I think I’ve died and gone to wedding heaven. Not only does this wedding feature the most beautiful Oscar de la Renta wedding dress, but it also has a pair of Chanel sandals that would make even Cinderella jealous. And that’s just the start. After seeing their engagement session, I knew this couple would have a beautiful wedding, and with help from Peony Events and Laura Clare Design, they definitely did. See it all from Paul Francis Photography in The Vault!
From Paul Francis Photography…This beautiful wedding has details galore! They were honored to have SMP Publish their French themed engagement session (the groom is French).
From The Bride…Choosing a theme for our wedding was simple given the story and background of Victor and myself. I met Victor in The Bahamas on spring break in college. We were both seniors at different universities, but happened to be on the same spring break. I locked eyes with Victor right away and then when we started talking, I was immediately swept off my feet by his French accent! So, fast forward a few years later in June of 2013 when I arrived in his hometown of Nice in the South of France with my family. When we arrived, Victor took me to a small, romantic village in the South of France while my family met up with his family. He proposed to me that night and we spent the night together celebrating over a beautiful dinner in the countryside of France. We celebrated the next few days with our families and friends. As soon as we got back to the U.S., we started our wedding venue search immediately. Being from New Jersey, we were looking for places near where I grew up, as I knew it was really important and special to my mom to be able to get ready and leave from the house I grew up in. I was between a few places, but really wanted to make sure I found a venue that Victor and I connected with. When we saw The Park Savoy in Florham Park, NJ, we knew this was the place for us. What I loved most about The Park Savoy is that it had a classic, American aesthetic that coincided with my heritage, yet at the same time, when you entered the ballroom there were so many details that reminded me of being in France, for example the beautiful molding, chandeliers and sconces. Not to mention that I knew The Park Savoy was really well known for their impeccable service and abundance of food! So, once I saw the ballroom, I knew that my love for all things French would play a large role in the décor for our big day.
We had almost a two year engagement because I knew I wanted to be a summer bride and there were limited days left that I could choose from. So, I had a long time to think and plan my wedding day. For colors, I knew I wanted soft tones – so I was so excited to see that Amsale came out with a new palette of colors in their lace collection. I went with blush, dove grey and champagne for my bridesmaids. I had nine girls, so I had three girls in each color dress and they chose different necklines from Amsale’s lace collection. I chose the lace because I thought it was different and went perfectly with our French theme. When I found my wedding dress, I was immediately drawn to the applique flowers and wanted that to be a detail throughout different décor elements on the day of. For example, the flowers in my hair were similar to the ones on my dress and when I saw Chanel made shoes with similar floral details, I knew I had to have them! I even designed my cake to match my dress and it had the same design and pattern of the flowers on my gown.
My flowers were a mix of blushes, ivories, and soft greenery like dusty miller. Not only did I want the colors to be very light and romantic in look and feel, but I also wanted all the flower arrangements to appear loose and organic. My wedding planner and I worked closely with my florist to develop a look that went with the vibe of the venue, but also complemented myself and my bridesmaids. Each bridesmaid carried pink astilbe as their bouquet with some dusty miller accents that were tied with lace to match back to their dresses. I also bought them crystal earrings that were the same shape as the floral appliques on my dress.
When guests arrived at the venue, we had a life-size vintage bicycle planter with flowers coming out of the baskets and two signs, one saying “welcome” and the other “bienvenue.” When the guests walked into the entrance of The Park Savoy , their Escort Cards were placed in beds of lavender seeds surrounded by vases and candles. Nearby, was our guest book which was not a traditional guest book, but instead a “Love Lock Bridge” (like the one in Paris!) where guests would sign their names on a wooden vintage tag that was connected to a lock and they would then discard the key. I fell in love with mirrored signs with calligraphy writing, so had those throughout the venue. My favorite was our Signature Cocktail mirrored sign which told guests about our French inspired drink “Lavender Lemonade.” Around the perimeter of the ballroom were vintage chairs and chaises, so on each were either French inspired pillows or the bridesmaids pink astilbe bouquets. At the sweetheart table, our chairs had laser cut mirrored calligraphy signs – one saying “madame” and the other “monsieur.” As favors we gave Rose wine from the region of Provence, France. Something else that was unique to our wedding was that we had a live painter capturing the evening.
Looking back at the photos from our wedding day, I have such great memories. Although the planning of every detail can be daunting, it all came together beautifully in the end, especially with the help of my wedding planner who understood my vision inside out. All of our vendors were amazing and played a part in making our day so special. We were so pleased with everything and I was so happy to see my inspiration come to life on our big day!
Photography: Paul Francis Photography | Cinematography: Kiss The Bride Films | Event Planning: Peony Events | Floral Design: Laura Clare Fine Floral Design | Wedding Dress: Oscar De La Renta | Stationery: Paper Works and Events | Ceremony Venue: Church Of The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary | Reception Venue: The Park Savoy | Bride's Shoes: Chanel | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Amsale | Makeup: House Of Luciano | Hair: Total Concept Hair Salon | Live Painter: Katherine Gressel