ever met, they are just so perfect for each other, and they
just exuded happiness! The couple resides in Chicago, and
they wanted a memorable destination wedding for their
guests, and themselves. They chose the landmark Beverly
Hills Hotel for it’s relaxed yet refined atmosphere. In
Hillary’s words “Everything regarding the hotel was first
class. Furthermore, the Hotel provides a wonderful
destination on future anniversaries for us to visit and
reminisce”.
When I first met with Jeff and Hillary, they were very
excited about the history of the hotel. They wanted to
incorporate a sophisticated “Old Hollywood” style into the
décor for their wedding. They both preferred a clean
sophisticated style in their flowers, with subtle organic
elements such as twisted willow branches, moss, large
tropical leaves, etc. Since the decor at the hotel very much
centers around these elements – the lobby wallpaper for
instance is large green palm leaves, and palms surround
the hotel…we were able to achieve a perfect harmony
between the organic, textural style that they both loved
and the glamourous Art Deco feel they wanted as well .
The floral color palette mimicked that of the hotel’s also -
centered around cool rich pinks, blush, antique whites
and ivory, and pale chartreuse green.
An early evening ceremony took place in the intimate
Polo Garden. Hillary and Jeff asked me to create for each
of their female attendants a floral bouquet composed
entirely of a different bloom. Each of these flowers
symbolized and carried with it a specific meaning, a
quality that is required for a strong marriage. Pink roses
symbolized Love, Hydrangea stood for Loyalty, White
Chrysanthemums for Faith, Gardenias for Joy, and
Orchids symbolized Passion. Each attendant carried her
bouquet up the aisle in turn, and placed it inside glass
vases adorned with bands of silk ribbon that had been set
atop pedestals encircling the Altar area. The bride carried a
clutch of massed palest peach “Cameo” Calla lilies. I
always think that Callas look their best when allowed to
shine on their own, and this confirmed that for me! The
bouquet was simple yet stunning, and was perfect for
Hillary's understated yet very elegant silk gown, and her
classic style.
The Unity Candle lighting was another special moment
during the ceremony. For the Unity table we clustered
pink and antique white roses, green hydrangea, calla lilies
and Cymbidium orchids, around the candles. Along the
aisle, handmade mulberry paper cones were filled with
fresh roses, green Cymbidium Orchid blossoms and Calla
lilies, and hung with pale green French satin ribbon. A
lush scattering of fresh rose petals in pinks and ivory,
completed the aisle path.
An elegant Cocktail hour followed the ceremony, in the
Lounge adjoining the Rodeo Ballroom. As guests entered
the Lounge, they were greeted by a sophisticated display of
Long-stemmed Ivory Calla lilies, bear grass, vivid green
mood moss and lush antique white and blush peonies,
which was placed on the Escort Card table, among freshly
scattered rose petals in ivory and blush pink.
For the reception, we wanted something special and
different for the tables. We came up with a traditional
centerpiece idea, but gave it a 'modern' twist. Simple glass
cylinders were lined with glossy leaves, and filled one type
of flowers - some of the tables held gorgeous Blush
Dahlias, others rich Pink roses, etc. Each cylinder was
placed inside a lower, wide cylinder, in which ivory Calla
stems were twisted around the edges, and mini green
orchid blooms floated in water. These were a big hit with
Hillary and Jeff's guests!
A beautiful and delicious white wedding cake was the
grand finale to the evening. Frosted in white chocolate
and filled with fresh strawberries, the cake was wrapped in
bands of rich pink satin ribbon, and we adorned it with
simply elegant clusters of full-blown pink and blush
peonies. It was a fitting end to a gracious and elegant
evening.
~ KB
