Emilie and Charlie met three years ago when a mutual friend introduced them. Friendship turned to romance and soon Emilie knew she had met not only her soul mate, but her business partner as well. Café Emilie had been Emilie’s passion since opening the coffee shop in the Burdorf Center in August of 2002; and when Charlie began running daily operations, they quickly realized that, together, they were a natural team. Just as the path of life was leading them down the road to marriage, the direction of the café was changing as

well. Multiple requests for catering led the couple to begin plans to expand the kitchen in their Shelbyville Road location, beginning a catering business and opening on Friday and Saturday evenings for patrons to dine.

Although plans had already begun for a traditional wedding reception at an exclusive country club in Louisville, things just did not seem right. How could they use a facility that required them to use its kitchen staff when catering was such a part of their lives? “Why would people trust us to cater for them if we didn’t even cater our own event?” said Emilie.

Destiny stepped in. While flipping through an issue of Louisville Wedding Planner magazine, Emilie came across photos of the reception she really wanted. At that moment, the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Emilie and her mother, Nancy Morris, placed a call to Beth Penner Torstrick, owner of Fairy Godmother’s and the bridal consultant responsible for the amazing tented affair that caught Emilie's eye in the magazine. Torstrick and the Morrises connected instantly, and planning began for the new reception that would now allow Charlie and Emilie to cater their own wedding. Confident in Beth’s ability to transform their Bed and Breakfast, Pinecrest Cottage & Gardens, into a wedding oasis, they officially changed venues for the reception. Once again, Torstrick joined forces with Todd Wright, owner of the Wright Impression, transforming the tennis court into a grand outdoor ballroom, surrounded by the lush gardens and stately old trees of Pinecrest.

When guests arrived at Pinecrest, they entered the gardens, walked through the gazebo, and made their way through the floral arbor to a rose petal-lined walkway leading to the three tents. Along the way was a grand old pecan tree whimsically sporting an old fashioned swing. Its ropes were laced with roses and ivy, with rose kissing balls and floating candles hanging from the billowing branches. A lounge tent featuring a seating vignette furnished with a loveseat, chair, and ottoman from Burdorf Interiors rested atop a lavish crimson red oriental rug from Anabel’s Oriental Rugs. Guests enjoyed an exotic fruit and cheese display at a custom made glass block bar, created by Wright just for the occasion. Manzano baby bananas, blood oranges, Farelle pears, Rainier cherries, chocolate dipped strawberries, red and black currants, blueberries, and blackberries were among the many gourmet fruits selected to provide the perfect accompaniment to the selection of thirty six gourmet cheeses from around the globe and fresh baked artisan breads. The skillfully crafted arrangement was an artistic presentation as pleasing to the eye as it was to the palate. While lounging in the tent, guests were invited to leave a note of well wishes to the bride and groom. Not your ordinary guest book awaited guests, but a large black and white portrait of Charlie and Emilie, beautifully framed with an extra wide black matte which the guests were to sign in silver ink.

The second tent featured a buffet presenting the best of Café Emilie. Executive Chef and Pastry Chef Josh Moore worked his culinary artistry, not only on the delectable buffet, but also on the five-tier wedding cake. The towering cake featured five alternating layers of Vanilla Genoise with black raspberry filling and Chocolate Frangelico with chocolate ganache filling, both covered with a luscious Italian meringue butter cream frosting. Floating between the cake’s tiers were aromatic partitions of Charlotte roses with a unique sculptured topper crafted by Welded Bliss. A replica of the topper, two people holding hands in an unbroken circle, glistened alongside the cake in ice, hand sculpted by Pat Madden. Emilie and Charlie were so proud and grateful to their friend and Executive Chef Josh, for presenting such a delicious representation of Café Emilie to their guests.

Entering the “grand ballroom”, guests never had an opportunity to realize they were inside a tent. The three peaks of the tent had been draped with hundreds of yards of fabric and featured an element never before seen in Louisville. Beth Torstrick had presented Todd Wright with a photo of a fabulous floating spectacle, which he eagerly brought to life. Three fabric chandeliers, stealthily illuminated by Vincent Lighting of Cincinnati, resembled upside down parasols floating above the guests, overflowing with flowers and greenery which cascaded over the edge and down the sides to produce a soft light and an unforgettable elegance. A trio of complimentary colors created vibrance and curiosity from table to table. Each table of white, silver, or red striped sheer overlay on solid cloth, featured its own unique stemware, all selected from Ballou’s rental. Complementing the white table was a white floral mixture of roses, peonies, and hydrangeas, while the red table hosted Charlotte roses, red tulips and peonies. The unique center of the silver table was an entirely green mixture of roses, hydrangeas, vibernum and berries. All of the floral creations, handcrafted by David Williams of Magnolia’s, were accentuated by the soft glow of votive candlelight.

