Jessica & Andrew: Catlin Gardens 8/9/09

Okay, I'm a little behind in my posting.  I apologize profusely!  I'm catching up now in anticipation of September's onslaught of weddings.  Additionally, I've got to find my pictures of Jessica and Andrew to add to this posting.  I know, I know.

Jessica and Andrew had a great wedding at a great venue.  Catlin Gardens in Slate Hill has such a beautiful outdoor garden.  No matter where you turn, it just keeps getting better.  It has little bridges, ponds, flowers, a beautiful covered area for weddings, water features, twists and turns, and I'm sure there's a lot I haven't seen, though I perform there often.  And Jessica was such a lovely bride with an infectious smile.  The happy couple was so sweet, and I thought it was great that they didn't get to see each other until they were face to face standing in front of me.

The ceremony went great, and though there was a little rain, everyone stayed dry.  We did the breaking of the glass and then  I believe everyone made it indoors before the rain started.  The only people left outside were the bridal party, and they got rides and umbrellas from the staff.  Me, I enjoy walks in the rain, so I was just fine.

I wish Jessica and Andrew all the best with their new life as a young newly married couple.  Congratulations and give my regards to your families, especially grandma!

Be well,

-Ryan Kaplan.

Melissa and Matt: Monteverde 7/25/09

I truly love what I do.  Working with great couples week after week at the happiest point of their lives is bound to be fun.  I love finding out more about them, more about their relationship and how they interact.   I'm always honored to be entrusted by a couple to perform their special ceremony.  I love all the couples I work with, and the couple I married this weekend was no exception.  Melissa and Matt are great people and we just clicked.  Take that and add a great setting like Monteverde, and the wedding is bound to be a memorable one.

Audrey was zipping around in her cart as usual, ready to transport a guests or two to the various areas of the wedding.  I actually tried some of the passed food which is unusual for me.  I actually tried the codfish I believe, which is DEFinitely unusual for me.  The food was really great, though I should expect no less from Monteverde.  It was a beautiful day, and as these pictures show, the place looked great.

Melissa and Matt had so much information to impart to me that their ceremony overflowed with their personalities and their energy.  They were best friends and co-workers before they realized that they had somehow fallen in love.  As they said, theirs is a cautionary tale... to all you cynics, true love exists, and it may lurk where you least suspect it!

So a great couple, some great friends, a little issue with large metal horses, some touching words by Matt and Melissa and I'm sad to see another couple go.  I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention Shana, Wedding Coordinator.  She and her assistant were on top of things all the way, and when a small fire started on the grass, Shana ran towards it, ready to put it out.  Now that is dedication!  Shana's website is in the process of being worked on, but you can always email me if you want to inquire about her services.  She had attention to detail, a good personality, and apparently she fancies herself a firefighter as well.  :)  Everyone was having a great time as you can see, and I'm sure the fun continued throughout the reception.

Okay, Melissa and Matt... don't you guys forget about me.  You know I was ready to help you with those horses if it came down to it.  And Monteverde, I'll see you soon at Indiana's wedding in August!

Be well,

-Ryan Kaplan.

Dina and Mike: 7/11/09

What a great day for a wedding.  The weather was perfect for an outdoor affair at the Valley Regency in Clifton, NJ.  One bride, one groom, and something like 21 other people in the bridal party... wow!  Dina and Mike had been friends since they were 14 and you could see it in the way they interacted.  These two came from different backgrounds, so in order to incorporate them both, we added a unity candle and the breaking of the glass.  Everyone had a great time.

After the ceremony, the bridal party was ready to party, and all of the cute flower girls were ready for bubbles.

I had a great time working with Dina and Mike and spending time with them after the ceremony as well.  Congratulations and best of luck to you both!

On another note, congratulations to Gus and Pakiza married by my father William Kaplan.  This wedding was postponed once due to Gus getting into a motorcycle accident.  He needed a long while to recover from his accident, so we were all glad when the 2008 wedding was rescheduled in 2009. Pakiza, you've got to keep that boy out of trouble!

My father reports that the wedding went great and that everyone there had a great time.  So, that's two great weddings in one day.

Be well.

-Ryan.

Madeline and Devin: Beckwith Pointe 6/27/09

Another great wedding at Beckwith Pointe.  And not to jinx anything, but I've never been rained out of a wedding there.  Okay, that's not a guarantee, just a general observation of my times at Beckwith. 

Okay, so the groom is military, as you can see in the pictures, and he looked dapper in his uniform, and the bride was beautiful and glowing.  During the ceremony she couldn't contain her smile as they faced each other and held hands.  One of the nice parts of this ceremony was the special benediction that was given by one of Madeline's family members.  Father Bill came up and offered a beautiful final blessing.  Apparently he had performed the weddings of more than a few of the people in attendance, so it was nice that we were able to coordinate something that would allow him to be a part of Madeline's day.

Michael and Angel were on hand as usual to ensure that everything went smoothly, and I got to pop in and say hello to Linda in the office for a second.  The sound was great, as provided by Eddie from Top Notch Music Productions.  So if you're looking for DJ, give Top Notch a call.  And if you're looking for a venue, definitely take a look at Beckwith.  You get a great gazebo, on the beach... the inside is great... the food is great, and the staff is always friendly and professional.  Heck, even the bartenders are great.  I'm sure I'll be back at Beckwith soon.  I look forward to it!

Madeline and Devin, I wish you best of luck.  Stay safe, Devin.

Be well.

-Ryan Kaplan.

