I am taking Destination Friday’s to new heights! I thought I would share a bit of my summer fun. Have a great Labor Day Weekend and we’ll see you on the other-side of summer.
LAVALLETTE, NEW JERSEY
I visited my home away from home….Lavallette, New Jersey. I have summered there since childhood. I sneak off to my little mecca whenever I can-winter, spring, summer or fall!
I met my brand new baby cousins-Emma and Kate. Ohhh-they are delicious.
Little miss Kate a wee bit sleepy on the beach.
LAUREL LAKE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.
We did a company road trip to New Hampshire and stayed at Mark’s family cabin on Laurel Lake. We cooked, we kayaked, we encountered many unique mushroom specimens and salamanders! Don’t ask how we flipped a canoe…twice.
Aside from Mark’s partner Mehmet and his sweet mother J. Rose, we also spent the weekend with Lily and Violet-Mark’s and Mehmet’s new puppies…….
I have snuggled them endlessly and they have just learned to sit and stay…..for a second!
I meant Lily and Violet. The proud parents don’t follow direction so well!
Stop it!!! Violet is out like a light. She is irresistible.
HARBOUR ISLAND, BAHAMAS
Yes…I went back to the Bahamas….I can’t stop myself.
Most relaxing beach ever.
Danielle and I floated on a sandbar. We picked up sea urchins with her hair-clip. It works pretty well.
We meditated-sort of. Deepak Chopra eat your heart out.
I shared my familie’s Christmas tradition, “Elfie”, while entertaining friends at Sip Sip on Harbour Island. Elfie is a series of thoughtful/funny gifts with heartfelt notes-wrapped with whatever is available. My girlfriend Danielle and I chose the pages of Architectural Digest and fresh sea-grape leaves as the decorative wrapping. The best part of Elfie is finding the perfect gift and writing a short speech to underscore what that particular person means to you. I found throughout my travels that Elfie, although a family Christmas tradition, translates beautifully any time of year as a thank you and way of honoring the people you love. (It helps me not miss my dad so much too).
Swankiest afternoon…island hopping on a seaplane.
I decided jet skiing is not cheesy like my grandmother says. It is beyond fun! (sorry Fay)
Infinity pools are sooooo nice and not so easy to get out of…..
NANTUCKET, MASSACHUSSETTS
I fell in love with Nantucket.
I am a dyed in the wool North-Easterner and this is just up my alley.
Gorgeous beaches-but the water is chilly!!
I succumbed to the pirate craze.
THE HUDSON RIVER, NEW YORK CITY.
I am obsessed with Scrabble….
Did I say I am obsessed with Scrabble. You can probably catch me attempting to beat my best friend Francy or my cousin Becky at Scrabble at one of the river cafes on the weekends. And for the record….Danielle makes up ridiculous words!!!
150 WEST 25TH STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK.
We moved our design studio and offices. See how relaxed Garrett manages to look through all of the chaos.
He even reorganized our warehouse in New Jersey without breaking a sweat!
SAY BYE-BYE SUMMER AND HELLO FALL!!
Central Synagogue in Manhattan is an exquisite space and the chuppah we designed needed to have a strong presence but not compete with the beautiful surroundings. Built in 1872, Central Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in Manhattan. Designed by Henry Fernbach, the design is loosely called Moorish-Islamic Revival.
The 14 foot high chuppah was constructed in sections and then filled with boxwood.
The exterior is dominated by two octagonal towers rising 122 feet and are meant to be reminiscent of Solomon’s Temple. The chuppah was constructed in sections and brought to the synagogue.
The elaborate and intricate interior has beautiful Moorish designs stenciled into the walls which were then hand painted in shades of red, blue, and ochre. The floor tiles cover almost 4000 square feet.
The chuppah or traditional marriage canopy symbolizes the new home that the couple will build together and the protection that they will extend to each other.
The chuppah is open on all sides to welcome friends and relatives to the celebration.
Looking from the chuppah to the rear of the sanctuary.
Large vases of cherry blossoms were placed at the rear of the sanctuary.
Nantucket itself provided the inspiration for this destination wedding. I collaborated closely with Karen Bartolomei of Grapevine Couture Invitations. We drew from both history and locale in designing this beautiful papery suite. Nantucket was a major whaling port in the 19th century and we wanted to capture the nostalgia of the period in the design of the invitation and accompanying papery.
In our research we found that many whalers kept journals, so we created an invitation in the form of a whaler’s journal. The journal was made from book board covered with linen and gave a nod to the bride’s father’s lifetime fascination with whales and the bride’s love of books.
The journal included the three page invitation, a tri-fold map, the RSVP, and reply envelope. The old whaler’s journals included many sketches of what the whaler encountered at sea, so we recreated these in the pages of the journal. We also included blank pages with lines so the guests could record their notes.
The custom calligraphy captured the handwriting of the period found in the whaler’s journal.
The map, RSVP, and reply envelope were enclosed in the journal. In keeping with the nautical theme, a bow sprint was reproduced on the reply envelope.
A close-up of the period map – beautiful enough to frame
A thoughtful message included with the historic compass rose
Sketches of whales were also drawn on the RSVP.
Many of you know that I don’t shy away from making bold colorful statements when designing a wedding. The opposite approach - using more subtle and softer colors — can be just as effective in creating a dramatic setting that is sophisticated and romantic, younger and fresher.
Hurricane lanterns add height as well as soft lighting to this Palm Beach wedding dinner. Mercury balls placed at the base of the centerpiece reflect the candlelight and the beautiful Phalaenopsis Orchids, creating an elegant symphony of white.
Tall Venetian hurricane lanterns surround a low arrangement of garden roses and peonies in this crisp white dinner setting. The stark white banquette and beautiful table linens enhance the overall design and feel of the room. Notice how different this setting looks from the setting before. Hurricane lanterns were used in both — this setting is very clean and stark, and the previous one is lush and romantic.
Paper-wrapped cylinder candle-holders of varying heights are arranged among clear square vases holding phalaenopsis orchids. Some of the vases were dusted with feathers; some studded with crystals; some wound with snowy angora yarn; and some woven with white satin ribbon.
Thank you for your patience during the move to our new offices! It has been an arduous journey but we have finally moved to new office and studio space on 25th Street in Manhattan.
Make a note of our new address:
Michelle Rago, LTD
150 West 25th Street, Ste. 501
New York, New York 10001
212-736-0195
Come on in…..
Organizing the files with Garrett.
Ahhhh….a new inspiration board.
