Category: weddings

lauren + joey // Pearl Street Wedding

Filed in weddings shot by on at

It’s pretty evident that Lauren and Joey are a perfect fit for each other. From the way they look at each other, to the way they so seamlessly fell into a family with Joey’s sweet little girl, Kylie. From how their parents were all so thrilled that they were saying their “I dos”, to how clearly happy they make each other… these two (or should we say three!) are definitely going to go the distance.

Aside from the beauty and love of L+J (their photos are really so sweet!), the moments between Lauren and Kylie are definitely some of our favorites of the day. Seeing the love between those two, and knowing how meaningful this day was, not just for Lauren and Joey, but for Kylie too, was truly so special. If you follow along with our posts, you’ll know by now that, for us, family is the center of everything. Being able to capture Lauren, Joey and Kylie’s official union was such an honor. There is just so much sweetness within that unit; it was so beautiful to watch it all come together. We’re so happy to have been able to capture these moments for them!

Lauren: “I have always known of Joey ever since he was in my big sister Brittany’s kindergarten class. He went to school with her all the way through high school. I always knew of him as a very nice and funny guy but never officially met him until my sister and her best friend Rachel suggested for me to go on a date with him many years later.“

Lauren: “My favorite memory was seeing Joey tear up when I was walking down the aisle. I never thought he would cry on our wedding day. He is just so composed all the time.“

Joe: “When I proposed I wanted it to be a surprise so I disguised the ring box by gluing it in a watch box. On Christmas Eve we came home from a family party and I suggested we each open one gift. I had been building on Lauren’s watch collection, so she was expecting one more watch to finish it off. I told her before she opened it ‘I promise this is the last one I’ll ever buy you’, so she was super surprised by the ring.“

Lauren: “I was completely surprised! He told me all the reasons he loved me and how long he’s known that I was the one he was going to marry. Then he turned on a movie, which was actually pictures of us and our little Kylie!“

Lauren: “It’s funny because everyone says, you never pick the dress that you think you will want. You will try something on that you never thought you’d wear on your wedding day and you buy it. They were right. All of them. When I first started looking for dresses I said I wanted a strapless, sweet heart neckline, tight fitting dress. At the second location for wedding dress shopping, I tried an illusion dress and LOVED it. That’s when my vision changed. I went to one more bridal hop (M.A. Carr) where I found my dress. I loved the lace, beading, illusion and frame. My dress got a ton of compliments. I knew it was the best choice for me.“

Lauren: “‘H.O.L.Y’ by Florida Georgia Line was our first dance song. We chose this song because it is a perfect song for our journey to finding each other. After Joey proposed we watched a video that he made for us to watch while we enjoyed a glass of champagne in our family room. The song on the video was ‘H.O.L.Y.’, and there was no other song that we would have wanted.“

Lauren: “Both our parents decided to surprise us with a song that meant a lot them. My Dad did this for all 3 of his girls and he told me that he saved that song for me, his last daughter to get married. He chose ‘My Wish’ by Rascal Flatts. Tears every time I hear it.“

Want to see another Pearl Street wedding?? Click here!

Wedding Vendors Include:
Ceremony: St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church
Reception: Pearl Street Grill & Brewery
Hair: A Head of Class Salon
Makeup Artist: Michelle Sperazz
Dress Shop: MA Carr
Dress Designer: Allure Bridal
Groom’s Look: Jos. A. Bank
Florist: Jerry Bonvissuto
Cake: Cakes by Rob
Custom Buffalo Guestbook Sign: Beck & Forth Co.
Ceiling Linens and Reception Florals: Beck & Forth Co.
Uplighting: Toy Bros
Videographer: Frank Giardina of 17 Video Production
DJ: Toy Bros

Vendor Spotlight: B Sweet Designs

Filed in planning, weddings shot by on at

Back in the day wedding planning was pretty easy, (at least from what we’ve heard…). That’s because every wedding pretty much followed the same rules. Pick a date. Pick a place. Pick a dress. Pick a cake. Get married. Finito!

These days, when it comes to picking your options, things are a bit more involved than they were in the good old days. One of the things that seems to be getting harder and harder to decide on is dessert! Do you go traditional and stick with a fabulous cake? Or perhaps go a touch more modern and opt for cupcakes instead? Then there’s cake pops and individual mini cakes…. Hmm. But what if you want to ditch the cake idea all together?! Well then the options are really endless! There’s pie. So many flavors of pie! And what about donuts?? And candies! And chocolates?! And donut flavored chocolates and candy flavored donuts!! What’s a girl to do?!

