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Valley Wed is a curated style of wedding show; one that focuses on real relationships with the best wedding vendors the Pioneer Valley has to offer. We want to connect you with the top wedding professionals in Western Massachusetts to help you plan one of the most important days of your life.
You're not cookie cutter. Neither are we.
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What was the best wedding gift you received?
We created a custom registry with SoKind Registry and asked for gifts of help at the wedding as well as art and "getaway" time at people's second homes. It was amazing: guilt-free super helpers at the wedding and a year of free vacations!
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What's the best advice you give to a couple about their wedding day?
Before you start planning, think about how you want to feel and how you want your guests to feel. Then work from there - it is so easy to let a checklist drive wedding planning rather than the most important thing: the experience you and your guests get to have together.
I also highly recommend A Practical Wedding - the book and the blog. It's such great resources for wonderfully sane wedding planning.
I also highly recommend A Practical Wedding - the book and the blog. It's such great resources for wonderfully sane wedding planning.
Chloe Moore Photography
What's your favorite moment when working with a couple?
Getting pictures back after the wedding and seeing the bride just radiating beauty, happiness, confidence, fulfillment and love.
JAGstudios Photography
What makes you different from other professionals in your field?
Not only do brides look stunning in our gorgeous gowns but they also feel radiant. That is because they are part of a closed loop of women helping women around the world through our giveback gowns.
Mariosa Wedding Photography
Your last great read?
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.
Do you have a favorite restaurant for brunch?
The Lone Wolf in Amherst!
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What's your cocktail of choice?
A Mojito.
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We're delighted to announce the incredible door prizes and giveaways lined up for our Valley Wed couples on November 1 at Quonquont Farm.
Door Prize #1:
Two $75 Gift Certificates to Blue Heron Restaurant
Settled in the middle of the best farm land in Massachusetts, located in Sunderland's historic Old Town Hall, the Blue Heron Restaurant celebrates our Valley’s best local, sustainable ingredients in one of the coziest and most elegant dining rooms around.
The Blue Heron is an intimate, relaxed upscale restaurant featuring globally inspired cuisine sourced ethically from the Pioneer Valley and beyond. Whenever possible, they use seasonal, regionally grown products, farmed without the use of antibiotics, hormones or GMOs.
The Blue Heron is an intimate, relaxed upscale restaurant featuring globally inspired cuisine sourced ethically from the Pioneer Valley and beyond. Whenever possible, they use seasonal, regionally grown products, farmed without the use of antibiotics, hormones or GMOs.
Door Prize #2:
Two $100 Gift Certificates to PINCH
PINCH is a vibrant, eclectic artisan gallery in downtown Northampton, MA with a focus on art for the home and art to wear.
Owner Jena Sujat's philosophy for PINCH is to support others - craftspeople, artists, as well as all the staff who are also friends - to make a life doing what they love. Whether you're setting up your wedding registry, shopping for yourself or your home, you will find unique, interesting and beautiful ceramics, tableware, jewelry, accessories and home goods arriving each week.
Owner Jena Sujat's philosophy for PINCH is to support others - craftspeople, artists, as well as all the staff who are also friends - to make a life doing what they love. Whether you're setting up your wedding registry, shopping for yourself or your home, you will find unique, interesting and beautiful ceramics, tableware, jewelry, accessories and home goods arriving each week.
Grand Prize Giveaway:
$500 Gift Certificate to dmg {Don Muller Gallery, Inc}
Located in downtown Northampton since 1978, dmg features distinctive fine jewelry, art glass and gifts from over 300 artists. From traditional to unique, the gallery showcases a large collection of engagement rings and wedding bands from local and award-winning designers.
The $500 gift certificate is good toward the purchase of two wedding bands at dmg {Don Muller Gallery, Inc}. The gallery features a large collection by many of the leading U.S. jewelers with styles ranging from traditional diamond wedding bands to handcrafted bands with a distinctive design. They offer a diverse selection of metals including platinum, gold, titanium, steel and meteorite.
The $500 gift certificate is good toward the purchase of two wedding bands at dmg {Don Muller Gallery, Inc}. The gallery features a large collection by many of the leading U.S. jewelers with styles ranging from traditional diamond wedding bands to handcrafted bands with a distinctive design. They offer a diverse selection of metals including platinum, gold, titanium, steel and meteorite.
Interested?
