The day for event designer and wedding planner of the social luminaries, Preston Bailey, and his team commenced early Wednesday morning at Times Square on the Good Morning America Show. Co-presenter Diane Sawyer - and indeed America - had gotten their early morning 'wow'. Bailey had constructed a super-size wedding bouquet six feet tall and 12 feet wide.

This was the day that the Caribbean (and some say the world's) super-inclusive hotel chain, Sandals and Beaches Resorts, would unveil and redefine unforgettable destination weddings: A Preston Bailey-styled wedding along with a selection of four wedding cakes designed exclusively for the resort by Sylvia Weinstock, aptly called Preston Bailey Signature WeddingMoons.

Inside the swank Preston Bailey-transformed Pool Room

The launch would continue over lunch at the swank Four Seasons Restaurant inside a perfect box called The Pool Room.
Those familiar with Bailey's "over-the-top" style found that the bar had been raised even higher. The square box embraced all four of his signature Caribbean weddings.

Guests were met by gorgeous brides-to-be in "Vera Wang-type" sheaths who presented seating cards and access to tables that would each depict one of the four Preston Bailey Signature WeddingMoons - The Floral Elegance Collection, The Seascape Collection, The Water Lily Collection and The Crystal Collection.

The signature "Crystal Wedding Tree" with votive crystals and orchids hanging from tree branches stands elegantly in the box, providing stylish shade for the sunken pool already filled with hundreds of water lilies. Cushions in rich, sensuous tones of cerise, citrus and lavender are thrown 'off-handedly' throughout the room, further softening the effect.Weddings in the Caribbean are, after all, a perfect juxtaposition of warm, laid-back chic, spiced ever so gently with pomp and tradition.

Sylvia Weinstock and Regis Philbin at the Sandals/Beaches Resorts WeddingMoons luncheon in New York.

Media personalities, powerful players in the travel industry and the endless flash of bulbs create suitable 'cocktail hype' ahead of even more stellar power: the stunning and recently engaged Jamie Stewart, representing her father, tourism mogul Gordon 'Butch' Stewart (unavoidably absent due to conjunctivitis) and the uber chic Royal Plantation Hotel.

Regis Philbin and wife Joy are guests too. (Bailey is all set to create yet another memorable wedding for their daughter) and specially invited guests Hollywood Red Carpet 'greeters' Joan and Melissa Rivers.
Bailey speaks of Melissa's Winter Wonderland nuptials as his veritable 'launch pad'. Indeed, Melissa's 1998 wedding to horse breeder John Endicott created a minor frisson, with 100 birch trees covered with thousands of cream and white roses and twinkling white lights that glittered like freshly fallen snow.

A US$75,000 chandelier added extra sparkle, creating a starlit, snow-covered forest straight out of Dr Zhivago.
This is without a doubt the wow, albeit without that whopping price tag, that Sandals and Beaches Resorts plan to create. Wedding packages range from US$1,700-US$5,000.

The Preston Bailey team, as well as Sylvia Weinstock, recently concluded intense training courses in Jamaica at Sandals Whitehouse European Village & Spa on Jamaica's south coast, as well as in St Lucia for the resort's employees, and the properties are all set to welcome additions (the roll-out is next month) to the already impressive 12,000 weddings held cumulatively on the properties last year. These numbers were revealed by Jamie Stewart who would later quip, "can you imagine what this Preston Bailey collaboration will yield?"

The fit is already perfect for the laid-back, elegant and humble Bailey, a native of Panama, who would two days later acquire American citizenship and who feels that "every wedding should be a memorable occasion". "It's just what the market needs right now," said Millie Martini Bratten, editor-in-chief of Brides magazine.

"Sandals, Beaches, Sylvia and Preston, you really cannot get better than that," added Joan and Melissa Rivers.
Kelley S Carter, assistant style editor O at Home, and Marisa Marcantonio, senior style editor O at Home, agreed. "Yet another reason to visit Jamaica," they said.
Naturally, we implored them to pack Oprah.

As the Starlight Music Ensemble added even more Caribbean warmth and camaraderie to the Pool Room, that much loved Harry Belafonte song Matilda forced many to forget the outside traffic congestion, the shortage of private cars and, amazingly enough, New York City's yellow cabs (a result of the combined effect of the UN General Assembly, New York Fashionweek and a visit by President Bush occurring almost simultaneously).

Instead, they reflected on the WeddingMoons marvel in-between bites of vine ripened tomatoes drizzled with oil and vinegar on plates set atop show plates of Italian designed brocade and lace patterns.
A perfect nod to the power and influence of celebrity.

Theirs is a pull of amazing proportion, so there's little surprise that the Preston Bailey Signature WeddingMoons includes wedding gowns by Dessy Creations and special gifts by Wedgewood china and Waterford crystal.

After the poached salmon served with perfect al dente asparagus, Bailey took the podium. His charisma was infectious. His speech brief.His work does all of the talking nowadays.

And as we spooned the delicious English pudding, sipped more wine and declined coffee, we suspect that his name will be whispered by many a future bride. It's something that should generate thunderous applause and happy ever afters.

Preston Bailey has created one-of-a kind events for high-profile clients such as Donald and Melania Trump, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Matt Lauer, Donna Karan and Oprah Winfrey. He is the author of Design for Entertaining and Fantasy Weddings, serves on the advisory board for both Modern Bride magazine and Life & Style magazine and shares his expertise as a contributing editor to Elle Décor.

Sandals WeddingMoons: Sandals coined the term WeddingMoons, which signifies the union of a destination wedding and honeymoon in one idyllic location.

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