Celebrating Sixty in Miami

Last October we planned a 50th wedding anniversary party here in Toronto (you can read the post in the 2009 section below) -- I thought being married to the same person for 50 years seemed like an amazing feat. Well, we managed to top that with a 60th anniversary bash we threw last month in not-so-balmy Miami. Even more remarkably, there was another couple in the crowd who were celebrating 64 years of marriage!

Alas, we were there to celebrate this milestone for a truly extraordinary couple, blessed with good health, the most wonderful family and, above all, a marriage still filled with spark and passion. My "bride" wanted a mass of orange orchids -- and ultimately we were able to give her what she wanted. There were close to 3500 mokara orchids scattered around the octagonally-shaped room and the bar. It was sensational.

Once I get photos from the professional photographer, I will post those, but in the meantime, enjoy these ones, courtesy of my trusty iPhone. The linens, banquettes, chairs and borne came from Nuage Designs and the wonderful Linda Goldman of Blake Roses did the flowers. I'm sure she doesn't want to see another orange orchid for awhile...

Must. Have. That's. All.

This isn't even a possibility where I live right now, but dammit, one day I really what has to be the Ultimate Wine Fridge in my own kitchen. These photos were emailed to me, so I can't even give the person who came up with this ingenious idea the credit they so deserve -- I am duly impressed and completely envious, all at once!

And a Cherry on Top!

The Question: How to compete with the show-stopping cheese "cake" that Chef Mark McEwan created for our bride's sister's wedding, 18 months before.

The Challenge: Our bride is diabetic, so a fancy, traditional wedding cake was out of the question. Plus, we were at the same venue (the family farm) with many of the same guests in attendance -- we had a lot to live up to!

The Solution: A custom-designed, lucite cake stand to hold all the autumn bounty from the farm and a teeny, sugar-free cake for the bride and groom to cut into. North 44 Executive Chef Sash Simpson literally hand-picked each plum, pear, peach & apple and placed them with care onto the stand. And yes, please note, for the final touch: the cherry on top!
Photo Credits: The fabulous Storey Wilkins beautifully documented both weddings. You can watch Mark McEwan in action with the first farm wedding on season two of his show: 'The Heat' on the Food Network.

Peacock, Chartreuse and Coral at the RCM

Nothing can influence the mood of a party like a burst of cheery colours as guests first enter a space. That was exactly the case for an engagement party we did at the Royal Conservatory of Music: it was a cold, typically grey November day in Toronto and the bright and unusual pairing of peacock & chartreuse greens with a hit of coral set the tone of what was yet to come...

Whimsical chartreuse vases & candelabras from Contemporary Furniture Rentals filled with Japanese tree peonies were the first thing people saw when they entered the event space.

This is a cool shot of the building; you can see how the architects at KPMB incorporated the old Royal Conservatory building within the new structure. We had musicians playing the bongos and maracas in the juliette balconies as guests walked past, into the event space where the sounds of a DJ greeted them...

I've been accused of not showing enough photos of people enjoying the parties we plan, so this last photo is to satisfy the critics! Guests were treated to a feast from North 44, amazing wines and rockin' DJ we brought in from Montreal. If an engagement party can look this beautiful, you can only imagine what we're going to do with the wedding itself... check back in March to see what we create when it's time for the Main Event...

Thank you to Storey Wilkins for the photographs.