It's easy to register online here for a chance to win our Valley Wed door prizes and grand prize giveaway. Winners will be notified after the event.
The fine print.
Door prizes will only be awarded to attendees of the Nov. 1st event.
dmg Don Muller Gallery gift certificate expires June 1, 2016 and cannot be combined with other discounts or promos.
dmg Don Muller Gallery gift certificate expires June 1, 2016 and cannot be combined with other discounts or promos.
Check out Valley Wed's cover story and two-page feature in The Republican's
Fall 2015 WEDDINGS magazine, written by Maureen Sullivan.
Fall 2015 WEDDINGS magazine, written by Maureen Sullivan.
Photo by The Terrible Child Photography
Valley Wed
Two women put a creative twist on traditional wedding expo.
Featuring Valley Wed creators Tiffany Hilton of Tiffany Hilton Pottery
and Rev. Hannah Grace of Grace Ceremonies
and Rev. Hannah Grace of Grace Ceremonies
From the feature with Maureen Sullivan...
Hannah Grace and Tiffany Hilton had a vision for a different kind of wedding show. A vision that was about having fun while inspiring connections between wedding professionals and potential clients. That vision became Valley Wed, an event designed for couples who value exceptional products and services and want to do business with local vendors.
"It's definitely not your average wedding expo," says Tiffany. From rustic to elegant, casual to classic, quirky and romantic, Tiffany and Hannah have carefully curated a collection of vendors including bakers, photographers, DJs, event planners, musicians, officiants, florists, caterers and other wedding professionals in the Pioneer Valley.
"It's definitely not your average wedding expo," says Tiffany. From rustic to elegant, casual to classic, quirky and romantic, Tiffany and Hannah have carefully curated a collection of vendors including bakers, photographers, DJs, event planners, musicians, officiants, florists, caterers and other wedding professionals in the Pioneer Valley.
Tiffany and Hannah by Sandra Costello Photography
More from Maureen Sullivan...
Valley Wed is designed to appeal to couples who have both traditional and offbeat ideas and want to make their wedding day distinctly their own. Perhaps you imagine letterpress invitations, an eco-friendly wedding gown, handmade wedding rings and vintage inspired make up - resources for these and others will be among the 25 of the top wedding professionals in Western Massachusetts.
Check out Valley Wed's four-page feature in The Valley Advocate
Fall 2015 I Do Wedding Guide, by Hunter Styles.
Fall 2015 I Do Wedding Guide, by Hunter Styles.
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Wedding Panning with a Local Twist
A new Valley wedding expo encourages thinking outside the box
Featuring Valley Wed creators Tiffany Hilton of Tiffany Hilton Pottery and
Rev. Hannah Grace of Grace Ceremonies
Rev. Hannah Grace of Grace Ceremonies
Photo by Sandra Costello Photography
From the feature by Hunter Styles...
Before she found her calling as an interfaith minister, Hannah Grace sold wedding and engagement rings. During those days working in the jewelry business, she saw firsthand how wedding planning comes with plenty of ideas and suggestions that are not one’s own.
“We have this pervasive idea that you need to wear a one-carat round diamond set in platinum, which is of a certain quality and costs a certain amount of money,” she said. "That may sound outdated, but look at any bridal magazine. People feel a lot of pressure to conform to a certain image.”
Grace and her new business partner Tiffany Hilton want to counteract that pressure, and their upcoming kick-off event may provide the solution. It’s a new wedding expo called Valley Wed, and it will provide 25 small, independently-owned local businesses.
“We have this pervasive idea that you need to wear a one-carat round diamond set in platinum, which is of a certain quality and costs a certain amount of money,” she said. "That may sound outdated, but look at any bridal magazine. People feel a lot of pressure to conform to a certain image.”
Grace and her new business partner Tiffany Hilton want to counteract that pressure, and their upcoming kick-off event may provide the solution. It’s a new wedding expo called Valley Wed, and it will provide 25 small, independently-owned local businesses.
Photos by HaleChannel Photography
More from Hunter Styles...
The November 1 event will feature tables run by local bakers and caterers, photographers and artists, musicians and DJs, and more, all in Quonquont’s large renovated barn space. Additionally, visitors to the farm that day can grab a cocktail or a craft beer, listen to local music, enjoy food from the Westfield-based food truck Chanterelle To Go, or take a carriage ride through the orchard.
