A day that was long-awaited, and absolutely worth every ounce of anticipation… GRO Designs and Caroline Events took a few vignettes of inspiration and the Ritz-Carlton as their canvas and came up with something truly spectacular.
The throughline of this wedding day’s design started with the dress. Kalize wore a Berta Privee gown customized by Patti Flowers in which she was elegantly draped in jewel-ensheathed branches and floral appliques on a nude underlay. Rows of pearls cascaded from Kalize’s shoulders, falling right above her custom (removable) train with identical branch motif. Kalize wore her grandparents’ wedding bands and her mother’s bracelet, an ode to her tight-knit family. Finishing the look off with her veil and a pair of Jimmy Choo sandals, Kalize had already set an incredibly strong visual tone for the day ahead.
The ceremony space found Fearing’s at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas completely unrecognizable. A tent was built around the patio area with custom printed de Gournay-esque wallpaper and white moulding making up the walls. Their illusion chuppah was lined asymmetrically with deep jewel-toned florals, at the end of an aisle made up entirely of in-laid floral under acrylic. Suspended atop them was Kalize’s father’s tallis, and inside the chuppah Kalize and Clay drank wine from her grandparents’ Kiddush cup. These two sentimental additions brought this grandiose ceremony space in close, and emphasized the importance of generational familial love and support when it comes to marriage.
As guests exited the ceremony, they were met with people dressed in floral and moss layered outfits. These “flower people”, as they became affectionately known, helped carry Kalize’s veil and train down the aisle just moments prior. Now however, they had traded their custom jewel-christened lace for champagne glasses. Each glass hung by a vine and was cut down one by one for each guest.
As guests followed the song of the electric violins into cocktail hour, they were lured through a hallway entirely of floral. Fog stirred at their feet as Kalize and Clay’s loved ones made their transition into the second course of the evening. While the ceremony was bright and enthusiastic, the cocktail hour and reception settings were dark and enchanted. Once into the cocktail hour space, guests could enjoy interactive installations such as a swing-up bar and a cruise ship photo op (a nod to a poignant milestone of Kalize and Clay’s relationship).
No one was ready for this main course. Once the ballroom doors opened, jaws dropped. How does it just keep getting better?! The Ritz ballroom was drenched in lush floral. Lilacs, amethysts, emeralds and junipers danced together amid blooms, serpentine and circular tables, varying tablescapes, and the most unexpected bride’s cake in memory. Intricate gilded details and flatware were laid on each table, as well as hand scripted paper bird place cards at every seat. Floral arrangements appeared as though they were growing from the tables themselves, with delphiniums branches outstretched. Two substantially sized birds made of blue and purple flowers emerged from each back corner.The vast dark green dancefloor reflected the ceiling of sumptuous flowers and LED lights. Luscious and verdant, this hotel ballroom felt like nothing of the sort. Safe to say, the Ritz-Carlton ballroom has never quite seen the likes of this reception transformation by the team at GRO designs.
Kalize’s bridal cake was a life-sized (and very life-like) peacock, which sat in a raised floral arbor, proudly and appropriately displayed in the middle of the ballroom. Clay’s cake was a small-scale rendering of the Red Rocks amphitheater in Colorado, with no detail left unobserved.
This crowd came to party, and boy did they. From Havana NRG to Jordan Kahn, and DJ Souljah to DJ Big J, we’d wager that not a soul left without getting up to dance at some point or another. Of course, the Jello shot syringes (a nod to their Knox Street Pub days) at the after party didn’t hurt. For the after party (dessert, if you will), Kalize changed into custom white shorts and a lace shell top that imitated her dress motif. She kicked off her heels and put on a pair of star-studded sneakers before joining her guests and the dueling DJs in the now-reconstructed cocktail hour space. Before the night was over, Kalize and Caroline shared a moment of amazement in the now-empty ballroom. So much planning, so much excitement, and amazingly worthwhile.
We could go on about this wedding for pages, but sometimes it’s best to let the photos do the talking. Enjoy reliving this immaculate day with us! Kalize and Clay, thank you for letting us be a part!
