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Life in the Berkshires | Weddings & Celebrations 2023

Celebrate in Style! Beautiful Berkshires-inspired weddings and parties PLUS:

PLANNING GUIDE

with venues, caterers, florists, and more

from the publisher and editor

Far left: Michelle Petricca and Amy Conway; Above: Melanie and Kevin Moran with hosts Kate and Hans Morris; Left: Fred Rutberg and Taylor Linscott Lamme and Kristian Sexton

THIS ISSUE IS DEDICATED TO CELEBRATIONS— which is

fitting because we at The B are in the mood to celebrate. Since we launched this magazine earlier this year, we have been welcomed so warmly by the community. It is truly gratifying every time someone says, “The B really captures The Berkshires.” We couldn’t get a better compliment. The following pages of this special issue are filled with ideas, inspiration, and sources for celebrations of your own milestones—weddings, girls’ weekends, family reunions, and parties for every other occasion. In that spirit, we thought we’d show you some photos from a recent pre-holiday get-together at the beautiful barn of Hans and Kate Morris celebrating The B and The Berkshire Eagle (it won another Newspaper of the Year award!). Our next issue will be out in early 2024. Want to make sure a copy lands in your mailbox? Please subscribe at berkshireeagle.com/theb. In the meantime, follow us @theb.berkshires to stay connected. Thank you for being here for The B—see you next year! We can’t wait.

MICHELLE THORPE PETRICCA Publisher petricca@berkshireeagle.com

AMY CONWAY Editor aconway@berkshireeagle.com

Above left: Jennifer Bianco, Ian Cuillerier and Bertrand Garbassi; Above right: Gregory Crewdson, Kristy Edmunds, and Juliane Hiam; Right: Steven Favreau, Jules Appleby, Dennis Wyrzykowski, and Paul Appleby

Left: Shirley Edgerton and Judith Monachina Turn the page for more pics!

Weddings & Celebrations 2023 • THE B

contributors: The B's Saints & Eccentrics SHIRA SAVADA (Contributing Weddings Editor) The former Real Weddings Editor of Martha Stewart Weddings, Savada has spent much of her career immersed in the world of weddings and editorial, also working with Domino, Harper’s Bazaar, Carats & Cake, and a multitude of talented event professionals over the past five years through her consulting company, shiramisu. shiramisu.com FRANCESCA OLSEN (“The Beauty of Berkshiregrown Blooms”) is a writer and consultant with more than a decade of experience in marketing and communications, from branding to digital strategy. In addition to her professional work, she is a textile artist and has recently produced a series of quilts about surviving cancer. francescaolsen.com

The barn was a warm and welcoming spot—and we enjoyed the hors d’oeuvres and charcuterie from SoMa Catering.

Above: Amy and Sarah Steven; Left: Allen Harris and Paula Kohler; Below: Oren Cass and Roger Cohn

CAROLE OWENS (“A Tale of Two Weddings”) is an author of 12 books, including “The Berkshire Cottages: A Vanishing Era,” and more than 100 magazine articles for Parade Magazine, Boston Globe Magazine, Ladies’ Home Journal, and New England Travel and Leisure. She lives in Stockbridge and writes a regular column in The Berkshire Eagle. NEIL TURITZ (“How Sweet It Is”) moved to the Berkshires last year from New York City, along with his wife. They have since welcomed a son. Turitz is a screenwriter, author, filmmaker, journalist, and creator of “6 Word Reviews” (@6wordreviews) on Instagram.

Above: Roger Cohn and Hans Morris; Right: Lauren and Gary Lavariere

SUBSCRIBE TO THE B! berkshireeagle.com/theb or scan the QR code.

THE B • Weddings & Celebrations 2023

MIKE COBB (“Envelope, Please”) is a writer and a musician from Norfolk, Connecticut. He enjoys walking in the woods with his wife, daughter, and cockapoo Sammy. His work has been published in Village Voice, NYC Jazz Record, Berkshire Magazine, Lakeville Journal, Chronogram, and more. FELIX CARROLL (“A Brilliant Return”) has twice been named Writer of the Year by the New York Press Association, and has received other journalism awards, as well. He has been a staff writer for The Berkshire Eagle, Cape Cod Times, and Albany Times Union. He lives in Housatonic. He’s a South County firefighter, and he plays a gold sparkle drum kit.

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Weddings & Celebrations 2023

Features

How Sweet It Is

At Nine Cakes in Hudson, dessert becomes a whimsical work of art.

