1. Real Weddings

A Pac-Man-Inpsired Wedding at the Caramel Room at Bissinger's in St. Louis, Missouri

Pac-Man-, Skee-Ball- and Rubik’s Cube-inspired furnishings—when Angeline DeiSanti (39 and a physician) and Curtis Keller (35 and a software engineer) 

Pac-Man-, Skee-Ball- and Rubik’s Cube-inspired furnishings—when Angeline DeiSanti (39 and a physician) and Curtis Keller (35 and a software engineer) planned their St. Louis, Missouri, wedding, average was out of the question. The fun-loving pair enlisted the help of Absolutely In Events to pull off a fun-filled event that wasn't short on elegance, sophistication and of course surprises. “Since Curtis loves video games, we thought that was a great place to start,” Angeline says. 

After saying “I do” in a traditional Catholic ceremony at the Catholic Student Center at Washington University, the newlyweds whisked guests off to the Caramel Room at Bissinger’s, an iconic St. Louis chocolate factory, for the reception. “Given my love for chocolate, it was an obvious choice,” Angeline says. Cool purple uplighting, crisp white linens, pinecones and skyward-reaching arrangements of wispy branches dotted in brightly lit tealights achieved the refined, wintry aesthetic Angeline and Curtis hoped to achieve, while filling the expansive Caramel Room with an air of undeniable modern romance. But the details that truly blew guests away were those that spoke to Angeline and Curtis's quirky video game theme. Custom-designed Pac-Man place cards, table numbers and menus gave guests their first taste of the motif the moment they walked through the door. But that was just the beginning: Angeline and Curtis went all out, bringing in classic games like Skee-Ball, a slow motion video booth and a Rubik’s cube lounge to keep guests entertained all night. A tip from Angeline and Curtis: “We couldn’t have done any of this without the expertise of our wedding planner Michelle at Absolutely In Events. She truly gets most of the credit for making our wedding spectacular. Our best advice is to hire a wedding planner—it’s worth every penny.” —Libby MacCarthy

With a video-game-inspired wedding in the works, it seemed only appropriate that Angeline and Curtis’s invitation suite spoke to the playful theme. The couple enlisted the expertise and skills of Julie Song Ink to create custom stationery that incorporated the event’s wintry vibe and the Pac-Man-inspired motif.
Despite the light-hearted video game theme, Angeline and Curtis wanted the evening to have an elegant, sophisticated feel, which they achieved through a timeless purple palette, classic table settings and a black-tie-optional dress code. For their invitations and stationery, Julie Song Ink created the couple’s design—inspired by Pac-Man and St. Louis—using watercolors, which helped soften the look.
Bloomin’ Buckets took the reins on all the couple’s floral needs, translating Angeline and Curtis’s winter theme into lush bouquets of succulents, anemones, roses and brunia berries in dramatic shades of purple, icy gray-blue and cream.
When it came to her bridal look, Angeline drew inspiration from the winter season. She donned a striking strapless mermaid-style gown with embellished lace that mimicked the sparkle of freshly fallen snow, and a pearl-trimmed fingertip-length veil. “My accessories included a matching clutch and Jimmy Choo glitter pumps,” Angeline says. “To keep warm, I added a fur coat and purple leather gloves.”
Despite the video game theme, Angeline and Curtis wanted to maintain an element of elegance throughout the evening, setting a black-tie-optional dress code for the event. They had their wedding party don classic, formal attire, with the groomsmen sporting traditional black tuxedos, and the bridesmaids wearing long black gowns and pumps of their choosing.
Before kicking off the festivities, Angeline and Curtis gathered their families and friends at the Catholic Student Center at Washington University for a traditional Catholic wedding ceremony. “The church has a beautiful mural behind the altar, so we decided not to add any additional decor,” Angeline says. For a personal touch, the pair used contemporary piano music during the service, including songs from Jim Brickman and George Winston.
Angeline and Curtis created an immersive arcade experience for guests from the moment they entered the Caramel Room at Bissinger’s in St. Louis, Missouri. With chocolate martinis in hand, they mixed and mingled while lounging on Rubik’s Cube-inspired furnishings and tried their hand at games like Skee-Ball.
The video game theme didn’t stop at the stationery and entertainment. Sarah’s Cake Shop whipped up a Ms. Pac-Man-inspired groom’s cake for the couple and their guests to enjoy after dinner.
Barb of Bloomin’ Buckets set the tone for the couple’s whimsical wintry affair with towering arrangements of wispy branches, which she adorned with glowing tealights. Each centerpiece was surrounded by brightly lit votives for added ambiance and gilded pinecones that played up the winter theme.
Dark-colored anemones and pastel roses filled glass vases on the tables alongside watercolor-esque table numbers.
Since Angeline is a chocolate lover, Bissinger's chocolate factory seemed like the perfect place to host the couple’s “I dos.” The Caramel Room provided a blank slate to bring the couple’s elegant midwinter theme to life, with dramatic chandeliers, airy panels of white fabric and arrangements of tealight-trimmed branches filling the expansive space with endless wintry romance and ambiance.