THE EMERALD GREEN CITY OF OZ WEDDING FEATURED IN GRACE ORMONDE WEDDING STYLE

Wedding Planning & Event Design by Andrea Eppolito. Images by Rene Zadori

There is nothing like seeing your work featured; especially when the design was such a risk!

I have wanted to do an all-green wedding for years. Green is a fairly polarizing color; people either love it or they hate it. When the couple loves the outdoors, however, and when you deliver the green en mass the hue becomes surprisingly neutral and easy to accept.

Theresa and Jeff feel most comfortable outdoors. They love the trees and the mountains. When I asked Theresa where she felt the most like herself, she said, “outside” and I knew that they were the right couple for this design.

When I pitched the idea of an all-green wedding to our design partners, there were certainly a lot of raised eyebrows! Those shocking looks turned to excitement very quickly, and everyone was on board to create and install something that Las Vegas had never seen before.

In my behind-the-scenes production video (click here to watch) I talk about how a ballroom is an empty box. When I design, I typically start from the outermost edges and work my way in. That meant we would need to surround the room in thick, emerald green drapes. I had this crazy idea of sodding the entire space with real grass, although for practicality we ended up mixing turf and sod. The dirt and life grass were used to anchor the plants of the ceremony and the trees, while the sod gave us a sturdy base we could build upon.

The flooring and drape were installed easily. The chandeliers, the ceiling, and the dance floor were all perfect, too. We were moving through the setup quickly and easily, it was almost too good to be true! I went from second-guessing my choice of color palette to falling in love with the green, and then…Tragedy.

While loading into the ballroom our rental partner told me that there had been an accident. Sixteen of our twenty-four mirror topped tables were broken. This was a true catastrophe! I found out at 10:00 AM and doors were set to open at 6:00 PM. How, how would I ever pull this off?!? We played with all sorts of ideas; including having them wrapped in vinyl. We tried it, we did, but nothing worked the way it should. I started making phone call after phone call, trying desperately to find someone who could cut glass top tables for me. After working through the usual suspects and our traditional partners, I moved to the housing market. I was able to connect with a custom home builder who miraculously was able to cut the tables with literally less than an hour to spare!

Guests arrived to the Primrose Ballroom and walked through a tunnel of drape out onto a covered balcony. The floor was turfed, the walls were drapes, and we anchored a veritable forest of trees and plants in sod and grass. Gold chairs with green cushions were set to create a winding pathway that lead our bride and groom up to the alter.

After the couple took their vows, the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour while the newlyweds posed for pictures. Our team stripped the tunnel drape, moved the chairs, and quickly dressed the tables for our guests.

When we opened the doors, friends and family entered through 50 feet of arches dressed in branches and greens, lit by hanging votives. In the end, we placed a fountain covered in greens and white flowers, with running water and floating candles. Every table was topped with glass, and trailing displays of candelabras, light, and roses. The mirrors and golden accents elevated the greenery. The goal was classy and sophisticated as opposed to woodsy and garden-esque.

To add a touch of modern luxury, we brought in a black accent and unique shape through the Meldeen menus. The hexagons were very unexpected, and I think that a touch of black makes anything feel formal and upscale. Gold-rimmed glasses, flatware, and twisted ivory napkins added another layer of interest to the tables.

As a cake lover, I am always looking for an interesting way to make the cake a statement piece. When we were at Javier Valentino’s studio I was looking at this moss wall and said, “How amazing would it be to create a floor to ceiling wall of greenery with floating mini wedding cakes?” Javier thought I was crazy, but he was up for the challenge and built me the most magnificent wall! The team at ARIA Las Vegas was absolutely up for the challenge, and they created three beautiful designs that designated the different flavors we were serving.

The Jordan Kahn Orchestra entertained us all night long! First, with Georgia Bridgewater and Travis, then with DJ Nate Nelson.

Always…a

CREDITS:

Las Vegas Wedding Planner & Event Designer Andrea Eppolito. Photo by Rene Zadori. Video by Le Reve Films. Florals by Javier Valentino. Lighting by Encore. Rentals by Palace Party Rentals. Venue ARIA Las Vegas. Paper by Meldeen. Band by Jordan Kahn Orchestra and Georgia Bridgewater. DJ Nate Nelson. Dress by Galia Lahav. Reception Dress by Erin Cole. Shoes by Jimmy Choo. Beauty by Elwynn & Cass.