Allison and Steve couldn’t have had a more beautiful day for their wedding at West Park Winery if they had custom-ordered it.  Just a touch of coolness in the air kept their guests comfortable under the tent all night long.

Photographs are incredibly important to Allison, and she shared some of her favorites with their guests.  Allison and Steve were high school sweethearts who met at age 16, so each table was named for a special place or event in their lives…College, Proms, Vanderbilt…and adorned romantic with photos of the couple at every age.  Allison’s cousin put together a slide show photographic journey with the newlyweds from childhood, the time they met, and growing up together that was shown just before their First Dance.

(You can tell by these pictures that Allison made the right photographer choice in Steve Planck of Blue Sky Photography!)

The tent was just gorgeous with spring wildflower featuring daffodils, lilacs and cherry blossoms.  And it was a tearful Father Daughter dance for Allison and her father to “Then They Do” by Trace Adkins.

SPOILER ALERT:  Don’t read on if you’re soon to be a West Park Winery guest or you’ll ruin the surprise…

This season West Park is including an impressive fireworks display with every wedding!  The sky was lit with spectacular colors, ending with a flaming heart on the hill.

One of my favorite moments of the night came after the cake cutting when we sang “Happy Birthday” to Allison’s brother, Todd.  Once she had Todd up on the dance floor, we sang a few verses and scraaaaatch…slammed into “Apache” by Sugar Hill Gang.  Check out how Allison and Steve tore it up for their delighted guests…

West Park truly outdid themselves this time!  And so did Allison and Steve.

West Park Winery

Photos by Steve Planck of Blue Sky Photography

Cake by La Deliziosa

Could the weather have been any more perfect for a West Park wedding?

Hardly.

The guests gathered on Deer Ridge for the ceremony, allowing them to take in the golds, reds, and rustic oranges of the leaves in the river valley below. The groomsmen, dressed in dark brown suits, ivory shirts and green paisley ties, held the four corners of the birch chuppah.

The Reverend Puja Thomson, dressed in a flowing purple dress and green shawl, welcomed the guests with her lilting Scottish accent and rang the Tibetan singing bowl to begin the ceremony.

Erin, stunning in her lace gown, strode across the lawn on her father’s arm toward the chuppah and Angelo waiting underneath. He smiled at her, blinking back tears, as Jeff performed his original piece “Union.”

The air grew cool as the sun set over the hill and the guests meandered down to the cocktail hour and reception under the tent below. Each table was decorated with a single sunflower in a vase, and instead of a traditional wedding cake, the couple had four tiers of sunflower-topped cupcakes beside their sweetheart table.

Erin and Angelo chose specific songs for each member of their bridal party, then strutted in to “This Is Why I’m Hot” by Mims. The danced around each other with passionate, sensual energy, the physicality of a personal trainer (him) and a gymnast and triathlete (her.)

We delved into classic funk and disco hits, a bit of reggae and meringue, along with some new hip hop favorites. But the highlight of the night was Angelo’s performance of “Let’s Get It On” accompanied by one of his band mates on guitar. All night he had shooed off his mother’s urges to sing, playing it off as if he was shy. Then…WHAM! He was pure Marvin Gaye, working that mic like a pro.

West Park Winery

Officiant Reverend Puja Thomson

Photos by Matt Petricone

SMART IDEA ALERT: The chuppah was well anchored in clay pots filled with rocks and decorated with vines and beautiful flowers by David Anthony. It looked lovely and there was no danger of it being carried away by the wind. (I can’t tell you how many times I see groomsmen holding down the chuppah for the entire ceremony so it doesn’t get wisked away!)

Danielle was stunning her champagne gown. The cantor sang the Seven Blessings over the couple.

Later on in the reception, Danielle and Mike’s three grandmothers stood behind the challah bread and led the blessing together.

As our final Jewish tradition, we started dancing with the Hora. We started–and it didn’t stop! All night long those guests were on the dance floor, heat be damned. Danielle and Mike were overwhelmed with the expressions of love and fun. They rocked, and so did we.

West Park Winery
Photos: Kimberly Wright

Flowers by David Anthony

Even Jeff and I dressed the part. I found a peach, brown and green speckled wiggle dress and matching shoes, while Jeff wore a skinny tie and jacket, opting for a more rock-and-roll look. (Of course.)

It takes GUTS to pull off a wedding like this. This wasn’t just 50′s themed; it was a recreation of the 50′s.

When guests walked into the Hillside Manor they were directed into the ballroom by a 50′s style diner sign with a blinking arrow announcing Audrey and Greg’s wedding at the “Diner.” They picked up pink and blue place cards adorned with French poodles (for the girls) and vintage toy robots (for the boys) and rubix cube keychain favors. Inside, the room was strung up with blue Chinese lanterns, the linens were pink and the tables were decorated with carboard cutouts of vintage cars stuffed with fuzzy dice.

Audrey wanted this to be an immersive experience for her guests, so she asked us to play nothing but 50′s music all night. Well, there were a few exceptions, but nothing newer than 1963.

Audrey and Greg did an awesome swing dance to their First Dance song, “Oh Boy!” by Buddy Holly.

It was all about the Big Bopper, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the Platters. It was doo wop, twist and swing. It was vintage, baby!

Hillside Manor