Diana and Frank: Vow Renewal 6/20/09

Diana and Frank are such a great couple and when they talk about their marriage, the energy and love is truly infectious.  This was their 10 year anniversary and they had a lovely renewal in their home.  Because of the rain, we weren't able to have the ceremony outside, but their house was perfectly suited for an indoor ceremony.

They have a great story... they met and right away Frank knew he was going to marry her, and he told her so on the night they first met.  It took her another 8 weeks to come to the same conclusion.  Frank has three sons and at the time of his marriage to Diana he had a two year old grandson, Nicolas.  Well, now, ten years later, Nicolas walked Diana down the aisle, and there were a whole gaggle of grandchildren.  Ava, Michael, Kayla and Alissa joined the family over the past ten years, and they all played a big part of the ceremony.  Kayla performed a reading, and they all took part in several family traditions that Diane had created.  This was more than a renewal, it was truly a new bonding experience for the whole family.  A final toast was given by Frank's youngest son Christopher who will be getting married in July somewhere in Chicago.  Best of luck to you, Christopher, and may you be blessed with as great a marriage as your father, and may you have children as great as your brothers do.

One of the things that stood out were the words that Frank and Diana said to each other.  They were both so open, honest and sincere and everyone felt it, and if anyone watching wasn't crying, they were definitely getting choked up.  And in addition to the seriousness when they spoke of their feelings for each other, they were also making everyone laugh throughout the ceremony.  And this was one couple I could NOT stop from kissing before I got to the end.  They did apologize for their inability to restrain themselves, and I figured since they were already married, it was okay.  I lost count at four kisses.

Stak Photographers was there to take pictures and Steve and Tak were awesome as ever.  I'm looking forward to seeing what they captured.  I was excited that Diana and Frank went with them at my recommendation.  Diana and Frank also had a cello and violin duo that sounded great (Ambience Strings @ 516-313-9581).  Finally for the ceremony we incorporated a dove release (it had stopped raining).  After seeing the dove release, I would opt for that over a butterfly release.  It's not as difficult as it would seem, and it's definitely not as expensive as it seems.  There are more issues with a butterfly release, and you don't always get the results that you want.  Trust me!  Considering the overall costs of the wedding, the price of the doves would be miniscule.  In this case, I believe there were between 4 and 6 trained doves and they flew out and circled the house three times before they headed off home.  It was quite majestic and I'm sure everyone will not soon forget it.  Chris at Graceful Doves did a great job, so visit his website to find out more.

Taylored Menus Inc did a great job with the catering, and as there were a lot of kids around, some of the passed foods included mini burgers and french fries.  I must say, I normally don't eat anything, but I did grab a mini burger out of curiosity and it was really great.  The servers were great as well.

All in all, it was a great day.  And after everything, Frank, looking very James Bondish in his tux told me he'd see me in another ten years.  Okay, Frank.  It's a deal.  I've marked it on my calendar!

Be well.

-Ryan.

Gina & John Paul: Monteverde 6/19/09

Back at Monteverde for another ceremony.  With all the rain we've had recently I thought we'd be rained out, but the weather cleared for enough time for the ground to dry out and we were able to have the ceremony outside.  Mark Ten Eicken (Markten@Verizon.net) was playing great acoustic guitar to set the mood for the ceremony and the cocktail hour.

The family and friends of this bride and groom were great and had such a great energy.  They actually applauded as everyone in the bridal party came down and we all had a great time during the ceremony.   Gina and John Paul were happy and in love and it was clear to everyone there.

As always, the staff at Monteverde was great and as always Audrey was on hand to see to it that everything went smoothly.  I look forward to coming back to Monteverde for Melissa and Matt's wedding in July and then Indiana and Nelson's wedding in August.

Be well,

-Ryan.

Sandy & Mike: Monteverde 6/13/09

My first wedding of the year at Monteverde in Cortlandt Manor, and I've got another one next weekend and then one in July and one in August.  Monteverde is another classy wedding venue, and I often find myself performing multiple weddings there in a year.  Audrey is always great and always on top of every last detail.

Sandy and Mike are a great couple and it showed.  During their ceremony they were smiling at each other, and though I'm pretty sure I was the only one speaking, I could see that the two of them were communicating with each other during the ceremony.  They couldn't stop their playful and fun natures from coming through, and it was great fun working with them.  You can tell their personalities just by some of the music they played.  Sandy walked down to "Your Love is Better Than Ice Cream" by Sarah McLachlan, and after the ceremony they walked out to "I Wanna Grow Old With You" by Adam Sandler.  As everyone walked from the reception area to the cocktail hour, the Adam Sandler song was played by the dj, and it blended into a beautiful instrumental version being played live on the harp by Margaret Sneddon as she greeted the guests with her music.  If you're interested in having music at your wedding and you want to keep things simple and elegant, harp is the way to go and Margaret is definitely great.

One of the great moments at the wedding happened beforehand and behind the scenes.  Watching eight grown men trying to pin flowers on each other without any help from their spouses was quite entertaining.  They did manage though.  

Another thing that stuck out in my mind was the homemade "Wishing Tree" that was originally going to be outside.  When it was clear that the weather wouldn't cooperate, somehow between the florist and the staff at Monteverde, they brought a tree under the tent and it looked beautiful.

Anytime I think of Sandy and Mike I will always think of M&M's dancing... yeah, it's sort of complicated to explain, but it makes perfect sense.  So, that was another great wedding and I look forward to two more weddings next weekend, the one being at Monteverde again and the other being a 10 year wedding renewal at a couple's home.

Be well!

-Ryan Kaplan.