Part one of Sarah and Claude’s intimate destination wedding in Santa Monica kicked off with a South of the Border themed welcome dinner as a nod to their Texas roots and shared love of Mexican Cuisine. The dinner was held at the Fairmont Miramar where all the guests were staying and the wedding would be taking place the next day. The bride and groom wanted all of their guests to have a relaxing evening after a day of travel from all across the country so Callista of Callista & Co. dreamt up the perfect fiesta on the hotel’s Sunset Terrace right on Ocean Avenue. Sarah and Claude, originally from Texas and now living in New York, spent the afternoon exploring the Santa Monica Pier before heading back to the hotel to welcome their guests for an evening of Margaritas and Tacos. Pink by Peach created whimsically calligraphed tan and white invitations wrapped in leather which set the fun tone for the evening. Guests were welcomed at the entrance to the Sunset terrace with a bar filled with a beautiful display of Casa de Perrin goblets and miniature bottles of Casamigos Tequila with hand calligraphed tags with each guests name on them, which matched the wedding invitation. A candy bar with Mexican candies was also set up on the dessert table as a party favor for guests to take back to their rooms and enjoy during the weekend. High top cocktail tables were set up around the terrace with bright linens and florals with chips, guacamole and salsa at each table. The Fairmont set up an elaborate buffet station with a taco bar and classic Mexican desserts of churros and flan for dessert. Guests enjoyed their tacos and tequila while the sun set over the Pacific Ocean with Mariachis playing in the background. See their welcome dinner and wedding on Style Me Pretty now and stay tuned for their wedding coming to my blog next week!
Event Planning and Design: Callista and Co
Invitations and Calligraphy: Pink by Peach
Floral Design: Twig & Twine
Tabletop Rentals: Casa de Perrin
Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen Rental
Rentals: Found Vintage Rentals
Mariachi: Entire Productions
Cake: Butter End Bakery
Jenna and Shane were married on October 20, 2016 surrounded by 24 of their closest friends and family at the historic Villa Cimbrone, an 11th Century Manor on the Amalfi Coast, in Ravello, Italy. Their wedding celebration lasted the whole week on the Amalfi Coast starting with a private romantic tour of Positano just for the two of them to have a moment of relaxation before their guests arrive (photos coming soon to Style Me Pretty). Guests were welcomed to theBelmond Hotel Caruso with a welcome package in each room featuring a program of the weeks activities in a wax sealed vellum envelope, fresh lemons and limoncello, which Ravello is famous for. Guests spent the day exploring the pedestrian only medieval town of Ravello and lounging by the hotel’s famous infinity pool followed by cocktail hour under a grove of olive trees and a dinner on the great lawn overlooking the cliffs of Amalfi as the sunset over the ocean turning the sky around them pink and yellow. The third day was spent watching the bride and groom say their I Do’s in the Crypt of Villa Cimbrone followed by another candlelight banquet dinner and an evening of dancing. Stay tuned next week on my blog for photographs from the wedding day and see both now on Martha Stewart Weddings.The bride and groom live together in Westport, CT, with their one year old daughter Camilla Rose. Camilla did not attend the wedding, but they paid homage to her throughout the day with white roses which grow on the terrace where the welcome dinner took place and were used as an emblem on the wax sealed envelopes that contained the wedding dinner menus, they were also present the evening Shane proposed, which inspired her name. In typical Italian fashion the best laid plans went out the window and the original plan for the rehearsal dinner was to use all white marble plates and vessels, but with an Italian shipping error the shipment with the brides items ended up in Lake Como instead of the Amalfi Coast and the bride, who runs a destination weddings and events company, had to improvise along with the floral designer, Mint Design, to create a new tablescape for the welcome dinner. Luckily the bride had brought over some of the essentials in her suitcases and they were able to create a stunning tablescape using autumnal florals and beautiful bottles of limoncello, which guests were able to keep at the end of the night as a favor. It was the perfect introduction to Ravello. Guests enjoyed passed hors d’ouerves, champagne and a signature punch cocktail under the olive groves while being serenaded by a guitar player who had been flown in from Nashville to accompany singer, April Kry, the following evening at the wedding. Part II: Wedding at Villa Cimbrone. Part III: Engagement Session in Positano.
Event planning: Ebb & Flow (event stylist); Honey and Cinnamon Wed (event coordinator)
Flowers: Mint Design: Flower Sourcing by Domenico Ruggiero of Capri Flor
Location and Catering: Belmond Hotel Caruso
Bride’s attire: Tamara Mellon
Bride’s shoes: Jimmy Choo
Hair and makeup: Manola Spaziani
Rehearsal dinner paper goods: The Wells Makery
Rehearsal dinner rentals: Wedding Solution
Rehearsal dinner table runner: Silk & Willow
Film Lab: Richard Photo Lab
This lovely intimate rehearsal dinner took place in a beautiful barn on the property of a new lodge in the Catskills, The Arnold House. The property is simply gorgeous and was the perfect spot for a wedding weekend with a beautiful rehearsal dinner in the barn and a tented wedding overlooking the mountains the next day. It was a fun evening full of lawn games, a bonfire and delicious farm-to-table cuisine made by the Arnold House.
