Kelli + Thomas: “Blush, Black, and Bling”

This is a fairytale wedding that begins with “Once upon a time in a coffee shop not so far way, we met and fell in love with Kelli and her mother Caren.” We were the perfect fit because we knew instantly that we were going to be able to take Kelli’s words to describe her dream-wedding of “blush, black and bling” and take it where dreams are made.

So here is the dream. The dream that brought us all to tears wedding day. It didn’t matter how much we discussed every single detail of the wedding every day during the planning process, nothing could have prepared us for the amazing result of every one of those details coming together in perfect harmony to create the biggest moment in Kelli and Thomas’s story. Thomas, living in the Bahamas, was unable to attend the meetings and was happy to have Kelli make all the design decisions.

We had been eyeing the Curly Willow linens from Wildflower Linens and were so excited when we met Kelli because we knew they were perfect for her (imagine us in our heads, without even speaking, looking at each other both screaming “I HAVE AN IDEA!”). The curly willow detail seen on the table linens and chair accents became a detail that we wanted to incorporate in the custom draped chandeliers as well. Parties and Props created magic with their curly willow detailed drapery and hanging of TWENTY SIX crystal chandeliers to the Palladium ceiling. Now that’s bling! We loved that the curly willow, hanging from the chandeliers, would create almost a jellyfish result, which was a little nod to Thomas’ beachy lifestyle. It was a ceiling installation that took 2 days to complete – and the result was breathtakingly beautiful.

The flower centerpieces created by Belli Fiori consisted of ornate crystal candelabras and crystal candle holders with blush toned flowers. The crystal in the centerpieces brought the crystal from the ceilings down to eye level creating an element of shine that made a bold yet refined WOW statement. The cake created by La Patisserie Chouquette was adorned in (wait for it) almost 5,000 real crystals with at custom curly willow detail. Don’t worry, nobody ate the crystals, but the entire cake was edible once the outer fondant was removed. This was the king of all cakes in 2014 for EL.

Simone in action, captured by her own photographer:

Guests cocktailed outside in a fabulously-draped cocktail tent, which later was turned into a cigar and whiskey lounge (tailored for the father of the bride).

After cocktails, guests entered the building and were greeted by a grand custom flower wall with thousands of handmade paper blooms created by Blomes Paperie that served as the escort card display. Paper leaves were tucked into the flower wall with guests names and EL associate staff handed each guest their personalized leaf and helped guide them to their table. The flower wall later served as a photo backdrop the rest of the evening for all the guest to instagram and take stylish selfies! It was a huge hit.

We truly had a blast planning Kelli’s dream day with her and are so happy that we were able to bring her dream to life! This bride and her mom became such fast-friends of EL, and we were lucky to be welcomed so warmly into not only their big wedding day, but into their life.