Sparking Joy Around The World
This season we caught up with: Twelve Tomatoes, one of India’s most sought after event design bureaus, Daniela Riedlova, an Italian boutique wedding planner and our own Hostess-in-Chief, Jackie Chiesa, to take your wedding to new heights. It’s morning in Toronto and Jackie is just back from Paris, it’s afternoon in Milan and Daniela is hopping a plane to Palermo, it’s evening in Mumbai and Lakmé Fashion Week is in high gear as Twelve Tomatoes line a catwalk in pink blooms. Don’t get us wrong; these matrimony mathematicians are serving up practical solutions to wedding quandaries even Marie Kondo would approve. Scroll down for tons of great ideas to make your big day shine.
Sicily is My Love by Dolce & Gabbana for SMEG
Daniela tested Italy twice- once for work-once for love- but it was a vacation in Sicily that hooked her for good, this Czech transplant had finally found her home. “We need a lot of elements for an Italian wedding,” Daniela Riedlova says, her multilingual drawl sweetening her sentences, “especially in Sicily!” She insists on tables set with lemons and prickly pears, indigenous to the region. She also draws inspiration from the traditional ceramics of Caltagirone found in local markets, which- by the way- is the same design language Dolce & Gabbana translated for their kitchenware collection, “Sicily Is My Love.” Her favourite wedding was a stone’s throw from Palermo where her friends Giuseppe and Lino tied the knot in an all white ceremony on the beach. We ask the Sicilian wedding planner, who speaks five languages, to utter her favourite word for love; “Amore of course,” she says in Italian without batting an eye. @mysicilywedding
Marrakesh Black by Bavaria @kyreekreations @archeryevents @littlewishcelebrations
“The Indian wedding table is a time to impress.” Parmar and Lata of Twelve Tomatoes have designed luxury weddingscapes for India’s influential, turned a fifty-year anniversary of The Park Boutique Hotels into a series of floral art installations, designed custom events for our own neighbours- Louis Vuitton and Gucci- as well as our dear friends at Villeroy & Boch -and adorned the first Sotheby’s auction in India with their designs. “To put it simply, an Indian wedding would be the biggest party a family would ever throw in their lifetimes,” says Karan Singh Parmar. “It is not untypical for the festivities to last over a week.” He mentions the high drama of placing a towering orchid tree in the middle of a mirrored custom-made main table for a bling most mortals cannot comprehend. As with us at William Ashley, Amit Lata recommends loads of candles and votives to add to the sparkle. When asked which flowers they prefer, Twelve Tomatoes puts on their sustainability hats, choosing blooms from local farmers, explaining that they have no access to refrigeration. “If they are unable to sell their produce in the morning, it’s a huge loss for them.” We can’t be more on board with this idea and will show you more sustainable solutions for your home in the coming months. @twelvetomatoes
Quinsai Gardens by Villeroy & Boch
Jackie Chiesa, Hostess-in Chief, sits in her Toronto office after a whirlwind tour of the Maison et Objets Salon in Paris as we discuss the nature of living in one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world. “Bowls are the new plates,” she says enthusiastically, waxing poetic. “Really, the table has changed to suit the food we now eat. Everything is on offer in Toronto and we all want to partake- we are talking regional specialities from all around the world. Really, we’re a foodie culture.” The largest assortment of dinnerware patterns from Hermes to Wedgwood under one roof and a new state-of-the-art store in the heart of a Toronto tourist destination has made us an open secret around the world. “With the addition of our online component in 2014, people can browse and buy from Texas to Calgary.” Couples from the U.S. and Canada can offer their global guests a seamless way to buy from their registry.
Gio by Wedgwood
#WeddingWednesday is a time to share the love. “These are the Real Couples of William Ashley,” says Jackie, referring to our Instaposts where couples toast to their union with Robbe & Berking silver champagne flutes, sharing their personal selections made with the help of a dedicated tableware stylist. “With couples getting together, two places are/or have already merged into one,” making the occasion a perfect time to sift through those cupboards and streamline a lifestyle. Less is more- Marie Kondo would agree. “Couples are choosing transitional settings, selecting white bone china as a base, then adding accent pieces like patterned luncheon plates or fun serveware to turn an everyday set of dishes into an eye popping tablescape for their guests.” At William Ashley, a sustainable lifestyle is also a fabulous lifestyle. @williamashleyco
Daniela Riedlova of My Sicily Wedding helping a bride in Palermo
12 Tomatoes and their Ode To Dutch Masters Bouquet
