Behind the Scenes with Christine A. Wheat Special Events
With the bride's heart set on a chic and sophisticated affair, Christine Wheat brings a formally elegant fete to life.
Christine Wheat has been coordinating weddings for more than 12 years. As the owner of Christine A.Wheat Special Events Firm, a full-service event planning, consulting, and coordination business, she stays busy executing one fantastic event after another. Nichole Mirabile and Luke Rigolosi's wedding was no exception. Eager for an elegant and opulent formal celebration, the future bride and groom enlisted Christine to make their wedding vision a reality.
Christine first met with the couple almost a year before their wedding date of May 22, 2010. They began by going over their general planning, and Christine knew right away that this was going to be a fun wedding. "The bride was very detail oriented and wanted every guest to have an ‘OMG' moment when they entered the ballroom," she says. They began immediately, working on the save the date cards and drafting a rough wedding day itinerary. This was followed by details such as arranging transportation for their 300 guests, renting a vintage car for the bride and groom, and picking fonts and graphics for the invitations. By February, the invitations were in the mail, complete with beautiful calligraphy and custom stamps.
Nichole waited anxiously for her RSVPs to be answered by the end of April. With such a large guest list, the number in attendance was extremely important, especially since they still needed to settle on a final seating chart, welcome bags, and day-of stationery. For this reason, Christine advises brides to give themselves at least four weeks after their RSVP deadline: "There are many things that depend on those final numbers."
After a few final arrangements, the big day finally arrived. The ballroom in the Hall of Springs was so beautiful, Christine was sure that every guest would experience the "wow factor" Nichole had been hoping for. "From the chic ice bowls during cocktail hour to the beautiful white dance floor, to the absolutely stunning arrangements adorning each guest table, nothing was overlooked," says Christine. The charming black-and-white affair - with a splash of pink - was formal without being stuffy, and ultimately extraordinary. For Christine Wheat, crafting magical events like this one is all in a day's work.
