A Wedding at Graeme Park: Kori & David

Kori and David had a beautiful September afternoon for their boho-styled wedding at Graeme Park. The bride, bedecked in a baby's breath wreath, walked out of the woods in a lace gown like a woodland fairy and joined her gingham-shirted and green-bow-tied groom and guests in front of the historic Keith House.

After the ceremony the guests enjoyed a lavish spread of hors d'oevres, including cheese and crackers, fruit, grilled vegetables, sliders and other hot appetizers catered by Joey G's of Newtown.

Joey G's., who is one of our preferred caterers, then followed with a casual, relaxed meal of iceberg lettuce wedges with crumbled bacon and blue cheese, build-your-own burgers and dogs, grilled veggie wraps, mac and cheese, and assorted fries.

The tent was decked out in full bouquets of fresh daisies and baby's breath, simple white linens and natural wooden chairs.

The cake echoed the daisy theme and was topped with the couple's initial.

Congratulations Kori and David and thank you for choosing Graeme Park to celebrate your marriage.

A Wedding at Graeme Park: Hye-Won & Tristan

Hye-Won and Tristan braved a mid-August wedding at Graeme Park, and lucked into a not too hot day for their ceremony behind the Keith House. Hye-Won approached the alter with her parents from a path through the woods and joined Tristan in front of the bright blue door on the 1722 stone house.

After their ceremony, which was performed by one of their friends, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour in front of the 19th century barn, complete with specialty cocktails.

Back at the Open Aire Affairs wedding tent, Forget Me Not Vintage Rentals had set the stage with vintage everything - rustic wooden tables, mismatched chairs, china, and glassware, old dressers, cute accents and two lounge areas outside the tent. The tent had also been upgraded with liner fabric, paper lanterns, and chandeliers.

Catering was done by Catering by Rich, who provided a menu of Caesar salad, vegetarian pasta, chicken piccata, sausage & broccoli rabe, and filet mignon, served alongside roasted red potatoes and green beans almondine.

The couple's aunt created many of the home baked treats on the dessert bar, which was staged on a vintage buffet.

Confection Perfection created the lovely, traditional 3-tier wedding cake with "Love" topper.

As the music heated up the night cooled down for dancing and merrymaking. Congratulations Tristan and Hye-Won and thank you for choosing to celebrate at Graeme Park.

A Wedding at Graeme Park: Noelle & Andrew

We're catching up here after a computer crash and several weeks without internet access with the wedding of Nicolle and Andrew, which took place back in June.

The couple chose the front of the Keith House at Graeme Park as the site of their ceremony - doesn't the blue trim look great with the bridesmaids' dresses and the guys' ties?

After the "I do's" were said, the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour in front of the 1840s Pennsylvania bank barn with catering by The Red Cedar Grille, in Colmar. The fare included bruschetta, salsa and chips, cheese and crackers, and fruit and veggie platters.

Back in the Open Aire Affairs tent, the tables were set in pale gray linens with blue accents and blue, white, and gray lanterns adorned the ceiling. Centerpieces were simple jars dressed with burlap and lace and sweet bouquets of baby's breath.

The buffet dinner included pulled pork, friend chicken, collard greens, mashed potatoes, spring mix salad, and rolls.

The stunning 5-tier wedding cake was traditional and modern at the same time with strawberry and lemon layers.

Lunch and Learn Lecture Series at Graeme Park

This October why not get in the "back to school" mood with an informative talk, lunch and tour of the historic Keith House, when the Friends of Graeme Park present their Lunch & Learn Lecture Series on three consecutive Wednesday mornings. The day will include a continental breakfast, lecture, hot and cold lunch buffet (different hot entree each week) and tour of the historic Keith House. You can sign up for one, two, or all three. The cost is $20/lecture or $50 for the entire series. We have several interesting topics lined up as described below. Check-in and breakfast begin at 10:15, the lecture starts at 11, lunch is at noon and the house tour will follow. Please see our website at www.graemepark.org for more information and the registration form.

