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50
ENCHANTED BRIDES ~ FALL 2013 / WINTER 2014
Planning from
Across the Pond
When
Des Conway and Linda Steinman met and
fell in love in London, there was no question that their wedding
would have to be a destination one. "Des is from Ireland and I'm
from New York, and we've been together in London for the last 5
years. As our network of family and friends spans multiple conti-
nents, we decided to capitalize on that and make it a fun destina-
tion for everyone to enjoy," Linda says. "It was really important
to me that I could spend quality time with my guests, given that
I don't live near many of them, and create an event that spanned
a few days. We wanted a proper celebration that could really be
an experience of a lifetime."
The couple planned their May 5, 2013 South Beach wed-
ding at the National Hotel. "There's such an iconic American Art
Deco feel to it with that gorgeous infinity pool that we thought
would be the perfect backdrop for our guests coming in from
all over the world. . . It made us so happy to see [our guests]
enjoying all the hotel had to offer, including an amazing poolside
and décor, direct access to the beautiful beach, great food, and
fantastic nightlight on their doorstep," says the bride. Of course
planning a wedding from so far away required the assistance of
a skilled planner ­ enter Michelle.
"Linda and Des were not able to come to the hotel to visit pri-
or to the wedding. In fact, they had only been here once many
years ago. While they remembered the grounds were beautiful
and would make the perfect backdrop for their special week-
end, we had to use a lot of photos and floor plans to paint the
picture for them as to where everything would be set up. In the
end, it wound up being like a magical surprise when everything
exceeded their expectations!" Michelle says of the planning ex-
perience. "Most of the planning was done via email to overcome
the time difference but we did manage to speak on the phone as
well to go over the details."
When the couple arrived at last for their wedding weekend,
Michelle greeted them at check-in. "It was nice to finally put
a face with the people I had been working with over the past
months! There were hugs as if we had met many times before. It