Wedding Planning | The Liberty Hotel | The Tasting

I will never forget the day that my bride Carissa called into my office to discuss her wedding. From that moment close to two years ago, each and every time that I have been with her, or talked to her on the phone, we have grown a little closer. Each time we have expanded on our own personal jokes and sense of humor. She and I nearly died of laughter when our very first morsel graciously served by the Liberty was tuna tartar. It sparked a funny memory that came up in the course of our planning and set the tone to a very relaxed and exciting day.

I adore both she and her fiance and her whole family for that matter. It is hard not to, they love humor as I do and they trust me completely to do the work that I know I am meant to do. They have all been more than effusive in their praise of my work and involvement in the wedding. For that, I want to take a minute to personally thank them.

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with my bride and her family to discuss her wedding at The Liberty hotel, the decor details and of course the amazing menu that I worked on with Carissa's mom, Corine. She was the voice of reason at the table as Carissa, her handsome brother Chauncy and I gossiped and chatted like school girls at the table over the planned details to the wedding mixing in banter over all of our lost dreams of great tennis careers. In our heads, I think that Carissa and I saw ourselves as a pseudo Sampras, Williams match up. Our effusive chatter was made a little easier with our serving as the official libation taste testers. We loved the blueberry, pineapple, golden signature cocktail.

Over our SUPERB lunch I recalled the story to Carissa's father, of how I had no idea who he was in the world of sports. I know my die hard Red Sox fans are reeling right now. I have a lot of respect for great accomplishments in life but to be honest,  I am much happier to have met the charming and dapper Jim Rice as a proud father of the bride and doting grandfather.

The details to the wedding continue to evolve, I promised my bride Carissa and her mom and my friend Corine that I would deliver a once in a lifetime celebration. With the help of The Liberty Hotel, Ten 31 Productions, Person and Killian Photography, Rentals Unlimited, Praez Occasions and the many talented hands that make up the chad michael peters team, we will deliver the height of this Summer's fashionable weddings.

 

 

Sneek Peak into the most fabulous Liberty Hotel Wedding

My office has been in a flurry of design details as I prepare for the very busy wedding season that lies ahead. Each bride is unique in her own way and I so want all of the details to not only be pretty, but to reflect that as well. For my bride Carissa, daughter of Red Sox Hall of Famer, Jim Rice, I have begun the design on her print material. Here is a sneak peak of her Save the Date design. I wanted to incorporate the gold which is prevalent through her wedding. In addition, I wanted to use crystals, because,  hey I love a bit of bling, and chains. We are throwing the wedding at the Liberty Hotel, a historic old jail, redone into the most fashionable hotel address in the city of Boston.....so chains totally make sense right ?

The Save the Date will open like a card to reveal a beautifully printed card announcing the wedding and to the left will have a similar card with hotel and travel information for the ease of her guests. I am so loving this and hope that she will too. This wedding is sure to be amazing as I have been challenged to create a once in a lifetime experience for a very special family that I am happy and proud to call friends. 

Now that my partners at Praez Occasions have this proof from me, they know exactly the vision that I am going for. We use the Save the date as a design reference for the rest of the print material that will go along with the wedding suite. Of course I like things to not match, but to have more of a conversation with each other, looking beautiful together. Now that the print material is done, my next challenge is the decor. Wait until you see this, WOW !

Hall of Fame Wedding

 

 

I have to admit, I had no idea who Jim Rice was. So when his daughter Carissa called and said that she was impressed with me answering my own phone and wanted to hire me to do her wedding, I smiled and planned a meeting with her mom and dad to get things under way. I had no idea that her dad was totally famous, especially here in Boston, and that he was about to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I am always impressed with great achievements but to be honest, I am way more excited about gorgeous diva gals and planning their weddings than I will ever be about baseball. I think that Carissa and her parents appreciate that.

We are having a great time planning the details for her summer 2010 wedding and have chosen the oh, so chic Liberty Hotel, one of the leading hotels of the world and a former Boston's jail house as the venue for the wedding.

Carissa and Andrew's ceremony will have the aisle defined by gorgeous mounds of rich summer color and lots of candles. They will be married against a display of mango-gold calla lilies which will look amazing displayed against a modern hedge of hydrangea and South American roses.

My team and I will turn the room over while the bride and groom enjoy cocktails with their guests. This is never an easy task, but with my "A" team and the nimble hands of the Liberty staff, I have every confidence that we will be able to turn Carissa's reception into the modern, sophisticated and chic event that she hopes it will be.

 

 

 

"The ultimate union of historic influence and contemporary design, this luxury hotel in Boston is inspired by a sophisticated interior decor that integrates with the architecture’s beautiful simplicity. Echoing the stone facade, reception desks are punctuated with a panel of granite warmed by a surrounding concentric panel of mahogany woods. Throughout the public areas, American colonial prints, enlarged and rendered in historic colors such as maroon, gray and purple, provide a fresh take on a traditional look, while bold geometric carpets in rich hues of purple and yellow are reminiscent of New England window panes and the friezes of traditional doors. Captivating in every sense of the word, The Liberty Hotel promises an unforgettable guest experience in a unique setting second to none. "

 

 

I have brought in Boston's best to help me with this event. I am so happy that I will have the incredible photography duo of Person and Killian Photography there to capture every amazing detail from behind their lens.

 

I am totally excited about creating a lounge around the dance floor. Some guests will be able to chill out, while others shake their booty on the dance floor. I will use sleek benches in deep red leather along with wooden cocktail tables to create a totally cozy, hip and romantic vibe.

 

We will be having both the ceremony and the reception in the main ballroom of the hotel. The carpet defines the color in this room as it does through out the rest of the hotel. It would be such a design mistake to move away from the historically bold color and pattern, so instead I have taken it to new levels in my design for Carissa's big day. We will be challenged to turn this room over while the bride and groom enjoy cocktails from the lofty perch high above the hotel lobby. With my "A" team on hand, I am sure that we will hit it right out of the park.

There are so many incredible details to the hotel, done in such an incredible way, that it is almost easy to be inspired. Every detail, every service standard has exceeded my expectations. My absolute favorite, to die for detail is the "Solitary Confinement" notes with keys that are left on the door when one wants to be alone. They take jail house and architectural detail and marry the two to perfection. If the hotel finds one of these missing, it will be framed in my office as a reminder of this awesome couple's wedding and a truly fantastic hotel.

If their standard is for me to "be captivated", then I am. We are in for a wedding that Boston will not soon forget. Congratulations Carissa and Andrew, I can hardly wait for your big day.