LUXURIOUS GLAMOUR FIT FOR A FAIRYTALE WEDDING AT LAKE LAS VEGAS
Darrian and Chris met as many people do in Las Vegas, out and about with friends. After having been introduced at a nightclub, Chris knew that Darrian was special. While he wasted no time in asking her out, it took over five years for a proposal to come. During that time they traveled the world, explored spectacular restaurants, attended concerts and festivals, and build independent careers. Having finally settled into their home with their three dogs, the time had finally come! Within days of becoming engaged, Darrian called me and we began planning.
During our first meeting, Darrian told me that she had been dreaming of her wedding for as long as she could remember. She wanted the fairytale - to feel like a princess but with a sexy, modern twist. Chris loved the water, and they contemplated getting married in California. Due to COVID concerns and travel restrictions, they decided to stay closer to home, but they did not want to give up their dream of being married outside and near the water. Knowing how much they love the outdoors, I immediately focused our search on Las Vegas Vegas. Having worked out at the lake nearly 20 years ago, I was very familiar with the area and knew the beaches well. Along the private shoreline sits Reflection Bay, a golf club with sandy beaches and rolling hills. The chef is amazing, the staff is wonderful, and the views are spectacular.
Once we settled on the space, we began looking for the thing my bride had dreamt of for years; her dress! A trip to Los Angeles took us to Lovella where Darrian fell in love with a beautiful Berta gown. It featured a champagne pink underlining, gorgeous lace, and the most subtle shimmer. We wanted the dress to be transformative to match the mood of the wedding. We worked with Wedding Fashion Expert Nayri to design two custom pieces to transform the look and feel of the bride’s attire. During the ceremony, we added off-the-shoulder accents and a full, tulle overskirt in a pale, blush pink with the slightest shimmer. After the ceremony, we planned to remove the skirt and the shoulder pieces, replacing them with thin, bejeweled straps that would allow for dancing. The train would be bustled up, creating a stunning silhouette.
I do not consider wedding planning to be linear. Many details and decisions circle around one another, with one piece influencing the others. As Darrian’s fashion story took shape, I was able to pull from the elements to create the design. The various shades of her dress - the pale pinks, champagne, white, and ivory - informed the color palette and inspired me to create soft, pillowy pieces. However, one of my fears when a bride wants “pink” and “princess” is that the space will be too precious and girlie, thus being uncomfortable for the groom. To keep the design grounded, I selected a raw wood finish for the long banquet tables. The chairs were also wooden with woven backings.
Logistically, the grounds needed to serve us for both the ceremony and the reception. There were things that we needed to accomplish during one experience that did not quite work for the other. For example, we wanted to fill the sky with bistro lights for dinner service and dancing, but they would have felt out of place during the ceremony. With only 90 minutes to transform the space, we would not have had time to set the lights and install them. Instead, we set the lights up in the early morning, placing them and filling in the strings to ensure the proper pattern. We set the poles and then took down the lights themselves, wrapping them around the base so that we could re-hang them quickly. Another element we needed to consider was the pergolas. I wanted to anchor the back of the space with large wooden structures that would sit over the bridal party tables. We would not have time to assemble those during the time between the ceremony and the reception. Instead, we created them early, dressed them in greenery, and deployed them as a decorative aisleway under which the bridal party entered.
On the morning of the wedding, Darrian and her bridal party got ready in the Bridal Suite at Reflection Bay, while Chris and his groomsmen loaded their engagement shoot rowboat into the water. They spent the afternoon apart before finally meeting privately for a first reveal at the base of the northern staircase. Darrian took Chris’ breath away when he saw her for the first time in her dress. My bride was every inch the princess, complete with a Maria Elena crown, lace-trimmed veil, and billowing tulle overskirt.
After posing for photos, we tucked the bridal party away while Stephen Salazar took the couple through the grounds. We found a beautiful, clean white wall that allowed for gorgeous portraits, and we had created an entry arch that was soft but very full with heavy blooms for more romantic images.
When the guests arrived they walked through the arch and out to the lawn to take their seats for the ceremony. Darrian’s father was in his full dress blues as he walked his baby down the aisle. Chris waited in his tux, and they exchanged personal vows on the lake.
Cocktail hour featured a custom boozy ice cream station and passed hors d’oeuvres with a full open bar. Javier Valentino built a beautiful garden of pale pink roses that were cut to hold escort cards, and we set vintage-style furniture throughout the lawn.
Our team of 50+ worked quickly to remove chairs, bring in tables, and set florals. Working with both long wooden tables and rounds covered in pale champagne linens, we stayed with a soft color palette of creams and ivories with pale pink roses and greens. Working lakeside means that you often need to contend with the wind so we cautiously avoided anything too high for the tables. Instead, we designed low arrangements with candles to keep the focus on the lights above and the view. The place settings needed to be extra special, and have a certain amount of substance in order to ground the design. We used a gold-rimmed glass charger plate and topped it with a heavier stone grey plate. The plate was wrapped in a sand-colored satin napkin with a rose tucked into the fold. On each side, we set gold utensils. We set the bride and groom's sweetheart table between the two free-formed arches that they had been married between. Off to the side, we sat there towering wedding cake. Dressed in pink fondant, metallics, and fresh flowers this beautiful piece made a tremendous statement in the reception.
Darrian dreamt of dancing on the clouds for her first dance, which she did in Golden Goose tennis shoes! Friends and family toasted the couple while being served a four-course meal from the chef before being invited to enjoy their sweets display. As the sun went down and the night went on, we had a special performance from celebrity DJ Loud Luxury. Everyone was on the floor…except for the bride who was literally dancing on the table!
Post-wedding a smaller group retreated to the bar where they enjoyed karaoke late into the night. Afterward, they escaped the city for a quick trip to Mexico - the first of a series of trips the two would take as they celebrated their marriage.
Darrian and Chris Trillo have now settled into life in Las Vegas with their menagerie of dogs. Darrian continues to work as a mortgage specialist and Chris has continued on in nightlife. Darrian continues to describe her wedding as the best night of her life, and she texts me every time she is at another wedding to tell me how much she loves her memories. It’s always a sweet note to get and a beautiful reminder that the wedding may only be one night, but the memories last a lifetime.
xoxo - Andrea
CREDITS:
Las Vegas Wedding Planner Andrea Eppolito. Photos and video by Stephen Salazar. Lake Las Vegas Venue: Reflection Bay. Florals: Javier Valentino. Rentals: RSVP. Lighting: LED UNplugged. Dress: Berta. Salon: Lovella Bridal. Styled by: Wedding Fashion Expert Nayri. Headpiece and Jewels: Maria Elena.