The point, Grace and Hilton said, is not merely to make sales on the day of the expo — it is to build a feeling of community between shoppers and business owners, and to open doors that allow soon-to-be-married guests to think creatively about what it means to have a wedding.
“We want to encourage people to think outside of the magazines, or what they’re hearing they should do,” said Grace. “They should be themselves, and we want to help support that.”
The point, Grace and Hilton said, is not merely to make sales on the day of the expo — it is to build a feeling of community between shoppers and business owners, and to open doors that allow soon-to-be-married guests to think creatively about what it means to have a wedding.
“We want to encourage people to think outside of the magazines, or what they’re hearing they should do,” said Grace. “They should be themselves, and we want to help support that.”
Continued from Hunter Styles...
Hilton agreed, adding that the “wedding industrial complex” can be a costly and intimidating machine. “We don’t want to be anything cookie-cutter,” she said. “We’re trying to network small businesses based in the Valley. Limousine companies, insurance companies, spray tan companies — those are all present at some wedding shows, but we don’t need feel we need them at our show.”
Instead, the vendors selected for this first Valley Wed distinguish themselves by providing a personal touch, whether it’s a custom-fit suit from Jackson & Connor in Northampton, a carefully cooked meal from Blue Heron Catering in Sunderland, a dress from Pearl Bridal Boutique in Holyoke, unique invitations from Big Wheel Press in Easthampton, or a wedding shoot by Sandra Costello Photography, to name a few.
Instead, the vendors selected for this first Valley Wed distinguish themselves by providing a personal touch, whether it’s a custom-fit suit from Jackson & Connor in Northampton, a carefully cooked meal from Blue Heron Catering in Sunderland, a dress from Pearl Bridal Boutique in Holyoke, unique invitations from Big Wheel Press in Easthampton, or a wedding shoot by Sandra Costello Photography, to name a few.
Valley Wed is a curated style of wedding show; one that focuses on real relationships with the best wedding vendors the Pioneer Valley has to offer. We want to connect you with the top wedding professionals in Western Massachusetts to help you plan one of the most important days of your life.
You're not cookie cutter. Neither are we.
Get to know our hand-picked wedding pros
in our Valley Wed Vendor Spotlight.
Meet Kendra Nielsen, Catering Manager at
Blue Heron Restaurant & Catering.
Blue Heron Restaurant & Catering.
What do you love most about your work?
I love being part of a team that is committed to creating unforgettable experiences for our guests. Everyone—owners, chefs, dishwashers, bartenders, waitstaff—shares that goal. When I run into a couple several years after their wedding and they tell me that their guests are still talking about how incredible the food and service were, it gives me an immense sense of pride and validation.
J.P. Langlands Photography
As a vendor, what's your favorite moment when working with a couple?
We do a private tasting for each of our couples and it's my favorite part of the planning process. We spend a couple of hours, typically on a Sunday afternoon, going over all of the details of their wedding while they taste their custom menu. I get the opportunity to really get to know who they are and what their vision is, and they get to try everything out in advance and leave knowing their wedding is in great hands.
Libby Lewis Photography
What's the best advice you would give to a couple about their wedding day?
Have a foul-weather plan, and stick to it! In New England you could have a 90 degree day in May, snow in October, or torrential downpours on the most beautiful day of the year. Even if you plan and wish and pray for a perfect weather day, that’s the one thing none of us have control over. So hope for the best but plan for the worst, and trust your vendors to execute that plan should the need arise!
J.P. Langlands Photography
What makes you different from other professionals in your field?
We design everything custom, from the menu to the floor plan to the table set-up, which allows us to create an experience that honors each couple and their unique story. We always find ways to incorporate personal touches throughout the day, whether it’s a vodka toast to celebrate the bride’s Polish heritage, a serving of lamb biryani that reminds the groom of his childhood in India, or a farm-to-table menu that pays homage to the farm the brides have built together.
Lesley Arak Photography
Cocktail of choice?
The French 75: gin, lemon and champagne. Or anything with grapefruit!
Sandra Costello Photography
What is your motto in life?
"Results, Not Excuses." My high school band director had this on a banner hanging in the band room and it has stuck with me to this day.
Brian Sullivan Photography
Current Netflix addiction?
Chef's Table! The series is so beautifully shot and scored. I love seeing how each chef conceives of the experience of sharing a meal, from the source of the ingredients to the preparation of the food to the ambiance in which it’s served.
Sandra Costello Photography
Valley Wed Blog
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