March 15, 2011

It’s always a special honor and a privilege to be a part of the planning process for every wedding. On rare occasion, we also have the privilege of being a part of the journey from the very beginning starting with the engagement. That was the case for this delightful couple. The groom had made special arrangements to “pop the question” at Fountainview. Although she knew the engagement was coming, little did she know when the big event would take place. She came out to Fountainviewand found her precious prince charming behind the garden wall where he waited to present her with the ring. Thanks to the wonderful technology of a Flipcam, I was able to share the moment with their families and friends.

If there could be a picture perfect day in a blushing bride’s life, it would have been March 12th when Lauren Aaron wed her handsome husband, Nathan. It was the most beautiful Spring day you could ever hope for. The sky was a flawless blue, temperature in the low 70′s, no humidity, and just a gentle breeze. I know the family’s prayers were definitely answered with the blessing of great weather.

The 5:00 PM ceremony was held poolside with a little more than 300 guests in attendance. That’s one of the greatest things about Fountainview is how easily the outdoor entertaining space can meet the needs of larger groups so easily while still retaining a sense of warmth and coziness for smaller groups.

The bride’s color scheme was delightful.

She chose a fresh shade of pool blue for the bridesmaids who wore simple but sophisticated knee-length gowns. Most brides would have chosen a contrasting color in shades of pink or peach or possibly even yellow. But our vibrant bride chose RED! It was fabulous. Each of the girls wore beautiful red pumps for an unexpected dash of color.

The bride, her mother and one of her maids just prior to the wedding ceremony. What a beautfiul family!

All the florals created by a friend of the family were in vibrant shades of red as well which created such a fun and unexpected color palette. It was wonderful and reminded me of just how much impact color can have. The bride’s beautiful mom also wore a red gown which tied together the whole color palette so beautifully.

The bride’s maternal grandmother created beautiful custom table toppers for each guest table. What a wonderful labor of love! This special design element created the perfect dash of color on top of the white satin linens and made a great backdrop for the unique floral designs in all red. Some featured LED lighting as well which created a really neat splash of light and color.

The bride and groom’s cakes were done by our favorite, Robbyn Fowler, with SonshineCakes. As is always the case withRobbyn’s cakes, there was nary a morsel left. It thrills me when I see how much the guests love her cakes. Not only are her cakes shear artistry, they are the most delectable cakes you’ll ever put in your mouth. Great job again Robbyn!

The guests feasted on a wonderful wedding meal by Christine’s Gourmet featuring tossed salad withtomatoes, peppers, cheddar cheese, hearts of palm served withRanch and Italian dressing, twice baked potato salad, Sour cream, bacon bits and green onions, green beans with caramelized onions and almonds, Penne pasta primavera with white wine cream sauce, and baked chicken with artichoke, sun dried tomato Parmesancreamsauce. The delicious menu was greeted with rave reviews by the guests.

Lauren and Nathan, thanks so much for allowing us to be a part of your very special day. God bless you both.

The bride's stunning gown proved that simple can still be glamorous and exquisite. It was a perfect look for Lauren.

Lauren, her handsome dad and her sister share a sweet moment together just before going down the aisle.

Here comes another beautiful bride, Lauren Aaron, escorted by her loving father.

Candy stations continue to be a huge hit with guests no matter what their age.

The happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Farris right after their pronouncement of marriage. We wish you both a lifetime of happiness together.

Here Come the Brides! Nikki Kirkpatrick Weds John Barnickel in the First Wedding of the Season!

Thanks so much for staying tuned. After a much needed break following the Christmas Holidays, the Fountainview Wedding season officially began on March 5th withthe marriage of Nikki Kirkpatrick to John Barnickel. Not even the wet weather conditions could dampen the spirit of the festivities.

The beautiful bride and her dashing groom share a quiet moment together.

The bride selected a fabulous color called “mango” as her focal color for the bridesmaids.

The beautiful bride and her maids in stunning mango gowns provide the essence of a burst of Spring.

What a great color with which to work! It was very fresh and vibrant and really evoked the feeling of a burst of spring. Each of the bridesmaids wore the same color but were allowed to pick the design of their gown. This allowed each young lady to really wear a gown that suited their personality while also flattering their body type. The color worked great on all of them.

I absolutely loved the floral inspiration the bride presented to me several months earlier. I couldn’t wait to work on them. The focal flowers for the maids were mango calla lilies, coffee break roses, and parrot tulips in a unique hand-tied design with a focal point of a split leaf philodendron leaf. The bouquets featured pops of yellow and purple for contrast as well as loops of Lily grass which provided a very artistic look. Affixed the the loops of bear grass were artificial monarch butterflies creating an ethereal feeling to the bouquets. These were some of the most striking and unique bridesmaids bouquets we’ve ever had the pleasure of creating.

