine for your wedding!
Bubbly ideas: don’t forget that there are delicious sparkling wines besides authentic Champagne from France. Check out the Cava from Spain, Prosecco from Italy and top American sparkling wines. Jane and I love J sparkling wine from California.
Or better yet…get married in a winery…check out the wineries along the Connecticut Wine Trail. Several nice CT vineyards that host weddings are Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington, Chamard Vineyards in Clinton, and Saltwater Farm Vineyard in Stonington, Connecticut.
Have fun picking wines that you’ll enjoy with family and friends on your wedding day!
Cheers!!
March 23, 2010
Connecticut Preppy Tent Wedding Inspiration Board #1
