Alisha fell in love with the ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco, and knew she wanted to get married there. When I asked what attracted her about the ballroom, she answered that it was the two large mirrors and the size of the ballroom.
A bride tends to buy on impulse more so than any other consumer out there. It's often about love at first sight. They may not know to consider other elements when making their decisions, but then that is why they have professional planners like moi to help them out!
Alisha did not have a specific design direction when she booked the hotel but she was very certain about one thing--her wedding had to be PINK AND BLACK.
If you looked at last issue's of Martha Stewart Weddings, they featured black and pink as a hot color combo but it's not easy to do it tastefully. I always think that weddings, regardless of size, color, and budget, should be done tastefully and details should be well thought out.
I brought one of my most trusted floral designers on board--Nancy Liu Chin, and we collaborated to help Alisha create a stunning, beautiful, black and pink wedding.
First, we decided to split the huge ballroom into two, since her guest count was only 150 and the entire ballroom could fit 300. I felt it was important to make guests feel intimate. On Alisha's favorite side of the ballroom where the mirrors were, we created her ceremony space with large lavish floral arrangements, a custom pink aisle runner with Alisha and Ryan's monogram projected onto the center, and the extraordinary black Chameleon Chairs with rhinestone buckles. We used white chiffon drapery to divide the ballroom, and created a beautiful entrance for Alisha and her bridesmaids to enter from.
After the ceremony, we ushered guests into the cocktail area before transforming that same side of the ballroom to the dinner area, using square tables, low and lush centerpieces, and stunning, elegant china. Each place setting was perfected with a white gardenia.
While guests feasted on fresh oysters and other fabulous food from the Four Seasons, we worked hard on the other side of the ballroom to create a magical dancing and lounging space for guests. We wanted guests to be awed as they experience one room after another.
After dinner, we opened up the drapery that separated the two sides of the ballroom and invited guests to indulge in the dramatic transformation--we piped and draped the entire room with white chiffon and used pink uplighting to add Alisha's favorite color in. Swanky white leather furniture with black and white patterned pillows allowed guests to lounge relaxingly as they watched people strut their moves on the black and white dance floor lit with Alisha and Ryan's monogram.
Last, but not least, an incredible candy bar presented on the elegant Napoli Table from Blueprint Studios had guests' energy level soaring high.
Kudos to an incredible team that worked so diligently to bring everything together beautifully:
Floral Design--
Nancy Liu Chin
Lighting and Draping--
Enhanced Lighting
Music--
Carl Mindling of The Only DJ
Tabletop Rentals--
Classic Party Rentals (thank you Marisa for personally being on site to set up the Chameleon Chairs!)
Furniture Rentals--
Blueprint Studios
Paperies--
Hello Lucky
Food & Beverages (including wedding cake)--
Four Seasons Hotel
Photography--
Kevin Chin
Makeup/hair--
Armando Serabia of Get Your Do Up
