Paris Style in Albany New York

It's been nine months since I was contacted by a sweet woman by the name of Lynn with the most charming of southern accents. Turns out she was the mother of a groom getting married in September in Albany, but she and her son were actually from Tennessee. Her story was quite special so I was instantly intrigued about working on this project. Her son Adam was in Iraq serving our Country in his second tour there. His time there had been way too eventful and there were moments when she and her husband didn't know if their son was alive. They were counting down the days that his tour would end and he would return home to marry his beautiful young bride Leah. Wanting to honor her son and celebrate his safe return and their new beginning, she had a vision to create an extraordinary rehearsal dinner to kick off their wedding weekend.

Since the couple would be headed to Paris for their honeymoon, we decided to create a Paris inspired event. Everything from the food to the decor would emulate this beautiful city. There was no better location than the 42nd floor Observation Deck of the Corning Tower in downtown Albany.

70 guests enjoyed a five course french menu complete with pre-dessert cheese course. The design details of the room were chic in a simple palette of black and white with pops of royal purple. Centerpieces featured glowing cylinders of purple delphinium topped off with damask lampshades for a sophisticated and somewhat masculine look. The room also featured a lounge area with custom slip covered benches with coordinating damask pillows.

Lynn spared no expense in creating personalized details. Signs displaying the names of cities significant to the couple were displayed in the windows and pointed guests in their direction with mileage to each one from Albany. Custom stationery was created for everything from menu cards to the signature cocktail signage. In lieu of traditional escort cards, a special french style bulletin board was created, on which hung small velvet pouches with custom escort tags displaying their table number. Each pouch contained quarters for the observation deck view finders and displayed the message "Enjoy the View".

This event was a so fun to plan and coordinate. Guests had an amazing time celebrating in this unique location. The bride and groom left elated and ready to walk down the aisle. By all reports, the wedding day of Adam and Leah went perfectly and the two are enjoying the "real" Paris! We wish them both a long happy life together and thank Adam for his service to our country. Another thanks to Lynn for trusting us with this special event. It was a pleasure.

Kudos to my team: Katelyn and Julie, to the chef and staff at Sudhexo for putting together a fabulous meal and to Ambiance Floral & Events for the beautiful centerpieces.

Event images provided by Lilly Zach Photography