ROMANCE
Hilary Stalder and Jacob Stern had planned a large indoor weeding prior to the pandemic, but regrouped and held a family-only ceremony at Kraft Azalea Gardens.
PHOTO BY JOHN UNRUE
Love Will Find a Way Hilary Stalder arrived home from her bachelorette getaway to a very different Central Florida than the one she had left a few short days before. While she was away, COVID-19 became a pandemic and major attractions closed. Bars and restaurants quickly followed. Suddenly her April 18 wedding to long-time beau Jacob Stern was thrown into flux. With the ceremony — slated for the Winter Park Racquet Club — just 30 days away, the couple had to make some quick decisions. “It really wasn’t hard,” Hilary says. “Our parents and some of our guests were in high-risk groups. We looked at what was going on and quickly realized it wasn’t going to get any better any time soon. Canceling the big ceremony was clearly the only decision we could make for us, our family and friends.” So how do you go about pulling the plug? Hilary and Jacob, both 31, started by notifying their 150-plus guests and breaking the news to their vendors. “For the most part, our vendors were understanding,” she adds. “We felt so bad because most of them knew they were probably not going to be working for a while. It was heartbreaking to have to undo everything we had done in the last 10 months of planning.” Still Hilary and Jacob did, in fact, get married April 18. “The world had changed but not our love for each other; we wanted to be married,” Hilary says. “We knew it wasn’t going to look like what we had planned. But that was OK.” The couple — who both work for general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie and met at work — pivoted and quickly put together a small, intimate ceremony at Kraft Azalea Gardens. Adds Hilary:
54 W I N T E R P A R K M A GAZI N E | SP RI N G 2021
“The city said they weren’t renting any of their venues, but they wouldn’t kick us out — so we went for it.” An outdoor venue requires a less formal bridal gown than the one at the seamstress (which is still there). So, with stores closed, Hilary looked online. Because of COVID-19, delivery times couldn’t be guaranteed — but she was fortunate enough to find a resale version of the dress she wanted. Her florist, Lee Forrest Design, put together a bouquet and boutonniere and delivered it to their home the morning of their wedding. “[Forrest] was so wonderful, when we told him our plans, he said, ‘Let me see what I have in the shop,’ and he created the perfect bouquet,” Hilary says. When he delivered it to their home, he stood at a safe distance on the sidewalk. Naturally, it rained on April 18 and Hilary recalls saying a prayer: “God. I’ve been really cool with all of this, but can you just give me this one?” As the wedding party arrived at the garden, the sun came out and her long-awaited nuptials were held on a beautiful afternoon. Hilary and Jacob’s guest list was downsized to include just immediate family — a party of 12 including the couple — and their reception was moved from the Racquet Club to their backyard with takeout from Hillstone. But Hilary is happy with how everything turned out: “The wedding ended up being ‘more us,’ and we’re happy with that.” Naturally, she was less happy with losing several deposits for the original wedding. The government of Thailand, for example, kept their up-front payment. Which is one reason they still plan to go on a belated honeymoon next year to the Southeast Asian country.
As a boutique florist specializing in weddings, Forrest welcomes any fanciful idea a couple might bring — and he enjoys the challenge of making it happen. “We love people who want something cool and interesting,” he says. “We’re known for being more edgy.” Some of Forrest’s designs use wire mixed with flowers to create a sculptured look, or feathers and crystals worked into floral arrangements. This past February, Forrest had the honor of transforming a balcony at Orlando City Hall into a magical setting for the wedding of Susie Shields and Mayor Buddy Dyer. The new Mrs. Dyer describes it as a “flower wonderland.” The couple’s wedding, which pulled together in three weeks, was rather spontaneous. “We said, ‘What are we waiting for’ … and the first person I called was Lee,” says Orlando’s new First Lady. The Dyers’ small casual wedding — with just 10 guests — took place on a balcony, which was not only outdoors but also a special place to the mayor, who had performed several weddings there. Forrest’s first questions to Susie were: “What dress are you wearing?” and “What are your favorite colors and flowers?” Even though Shields hadn’t decided on her dress yet — the bride ultimately wore a Florida-inspired green coralpatterned mid-length dress, and the groom wore a white guayabera shirt — she did send Forrest a photo of the balcony. Forrest’s team created a bouquet of pink tulips and white tulips, White O’Hara garden roses, Juliet garden roses, blush hydrangea, blush Anna roses, white lisianthus and stock flowers of white and pale pink. The same grouping decorated the balcony’s rail with green leafy swag draped between each cluster. After the grim events of 2020, Forrest encourages use of colored flowers, which add much-needed cheerfulness to any occasion. Deeper pinks, burgundy and blue are showing up more often in his floral designs, he says. Other choice flowers include garden roses, peonies, parrot tulips and orchids. However, the time of year influences which flowers are in season and economical to use. Although Forrest can get just about any type of flower a couple wants, the price will be higher if it isn’t in season. Looking ahead, Forrest is optimistic that the end of 2021 and 2022 will see the return of bigger weddings — and his bookings for larger receptions reflect that optimistic viewpoint.
YES TO THE DRESS Every bride wants to find the perfect dress for her wedding day. At The Bridal Finery in Winter Park, co-owner Roberta Noronha has helped her customers accomplish that goal for more than 10 years.
