My sweet Francesca. Your wedding was full of raw and authentic emotion. I would not have wanted to ride the highs and lows of this event with anyone else.
I answered my phone around 7am one morning. This is something I don’t usually do as my mornings usually consist of rounding up the wild boys and getting them ready for the day. However on this morning I did. On the phone was Francesca. She was looking for a planner for her large New York Italian wedding that was happening in just three months. I listened to her story and I immediately knew we had our work cut out for us. Not only did we only have a short window to plan this wedding, but her date was in October. If you know anything about weddings, you know that October is a very busy month.
After meeting with Francesca and her family I was awestruck by the amount of love these people had for each other. This is family. These people are smart, they are strong, and they love hard. They pull no punches and they wear their hearts on their sleeves. I couldn’t wait to see what this wedding would turn out to be. With over 240 of their friends and family in attendance, Francesca and Mike said their I Do’s at the newly renovated Altria Theatre. There was love, there was laughter, and there were tears.
For the design portion of the event, Francesca wanted sharkskin and meadow green for her colors and an overall simple and modern aesthetic. She wanted “tight, white, and round” for her florals. We brought in three different height floral arrangements to break up the sea of tables and add more dimension to the room. It gave the space movement and a more interesting look. She requested waterfall lighting at the ceremony site, and upgraded linens for all of her tables. The food was AMAZING and the staff at Altria couldn’t have been more accommodating. I really owe a huge Thank You to all of the vendors that came together on such short notice and really delivered a great event. I also couldn’t have done it without the help of my fellow wedding planner friends Maggie from Maggie’s Misc Events and Nicole from Stag and Lily. Having professionals on site on the wedding day made such a huge difference in the quality of the event.
After planing this wedding I am now familiar with the New York style reception, and I have been schooled on the tradition and frequency of the Bomboniere.
Event Planning and Design: Lauren Purcell of Swoon Soiree
Venue: The Altria Theatre
Catering: Savor
Photography: Don Mears Photography
Entertainment: Debonaire Entertainment and Gary Gauldin
Florist: Vogue Flowers
Cake Artist: Candy Valley Cake Company
Dress Designer: Roz La Kelin
Dress Salon: Ava Laurenne Bride
Lighting Design: The Lighting Professors
Linens: Glamour Linens
Hair and Makeup: Poetically Brushed
For more information on having Swoon Soiree help with your event reach out here.