In the days of 2019, we have a solution. And that solution is… PICK ALL OF THEM! Every sweet your little heart desires! And there’s truly no better woman to help your sugarplum dreams come true than Marisa Battaglia, owner of B Sweet Designs! Marisa sleeps, breathes and eats (well, obviously) sweets! She creates the most incredible custom dessert tablescapes that your taste buds could only ever imagine. Marisa takes all of the delicious desserts that your sweet tooth is craving and turns them into one giant extraordinary edible display of beautiful chocolate and candy coated daydreams. You’ll be swimming in a lovely sea of custard, floating along on a big cakey donut ring, tossing bonbons into your mouth and eating caramel corns like they were blueberries. And the best part is, you don’t have to lift a finger except to grab another bite sized cannoli. Marisa does everything for you.

We love Marisa and her amazing dessert table displays so much that we absolutely had to feature her wonderful business, B Sweet Designs, as one of our Vendor Spotlights. She’s such an awesome person and she really loves what she does! And really loves weddings! And really loves sweets! Which is probably why she’s so darn good at making dreams come true for her sweet craving brides! We talked with her all about her unique business, her eye for design and herself! Read on to learn more about B Sweet Designs and the woman behind the table!

How would you describe yourself in three words or less?

Happy :-)

Tell us a little bit about B Sweet Designs!

At B Sweet Designs, we specialize in custom dessert tables for weddings and special events! We like to be as “full service” as possible, so we provide everything from custom designed desserts and candy, to themed decor, serveware, scoops/tongs, treat bags, custom signage and tags, linens, delivery, setup and tear down. We can even provide custom designed backdrops! I like to say that desserts, no matter what the occasion, should be as dressed up as the guests at a party. Desserts are one of the last things your guests will taste and see at your event, leaving that ever-lasting impression. It’s really important to us that your desserts not only taste great, but look incredible as well.

How did you decide to start your own business?

After graduating college with a degree in Journalism and Marketing, I dove head first into the corporate world. I worked in Design & Marketing for about five or six years and developed a foundation that has certainly guided me throughout this whole process of starting a business. But I’ve always had that entrepreneurial itch inside of me and knew a 9-5 desk job just wasn’t going to cut it anymore. After planning my own wedding out of the country and seeing how my guests reacted to our dessert table, I just knew in that moment that I needed to bring custom dessert tables to the Buffalo/WNY area (my hometown, born & raised)! It’s been over four years and we’ve designed countless tables for all sorts of events, from weddings and showers, to corporate events, holiday parties and everything in between!

How do you go about creating the perfect dessert table display for each couple? Share your process :)

The first thing we do before even considering what the dessert table is going to look like is we meet with our couples/clients face-to-face (my favorite part!). I am a big believer in meeting in person. I just think it’s so important to get to know my couples’/clients’ personalities and get a feel for who they are because when I design, I design with them in mind. We discuss all sorts of details about their big day, from tablescape design to dessert and candy preferences, theme/color palette, florals, etc. Every aspect of their wedding or special event is important because every last detail helps me coordinate the design of the dessert table perfectly with the style of the event! We then spend the time between our first meeting and the actual event just brainstorming and throwing around ideas, coming up with new dessert designs, etc. And once we’ve settled on a layout (which varies greatly) and specific desserts (based on preference), we lay it all out and finalize any remaining details. We also love collaborating with other creatives in the area such as florists, backdrop and signage artists, linen rental companies, etc. to really bring the dessert table to the next level! On the day of, you’ll usually see us picking up our custom desserts all around the city, delivering everything to the venue, setting up the display, putting our final touches on everything and coming back at the end of the night to tear everything down! The best part is getting to see our couples’/clients’ faces when they see their dessert table for the first time. We don’t always get so lucky, but when we do, it reminds us why we do what we do :-)

What sets you apart from other sweet shops in the Buffalo area?

We’re a dessert table design business, so we provide a variety of custom designed desserts from bakeries and chocolatiers all across the Buffalo/WNY area. It’s completely based on preference, so we’re able to provide almost endless options of flavors and varieties. We work with each bakery to design every last detail of each dessert, right down to the way the gold leaf and sprinkles, for instance, are placed on a doughnut or the way the frosting is piped onto a cupcake! What I love is that our couples/clients get to offer their guests a variety of sweets, from baked goods to gourmet chocolates and candies, you name it and we can probably make it happen! Our tables usually consist of anywhere from 9-12 varieties of desserts and candies when all is said and done. What’s even better, our dessert tables also act as a piece of decor. Each dessert item is carefully thought out and placed strategically on the table to bring a cohesive design to life. And the best part…no two tables are ever the same!

What is it about Buffalo that makes you love living and working here?

