PDF - Lisa Lefkowitz

real weddings
Liz & Jake
February 19, 2011 | James Leary Flood Mansion | San Francisco
In the heart of their favorite city, two high school
sweethearts celebrate their winter nuptials in grand style.
by lauren matthews | Photography by Lisa Lefkowitz
so we kept the flowers simple,” says
Liz. In addition to the cathedral’s
organist, the couple hired the
Pacific Boychoir Academy (pacific
boychoir.org) to perform during
the ceremony. The reception kicked
off with cocktail hour in the mansion’s courtyard, where a lounge
area was set up inside a clear
tent. The 180 guests listened to
acoustic rock quartet Unplugged
(inn-entertainment.com) while
enjoying hors d’oeuvres like truffled
mac and cheese ( , next page) and
mini crab cakes. A table displayed
the couple’s families’ wedding
photos and albums . Guests
found their seats via escort cards
made by Barbara Callow
Calligraphy (barbaracallow
.com) and presented on trays
of wheatgrass. Dinner was
served in the main hall ,
where centerpieces of
tulips, hydrangeas, and ferns
decorated the tables. All
florals and furnishings were
by Kathleen Deery Design
(kathleendeerydesign.com),
and the couple worked with
Alison Events (alisonevents
Liz and Jake met during their sophomore year of high school in the East Bay.
“We were just friends until our senior
year, when he asked me to prom,” recalls
Liz. “I realized the perfect guy had been
right in front of me the whole time.” The
couple decided to celebrate their wedding
at the James Leary Flood Mansion
(floodmansion.org) in San Francisco.
“This city has been such a huge part of
our lives, and we couldn’t imagine getting
married anywhere else,” says Liz, who
104 brides.com/northerncalifornia
.com) on the wedding details.
“I’ve always wanted a classic,
elegant wedding, but I didn’t
want the environment to
feel too formal or overdone,”
says Liz. The menu included
a choice of filet of beef tenderloin or sea bass, both
served with truffled potatoes
au gratin. Catering was provided by Paula LeDuc Fine
Catering (paulaleduc.com).
For dessert, continued
donned a “timeless” Monique Lhuillier
gown and a fur shrug that she found
on Etsy.com. “The lace details, tulle skirt,
and sheer neckline were perfect for our
winter wedding,” Liz says. Her bridesmaids wore royal blue dresses by
Thread, purchased from Bella Bridesmaid
(bellabridesmaid.com). The ceremony
was held at Grace Cathedral , where
bouquets of tulips and ferns adorned
every other pew. “The cathedral is
breathtakingly beautiful on its own,
brides.com/northerncalifornia 105
real weddings
the couple and their guests enjoyed
slices of wedding cake from
Perfect Endings (perfectendings
.com). Dancing was held in the
mansion’s reception room . “Jake
and I liked that the areas for cocktail
hour, dinner, and dancing were all
separate, so guests got to experience different ‘venues’ throughout
the evening,” says Liz. For their first
dance , the couple chose “That’s
How Strong My Love Is” by Otis
Redding. Music was provided by DJ
Sol (solsoundmusic.com). “DJ Sol
played pop, hip-hop, and basically
anything people could groove to!”
says Liz. “Watching our families
and friends from different parts of
our lives dance their hearts out was
so much fun.” Before departing,
guests could help themselves to
trays of Golden Gate Bridge-shaped
chocolates from Ghirardelli as
favors. “We both absolutely love
San Francisco, so we thought the
candies were a cute idea,” says Liz.
106 brides.com/northerncalifornia