My Girlfriend's Wedding….

I recently had dinner with a friend and  sharing over Sushi at Nobu' bar (our get together cantina), our thoughts about life, infinity, black hole, religion and…girlfriends.

I cannot envision my life without my girlfriends. We are always there for each other, with quite a few years behind us, we all have experienced the roller coaster that is life…our joy, our fears, our defeats and successes, but above all the incredible support and love we have for each other.
I am truly blessed with the most loving friends and their trust in me.

While walking in the woods near my house, my friend Cheryl announced in passing that…YES! she was getting married to my good friend Tom….I introduced them to each other a year ago at one of our Interieurs' party. Then I asked: where are you getting married? We looked at each other and without saying we knew…at the house, right? The house being our home in Connecticut where we celebrated my friend's Suzanne's (referred to at the time as my kids' second mom) wedding… a beautiful affair 10 years ago. On a side note, my husband is a lucky man, having been surrounded all these years by these beautiful, kind, funny, generous women, the women in my life.

Cheryl and Tom said yes on a glorious autumn day….not a dry eye under the tent… there was so much happiness, love, tears and laughter. This was a very intimate wedding,  lunch in our living room, where we spent so many moments together, Christmases, Thanksgiving, celebrations, always great food and wine, compliments of my husband, the chef and patriarch who knows how to take care of "his girls".

My friend Judith and Francesca (she really is a med student..) helped me with the flowers, my sons  moved all the furniture out of the house, Julie baked the most amazing cake. Everyone was there to celebrate. To Tom, this is an official sealed welcome into our crazy, fun, loving  family.

The setting

The preparation: flowers in season

Lunch for 40

The beautiful ceremony officiated by Tom's sister

Austin gave his mom away…

mom and daughter

The dashing boys…Austin and my sons

Here's to you "Mr and" Mrs Robinson!

A country wedding in Provence

On June 16th...we both said yes

How appropriate to have our "By Invitation only" June post 's theme to be our "dream wedding"since June 16th is the day I was married in my village of Clermomt Dessous, France.
As I am envisioning my dream wedding, I cannot help but reflect on my own wedding, twenty something years ago... a simple elegant wedding in my 12th century church, followed by a reception in the most extraordinary setting, a castle in ruins dating back to the 1300s. It was quite a task to bring this castle to life by clearing up an access to the castle, tenting a ceiling for rain was in the air, bringing hundreds of candles, an evening I shall never forget...

Please follow me in my imaginary wedding.

The setting, a ruin in provence

image:viewphotos.org ruines du chateau du Castela

The Church

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The dress: Dress and Bride's maids in Morgane LeFay 

Brides' maids in white

The sweet flower girls

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Ready to walk down the aisle

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from Vogue magazine

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Let's celebrate!

Hats are "de rigueur"

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Champagne flowing...

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Lunch under the shade, catered by our famous chef from the South of france:Alain Ducasse

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Traditional Piece Montee by Laduree

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Guests will leave with Jacqueline Morabiteau's ceramic hearts

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Guests will be staying at the wonderful Hostellerie de L'Abbaye de la Celle

Off to the Maldives!!!

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As I end this post, I am off to Ireland with my friend and hiking partner Judy...a week in the south of Ireland biking, hiking, visiting gardens and tasting the local ales.

A Bientot,

Francine

A wedding...behind the scenes

My dining room turned into a floral workroom

As an Interior Designer, I am often called to create environments that incorporate all facets of design and creativity. I love rising to a challenge that is usually outside of my expertise. In such instances, I often advise  clients on travel places, art, collecting artifacts, build book collections to fill in bookshelves with themes that will be of interest to them. I also have been collecting books on landscaping, gardening and suggest clients ideas for  landscaping,  pool, outdoor structures, and type of cut flower gardens. To complete an installation, I arrange flower displays to welcome clients to their newly designed home.

My friend judy and I prepare the center pieces the day before

I have enormous respect for event planners as everything must be timed and done perfectly as you are not given the opportunity for a second chance. The stress level is even more intense than working on a client installation. This was the case for Estera's wedding (see previous post). I thought  my checklist was a perfection...arrangement samples presented and approved by the future bride, vases ordered, flowers specified, counted and ordered with just enough time for them to open to perfection on the wedding day. Well, I forgot one element...the weather. How could I have forgotten about the weather? The last wedding I hosted in my house for my best friend, took place during a hurricane, which flooded my courtyard with 10" of water.

This time around, no rain in sight but 105 degrees temperature. The flowers did not like the relocation  from the  refrigerated storage to our house. For 3 days, we lived with sweaters on and the AC running at full blast. Nevertheless, we endured serious casualties. Mercifully, I had ordered quite a few extra dozens of roses.
Once in the location, the whirlwind started, petals from roses that opened far too fast were strewn over tables.  The centerpieces were arranged at home with my friend Judith, a master gardener and flower designer extraordinaire with serious  experience in weddings. The tall arrangements were done on site, then last minute improvisation for chairs placement, and every detail that did not work as planned due to wind and heat  during the outdoor ceremony.

It all worked out in the end, the bride and her mother stunningly beautiful, the groom elegant and happy and we all celebrated such a dear beautiful couple happiness and danced the night away.

Entrance to the Farm's reception room

The bride's bouquet

Center pieces. 

The Bridal table

A Bientot,

Francine