Today, I was a very bad employee. As soon as I opened up this GORGEOUS wedding from Jess + Nate Studios, emails were forgotten, phone calls suddenly seemed irrelevant, and all I could do is sit here, trying to keep my chin off the floor, and take in all the gorgeous. I have taken just enough time out of my busy schedule of hopelessly oogling to share it with my favorite people. So go ahead and spend some time in the gallery – I won’t tell your boss.
Click here to see the whole amazing affair in the gallery!
The first thing out-of-staters typically think of when they hear about Detroit is a repressed economy and abandoned buildings. But what they don’t realize is that Detroit’s buildings are architectural masterpieces, designed with art deco details that are absolutely to die for – a prime setting for a special event. After all, it was once called “The Paris of the Midwest” – and if Lisa and Danny’s wedding at the Fox Theatre (the very first wedding open to the general public in its almost 100 year history) isn’t a perfect example of how beautiful Detroit really can be, I’m just not sure what else to say.
On to the details: The day started out with hair/makeup at Fiaz of Bloomfield Hills, followed by the bride and groom getting ready in separate buildings at the historic Inn on Ferry Street in the Midtown neighborhood of Detroit. About an hour before the ceremony, Rochester Limo was on hand to transport the bride, her parents and her bridesmaids to the Fox, where champagne awaited them in the getting ready suites. Group transportation, supplied by the Royal Bus company, picked up guests at 3 different hotels and dropped them off 15 minutes before the ceremony began.
The Fox didn’t need much in the way of decor – it was definitely a fine line between accentuating what was already there and turning it into an over-the-top affair that was clearly not the bride’s style. What she wanted us to do was let the decor be minimal, almost invisible. By hollowing out real candles, placing them on the steps with faux candles in them, so that you could only see the flicker of the “flame”, we created an intimate (and safe!) energy to the ceremony space.
The ceremony itself was interfaith, conducted by a Rabbi and a Catholic Priest. The bride walked down the aisle to Carla Bruni’s “Le Ciel Dans Une Chambre”, a nod to their ten year history together. They were married on the stairs in the Grand Lobby; and when they were pronounced husband and wife, DJ Graffiti (voted Real Detroit Best of) played “In Love with a Girl” by The White Stripes while they proceeded back down the aisle. It was the perfect way to switch the mood from romantic to energetic – and truthfully, it does not get any more Detroit than playing The White Stripes.
During cocktail hour, guests traveled up to the third floor, while vendors flipped the ceremony space into the reception space below. 1920’s phonograph recordings played while hors’ d’oeuvres were passed and a full bar was available. The guests were asked to be seated for dinner, and Lisa and Danny had their grand entrance, joining their immediate families in the middle table at the top of the Grand Lobby stairs. Guest tables were decorated very simply with baby’s breath arrangements and pedestal candles; linens were white cotton and place settings were clear, white and very formal.
The bride is a chef, so the meal was very important to her. Five courses were served family style, consisting of dishes such as butternut squash ravioli and braised short ribs with a red wine reduction. The meal concluded with a selection of Lebanese pastries from Shatila Bakery in Dearborn; and a nutella cake, with a design inspired by the bride’s gown, from Decadent Delight in Ann Arbor.
The guests danced to Motown until midnight. Afterward, group transportation was on hand to take guests to an afterparty at the Inn on Ferry Street, where a bar was set up for them, coney dogs were delivered, and DJ Graffiti and Dj C4 played until 3am.
Photography: Jess + Nate Studios / Venue + Catering: The Fox Theatre, Olympia Entertainment / Planning, Design + Day-of Coordination: VLD / Cinematography: Two Penny Productions / Officiants: Rabbi Tamara Kolton + Father Baldwin / Cake: Decadent Delight / Floral + Linens: Parsonage Events / Entertainment: DJ Graffiti + Snapfuze / Rentals + Lighting: Special Events Rentals / Chiavari Chair Rentals: Chiavari Chair Wedding / Bride’s Gown: Vera Wang / Bride’s Shoes: Ralph Lauren / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Kara Janx