Heather and Chris’s wedding “Hollywood Glamour” The Millennium Biltmore Hotel
In honor of Valentine’s Day and since “Cupid” and I are relatively in the same line of work, I wanted to share photos from one of my favorite weddings for one of my favorite couples at one of my favorite venues, working with some of my favorite vendors and one of my favorite venue contacts! Heather and Chris were so much fun to work with and I had the best time working with them and their families. I love all my clients, all in different ways and I have been very lucky over the years to have worked with such great people. Clients like Heather and Chris and their families remind me that I chose the right passion in life to pursue and how much I just love my job!
Heather glowed! She looked beautiful and had that timeless, glamourous, “old Hollywood” actress meets chic, stylish, modern day fashionista kind of look.
Heather and the girls looked great and thoroughly enjoyed their urban photo session out on the city streets and alleys.
The couple chose to see one another before their ceremony for a very special “first look” and the amazing photographer, Aaron Delesie, and equally amazing cinematographer, Curtis Heyne, from Living Cinema captured every single moment of the day. The only way I can describe the work of Aaron and Curtis is to simply say that Aaron Delesie and Curtis Heyne truly have been given special gifts! They both just have “IT”. They have talents that are over the moon! I appreciate very much the gorgeous images that Aaron captured and the beautiful film that Curtis created for my clients.
Heather and Chris exchanged their vows in a heartfelt, Jewish Ceremony under a beautifully decorated Huppah. As you can see by the photos, YES, the Wedding Ceremony was in the Crystal Ballroom and the Reception was in the Crystal Ballroom. Was it MAGIC? Well, sort of :), but No! It was the hard work of an amazing team of vendors that strategically came together, working side side, in exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes to transform the room from a soft and romantic Wedding Ceremony to a glamourous Ballroom Reception, while the wedding guests enjoyed a fabulous cocktail reception. Oh, the magic that happens behind the scenes! Yep, in 1 hour and 15 minutes the Ballroom was tranformed, the dance floor was put into place, the King’s Table was set, the guest tables were set, hanging candles were lit, the final checks and double checks were completed, the Band’s sound check was performed, the DJ was set up and ready to go.
I do not always recommend having the Ceremony and the Reception held in the same room if it can be avoided, but of course it can be done with good planing and the hard work of some pretty amazing people. We do whatever we have to do to make dreams come true. Square Root Designs hung elegant, champagne colored draping to make the Ceremony area more intimate and also to hide all the things that were preset and ready to go once the I do’s were completed!. Square Root Design’s team was set with the guest tables staged behind the beautiful draping on each side of the Cermeony area. The Band Stage was literally set behind the Ceremony Huppah. A huge team was assembled and ready to go. My amazing staff and I, the amazing Biltmore staff and the amazing Square Root staff were ready to go on the word “GO”! We were running, we were working, but I did take a moment to stop and stand still for one moment and watch as all these people concentrated, worked and ran and did their jobs and it all came together perfectly. The guests walked into the Ballroom and the Band was playing and the candles twinkled and they were amazed that the Wedding Ceremony was just held in this space only 1 hour and 15 inutes ago. We can do this, Sqaure Root Designs can do this and the staff at the Biltmore can do this. You want to make sure that the staff that is going to do this knows what they are doing as it has to be perfectly planned and executed. 
The Millennium Biltmore Hotel is definitely on my top ten best classic venues list. I remember the first time I walked into the Crystal Ballroom, my heart skipped a beat, as I was overcome by the majesty of the Ballroom. It was like being transported back in time to that “Old Hollywood” era notorious for its gala parties . I love the enormous, breathtaking, crystal chandeliers and the balconies found in this Ballroom. I love this Ballroom. Then, years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Catering Manager, Valerie Lehman, and the banquet staff and I found them to be an amazing team of people. I love working at this venue and I love working along side this amazing group of people. 
I partnered with Square Root Designs to design beautiful decor for Heather and Chris. Square Root Design’s work is always beautiful and added a touch of chic style to the timeless and elegant Ballroom. We used both high and low table arrangements to create diversity and depth. With ceilings that high, you must have high table arrangements or else the arrangements will be dwarfed by the room, but low peices can be added to even out the room and the budget as most always the low centerpieces are more affordable than having all high peices. I like doing different arrangments on the tables and not all the same as that adds some character and unique design element to the overall design. Square Root Designs always literally brings to the table such beautiful accent pieces to add to the table arrangement to make the tables so special.
The gold trimmed menu cards were designed to reflect the “Old Hollywood Glamour” feel that Heather and Chris desired. They added a touch of class to the guest tables. As I always mention, I am a “foodie” and the food at this venue is incredible. From the Butternut Squash Soup, Lobster Bisque and Filet Mignon to the Kobe Beef Sliders-amazing. My clients have enjoyed elegant, Sit Down Dinners and Comfort Food Stations here and no matter what has been chosen for the menu selections, it have always been prepared to perfection and the presentation is always equally as superb as the cuisine itself. 
Heather and Chris had a great time with their guests dancing the evening away to a great Ratt Pack Era band from West Coast Music.
Heather and Chris cut their beautiful Wedding Cake made by the delicious and delectable, Vanilla Bake Shop, up on the North Balcony of the Ballroom with their wedding guests looking on from below. It made the Cake Cutting Ceremony a bit more dramatic by having the Wedding Cake showcased up in the balcony.
This wedding was a perfect blend of classic, timeless elegance and chic, modern style. These elements were brought together to perfectly reflect Heather and Chris’ unique personalities. There is truly a lot of history and memories that have been made at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel and now Heather and Chris have left the presence of their love and laughter and have added more memories in this Ballroom which has been filled with love, laughter and merriment for many years and more and more will continue to be added for many years to come. Heather and Chris, thank you for allowing me to be part of your special day. I think of you both often and wish you a lifetime of happiness!
Special Thanks to:
…and, as always, to my Fabulous Team
