Here's How Two Foodies Pulled Off a Restaurant-Themed Wedding Worthy of a Michelin Star
Connie and Brian first met at summer camp as counselors, and the two maintained a platonic friendship for a while. That was until Brian couldn’t hold back his feelings anymore. “I had no idea he had a crush on me the entire time. He finally told me during our camp counselor reunion. I agreed to go out with him, but I thought it’d just be a summer fling—it turned out to be forever,” Connie says.
After spending 14 wonderful years together, Brian proposed while they were on vacation in Mallorca, Spain. Stopping them on a picturesque street, Brian pretended to try and take a picture with Connie. “I realized that the self-timer wasn’t flashing the countdown, and when I turned to tell him, he was down on one knee,” the bride reminisces.
From then on, it was all about planning a wedding that would take their guests on a visual journey of their relationship. “The inspiration behind our day came from our countless date nights at neighborhood bistros and our love of discovering hidden gem eateries. That’s why it made sense for us to create our own restaurant for our wedding,” Connie says.
On a sunny afternoon in June, Connie and Brian’s loved ones were greeted with a welcome bar, where they could drop off gifts and write well-wishes on guest checks (what a waiter writes a customer’s food order on). “Guests even received Capri-Suns before the ceremony, which was a playful nod to our days as camp counselors,” Brian says. From there, everyone was led to the manicured lawns of the hotel for the ceremony. A multitiered stage stood at the center, which came with a sentimental surprise for Connie. “Our wedding planner suggested incorporating portions from a letter I wrote to Connie onto the platform. The selected passages were handwritten across the structure, transforming it from a place to exchange vows into a canvas that told our story,” Brian explains. There was also another surprise during the ceremony, this time for the bride and the groom. “Our officiant had our guests write one or two words saying what we meant to them on a paper fan, which they revealed to us midceremony,” the bride says.
An immersive cocktail hour was next, where the goal was for guests to feel like they’re waiting at a restaurant’s bar until their table was ready. The couple called this portion of the experience Beigny’s Bar, named after their beloved dog. “To get to the cocktail hour area, guests passed through custom-built wood doors to signify the transition. Beigny’s motif was used as the logo for the bar, and we even had velvet bar menus for guests to flip through,” Connie says.
The reception followed, with guests entering a custom-made, bistro-style facade that read, “Chez Chikuami,” a wink to the newlyweds’ last name. (That means “Chikuami’s Place” or “Chikuami’s” in French.) “We put so much thought into the deep red storefront. We even had windows accessorized with accolade stickers as a nod to our love for Michelin-starred restaurants,” the bride says.
Once guests entered through the threshold, they were greeted at a host stand and escorted to their table where they found place cards that mimicked restaurant loyalty cards and personalized menus. “Since we had a few stations at the reception, we wanted our guests to experience all of it and incentivized them to collect their stamps at each station. Once completed, their cards were entered into a raffle of gift cards from our favorite restaurants,” Connie says. And to show how they thought of every small detail, Connie and Brian included a short description of their love story on the first page of the leather-bound menus, which looked like the “About the Chef” portion you see on a restaurant menu.
The romantic and alfresco dinner was filled with laughter, music and the smells of a delicious three-course meal with sweet corn ravioli and horchata panna cotta being major highlights. The upbeat energy increased as guests were guided to the neighboring ballroom for dancing and interactive stations, like a reality TV-inspired confessional booth. Unique late-night snacks and desserts closed out the culinary event, which included a custom French fry bar, mini doughnut area and Jell-O shot table. “Instead of a traditional confection, we had a boozy Jell-O ‘cake,’ and guests could also help themselves to super-artsy Jell-O shots with different cocktail variations,” the bride says.
Even though there were countless special moments that occurred during their wedding, Brian says it was the time spent on the dance floor that stood out the most. “After dealing with all the stress and anticipation that comes with planning a wedding, it felt like we were able to leave it all behind and simply celebrate. More than anything, the dance floor captured exactly what we hoped our wedding would be: joyful, fun and filled with love. It's a memory we'll cherish for the rest of our lives.”