It was such a shame that I was unable to attend the wedding of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.  It is wedding season and I had to stay here and take care of my brides.  I am sure that Nicole and Keith understand.  We can get together the next time I am in Nashville.

I think the one thing about their wedding that really made an impact on me is that out of all the places in the world to go, and with unlimited resources, Nicole chose to go home.

With all the hype about “Destination Weddings” right now, isn’t it nice to see someone go back to their roots.  I hear so many complaints about the whole “Destination Wedding”.  I personally find it insulting to be asked to buy an expensive plane ticket, hotel room, meals and gift so that my friends can stand on the hot beach and tie the knot.  And then there is always the, “We are going to have a big party when we get back” story.  Call me crazy, but isn’t the point to have your friends and family witness your vows and share in this very special and sacred moment.  Has the “Destination Wedding” really become an excuse to bend tradition and have a longer honeymoon?  And what is sacred?

I shudder when I hear the new age “Wedding Planner” inform the client to buck tradition.  After 19 years in this business, I can tell you that a Rob Reception is full of personal touches and twists but the focus is about FAMILY and FELLOWSHIP.  As a single man who still believes that my fairy-tale ending will come true, I cannot put a value on what it will be like to commit my life in partnership to another human being.  There are no words to describe how sacred that moment will be…how sacred having our families and friends around us will mean.  Not all of my friends and family could be with me if I went to some far off place.  I know that my sweet grandmother “Nanny” could not be with me.  And this would break my heart.  Home is sacred and St. Louis is my home.

When I think about my future daughter and my expectations for her wedding day, I hope she wakes up rested and allows me fix her pancakes with smiley faces.  I hope she allows me to put on her veil.  I hope her wedding is here in this wonderful city with everyone in attendance and that we laugh during the drive to the church.  I hope I have taught her to have a spiritual side, a loving side and that we cry in the vestibule but have time to repair any makeup damage before we go down the aisle!  I hope I look into the eyes of a young man who will treasure her as best friend and partner and I feel no regrets.  And I hope they appreciate how sacred this moment is.

I try to carve out a little time each day to have my “sacred space”.  It is generally in the car on the way to work as I ponder the day and sip my hazelnut coffee.  It is a time to commune with Prime Creator and give thanks.  As I think about my clients, I ask God to work through my hands…to flow through me…so that all I touch is beautiful for them.  And he does.

The Coronado Ballroom is my destination.  Steve, Kathy, John, Ashley, Alan and Patrick are my destination.  Judy, Sue and Staff are my destination.

St. Louis is my home.

Rob

 

I think I will call this my “Soap Opera” Wedding of the year. This week on “Days of my Brides”…

 I should have rented a red carpet because the bride (Carrie) and groom (Grant) are so GORGEOUS.  I know what you are thinking, “Carrie Grant”…LOL. 

 Yep.  It suits them.

The first thing that Miss Carrie did was pick out a bridesmaid dress in deep Mango.  It was not for the faint of heart.  However, the color was luscious and was striking under the candlelight.  It was the color for a starlet if there ever was one!  And our bride was beyond beautiful.  There are moments that you can never forget and I will never forget the way that Carrie Hagnauer looked when she walked into the ballroom.  She has the kind of beautiful that inspire men to paint masterpieces.  And Grant…well…hubba…hubba.

It didn’t even bother me that he took the spotlight away from my natural glamour.

Sheer panels of gold drenched every table and illuminated centerpieces of mango, pink and frosty white gave everything a dream-like quality.  Guests nibbled everything from Rabbit Potstickers to Lobster Stuffed Filet.  More than one Mango Martini and glass of Champagne were consumed.  Arvelle rocked the house and nobody wanted to leave!  It was a perfect night.

Julie and Ted Hagnauer (Parents of the Bride) were an absolute delight to work with and with Julie’s extensive catering background, I always felt as if I was talking to an understanding friend.  The Hagnauer Family had the right approach to planning a wedding.  Hire the best people possible and let them do their job.  Julie and I talked but she didn’t call everyday.  Often we e-mailed each other as last minute changes occured, but they trusted our staff to do a great job and we did.  I will miss them but I am sure they will invite me down to their vacation home in Florida soon.  I’ve been working on my tan and quite frankly, look great.  It will be fun to sit in the sun on their deck, drinking iced tea and talking about the wedding.

And Grant…well…hubba…hubba.

