Nanina's Wishes You Seasons Greetings

We're wishing you a Christmas Full of laughter, love and light, with delicious holiday foods to excite your appetite.

We're hoping you receive Delightful gifts to make you smile, with family and friends to love you all the while.

We wish you a Merry Christmas; May your Christmas dreams come true, and when Christmas is over, Happy New Year, too!

Newark Library Gala Raises $165,000 at Nanina's!

The annual fundraiser for the Newark Public Library was a success in every way! The Nov. 3 event, dubbed "Booked for the Evening", was held in Belleville at Nanina's In The Park.

The Newark Public Library has reportedly raised approximately $165,000 from this annual affair. The gala attracted about 220 people, who paid anywhere from $250 to $20,000 to attend. The monies will be used to support the mission of the LIbrary which is to serve the public by encouraging literacy in all its forms.

For more information about the recently merged Park Savoy Estate and Nanina’s In The Park, visit www.dreamweddingsinthepark.com.

Vote For Wounded Soldier's Story

For months, Private First Class Derek McConnell of North Caldwell had been saving to buy an engagement ring for his girlfriend of four-and-a-half years, Krystina Dressler of Fairfield.

But then the 21-year old soldier, while serving in Afghanistan last July, stepped on two explosive devices and lost his legs and nearly his life. He's been at the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD for several months. During this time, Krystina put her education and career plans on hold to be by his side as he fights his way to recovery.

Things could brighten up a bit with your help. A fellow army veteran has nominated Derek and Krystina's story for a contest sponsored by the Union Diamond company in which a member of the armed forces, whose story earns the most votes online, will win a $40,000 diamond engagement ring. You must vote by Nov. 28th to help them win.

To vote, go to www.myperfectunion.com. Thanks on their behalf.

Nanina's Continues To Make TV Appearances!

Once again, Nanina's will appear on television. You can check us out this Sunday, Oct. 30th at 8 pm EDT, the Style Network's new show called the "Glam Fairy". The show features Alexa, a well-known makeover artist who has been on a previous Style Network series, "Jerseylicious". Her goal is to make every woman in America beautiful. Not a bad idea, eh? Nanina's makes beautiful weddings.

Nanina's On TV Again!

Congratulations to Cosimo and Renee on their beautiful wedding which was aired this past weekend on "Four Weddings". While they did not win the honeymoon vacation (mainly due to the weather which prevented the ceremony from being held outdoors), they by had the best food scores and they were the best dancers of all! They even featured a "lift" (like the one in "Dirty Dancing") and could easily be winners on "Dancing With The Stars" if they wanted to. Truly inspiring.

Nanina's In The Park On TV

If you missed it, a recent epsiode of Channel TLC’s “Four Weddings” was aired over the past weekend. As you may know, the show is a contest wherein four brides rate each other’s wedding. They rate things like venue (of the marriage), food, etc. The winning bride (or couple) of this epsiode is given a free honeymoon in Mexico. We are very happy that Ed and his new bride, Lakeisha, won the trip. They got the highest score and the best part of it is that they were put over the top by having the highest rated food number of all four weddings. Where did they have their reception? At Nanina’s In The Park. Of course.

Best of Essex Vote

Nanina's has been nominated for a Best of Essex Award by Suburban Essex Magazine. You can vote up until midnight tomorrow (Sept. 15th) by going to the following site: www.SuburbanEssex.com where you will see what to click on in order to vote. You don't have to vote for every category, but you may want to vote for some of the other category nominees as well. Thanks for your support!

Weddings At Nanina's Are Not Puzzling

Here is a recent photo of the grounds and gardens at Nanina's. To see the picture in the clear (without the puzzle piece lines), click on the arrow and put the pieces together. Note: you may have to download the latest free version of Java)

Hurricane Relief from Nanina's

Tom Casella, the Manager of Nanina's In The Park, sent in the following story we think you will enjoy:

"I met Donna Mascara and Tom Einn in November of 2011 and found out that they met on line as many couples do now and started the process with them of planning their wedding reception. We found them the date of 8/23/11 and all was well….until Irene! They took my suggestion to book our house band, The Infernos, house photographer Milton Gil Photography and Palermo's bakery for their wedding cake. Donna waited a while to get married…. She is in her 40’s and wanted to get her career in order and find the right person. They were truly in love. I know. I have met a lot of couples in my career.
On August 23rd, Donna hysterically called me and was panicked due to the impending hurricane due to hit our area Saturday night through Sunday afternoon. Getting married can get you nervous to begin with, but an impending hurricane on the East Coast can put you over the top. We gave her the opportunity to move her date to the next available date that would work with all vendors, The Infernos, Milton Gil and Palermo's, and most importantly the church. On top of all this, her honeymoon was booked for Italy and they were leaving on the 30th! We found the date of November 6, 2011 that would work for all! Donna and Tom were married on Thursday the 25th in their church and we will see them in November."

What Tom did not mention was that Nanina's never brought up the expenses that had already occurred as a thoughtful thing to do for the newlyweds.

The Importance of A Wedding Cake

In a recent conversation with Leo Sciancalapore, one of the founders of A Little Cake (Le Petit Gateau) in Park Ridge, NJ, the topic of what people want most today in wedding cakes was discussed. Leo said “The trend is Bling! Bling!! Bling!!!!” Shiny stones and glitz are really big right now. He added: “And, we can’t forget it has to taste good---that's a must!” The biggest challenge comes from special cakes. They have to look as realistic as possible. They have to be made to scale, taking into consideration the overall structure of the cake.

Groom’s cakes are becoming more and more popular. They are usually purchased by the bride. Who knows better about what the groom is really into and what the theme of the cake should be?

When shopping for a wedding cake (or any special cake for that matter), look for the things A Little Cake considers most important: personal service, quality of ingredients, talent of the artist, etc. What sets them apart according to Leo is “being able to make anything!!! Visit www.alittlecake.com to learn more about that perfect cake that everyone will remember.

The Importance of a Wedding Video

In a recent discussion with Rachel Addonizio from Videoccasions Video Productions, the importance of having a wedding video was made quite clear. She has been told, for example, that the right wedding video has even kept many couples together over the years! Plus, watching and listening to loved ones who have passed on is yet another wonderful reason to have a wedding video.

She also emphasized that there is yet another and even more important reason. Since the bride and groom are so busy with their guests throughout the wedding, they do not get to “see” all that is happening on their Special Day. When you consider that it takes about a year on average to plan their amazing day, not capturing it and being able to re-live it through video, would be most regretful. You can learn more about the importance of a wedding video at www.videoccasions.com. You can even “meet the videographers at their site!

Nanina’s is up for award…again!

Suburban Essex magazine is conducting its Third Annual Readers' Choice Awards Contest called "The Best of Essex". Consumers nominate their favorite business among 60 categories. Once again, Nanina's In The Park is proud to annouce that it has been selected as a nominee in the banquet category.


This popular magazine is mailed to some 50,000 single-family households in Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Glen Ridge, Livingston, Montclair. North Caldwell, Roseland, Upper Montclair, Verona, West Caldwell and West Orange.

Nanina's and The Park Savoy Estate are now under the same management!

It is not very often that engaged couples can have the choice of having a Dream Wedding In The Park. Now, they get to choose to have their reception at either Nanina's In the Park in Belleville or The Park Savoy Estate in Florham Park. With the addition of The Park Savoy Estate, no one can offer a more incomparable choice for the ultimate wedding reception venue. With major renovations taking place at The Park Savoy Estate, it will be even more beautiful both inside and out! High ceilings, elegantly groomed gardens and even a view of the golf course are just the beginning. Follow us on Facebook for more information.