Project Wedding Blog

As promised, more great fashion for you this week! Persephone, the gorgeous gal that handles all of Project Wedding’s fashion clientele, is a tried and true fashionista at heart.  She’s passionate, glamorous, stylish and we just love her to bits. From the first day she started dating Eddie, she knew that he was her forever man. She says, ‘Eddie is a rare breed of a gentleman, who is romantic like those found in eras past.’ Naturally, I am thrilled to share their stunning, dramatic destination wedding!  The pair planned a luxe affair at The Biltmore in Coral Gables, Florida: the day was chock full of sparkle, style, and plenty of swagger. Unique Design Studio captured dozens of heart-melting moments and incredible details.   

Persephone’s pink gown was designed by bridal legend, Pnina Tornai, out of Kleinfeld in New York. She knew she wanted something unforgettable, and in the perfect shade of pink, so she worked closely with Pnina on the custom piece.  Persephone and Eddie took  handwritten vows in the epic Biltmore ballroom setting, flanked by awe-inspiring floral installations. The ceremony celebrated their Greek and Filipino heritages and the love in the air was palpable. 

Nuage Designs, Jennifer J Events, and Parrish Designs came together in perfect design, coordination, and floral harmony to produce an evening reception that would last into the early morning hours.

And a little icing on the cake… this teaser video by Fandango Studios is an absolute must-see!  Trust me, you’ll melt, laugh, and be inspired.   Be sure to see their full story in the real wedding gallery and read more of their love story, told only like the bride can tell it, down below!

Photos by Unique Design Studio • Coordination by Jennifer J Events • Event Design by Nuage Designs • Bridal Gown by Pnina Tornai for Kleinfeld • Bridal Shoes by Christian Louboutin • Bridesmaids Dresses by Lela Rose • Make-Up by Josie Miller • Headiece and Veil by Bridal Styles Boutique • Men’s Attire by Donovan England • Florals by Parrish Designs • Venue: The Biltmore Hotel • Ceremony Guitar by AA Musicians • Cake by Ana Paz Cakes

From the Bride:  On July 25, 2010, while cruising on the Atlantic and watching the sunset fall, Eddie got down on one knee.. the ring was perfection. Eddie and I are both from Washington, D.C., but soon after we were engaged I dreamt that we were married in South Florida.  So it was official – we were having a destination wedding! I have been working in the bridal fashion and wedding industry for four years, so I have seen a lot of weddings. I wanted ours to be unique and make every detail an irrefutable representation of us. When we first saw the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, we knew without hesitation that the Spanish architecture would provide the perfect ‘canvas’ for our wedding.

In my mind, my dress had to be light pink, so when I ‘said yes’ at Kleinfeld, Pnina Tornai worked closely with me to create the exact color that I envisioned. My shoes were a coo to early in our relationship; Eddie had surprised me with my first pair of glittery Christian Louboutins. As a ‘thank you’ to my bridesmaids, I bought them all Christian Louboutin heels to wear on our day.  I always loved the idea of a brooch bouquet; my sister hand-selected every brooch at a vintage fair in Los Angeles and would send them to D.C. every couple of weeks. 

My Dad has played an integral role in my life, so I had his cuff embroidered with our wedding date and we gave him a pair of cuff links with yellow diamonds to match my engagement ring. Eddie has a keen sense of style and he decided he wanted a custom suit for himself and for his groomsmen, so he asked that each choose their favorite color for the inside. 

When I think about our wedding day, I can describe it in one word – magic. Together Eddie and I conceptualized and selected each piece so that the focus was on our love. For our ceremony, we wanted to fold in both cultures – Greek and Filipino traditions – and most important of all, we wanted to write our own vows. While I walked down the aisle, we had a Spanish guitarist playing one of our favorites ‘My Cherie Amour’ by Stevie Wonder. Through tearful words, we professed our love to one another and the love in the room was palpable.

After the ceremony, our guests sipped on spirits that smoked with dry ice and for an extra personal touch, we printed snippets from old love notes on our cocktail napkins. We drew inspiration for our color scheme from a stylized Lady Gaga blog post I had seen years ago, so we felt the cobalt blue and burnt orange complemented the intricately painted ballroom. Our friends are young, so we wanted to create a lounge feel, which enveloped the dance floor. Florals, candles and glass balls were suspended from seven foot centerpiece structures. The florals were ‘ugly’ beautiful – a mix of proteas, peonies and coral blooms garnished the center pieces. Punctuated in the corner of the room was our delicious, gold wedding cake. As our guests danced the night away, we had a few surprises in store.  We had a cigar roller and we served cake push-pops as a sweet treat after dinner. As a final surprise, since our reception went till 2am, we had a gelato cart (our favorite) which came dance floor-side to pass out heart-shaped gelato pops.

Tags: burnt orange, cobalt, destination, dramatic, dramatic wedding inspiration, formal wedding inspiration, glamorous, Lady Gaga-inspired wedding, the biltmore