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The Setting
The spacious backyard of the Wests’ Sandy residence provided the perfect spot for the outdoor dinner party and its 130 guests. Julia wanted the setting to be stylish, but not over-the-top. “We didn’t want to upstage the wedding or compete with the reception,” she explains. “We wanted to make the events feel different.” The attire was dressy—men wore jackets and ties, and women wore dresses or skirts—but the spirit of the evening was casual and easygoing. “I wanted guests to let their hair down, have fun and get to know one another,” says Julia.
The Décor
The party’s custom-designed red and white letterpress invitation with a ticking stripe and chrysanthemum design set the tone for the event. Bennett and Julia repeated the invitation’s colors and motif throughout the party’s décor.
A board with escort cards, designed to match the invitations, stood in the reception area where guests entered the backyard. “The placement of the escort cards at the entrance to the dinner allowed guests time to find their name and navigate to their seats,” says Bennett.
A lined, white tent sheltered the outdoor dining area. Inside, Bennett installed decorative wood panels—a Scenemakers signature treatment. Some of the panels were painted red, and others were covered with striped fabric. A string of orchids accented three of the red panels, and a white floral spray decorated the center red panel. “The panels made the space,” says Bennett.
Giving the thumbs-down to ordinary paper lanterns, Bennett instead strung lampshades in assorted sizes and patterns from the center of the tent to create a more refined look. “We wanted to create the feel of a dining room outside,” she explains.
Long banquet tables grouped inside the tent—including a head banquet table for the bride and groom and their families—created a family-style dining experience. “Long tables really united the setting and allowed all the guests to be seated together,” says Bennett. She selected bamboo chairs, rather than basic white folding chairs, for chic outdoor seats, and topped each seat with a red pad.
Glowing candles and low arrangements of white flowers—including hydrangeas, roses, freesia, spider mums and dahlias—ran the length of the banquet tables. “The flowers helped connect everything, creating the feeling of one big dining table,” says Bennett.
Crafts served the dinner on large white bistro china and the drinks in stemmed glassware—an upgrade from paper plates and plastic cups, but not too formal for outdoor dining.
When twilight arrived, globe lights lit the area outside the tent while dozens of candles cast a warm glow inside the tent and around the pool.
The Food
As guests arrived and mingled, they were greeted by butler-passed hors d’oeuvres including mini mac-and-cheese cupcakes, grilled shrimp with roasted garlic chili sauce on corn cakes, bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with Parmigiano-Regianno, and chicken drumettes with carrots and celery served with blue cheese aioli. A flavored lemonade bar supplied cold, fruity beverages, from cranberry watermelon to pineapple-ginger lemonade.
During the appetizer period, the chefs set large mesquite grills ablaze, filling the evening air with a smoky mesquite scent. They proceded to cook a variety of meats and vegetables, providing a small show for guests. The meat dishes were prepared on the grills then served buffet-style.
The spread featured maple horseradish-lacquered salmon with red bell pepper tartar sauce, grilled whole beef tenderloin carved at the buffet table and served with horseradish cream, and skewered chicken satay with tangerine peanut sauce. Side dishes included an Asian-flavored bow-tie pasta salad with edamame, oranges and scallions; a mixed baby green salad with candied pecans, goat cheese and honey red wine dressing; a fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes and basil salad; plus plenty of fresh fruit. Before guests began the buffet dinner service and took their seats, the groom’s father, Hugh West, Jr., welcomed everyone to the evening.
Following dinner, toasts began with the groom’s brother and best man, Hugh West III, and continued with the bride’s sister and maid of honor, Shelby Nielsen, the father of the bride, Greg Nielsen, the father of the groom and finally the groom.
Later in the evening, chefs fired up a flaming crepe suzette station. ”We wanted to continue the event, so the crepe station allowed guests to get up from the tables and mingle again,” explains Crafts. Fresh berries and whipped vanilla bean ice cream accompanied the crepes. Passed ice cream cones provided an additional sweet treat.
The Entertainment
The Joe Muscolino Band played lively tunes throughout the evening. A special music program followed dinner: the bride’s and groom’s brothers sang “Get Me To The Church On Time” from My Fair Lady. Christopher’s paternal grandmother, Sue West, personalized the words to the song for the occasion, while his maternal grandmother, Joan Clissold, accompanied on the keyboard. After, the band resumed and dancing began, as everyone gathered to dance under the stars.
