Real Wedding
Featured inInside Weddings
Spring 2006
Jennifer Farhood
Bridal Designer
Vera Wang
Bridal Salon
Frederic Fekkai, Palm Beach
Bridesmaids
Designed by Bride, Made by Banico
Cakes
Sweet Tiers
Catering
The Bear's Club
Entertainment
Street Talk
St. Patrick Church musicians
Floral & Event Design
Tom Mathieu & Company
Flower Girls
Suzanne Lively, Saturday's Child
Formalwear
After Hours
Barney's New York, Groom
Headpieces & Veils
Vera Wang
Tiara, Christina Garcia
Honeymoon
Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Grumeti River Camp & Klein's Camp, Tanzania, Africa
Invitations
Soho Letterpress
Jewelry
Rings, Craig Drake, Philadelphia
Earrings, Neiman Marcus
Lingerie
Malizia by La Perla
Mother's Gown
Les Habitudes
Officiants
Father Bernard Dooley and Father Flanagan
Photographers
Lena Hyde Photography
Registries
Williams-Sonoma
Bloomingdale's
Create & Barrel
Rehearsal Dinner
Jupiter Islans Club
Rentals & Linens
The Bear's Club
Shoes
Christian Louboutin ( ceremony ) , Constanco Basto ( reception )
Transportation
Carey (buses)
Prestige Limousine
Venues
The Bear's Club, Jupiter, FL, Reception Site
St. Patrick Church, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Ceremony Site
Four Seasons Palm Beach
Videographers
Films by Francesco
Normally, the role of a wingman is to support a pal in his dating efforts. But when acquaintances-turned-fellow-wingmen Michelle Park and William Leicht both accompanied a mutual friend on his romantic mission, sparks were flying in their direction instead. After just one conversation, Michelle and Will were inseparable. “We were terrible, totally neglecting our duties,” admits Michelle. “But we found each other!”
While dating in Manhattan, the couple fell into a welcomed routine of retreating to Will’s family beach house in New Jersey to spend cozy winter weekends together. It was there, overlooking the ocean, where he proposed to Michelle under a clear, star-studded sky.
Two enviable locations—Michelle’s hometown of Greenwich, CT and Jupiter, FL where her parents live during the winter—were available for the wedding, and the bride and groom finally settled on the latter. They loved the idea of their guests turning the wedding weekend into a beach vacation. Luckily, Michelle’s mother was devoted to helping the couple plan from a distance. “She deserves all the credit for putting together an unforgettable wedding,” Michelle smiles.
Michelle works in the fashion industry and possesses a keen sense of style that she used to conceive of the wedding’s very specific and pervasive color scheme: lavender and burgundy. It was debuted in an original monogram - a lavender “M” entwined with a burgundy “W” – and appeared on everything from the save-the-date cards, invitations, programs and menus to an etched ice sculpture at the cocktail hour. Michelle also designed the bridesmaid’s dresses in lavender with a burgundy sash and wore an unexpected pair of purplish-burgundy shoes with her ivory gown. Even the club where the reception was held created a signature cocktail, infused with lavender that was grown on the property, expressly for the event.
Michelle and Will exchanged vows in a spiritual, family-oriented ceremony. Because of the extraordinary impact they had on Michelle and Will, grandparents from both sides participated in the service, as well as the bride’s and groom’s siblings who recited the “Prayer of the Faithful.” As a subtle nod to Michelle’s Korean heritage, the sashes on the bridesmaids’ dresses were tied to imitate the bow on a Han Bok, the traditional Korean dress. Set against the simplicity of the church, the brightly hued dresses created a stunning contrast, much like Michelle’s richly colored bouquet against her delicate Vera Wang gown.
Chartreuse was used as an accent color to help transform the masculine club into a romantic, magical milieu. Three hundred cymbidium orchids were hung in individual glass bulbs from the ceiling, and the burgundy and lavender centerpieces of peonies, roses, hydrangea and mums were set atop brilliant chartreuse linens. Instead of using numbers to mark each table, Will and Michelle named them after their favorite wines and used an actual bottle of each type to identify the tables. “We decided that we will drink one bottle of wine on our anniversary for the next 20 years,” laughs Michelle. Maintaining such creativity, the wedding cake was served with a special attention to detail: Each slice was individually plated with crème anglaise, raspberries and edible flowers.
The leather couches and coffee tables from the club’s sitting areas were moved onto the patio to create an outdoor lounge, and the oil paintings that hung above the fireplaces in the dining room were covered with large framed photos from the couple’s engagement party. These, along with touches like the striped beach bag each guest received upon arrival, helped achieve the lush and cozy atmosphere the couple says reflected the uniqueness of the occasion while encouraging guests to feel at home.
Michelle even slipped into something more comfortable for the reception—a sleek sheath dress designed for her by Richard Tyler—that allowed her to dance freely all night long. It was the celebration they wished would never end: “I described it as our little utopia, our own perfect world for a day.”