The stunning color of the florals complete with the whimsy of a monarch butterflies captured the imagination and provided and additional aura of Springtime.

The bride’s bouquet was also a hand-tied design incorporating white freesia, dendrobium orchids, roses, etc. with a sprinkling of very soft peach roses deep down for contrast. Just a few pops of color can help so much in photography.

Another photo of the happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. John Barnickel.

The indoor ceremony worked out terrific for this size guest list with a quick and seamless transition from the ceremony into the reception.

One of the funniest things happened when friends of the groom brought the groom’s hunting truck outfitted with two rocking chairs decorated with antlers for the getaway car. While this is definitely not what our elegant bride had always dreamed of for a memorable departure from her dream wedding, she took it very much in stride and in very good humor. It was definitely the most unusual departure we’ve ever seen at Fountainview. It reminded me of when my wife and I originally moved out to Fountainview. We were so enchanted by the beautiful surroundings that we often said we felt like “the Clampett’s had moved out to Fountainview.” (remember granny sitting in her rocking chair on the truck?) It was pretty hysterical and definitely provided a touch of light-hearted fun and whimsy to the festivities.

A hysterical touch of light hearted whimsy. Please note, this is NOT the Fountainview Limousine.

Congratulations Nikki and John! We wish you all the best.

The wedding party pose at sunset.

Merry Christmas from All Fountainview Mansion

December 26, 2010

Greetings friends and Merry Christmas from all of us at Fountainview Mansion. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we’ve finally caught our breath long enough to take some photos to take you on an evening tour of this lovely property which has been enjoyed by so many this holiday season. Our good friends, Jack and Lisa Bentley, of Infinity Photographers will be providing some far better images shortly but we hope you will enjoy this small sampling. May God bless you and your families with the most wonderful holiday season ever. Cherish every moment together and savor every choice morsel of His bounty. Each and every moment is a precious gift from heaven. Embrace each and every second.

Merry Christmas

Gary & Julie Klarenbeek and the Staff of Fountainview Mansion

Another view of the magnificent study.

The luxurious Buckingham suite - fit for a king and queen.

The spectacular mantel treatment featuring more than 100 yards of luxurious ribbon, a bounty of pheasant feathers, and 100's of lights makes for a magical and dramtic focal point.

Another vantage point of the palatial Buckingham suite complete with its own antique grand piano.

A beautiful view of a portion of the Buckingham bath. OUr bride's LOVE this space.

The warm and inviting Hearth Room - one of the most popular rooms at Fountainview.

The spacious and well-appointed conference room decorated in celebrative shades of red, white, and blue. Each tree dons 50 stars to celebrate each of our fifty states. The decor honors all those who have served and are still serving our country in the US military forces to remind us of the tremendous sacrifice they have made for our country and our own personal freedoms.

A close-up one of the conference room trees evoking a feeling of America's celebrative and joyful spirit!

The masculine and warm Windsor suite.

The deep red and gold hues of the Balmoral make this suite one of the most requested during the holiday season.

The impeccably appointed Kensington suite.

The elegant and femine Coventry suite - a soft symphony of color and grace.

The simple elegance of an antique silver German cross displayed in front of the antique pier mirror in the reception foyer reminds us of the true reason for the season; a simple but poignant reminder.

We wish you all a joyful and prosperous New Year and thank each and every one of you for your continued patronage and friendship through this past year. We look forward to having you as our guests in 2011 as we continue to serve you with a commitment to excellence in all we do. God bless.

Gary & Julie Klarenbeek

Merry Christmas from All Fountainview Mansion

December 23, 2010

Merry Christmas

Gary & Julie Klarenbeek and the Staff of Fountainview Mansion

The magnificent reception foyer.

The front reception hall. The reception foyer alone featured 18 Christmas trees, nearly 1000 yards of ribbon, nearly 5,000 lights and over 1,000 ornaments. The glow in the evening is so magical and warm.

The elegant formal living room.

The inspiring creche scene surrounded by a myriad of poinsettias and Christmas trees.

A close-up of the living room creche – truly a work of art designed each year by my precious wife, Julie. It really is an inspiring labor of love.

The stately dining room with it's impressive rosetta marble mantle surrounded by seven beautifully decorated Christmas trees and a myriad of marbled poinsettias.

A small sampling of the many groupings of cherished holiday momentos to remind us of the reason for the season.

The grand salon in its regal holiday finery.

The warm and cozy study resplendant in shades of blue and orange. War Eagle!

Another view of the magnificent study.

The luxurious Buckingham suite – fit for a king and queen.

The spectacular mantel treatment featuring more than 100 yards of luxurious ribbon, a bounty of pheasant feathers, and 100's of lights makes for a magical and dramtic focal point.

Another vantage point of the palatial Buckingham suite complete with its own antique grand piano.

