A Midsummer Night's Dream Wedding in Forest Park
You know the saying “it takes a village”? It’s usually a phrase applied to raising children, but it actually rings so true when it comes to weddings. A wedding is a celebration of two people coming together with the support of their collective family and friends, or village, to begin their new adventure as husband and wife. But behind the scenes there is another village; a team of wedding vendors who have been working for months so that the couple’s celebration can take place in a beautifully choreographed way that feels effortless to those attending. Today, we are getting a behind the scenes peek at Alex & Matt’s gorgeous spring wedding from their amazing planner, Melody Lowry, who oversaw the massive vendor team responsible for bringing the couple’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream wedding vision to life!
From Melody… When I think of this event and this couple a smile comes across my face. From day one, I was presented with a challenge to make this wedding stand out and show their guests from the east and west coasts that folks in good ol’ Saint Louis know how to throw a party! And where, might you ask? None other than the famous World’s Fair Pavilion in historic Forest Park. We all know this space is one of the most stunning venues in the park; but it is also one of the most challenging to produce an event in. The key to working in a space like this, with many risky variables, is to have a solid plan a, plan b and plan c.
From the start, as a wedding professional, it is my job to be very candid, outline the pros and cons, and make sure that our couple agrees to be flexible, reasonable and trust in the team’s judgment. I hate to spoil the ending, but Alex & Matt did just that! And for this, our vendor team was able to execute an incredible design plan that guests from all over the US were raving about!
To build Alex and Matt’s dream wedding at the pavilion, we had to start with a really clear and solid plan. I worked with the bride, mother of the bride (and groom too!) to create a preliminary layout and design plan that outlined the direction for their Midsummer Night’s Dream wedding in Forest Park. Once that was established, we worked to pull in the perfect vendors to execute the vision within budget. Our top priorities were floral design, a unique guest experience and unmatched entertainment.
When designing a wedding, it becomes like your baby. And you know what they say about babies, “It takes a village!” This is why the vendor selection is so important and takes vetting based on the scope of the project. This team was a dream team, and each vendor’s contribution to this vision was truly invaluable! For example, from Belli Fiori:
• Lisa and Sandra brainstormed to elevate the ideas we presented and came up with more that equally pleased our “west coast vibes” bride and more traditional ballroom loving mother of the bride.
• Trees! Why buy trees when we can build them!?
• We had multiple trips to the venue to measure and scale our floor plan to make sure there was no room for error. After all, this was a FIRST for the ceremony on the gravel lot overlooking the hill and an entire ceiling of draping and chandeliers supported by a massive truss structure. The Belli Fiori team collaborated with my team and The Aries Company to make sure that the plan was tight and safe!
Pro Tip: Your priority list and budget are two items that are essential to your wedding plans. So map them out early in the process. It is important to have those tough conversations that we all like to avoid in the early stages of planning. What are your family dynamics? Who is the decision-maker? Who is paying the bill? When does mom’s decision override bride’s decision? Are there multiple contributors to your wedding budget; who is covering which aspects AND if parents are gifting the couple with their dream wedding are there any wedding categories that do not fall into the budget?
A big part of this design that still makes my heart happy, is the way that we led guests to each experience throughout the day. Everywhere you turn there was a little something to catch your eye. To the ceremony, guests were greeted with a glass of champagne and a program that was printed on a scalloped hankie – such a cute keepsake! Then, guiding your eye to the altar (which was a major show stopping piece, totally built onsite!) the aisle was lined with 50’ of baby’s breath.
The ceremony arch took 3 designers roughly two and a half hours to create onsite! And yes, it’s ALL real floral material!
Remember that plan a, b and c I mentioned before? This was one of those days where plan b was activated, and then bits of plan c that we had no choice but to roll with too. May 11th, 2018 was lovely. I recall eating dinner on a sunny and refreshing patio dreaming about Alex and Matt’s wedding being the perfect blend of sun and breeze, like a California beach day. However, this day in 2019 turned out to be much different: rain, clouds, and a high of 47 degrees low of 33. Despite mother nature’s alternative plan for our practically perfect wedding weather, the team adjusted, kept cool and worked around the clock (literally) to bring this production to life. After all, the show must go on!
Clear umbrellas, pashminas, cute blankets, walls and heat added to the pavilion, a clear top tent going up over the outdoor ceremony setting: it’s amazing how quickly you can shift gears to plan b and make it happen. I would expect nothing less when you have a rock star team like the one we had! The many months of planning and thorough review of each and every detail made it possible for us to handle ANY situation. For that, I am so grateful!
Artist Cami Monet took personal elements from Alex and Matt to create a one-of-a-kind crest that we could use throughout the design. What I love most is that it really set the tone for the whole event. The crest was whimsical, personal and colorful. Bits and pieces of the crest were used for the save the date, the invitation, welcome bags, dinner menus, photo booth props, escort “cards” which were custom seed packets displaying each guests’ name and table, even the dance floor decal had this beautiful art!
The reception design was a beautiful mix of organic florals, elegant gold accents and a touch of whimsey. Our Belli Fiori design team created trees to flank the dance floor and bring the outdoors into the pavilion, which added such a magical touch to the space, especially once plan b had to be put in place and the sidewalls went up. Despite the expanse of the pavilion, the reception felt cozy and intimate!
First dances kicked off the night with the incredibly energetic LustreLights band, and guests were so cozy once inside our dreamlike setting that we could hardly get them to sit down and eat!
Each hour we added something another experience to keep the party moving and add to the fun. I kid you not, we had at least 140 of the 175 guests still at the party when the last song played, if that is not a win then I don’t know what is?!
Keep an eye out for more collaborations by our event planning team and these incredible vendor partners. Our planning team has rebranded – we are now a.companie event planning and collaborative design. We specialize in weddings, nonprofit functions and intimate social events. In each event, we aim to build community with our vendor partners, friendships with our clients and add value to each event with our team’s unique industry background of catering, venue management and floral design. Thank you to Belli Fiori for asking me to share highlights of Alex and Matt’s big day!
- Melody Lowry, a.companie event planning and collaborative design
Melody, thank you SO much for agreeing to give us your insights into Alex & Matt’s wedding! I know how much time and planning went into this event on our end, so I cannot even fathom the sleepless nights you must have have! But it all turned out beautifully… even with plan b. We loved being a part of this amazing wedding with this rockstar team of vendors! And like Melody said, keep an eye out because we have more gorgeous event collaborations coming soon!
Vendor Love
Photography: Mike Cassimatis | Planning: Melody Lowry, Absolutely In! Events | Florals: Belli Fiori | Rental Décor + Lighting: The Aries Company, and Exclusive Events | Cake: De La Crème Studio | Desserts: Nathaniel Reeds Bakery | Band: The LustreLights | Ceremony Music: Manhasset String Quartet | Catering: Butler's Pantry | Hair and Makeup: DanielleStyle | Bridal Gown: Monique Lhuillier | Tuxes: The Black Tux | Mini Golf Rentals: Gateway Rentals | Wedding Party Transportation: St. Louis Trolley & Carriage Co | Guest Transportation: Best Transportation and Midwest Valet | Crest Design: Cami Monet | Invitations: Roseville Designs | Reception Paper Goods: On Three Designs | Ceremony Tent, Pavilion Walls and Heating: Traube Tent | Magician: Keith Jozsef | Fireworks: Gateway Fireworks | Photobooth: Shutterbooth | Late Night Snack: Imo’s Pizza | Accommodations, After Party and Post Wedding Brunch: The Ritz-Carlton St. Louis
Post by Kim Wallner - Belli Fiori Floral & Event Design