Friday, April 30, 2010

Nice-To-Have: Fully Dressed-Up Reception Venue

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Dear Online Diary,

Do you know Becky Bloomwood and the Shopaholic series?

I am a big fan of the series. Sophie Kinsella captured my heart when she wrote about the mischief and romance of Becky Bloomwood with her then boyfriend Luke Brandon. They are the perfect couple for me.

But...

This post is not about the book or the characters. This is mainly about Becky and Luke's wedding reception venue which was featured on Shopaholic Ties the Knot edition and the source of our wedding reception style.

This is during the planning stage where Becky was talking with her event designer:

'We'll have birch trees imported from Switzerland, and garlands of fairy lights. You'll walk down an avenue of trees, with their branches hanging over you. Pine needles will give off a wonderful scent as you walk, flowers will magically blossom as you pass and trained songbirds will sing overhead . . . What do you think about an animatronic squirrel?'

Later on the story, Becky did not quite contain herself so she sneaked into the venue and here’s what she saw. Read on and let your imagination work on the details:

Nothing could have prepared me for walking into that room.


It's like walking into another land.


A silvery, sparkling, magical forest. Branches are arching high above me as I look up. Flowers seem to be growing out of clumps of earth. There are vines and fruits and an apple tree covered with silver apples, and a spider's web covered with dewdrops and are those real birds flying around up there? Colored lights are dappling the branches and falling on the rows of chairs.

A pair of women are methodically brushing crumbs off every upholstered seat. A man in jeans is taping a cable to the carpet. A man on a lighting rig is adjusting a silvery branch. A violinist is playing little runs and trills, and there's the dull thud of timpani being tuned up.


The enormous, white and gold room where Luke and I will lead the dancing. Oh my God. It's even huger than I remember. It's even more gilded and grandiose. Spotlights are circling the room, lighting up the balconies and chandeliers. They suddenly switch to strobe effects, then flashing disco lights, playing on the faces of waiters putting finishing, touches to the tables.

Every circular table has an ornate centrepiece of cascading white flowers. The ceiling has been tented with muslin, festooned with fairy lights like strings of pearls. The dance floor is vast and polished. Up on the stage, a ten-piece band is doing a sound check. I look round dazedly and see two assistants from Antoine's cake studio balancing on chairs, sticking the last few sugar tulips into the eight foot cake. Everywhere is the smell of flowers and candle wax and anticipation.


Quite magical, right? I’m one of those brides who want to have a fully dressed-up reception venue. I’ve browsed and gazed over fully styled venue all over the net and fell in love with the works of David Tutera, celebrity event stylist abroad. I immediately became a fan of his TV show, The Party Planner, and I love all his DIY ideas. Here’s a few sample of his works I found from his Facebook Fan Page:

{Eco and chic}

{Glamorous Garden}

{Yellow Wedding}

{Whimsical}

I'm pretty sure you loved these pictures. Breath-taking, right? Did it light a bulb and gave you inspiration for your reception venue, too?


X.O.X.O.,

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