A beautiful view of a portion of the Buckingham bath. OUr bride's LOVE this space.

The warm and inviting Hearth Room – one of the most popular rooms at Fountainview.

A close-up one of the conference room trees evoking a feeling of America's celebrative and joyful spirit!

The masculine and warm Windsor suite.

The deep red and gold hues of the Balmoral make this suite one of the most requested during the holiday season.

The impeccably appointed Kensington suite.

The elegant and femine Coventry suite – a soft symphony of color and grace.

Gary & Julie Klarenbeek

Fountainview Hosts First Annual Fantasy in Chocolate

December 22, 2010

It was a glittering and elegant evening on December 19th as Fountainview Mansion hosted its first holiday Fantasy in Chocolate. Fantasy in Chocolate featured a delightful combination of fabulous musical entertainment, a magnificent gourmet meal and a decadent chocolate dessert buffet by Arricia’s master chefs. Guests also reveled in the renowned holiday decorations of Auburn’s most extensively decorated mansion decked out from top to bottom for their Holiday enjoyment!

The fabulous entree catered by the master chefs of Ariccias's.

Entertainment was provided by some of our area’s most beloved entertainers including acclaimed Soprano soloist, Jacquie Klarenbeek Cruz, off Broadway performer, Karen Bellah, dramatic Tenors, Chris Kelsey & me, Gary Klarenbeek, with dinner music and show accompaniment by The Patrick Bruce Jazz Trio and p[ianist, Sandra Watwood.

The four vocalists provided an animated, entertaining and inspiring program of Holiday Pops and inspirational favorites. Judging by the audience’s rave reviews, this will undoubtedly become one of Auburn’s most anticipated annual traditions. Multiple performances are anticipated for next year to meet the demand.

Arricia’s master culinary team prepared one of the finest and most beautiful meals ever served at Fountainview Mansion ncludingBaby Spinach and Arugula Salad, with Poached Pears, Raspberries, Slivered Toasted Almonds and Crumbled Goat Cheese served with Balsamic Vinaigrette, Seared Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce and Grilled Citrus-Spiked Chicken Breast with Vidalia Onion Marmalade.

Following the show, guests were treated to a sumptuous chocolate dessert buffet. What a fabulous spread. Well done Arricias!

Dear friends share an elegant evening of dining, entertainment and delectable desserts.

Artistry in chocolate…

Some of the most beautiful chocolate covered strawberries we've ever seen. A feast for the eyes as well as the palate.

More delectable desserts to capture the imagination.

The Patrick Bruce trio provided delightful Christmas jazz during dinner and then moved to the huge heated tent for the show. What a great evening!

We hope you’ll all make plans to attend next year’s performances with your special someone, a group of your close friends or with your company coworkers. Merry Christmas!

A Holiday to Remember for Erin Chambliss and Hayden Tanner

What an amazing weekend it was as Erin Chambliss and Hayden Tanner began their new life together. I had been looking forward to this wedding for nearly 1 1/2 years as we planned the entire celebration together. It was so much fun and so fulfilling to work so closely with this bride and her family on so many facets of the wedding, bridesmaids luncheon as well as rehearsal dinner. As you will see the details unfold below, this is a bride who loved creativity and the family paid such close attention to the special little details that made each unique event a work of art. Fountainview assisted in the many details for each event including custom invitations, a beautiful wedding program, linens, florals, catering coordination, and event tenting and lighting. The overall result was shear magic!

The Bridesmaid’s luncheon was hosted by the bride’s grandmother. She too loved the unique details to make this an extra-special affair for her granddaughter. I want to adopt her. She is precious. The inspiration for the luncheon was the Royal Albert china in the Old Country Roses pattern. We were able to locate custom invitations for the luncheon which were some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. The moss green crinkle taffeta linens and luxurious raspberry colored lamour napkins provided the perfect accent to the china pattern creating an overall color palette which blended so beautifully into the formal dining room. It evoked an aura of shear elegance and femininity which would be completely different from the other events to be held in conjunction with the wedding. The florals selected for the table also provided the perfect complement to the china and its respective color palette bringing in gorgeous hues of ivory, raspberry, hot pink, red and hints of golden yellow. The overall look was simply magical!

Feminine style and elegance were the hallmarks of the Bridesmaid's luncheon hosted by the bride's delightful grandmother.

The Rehearsal Dinner held on Friday, Dec. 17th was another facet of this wedding that I had looked forward to for many, many months. Since the bride’s overall theme was “A Holiday to Remember” and since the couple would be travelling to Mexico for their honeymoon, it inspired a basic them of “Christmas in Mexico.” which was a huge success and much enjoyed by all in attendance. The entire menu was Mexican food which was such a unique change of pace.

