Photos: Kylie Mones, James Anderson, Rhonda Spevak
Ever been to an event where every detail popped out as a perfectly curated sweetener to the bigger picture, like custom cookies or a live artist, or where the colors in the intricate balloon display perfectly matched the single-stem bouquets of pastel florals, all underneath a string-lit sailcloth tent? Where the hand-painted place-settings and rattan furniture made it feel like you were at the chicest backyard garden party, but with all the luxury of being inside a five-star restaurant? Where the vibe hit the nail on the head in a seemingly effortless way, and where every detail had clearly been meticulously planned out?
As anyone who’s ever hosted a party can attest, it takes more than a few invites and a trip to the grocery store to pull off a fabulous fête. All kinds of planning goes into these perfectly themed events. From a low key summer party to a wedding, a multitude of detailed components are the key to a successful party.
In Bedford, the ladies of La Maison Fête have achieved the ultimate status as the Grand Dames of Entertaining. This year marks their ten year anniversary in business together, and Co-Founders Deanna Marano and Brett Cameron have clearly hit their stride. …And, oh yeah…that great party you went to... they were likely the event planners who brought it to fruition!
While La Maison Fête tailors each event to the host’s particular visions and desires - all La Maison Fête events stand out!
Event planning is a practiced art - and a whole lot of hard work and attention to detail - and La Maison Fête is the best of the best!
Deanna describes the La Maison Fête magic saying, “It all starts with listening to the client. Our mission is to make each individual client’s dream come true. Once we understand what the client wants, we come back with a comprehensive design plan for the event that includes renderings and cost estimates. We set forth every element of the event, from the big picture items down to the smallest details. We can help find the perfect venue, or create a plan that will work in any predetermined location. We source the widest selection of rentals available, including everything from tents to tableware. We work with the client on every aspect of staffing. We’ll work with the hosts on the invitations and the seating plan. We delve into the food and drink that will be served, including identifying local farmers for food sourcing, and will suggest or help select the caterer and the menu. We can assist with entertainment selection, and hire just the right musicians or D.J. to get the mood, volume, and soundtrack just right. Uniquely, we shop estate sales, antique shops and local craftspeople to find or commission one-of-a-kind furniture, accessories, tablecloths, and tableware that will fit the theme or motif, and make the event that much more memorable. We review every contract from every vendor. We put 300 to 400 hours of prep into each wedding, and just an installation for a big event may take a week in and of itself. We cover everything from the flowers to the flow, and more than anything we want to make each event original and outstanding; an experience unto its own.”
Fine Details
And Brett adds, “Our mission is to surpass our clients’ expectations, and have all the guests feeling like they’ve been to a happy, beautiful, and seamlessly executed party. We do every kind of event, from a small dinner party to a large-scale wedding. We’ve done barn dances and black-tie formals, blow-out bashes and subdued affairs. While a majority of our clients are local, we handle events around the region. And I think one of our greatest testimonials at this point, as we’re celebrating our own 10th Anniversary of La Maison Fête, is that we have a lot of repeat business and many of our new customers come from word of mouth.”
Brett started her career on the corporate side of the events business, first at Citi, and then Barclays in New York City. After planning her own wedding, she was asked by a friend for some help, and then another, and another. “It quickly became evident that doing weddings and personal events was where I was supposed to be…and what I enjoyed doing most,” Brett smiles.
Deanna went to FIT and started her career in the fashion industry with Gurkha, before starting her own wedding planning business.
These working moms each moved to Bedford to raise their families, and met while Co-Chairing an event for the John Jay Homestead. “We really hit it off! I was taking a break from my career at the time. But then Brett gave me a call and asked me to help out with another event she was doing,” Deanna reminisces. Brett continues, “I was doing a celebrity wedding and I had broken my ankle, and I really needed some help! I remembered how impressed I had been a few months earlier with what Deanna had done at John Jay, so I convinced her to work with me on this event. And we worked really well together - so I convinced her to make it permanent! And we’ve been partners ever since!”
