In this week’s Lifestyle Feature of the Week we showcase the Parisian themed nuptials of Lorenzo to his long-time sweetheart Nadine next…
In a truly romantic celebration adorned with chic Parisian flair, newlyweds Lorenzo and Nadine brought Paris to their guests as they celebrated their union and love for all things French.
The highly anticipated wedding has been eight years in the making and Lori proposed to Nadine on a romantic trip to the city of Love in January 2014. Fast forward a few years and parents to the bride, Leon and Rae Pillay, set out to give their only child the wedding of her dreams.
The couple enlisted the help of Durban’s renowned Marge B of Event Styling to oversee the creative task of bringing the dream wedding to life as they decided to bring Paris to their guests with an enchanted Parisian themed wedding of the year. Marge set about ensuring every detail was taken care of in the magical transformation.
“We were honoured when Nadine looked to us to assist for the planning and styling of her special day. Her charming and charismatic parents were a delight to work with – parents who were clearly very emotional about their little Princess. No expense was spared as this wedding was not about anything else, but about giving their daughter the wedding of her dreams – whatever the cost. And so this journey began, with Bride Nadine signalling and pointing us in the direction of France” says Marge B.
“We began with the “Save the Date” which was fashioned to appear as an authentic, vintage French postcard and was the first clue in preparing her guests for the scene on 18th June” says Marge B.
Unbeknown to the cherry-picked guests, they were to be treated to Event Styling’s sumptuous “Wedding of the Year.” This had already been decided months in advance by Team Event Styling since they all knew this was not your average Bride and they embarked on the Parisian journey alongside her.
An antique shimmering gold imported carpet beckoned guests into the reception venue as they were presented with the table seating plan beautifully captured in gold ink by a commissioned Calligrapher who epitomised the style of Paris in the elegant swirls of calligraphy.
All You Need is Love
Paris is the romance capital of the world and love was clearly all around the venue from the written word through to romantic stylings of the reception. The traditional Eastern ceremony took place in a garden under cloudless skies where the bride walked down an ivory aisle as guests took their seats on white Wimbledon chairs. Later the ivory aisle was embellished with an abundance of petals as guests showered the newlyweds with scarlet petals harvested from imported Ethiopian roses. The French are known for the finer things in life, and in particular, the delicacies they eat and drink. After the ceremony, guests mingled on the lawn and were treated to a constant flow of teas, coffees and hot chocolate while the “naked & berried” wedding cake was sliced and served butler-style.
Giant Marquee letters spelt out “PARIS” in the garden, ornamented with vintage furniture, gilded bird cages suspended from trees, mirrored frames and inviting chaise lounges that set the scene for a night in Paris. A Team of specialist Videographers, Vision on Fire, were especially flown in from Cape Town to capture this show-stopping production.
Photographers David Rees and Lauren Setterberg captured the other finer details presented by Event Styling, including a vintage Citroen on loan by a close friend of the family.
Inside the reception venue, a huge chandelier draped with trailing branches and leaves lit up the glittering tables below, decorated with gilded candelabras, blush and ivory blooms in champagne bowls, sequinned table clothes and miniature Eiffel Towers. Guests found their seats, Chiavari gilded chairs with chair corsages at French labelled tables, by consulting a splendid vintage mirror painstakingly embellished by Durban’s renowned Calligrapher. Guests were delighted with the attention to detail presented at each place setting, which the Bride and Groom graced with a personal note, together with a decadent favour- a gold-dusted Parisian macaron beautifully packaged in a transparent box.
Qurky touches like the wedding date echoed with over-sized gold balloons, a giant red heart, pink flamingos and miniature French flags made this wedding truly special and personal to Nadine and Lorenzo. The naked cake by Durban baker Taryn Smith of Smith’s Bakeshop was festooned with berries and rosebuds and showcased on a gorgeous French pedestal and was enjoyed along with a selection of desserts including Smith’s Bakeshop glitter toffee apples, sweetie-pies, chocolate brownies, Daniela’s Parisian macarons, and bedazzled donuts from Wicked.
Another glitzy touch was a Champagne tower filled with blush macarons, with Moet et Chandon and Veuve Cliquot close at hand. A special bottle was ceremoniously sabered through the art of Sa’brage with an authentic Katana sword by none other than the Groom himself.
The main table was enchantingly French, brought to life by a trio of suspended crystal chandeliers and Parisian streetlights against a backdrop of overflowing greenery and fairy lights. The bridal party made their way into the reception and was serenaded by a pair of fire dancers, and a glitter-bombe which also heralded the opening of the dance-floor. Chico Muyo serenaded guests during dinner, with the dance-floor being lit up by starlight of sparklers later that night. Guests danced the night away while visiting the Instabooth for fun photographs as a keepsake of a magical night.
The bride and her “favourite person”, who will be travelling to London on their honeymoon, hope to travel to Paris every year on their anniversary to revisit the places which inspired their romantic, showcase wedding of 2016.
Special thanks to the following contributors to Lori and Nadine’s Enchanted Parisian Wedding:
Styling and assisting Bride with planning & co-ordination – Event Styling
Bridal Literature Designer & Belles-let-tres for Nadine’s special day – Sharlene Chapman Funtastic Art
Bridal Gown – Spine by Thiran Moodley
Tux – Narainsamy Tailors
Rings – Soni Jewellers
Assistant to Marge B Event Styling – Pageant Queen Angelique Janssen (Miss Teen KZN 2014)
Master of Ceremonies – Deniro Pillay
Photographers – David Rees and Lauren Setterberg
Cinematography – Vision on Fire
Are you looking to host an event or celebrate your wedding in style, simply contact Marge B at Event Styling on info@eventstyling.co.za or contact her directly on 031 5727624 or 0722229188 today to transform your event. Here’s to celebrating the good life…
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