Featured in MunaLuchi Bridal Magazine Issue 29, Tamara and Karis commemorated their love in an intimate vow renewal in Old City Philadelphia (the city where they first fell in love!), 18 years to the day of their wedding anniversary.
Looking back on their first nuptials, Tamara recalls, “If you saw us that day, there was no indication that Karis and I had gotten married, other than our ridiculously silly smiles and our marriage certificate.”
They were young, broke, but most importantly, in love – and that’s all that matters! However, this time around, the couple wanted their “We Do Redo” to be perfect. And since Tamara is a full-fledged florist and event planner of her company, Lush Meetings & Events, she had to pull out all the stops!
Choosing a beautiful brownstone mansion on Strawberry Street in Old City Philadelphia, the pair incorporated their love of travel with nods to one of their favorite destinations: Europe. With the help of her mom and sister, Tamara created an essence of the French countryside with hundreds of lush flowers and greenery.
From garden roses to lavender, and Tamara’s favorite, orchids, the venue was transformed into a beautiful Parisian paradise. Tamara’s guilty pleasure for luxury fashion was also infused through their attire and even in their cake by KMT Cakery – an exact replica of a Yves Saint Laurent shopping bag!
Other highlights of their intimate vow renewal included custom-crafted cocktails, timeless decor, and reading each other’s vows out loud to one another. Tamara shares, “We had never exchanged vows, not even love letters really, so this simple act was very emotionally moving for us.”
Ultimately, their second time saying “I Do” was a testament to their teenage love and a beautiful representation of their grown-up love, today.
Cheers to the Bride and Groom!
- Couple: Tamara & Karis
- Vow Renewal Date: February 18, 2023
- Location of Renewal: Old City Philadelphia
- Planner & Designer: Lush Meetings & Events
- Photographer: Bianca Davis Photography
The Venue…
We chose to celebrate the renewal of our wedding vows in Old City Philadelphia. The city we first fell in love with and experienced and enjoyed for so many years together. We found a beautiful brownstone mansion, built in the heart of Old City in the early 1900s. This property offered beautiful natural lighting and a peaceful atmosphere, the perfect backdrop for an intimate commemoration.
Style & color palette…
Our original wedding day was so laid back and aloof, that it’s a bit funny. I wore a pair of Guess pants that I had picked up the day before …I think they may have been khakis! And we both ended the evening in sweatsuits drinking our idea of “fancy” wines and liquors like Arbor Mist, Alize, and Mad Dog 20/20, haha! We were young and broke but on cloud nine!
We wanted to add a bit more elegance, to say the least, to our ‘We Do Redo’. All grown up, our combined styles are traditional with a modern flair. So we kept the look and feel of the design clean and classic.
Our color palette had a traditional romantic tone.
Full of deep and vibrant shades of burgundy, red, blush, and pink, accented with natural tones of cream and gold. The antique décor of the home effortlessly lent to the old-world charm we love, while the neutral clean tones of the home’s interior design provided a modern vibe.
As a florist and event designer, it was a dream to create an intimate and custom design just for Karis and me to enjoy together.
Being obsessed with flowers, I naturally went heavy on the florals. Hundreds of flowers were brought in to really transform the home into the sort of lush green setting you experience in the French countryside. The fragrance from the countless garden roses and sprigs of lavender was a tantalizing feast for the senses. Karis and I totally felt in a world of our own.
Using various high-end garden roses, I (with the help of my truly amazing Mom and sister) designed and installed two lush rose wall installations in the main dining area of the home. We incorporated artisan vases by Tahari into the base of the wall installation to give the appearance of a lush flowering vine sprawling out of the vessels.
Luxury fashion…
Although I admittedly have a weakness for luxury fashion, Karis definitely digs the opportunity to get fancy. Owning and operating a Heating & Cooling (HVAC) company, he’s usually working around the clock in stained carpenters and hoodies. It was fun to play dress up together.
Karis worked with Tates Menswear to have a suit custom tailored to him. We kept his second look clean and classic, a wool trench coat, cashmere turtleneck, and jeans paired with a Gucci leather belt and Gucci leather loafers, a nod to our trip to Italy for a previous wedding anniversary.
I had fun playing with various looks for the photoshoot portion of our celebration. I didn’t wear a formal wedding dress on my original wedding day and really didn’t have the desire to do so for this occasion. Instead, I opted for fun but formal pieces.
I paired all 3 looks with a chaine et baton buckle Yves Saint Laurent Belt, and Yves Saint Laurent Opyum heels. I wore a simple crystal Gucci necklace and ring that Karis bought me for our anniversary last year. And of course, my original single solitaire diamond wedding ring.
Sultry glam look…
As roses and orchids are my two favorite flowers, I opted to create my bouquet almost entirely out of phalaenopsis orchids. A fun, fluffy, whimsical accent to the white puff-sleeve dress I wore for the vow renewal.