La Maison Fête is based out of a cute store on Court Road in Bedford, and in the last couple of years Deanna and Brett have been more and more focused on expanding the retail offering of curated design elements for home entertaining as they expand the business. This year Brett and Deanna brought on their first additional full-time team member, Emily Bohlander, who they met while planning her own magnificent floral-inspired Waccabuc wedding. “We knew we needed someone else that was really capable to join the team and share in making more great events possible, and when we were working with Emily on her wedding, we were so impressed with her design ideas and generally elevated and chic style. She has such an attention to detail. She had a background in fashion and consulting and really clicked well with the two of us,” Deanna shares, “Brett and I both half joked how great it would be to have someone like Emily join the team, and right after Emily’s wedding she reached out to see if we might be interested in finding a way to work together… it all happened so naturally and she’s been a godsend!”
In addition to helping Brett and Deanna with clients’ requests, being involved in general vision and design, and liaising with vendors, Emily has also been involved in the expansion of the offering in the store. Brett explains, “Most of our store customers when we first opened the shop in Bedford in 2021 were event clients, looking for some tableware or accents to freshen-up their dining room or make their house look festive for a dinner party. And because a lot of our customers have multiple homes, sales growth was pretty organic. But more recently we’ve been working to expand both our offering and our reach, and become a destination for what we refer to as event design. As we move our business forward, we are also planning to design some of our own table top collections and other retail products, and are now hosting workshops on how to style your table, and other entertainment and event-related topics. With Deanna and Emily’s fashion backgrounds we’ve found a few really curated clothing brands that we carry in the store exclusively to the area, and now we’re doing trunk shows and other community events, and have started publishing La Fête Gazette, in order to further expand our customer base and general presence in the area.”
Festive Soiree
Both dedicated locals, Brett is the President of the Bedford Village Business Association and presently serves on the board of the John Jay Homestead, and Deanna dedicates a lot of time to supporting local charity events. Together they’ve made it all happen for Bedford2030’s Moon Dance, the John Jay Homestead’s Barn Dance and On the Farm Dinner, the Mianus River Gorge Foundation’s first annual event this year, the galas at the Harvey School and Rippowam Cisqua, and parties at the equestrian charity, Endeavor, among other local charities and institutions.
For the holidays, or any time, there is a tangible ease, elegance, and comfort about La Maison Fête events.
For this feature, La Maison Fête invited Bedford & New Canaan Magazine into Brett’s historic Bedford home as they prepared for a holiday soiree. An intimate affair, the table was set for eight guests, and every detail fit within a larger scheme and theme to create a perfectly curated atmosphere in a seemingly effortless environment. Max Apton set-up a tree proportioned perfectly for the space from his nearby Bedford Farms, along with magnolia branches interwoven with the display on the sideboard. The table was set with whimsical linens and paired with matching florals from Wild Fig, and the table was topped with more sophisticated silver and delicate stemware from their personal collections. Place cards for each guest were adorned with a dried orange and velvet bow, and large ice buckets were topped with caviar alongside adorable trays for the blinis. Colorful bowls of candy added a fresh touch throughout, and as the evening progressed from one space to the next, the champagne was flowing and the vibe was on point! This dynamic duo knows how to party!
This dynamic duo knows how to party!
Dinner is Served!
Dinner is served by the catering department at The Market at Pound Ridge Square! Though The Market at Pound Ridge Square may be better known for top-quality groceries, the market’s catering department is top-notch, and capable of preparing a delicious feast for anything from a casual backyard barbeque to a fancier dinner party or event.
Pictured: A roasted turkey plated with seasonal fruit, Brussels sprouts with bacon, seared asparagus, a sweet cranberry sauce, and other holiday-inspired delectable dishes.
As featured in the November/December 2023 issue of Bedford & New Canaan Magazine