1. Real Weddings

An Elegant Wedding at Sugar Beach Events in Maui, Hawaii

The theme for Lee and Carl's wedding was "At Last." "At Last says it all. It only took 25 years for us to get our act together and marry," says Lee Mc

The theme for Lee and Carl's wedding was "At Last." "At Last says it all. It only took 25 years for us to get our act together and marry," says Lee McBride, chef and owner of Sugar Beach Events in Maui, Hawaii, of her wedding to Carl Anderson. "We met 26 years ago in marching band and went on a date, but neither of us felt like we liked each other, so we didn't go out again. Fast forward about 22 years and we became friends on Facebook. After about six months of pure friendship, we started flirting from afar. We decided to meet to see if this could really be something. At the time, Carl lived in Florida and I lived in Maui, so we picked Chicago as a meeting point. It was love! We hopped in a taxi and we knew he was moving to Maui before we arrived back at the hotel. Three months later, he moved to Maui and we got engaged on Christmas Eve (my favorite day of the year)!" Since Lee owns the Sugar Beach Events property, choosing a venue, planner, designer and caterer was a literal no-brainer. The Sugar Beach Events gang came up with the concept of a luxe indoor-outdoor destination on the beach. Purple uplighting, lush floral accents and an amazing food and bar spread added the finishing touches to this wedding that was finally happening, 25 years later.

"My favorite flowers have always been calla lilies but I saw a photo of a flower I fell in love with. It was a ruffled tulip. I never really had an opinion about tulips but suddenly I had to have them. Flowers weren't important until I saw those ruffled tulips. My bouquet was gorgeous. It was a perfect blend of purple and white and the soft tulips and traditional tulips," says Lee.
Guests waved purple streamer wands after Lee and Carl exchanged vows and shared their first kiss as a newlywed couple.
Guests overlooked ocean views with sporadic palm trees during the wedding ceremony outdoors at Sugar Beach Events.
"Dinner began with a plated salad: Cantaloupe caprese with fresh mozzarella, pesto, cumquats, pomegranate, and prosciutto ham. After salad service, we had an interactive chef's action station with several types of pastas, sauces and veggies. Then you had your choice of Italian classics: Chicken picatta, eggplant parmigiana, kobe meatballs, steamed mussels and clams. The wedding cake was a seven-tier chocolate fantasy cake," says Lee.
"Our guests left with personalized bags with flavored gourmet olive oils and balsamic vinegars as well as pate du fruits. I'm a chef, I can't let them leave without something to eat!" says Lee.
"On the menu was a Tuscan feast with a sophisticated focaccia bread bar, taking place under the stars reflecting the my love of Italian cuisine, cooking, and countryside. Cocktails were served oceanside in an Italian Riviera setting that then led guests into an outdoor dining pavilion," says Lee.
"Because I'm a chef and Car's a bartender, the reception was really important. But, what was most important was that our friends and family felt comfortable and weren't nervous about the food. We kept with our Italian/ Mediterranean theme and served refreshing blueberry gazpacho, cucumber/ melon gazpacho, Caesar salad bites in mini romaine leaves, crab cakes with roasted red pepper aioli and my personal favorite, sausage stuffed bacon wrapped dates," says Lee.
Green and Brown Rustic Place Settings
"The lighting was a big element for me. That was the most important aspect. Once we had the lighting structure built, we had everything else built to fall into place. I wanted something I hadn't seen at any other wedding. Deep purples, plums and lime green was my color palette," says Lee.
Guests enjoyed dancing on the elegant black and white checkered dance floor at the reception.