Food, Beverage, & Cake:
If there’s anything in the world Karis and I enjoy doing together most, it’s EATING and DRINKING! We knew we wanted the best culinary talents Philly has to offer. And for us, there is no better dream team than Monet Anise, Khamila (Kitty) Barnes, and Kelly Taylor!
Monet Anise, the owner of Monet Anise Catering, created the most delectable menu we could imagine.
She incorporated all our faves: from East Coast oysters to classic French chocolate mousse trifles. Her cuisine is not only extraordinarily delish, but her presentation is also unparalleled. Check out those assorted dessert trifles in martini and champagne glassware!
The dinner menus were custom designed by Chelsey Ayres, a local stationery designer, and artist. Chelsey also created beautiful invitations for the celebration (seen in the flat-lay photos).
I also teamed up with Alessandra Pappas, owner of Callie by Allie (another local small business). Alessandra created gorgeous hand-calligraphed place cards for the table.
For the tablescape, we opted for timeless pieces in refined tones.
Porcelain china plated on intricately designed gold chargers. Silver flatware with 24k gold inlays. And of course, Waterford crystal glasses.
Kelly & Kitty hit a home run by incorporating personal touches of me and Karis into their creations.
Kitty, owner of Kitty On Top Bartending, curated signature cocktails specifically for me and Karis. I am a gin aficionado, and Karis won’t end his day without a strong old-fashioned.
For me, Kitty created a dangerously smooth raspberry and pineapple gin cocktail with rosemary and egg white. I can’t tell you how many of these I consumed, but oh boy were they delish …and hit just right! Lol.
For Karis, Kitty created a strawberry old-fashioned with bourbon whisky, strawberry simple syrup, and chocolate bitters. The strawberry twist was a special touch, as the brownstone we celebrated in is located on Strawberry Street.
Kelly’s cake stole the show!
As I said, I’m a bit mad for Yves Saint Laurent. I threw the idea to Kelly of creating a cake that looked like a gift, and she totally ran with it. Every detail of an actual YSL shopping bag was carried through to the cake design… down to the intricate detail of the hatched linen texture of the bag. I didn’t want to cut the cake; it was so darn beautiful.
They say cakes that look pretty, don’t usually taste as good as they look. This is far from true when it comes to Kelly’s cakes. Kelly created a moist Oreo cake with Oreo espresso buttercream. We ate that cake for breakfast lunch, and dinner the next day!
Personal touches…
Every anniversary, no matter where we are, Karis and I pop a bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate. Years ago, our crazy young butts snuck into an All-Star afterparty at the Hilton Downtown. We were amazed at all of the champagne bottles flowing nonstop across the room. We joked that one day, we would pop champagne bottles all day. Fast forward, popping this special bottle once a year is a reminder of where we started, how far we’ve come, and how long our love has endured the test of time.
Another personal touch we incorporated was only working with small local businesses for this celebration. Being small business owners ourselves, we love supporting our local talents and take every opportunity we can to reinvest in our community.
Most anticipated part of the day…
The most anticipated part of the day was the reading of our vows. We read each other’s vows aloud. How heartwarming it was to hear my words come out of Karis’s mouth, and his words from mine.
We had never exchanged vows, not even love letters really, so this simple act was very emotionally moving for us.
Being so raw, honest, and vulnerable with our thoughts and feelings made us feel so close as if we were just one body in that moment. I was brought to tears when I read Karis’ vows. I never knew he was such a poet in his own right.
To many more years of love!
Looking for more intimate vow renewal inspiration?
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Vendors:
- Event Planning, Design, Florals, & Décor: Lush Meetings & Events
- Photography: Bianca Davis Photography
- Hair (Bride): Zoe Sky Salon
- Makeup: Ira Anthony Beauty LLC
- Her 1st Look (white dress): June Pillow Mini Dress from Akira
- Her 2nd Look (black set): Nina Tulle Skirt Set from Fashion Nova
- Her 3rd Look (brown gown): The Barbara Gown from Raw Golden Rentals
- Bride’s belt: Yves Saint Laurent Chaine Et Baton Buckle Belt In Crocodile-Embossed Leather
- Bride’s Shoes: Yves Saint Laurent Opyum Heels
- Wedding ring: Gucci Crystal Double G Ring
- Necklace: Gucci Crystal Double G Necklace
- Hair (Him): Modern Clean Cuts
- His Suit: Tates Menswear
- Groom’s Belt: Salvatore Ferragamo Belt
- Groom’s Watch: Movado Watch
- Groom’s Shoes: Crocodile Leather Loafers by Mezlan
- Dessert Trifles: Monet Anise Catering
- Cake: KMT Cakery
- Cocktails: Kitty On Top Bartending
- Invitation Stationery & Menus: Chelsey Ayres (Artist)
- Calligraphy Transcription of the Vows & Place cards: Callie By Allie
- Mirrored Dessert Table: Vision Furniture
- China Dinnerplates & Ivory Napkins: A to Z Party Rental
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