Envelope, Please Make your mark on an event with letterpress stationery— created right here in Hillsdale.

A Brilliant Return Jewelry designer Tim McClelland creates heirloom-quality pieces.

Making Memories Advice on hiring an event photographer —from an event photographer.

The Beauty of Berkshire-grown Blooms Local farm-fresh flowers make an event extra special.

Celebrations Plus!

THE B’S GUIDE TO VENUES & VENDORS

See page 71

In every issue: The Local Life 11 | Voices & Views 25 | Last Look 80

48 In Living Color 52 Somethings Blue 56 The Art of Love 60 Grand Gestures 66 One Fine Day

On the cover: A wedding at Wheatleigh in Lenox, see page 60 P H OTO: DA NI FINE PHOTOGRAP H Y; FLOWERS: N ICOLETTE CAMIL L E F LO R A L D ESI GN

Weddings & Celebrations 2023 • THE B

Looking for a truly unique setting for your wedding? Our Gilded Age “cottage” offers an elegant yet intimate setting, evocative of an historic bygone era.

VOL. 1, ISSUE 5 Weddings & Celebrations 2023 The mansion offers an unforgettable backdrop for wedding ceremonies, receptions, engagement and wedding photos, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers and breakfasts or brunches among other possibilities.

PUBLISHER

EDITOR IN CHIEF

mpetricca@berkshireeagle.com

aconway@berkshireeagle.com

Michelle Thorpe Petricca DESIGN DIRECTOR

Julie Hammill

julie@hammilldesign.com COPY EDITOR

Amy Krzanik CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS

104 Walker St., Lenox MA 01240 (413) 637-3206 | GildedAge.org Contact marsha@gildedage.org

Courtney Maum Pops Peterson

Amy Conway

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

William Li

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ben Garver Gillian Jones-Heck Stephanie Zollshan

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Kate Abbott

The B is a publication of New England Newspapers Inc. PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Fredric D. Rutberg | frutberg@berkshireeagle.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Kevin Moran | kmoran@berkshireeagle.com CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

Gary Lavariere | glavariere@berkshireeagle.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR

John Supple | jsupple@berkshireeagle.com OPERATIONS MANAGER

Chuck Danforth | cdanforth@berkshireeagle.com DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING SERVICES

Kate Teutsch | kteutsch@berkshireeagle.com DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING SALES

Cheryl Gajewski | cmcclusky@berkshireeagle.com REGIONAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE

Jim Gibbons | jgibbons@berkshireeagle.com SALES SUPPORT SPECIALIST

Alex Richards | arichards@berkshireeagle.com ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR

Sue Raimer | sraimer@berkshireeagle.com MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS

BOOK A DESIGN CONSULTATION IRWINFELDDESIGN@GMAIL.COM IRWINFELDDESIGN.COM

For subscription issues, call 800-245-0254

The

Local Life Exploring Our Towns for the Best of the Berkshires

Big Green Truck Mobile Pizza Oven See next page for details.

P H OTO : B I G G R E E N T R U C K

Weddings & Celebrations 2023 • THE B

the local life: Around Town

Have Food and Drink, Will Travel With food trucks, mobile bars, even traveling fire, there are more and more ways the party can come to you. Innovative chefs and mixologists are bringing Berkshire flavors around the region. Here are just a few standouts.

Big Green Truck Pizza

SoMa

Restored International Harvesters serve wood-fired pizza in Litchfield County (and the rest of Connecticut) along with salad, espresso, and gelato, and the choice of a beer or wine add-on (or a separate beverage truck!). biggreentruckpizza.com

Wood-fired pizza and other options take to the road from West Stockbridge, as Loretta Tenuta creates locally sourced seasonal menus. somacatering.com

La Chalupa Y La Enchilada If you’ve stopped in at Balderdash Cellars, or a farmers market in Pittsfield or Lenox, you may have seen Cain Serrano serving tacos, quesadillas, salads, chalupas, empanadas, and burritos. Originally from Tlaxcala, Mexico, he has lived in the Berkshires for more than 20 years and worked in many well-known restaurants, including Church Street Café, Bistro Zinc, and Café Lucia, all in Lenox, before he launched his own food truck.

