All Posts From November 2009

It started as typical phone call, “Hi, I am a party planner and I have a client looking for a location for her wedding…”  I followed up with the requisite questions about date and time, number of guests and then asked the kinds of questions that get me interested in the people I am working with:  how did they meet? When did they get engaged? Tell me about the wedding she always dreamed about!

The couple had been together for several years and just had a gorgeous baby.  We set up an appointment to meet the bride and the wedding planner. Candace (bride), loved the idea of having the ceremony on the RegentSea Yacht, and the reception in the FantaSea Yacht Club.

There were lots of thematic touches that added to the event.  The RegentSea was festooned floor to ceiling in burnt orange and hot pink draping – adding a regal and festive air to the yacht.  The flowers were gorgeous in the same colors. There was a specialty drink called “The Candy-Moon” (see recipe below) – a play on the bride and grooms names; Candace and Mumtaz. There were so many special touches, but there was one additional special touch that topped them all!

I was in the office the day of the wedding when a blind gentleman was led by a guest to my desk.  He asked if there was a restroom so that he could change into his tuxedo.  We see famous stars from a distance, their images are etched into our minds in a stylized, constructed fashion because they are always “presented” to us.  But when greatness walks by your desk on the way to change his clothes, you’re not sure what to do, or how to react.  Daniel walked out of his office…we looked at each other and said, almost in unison, “Was that who I think it was?”

The delightful bride and groom with a wedding planner never mentioned that Stevie Wonder was the groom’s father! As the yacht cruised back to the dock, the beautiful ceremony was punctuated with the sweetest a capella serenade by one of music’s greatest luminaries, and what started as a typical phone call ended in an extraordinary fashion!

We have a few wedding anniversaries to celebrate this month…

Evan and Bridgette
Caroline and Carmel
Jamie and Nick
Guillermo and Arus
Sandy and Diana
Mark and Julie

Congratulations to you, and here’s wishing you many more!!

There are weddings that I conjure up from my memory that encompass many aspects of the “traditional”, the “modern”, the “whimsical”, the “romantic” and the “classic” day for those that wished to stamp their signature on the ever so exciting event.

After meeting Kirsten and Paul for the first time to review options for their big day, it became apparent that all of the above, plus the creativity, the caring and the organizational skills of a true professional would come together to create a day that both were hoping for.

Kirsten and Paul were a joy to work with.  They shared their intimate visions with us and a handful of close friends to create a spectacular Ocean’s of Love evening aboard the RegentSea, complete with glass fish and sea glass centerpieces, a beautiful blue sand castle cake and gorgeous mouth blown glass jelly fish sculptures that were a gift from Kirsten’s father.

Each aspect, from the custom paper invitations with water colors representing the soft hues of blue, to the permanent brick installed at the ceremony site at Wayfarers Chapel to the donut hold grooms cake, both clever surprises pulled off by Kirsten for her soulmate where well received by guests and staff alike.

Wishing Kirsten and Paul all the best and smooth sailing ahead…