"We've got em," cried San Francisco event architect Robert Fountain to Gentry's editorial Director Stefanie Lingle. His endearing southern drawl lilted across the Rotunda at San Franciso's City Hall on the Opening Night of the Ballet. Fountain was referring to dozens and dozens of peonies - no easy feat when you realize he'd found them for Lingle's January 29th wedding to Gregory Beasley (to take place just three days after the Ballet Gala, which Fountain had designed as well). Fountain, who's known for pulling off the impossible when it comes to parties, had sourced a grower in New Zealand for the beautiful but temperamental flowers. "I'd show him a picture of a bouquet I loved, but knew that the peonies would b out of the question," recalls Lingle. "He found them though. Robert's a tru marvel."
Fountain and Lingle had worked on projects for both Gentry and Gentry's former sister magazine California Home & Design for years. "I remember seeing his first big project - a party for the San Francisco Opera," continues Lingle. "The design was so fresh and daring, we knew we needed to spotlight him in the magazine. Since 1998 his rise has been meteoric. Every time I turn on the television there's Robert creating something gorgeous." Fountain is a frequent contributor to KRON TV and HGTV.
When Lingle's husband to be, software executive Greg Beasley, asked her to marry him in August 2004, "It was a wonderful, old fashioned, romantic surprise," recalls the bride. He absolutely caught me off guard." He popped the question a awake on Marin's Mount Tamalpais and had the ring and champagne at the ready. The couple had been introduced only a few months prior by the bride's cousin. The two men had attended Harvard Business School and had lots of mutual friends. "The irony is that my cousin thought he was introducing us so that Greg and I would introduce each other to other people. He never expected to make a love match.
But love match it was and, as any bride knows, the question that follows on the heals of "best wishes" is, "Have you set a date?" "Greg wanted a short engagement, so we explored our options." The first was the possibility of a wedding on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where the bride's family had spent many holidays. "My whole family was going to be in South Carolina for my Uncle's 60th birthday celebration over Thanksgiving and he actually gave us the idea to keep the celebration going with a wedding that weekend too," recalls Lingle. Logistics proved difficult, though, and when the bride and groom really thought about it, a low country wedding wasn't right for either of them. I turned to Greg and said, "Well, we both know the ideal spot, but the wedding will have to be a little unorthodox."
The perfect spot was the Penthouse Suite at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, a historic apartment of rooms that offers the feeling of a private home in the sky. The pair had spent one of their first dates at a rehearsal dinner the Suite for Gentry's former associate editor Keelin Divincenzi. The groom loved the idea, but it meant foregoing a traditional sit-down dinner reception. The Suite's dining room only accommodates 50, so the couple opted for a southern-style celebration: black-tie, dinner buffet, and dancing. "It was the ultimate cocktail party, really," says Fountain. "Stefanie and Greg kept it simple, placing emphasis on a close-knit ceremony in the Suite's living room. We added two columns of white lilies and roses on either side of the fireplace to set the stage for the vows." Guest stood facing the couple and their attendants while a friend of the bride's family, soprano Hope Briggs, sang an aria from La Rondine.
The moment the "I do's" had been said, the party started. All eyes focused back on Briggs for a processional aria and then the tempo changed. The wonderful band, Pure Ecstasy, lead by a trio of gifted singers, wooed the crowd with an acappella chord of The Temptations' "My Girl," which segued into the full-force of the band. Wedding coordinator Suzy Somers of Always RSVP had used them for a party we covered for Gentry and our whole team was blown away by their voices. "Their ability to add dynamism to a party is extraordinary," says Somers. "They are simply the best."
Fountain relates that the elements to a successful party, whether it be a wedding or a dinner party at home, all center on setting the stage for fun. "Fabulous flowers, delicious food, and great music aside, if you're not having fun at the party, who cares about the rest? Make sure to have a great mix of guests. Execute your plans, but once the first guest arrives, start to enjoy things. If something goes wrong, don't worry about it. Your friends and family will laugh with you, and you'll all have a better time."
Meaningful details matter too, he stresses. "We wanted to create bouquets for the bride and her bridesmaids and flower girls, but Stefanie wanted to follow a family tradition that dates back to her great-grandmother's wedding, and carry a single white rose. So, we found the best ones we could. Personal touches make al the difference." The wedding cake was very personal. One of Lingle's best friends from her prep school days at Castilleja, Nicola Morf Janvier, owns Fleur de Cocoa in Los Gatos with her award-winning chef husband Pascal Janvier. The pair gifted the bride and groom with one of Pascal's delicious and beautiful creations - a quadruple layer fondant cake, embellished with pale pink bows to echo the ribbons embroidered on the bride's gown. fountain topped it with fresh flowers and set it in the center of the Suite's two-story library. "Everyone raved about it," notes the bride.
With the music in full swing, the wedding party found their way to the dance floor and beyond to the dance floor and beyond to the Suite's elegant balcony. "Waiters whooshed past all night carrying delightful-looking, exquisite little offerings, but Greg and I never ate," recalls the bride. "You can't. When there are that many people you love in one spot for a happy occasion, you just need to savor the moment."