A Love Story in 96 White Roses

96 white roses for the 96 days they had been together. This was Michael’s gift to Lauren on their first Valentine’s Day.

From the moment they got engaged, Lauren knew those roses had to be part of their wedding. It was how their story began, and she wanted to share it with the people they love most.

There was only one place it could happen: The Logan Hotel in Philadelphia, where Lauren’s parents were married and where she celebrated her Bat Mitzvah. Returning there felt like coming full circle, and with Amy Katz Events planning every detail, the wedding weekend pulled out every stop to make the celebration entirely their own.

THE INVITATION

When it came to her invitation, Lauren knew exactly what she wanted to include, and she came to Ceci New York to bring that vision to life. The couple chose the Ceci Couture experience.

Through a series of meetings, getting to know them and dreaming up how we could best incorporate their story, we envisioned a marriage of watercolor florals and handmade paper florals.

The result was a custom invitation card with a single handmade white paper rose in the corner, made all the more striking by the pink watercolor florals on the insert cards. A translucent vellum wrap, introducing soft watercolor florals in its corners, held everything together and was finished with a custom wax seal. The suite was then tucked into a matte pearl white box with a matching watercolor floral bellyband.

Guests knew from the moment their invitations arrived that this would be a celebration steeped in meaning, and yet the day still surpassed every expectation.

THE DRESS

Lauren wanted her gown to feel just as personal.

“When I started looking for a gown, I didn’t wanna look like everybody else and pick lace or go with the designer that everyone else was finding.”

She found it somewhere unexpected. “This Nicole Felicia gown was in the window at a store in Coral Gables, and my mom and I just looked at each other and we were like, oh my God.”

True to their story, both her gown and veil were adorned with white roses. As Lauren puts it: “Michael sent me 96 white roses from a flower farm in Ecuador, known for their roses. The 96 were for every single day we had been talking up until that point. And for the rest of our relationship, white roses have kind of just followed us everywhere.”

THE DAY

Lauren kept the roses on her gown a surprise for Michael, but her mom had a surprise of her own. She had Ceci New York's signature watercolor florals, first introduced in the invitation, brought to life on the dance floor by Fusion. Lauren had no idea until she saw it in person on the wedding day.

The evening was full of thoughtful touches, from a custom note to each guest tucked into their escort card to special surprises Lauren and her mom planned for each other throughout the night in honor of her grandfather.

Every element of the day was just as considered. Lauren and her mom had followed Tantawan Bloom for years and dreamed of Golf’s signature trees, so he was the very first vendor they hired. He took meticulous care with every detail to bring their vision to life.

Michael had one more surprise in store: a personalized tuxedo jacket he had custom-made. Inside was every love letter Lauren had ever written him. See her reaction here.

From the first white rose to the last love letter, Amy Katz Events brought every chapter of Lauren and Michael’s story to life, and we are so grateful to have been part of it.