Stone Harbor, NJ

Stone Harbor NJ Event Planning & Design

The celebration of September is one to cherish, especially in the small and charming town of Stone Harbor, New Jersey. As some head back to their mainland homes, the remaining beach-bums share a sense of excitement as the summer season brings way to the “off season”. September offers warm weather, beautiful sunsets, great surf, dwindling crowds and the town’s long awaited event, Savor September.

Savor September is an “ode to summer” that brings together the community in celebrating our local live musicians, food vendors, wineries and breweries. As active members in this shore community and it’s Chamber of Commerce, positive growth is our common goal. Our Thomas Matthews Designs (TMD) team along with the SH Chamber of Commerce created Savor En Blanc which became Stone Harbor’s first exclusive Friday evening dinner to kick off the entire Savor September Weekend.

Our small planning committee of five worked in harmony to make it happen. Here at TMD, we believe that quality is often better than the quantity of staff; a natural instinct for design combined with efficient business procedures has been key to our firm’s steady growth. Renowned designers like Mario Buatta have created and implemented huge scale projects without a large staff by simply partnering with the right associates. Following in his footsteps, local residential designers like my mentor and professor have also found triumph through this model. Here at TMD we have adhered to this while also integrating new technology and organization.

This philosophy is how Savor En Blanc came to fruition. It all started with a simple idea. In preparation for the weekend’s events the main street of Stone Harbor is slowly closed starting the Thursday prior. With a closed street to traffic, our committee decided to take advantage of the Friday evening before our big event. And just like that, Savor En Blanc became a tiny idea which now needed significant approvals and momentum.

With a dedicated committee, we not only obtained our approvals and worked out the smallest details but we created a growing buzz through town and more efficient ways for our community to get involved. Before we knew it, word of mouth had created a sold out event which we had to cap at 275 people. A creative direction through our firm in conjunction with our amazing community’s volunteers was the ticket to success.

Our committee of five and a few stellar volunteers pulled off what some might say was impossible. Our personal hydrangea gardens became the cutting gardens for our centerpieces with each stem being spray painted white. Pallets of white pumpkins were picked up in Lancaster through a local Stone Harbor connection. A carving party was held to carve over one hundred pumpkins for the communal  tables. Tables were set and chairs were unfolded. People walking through town stopped to gaze at what looked to be the preparation of a celebrity wedding. As the final candles were lit in time for the band’s (The Originaires) first note, our little dream team shared a smile knowing all our hard work and dedication paid off.