I learned a great deal about the 1920's and 1930's as I worked alongside Haidee to bring her vintage themed ideas into reality. Before being hired by Haidee, I knew little about Coco Chanel, the French fashion designer from the 20's, who revolutionized all aspects of feminine dress, accessories and perfume...but now the very familiar interlocked C's remind me of Coco Chanel, AND of Haidee!
Haidee had this 20's themed tray in her suite at the San Francisco Fairmont Saturday, as she got ready for her wedding. The perfume bottles are antiques from the vintage era, the perfumes are of course Chanel #5, the jeweled hat was worn by one of the 4 flower girls, the brooch and earrings were Haidee's bridal accessories, and inside the black velvet case is an authentic Chanel hand mirror.Many of these items were wedding gifts to Haidee, a token of the way family and friends embraced her desire to bring back the 20's, for her wedding day!
The wedding cake, besides having the Chanel emblem prominently displayed, was decorated to match 4 of the ornate picture frames Haidee used for table names...each frame had a different design, so BethAnn Goldberg, of Studio Cake, borrowed the frames for several days, so she could make icing molds to exactly match the borders on the frames..and speaking of vintage, the cake topper was the one used in Wilson's parent's wedding in the early 40's!
The ceremony took place in the lobby of the Merchants' Exchange building, which was designed by the world renowned Bay Area architect, Julia Morgan in the 1920's; the understated elegance, which Julia Morgan knew would be timeless, is as striking today as it was when it was first opened in 1924. Also thanks to Haidee, I am now much more knowledgeable about Julia Morgan, and her contribution to our architectural and cultural heritage...that woman was tiny, but really rocked her world!
Haidee chose shades of white, cream and silver, with accents of green, to continue the vintage feel of understated elegance, with elements of "bling" to add interest and "class".
Haidee made her own escort cards, as well as the fur covered boxes to display the escort cards; notice the names she chose for her tables...Paris, 1925; The Charleston, Gone with the Wind, Herbert Hoover... the bridesmaids sat at Coco Chanel, but Haidee and Wilson were at the Jazz Age, since Wilson is not as big a fan of Chanel as he is of good old Jazz!
Haidee brought feathers, bling, fur, and fluff into various aspects of the decor. Her candy buffet was decorated with the tulle and feather balls used to decorate the aisle during the ceremony...even the shapes of the candy containers are reminiscent of the old candy shops where children selected their penny candy at the counter, and put them in small bags to savor later. The guests at Haidee and Wilson's wedding reception filled their favor bags to the top, so that all the candy was gone by the end of the evening...whatever the theme at a wedding, candy is always appropriate!
I will really miss working with Haidee and Wilson, but it was a joy to see so many of their ideas become reality on their wedding day. I love the smile on Haidee's face as she thanked her guests for being a part of her dream come true...
I was able to be with Haidee throughout the wedding day; here I give her a hug before she goes to meet Wilson, and move forward with teh celebration we had been planning for so long. This is what makes my job more than a job!
Geoff and Lara White , Haidee and Wilson's photographers, will have amazing professional photos on their blog soon, so you can see the Silver Cloud Rolls Royce which brought Haidee to the front door of the Merchant's Exchange for her entrance into the wedding.I was much too busy cuing the harpist, family members, and wedding party to get the ceremony started on time, to get a photo of Haidee's entrance, but it was extremely dramatic, not unlike the way movie stars entered their premiers in the Roaring Twenties in Hollywood!
Did I mention that I love my job!?
No comments:
Post a Comment