Growing up in Yonkers, Jennifer Spaziante would “go to play” at a nearby floral shop every day after school. By age 17, she had landed a job in a Manhattan floral shop, designing floral arrangements for the likes of Madonna and Harrison Ford. At 19, she was freelancing for Martha Stewart Weddings. Eight years ago, Jennifer, today 31, joined Arcadia Floral Company in Mamaroneck, where she is a special-events designer and happily helps 20 to 50 brides a week plan their big day.
So when Jennifer Spaziante and Enrico DiFilippo, 46, a real estate developer from Greenwich, Connecticut, decided to tie the knot, she knew exactly what she wanted: an elegant Westchester wedding. “I think the services and people in the county are just as good as in New York City. Brides sometimes have the misconception that Manhattan is some kind of bridal Mecca. I chose all local vendors.”
Which was a snap, since most of them are like family to her. She chose the VIP Country Club in New Rochelle because she loved the open space with all the windows, but also because she has known Joseph Morelli, the owner, all her life. Ditto Fernanda Botticelli, owner of House of Botticelli in Bronxville. “I had a specific idea of what I wanted and Fernanda listened to me and brought out exactly what I hoped to find,” she says of her gorgeous Maggie Sottero haute couture gown with a corseted bodice.
Her work family, Arcadia, transformed the VIP Club into a winter wonderland for the December 6, 2008, wedding. Walls were covered with ivory silk; a tented lounge area was created on one side. On the tables, draped in silk lamour, three-foot-tall custom vases each were filled with 75 to 100 French calla lilies. Surrounding the lilies, she had pillar candles in staggered heights and 24 frosted votives illuminated from below; Swarovski crystals were sprinkled among them.
Was planning her very own big day a piece of (wedding) cake? Not quite. “In ways, it was less stressful, since I had confidence in everyone I chose,” Jennifer says. “But because everyone’s expectations were so high, I was stressed on another level. But I trusted everyone I worked with so I knew my wedding would be perfect, despite the little and not so little glitches.” And it was.
Resources:
FLOWERS, LIGHTING, LINENS: Arcadia Floral Company LIMOS: Club International Limousine VENUE: VIP Country Club HAIR & MAKEUP: Paula DaSilva of Salon 2000, (914) 631-2000; GOWN: House of Botticelli, SHOES: Benjamin Adams, Siren Boutique MUSIC: Dynamic Entertainment CAKE: LuLu Cake Boutiqe FAVORS: Chocolations INVITATIONS: Rose Bridal, Eastchester (914) 793-1080; PHOTOGRAPHY: Studio A
