Bride Buzz

Weddings are such a momentous, and often hectic, occasion that the ceremony of marriage can be pushed to the wayside. Every bride and groom must remember that at the end of the day they are going to married no matter what may happen on their wedding day. As long as a couple keeps that in clear sight then everything else will work itself out.

We are seeing a lot of personalization, which is a continuing trend over the past few years. Brides are increasingly trying to infuse their own persona and style into their wedding day design. We also see fashion trends trickle down into the bridal industry. Right now, I am seeing a lot of feathers. We are doing a fabulous party with feather placemats and feathers tucked into floral arrangements. Feathers also make for fabulous fall boutonnières for a fashionable groom.

It was held at the Peninsula Chicago in the fall, years ago. The colors of purple, pink, and gold were inspired by an exotic colored pearl necklace of the bride’s grandmother. The bride and her mother gave me carte blanche to design a completely bespoke celebration, and I got to work with some incredible vendors to design something from the ground up. This was the first time I was ever able to design without having budgetary constraints, and it was a pivotal experience for me, cementing my desire to work on couture events — completely custom-designed for each client.

A glass of Billecart-Salmon Rose with a splash of Crème de Violette.

I am not sure there is one perfect wedding song, but I would recommend sticking to classic sings — anything from Cole Porter to Simon and Garfunkel. Avoid anything contemporary or trendy, because they can seem a lot less magical with the passing of time.

My mother wore an incredibly timeless and chic sheath of ivory silk satin embroidered throughout with tiny seed pearls. The texture and play of light on the shape and nacre of the pearls is amazing. It is so simple, yet beautifully decorative at the same time, and still feels fresh and au courant.

I designed a wedding for a couple whose wedding party drank so much that the bride and groom were both visibly inebriated before their ceremony. Someone in the bridal party was sick on the bride in church, and during the reception the groom proceeded to hit on me and each and every staff member I had onsite that evening. After the wedding, the bride and groom literally went on the lam to avoid federal charges of fraud and embezzlement. Everything else I have experienced since has seemed tame in comparison.