When Brooke Polson, cofounder of Love Detailed, first met Jason Kleinman, she felt an instant connection. He, too, knew that she was special from the beginning. “I realized pretty early on that Brooke was the one I wanted to marry,” muses Jason. After asking for her parents’ blessing, the groom-to-be and his future in-laws worked together to plan the perfect proposal. Under the guise of a business meeting with her father, Brooke arrived at her parents’ house to find Jason’s laptop on an entryway table with a sign that read, “Press Play.”
“Instantly I knew that Jason was proposing, and I went into complete shock,” recalls the bride. A montage of pictures began playing on-screen, followed by a video of Jason instructing her to venture to the backyard. “When I walked outside, there was Jason behind a walkway of petals and candles. I ran to him, arms wide open,” shares Brooke of the moment he popped the question. As soon as Jason got up, she heard cheering – as another surprise, the couple’s families had watched the magical moment from the balcony.
Selecting a wedding venue and planner was effortless for the bride. In fact, she made the decisions when she was just 16 years old while attending a wedding at The Beverly Hills Hotel coordinated by Linda Howard Events – before eventually working for the famed planner three years later. “There was something [special] about the feelings I [experienced] that night – the intimacy, the warmth, the take-your-breath-away beauty, the love,” reminisces Brooke. “I knew when I got married one day, [that’s how] I wanted to feel. I said to my dad that night that I wanted to get married there, and he told me if I married a nice boy he approved of, I could... and I got my wish!”
Being in the wedding industry, the bride has seen countless celebrations and experienced difficulty deciding exactly what she wanted for the look of her own nuptials. It wasn’t until Brooke found her dream bridal gown that inspiration struck. Choosing a beaded shift dress with a tulle overskirt by Monique Lhuillier, “I knew that was my dress, but also that it was going to set the theme for my wedding: fairy-tale tulle ball gown for the ceremony and glam for the reception. It all came together in an instant,” she notes. “Linda Howard and her dream team truly helped turn my vision into reality.”
On the afternoon of the outdoor Jewish ceremony, nearly 300 guests found their seats on a grass lawn beneath crystal chandeliers suspended from trees overhead. Groomsmen dressed in sharp tuxedos and bridesmaids in strapless champagne gowns carrying bouquets of Sahara roses, Café au Lait dahlias, and peonies preceded the bride. Brooke glided gracefully down the aisle, which was lined with lush arrangements of similar florals in shades of ivory and blush, to join her groom beneath a dramatic chuppah enveloped in vanilla blooms and greenery. After a heartfelt vow exchange and the customary breaking of the glass, “we had a flower-petal explosion, which shot white flower petals into the crowd,” says Jason. “It made for some awesome pictures.”
Loved ones then entered a striking ballroom for the glamorous reception. Long mirrored tables, surrounded by ruched vanilla chairs, were adorned with towering golden vessels brimming with Sahara roses in shades of blush and ivory, as well as dendrobium orchids, which cascaded towards lower arrangements of pearl peonies, hydrangeas, and tulips illuminated with candlelight. “The flowers absolutely took my breath away,” expresses the bride. Gold-backed chairs surrounded round tables featuring high centerpieces of similar blooms, while tables next to velvet banquettes showcased low compilations of white peonies and tulips, as well as candleholders wrapped with florals or gilded birch bark.
Following the sit-down dinner service, a live band entertained revelers into the early hours of the morning. “The band we selected was amazing… It was the best wedding band I had ever heard,” exclaims Jason, who was heavily involved in the music, photography, and culinary components of the day. “They had such a great mix of songs to play and they kept the guests dancing all night. Once the band was done, Brooke’s cousin DJ’d the rest of the night and kept the party going.”
Attendees savored slices of a five-tiered ivory cake featuring alternating lace patterns and sugar flowers. “I loved Linda’s idea to design our cake after my dress, since that was our design inspiration for the reception,” adds the bride. Knowing their friends and family would be on the dance floor throughout the affair, the confection was put in boxes for guests to take home as wedding favors and enjoy later that night or the next day. “I wanted to make sure that everyone tasted my favorite cake in the world,” notes Brooke.
When looking back on their big day, the newlyweds agree they wouldn’t change a thing. “It was perfect,” confirms Jason. Brooke advises other brides to “remember that your wedding day, at its core, is a day about celebrating the commitment you and your partner have made to each other. All of the details come second to that.” For couples – like them – who love to dance, she adds, “During your reception, stay on the dance floor! There’s no better way to make sure everyone’s dancing while still greeting your guests!”