Modern Bride New York
Fall 2004
~~~~~~~
Corinne & Avi
July 27th, 2003
East Hampton, New
York
The Wedding Planner's Wedding
|
Modern Bride New York ~~~~~~~ Corinne & Avi |
|
their days, THREE CONSULTANTS REVEAL THE CHOICES THEY MADE FOR THEIR OWN WEDDINGS By Jennifer Hoppe |
 |
|
When your job entails planning other people's weddings, what do you do for yours? We asked a few recently married consultants about what they ultimately chose - and why. The Consultant: Corinne Soikin Timor, owner of Hampton Wedding, which stages events in New York City and the Hamptons. The Date: July 27th, 2003 The Scene: Despite the fact that both had been married before, Corinne and her groom, Avi Timor, wanted to have a full-scale wedding. "People would ask, 'why are you doing a big wedding?'" she says, "and I'd say, 'for the same reason that any bride chooses to have a full-scale wedding' - it's a public display of love and you want to have all your friends and family around you". The East Hampton home of Ruth and Harvey Spear, Corinne's friends, served as the ceremony and reception sites. Standing under a chuppah Corinne had designed and painted herself (her wedding-planning business grew out of her original business of making custom chuppahs), the couple said their vows amidst a grove of trees that bordered a meadow brimming with wild flowers. "The ceremony is primary," Corinnes says. "You set the tone with it." Later, dinner was served to 75 guests - who had come from as far away as Israel - under a large tent set up on the grounds of the Spears' home. The Plan: With 20 years in the wedding business under her belt, Corinne had made a number of what she calls "professional personal friends," many of whom she used on her wedding day. "I wanted to use professionals I had worked with through the years," she says. As a bonus, many of these vendors had worked together before, creating a sort of team spirit. But one person Corinne has worked especially close with - Clare Schoenheimer, her Hampton Wedding associate of many years - can be credited with the event's overall success. "We work so well together and balance each other out in so many ways that it really was a pleasure for both of us," Clare says. The Dress: "I had a vision of pale gold silk," says Corinne. Her search for that perfect dress wasn't as difficult as one may think: "One store. One dress. Done." The store was Alicia Mugetti, located on Madison Avenue. The dress was a floor-length, hand-dyed pale gold gown cut on the bias. "Somebody told me I looked the Oscar and Avi looked like the winner," Corinne jokes. The Florist: Corinne decided not to carry flowers down the aisle (instead, she and Avi walked down together, holding hands), and chose not to have attendants (she and Avi's adult sons presented the rings). But her party was completely abloom. Corinne presented her collection of Portuguese pottery and dishes to Betsy Perrier, the florist behind Wedding Gardens, and gave one direction: "Go crazy - be an artist," she recalls. The cobalt blue and yellow summer flowers - delphinium, dahlias, cornflowers, roses and more - created a festive yet casual look to blend with the outdoor locale. The Caterer: New York City-based caterer Susan Holland and Company created the couple's "Mediterranean-Hampton feast, which included fish kebabs and an array of salads, as well as chicken and beef entrees. "Some of the guests were Kosher," notes Clare, "so we decided to make the entire menu around that." The food - "a visual feast as well as an edible one" - was brought in from New York that morning. Luckily for Corinne, Ruth, an accomplished chef and cookbook author, had plenty of room in her kitchen for locally based Vivine Evans Service to assemble the meal. The Cake: Renowned baker Ron Ben-Israel's beautiful cake was just one of the services offered to Corinne as a present. Delicate fondant blossoms, mirroring Corinne's invitation and chuppah, covered the exterior - each flower had a biblical reference. The inside was just as lovely: genoise cake with blood orange, chocolate and raspberry filling. "I could not make up my mind," says Corinne. The Entertainment: Hiring the eight-piece Ken Gross Orchestra to play during the event was a given. Clare and Corinne had seen them perform virtually every kind of music over the years and every time they had been nothing short of "magnificent," Clare says. Corinne especially liked how Ken customized his performance to the couple, and her wedding was no exception, as he asked Yoel Sharabi to sing with them. "Weddings are all about 'addition,' so it was a great assest that Ken chose an Israeli singer to enhance the orchestra," Corinne says. "It made the Israeli guests feel so welcome." The Experience: "Deciding what to spend money on and what not to spend money on is crucial," says Corinne. "Clare was great about keeping me in balance, so I now know how important a part of my job that is." Her Advice: "Having your family and friends around you is most important," Corinne says. "Make it comfortable for your guests - provide transportation, easy access to the sites and hotel choices. I had many out-of-town - and out-of-country - guests, so I realized what a crucial piece of advice this is." |
|
Excerpted
from 'their days, their ways', Modern Bride New York, Fall
2004 |
|
Wedding
Planner's Wedding - Home |