05.23.2025 Wedding at Monte Bello Estate

A couple of Fridays ago, I had the honor of coordinating S+M's wedding day. The entire week leading up to their wedding was uncharacteristically cold and gray for May. However, Mother Nature was on S+M's side for their wedding day! The sun was shining and it was perfectly cool, but not too cold! "The perfect day for a wedding!" as many guests stated!

The Monte Bello Estate used to be a family home that has since been turned into an incredible wedding venue. It sits an a huge plot of land so the only thing guests see are the beautiful house and the gorgeous nature surrounding it. The venue includes everything the couple needs for their big day. The bridal suite is large and well-lit, offering a great space for the bride and her bridesmaids to get ready. The basement of the house has been transformed into the ideal "man-cave," complete will a pool table, poker table, TV, and bar. It's the perfect space for the groom and his groomsmen to hang out before the wedding festivities begin. Guests don't spend much time in the house itself, although they do walk through it to get to the attached marquee where the reception is held.

S+M chose to do a first look and private vows and then their black-clad wedding party joined in for photos. From towering trees to green fields to a lake to a lily pond + small fountain, the amount of photo locations on the property are endless. The previous owners of the property added "Narnia" themed items like the wooden door to the house and a post clock that add to the charm of the venue. After photos, the couple and their wedding party waited inside the house while guests arrived.

The ceremony was held in a small clearing among the trees. There was minimal decor besides a large floral arch at the end of the aisle and two flower arrangements at the beginning of the aisle. Sunlight streamed through the trees and there was a gentle breeze - additional decoration was definitely not needed! Guests were directed to either walk to the ceremony space from the parking lot or were golf-carted by the Monte Bello staff. When it was time, the wedding party was also golf-carted to the ceremony spot, where they were played down the aisle by a musical trio.

After the ceremony, guests walked (or were golf-carted) to a pavilion right outside the house for cocktail hour. Guests mingled on the patio next to the pavilion that housed the bar. Table and umbrellas were set up and waiters walked around with hors d'oeuvres. Small martini glasses with charcuterie elements were also available for guests to take.

The reception was held in the marquee tent connected to the back of the house. This tent is a permanent structure so while it looks like a grand, white tent because of its draping, it does have real floors, walls, windows, and air conditioning. The room was set up for the couple's 230 guests with 22 tables and a long head table at the front of the room. Hanging from the ceiling were a number of chandeliers and string lights. The couple chose white flowers and greenery for their centerpieces, alternating between floral arrangements in gold bowls, floral arrangements on top of a clear vase, and floating candles. Small votive candles were also scattered across tables.

Guests entered the reception by walking through the foyer of the house. Once they entered the marquee, they were greeted with the place card table, the guest book (which was a Polaroid camera + book), and the bar. After guests were seated, the wedding party did their grand entrance before helping cheer on the newly weds as they entered the room, accompanied with fireworks from the DJ's firework machine. S+M went straight to cut their four tier, white, rose-adorned cake. Then M, who does not like public speaking, surprised S with a heartfelt speech, thanking her for all the hard work she put into their wedding day.

Four courses were on the menu for the night, including a pasta course to satisfy the Italian side of the family. As guests ate their first two courses, S+M walked the room, visiting with all their guests. Once the main course was served, speeches started. The bride's mother, the groom's father (who introduced himself as the bride's father-in-law), the Maid of Honor, and the Best Man spoke and then a family friend of the couple surprised guests by serenading them with a saxophone as they ate.

Once dinner was finished, S+M kicked off the dancing floor by dancing their choregraphed first dance, which they completed with M dipping S as the firework machine went off behind them. Then the bride danced with her father, followed by the groom dancing with his mother, and then, a surprise, the groom asked his grandmother to dance. After these special dances, the dance floor opened to guests.

While dancing was starting, dessert was put out. In addition to the cake, which was served to each guest at their seat, the couple had also catered an enormous amount of brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and Italian cookies. To-go boxes were placed by the cookies for guests to take home so while there were enough sweet treats to probably feed five more weddings, they were mostly all gone by the end of the night.

S+M's wedding has been many, many years in the making, as multiple guests mentioned throughout the night. They went to the same middle school and had been together for the last 11 years. I feel so privileged to have been able to help them with the wedding day they have long dreamed of (and meticulously planned)!

Vendors:

Venue: Monte Bello Estate

Photography/Videography: Ivory Grove (Carey/David)

Florist: Walden Floral Design Co

Ceremony Music: Sarlas Music

DJ: Forever Young DJ

MU&H: Glo Up