OH, WHAT A NIGHT

A choreographed first danc, personalized ballad, and cascades of dreamy florals punctuated Brian andToria Schottenstein’s memorable Mar-a-Lago wedding

BY CATHY CHESTNUT

Choosing Mar-a-Lago for their wedding venue was the easiest decision Brian Schottenstein and Toria Aronoff had to make leading up to their nuptials. Brian has been visiting Palm Beach since he was a child with his parents Terri and Gary Schottenstein, longtime Mar-a-Lago Club members. “We love Palm Beach so much, and there’s not a better place in Florida than Mar-a-Lago,” Brian says. “We love spending time at Mar-aLago and had been there many times throughout our relationship, so we thought it would be a great place to get married.” With the romantic architectural jewel as the backdrop, Toria and Brian set out to create a memorable, one-of-a-kind wedding with unexpected, dazzling “wow” factors. They enlisted renowned Ed Libby & Co. Events—which designs lavish celebrity parties and extravagant florals for venues stretching from Beverly Hills and Las Vegas to New York City. Libby helped the couple envision grand floral designs cascading into a fairy-tale dreamland. “There are trends in Palm Beach weddings, but we wanted something that was really different and unique,” Toria says. “Working with Ed Libby was an amazing experience. Seeing his ideas come to life was truly remarkable.”

Opposite page: Toria Aronoff and Brian Schottenstein married on December 11, 2021. Above: The fl wer-adorned swans, symbolizing love, and the towering wedding cake were the event’s centerpiece. Right: Their monogram logo decorated the dance floor and band backdop.

Flowers dominated the design of the December 2021 ceremony and reception, covering two oversized swan centerpieces, chandeliers, the band backdrop, and the chuppah canopy. The couple’s wedding logo was featured prominently behind the band, on the towering wedding cake, and on the dance floor. The real showstopper, however, was devised by Toria and Brian a year before the event: a choreographed first dance that they regularly rehearsed to “Anyone” by Justin Bieber. Then Brian and the band members donned red jackets, à la Jersey Boys. With her father Jay on guitar, Brian sang his personalized version of “Oh, What a Night,” rewritten to extol their courtship. “Everyone loved it.

The couple exchanged vows under the chuppah, transformed into a floral orest with golden tree trunks. Ed Libby’s magnicent floral designs ere the decor’s pièce de résistance. Below: Custom cookies, donuts, candies, bananas Foster, and Graeter’s ice cream were offered at the dessert station.

They weren’t expecting it,” Toria says. “The mash-up was amazing.” LOVE & ELECTRICITY IN THE AIR

Toria and Brian are both Ohio-born Buckeyes and they live in Columbus, where he is president of Schottenstein Real Estate Group and she recently launched her marketing company, Aronoff Social. Many of the 400-plus wedding attendees traveled from Ohio to celebrate with the Schottenstein and Aronoff families. The night before, some 300 participated in the rehearsal dinner at The Breakers, giving out-oftowners and the 24-member wedding party an exclusive Palm Beach immersion.

The traditional Jewish ceremony included the hora and was officiated by Rabbi Mitch Levine as vows were exchanged beneath the chuppah, which emulated a floral forest with golden tree trunks. Toria was escorted down the aisle by her father, Jay Aronoff, and 89-yearold grandfather, Stanley J. Aronoff, former president of the Ohio Senate. Her mother and stepfather, Karen and Jonathan Bader, watched with pride as a 10-violin ensemble played “A Whole New World” as Toria was being ushered into the next chapter of her life. During the reception, intimate words were delivered by the couple, followed by Terri and Gary Schottenstein, and then Donald Trump. “He gave nice remarks about our family and our long-standing relationship with him,” Brian says. “I was honored to have the former president at our wedding.” The escort and, later, a grandfather-granddaughter dance “are moments I will always cherish,” Toria says.

From beginning to after party, the energy was electric throughout the evening. “I don’t think we played slow songs, other than during

Top left: Donald Trump honored the couple’s union with a few remarks during the reception.

Right: Brian in the red jacket he wore to perform “Oh, What a Night” and Toria in her after-party Oscar de la Renta dress, customordered from Paris.

Opposite page: Brian and Toria surprised wedding guests with their choreographed first danc.

The Details

Photography: Genevieve de Manio Planner: Carrie Zack Events Creative Director: Ed Libby & Co. Events Floral Production: J Group Events Bridal Gown and Veil: Carolina Herrera Bridal Shoes: Manolo Blahnik Bride’s After Party Dress: Oscar de la Renta (Custom) Bride’s After Party Shoes: Valentino Groom’s Tux and Shoes: Pantheon Custom Clothiers Groom’s Watch: Patek Philippe Cuff Links: Passed down from his grandfather Event Branding/Invitations: Ceci New York Cake: Earth and Sugar Entertainment: The Social Dance Band, Aragon Artists Reception Dance Entertainment: Dance Hub Palm Beach After Party Entertainment: Aragon Artists Lighting: Frost Florida Jewelry: Provident Jewelry Hair: Nichola Lynch Makeup: Angelique Cecchetti dinner,” Brian muses. Their first dance and Brian’s crooning lit the vibe. Dance Hub Palm Beach performed a Viennese waltz and rumbaed at the reception. The after party featured a DJ, choreographed LED hula hoop troupe, and disco greeters serving light bites and cocktails. Toria shined at the reception in an Oscar de la Renta dress, customordered from Paris, which she adores.

The cake, flanked by two showpiece swans at the Grand Ballroom entrance, was the centerpiece. Toria worked closely with Mar-a-Lago staff on designing a custom dinner menu and dessert station, which offered custom Mara-Lago baked sweets and bananas Foster stations, the families’ favorite candies, and Graeter’s ice cream (an Ohio staple). Dessert staff’s ties bore “LOVE IS SWEET” with the wedding logo.

Amid the celebration, Toria and Brian ensured they stayed with each other throughout the evening.

“Other than changing outfits, we were together all night and danced a lot,” she says. “I feel like people really gravitated toward that love.”

Brian agrees. Among all the evening’s dazzling highlights, “the most important thing is the love we have for each other. I think everyone in the room felt it. It’s the only time we’ll have all of our family and friends in one room at the same time. We were all just enjoying ourselves and didn’t worry about what was happening outside of the ballroom.” d