Another Round Bar This mobile bar from Dalton offers cocktails, wine, and beer, a full bar trailer, and food to go along with the drinks, brought by wedding planner Danielle Pellerin of 5 Senses Events & Design and her husband Ryan. anotherroundbar.com

Heirloom Fire

Higher Bar Passion fruit? Bourbon, apple cider, and ginger? Jeremy Kenny, native of the Berkshires and for many years the mind behind Rouge Restaurant in West Stockbridge, has launched a tap truck and a traveling bar with fresh juices, and custom bitters and syrups. He also offers private cocktail workshops if you’d like to learn to make your own. higher-bar.com

THE B • Weddings & Celebrations 2023

Chef James Gop curates events with fresh, seasonal foods from farms in the region, and a unique sustainably minded experience; he sets up a traveling kitchen to create a meal cooked directly over hardwood flame. heirloomfire.com

H I G H E R B A R : A M A N D A K P H OTO G R A P H Y; A N OT H E R R O U N D : S T E P H R A P I S A R D A ; B I G G R E E N T R U C K P H OTO C O U R T E SY O F B I G G R E E N T R U C K ; H E I R LO O M F I R E C O U R T E SY O F H E I R LO O M F I R E

By Kate Abbott

Is planning your WEDDING OR EVENT causing you stress? Are you looking for the PERFECT GIFT for yourself or someone else? DJ BFG hosted an 80s/90s dance party at The Colonial Theatre in November.

NOW BOOKING events of all kinds!

Music Matters

Life of the Party There’s an art to keeping the crowd and the energy moving. DJ BFG shares how she gets it done.

P H OTO : V L A D I M I R Z E L E N Y

The guitar chords sound a call to action, then there’s the bass, the beat, and the voice—Signed, sealed, delivered, I’m yours— and the crowd is on their feet and dancing to Stevie Wonder. “That’s the strongest kickoff song in pop music, as far as I’m concerned,” said DJ BFG, aka Gabby Squailia, who has been spinning professionally at all kinds of events for 20 years, in the Berkshires and across the state. “Weddings are no longer a single-solution musical experience,” she said. Which is where her expertise comes in. It used to be that pop songs came in waves, she said—Top 40 tunes or songs from a new hit album, like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in the 1980s or Nirvana’s “Nevermind” in the 1990s. Musical genres and eras rarely mixed. But that pattern has changed, in part because technology lets groups of friends evolve communal playlists and share their tastes. And, in the Berkshires, there are “different musical demographics in different areas. What works in one town may not work the next town over,” Squailia said. Couples will often come to her with their own playlist, and she will talk with them about their music, and their guests. That’s the starting point. At the event, she will layer in musical styles, responding to the audience and the feeling in the room. “The critical skill [is knowing] what will work in the moment. As the vibe and emotional

VOTED BEST WEDDING PLANNER 2 YEARS IN A ROW!

state changes, I work with it.” She plays with a sense of improvisation, and enjoys requests, trying to figure out how to slide a new song into the queue. She moves from one song seamlessly into the next, easing the transitions, laying rhythm or voice from the next song over the last notes of the previous one to tease the room with what’s about to happen. She enjoys the challenge of charting her course, moving from new wave and disco to Paul Simon’s “I Know What I Know,” Boney M.’s bass-thumping “Rasputin,” or a Bollywood pop song. And she will plan where she wants the evening to wind up. The Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place”—the first song played at her own wedding—is often the last song she plays at the end of the night. Home, is where I want to be, but I guess I’m already there.—K.A.

Dance with DJ BFG Looking for lights and music on a cold, dark night? Come to Dalton’s Stationery Factory for a monthly DJ BFG Music Factory dance party (December 15, January 19, and onward); or check out the Disco Party with Berkshire Theatre Group at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield on February 2. stationery-factory.com berkshiretheatregroup.org

We're here to bring your dreams to reality! www.onlyinmydreamsevents.com info@onlyinmydreamsevents.com 413-528-0285

VOTED BEST GIFT SHOP!

Offering GIFTS both local and unique! Hours Starting February 1: Wednesday thru Sunday 11-6 45 Main Street, South Egremont, MA 413-717-9008

Life in the Berkshires just got better.

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the local life: Pay It Forward Giving Back

Feel-good Gifts Want to wrap a sense of meaning and purpose into a gift? Many of our local organizations and small businesses offer memberships, classes, merchandise, and clever ways to donate. Here are just a few suggestions. By Heather Campbell

Feasts for celebrations big & small!

