What Lies Beneath

“You said something earlier about a rent-free location for my new boutique?”

Epilogue

The Daily Observer, Society Column

By Annabelle Reed-Graham

Saturday, October Twentieth

Central Park

I’ m certain that all of my readers have been following the real-life drama over the last year that has been the romance of Daily Observer mogul (and my boss) William Reese Taylor, III, and his fiancée, the beautiful and talented fashion designer Adrienne Lockhart. I’ve been personally cheering for the couple through the ups and downs and have never been as excited to type an engagement announcement as I was this past December when the groom proposed with a flawless pink-sapphire-and-diamond ring reminiscent of the jewels of royalty. I’ve waited months with bated breath, but this past weekend, I had the privilege of attending their intimate autumn wedding.

For those of you expecting one of those large, stuffy and expensive extravaganzas at the Plaza, you’re in for a big surprise. While the bride’s funky fashion sense and free spirit are well known, no one was quite certain how the event would unfold. Guesses ranged from hot-pink wedding gowns to a ceremony on a rooftop, but we were all wrong. What resulted was a beautifully traditional event with customized elements that made this wedding uniquely their own.

The wedding ceremony took place in Central Park’s Shakespeare Gardens, where a gathering of less than a hundred close friends and family members joined the bride and groom in celebrating their vows. The guests were serenaded by an elegant string quartet while they waited for the bride’s arrival.

To everyone’s surprise, the bride was walked down the aisle by George Dempsey, the owner of Dempsey Corp. and father of the late Cynthia Dempsey. The bride looked stunning in an ivory satin-and-organza gown, which she designed herself. The strapless dress had a corset top, studded with hand-sewn pearls and gold and silver Swarovski crystals set in a mystical swirling pattern across the bodice. The skirt was full and voluminous, swishing around the blushing bride like a bell. If you looked closely, you could catch a glimpse of the cheeky ivory and crystal flip-flop sandals she wore underneath it.

The flowers were expertly handled by Chestnuts in the Tuileries. The bride’s bouquet was a tight bundle of ivory roses with pink tips and stephanotis with pink crystal centers. The petal-pink ribbon around the stems matched the gown of the maid of honor, Miss Gwendolyn Wright, a friend of the bride and nurse at the hospital where the bride stayed after her tragic accident a year ago.

The groom and his best man, Mr. Alexander Stanton, both looked fetching in their Armani tuxedos. There wasn’t an ounce of nervousness in the groom. In fact, his gaze was focused so intently on his new bride as she walked down the petal-strewn aisle, the rest of us could’ve gone home and he wouldn’t have noticed.

The bride and groom exchanged customized vows under an arch woven with white hydrangeas and pink and ivory roses. I’ve personally written about more than a hundred weddings over the years, and I have to say I’ve never seen a couple beaming with as much love and joy as they did pledging their devotion to one another.

After the ceremony, guests were treated to a horse-drawn-carriage ride around Central Park to the Loeb Boathouse, where the reception was held. Guests sipped the night’s signature cocktail, “The Barefoot Bride,” a concoction of vodka, pureed strawberries and lemon seltzer, and dined on fun, nontraditional treats like filet mignon sliders, fried macaroni-and-cheese spoons and miniature corn dogs served in shot glasses with spicy Chinese mustard.

The warm wood tones of the rustic but elegant Boathouse were the perfect backdrop to the cream, rose and gold decorations. The walls were lit up in a delicate pink light, and each surface was covered in staggered sizes of ivory pillar candles and pink rose petals. Each guest table was draped with custom, hand-stitched rose-colored linens, embroidered with tiny pearls and crystals in the same swirling pattern as the bride’s gown. The glow of more ivory candles highlighted the four-foot-tall gold trumpet vases overflowing with more roses, lilies and hydrangeas and dripping with strands of crystals and pearls.

When the wedding party arrived, the bride and groom shared a lively first dance to the unexpected “Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry. They were later joined on the dance floor by the maid of honor and best man. Once the tempo of the music dropped, I have to admit I sensed something romantic happening between those two. Something to keep an eye on, since the best man is a notorious playboy.

The event was a feast for all five senses. After the first few dances, guests were treated to a gourmet meal that included a strawberry spinach salad, cold melon soup and a tender filet with shrimp, garlic whipped potatoes and roasted asparagus.