Sabrina and Max: Glimmer, Sparkle and Shine

I think it is about time you got to see this amazing wedding! We worked with Sabrina and Max for more than a year to fine tune this beauty... he is an artist (posing as a dentist) and she is a performer (posing as an ad sales rep) so between all of us, there were some seriously creative juices flowing throughout!

All that glitters is not gold, but it could be mirrors or sequins... at least at this wedding. Sabrina loves anything with sparkle, so we used custom mirrored tabletops, gold and sequin linens, mirrored vases and even glitter paper to layer the menus so there was not a dull surface to be had. I think that in another venue all of these different materials could have been too much, but in this dramatic space, it was just right to show off Sabrina's style and reflect all of the gorgeous details inherent to the venue.

This wedding was originally scheduled to take place in a garden venue, so when we moved the location to Capitale (which is pretty much the opposite of a garden!) Sabrina and Max wanted to keep the fresh feel of the outdoors alive. Since there were no blooming branches to be found in the fall, we decided on building camellia trees with a white birch trunk and a floral base - just the kind of nature that is right up my alley - hand crafted and perfectly tailored!

You know I am a sucker for a great escort display, and boy do I love this one. We painted the frames of those Ikea (yes - Ikea!) floor mirrors gold and had the amazingly talented Joanne Day hand calligraph every name.  It was fun to watch guests admire themselves and the artistry of the display simultaneously, not to mention the super cool reflection the mirrors created on the floor.

I think we designed 20 different bars before the couple decided on this one - a GIANT square bar with a mirrored top and center console which was detailed with their specialty cocktail recipes as well as their monogram.

Every decision made for this wedding was made with passion and conviction, which made for more than a few multi-hour design sessions, but in the end, I really see this couple - not just in the mirrors - but in every aspect of the design. I believe that every guest that attended this wedding felt like it looked just like what Sabrina and Max would have chosen, and they would be absolutely right. Every wedding should look and feel just like a reflection of the couple who planned it - and when it really does, I feel like it was a design job well done.

Want to see more? The full album is on our Facebook page!

A look back: Remembering a beautiful bride and a beautiful wedding

I was heartbroken to learn of the devastatingly untimely passing of one of our beautiful brides, Holly Kensicki Lind on March 1, 2011. We planned and designed Holly and Keith's wedding in September 2007 just as Holly was recovering from a series of surgeries and treatments to fight the cancer with which she was diagnosed shortly before her engagement to her grade school sweetheart Keith. It was a pleasure to work with her and her lovely family and I always marveled at her strength, fortitude and positivity throughout the planning process. On her wedding day, Holly was beaming, healthy and strong and my team and I loved being part of an amazing celebration.

I am so lucky that part of my job is to get to know my clients intimately and personally, to know their families and their stories, to share a time of excitement and joy and to be a partner in creating one of the most significant days in their lives. As much relief as I feel when we have successfully completed a beautiful wedding, I truly miss the daily interactions with my brides and grooms. They are as much a part of my life as I am a part of theirs.

In the years since Holly and Keith's wedding, I have shown examples of their menus, programs, flowers, cake and lighting to dozens of clients. I have told the story of how Holly's sister's invitation was tampered with somewhere in the post office and instead of receiving the beautiful invite inside, she received an envelope full of magazine clippings and fraudulent credit cards. I have altered the way I order chocolate covered pretzels for a candy station since the 8 pounds of pretzels we ordered for their wedding was so much that it came in a garbage bag!

I remember their wedding, and all of my clients' weddings, much like I remember my own - a blur of excitement, a whirlwind of activity, a rush of joy and, when it is over, a satisfying sigh of relief. I remember Holly as a beautiful bride on her first day of being someone's wife, as she basked in the glow of her own happiness and the happiness of others. I wanted to share these photos with you so that you, too, can know her [or remember her] just the same.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Keith and to their daughter Avery.












Thanks to Sarah Merians for retrieving these photos from her archives for this post.