The linens selected for the rehearsal dinner were some of the most show-stopping linens ever used at Fountainview. The set-up featured a rich shade of purple lamour base linen to the floor topped with a striped sequin hologram overlay which brought in accent colors of gold, sapphire blue, red, teal, and purple. To complement the look, the bride selected alternating napkin colors in red, sapphire blue, teal, and purple. They were folded in an elegant custom fold and placed on the elegant gold chargers. The centerpieces featured red amaryllis and holiday greens in a simple wrought iron container surrounded by multi-height red votive candle containers and Mexican instruments like maracas and jingle bells. The groom’s mother had also made beautiful gift bags for each guest. It made each guest feel so special. Again, it was the attention to detail that created an event that was over the top!

The stunning table settings for the rehearsal dinner.

The wedding too was a joy to help create. The ceremony was held at Auburn UMC which is such a stunning facility for a wedding – especially at Christmas time. The bride and the bridesmaids met at Fountainview to dress and for hair and make-up in the palatial Buckingham suite. The bride and groom then saw each other for the first time and had their private moment as Erin glided down the staircase in her fabulous silk gown. It featured some of the most beautiful lacework I’ve ever seen. The gown was perfect for Erin in every way. Erin’s bridal bouquet was such a joy to create and featured more than three dozen exquisite red roses. It evoked a feeling of simple classic elegance as well as romantic extravagance.

Erin's stunning bridal bouquet with more than 3 dozen perfect roses.

Erin Chambliss – the quintessential classic Fountainview bride. What a delightful and beautiful young woman!

In a departure from traditional wedding color palettes, the bride had all the color and the bridesmaids had elegant and subdued shades of white and cream with only a few tiny hints of color brought in the by Picasso parrot tulips. Other florals in the hand-tied bouquets were green cymbidium orchids and hydrangeas, vendella roses, majolica spray roses, white lilac, white freesia, Casablanca lilies accented with fragrant Christmas greens and the stems wrapped in luxurious gold ribbon.

The distinctive and elegant bridesmaid's bouqet – classic elegant perfection!

The men’s boutonnieres featured a red rose with a peacock feather for the groom and white spray roses and pheasant feathers for the other men in the wedding party. The stems were wrapped in black ribbon and gold cording providing a very elegant yet masculine custom look.

The wedding party was then whisked away to the church in the Fountainview white stretch limousine. I was also honored to be in attendance at the wedding ceremony as I was privileged to be a soloist along with my beautiful daughter, Jacquelyn Klarenbeek Cruz. What an honor and a privilege to be with the family during every part of this journey.

Since all photographs had been completed prior to the wedding ceremony, the couple came down the aisle and quickly climbed into the limousine for the private ride back to the mansion. This offered them some private time to dine together while the guests were arriving. The overall flow was so smooth.

Erin awaits her groom.

Hayden greets his beautiful bride for the very first time. Shear magic….

We were blessed with really great weather for the reception. Although it was chilly (one would expect that in the middle of December) the heated tents provided great guest comfort and the entire reception came together beautifully. The big tent (40×80) featured a large stage for the band, a black and white checkered dance floor, dramatic red up-lighting for accent on the ceiling, and also plenty of room for guest tables which were dressed in sumptuous black crinkle taffeta. The look was elegantly platinum. Again, the attention to detail was present with a custom monogram illuminated on the side of the tent.

Inside the mansion, additional details were present with rich gold beaded chair ties and dramatic floral arrangements featuring a plethora of red and cream (vendela) roses, hydrangeas, amarylis, picasso parrot tulips, star of Bethlehem, Casablanca lilies, green amaranthus, dendrobium orchids and other gorgeous seasonal flowers. What fun the florals were to work with.

The elegant set-up of the Grand Salon for the Chambliss wedding.

The wedding cakes were a delight to behold and created by our favorite, Robbyn Fowler of Sonshine Cakes. The classic design of the brides cake was then highly ornamented with considerable florals using dozens of red roses and accented with hints of white and green. When I was getting started on the cake, the bride asked “Do you have any extra feathers we could maybe put on top?” I was thrilled to say “YES!” It made for a perfectly dramatic winter look just like she wanted. The groom’s cake, too, was a work of art and covered with decadent Reese’s peanut butter cups and unique icing treatment. As always, the guests couldn’t get enough of Robbyn’s fabulous cakes which are always a work of art and always the best cake people have ever eaten. Thanks for taking such good care of our bride’s, Robbyn. You are one very special and talented lady! The cake was displayed upon a stunning beaded English lace table cloth over classic white satin. Again, these details make such a striking difference.

The stunning bride's cake covered in dozens of roses.

Erin and Hayden, Mr. and Mrs. Chambliss, Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins, and Mrs. Bozeman, thanks so much for the honor and privilege of working with you on this exciting time in your family’s life. We hope and pray the memories of these special times shared with your family and friends will always help you always think fondly of “A Holiday to Remember.”