A Day in the Life

• By Jada Yuan
• Published Fall 2005

 

Preston Beiley readies the room for an evening event at the Pierre.
 

 

Saturday, July 2

8:30 a.m.
"Nadine is my production person. She makes it happen. My only job is designing. I meet with the client, they put down a deposit, and when I settle on a design, we set up a replica of the room in my studio."

 

9 a.m.
"We hire Bentley Meeker to do most of our lighting. I wanted it to be very soft. I had a chandelier of flowers and Swarovski crystal, so that needed to be spot-lit for a glittery sky effect."    

 

 

Noon
"There's a different centerpiece at every table. I'm looking for reactions from people, and I love little surprises, like maybe the napkins have a couple of flowers in them."

 

 

3 p.m.
"At the entrance, to welcome people as they arrived, we did two trees like weeping willows with votives and cymbidium orchids hanging from invisible wire."

   

 

3:30 p.m.
"I got there around 3:30 p.m. My staff got there at 6 a.m. We try to have everything finished two hours in advance. You don't want to stress out the client."

   

 

 

4 p.m.
"The bride was in her early twenties, of Russian descent. She wanted drama, and she loves hot colors. I really choose the clients I work with carefully. I'm not into 'less is better.' "

   

 

 

5 p.m.
"Bathrooms are essential. We do roses and gardenias because they're such scented flowers. It's amazing how much time women spend in there. They go in, they chitchat, and they stay."

   

 

7:30 p.m.
"I like to walk the bride and groom through the room for the first time. I left at eight O'Clock, once they saw it and loved it. It's their event, and I'm very respectful of that."