Elegant Wedding: Real Wedding: Heartstrings
This New Jersey couple set the night to music at their Philadelphia garden wedding
STEVEN KAUFFMAN GREW UP SURROUNDED BY THE SWEET SOUNDS of string instruments played by his large, musically talented family in Wyoming. A lifelong dream was that the woman he would marry would share his passion — and that one day, she might even play strings with him. But Steven had no idea that his bride-to-be, Jolene Gatas, was secretly taking violin lessons for a year before their wedding — or that during their ceremony, she would make this dream a reality.
STEVEN KAUFFMAN GREW UP SURROUNDED BY THE SWEET SOUNDS of string instruments played by his large, musically talented family in Wyoming. A lifelong dream was that the woman he would marry would share his passion — and that one day, she might even play strings with him. But Steven had no idea that his bride-to-be, Jolene Gatas, was secretly taking violin lessons for a year before their wedding — or that during their ceremony, she would make this dream a reality.
After they said their vows at the Open Bible Baptist Church in Williamstown, New Jersey, this past July, the orchestra — Steven’s father and two sisters on violin, his brother on viola, another sister, brother and best man on cello, and his uncle on piano — played the poignant hymn “Be Thou My Vision.” According to plan, Steven joined in on his viola and played to Jolene — who gave Steven the surprise of his life when she reached for her own violin, and played — nervously but flawlessly — right back to him. “The look of surprise on his face was priceless,” says Jolene. “Learning to play the violin was always on my own list of things I wanted to accomplish, so it was really a dream come true for both of us.”
Perfect Timing
STEVEN AND JOLENE SPENT FOUR YEARS at the same college in South Carolina, but didn’t meet until a month before graduation. During a school-sponsored trip to New York City, they spent the entire day together, and it quickly became clear that they would not be saying goodbye at graduation. After a year and a half of a long-distance relationship, Steven proposed in Charleston after a romantic day of picnicking on the beach, strolling the cobblestone streets and dining at their favorite Italian restaurant.
While Jolene’s violin debut was easily the most romantic moment of their wedding day, it was not the only surprise: She awoke at 6 a.m. to pouring rain, crashing thunder and lightning — not exactly what she envisioned for the garden reception that was to take place at the Fairmount Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park. Thankfully, by the time she arrived at the church for the 3 p.m. ceremony, the rain subsided — leaving behind a relief from the sweltering July heat.
Setting the Scene
JOLENE’S WEDDING DAY LOOK WAS STYLISH and modern, yet elegant and sophisticated. “I wanted to look like a designer and like a lady,” she says. She wore a strapless Marisa Bridals gown from Marlton’s Bridal Garden, gathered on one side with a vintage rhinestone brooch. Her hair rested gracefully in a low chignon, accented by chandelier Swarovski crystal earrings. Her florist, Kathy Carrasquillo from Not Just Petals in Philadelphia, created a French bouquet of ‘Flame’ calla lilies tied with rhinestones, adding a modern sparkle to the classic look. Six bridesmaids wore summery tea-length tangerine dresses and carried three long-stemmed calla lilies, and three flower girls wore simple white dresses, wrist corsages and butterfly brooches.
After the ceremony, seven Mini Coopers
— two white and five red, decked with wedding bells, white flags and “Just Married” signs — waited to take the wedding party to the reception. Driven by members of the Philadelphia Mini Cooper enthusiast’s club PhillyMini (their first for this type of request), the Big Day transportation was an idea Jolene stole from a friend’s German wedding.
As guests arrived at the reception, they were asked to take digital pictures of themselves for the guest book. They held parasols in the wedding colors — tangerine, fuchsia and lime green — as playful props in keeping with the garden theme.
White tents were arranged along three sides of a large rectangular reflecting pool and fountain, serving as the natural centerpiece for the reception. The expansive grounds beyond overflowed with exotic plants, colorful flowers and fresh scents. Jolene and Steven always wanted a fun, relaxed, outdoor wedding, and in a moment that perfectly captured this mood, Steven took off his shoes, rolled up his pants and carried his bride into the reflecting pool.Many of the 200 guests stopped what they were doing to watch the scene unfold, says Jolene. “Some said they felt like they were part of a movie set.”
Party Started
TO SET THE PERFECT MOOD, the Frank Mazzeo Trio played while one of the bridesmaids put paintbrush to canvas and captured the scene. “The hors d’oeuvres hour felt like an English garden party,” says Jolene. Charles Roman, who was a chef at Le Bec-Fin in
Center City for five years before opening his own catering business, set up manned sushi and risotto stations, as well as a Mediterranean station accompanied by inventive butlered hors d’oeuvres such as Peking duck spring rolls, Mediterranean kebabs, shrimp dumplings, gazpacho soup shots and smoked-salmon ice cream cones. Three different flavors of sparkling juices inspired by Lorina sparkling French lemonade — the couple’s favorite — in the colors of the wedding were served, each with its own coordinated beverage napkin designed by Jolene.
As a fringe benefit of owning her own professional design company for two years, Jolene has plenty of experience helping other brides plan their weddings. She used that know-how and experimented with new techniques to add a personal touch to every aspect of the day — with Steven’s input, she designed the invitations, place cards, programs, centerpieces, table names and the wish table, which included framed pictures of the couple, a large glass jar and small cards for guests to fill with advice and wishes.
Oversized martini glasses filled with tangerines and Italian Ruscus stood as centerpieces, with handmade tangerine-and-white striped table runners on every table, along with matching chair covers for the head table. Jolene used her own personalized script, a form of calligraphy, to design fun, floral table names such as Delightful Daisy, Giggling Gladiolus and Inspiring Iris. Hand-scripted place cards were attached to the favors — a bottle of the couple’s beloved Lorina sparkling French lemonade, chosen in honor of their honeymoon to France. Simple white porcelain plates offset the multitude of colors already at play in the gardens and decor.
During dinner, the Fairmount String Quartet played lively classical music. Sushi and Mediterranean appetizer stations transformed into full dinner
stations — Mediterranean fare was chosen in honor of Jolene’s father’s Lebanese background — and spectacular offerings included leg of lamb, grilled New York steak, roasted free-range chicken and poached salmon infused with lemongrass. “My caterer went above and beyond our every expectation,” says Jolene. And the night wasn’t over yet.
Singin’ in the Rain
DURING DESSERT, THE MUSIC AND THE MOOD changed yet again into a relaxed, lounge atmosphere when Dottoli, a Sinatra
-style singer took the stage. Guests enjoyed made-to-order drinks from the espresso bar and exotic miniature desserts such as mini espresso and pistachio crème brûlée, chocolate tarts and raspberry pots de crème. Mini martini glasses filled with milkshakes and tiny gourmet cotton candy were especially popular with the kids. The wedding cake, made by Jolene’s friend Missy Eller, owner of Cakes by Missy in Sicklerville, was adorned with tangerine ribbons and exotic kumquats — perfect for a garden wedding.
“Everything — even the weather — turned out perfectly,” says Jolene. It rained sporadically throughout the day, but never at inconvenient times. “The raindrops rolling down the sides of the tent and landing in the reflecting pool made the coziest, most romantic atmosphere,” she says. “Plus, we met on a rainy day, so it was kind of fitting.”
In honor of that significant day in the Big Apple, Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” was the last song of the evening. As the couple made their exit, Dottoli sang and the guests spontaneously joined in, forming two lines and kicking Rockettes-style. The newly married couple left to go “make a brand new start of it” — together.
