Perfect Union
In the refurbished bridal and groom suites at a popular wedding venue, entourages can pre-party in style.
Because wedding days are hectic enough without having to race from a place of worship to the reception venue, more and more weddings are taking place at a single site. A temporary place of worship is created in a garden, meadow or backyard, and the priest, minister, rabbi or other officiant—have license, will travel—is imported for the occasion.
While it’s easy on the happy couple and their guests, the one-stop wedding places a special burden on the host facility: The bride and bridesmaids need a suite where they
At Brooklake Country Club, Safavieh refurbished the bride’s suite as a stylish haven where the bride and bridesmaids can pre-party and be pampered. Says designer Dwayne Thomas, “It’s the decorating equivalent of a glass of sparkling Champagne.”
More wedding ceremonies are taking place at the club, usually overlooking the verdant golf course.
The refurbished groom’s suite has the refined, masculine air of a club room. “It’s a space where I’d like to relax with friends and a glass of Scotch,” says designer Dwayne Thomas—which is exactly how it’s used by grooms-to-be.
can get dressed, do hair and makeup and otherwise prepare for the big moment. And while the groom and groomsmen may have simpler requirements, they at least need a comfortable place to wait out of sight and deal with any last-minute jitters.
Hosting weddings is a highly competitive business. Seeking an advantage, Brooklake Country Club in Florham Park, New Jersey, commissioned Safavieh to refurbish its bridal and groom suites. Both projects were led by Dwayne Thomas and Sheila Broderson, designers at Safavieh’s Livingston, N.J., flagship store. Charged with infusing a “wow” factor, they created two very different spaces. “The bride’s suite is light and feminine with plenty of glamour, and roomy enough to move about in long gowns. I guess it’s the decorating equivalent of a glass of sparkling Champagne,” says Thomas.
The groom’s suite, on the other hand, is tailored and masculine, with rich charcoal gray tones in wood and velvet. “I wanted it to feel like a sophisticated gentleman’s lounge,” says Thomas. “It’s a space where I’d like to relax with friends and a glass of Scotch.” You could say it’s the ideal atmosphere for the guys to toast the groom’s health in the waning hours of bachelorhood—or to take a nerve-calming, pre-ceremony nip.
All of the furniture used in both suites is from Safavieh Couture collection. In design terms, says Thomas, “It enabled us to form a perfect union.”
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