Our cocktail hour, in the grand ballroom with extra seating on the lawn, allowed guests to enjoy the sunset. Favorites were the seafood station, the pasta action station, and the sushi station. Waiters passed hors d’oeuvres, including lamb chops and crab cakes. Just before our reception, Darleen Hendricks, our bridal attendant, pulled Evan and me into the library to take a few moments to relax and eat.
We made the beautiful Terrace Ballroom our own, adding a white dance floor with our monogram in gold, a two-tier band stage, and uplighting that changed colors to the music. Our magnificent centerpieces had hydrangeas, roses, peonies, snapdragons, lisianthus, and cascading orchids in white and pale blue accents matching my bridesmaids’ dresses. For entrées, guests had grilled filet mignon, pan-seared Chilean sea bass, or pan-seared chicken breast. Evan and I received all three! With a waiter at each table and an additional bar in the ballroom, service was impeccable for our 230 guests. For dessert, the dining room became a dessert café. Favorites were the chef’s flambé station, the waffle and ice cream station, and our wedding cake, with alternating layers of pistachio and double chocolate. Our 10-piece band kept guests dancing all night. We had a photo booth with a lavish flower wall backdrop and towards the end of the night we gave out light sticks with our hashtag, #evanslovestory printed on them. Our after-party in Oheka’s restaurant and in the library had live music, sliders, mac and cheese bites, and French fries. As a parting gift, we had Duchess Cookies’ chocolate chip and funfetti cookies.