A Glimpse at My Dream Wedding, by Christina Matteucci of David Beahm Destinations

Today I am beyond thrilled to welcome back the lovely Christina Matteucci of David Beahm Design. As you may know from her amazing posts, Christina is Merci New York's Destinations Expert... and truly, we are ever-so-lucky to have her as one of our prized contributors!
This month, Christina has graciously switched gears for me, and she's dishing on something very special we both thought brides would love... What would happen if the lovely Christina, who has be privy to many of the most exquisitely designed weddings and events, was to imagine her own dream wedding?
It's a question most wouldn't answer {after all - don't we want to keep the juicy details to ourselves?}, but in her true, gracious fashion, Christina was sweet enough to share how her creative eye would compose her dream day... So, without further adieu, here's quite the treat for us all!

At the request of the lovely Jacqueline Weppner, this month I am taking a detour from my usual insight on world travel and destination event planning and instead, indulging in a bit of a guilty pleasure – a healthy dose of day-dreaming you might call it...
About a month ago, the always inquisitive Jackie and I sat down to a delicious dinner in New York City’s West Village. We ogled over the designs at the recent NYC bridal market, we delighted in the spring blossoms that were enveloping the city, we laughed, we dished – it was a fabulous evening had by all.
In the midst of dinner, Jackie asked me a question that, as David’s right hand, I am asked quite often, but always very reticent to answer: “Christina, I’m dying to know, if it was your wedding – what would you do?”  I usually hesitate to respond to this for a couple of reasons: a.) I’m downright egocentric and I want to save my grand ideas for ME and b.) working amongst such talented event professionals, I’m constantly the recipient of new inspiration and my ideas change by the minute.  But when I exposed my inner-machinations with Jackie and told her about my very private cache of magazine clippings, her eyes lit up like a little girl opening up her mother’s jewelry box.  She promptly insisted that I share my vision with you all – after all it would change in a month or so anyway, right?  So here it is: a portion of my dream wedding…at least…how it stands today.

 

There are three things that I love and prize above all others – my West Coast roots, unapologetic fashion, and delicious food.  And that’s where my dream wedding begins.
I was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and my local Catholic parish: St. Jerome’s {while not an official mission} was designed in the style of the iconic Spanish Missions in the Americas – large, dark wooden beams; smooth, pristine white stucco; and vibrant stained glass windows.
Controversial history aside, these missions and Catholic churches built in the Mission-style are some of the most elegant structures in California.  They feel like home to me; and I’ve taken a tremendous amount of inspiration from those graceful monuments in my dream wedding.

I can envision bright and joyful explosions of color both in flowers and in textiles adorning my white stucco parish: swaths of saffron, red, and gold fabric billowing from beam-to-beam above the heads of the gathered.  I see a crisp white bridal gown of heavy, cut work, Madeira lace – a quiet homage to my mother’s Portuguese roots – juxtaposed against the bright flowers that adorn my long hair which is plaited á la Frieda Kahlo and piled atop my head – all peeking out from under a Mantilla-style veil.  My bouquet: an elfin, fragrant collection of garden roses gleaned from my mother’s garden gathered at the stems by my father’s rosary beads.  And yes, if you are on the guest list to this celebration, you will be sitting through a full Mass – complete with the Ave Maria, a moment of reverence for the ladies who came before me.

 

With the solemnity and ceremony over, I cannot envision a more perfect celebration than one that is intimate, joyful, and full of the best food and drink my native California has to offer. In the special events world – we are keenly aware that the budget is often driven by the number of guests you invite to a wedding. While tradition would call for Italian/Portuguese bride have as many guests as possible, I cannot imagine a celebration over one hundred, thereby allowing more of the budget to be allocated toward amazing food and wines! With those requirements in mind, there simply could not be a more appropriate place than my beloved Napa Valley amongst the fruit and vines of the region. A delectable, multi-course dinner with an emphasis on seasonal vegetables, succulent meats, and local vintages sounds like perfection to me {can you hear me Chef Keller?}. No speeches, no toasts – just a wonderful dinner all can enjoy and savor in the midst of such a magical environment. It should go without saying, we will all party till the wee hours once the meal of a lifetime has concluded.

And then there is the delightful conundrum that is décor.  I feel sure I’ll have absolutely no say in regards to the décor for my dream wedding reception {ahh, the tiny tribulations of working with one of the most talented event designers in the world!}  But the fabulous Mr. Beahm will be given two inspirational motifs which I continually see in my dream wedding.  #1: The color yellow -- in my mind’s eye, yellow is evocative of joy and humor, fertility and abundance.  It is the glorious pollen covered center of a flower in full bloom.  It is the bumbling fuzzy bee that buzzes about in illicit joy boasting of his harvest.  In March, yellow gold washes the Napa Valley vineyards in its wild mustard plants which make my heart burst with happiness.  #2: Modest, delicate, Dutch still-life inspired flowers.  More is not more in my dream.  I want to be able to see the beauty of each bloom David has painstakingly selected.  Breath, life, movement: each arrangement would be a small work of art and one that demands viewing by those who surround it.

So what can you glean from all of my musings Merci readers?  Too often I see my brides get so wrapped up in the process of planning a wedding that they do not allow themselves the time or allocate the energy to simply dream.  For most of us – we will only get the chance one time in our lives to create the “big day.”  Cut yourself some slack from propriety, from rules, from everyone else’s opinions and have the wedding you’ve always dreamed about.  And if that means you also want to walk down a Frieda-inspired aisle and follow it with a reception that pays homage to Vermeer, well…  I suppose there’s room for us both.     

Editor's note: Want more of Christina 's  marvelous musings? {Of course you do}. Be sure to check out all her Merci New York posts here... Of course, you can also swoon over all of David and Christina's destination profiles by clicking on this link.

Moodboards courtesy of the talented Timothy Scalet.