When Talea came to us for help with her upcoming wedding at Alderbook Resort & Spa (one of our favorite venues) she had simple requirements: 1) LOTS of candles, 2) She LOVES flowers and 3) She wanted to create a memorable experience for her guests. The wedding was to be held outdoors on the tented Checkerboard Terrace with dinner in the ballroom and a casino experience after dinner. We told her that we could handle that and would take care of all of the details, from linen and furniture rentals, to draping and lighting.
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| Talea with her bouquet of garden roses and gardenias |
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| Talea and her flower girls twirling their dresses |
We suggested that, to enrich the experience for her guests, the evening should be allowed to unfold with secrecy as to what was next. The weather was perfect for an outdoor wedding, unseasonable warm, crisp and bright. We defined the ceremony space with two large floral arrangements all in white and two metal trees covered in white dendrobium orchids with hanging votive candles.
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| Altar florals of hydrangeas, orchid stems and evergreens |
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| Metal trees covered in orchids |
Rose petals in whites and creams covered the aisle and over one hundred candles provided a warm glow to the tent. The bride, escorted by her son, walked down the aisle, passing beneath three white stars that symbolized loved ones who should have been there to share this day; her mother, the groom’s mother and Talea’s grandfather who passed away just weeks before the wedding. They were watching over all.
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| Three stars hanging from the chandelier symbolize loved ones who could not be there |
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| I do |
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| Talea and Eric on the dock |
After the ceremony, guest progressed to a cocktail hour in the ballroom lobby where they could have their pictures taken in front of a beautiful wooden wall. We used this time to repurpose the ceremony flowers for use during the reception.
The ballroom was kept closed until the appointed hour for dinner and the bride and groom welcomed their guests in to reveal a beautiful table filled with candlelight and flowers. The all-white theme continued with vases of varying heights filled with garden roses, tulips, hydrangeas, as well as orbs of button mums and tall phalaenopsis orchid plants. Candles of different sizes were displayed in a variety of heights to give dimension and visual interest to the table.
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| All-white flowers in mono-botanical displays decorate the long, communal table for dinner |
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| Table detail |
Orchid covered trees from the ceremony were repositioned to provide a backdrop for the cake. We divided the ballroom with draping that was white on one side and black on the other to prevent light from leaking through.
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| White wedding cake with gardenia topper |
Children enjoyed dinner at their own table with a different menu than the adults. After dinner, there was an activity table just for them to keep them occupied while the adults celebrated.
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| The children's activity table |
Following toasts and dessert, Eric and Talea parted the draping that had divided the ballroom to reveal what was on the other side:
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| Eric reveals the surprise of the evening, a casino on the opposite side of the ballroom! |
While the guests were enjoying dinner, we transferred the decor from the cocktail hour to the other half of the ballroom. We wanted the casino side of the ballroom to have a distinctly different feeling from the rest of the evening so we went with a red and black theme. We rented black lounge furniture and washed the walls with red lights. We replaced the clear glass votive holders hanging on the trees during the cocktail reception with red glass holders. Red roses in black glass cubes rested on black linens on the bistro tables.
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| Red roses in black glass cubes in the casino |
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| Guests trying their luck at the roulette wheel |
While guests were enjoying the evening, the staff at Alderbrook performed a turn down service in their rooms. They also left a lovely gift from the bride and groom: a Kate Spade candle and a black vase with red roses; to help them remember the evening.
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| Eric and Talea dancing the night away... |
See even more photographs from this incredible evening in our portfolio on our website:
Talea & Eric. A special shout out to
April Williams for all of the beautiful photography that you see here.
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