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Lara Meiland and Claude Shaw were married in the little village of Crans-Montana in the snow-capped Swiss Alps at the stately Grand Hotel Du Golf. The couple first met there ten years ago when it was the regular skiing haunt for both. So when Claude proposed in Paris in December 2005, they knew Crans-Montana was the perfect place for their wedding.
210 international guests then jetted in for the weekend of wedding festivities. Upon arrival each guest received a gift bag filled with Swiss-themed favors such as a customized ski hat for the men and fleece headbands for the ladies, as well as a wedding CD with the couple’s favorite songs, local Swiss chocolates, and a schedule of the many events. On Thursday evening, the bride and groom kicked off the weekend extravaganza by taking over a disco, from which the revelers staggered home at 4 a.m. The next day, Friday, the Meilands hosted a luncheon in the sunshine on the top of the mountain. After lunch there was a grand slalom ski race, and in the evening came the rehearsal dinner – fondue and dancing. |
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Lara getting ready in the bridal suite with a little help from with her mother and sister |
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The wedding ceremony took place on Saturday, February 3, 2007 at 7 pm at the Grand Hotel Du Golf. As Lara is the president of Lara Hélène Bridal Atelier on 69th Street just off Madison, she naturally designed her own wedding gown, which was to be true haute couture from start to finish with every flowered and beaded detail hand stitched from the top of her delicate straps to the tip of her fifteen foot silk tulle train.
Lisa Meiland was maid of honor, and she along with the 10 bridesmaids (Anne Aarfing, Mariah Chase, Kathryn Forest, Lesley Gurkin, Margaret Katz, Elizabeth Meigher, Susan Moffat, Louisa Serene, Susan Shaw, Alexandra Wilkis) wore Lara Hélène Bridal Atelier white fur wraps to evoke and complement the wintry theme. Lara also had two bridesmen, Gaston Bullrich and Eric Lentini, who escorted the bridesmaids down the aisle along with the groomsmen: Alexander Asseily, Philip Edwards, Jon Fascitelli, Aymeric Fraise, Rafael Joory, Andrew Martin, Sky Meltzer, Hosain Rahman, William Rukin, Geoffrey Tudisco, James Veltri and Nicholas Whyatt. The bridegroom’s twin brother, Nicholas Shaw, was best man, and Claude’s niece, Victoria Beyrard, was the flower girl and his nephew, Charles Beyrard, the ring bearer. |
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| Daniel Meiland proudly escorted Lara down the aisle to the song that inspired her name: “Lara's Theme” from the film Dr. Zhivago. After the touching ceremony and the cocktail hour, dinner was served in the grand ballroom of the hotel. The menu consisted of five courses: Les Raviolis au Ricotta au Parfum de Truffes d’Alba, Le Filet de Daurade à la Méditerranéenne Sur un lit d’Epinards et la Mousse de jeunes Poireaux, Le Sorbet au Citron et Gingembre, La Selle de Veau flambée et les Pommes Duchesse avec Les petits Légumes à la Vapeur. The dessert was a 12 foot tall tiered chocolate wedding cake, a surprise from Lara’s parents that had been meticulously hand decorated to their specifications. The most memorable part of the evening were the heartfelt toasts that were delivered by Lara’s father, Claude’s siblings (Caroline and Nicholas), and by the groom himself. |
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| The couple danced their first dance, a Danish waltz, as Lara and her family are from Denmark, and then around 1am the party continued in a disco created by the hotel for the occasion. At 5 am crepes were served to the guests and the party continued until the early morning at which point many of the guests caught flights back to New York. The weekend ended with an 11am brunch Sunday morning for the guests who had wisely decided to spend Sunday in sunny Crans-Montana to recover. |
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The Disco |
| Photographs by ©Julie Skarratt 2007 |
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