la Matulaniec, 31, knew where she would say “I do” long before she
ever met Jeff Evans, also 31. “My family has been vacationing
in Palm Beach for years. I’d drive by the Flagler Museum with my
mom and say, ‘I’m going to get married there!’ ” the bride says.
With their venue a foregone conclusion, the Miami-based couple
began planning an epic fete filled with surprises. “Someone told
me that a great wedding is like a play. You need a ‘wow’ moment
in each act,” she says. “We wanted people to be amazed all night.”
So on Januar y 10, 2015, after personalized vows at the ocean-blue
Royal Poinciana Chapel, the newly weds and their 180 guests headed
to the Flagler for an indoor-outdoor cocktail hour featuring the party’s
first jaw-dropper: a 15-minute fireworks display. Inside, blooms were ever y where.A giant showstopping pergola was covered in trailing white dendrobium orchids
and hanging escort cards, and towering cr ystal vases were piled high with peonies,
roses, and amaranthus. At midnight, after four hours of dinner, champagne,
and dancing, guests walked out of the museum to see the biggest surprise of all:
a faux snowfall made of foam-bubble flakes pumped out by machines, which
transformed the warm Palm Beach evening into a winter wonderland. “I wondered
if snow would be too much, but we wanted something different,” says Ola.
“Judging by our guests’ reactions, it definitely hit the mark.”
“A major celebration calls for lots
of champagne!” Ola says.The spectacular
escort-card display
was a major hit
during cocktail hour.Dinner was just
two courses,
leaving plenty of
time to dance.418 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 BRIDES.COM