PREPARING FOR THE BIG DAY
As soon as Matt proposed to Melissa, I got the call from Mr. Cannon. He and his wife Donna know my work well and wanted to make sure I had the date available. The following week we had their design set in motion!
A little over a month before the wedding, we had a meeting with both moms, Melissa, and Matt. Our goal was to finalize all the details, and by the close of that meeting everything was set. Or so I thought…
A few weeks before the wedding at The Albany Institute of History and Art Gala, Melissa’s father was seated next to me. I had such a good time talking with him. As dinner was wrapping up he said, “My parents are coming all the way from Italy for this wedding … I want it to be perfect. No matter what my wife and daughter say, you do it the way you think it should be done!”.
Within a week, they were back in my office. The flowers were set thanks to Matt’s mom and dad, but Melissa’s father wanted to make sure the room and details were set up right. By the end of that meeting, everything was perfect.
THE DESIGN
Personal Flowers
Melissa wanted soft and natural looking, nothing overwhelming, but beautiful in color and style. Peony, cabbage rose, dusty miller, hydrangea, dahlia, sweet pea, freesia, doll house roses, and phlox. I think Melissa’s bridal bouquet was my favorite for the year. It was so soft, gentle and the perfect fit for her stunning gown. I made each of her attendants a unique bouquet but they all had the same soft style. It was nothing but YUM.
Ceremony
A blush runner trimmed with ivory rose petals marked the path to the alter. Our custom drift wood podium was placed in the front … I especially loved the alter area I designed for the ceremony. Silver caviar bowls were filled with monochromatic blooms, seven of them in total. I placed them on a long, thin table draped with our signature pink ice linen. As guests entered, they were offered a custom fan Melissa had designed. It was perfect on this warm summer day.
Ballroom
Melissa said to me, “Matt teases me because I always want to eat in restaurants that have little white lights in the trees, I love that!” She also showed me several pictures of sweetheart tables with archways of branches, fabric and little lights over the top.
We changed the look and flow of the room around at SNGC, swaged the ceiling, draped the walls, placed a dance floor in the center of the room, added lighting to the walls, and pinspots to the tables. Custom linens were created, and I made a one-of-a-kind setting for Mr. & Mrs. The sculpted driftwood behind the head table was made by Danny Killian, and it took four men to carry it up the stairs because it would not fit in the elevator… it was perfect! I added lights behind the fabric, and fairy lights dripped from the branches. Roses tucked into the linens on the corners of the table, and layers of flowers on top finished this perfect spot for Melissa’s dream wedding with Matt.
Check out the video highlights courtesy of Al Woodard!
THANK YOU
Mr. & Mrs. John Cannon (Parents of the Groom), and Dr. & Mrs. Vittorio Fiorenzo (Parents of the Bride) – for giving me the chance to help set the stage for this celebration. The Elario team for the photos and capturing the day. Al Woodard for the film. The skills of MMF for making sure everyone looked their best. Katie O’Malley for dealing with the details on the day. The entire staff of Saratoga National Golf Club for being flexible and for letting me do my thing … especially Traci for working with me on all the rentals and special requests we had to coordinate to make the day just right. CPRC for the wall drape, lighting, pin spots, dance floor, and assistance throughout the day. Total Events for the swags in the ceiling, Danny Killian for always giving me just what I’m looking for. As always, to my team for making sure everything was just right.
Melissa and Matt, Congratulations!!!
