Real Weddings: Michael & Stella’s Elegant Affair at Brandview Ballroom
On the last weekend of August, Stella and Michael said “I do” in the presence of hundreds of family and friends. The pair combined their Armenian and Greek heritages for a cross-cultural picture-perfect ceremony and reception that elegantly highlighted food, family, fun and tradition.
Stella confides that the best part of the wedding was not planning it. She left the grand task in the capable hands of Kristine from Chic Sparkles. And for good reason. Though nestled in New York, Stella and Michael chose to wed in Stella’s hometown, Los Angeles. Looking to avoid the hurdles of planning a cross-country wedding, the pair’s first order of business was booking a wedding planner.
Kristine transformed Stella and Michael’s vision of a traditional, yet modern wedding into reality. She helped the couple plan and execute every last detail, from welcome baskets at the guests’ hotel to picking their venue, LA Banquets’ Brandview Ballroom.
The wedding was planned around creating various areas for the guests to congregate. Out on the Patio (one of the first events at our brand new Patio at Brandview!), guests enjoyed hookah in an intimate setting under billowy drapes. Inside, guests mingled at the open bar, picked up treats at the dessert station, and bites to nibble on at the seafood station all while being serenaded by a solo harpist.
For Stella, the highlight of the wedding was the cake cutting. While she and Michael prepared to slice into their gorgeous six-tier cake by Art’s Bakery (designed by their wedding planner), Michael’s friends prepped champagne bottles by giving them a vigorous shake. As the couple sliced into the cake, the champagne bottles were popped, spraying everyone and everything with a bit of bubbly. “It was like nothing I have seen before! Not the traditional off-to-the-corner cake cutting!”
And the wedding itself was full of many things some of the guests had never seen before. Many of the out-of-town guests had never experienced an Armenian wedding and loved the all-night family-style food service provided by Anoush Catering. In another nod to Armenian culture, traditional Armenian dancers walked the couple into the banquet hall at the beginning of the reception.
Our deepest congratulations from everyone at LA Banquets to Michael and Stella!
Photographer: Armen Poghosyan, Wedding Planner: Kristine Piloyan, Chic Sparkles, Flowers: Avant Garden, Cake: Art’s Bakery, Venue: LA Banquets Brandview Ballroom, Catering: Anoush Catering
