Our cocktail hour was a two-hour formal reception. Throughout the cocktail rooms and outside on the grounds, live music from a trio of electric violinists and a quartet of Italian singers serenaded our guests. We had 16 different stations with our favorite foods, an upscale wine bar, tequila bar, and a martini bar set up in the cocktail rooms overflowing into the gardens. Joe Leone and his team made fresh mozzarella, homemade ricotta, and burrata cheese. We ended cocktail hour with a 15-minute fireworks display, choreographed with handpicked love songs.
Passing the grand staircase with cascading flowers from top to bottom, our guests entered the ballroom to be greeted by a chic, white palette. We added a white carpet and white acrylic dance floor over the existing one. Our sweetheart table had crystal candelabras at either end with coordinating flowers and a display of hydrangea and hybrid delphinium on the floor. We had alternating centerpieces of flowers, candles, and hanging tea lights. A tent off the ballroom in the garden allowed guests to wander and enjoy our bourbon and scotch bars. The dance floor was filled from beginning to end. It made us so happy to see everyone having such a great time. Looking at our photos, we were both smiling non-stop. When dancing to our first dance song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” we felt like we were the only two people in the room.
Dinner was as perfect as everything else. First course was a lobster and colossal crabmeat sabayon; second course was a roasted red and yellow beet salad, and our entrée options were bone-in filet mignon, pan-seared Dover sole, and a chicken roulade. Each entrée was accompanied by a truffle-scented seven-layer cake, roasted red pepper mousse, and grilled asparagus. Following the reception was a two-hour after-party in the veranda. We turned it into a nightclub with a boardwalk and diner theme. Our favorite station was the Luberto Fitness Station, which we had in memory of Anthony’s Dad. It offered different flavored smoothies along with specialty cookies. We used the original sign from the gym in Nutley, NJ, which added a special touch.
