In all three seasons of My Fair Wedding this was the first time I was unsure of my new bride, Jessica. I honestly thought when I arrived to her home that she was in excellent shape. I mean, I have seen some off-the-wall things on this show; blinged out fake pigs, poker chips, a medieval themed wedding, grocery store bouquets and so much more. However, Jessica seemed to have a great direction for her wedding. Her colors were purple and chartreuse, she had nice printed materials, her bridal gown was lovely, and her idea for overall design and vision was unique. She wanted the look to be modern and chic. I can remember the first day of filming when I met Jessica and her fiancé. I pulled my producers aside and said “this bride doesn’t need me, she has it all together.” I think we have the wrong bride for My Fair Wedding.
Well, after no time at all, I realized I was very much needed as the wedding unveiled. The list of problems and issues became crystal clear. Jessica wanted a wedding that was modern, unique, and one that would represent her Buddhist religion. I was so excited to embrace her religion and it encouraged me to make this wedding one that her family, congregation and friends would truly embrace. I also learned that Jessica was so worried about all of her wedding details, that it didn’t allow her to be relaxed and carefree. I was worried that she wouldn’t enjoy her wedding day. She seemed so guarded and controlled. I wanted my new bride to loosen up and learn to have fun and relax. This was my major mission for Jessica. I know my role as a wedding planner is to take my brides’ vision and give them a re-vision, but I had a bigger journey to take with Jessica.
Her wedding, due to budget and time, was going to take place all in one location. A wedding ceremony for one-hundred guests would follow with a sit down dinner. No room for dancing, no room for fun and no room for anything more than a dinner party. This forced Jessica to split her guests into two rooms. Jessica’s idea of style seemed to make sense but she had no vision for what a wedding needed to make it special. All weddings need to tell a story and Jessica wasn’t telling hers. This wedding needed a thread to pull it together from beginning to end. She needed what all weddings need – a timeline to tell her story. The story always begins with the ceremony, then leads to celebration. Special moments are needed to provide emotion – like toasts, special dances, and music that crescendos as time progresses. When you plan your wedding, you must look at it as if it were a roller coaster ride. You take your guests on a journey through time. Building moments through emotion is key. You can create this through different elements within your wedding. Elements such as music, lighting, and décor help to create mood and develop memories. The problem with Jessica is that she didn’t understand how to execute this, but I was sure I was going to make it happen!
Having her mom involved with the wedding was crucial. This made Jessica feel more comfortable and it allowed me to understand the energy that was necessary to surround the wedding. You will see in this episode Jessica blossoming from the beginning to the end of her wedding. I felt so blessed to be part of it all. I surprised my bride with dancing lessons so she and her groom could relax and have fun. I even took Jessica to trapeze lessons to show her how to relax during her wedding. This was a pivotal point where I finally saw the wall of worry come crumbling down. I guess you can say I will do anything for my brides!
The time I spent with Jessica and her mom was wonderful. I learned that serenity, peace, and wisdom were key words that made up who they were as people. I wanted to incorporate contemporary elements of earth to her wedding and reception. The elements of water and fire, as well as organic elements, were added to tables, the room and lighting. These elements helped to create the energy necessary for this unique style wedding.
What I love about this show is that it challenges me daily. It teaches me to learn from my brides as I embrace who they are and allow them to grow. I hope Jessica will continue to embrace life as a married woman and see the beauty of having fun. When I first met Jessica she was overwhelmed about the direction of her wedding. What Jessica had though, were strong ideas that needed a concrete foundation. Once we created the foundation the wedding began to blossom, and so did Jessica.
David Tutera
