Brookside Gardens was a picture-perfect location for Denise and Bill’s outdoor garden ceremony and wedding reception. Thousands of summer flowers were in full bloom as the couple exchanged vows in the Brookside Gardens’ Yew Garden. With its flagstone paths and beautiful hedges, this outdoor ceremony space conjures up feelings of being at a lovely Summer cottage.
Prior to the ceremony, Denise and Bill had the special opportunity to take photos and spend a few quite moments alone among Brookside Gardens’ live outdoor Butterfly Exhibit, the site of their first date.
Following the I do’s, Putting on the Ritz Catering passed Petite Spinach Quiche, Garden Harvest Summer Rolls, Sweet Potato Pancakes and Caprese Skewers on the South Terrace and multiple bars were set up for the service of Bloody Marys and Mimosas.
Brookside Gardens’ Auditorium, with its large windows and panoramic views was set for brunch with beautiful shades of yellow and white.
In lieu of flowers, Denise and Bill chose to donate money to their favorite charities. They printed the information for these organizations and put them in yellow picture frames which were placed in the center of each guest table on mirrors. As an added touch, yellow foil wrapped Hershey kisses were scattered around the frames.
Putting on the Ritz assisted the couple in planning a delicious brunch menu featuring a waffle station with guests’ choice of Belgian Waffles or Chicken and Waffles with Savory Breakfast Gravy or Grand Marnier Syrup. The buffet included Breakfast Pastries, a Roasted Vegetable and Gruyere Frittata, Home Fried Potatoes, Smoked Seafood Display, Assorted Cold Salads and a uniformed chef carving to order Oven Roasted Turkey.
The best part of the day at Brookside Gardens came as it was time to cut the wedding cake. Denise indicated that for as long as she can remember, she always dreamed of having an ice cream wedding cake. Well, why not?! Putting on the Ritz was able to provide a freezer large enough to store the cakes in, yes, I said cakes, as they provided not one but three ice cream cakes of assorted flavors including pistachio and mint chocolate chip. They even had their own engraved ice cream spoons.
In addition to the ice cream wedding cakes, Putting on the Ritz provided a full Ice Cream Sundae Bar, Sorbet with Mixed Berries and assorted individual Dessert Torte Towers of Green Tea & Pear Cake, Strawberry Mimosa Cake, Chocolate Chambord Cake and Triple Chocolate Cake, the groom’s personal favorite.
A big thank you goes out to Jennifer at Brookside Gardens and Betsy Lanning, their wedding planner for all of their assistance. It was an absolute pleasure working with Denise and Bill. They waited a long time to find each other and I hope they spend their life together making many joyful memories.
Putting on the Ritz Catering, Claudia Raymond, 301-725-4220, cpr@puttingontheritz.com
Brookside Gardens, Jennifer Bland, 301-962-1404, Jennifer.Bland@montgomeryparks.org
Wedding Planner, Betsy Lanning, 301-732-4063