A Lotos Club Wedding, Lavish and Easy-going

The stereotype is that the bride plans the wedding, and the groom goes along for the ride. In this case, the opposite was true. Most of the details at this utterly fabulous Lotos Club wedding were planned by the groom.

Michael, as Jennifer told us, “has a powerful vision for everything he touches, sees, or experiences.”

What a vision!

They held their wedding reception at the Lotos Club, one of the oldest literary clubs in NYC. The French Renaissance-style building was originally constructed in 1900 as a wedding gift for one of William Vanderbilt’s granddaughters. Every detail at Jennifer and Michael’s wedding riffed on the baroque style of the architecture.

Franz James Floral created the dramatic white and green floral centerpieces and a cascading garland on the banner of the main staircase. The incredible, asymmetrical wedding cake by Ron-Ben Israel was festooned with white flowers and gold embellishments to match the centerpieces and the ornate plaster and wood carvings throughout the club. The food included a towering shellfish buffet and extravagant hors d’oeuvres like blinis with caviar.

Sometimes, elaborately formal occasions can be intimidating or perhaps a bit stuffy. Jennifer and Michael’s wedding, though, was anything but that. It was a riotous party, filled with laughter, dancing, and music — in fact, many of the musicians were old friends and relatives of the bride and groom.

I have a feeling that this is exactly what Michael’s vision was all about. He designed the wedding to offer his and Jennifer’s friends and family a beautiful gift: the gift of an unforgettable experience.