MARI & BERNIE

On a beautiful day in January, Mari & Bernie celebrated their wedding at the historic Villa Woodbine. The couple got ready with their bridal party at the W Hotel in Downtown, Miami. Marz Makeup & Hair team glammed all of these already beautiful women. Meanwhile Bernie and his dapper groomsmen had a few drinks while dressing up in their black tie best.

The ceremony took place at Plymouth Congregational Church. Mari’s bridesmaids processed in black beautiful dresses - each unique. Mari & Bernie chose to have an earlier ceremony and not do a first look. It was special for them to see each other for the first time when they walked down the aisle. After the ceremony, Kane & Social still had natural light to work with and take some spectacular shots in the outdoors of Villa Woodbine.

During the planning process, it was very important for Mari & Bernie for their guests to feel as if they were walking into a huge celebration and did not want anything “boring”. So I gave them the idea of having guests welcome to Old School R&B music for cocktail hour as they entered the Villa. This would set the tone for the rest of the night….and boy, did it!

Decor-wise, their vision was to have their guests feel as if they were coming to a New Year’s Eve celebration - fun but also tres chic. In my mind, it was NYE meets Gatsby. With the help of Blooms and Unearthed Vintage, we had lampshades made with florals and pearls and a striking large chandelier hanging over the backyard of the Villa - giving that additional glam to welcome the guests.

It was very important to Mari to have the cake displayed inside and in a focal area. Mari’s mom is a renown cake designer who created a 10 tiered ornate cake, which lied on a rotating axis. It was the most amazing cake I have ever seen and left the guests in awe.

The couple chose the acoustic version of Kygo’s “Firestone” as their first dance. Their siblings gave some amazing (and embarrassing) toasts to start off the night. Rock with U had their DJ Fusion Band kick off the night and had the guests looking for creative spaces to dance. Not a person in sight was sitting at any given time. Gatsby would have definitely been proud.

“I COULDN’T HELP BUT WONDER…”

A couple of #bts you would’ve never known about:

#1 - I was not Mari & Bernie’s original planner. Mari called me after cutting ties with her former planner. Upon receiving this call, I was already a bit skeptical because as a planner you wonder if you are getting a nightmare client…and it couldn’t have been further from the truth. They gave me complete creative freedom and did not question any recommendation I ever made. They were truly dream clients.

#2 - Upon our first meeting, we hit it off immediately. Mari made sure that I knew how important it was to them that the wedding be fashion forward. She described Bernie’s style as - and I quote - “very boujee” (see his Salvator Ferragamo’s as proof). Luckily, I was able to meet his standards.

#3 - In order to keep the “party” aspect in sync, I had a sign made with the quote “Trust me, you can dance” - Alcohol. I also had personalized napkins made with the quote “And if the music is good, you dance” with their famous hashtag #partylikeapimentel

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