The whole bar was looking at us like, “did they really just get engaged with an onion ring?” Planning Planning was a team effort between Joanna and her mother, Val. “Since my mother owns Val’s Restaurant and Function Hall I completely entrusted everything with her,” says Joanna. “I completely enjoyed planning my wedding because I got to do it with my mother and every detail was so meaningful.” Charles’s input was just as valuable, however. “He cared about the place, music, food, and ambience. He let us do our thing, but definitely wanted to feel included in the decisions.” With dreams of a truly elegant affair dancing in their heads, Joanna and Charles chose to get married at the historic Elm Court Estate, a Vanderbilt estate located in Lenox, Massachusetts. “We chose the Elm Court Estate because we could rent the estate for the whole weekend and stay there with our family and friends, while being able to custom tailor every detail of the wedding,” says Joanna.
Details “Since we got married in a Vanderbilt estate . . . we wanted to carry a theme of the classic gilded era with French accents, yet combined with an emphasis on nature and the arts and culture of the Berkshires,” says Joanna of the wedding motif. Champagne satin linens with organza overlays and crystal candelabras adorned the tables and were accompanied by centerpieces filled with white eggshell roses, Picasso calla lilies, dark eggplant calla lilies, snow on the mountain, and dusty miller silver lace. Candles cast a warm light over the entire space. “We really wanted to emphasize the arts throughout our wedding,” says Joanna, so she and Charles infused visual arts, music, and dance elements into their ceremony and reception. “Rather than have table numbers, we used artistic creations that inspired love, taking a picture of that example and framing it for each table. For instance, my husband got to choose our head table, so his choice was John Coltrane’s album, A Love Supreme. continued on page 28 www.bridegroommag.com
BRIDE&GROOM Winter 2014 27