Unseasonably rainy weather, which continued right up until the time of the ceremony, had produced fierce storms and torrential rains the night before. The ground was muddy, and the tennis court floor of the dining tent a small pond. “I was so upset and worried” said Emilie of her early morning visit to the tent on her special day. “There was no way that I could imagine even seeing the floor dry. But when I walked in after our wedding, it took my breath away!” Under the direction of Beth Torstrick and with the help of her five person staff, emergency staff, helpful friends and family members of the Morris’, and many vendors, the unimaginable was realized in all its glory. Last minute plywood, turf, hay, umbrellas and various forms of water removal were used to bring the event to fruition. Bluegrass Rental (formerly Grand Rental) even found someone to come to the rescue on a very busy Saturday to install additional marquees between the tents, providing guests with added protection from the elements. While Emilie may have been worried, Beth said of her bride, “Emilie is so poised and truly did not let the rain dampen her spirit. All the way back to her engagement photos, the rain on the outside couldn’t dim the sunshine of her spirit, which was always smiling through.”

The wedding ceremony took place at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, presided over by Dr. Howard Olds, former Senior Pastor of St. Paul and dear family friend, who traveled with his wife Sandy from Brentwood, Tennessee, to be a part of Emilie’s and Charlie’s special day. Harrison Zoercher, the organist, and Jerry and Jacqueline Amend, performing on the trumpet, created a ceremonial atmosphere, as did soloist Tim King.

The bride wore a feminine white strapless Oleg Cassini gown with a pearl beaded bodice from David’s Bridal, while her attendants wore contemporary red two-piece gowns by Jim Hjelm from Rebecca’s Wedding Boutique. The bride and her attendants all wore shoes from Mr. Louis Shoes. Red hand-wrapped tulips by Magnolia’s completed the bridesmaids’ ensemble while the contrast of Charlotte red roses and berries added drama to the elegant bride. Emilie’s long blond hair was arranged in an updo by bridesmaid and friend Kelly Kraemer of Benny and Friends Salon, while WAVE-3 makeup artist Krista Embry Littlejohn volunteered her services after speaking to Nancy during the filming of one of her Burdorf Interior commercials at the station. The dashing groom wore Chaps Ralph Lauren, sporting a two-button crossroads coat with a pale silver vest and long tie, while his groomsmen wore apple herringbone ties.

“One of the things I most look forward to is the entire family being involved” said Emilie, sitting in the garden the day before her wedding. “My entire family is in the wedding” (with the exception of a brother-in-law who was to care for the youngest member of the family). Accordion player Mike O’Bryan would serenade guests during dinner in tribute to her grandmother who also played the instrument. The flowers were dedicated to the memory of deceased family members. Emilie’s aunt, Barbara Newman, had a garter made from the sleeve of Nancy’s own wedding dress and presented it to Emilie with a special poem. Emilie also wore an heirloom bracelet from her mother on her wrist. So much sentiment and tradition had gone into the planning that Emilie had no idea more would await her and Charlie at their reception. With the pull of a string, Nancy and Alan Morris revealed a personalized trompe l’oeil canvas tapestry, painted by Rebecca Baldwin Designs, which would express their special wish to their daughter and new son-in-law. Following the presentation and the Bride’s and Groom’s first dance, soloist Dave Rutledge sang his own arrangement of “Daddy’s Little Girl” as Emilie and her father danced. Nancy’s sentimental surprises were not over as she dedicated the Barbara Streisand song “Emily”, as a tribute to her youngest daughter.

When asked if they were overwhelmed by the idea of catering their own wedding, the couple simply said they had a great deal of trust in their Executive Chef. And what were they most nervous about? Leaving the business for ten days to enjoy their honeymoon in Hawaii. Charlie and Emilie have certainly created the perfect recipe for happiness.