This was the wedding that put all of our skills to the test. A challenge and a roller coaster to say the least, but smooth sailings with our logistics guru Arianna! One year prior to the wedding, we were hired for full planning, design and decor, by the mother of the bride Sabine, who is the loveliest person. She has such a calm and welcoming disposition and was just a pleasure, and very helpful with everything you will see happened. Hannah and Nathan, our couple, live out of state, and they wanted a destination feel for their wedding in South Florida, where Hannah's family lives. An elegant but low key weekend, detailed but not ostentatious that would make their guests feel like they were on the perfect vacation. November was chosen for the date so they would have amazing weather, just crisp enough and no mosquitos! When they came to us, they had already chosen a venue, Casa Morada, a quaint hotel in Isla Morada in the Florida Keys. We took day trips to the hotel and created floor plans, designed a spectacular event and everything was perfect…. And then, in September, hurricane Irma hit, and leveled the hotel and everything around it. The Keys were all but gone.
The family was distraught, they felt their dream wedding was over. Never underestimate a great wedding planner... The entire reason the couple wanted to get married in South Florida, was due to the destination feel. They wanted intimate and personal, so needless to say, hotel ballrooms were not an option, and that created many limitations. Lucky for all of us, we had done an event in Star Island, a private island in Miami Beach, that same May at another client’s private home. That client just happened to be great family friends with Sabine, so we suggested they ask to borrow the home. The home was empty since the grandmother had passed a year before. It was perfect, because the bride had practically grown up in this house, and it brought so much meaning to the location. Not to mention, it was a stunning water front property perfectly located. The clients were overjoyed with the idea and we put ourselves in speed mode and moved everything around to fit our new location. We wanted to make sure to keep the feel they fell in love with and change as little as possible. It could not have been more amazing.
The groom and his entourage had a private wing at the residence and spent the day hanging out and relaxing by the pool. We even provided them with a personal butler to make sure they were taken care of, and to keep an eye on the alcohol intake before the wedding... This is a great tactic to make sure the groom is on time, since he is on the property all day! Hannah and her girls also got ready in the house, and were calm and happy throughout the entire day. The bride really got to enjoy the process and peek out the window to see her wedding come together. She has the most stunning eyes and make up artist Daniela Gozlan enhanced them perfectly. The bridal party wore dresses in different tones of blush, airy and subtle. The bridal bouquet was as soft and natural as our bride.
As guests entered the property, they were greeted with champagne and the the most stunning ficus tree. We used the tree as the backdrop for the ceremony. The Chupah was framed with white phalaenopsis orchids, and looked like it was floating under the majestic tree. Strings of fairly lights cascaded around the Chupah giving it a magical glow. AA Musiciansprovided a string quartet during cocktail and ceremony with traditional tunes playing softly in the background.
As guests crossed the house into the back lawn, they were awed by the canopy of twinkly lights enveloping the tent. It felt like a starry sky with twinkling dimmed lights, intimate and romantic. We personalized the dance floor and bars by using the image from the background of the wedding invitation which the couple had chosen and was designed by Brenda Moreira from House and Paper. The same image was also used throughout the evening on fans, table numbers, menus and restroom amenities. This added a very personal touch that tied all the details together.
On both sides of the dance floor we added lounge vignettes from Nuage Designscreating a cozy atmosphere for guests to hang out and rest their feet. Those sitting had fun watching as Rock With Youspun music, in particular In Sync and Backstreet Boys, the grooms favorites! Long wood royal tables and cross back chairs from Brelex, were outfitted by our gorgeous flowers. The flowers were very natural runners that seemed to grow from the table with eucalyptus, white freesia and tulips and gold bordered hurricane containers and candles. We chose wicker chargers from Decorafor each guests.
Thierry did a phenomenal job with the catering. They had a challenge, since the bride is gluten free and they hit it out of the park. The servers were smiling and the champagne was flowing non stop. No matter what happens if you are optimistic and with the right mindset, and more importantly with the right wedding planners and team, everything will always turn out perfect!
