This Beautiful Wedding Was Held Inside A Flower Nursery In Lebanon | Real Weddings: Maria Tabet & Serge Majdalani
Horticulture centre Exotica, played host to a magical affair that transported guests on a floral-filled fantasy
A love letter to Lebanon.” Is precisely how 31-year-old Lebanese-Italian Maria Tabet describes the theme of her wedding. “We wanted to take our guests out of the digital world and give them a romantic and whimsical experience in our favourite place on Earth. We also wanted to enable our non-Lebanese friends to discover our heritage – both from a culinary and cultural perspective,” Maria tells Bazaar Bride.
Having met partner Serge Majdalani by chance in Lebanon’s capital, the couple immediately hit it off. There was an irrefutable spark that neither could deny. Almost two years later whilst on vacation in upstate New York, Serge asked Maria to be his wife. “It was just him and I in front of a fireplace. It was a total surprise for me!” Maria explains.
Lebanon was the obvious choice for the pair to celebrate their nuptials following an intimate civil ceremony at their home in New York City. The bride and groom chose Exotica, a horticulture centre renowned for fine floristry and landscaping as the venue for their special day. “
The nursery is just outside of Beirut. It had never been used as a wedding venue before. We are both driven by nature, plants and trees and really wanted to add as much magic to the day as possible. We felt a wedding ceremony amongst hundreds of blossoming red and white roses followed by a party between flourishing trees would be a dreamy experience for us and our guests.”
Brought to life by planner Jessy Karam and her team at Strawberries & Champagne, the wedding celebration was a year in the making. On June 18, 2022, the bride walked down the floral-filled aisle accompanied by her father, her “first true love” to a beautiful cover of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s, You’re The One That I Want from the movie Grease.
A vision of beauty in a custom-made gown by Sandra Mansour, the bride met her groom to exchange handwritten vows and wedding bands made by a close family friend, in front of 360 guests. “We had a traditional orthodox wedding. It was gorgeous. There were orchestral string performers playing classical music on platforms among the flowers. It was very emotional,” Maria shares.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds invited their loved ones to join them for dinner. A lavish buffet-style banquet was enjoyed al fresco between the fragrant trees. Tables were laden with flowers, foliage and pretty glassware. Saxophonists dressed as gardeners entertained guests.
The couple made their dancefloor debut together to Aimer D’amour by Boule Noire. Dancing into the night, friends and family were ushered to an after party held inside the venue’s greenhouse. “We brought in oversized statues of animals to give the after party a jungle feel. We also had an elaborate light show inside,” the bride explains.
“A beautiful and magic experience” is how Maria remembers her wedding day and we’re certain the newlyweds’ upcoming honeymoon in Japan will be just as enchanting.
BRIDE’S BLACK BOOK
DRESS, VEIL & SHOES: Sandra Mansour, Sandramansour.com
WEDDING BANDS: Bou Malhab Jewelry, Instagram.com/boumalhabjewelry
HAIR: Sleiman Roger at Salon Georges Nakhle, Instagram.com/salongeorgesnakhle
MAKE-UP: Christian Abou Haidar, Instagram.com/christianabouhaidar
GROOM’S SUIT: Maison Brumel, Maisonbrumel.com
GROOM’S SHOES: Hugo Boss, Hugoboss.com
EVENT PLANNER: Strawberries & Champagne,
Strawberries-and-champagne.com
PHOTOGRAPHER & VIDEOGRAPHER: Dazl Production, Instagram.com/dazlproduction
VENUE & FLORIST: Exotica Nursery, Exotica.com
CATERER & CAKE: Cat and Mouth, Catandmouth.com
BARS: Butler’s Bottle, Butlersbottle.com
ENTERTAINMENT: 8e Art, 8eart.com
MUSIC: Djette, Instagram.com/djettel and Rhea Bouez, Instagram.com/reab08
FURNITURE: Ghorayeb Technotel, Ghorayebtechnotel.com
E-CARD INVITATIONS: Greenvelope, Greenvelope.com
Images: Dazl Production.
From the A/W22 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia Bride