Sharon & Arthur
The wedding uniting Sharon Papa and Arthur Smith in marriage occurred on September 4, 2004, at half past five o'clock in the evening at the Fontenot Grand Mansion in Spring, Texas. The planning stages of the event began shortly after the engagement, which was eight months before the wedding date. Since the majority of the bride's family and friends lived in Houston, the couple desired to have the wedding there. However, since the groom's family and friends haled from England, they wanted a venue that reflected a more international style and were adamant that it not be in a traditional hotel ballroom. The coordinator suggested the perfect facility in a new venue, a mansion with Italian villa-style architecture.
In keeping with the bride's wishes, the décor and theme of the wedding incorporated the colors white, platinum, lavender and chartreuse. The wedding paper trousseau, which consisted of invitations, respond cards, programs, matchbooks and napkins were all done in platinum and bright white. The tone was set for the wedding, and platinum and white detail was evident throughout many aspects of the wedding.
Sharon wore a white satin strapless dress adorned with crystals and carried a nosegay bouquet of white calla lilies, stephanotis and lily of the valley. The colors lavender, chartreuse and white were seen in various flowers, such as roses, hydrangeas, larkspur and calla lilies, and were used throughout the event. The bridesmaids' dresses were lavender two-piece ensembles and the flower girls' dresses were chartreuse, and each carried bouquets or pomanders. The groom wore his own black Armani tux with a beautiful white silk tie tied in an old English pattern. The groomsmen wore matching tuxes with black ties and cummerbunds.
Inside the ceremony room, the mantle was decorated with various sized white candles and three double containers filled with flowers. The sides of the altar were decorated with two pairs of five-stemmed candelabras covered with white chiffon and cascades of the wedding flowers. The venue's banisters and obtrusive entertainment center were draped with white chiffon. A beautiful program outlining the ceremony's traditions was placed in each chair, which also had a single lavender rose tied to the sash on the back. A silver tray filled with white almonds and topped with the traditional "crowns", a family heirloom bible, two lighted candlesticks, an ornate silver cross and the common cup filled with wine were all placed on two altar pedestals.The bride and her party arrived in a white limousine two hours before the wedding and dressed in the mansion's master suite. The groom and his wedding party arrived in a black limousine and relaxed in the mansion's indoor pool area. Most of the guests were transported in large buses from the hotel to the mansion and those who didn't had their cars valet parked.
Sharon chose to walk down the grand staircase and ceremony aisle alone and was a gorgeous site to her awaiting groom. Sharon's childhood minister served as the officiant and helped to incorporate aspects of her Greek heritage, including the traditions known as "The Crowning", "Drinking from the Common Cup" and the "Dance of Isaiah".
After the ceremony, the guests were escorted outside to enjoy the cocktail reception, during which a harpist entertained them. Six cocktails tables with white linens and platinum ties, and a silver bud vase with tiny roses were placed outside. As they entered the reception room, the guests were each given a place card and shown on a large blown-up poster their table assignment.
The room was quickly turned from the ceremony into a beautiful reception. The amazing transformation took place just as the sun was setting, allowing for a more candle-lit ambiance. Each of the eleven tables had one of two different centerpieces, five low crystal bowls filled with the wedding flowers, and six tall silver candelabras with spectacular crystal prisms and a generous floral arrangement of the wedding flowers. In addition to votive candles, each table had a wine bottle labeled with the names of each table guest, a silver chiffon sachet filled with almonds and a white table linen with an organza overlay adorned with platinum beads, forming a diamond pattern. The pattern was duplicated on the sash, which was placed over the stark white stretch chair covers. The white cotton napkins were tied with a platinum organza ribbon and placed in the center of the each place setting. The bride's three-tiered cake, which was a present-style design and had a bow on the top layer, and the groom's fountain of chocolate with strawberries were placed on the venue's dining room table and surrounded by greenery and flowers. The bride's gorgeous bouquet was placed next to the cake along with the couple's unique Swarovski crystal-stemmed champagne toasting goblets.
During the dinner, the band played light, jazzy background music. The guests were treated to a wonderful plated meal consisting of southwest Caesar salad, beef tenderloin medallions and hazelnut crusted snapper with butternut squash and asparagus. Vegetarian meals were available to those who requested them.
After dinner, the bride and groom cut the bride's butter cream cake with raspberry filling and dipped strawberries into the chocolate fountain, which was a real crowd pleaser. They then proceeded to the dance floor where traditional toasts were made by the best man, maid of honor, a tearful mother-of-the-bride and the delighted groom. The band played "At Last" for the couples first dance and "What a Wonderful World" for the round-robin dance. The band then kept everyone on the dance floor grooving to the smooth sounds of Motown, R&B, Pop and the Blues. At the evening's conclusion, the guests were escorted outside and each given a sparkler and a monogrammed matchbook. The couple walked down the mansion steps surrounded by the glow from the sparklers. Then much to their delight, the guests were treated to a fantastic four-minute fireworks show. The couple kissed each other and waived goodbye to their guests before departing in an old-fashioned white 1940's Rolls Royce limousine.
