Last Saturday I woke up at 5:00am and immediately tuned into the royal wedding coverage. By 7:30 am I was at The Mandarin Oriental Boston setting up for their rose viewing party. When they asked me to be a part of their event I had to pinch myself. Did they know exactly how obsessed I was with the royal family?

They would soon find out!

In all my chatter speculating about what Meghan Markle would wear, what flowers she would carry and which of Harry’s ex-girlfriends would attend, my brother asked me “why the hell do you care?”.

Fair question.

My answer.

There are very few moments when you feel the whole world is watching the same thing at the same time. Especially when those things are happy celebrations, not natural disasters or conflicts. Maybe if we can come together in the good times we’ll all be more supportive when the stakes are higher.

I love that a wedding is something every culture around the world celebrates. Each with their own traditions and rituals. Yet, we all share in the sentiment of uniting two people and that should be celebrated.

So long story short I was thrilled to put on a fascinator and celebrate a wedding like no other.

Inside The Mandarin Oriental Boston I designed a series of tables with my friend Jimmy Guzman of JNG Event Consulting and PEAK Event Services. Our vision was for an elevated garden that felt as if it was growing right in front of you for this special occasion.

We layered vintage and more contemporary china patterns in a nod to the modernity the Duck and Duchess of Sussex will bring to the monarch.

And for two hours everyone in the ballroom at The Mandarin Oriental Boston chatted, sipped on a Windsor cocktail and watched a truly magnificent wedding unfold.

The planner in me was amazed by the intention behind their wedding decisions.

I know not everyone loved Meghan’s gown but I thought it was very interesting that she choose Claire Waight Keller of Givenchy as her designer. Keller is the first female head of a French fashion house and I think Meghan knew what message that would send. I would have loved to have seen her in something a bit more modern but I applaud her thinking.

“Every one of the hand-embroidered flowers on the trim of the five-meter-long veil was unique. They expressed Markle’s desire to have all 53 members of the Commonwealth family of nations, a voluntary association of countries that were formerly ruled by Britain, represented at the ceremony. The team that created the veil researched the distinctive flora of each country, and Waight Keller’s design weaved them all into a single composition.”

Harry left a seat open for his mother and picked the flowers for Meghan’s bouquet from Princess Diana’s memorial garden.

They invited Rev. Curry, the first African-American leader of the Episcopal church to preside.

When we work with clients in planning their wedding at The Mandarin Oriental Boston or any other venue these are exactly the type of personal touches we strive to bring out.

It’s all in the details.

Three details I’m hoping become state-side wedding trends:

1. Show-stopping veils with blushers
2. Wedding parties filled with kids
3. Simple organic cake trios

 

Until the next royal wedding, I’ll be watching every cheesy made for TV movie about the Windsors. And continuing to sip rose.

{photo credit: Binita Patel Photography}