REAL WEDDING

  • Photography By:

    Ambrosio Photography

    VANESSA MOOREFIELD & YAMAL YIDIO

    NOVEMBER 10, 2012 in Palm Beach, Florida

    Although there wasn’t much talking the first time Vanessa Moorefield met Yamal Yidios— the two were introduced by a mutual friend at a party and danced the night away—both felt a spark. “Things got serious very quickly,” recalls Vanessa. “I think we knew from the get go we were headed for the altar.” “From the very first day I met her,” Yamal adds, “I knew that she was the one for me!”

    One New Year’s Eve Yamal invited Vanessa and her parents to his hometown of Cartagena, Columbia to spend the holiday with his family. It was there one night after walking her to the beautiful Cathedral of San Pedro Claver where he asked Vanessa to be his wife. “The actual proposal was somewhat spontaneous,” Yamal says. “All I knew is I wanted both of our families to be there.”

    THE BEST THING ABOUT MARRIAGE IS “COMING HOME TO MY BEST FRIEND EVERY NIGHT!”

    The couple chose to host their November nuptials in Palm Beach and treated guests to a welcome reception at the historic Breakers Hotel the Friday before the wedding. “In typical Palm Beach fashion we asked guests to dress in white and set up a croquet court,” says Vanessa, adding that everyone loved the surprise fireworks display at the end of the night.

    On the wedding day, the 250 guests gathered at the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea for the ceremony. A violin quartet played as the flower girls and the bride walked down the aisle and a choir sang throughout the ceremony. Returning to the Breakers for the reception (the bride was charmed by the property’s architecture and old-world aura of its ballrooms), guests dined on roasted Maine lobster and filet mignon before enjoying wedding cake and Palm Beach martini sundaes for dessert. A 20-piece orchestra performed throughout the night and periodically salsa and samba dancers would enter to get guests in the dancing mood.

    After dinner, Yamal surprised his new bride by taking the stage to sing Columbian artist Carlos Vives’ “Volvi a Nacer” (I was Reborn). “It was completely out of character for him,” explains Vanessa, “and brought tears to my eyes.” At midnight, guests were ushered into the hotel’s Gold Room for an after party. Stilt walkers added to the festive ambiance as a DJ played and latenight snacks—Kobe beef sliders, chocolate chip cookies with milk shots and more— were served.

    “The Breakers team and our wedding planner, Lisi Korn, made sure everything went off without a hitch,” says Vanessa. “We couldn’t have asked for more!”

    The newlyweds, who love to travel, worked with an agent to plan an amazing honeymoon, visiting Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; the Maldives; and Dubai. “Our last night in the Maldives I organized a romantic candlelit dinner on the beach,” says Yamal. “I wanted Vanessa to have the honeymoon of her dreams.”

    Now back home in Miami, building a life as husband and wife together, Vanessa says the best thing about marriage is “coming home to my best friend every night!”

     

    WEDDING TALENT

    Location, Caterer, Cake, Floral and Event Design, Linen, Rentals, Lighting: The Breakers Palm Beach, Palm Beach, FL; Event Planner: Forever Events, Bal Harbour, FL; Invitations: Just Paper & Tea, Washington, D.C.; Wedding Dress: Elie Saab and Monique Lhuillier; Bridal Salon: Chic Parisien, Coral Gables, FL; Hair Accessory: Carolina HerreraGrooms Tuxedo: Dolce & Gabbana

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