Name a Cow! This is a perfect gift for animal lovers. When you sponsor a calf at Lee’s High Lawn Farm, you’ll get to name and feed her (stop in for ice cream at the Creamery while you’re there). And as a thank you, you’ll receive a High Lawn Farm Sampler Box filled with an assortment of farmstead cheeses, a jar of ghee, and slow-churned butter. highlawnfarm.com | $400

Send Local Treats Berkshire Packs with a Purpose from Only In My Dreams are themed around many of our local nonprofits (Railroad Street Youth Project, Berkshire Immigrant Center, WAM Theatre, and more) and include a donation directly to the organization. Each pack is filled with delicious products sourced directly from creators, many of whom are Berkshire locals. onlyinmydreamsevents.com/berkshire-packs | $75

Help Farmers, Enjoy Flowers

Shop our locally owned Family of Businesses:

BELLA FLORA MAZZEO’S MEAT & SEAFOOD THE CHEF’S SHOP

LOCATED ALONG RTE 7 PITTSFIELD & GB @GUIDOSFRESHMARKETPLACE

When you pay for flowers in advance through the Flower CSA at Hillsdale’s Tiny Hearts Farm, you help growers shoulder the early season expenses at a time when farm revenues are low— and you ensure beautiful bouquets come spring. tinyheartsfarm.com | Starting at $250

C O W : S T E P H A N I E Z O L L S H A N ; LO C A L T R E AT S : O N LY I N M Y D R E A M S E V E N T S ; F LO W E R : S H U T T E R S TO C K

740 Williams Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 www.bluSalonSpas.com (413) 344-4429 * Hair * Nails * Facial * Massage * Waxing *

Celebrate Creativity Support artists and a nonprofit when you shop at Berkshire Art Center’s two galleries (Stockbridge and Pittsfield) or online. Choose from locally created ceramics, paintings, and jewelry. Or, let your gift getter unleash their inner artist when you give them a gift certificate for a class or an Art Night Out. berkshireartcenter.org | Prices vary

Tapas & Fine Dining

Take Time for Tea Your gift from ExtraSpecialTeas is also a gift to a community you can feel good about supporting. When you send your loved one the delicious tea blends, gluten-free goodies, dog treats, or inspiring signature items, your purchase also benefits a business where people with intellectual differences can work in an inclusive environment to learn, create, and grow. extraspecialteas.org | Prices vary

47 PARK ST., ADAMS, MA 413-776-7121 | FIREHOUSECAFE.NET

Bring the Museum Home

E A R R I N G S : B E R K S H I R E A R T C E N T E R ; T E A : E X T R A S P E C I A L T E A S ; P R I N T: N O R M A N R O C K W E L L M U S E U M

Norman Rockwell captured daily humor, big moments, and hard realities. Lovers of his work and Stockbridge’s Norman Rockwell Museum are sure to appreciate a limited edition signed print, which comes with an authenticity certificate. store.nrm.org | Prices vary

Celebrate 2023 with Animal Inn!

Expand Lives Through Literacy Become a main character in one of LitNet’s success stories: When you donate, you get to choose books for learners, and you’ll receive a bookplate as an acknowledgment of your gift. litnetsb.org/books-for-learners | $25 and up

Build Community “Brick” by Brick

Bricks represent structure, strength, and security, and when you buy a symbolic brick through Construct, you’ll impact critical areas of housing insecurity that are often overlooked, helping your neighbors start over, regain their footing, and thrive. At $25 each, they make great hostess gifts. constructberkshires.org | Brick donations start at $25

Visit Animal Inn and let your fur babies show why Shannon & her team are voted Best in the Berkshires year after er year! y Providing award winning Boarding, Daycare & Grooming! 120 Hubbard Ave, Pittsfield, MA Text or Call 413-442-3472

the local life: Food & Drink Dreaming of Summer

Celebrate the Local Bounty Canyon Ranch is just getting started—Lenox’s renowned resort and spa hosted two sold-out Harvest Dinners this past season, and are looking forward to an expanded series in 2024. The dinners— which welcome the general public as well as guests staying at Canyon Ranch—showcase the culinary talents of resident Chef Julien Ardouin alongside the Canyon Ranch culinary team, complemented by guest chefs who will bring their own expertise. Look for the series to start next spring. In high summer, the first dinner highlighted talents and ingredients from Chatham Bars Inn, with Chef Ardouin and the team from Berkshire Catering Co. working aside the guest chefs. The fall dinner featured Michelin-starred Chef Charlie Mitchell (right) from Clover Hill, Brooklyn—and wines from Dare Bottleshop in Lenox.

TA B L E / T E N T: S H E L B I E M O N K R E S ; C H E F S : D E N N I S FA R R I S

canyonranch.com

THE B • Weddings & Celebrations 2023