Very Special Wedding in Central Park

Given all of the groundbreaking developments yesterday surrounding gay marriage I wanted to share a wedding I recently designed and produced for 2 very dear friends at the Boathouse in Central Park.  This wedding was unique for me first, because it was for friends who have been together for 18 years and second, because I was also a guest which is very different for me.

When we started planning Alan and John's wedding I was honored in that they selected the Schylar invitation from my stationery line for their invitations.  We decided early on that we would use this design to bridge the entire look and feel incorporating it into the table numbers, escort cards, menus, welcome notes, gift tags and even the thank you notes.

I must say planning a wedding for friends does add a level of stress I hadn't expected.  I wanted this wedding to be spot on perfect and while I do everything in my power to create the perfect event for every client, the personal nature of this party really kept me on my toes.  With the ceremony and after party were being held outdoors, I had more than a little concern when the weather forecast was calling for rain...all day long.  You can imagine my relief when the rain took place while guests were indoors dancing and everything else stayed dry!

Alan and John wanted to keep the ceremony intimate, not filled with formalities and they wanted their family and friends surrounding them while they said their vows. This is something of a growing trend for same sex couples and one I am growing quite fond of!  Before the exchanging of the vows the couple was serenaded by the amazing Wanda Houston, a long time friend.  To say the ceremony was emotional and touching is an understatement.

For the look of the wedding I wanted to keep it simple and masculine to match their taste and I was honored that John took the lead in directing me with decor because it really fit their style and taste.  We used succulents throughout the wedding and added accents of yellow floral.  As guests entered for dinner they were greeted by an escort card table featuring a wall of succulents and accents of yellow roses, calla lilies and orchids.  I actually designed the wall for reuse so Alan and John now have the wall as an accent piece hanging on their patio.

Each of the centerpieces were designed in a firwood bowl that was filled with succulents and yellow floral.

While the decor was great, the food was wonderful and the weather held out, the key to this event was the entertainment.  On the Move Entertainment did a great job with the MC, DJ and live musicians.  It was the special touches Alan and John added that made this event unique. First, the amazing Wanda Houston was incredible as she sang for the ceremony and performed a flawless rendition of "Isn't She Lovely" for the Mother/Son dance.

The really nerve racking part of this wedding for me was what came next.  Alan and John challenged each other to come up with a special surprise for the wedding.  Of course I had to coordinate the execution of each of their surprises without letting the other know what was going to happen.  It was a challenge that worked!  We started with Alan who brought in 2 amazingly talented Broadway entertainers, Michael Marcotte and Josh Prince.  They opened with Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" which which turned into a flash mob surrounding John. You can even catch a glimpse of yours truly in the flash mob.

After a bit more food and dancing it was John's turn to spring his surprise on Alan.  Alan's jaws literally dropped when John introduced the New York City Gay Men's Chorus as they entered the room to sing a special selection of songs.  

The surprises were a huge success and the guests were thrilled. I breathed a huge sigh of relief!

If you want a special treat we have these performances on video.  Just click on the link below to see:

Performance video

This wedding was such fun and so special.  What I also really enjoyed is that the fun did not stop at the Boathouse.  Since this was an afternoon wedding we had an entire night left to celebrate.  All of the guests were then treated to a wonderful outdoor party, again, thankfully the weather cooperated, which lasted well into the night and was the perfect finish to a wonderful day.

I would like to thank Natsumi Restaurant who did a great job with the welcome dinner and with catering for the after party.  We were also fortunate to have great photography and video compliments of 5th Avenue Digital, 

And I would like to thank Alan and John our dear friends for trusting us to make their special day come to life!

Until next time...

Cheers!

Tammy and Val's Central Park Wedding

As 2011 comes to a close I was reviewing my blog posts and noticed that there are so many great weddings and events with wonderful clients that have not yet been shared on the blog.  It is time to fix this and I want to start with an amazing couple whose wedding took place last September.

I love planning weddings where the Bride and Groom come from very different backgrounds.  The challenge of combining cultures is one I happily accept because the result is always a beautiful and unique experience for the couple and their guests.  The wedding of Tammy and Val, that took place at the Boathouse in Central Park, was such a challenge with Tammy being from South Africa and Val being from Bulgaria.  I had so much fun planning the wedding with Tammy and her mother Patsy.

The wedding day got off to a great start with Tammy, her mother, sister and bridesmaids getting ready in their Suite at the Plaza Hotel.  As always, Stacey Lyn and her staff at Once Upon a Bride did an amazing job on Tammy's hair and make-up.

Of course, Central Park is the setting for many a fairytale New York Wedding and it certainly did not disappoint for Tammy and Val.  The beautiful weather and lush greenery created the perfect backdrop for their wedding.

Tammy was absolutely stunning in her Vera Wang gown.  The simple black sash and a bouquet of white ranunculus and anenomes with black centers added the perfect touch, maintaining the beautiful, classic look Tammy wanted.  A simple white orchid was used for Val's boutonniere to coordinate with the Bride's bouquet.

 

Simplicity and elegance were the key words in designing the ceremony and reception for Tammy and Val.  The ceremony took place in the main room of the Central Park Boathouse.  Glass vases filled with white Cymbidium Orchids and topped by a floating candle lined the aisle.  The Chuppa was also simple and elegant.  White satin fabric was tied in the corners with a black ribbon to coordinate with the Brides's dress.  The corners were then accented with simple white Phalaenopsis Orchids

Following the Ceremony guests were escorted to the outdoor patio for a lovely cocktail reception while my staff quickly worked to turn the main Ballroom into a fantasy setting for Tammy and Val's reception.  The room looked spectacular with each table having a glass cylinder bursting with Bamboo.  The centerpieces were then accented with white orchids, anenomes, antherium, roses and calla lilies.  We were fortunate to have everything captured on film by Lindsay Flanagan Photography and also to have the video services of Steve Young Productions.

 

Continuing with the simple elegance theme, Elizabeth Hodes designed a classic wedding cake with a black band around each layer and anenomes with black centers on the corners, all tying into the Bride's dress and bouquet.

 

Of course, no wedding is complete without great entertainment.  For their wedding, Tammy and Val chose to use "Synergy" from On the Move Entertainment.  By combining a DJ with live performers, Synergy really gets the crowd going and this wedding was no exception.   The happy couple and their guests danced the night away and everyone had an amazing time.  

Of course, the true measure of any events' success is the happiness of the couple and their guests.  Judging by the happiness on the face of Tammy's proud Father, I would say this was a job well done.

Best to Tammy and Val and to all of you for a great New Year!

Cheers,

Shawn