My Best Friend's Wedding - not the movie, but better.
Marissa and I have been the best of friends for over 20 years and when she asked me to not only be her bridesmaid, but also plan her wedding I gladly accepted the challenge. It’s a huge responsibility to be a bridesmaid, but it is an even bigger responsibility to plan a wedding for someone you love. Here are the details of my best friend’s wedding.
Photo By dove photography
Marissa and Mike had a long engagement so we had plenty of time to plan their New Year’s Eve Wedding. They wanted a fun and glamorous event for all their guests to celebrate their marriage but also add in the elements of celebrating the beginning of a new year. There is a ton you can do with a New Years Eve wedding, but we didn’t want to go overboard focusing on the holiday. We focused more on the glitz and glam of the occasion and used that as a starting point.
Guests got their first look at the event when they received their custom made invitations by Creationari. The invites were made of gold glitter card stock that was laser cut into an elaborate gate and tied together with a black satin ribbon. Receiving this in the mail was a treat as it really set the tone for what was in store for the guests and gave them a good idea that this was a wedding that they wouldn’t want to miss.
Once the RSVPs were in and the tables charts were completed the two were ready to get Married. What we were not completely ready for was the terrible weather. In the morning when we were all getting ready it looked like it would clear up, but it just got worse and began to downpour as it was time to leave to take photos for the first look. Luckily a few days before the wedding I checked the weather report and ordered a bunch of clear umbrellas for the bridesmaids and Marissa. We used them to get in and out of the party bus and into the multiple locations we went to throughout the night.
Marissa and Mike had planned on taking first look photos in the park by their home, but Mother Nature wasn’t having that so about 30 minutes before the scheduled shoot time, we made a call to cancel the park and head to our friends Ileana and Marshall’s restaurant in Montclair, Halcyon. There the two had their first look while the bridal party sipped on champagne downstairs awaiting their call time for group photos. Once the photos were done it was off to the church to get married! The ceremony was beautiful and the church was decorated perfectly with Christmas trees and plants, which Marissa loved as Christmas is her favorite holiday. If the girl could listen to Christmas music all year long, she would. After the vows were made and happy tears were shed, the two kissed and were husband and wife and we were all off to the Brownstone in Patterson for the most epic New Year’s Eve Wedding ever!
During cocktail hour guests were served lobster tails, mini burgers, fresh mozzarella, pastas of all types, steak bites, stuffed artichokes and so much more! I have never been to a wedding with a better cocktail hour and to be honest I was starving when I got there and probably ate everything they had to offer since everything was so delicious!
Once everyone had a few drinks and a couple of plates of food they all headed into the reception space. Decor Galore created beautiful floral arrangements for the tables that included white hydrangeas, roses, winter berries as well as some sprigs of ever green. The room was up-lit in warm lighting and had a few Christmas trees scattered around as part of the Brownstone’s decor. There was a table to the side full of New Year’s Eve hats, noisemakers and whistles for guests to grab and hold on to for the ball drop later on in the night.
After the bridal party was announced, the first dance was completed and the toasts were made the party really began and never really stopped until 2 AM. There wasn’t a time at this wedding that people weren’t dancing or having an amazing time. I do have to say their Emcee/DJ, DJ Paul Knox or SCE Event Group was amazing and kept the party going all night long. When the ball dropped at 12, screens came down around the room that projected the times square count down for all guests to watch. When the clock stuck midnight everyone got their kisses in and went back to dancing the night away.
I am not sure if I am biased because I planned this wedding or because Marissa is my best friend, but I am pretty sure it was one of the most fun and memorable weddings I have had the pleasure to attend as well as be a part of. People asked me if it was hard to plan for my friend’s wedding and I have thought about this question a bit. It wasn’t hard to plan it, what was hard was making sure it was all perfect in her eyes. Which in the end it was, which made it a success for me in multiple ways.
I am so happy I can share this experience with you all and will be sharing my other best friend, Graziella’s wedding with you too.. that of course I worked on as well.
Wedding Vendors: Photography: Dove Photography // Venue for Photos: Halcyon // Flowers: Decor Galore // Planning: Lisa Bracco Events // Wedding Venue: The Brownstone // Invitations: Creationari