October 1

Your Appointment with Dr. Benjamin Rush

Congratulations!  You have managed to survive the 1793 epidemic of yellow fever that has decimated the population of Philadelphia and Dr. Rush has scheduled a follow-up visit with you to review the epidemic and discuss possible treatments.  Meet him at Graeme Park, the Horsham home of the Graeme family and an important rural refuge during the epidemic in the city.  Although he is famous for his massive bloodletting techniques, you probably will not be subjected to that therapy on this particular visit.

Presenter: Dr. Jim Miller: Jim is a retired biology professor and published author. With his scientific career behind him, he’s free to pursue his interests in the arts and humanities, and sometimes plays a doctor at Graeme Park.

October 8

To Normandy and Back Again

One June 6, 1944 Allied forces landed troops on the beaches of Normandy. Nineteen year old PFC Herbert Levy arrived a few days later with the Corps of Engineers where his duties involved building bridges, explosives expertise and more. Herb, who received the French Legion of Honor medal a few years ago, recently had the opportunity to travel back to Normandy with his grandchildren as a guest of the French government for the 70th Anniversary Celebration. His presentation will take you through his wartime duties and his recent trip back .

Presenter, Herbert F. Levy, AIA: After his discharge from the Army, Herb went on to earn his BA in Architecture and his MA in American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. He’s been a volunteer researcher and docent at Graeme Park for more years than anyone can remember.

October 15

They Were Soldiers, Too:  Researching Civil War Women on the Home Front

Mothers, daughters, sister, sweethearts, and wives--North and South--had a unique Civil War story often overlooked in the fervor to write of battles and battlefields. Remarkable records survive to tell the stories of women on the homefront; stories of love, leadership, loss, and often divided loyalties played out in row homes, mansions, slave quarters, and plowfields from Maine to Florida.  Come learn of grandmas who really did shoot Yankees, aunties who feigned modesty to conceal contraband in their "dainties,"  spirited mothers who fiercely protected their families, and much much more.  Participants will be equipped to seek their own stories of strong women in the Civil War. 

Presenter: Kellee Green Blake: Kellee is the retired director of the National Archives, Mid-Atlantic Region. She is an accomplished speaker with expertise on many historical and genealogical topics.

A Wedding at Graeme Park: Laura & Cory

Laura and Cory were married at Graeme Park during a rainy day in May. Despite the weather, they chose to go ahead with their outdoor ceremony - fortunately the rain held off to a light drizzle for most of the time.

After cocktails under an open tent, guests proceeded to the large Open Aire Affairs wedding tent on the property. 

After being greeted by fun orange, lime green, and white pom poms hanging at the entrance, they found their seating assignments on these adorable sliced logs (what a great way to make use of all those fallen limbs from earlier this year!)

Everyone was organized alphabetically to make it easy to find their assignment.

The tables were set with simple white and chocolate (more on that later) linens, and decorated with lime green lanterns with orange flowers and coffee beans on mirrored circles to pick up the brown. What you can't tell in these photos, is that each lantern had a few battery operated candles hidden down inside, so as it got dark they glowed - so pretty.

So, back to the chocolate - see those little white favor boxes with the orange ribbons? Each one contained three sweet heart-shaped truffles hand-crafted by the bride, her father and their family - as it turns out, the father-of-the-bride was a former employee of one of Pennsylvania's best-loved and most well-known chocolate-makers! The table numbers were also made from bits of Sycamore wood.

Dressing up the sides of the tent were these cute and simple tin cans strung up with twine and holding an assortment of orange flowers.

The cake was an elegant and simple white and brown affair with ribbon, flowers, and a traditional, but modern looking topper.

At the end of the evening, the couple's friends and family lined the walk way to send them off in the rain with sparklers.

Congratulations Laura and Cory and thank you for choosing Graeme Park to start your life together.