Whimsical, Elegant Garden Wedding at Eolia Mansion

Melissa Hammam
May 10, 2024
Categories: The Blog

[section title=”The Planning”]

[field title=”Wedding Colors”]

The inside of Eolia Mansion is designed in the neoclassical style, and the color palette is inspired by “the inside of an oyster shell”. I went with muted jewel tones to compliment the subdued elegance of the space, adding hints of rich purples to accent the centerpieces.

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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

I aimed for lots of variety in floral texture, keeping everything soft, airy, and whimsical. I opted for a neutral color for the gauze table runners in order to keep the focus on the florals, and flanked the centerpieces with dusty rose taper candles.

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]A few days before New Years Eve in 2021, Andrew took me on a sunset stroll to a secluded spot in the Central Park Ramble on the edge of The Lake, overlooking Bethesda Terrace. My favorite artist is “The Magnetic Fields”, so Andrew took out his phone and started playing “The Book of Love”(our favorite song by them), which serenaded the moments to follow. He surprised me with a little moleskine notebook titled “Our Book of Love”, which he read aloud to me, containing different chapters dedicated to the special memories and milestones of our love story. The name of the final chapter was “The Proposal”…..;)[/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]

[field title=”Wedding Gown”]

I went so many different dress boutiques and designers before finally landing on Carol Hannah and my dream wedding dress- “Aurora”. I wanted something ethereal, romantic, textured, and sheer. The silhouette of Aurora, particularly the bodice, felt reminiscent of the ballet costumes I’ve worn throughout my 13-year dancer era (ballet has always been my first love)- that familiarity just felt authentic to me in a way that none of the prior dresses had. I felt so beautiful in it!

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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]

To go wit the theme I had my bridesmaids dressed in pastel pink, going with the theme of Eolia Mansion. I have a love for antiques and purchased each one of them a vintage white handbag as their gift to use on the wedding day.

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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”][/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]

[field title=”Food & Drink”]

Paige and her team at A Thyme to Cook, Inc. did an excellent job careering to us before and during the wedding, and the appetizer selection was excellent!

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]

I loved the way Terri Krisavage kept the textures throughout each vignette.

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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

Eolia Mansion has a room called the breakfast room which is a perfect place to showcase the cake. Decorated with our color pallet in mind the breakfast room allowed our cake to shine on its own and allow us to cut it in private as we wanted it to be quiet and intimate.

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]

“It’s Only Time”- The Magnetic Fields Our favorite band and was magical to dance in front of our family and friends to.

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]I wanted our wedding to be a reflection of us- what we love and how we love. There were little nods to our story throughout our decor- printed song verses from “The Book of Love”, bird motifs (a mutual love of ours), and antique postcards from the city we met. My passion for antiques/”old things” in general, was evidenced in some of the subtle decor elements and stationery details- the ring boxes, display trays, frames, even a vintage lithograph from the location where Andrew proposed to me. I also found a heart shaped pin with a Dove my nickname for Andrew.[/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #2″]It was also important to us to find a way to incorporate Andrew’s Chinese heritage into our design choices. Our wedding favors (spun-finish taper candles connected at the wick, to symbolize our union), were stamped with a wax seal containing the double happiness symbol (two joined copies of a Chinese character representing joy and happiness in marriage). We also offered each guest a “takeaway” treat for the road on their way out- a miniature steamer with Chinese black sesame and 5-spice cookies inside (lovingly baked by my sister-in-law!).[/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #3″]I’m currently in the process of building a fine art stationery brand, hence the invitation suite, as well as the place-cards and signage was designed by me on deckled handmade paper. I put a lot of consideration into the layout of each component within the suite and experimented with a plethora of different papers and styles. The venue sketch was created by an artist, digitally scanned, and printed by me on Japanese rice paper, which was hand torn and attached using a wax seal.[/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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