Southern Weddings

Okay, how cute is Ilona + Philip’s wedding?   We’ve seen many different aisle treatments over the years, but never once have we seen individual daisies sprouting up beside the chairs.  Almost as delightful as the couple’s paper goods, wouldn’t you say?  And lastly, my favorite detail (before we get to the reception, of course!) is the guests’ duds.  Ilona + Philip asked their friends and family to don “garden party attire” for their soiree, and, as Ilona says, “many of our guests showed up in charmingly elegant retro outfits, like they were attending the Kentucky Derby.”  Love!  Planner Stacy McCain was on hand to make sure everything ran smoothly, and big thanks to the talented Anna Kuperberg for sending these images our way!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  We met on Friendster in 2005.  Philip had just moved to San Francisco from New York City and was hoping to reconnect with people from home, so he was searching the website for people who had grown up in Montgomery County, Maryland but currently lived in the Bay Area.  When he came across my profile, he was smitten, and sent me a message.  We hit it off immediately over email, and it was cemented when we went to see the movie 40-Year Old Virgin on our first date and Philip kept remarking throughout the movie how much he had in common with the main character.  It was clear right away that we shared the same quirky sense of humor and we could keep each other laughing for the rest of our lives.
Describe the proposal.  Philip proposed on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  It was perfectly romantic-slash-cheesy — just our style.  It’s unclear how much he was influenced by the fact that I had been singing the Beyonce song “Single Ladies” (complete with dance moves and hand gestures) nonstop for several weeks preceding the proposal.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Delightful, fun-filled and relaxed.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The Klezmer band, Kugelplex.  They are amazingly talented musicians and klezmer music (old-school Eastern European Jewish music) was not something most of our guests had ever experienced before.  Also, one of the first details we decided was a “must” for our wedding was lawn games: croquet, bocce ball, and horseshoes.  Also, our invitation said that the suggested attire was “garden party,” with hats encouraged, and, just as we had hoped, many guests showed up in charmingly elegant retro outfits, like they were attending the Kentucky Derby.

Have you ever seen a tent – or reception set-up, for that matter – this awesome?  The open-air tent is both rustic and romantic, with a subtle hint of West Coast drama to boot.  Awesome!  And check out that incredible orchid-covered confection from Belle Loreve.  I’ve always loved orchids, but maybe never this much!  Triple thanks again to Mark Brooke for this California stunner.

Describe your wedding cake: It was an organic vanilla cake with raspberry filling, lemon frosting and purple orchid embellishments.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The STRESS of having a full-time job and also planning the wedding. It was like having two full-time jobs.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Being so nervous once the music started and my Dad walked me down the aisle, but becomming completely calm once I saw Chris waiting for me.

Congratulations, Heather + Chris!  Love and best wishes from the SW girls.

Written with love by Lara Casey

Okay, it’s confession time.  We know Heather + Chris’ wedding took place in California, which means it’s supposed to be a details feature.  Which means we’re supposed to focus on… details.  Obviously.  But we hope you’ll forgive us once you see the couple’s portraits, taken by the super talented Mark Brooke Photographers.  Aren’t they lovely?  The light is just perfect, and including a post of just portraits allows us to focus on Heather’s gorgeous Francesca Pitera dress, which is technically a detail, so… I guess we’re okay!  Enjoy, and hurry back for the AMAZING reception photos soon.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I searched aimlessly through magazines, and soon realized I kept ripping out dresses by one designer, Francesca Pitera. I was sent an invitation to a one-day trunk show in Costa Mesa, and made reservations to go with my mom, Pam, and our close family friend, Renata. We got there and I tried on about 16 dresses, and narrowed it down to 2. I chose the dress I wore because I not only looked like a bride, I FELT like a bride.
Describe your wedding flowers: Beautiful!! Joni put SO much dedication and time into the flowers. I chose flowers in shades of purple and green. The arrangements ended up looking exotic and organic, yet still elegant.

Written with love by Lara Casey