Soft Muted Romance At A One Of A Kind Old World House In Santo Domingo
The first time I met the New Yorkers Magdaline and Chris, their fun, vibrant personalities, her big beautiful hair (which he says that when they first met: “her hair was the highlight!”), and their clear concept of the wedding they wanted got us so excited from the start. The bride is an accomplished entrepreneur at a hair care tools company called ’’Hello Updo’’, dedicated to promoting hair wellness for all hair types. They’ve been featured in Forbes, BYRDIE, Bustle, Popsugar, Hola!, and many more for their innovative wellness approach and all hair type textures inclusivity efforts; so she had so many creative ideas to make this wedding ‘their own’. The principal concept was that they wanted their guests to feel as if they had been invited to “a special dinner at home.” The couple & their families were so much fun, and they really wanted to create a memorable and personal wedding where they could give a taste of their hospitality and love for details to each of their over 200 guests flying from all over. The venue was one of the most important keys to achieving this. So instead of a predictable wedding venue ballroom, we went for a Colonial and Republican architecture house called Casa Palma Garden, located in the old, beautiful colonial city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (the Island the couple has to thank their Latin, Caribbean roots). This 16th-century House had lots of interconnected, long rooms that would be the perfect scenery to create the ‘’home’’ ambiance and warm, welcoming atmosphere we would need to pull off this concept. The ceremony was held at the 16th-century church Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes. After that, guests were moved to the venue for cocktail hour in a local tourist train that crossed by some beautiful spots from the Colonial City. They were received at Casa Palma by folkloric típico dancers (a sweet gift surprise from the mother of the bride). To create a bigger interior-exterior space for the cocktail hour, we opened the front porch doors to connect it with the living room. Guests had drinks and cold local beers while they left happy wishes messages to the newlyweds in a phone booth. For the reception, guests moved to the house’s rooms to find their seats and later on to the courtyard for toasts and dancing under the stars, with a tropical disco vibe created by Cuban lamps and disco balls hanging from a clear tent. A local band kept the party going all night long to the sound of tambourines and güira! It was a large gathering, yet everyone felt that it was a thoughtful wedding day.
The bridal gown was an A-line silhouette, floor-length satin dress with a sweetheart neckline, balanced with a subtle hairstyle of a curly low bun, to create a soft romantic look. Her Jimmy Choo open-heels with all-over pearl-embellishment, topped with an oversized pearl for maximalist glamour, paired perfectly with her set of lovely pearls earrings. A scarlet red shade for her lips was her way to add some edge to the general look. To maintain modesty while add interest, for the catholic ceremony, the bride added a satin cap to her dress, that matched perfectly with it. Her veil had a brocade intricate floral design that fell beautifully from the church’s staircases.
The bride preferred an intimate wedding party with just her mom to take her down the aisle, her niece as the flower girl, and her fiancés son as the ring bearer.
Food and drinks was a big priority during the planning stages because of the couple's “foodie”, lavish taste; so from the signature drinks to the choice of the menu, and extra fun bites and beverages like a coffee cart station opened all night, or “chimi’s” (a local street style type of sandwich) for guests as the late night snack, everything had to be freshly prepared, tasteful, and beautifully presented as a sumptuous feast (just as an amazing host would do in a dinner at home). Catering was provided by Con Boca - Gastronomic Studio, who served appetizers like mini Short Ribs Tacos, Goat Egg Roll, Boneless Wings with passion fruit BBQ, Lamb Lollipop's and Shrimp Ceviche Shots. And for the main dinner some of the delicious plates we can mention were Live Pasta Station, Filet Mignon with pepper sauce, Salmon with Tamarind Glaze, Eggplant wraps with fresh cheese and basil, and Porchetta style pork cut and served in the spot to accompany the salads.
Just as the bride loves her hair to be all-natural, voluminous, and even wild, she wanted her wedding florals to do that. A lush deconstructed greenery floral installation cascading on both sides of the church's staircases appeared as if they had just bloomed down the aisle. The wedding floral botanics selection was made by Nab Designs by Natalia Abad, which made a beautiful mix of florals that included caffe latte and spray roses, stock, mother of pearl roses, queen Anne’s laces, ranunculus, chrysanthemums, celosias, and scabiosas, most of them in muted tones to match the wedding antique color palette. Transitioning to the colonial reception venue, the couple decided to use most of the furniture that was already in the house because they loved it. Hand-painted chairs and tables, brought by the owner from Indonesia, Bali, and a mix of wardrobes of different sizes and colors that had been collected by the owners over the years, were integrated as part of the tablescape and wedding design. These added an authentic, clever touch that matched perfectly with Casa Palma Garden. Keeping up with the concept of a “Dinner at home”, the Designers of Viva L’Festa mixed and matched different floral centerpieces, furniture, and tablescape elements, creating non-identical and contrasting combinations and ambiances in each room of the house, that as a whole, looked cohesive, intimate and romantic. Combinations like blue velvet linens, geometrical shapes of china, and stone floral centerpieces in one room, and natural wooden tables, classic patterns china, and metal stem floral centerpieces in another, setting the scene for an elegantly enchanting dinner celebration on infinite long tables, where design and flowers compliment each other and intertwine to create a visual masterpiece.