Rob

 

Sometimes there are clients who you bond with immediately and that was the case when I met Joe and Kathy Beilein, parents of the bride.  Kathy said from day one that they wanted something unique and everything was.  Early in the year, Jill (bride) and Kathy came in and we decided on specialty linens and chairs.  We all agreed that the ice blue damask table linen with the mahogany brown chivari chairs was the direction to go in.  We paired this with deep bronze raw silk overlays on all the specialty tables and flowers in shades of Ivory, White and Champagne.  It was resplendent!

Kathy went out of her way to make every detail special and stay away from all the cliche additions that you often see at events.  I swear we laughed everytime we talked and I seriously thought about adopting them as my second family and moving into Jill’s old room.  I am sure they are still considering this idea and planning on redecorating my room soon.

The day turned out to be a warm one and Jill and Nick arrived from the outdoor photos in need of a refreshment and some cool down time.  The antique Rolls they rode in did not have air conditioning.  I turned over my arsenal of grooming products to Nick so he could freshen up and Jill had a suitcase full of beauty products and we all got gorgeous together.  It was just like a Hallmark commercial.

I showed the couple the Ballroom and Kathy and Joe arrived looking like they stepped out of Town and Country Magazine!  Kathy was stunning in a deep bronze 2 piece dress which matched the raw silk overlays perfectly.

My favorite memory of the night had to be the popularity of the Wedding Cake.  The staff came to me after cake was served and told me that guests were asking for second helpings.  I was delighted to hear this and we had plenty of cake.  Then the staff came back to me and told me that a lot of guests wanted a third piece of cake and we had no more except for the giant cake top…hmmmmm.  Chef Patrick is going to have to stop making cakes taste so good.  I went to Jill and told her that her guests wanted a third piece of cake and could we cut up the cake top.  I explained that no matter how carefully you seal the cake top, it will still taste like cardboard on her anniversary.  I suggested we save a small piece for her anniversary and let the guests and family enjoy it!  She agreed and so her uncle, who shall remain nameless, who informed me that he WAS going to have a third or even fourth piece of cake, got it.  I admit that it was really delicious cake…Lemon Chibouste  was the flavor.  It also didn’t hurt that it was a 4-tier fantasy creation with pale blue fondant bands around each layer and amazing ivory buttercream confetti on each band.  So from the blue “Azartini” to the the blue damask linen to the blue fondant wedding cake, I am feeling a little blue missing the wonderful Beilein Family. 

Rob

I remember waking up the morning of the wedding reception and smiling because I knew it was going to be a beautiful day.   Two of the nicest people I have ever worked with were getting married today!

When I first met Doug and Kristin, I knew that they were an ideal match… they were best friends.  Kristin has an eye for beauty and created her own line of wedding stationary for the event which was gorgeous.  She also loves flowers so that scored big with me.  I understand that she has beautiful flower beds around their home.  I promise to compliment them a great deal when they fix me bar-b-que on that big grill they got as a gift!  (Remember, I like my pork steaks grilled but without a lot of sauce)  I know they are delighted that I live in the neighborhood.

Tasting time came around and the family picked out their wedding menu.  Kristin told me that her favorite color was orange.  I showed her a deep Tangerine crushed satin linen shot with gold threads and that set the tone for the rest of the event.  She used 3 sizes of stone garden urns for her centerpieces filled with tangerine roses, pink french tulips and apple green orchids spilling onto the tables.  Individual rosemary plants were the favor at each placesetting. 

Deep champagne chair covers with crushed ivory sashes complimented the tones in her amazing wedding gown.  Her golden hair cascaded down her back with yards of tuille veiling flowing behind her.  Apple green orchids secured the veiling to her hair in a tiara effect and she stole the show with a basketball size bouquet of orange and pink tone roses and orchids.  When I stepped outside to see her on the Party Bus, she took my breath away. 

Mr. Doug was dashing in his black tuxedo and they made a striking couple throughout the night.  The bridesmaids were stunning in rosey pink raw silk sheaths with smaller, matching bouquets.  Mrs. Schneider wore classic navy and Mrs. Fesler wore a beautiful shade of turquoise.

Since they chose not to take me on their honeymoon, I am content to look at photos of St. Lucia.  I have been there before and hiked the rainforest and I must admit that it is pretty romantic.  Of course, it was in St. Lucia that I got lost in the rain forest and met a witch doctor…but that is another blog. 

Rob