Weeks ago we shared the story of Wendy and Danny’s wedding ceremony at The Ritz-Carlton with the promise of more to come on their gorgeous celebration.  The couple had waited years to make it official, but when they put their mind to something, whew!  Look out people!  

They certainly know how to celebrate in style!

  

Like many of today’s brides and grooms, Wendy and Danny chose to sit at a “table for two, please.”  Or, as they say in some places, particularly the East Coast, a “Sweetheart Table.”  For some couples, a Sweetheart can be a warm fire in a cold room, allowing them to work around the various politcial issues that arise in a sudden world of Merged Families.  Other couples simply want a stylish spot to take center stage!  For our sexy couple, we gave them an intimate-but-glamorous table a deux complete with an ornate tufted white loveseat, velvet pillows and a table dressed in pearl taffeta and mirror.  Formal silver candelabra and square crystal hurricanes flanked vases filled with the couple’s favorite flower – phalaenopsis orchids!   A silver champagne bucket was perched just so next to Danny’s setting, making it just that easy to refill their champagne glasses all evening long with bubbly!

 

WHITE, WHITE and more WHITE.  Beautiful, creamy white flowers were combined with crystals, silver, and sublte accents of black to create the overall room design.  White Casablanca Lilies, Orchids, Hydrangea, Amaryllis and Roses were used throughout the space with elegant glass and crystal vases.  The stars aligned perfectly in the heavens that week as our dear friend at the Dutch flower market was able to snag 500 snowy white Peonies for us (yes, in NOVEMBER!).  Yet another favorite flower of the bride.  How blessed we are at times!  Between the peonies and the lilies – you could SMELL “wedding” before  you could SEE it.  Fantastic.

We had the distinct pleasure of planning Wendy and Danny’s wedding with them and particularly enjoyed collaborating on the menu with Rebecca Cheadle at The Ritz-Carlton.  Attending the tasting with the client was a hardship, to be sure, but someone had to do it. (wink, wink).   But we quickly learned it wouldn’t be easy to make final selections because everything tasted incredible!   

Thank goodness for Rebecca!  She steered us through the tasting with expert hands, explained how the food would be served and ensured that everything was cooked to perfection the day of the wedding.  

The first course was an open ravioli with fresh ricotta and wild mushrooms (delicate and perfect to tease the palette).  Followed by a light salad of organic mixed greens served with a pistachio-crusted goat cheese, rosemary-infused crouton and herbed vinaigrette (an outstanding presentation of color and balance).  The main course was a tableside selection of either pan-seared sea bass or Chinese five-spice rubbed beef tenderloin served with mashed potatoes and fresh asparagus. 

Later in the evening, as a surprise for the guests, the curtains in the room were opened to reveal a fabulous Fantasy Chocolate Dessert Bar!  It was one culinary treat after another, all night long!

It was very important to the couple to allow their guests, their dearest friends and immediate family, to converse easily over an elegant dinner.  We placed white leather wingback chairs, loveseats, and banquettes around rectangular upholstered tables.   The floral arrangements were kept either above or below the eye so as to avoid blocking anyone’s view across the table.  

The wedding cake was a simple stunner of stacked round tiers, pearlized fondant, single Swiss dots and black ribbon borders.  The Ritz-Carlton’s pastry chef made sure it not only fulfilled Wendy’s vision, but ensured it tasted fabulous as well!   How could you not love a delicious white lemon cake with lemon curd buttercream and raspberry preserves?   Classic.

Wendy and Danny’s son couldn’t sit idly by during the formal wedding cake cutting!  All three of them held the knife and tasted it together – as a family.

“In the White Room…”  We draped the entire ballroom in floor-to-ceiling white fabric, but all was not as it seemed.  Since the guest list was smaller than the space allowed, we created false walls to bring in the party area and private rooms which were kept hidden until the time was ripe.  One room held the surprise Fantasy Chocolate Dessert Bar.  The other room held a private photo salon where guests could ham it up for the photographer.  Let us tell you, these photos have provided Wendy and Dan with some of the most memorable and hilarious images taken of their wedding!  Including, might we add, candid photos of the couple themselves (and the bride in her stunning seafoam Marquesa party frock!). 

The day was elegant, magical, sophisticated, personal, emotional and FUN!!!

Thank you AGAIN Mr. Dave Ashby for the generous use of your photography!