When the groom chooses to propose on April Fools’ Day because it’s his future-wife’s favorite holiday, be prepared for a wedding full of surprises! The event planning team at Duke + Van Deusen pulled together a dream team – including Cappy Hotchkiss Photography, Avaflora, and Face Time Beauty Concierge – to create this enchanting, garden-set celebration. From a custom floral crown station to a creative cocktail hour performance (two words: synchronized swimmers) and more, this whimsical wedding is sure to delight! See each fun-filled moment in the Vault.
From Cappy Hotchkiss Photography… Longhouse Reserve is a stunning jewel of a sculpture garden in East Hampton that only allows four events per year. These two hired the fabulous team of Duke + Van Deusen for their planning, who arranged synchronized swimmers during the cocktail hour as well as a flower crown bar (guests could choose which flowers they wanted, and Avaflora fashioned the crowns on the spot, resulting in a wedding full of gorgeous women and men of all ages and styles sporting flowers on their heads), a lemonade bar, a hotdog station, signature drinks, tons of beautiful signs, an old wagon filled with flowers as the place card holder, a dessert bar, hand painted invitations, and bridesmaids’ dresses in a pastel rainbow of colors. The ceremony was officiated by a friend of the bride and groom’s.
It is presumed that it was only a matter of time before Fred and Ali would meet, given they lived just a block away from each other in New York City. They probably even passed each other on the street, but it wasn’t until mutual friends got the idea to set them up that their lives would intersect and change forever. One of Ali’s best friends told her she had a guy to set her up with and sent along a link to his Facebook picture. With one look, Ali messaged her friend, “Make it happen.” The girls arranged for Fred and his friend to meet them out in the neighborhood one night, that way her friends could interrogate him all at once. To no one’s surprise, sparks flew instantly, everyone approved, and they both instinctively felt that this could be the start of something special.
Fred asked Ali if she wanted to come along with him on a business trip to a conference in Miami, and without hesitation Ali said, “No, thanks.” For a good month she thought she was in the clear, however Fred brought it up again, saying that his boss’s wife and his boss’s boss’s wife were going, and that it was really important that she make it if she could. This time Ali agreed. A day before the trip, Ali decided to swap her glittery nail polish for something a little more work-friendly, and upon returning from the nail salon, she noticed her dead bolt was unlocked, sending a wave a panic through her. Mind you, she was already on high alert because it was April Fools’ Day. She cautiously pushed open the door and proceeded to check the closets, behind the doors, and even under the bed, but she found nothing. Suddenly she noticed a giant bouquet of flowers sitting right in front of her on the dining room table, and she happily realized Fred had played the nicest April Fools’ Day trick on her.
She was calling her mom to tell her about it when the doorbell rang. Ali opened the door and was surprised to find Fred. She wondered why he wasn’t at work, but she thanked him for the flowers. Fred then got down on one knee, said some incredibly romantic words (that unfortunately neither of them can remember), and asked Ali to spend the rest of her life with him (and assured her the proposal wasn’t a prank). She of course said yes, but the story doesn’t end there. Overcome with emotion, Ali called her family, but instead of congratulating her, they thought it was a prank. You should know that April Fools’ Day is Ali’s favorite holiday. It was then she realized Fred had played the most ingenious April Fools’ Day prank ever. She called all of her friends that night, and not a single one believed her! Some people didn’t up until her wedding day, thinking the website, dress, and save-the-date were all part of an elaborate prank. As if things couldn’t get any better, after the proposal Fred whisked Ali away – not on a work trip to Miami, but to Mustique, where they spent the next few days laying in the sand and celebrating their engagement.
Photography: Cappy Hotchkiss | Event Planning: Duke + Van Deusen | Floral Design: AvaFlora | Wedding Dress: Mira Zwillinger | Cake: Kathy Burton | Invitations: A Fabulous Fete | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jodi Fried | Caterer: Pete Ambrose Events | Makeup: Georgio Fernandez Beauty | Hair: Face Time Beauty Concierge | Lighting: Matt Murphy Event Lighting | Band: City of Six | Groom's Attire: Ralph Lauren | Groomsmen Attire: The Black Tux | Venue: The LongHouse Reserve | Tent Rental: Sperry Tents Hamptons | Bridal Boutique: Mark Ingram Atelier | Save the Dates: Shannon Kirsten Illustration