Yo ho, Yo ho, a pirate’s life for… who?! Shiver me timbers, this has got to be unlike anything I have EVER done! This episode is a real treasure chest for me, because not only do I have to battle through swashbuckling ideas, but this is my first bride out in Los Angeles, CA! In the entire history of the show, I have not been to California, and I am beyond thrilled to start my voyage with these amazing women! The first gem in my treasure chest that I got to meet was Brooke. Words cannot even begin to describe why she is such a special find. When I opened the door I was greeted with a beaming ray of light, and a whirlwind of thanks. Brooke was overjoyed and was so energetic as she welcomed me into her home in Long Beach, CA. But my excitement soon dissipated when I saw the coffee table filled with “buried treasure.”
If this was buried treasure, I think it has been under the sand for far too long. Some of the things that Brooke had were nice ideas, executed in the wrong way. One word she kept using to describe her wedding, was “dirty.” Excuse me? That word does NOT exist in my vocabulary. She had treasure chests, skulls, coins, and even Pirate’s Booty. Brooke really wanted to incorporate her father who recently passed away, so because he had a casino called the “Cameo Club,” she designed accessories for the girls to have in their hair which included a small ivory cameo. Cute idea and I love how she wants to incorporate her Father into the wedding. But dirty colors, pirate chests, and Davey Jones’ locker? I soon felt like I was sinking, and when I saw the bridesmaids gowns, I was struggling to find air.
Brooke is such a vivacious and kind hearted woman, that I thought her bridesmaid dresses would pop with color and excitement, but when they walked out, all this voyager could see was a sea of bland. A muted brown color that did not accentuate any of the girls features. I was unimpressed and hopeful to see if her wedding gown would give me hope. Brooke walked out in a mermaid style dress that seemed to be a little too tight up top. She has an amazing figure, but it needed to be complimented in the right way. The color and cut was all too wrong. I refuse to have any of my belles of the ball looking like a wench from a pirate ship. I needed to start paddling fast, or else I was a goner. She told me about a location that we couldn’t visit because the distance was too far, and they were having issues getting some of the family members there, which didn’t sound like a very promising space. Brooke was getting extremely overwhelmed with incorporating everything and making everyone happy. It was time I stepped in to rescue the maiden!
But what to do? It’s a pirate themed wedding! How do I help her bridesmaid’s get out of that bland sea, give her a dress that compliments her figure, and incorporate her Father along with the theme of Pirates? Right now, I am thinking I need a parrot on my shoulder to guide me in the right direction!
Brooke definitely needed a new dress so that was first on my list of things to take care of. I had her try on three of my gowns in Beverly Hills, making her feel like the bride she should. David Tutera by Faviana is inspired by dresses on the red carpet, worn on the white. She looked phenomenal in all three gowns, and slowly began to forget the dress she initially showed me. Now that her dress was out of the way, I wanted to do a few other things for her to get her mind off the stress of the wedding. I wanted to take this bride off the chaos of the pirate ship and have her loosen up a bit. So where did I take her? Rock climbing! I wanted to take her mind off of the wedding, and show her a bit of excitement. Initially, there was shock, but after she began to scale the wall and make it up her first time, she began to trust my guidance and swing down the rocks like a true pirate. Her fears had fled, and we were having a GREAT time! A true maiden of the sea needs not only a gorgeous dress, but real treasure. She tried on three sets of jewelry that truly made her feel like a glamorous star, and all the pieces in each set were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. I truly wanted to make her feel special. I also decided to change her bridesmaid dresses so that instead of drab and boring walking down the aisle, different bright colors would surround Brooke, as different gems from the treasure chest. Colors are important in a wedding and you want to pick colors that will make your bridesmaids sparkle!
Now on to the venue! Brooke’s venue needed some changing as well, and Brooke was overjoyed and a bit confused when she met me the day of her wedding at a sound stage. Little did she know what I had in store for her! She and her bridesmaids waited for me, where they were shown the dresses I picked along with the gown and jewelry I chose for Brooke. After Brooke got ready, she was greeted by her guests in a white room where colorful fabrics were gathered and hung in the center of the ceiling, enclosing the guests and the ceremony. The alter was elevated, giving her the spotlight, and actual spotlights surrounded the ceremony, giving her the feeling that this pirate bride was on the set of the next pirate film. The aisles were lined with candelabras dripping with burgundy ameranthis. The flower girls each had a cameo on, and tossed dimes instead of flowers to remember her father. This is because her father told her before he passed that every time she saw a dime, he was thinking of her. The ceremony was emotional and spectacular! But just wait… this bride is going to abandon ship in excitement when she sees her reception!
When I brought her to her reception she was nervous and had no idea what to expect. When she opened her eyes, she was in a different sound stage, surrounded by 16 ft tall palm trees and over 40 unique chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The tables surrounded the dance floor and tall candelabras dripped with wax and more burgundy ameranthis. Jewels and diamonds layed on crushed velvet cloths on each table and the floor was covered in Persian rugs. On each end of the sound stage hung two Arial artists who served alcohol upside down, and one Arial artist in the middle for entertainment. The sweetheart table was elevated to give attention to Brook and her groom, and the live band created an exciting tone for a fabulous pirate bash. Brooke was overjoyed and you could tell by the smile on her face and tears in her eyes. Also to commemorate her father, her entire family got up and danced to a song they all used to wake up to in the mornings, in place of the father daughter dance.
Every wedding is different and needs to cater to each bride’s story. At first, a pirate themed wedding seemed ridiculous and out of the question, but as this voyager ended his journey, he realized the seas were calmer than expected, and the destination was worth more than words can describe. All it takes is a little faith to steer the way and you will find the hidden treasure!