I was born and raised in Buffalo, so I may be biased, but I just feel like we breed the most generous, hard-working, kindhearted people. I’m also really close with my family, even my extended family, so I’m really grateful that I get to do what I love every day in a city where I can be so close to the support of my loved ones.

What is your favorite thing to do in Buffalo?

If I’m being honest, it’s probably eating, lol! Buffalo has the BEST food! Brunch is my fav ;-)

Summer or Winter??

Summer (it IS wedding season after all!)

What is your favorite part about what you do?

I really love getting to know my couples/clients. I love getting to know their stories, especially my brides’ and grooms’ love stories. Being asked to create a custom dessert table just for them and to play a role in one of the most memorable days of their lives is truly an honor.

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Chocolate. All. Day. (But with salted caramel too please!)

What is it that keeps you coming back to this job day after day?

The look on our couples’/clients’ faces when we see them at the end of the night. Not only do we feel an incredible sense of accomplishment, but you can just feel the love in the air. The whole room is swarming with good vibes and energy. We love playing a part in one of the most special moments of their lives.

If you were to plan your own cake and dessert table for your wedding, what would it be like? What types of sweets would you include and why?

I actually DID plan my own cake and dessert table for my wedding (we had a destination wedding, so that’s what inspired me to start this business back here in Buffalo). We had everything from mini pies, cupcakes, doughnuts, chocolate covered Oreos and pretzels, sugar cookies, cake pops, fudge, peanut butter cups, popcorn, etc. to an assortment of candies such as gumdrops, fruit slices, gourmet wrapped chocolates, sour candies, etc. People still talk about it to this day! We even designed a three-tiered cake just for cutting ceremony purposes (one layer real, the others fake), a trend I see is very popular these days! The whole thing was so beautiful; I just knew my Buffalo couples would adore having a dessert table at their wedding as much as we did!

Do you offer any specialties? Unique flavors? Novelty desserts? Anything out of the ordinary bakery experience that is uniquely B Sweet?

We are constantly brainstorming and playing around with new designs and dessert ideas to offer on our dessert tables. Some of the more unique items we offer are glitter doughnuts, pyramid truffles, and we just recently created a “cakesicle”: a beautiful blend of cake and frosting wrapped up in a little chocolate shell on a Popsicle stick! They are so adorable and soooo delicious!

What do you love most about working in the wedding industry?

I love collaborating with some of the most incredibly talented individuals I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. From bakers to florists, artists, stylists, photographers, etc., it is so energizing and humbling to work alongside such creative energy. Together we really can make magic happen!

When meeting with brides and grooms, what is the biggest piece of advice that you find yourself giving out over and over again?

I always tell my couples to make it a point to purposefully carve out some time during their big day to walk away together from all the hustle and bustle and soak up everything that’s going on. Cherish the moment because as cliche as this sounds, it really does fly by so quickly! Also, don’t sweat the small stuff. That’s why you hire us, the professionals ;-)

What’s the best compliment that you’ve ever received from one of your couples?

One bride told me I made her dreams come true (melt my heart). And another couple told me as soon as the band announced the dessert table was open, it was devoured in 10 minutes flat. What an incredible compliment!

What’s your favorite color?

Blush! Also, does Rose Gold count?

What has been the happiest moment of your life thus far?

The day I married my husband (maybe that’s why I love weddings so much!) He’s my best friend and my partner on this crazy ride! A few weeks after we got married, I told him I wanted to start this business and he’s been so supportive since day one. I seriously couldn’t do what I love each and every day without him.

What is the most unique (and/or your favorite) dessert display that you’ve ever created?

I can honestly say I have loved each and every table we’ve created over the years because they are all so unique to the couple or guests of honor. We design with them in mind after all, so every single table really does hold a special place in our hearts. Personally, I do love a good neutral color palette, so any time I get to design around a blush/nude or champagne vibe, I get pretty stoked. We did create a gorgeous dessert table that was featured in the September 2018 issue of Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine that we were pretty excited about!

Fondant or Buttercream?

Oooo….I LOVE Buttercream (I could seriously eat it by the spoonful), but I love the beautiful designs we can create using Fondant.

If you could only eat one type of cake flavor for the rest of your life, what would it be?

That would be a sad day! But if I had to choose….carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, extra frosting please ;-)

And lastly, share some fun facts about yourself! Anything that will amp up how awesome we already know that you are!

Believe it or not, but I LOVE to Hip Hop dance. And I’d be down for a dance off, anywhere, anytime! I also really love to travel and used to live in London (my absolute favorite city in the entire world). In February 2018 I went to Bali, where my husband officiated the wedding of our two best friends!

Want to see more incredible work from B Sweet Designs?? Click here!

Find B Sweet Designs on Facebook and on Instagram and give Marissa a follow to see more of her amazing creations!