Naples Illustrated May/June 2021

Way back in 2000, I was the executive editor of Modern Bride. At the time, I was inundated with real-life wedding stories about things that went kerflooey during the planning phases, bridal showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, ceremonies, receptions, and honeymoons. A year prior, I was pulling up to the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in New York City on a 102-degree afternoon in mid-July, having just heard the news in the limo on a Lite FM station that John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her sister, Lauren, had gone missing in a plane off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. I knew that our church had been the site of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ funeral mass and thought it all a strange coincidence. Walking down the aisle, my dad…

NAPLES ART SCENE TO BE SEEN WHAT: Scene to be Seen: A Live Art Exhibition and Red, White, & Bubbles Reception SUPPORTS: Art education programs WHERE: Naples Art DETAILS: Thirteen local artists and designers created avant-garde fashions showcased by 32 models. MEDIA SPONSOR: Naples Illustrated YABBA ISLAND GRILL TWENTY-FIRST ANNIVERSARY PARTY WHAT: Restaurateur Skip Quillen celebrated the twenty-first anniversary of Yabba Island Grill with friends, staff, media, social influencers, and patrons. The 250-seat Yabba, located on Fifth Avenue South overlooking Sugden Plaza, still serves its original Rasta Pasta, which includes shrimp, littleneck clams, mussels, and king crab in a white wine sauce. Quillen’s Culinary Concepts also owns and operates Pazzo! Cucina Italiana on Fifth Avenue South, Chops City Grill in Bonita Springs, and The Saloon at Coconut Point Shopping Center in Estero.…

More than 23 years ago, Loretta Spezio came to Naples from Rochester, New York, and dug into the community by volunteering to help friends plan events and fundraisers. “I love parties,” Spezio says. “If friends needed planning assistance, I had ideas tucked away that I wasn’t using personally and wanted to share. If I saw something on Instagram or Pinterest, I thought, ‘I could do that.’” Though these projects satisfied her caring heart, her creative and business-minded brain wanted more. Last summer, while hunkered down at home during the pandemic, Spezio decided to launch Ascent by Loretta, a custom boutique balloon business. From baby gender reveals to marriage proposals and weddings, Spezio has been able to share her passion while enhancing the aesthetics of her clients’ biggest life moments. On the…

When you meet Kacie Kalb around town with her two young daughters in tow, you may never guess that she is also a boxing and motorcycle enthusiast. There are many sides to this married mom, including real estate professional. Kalb, a sales associate at Premier Sotheby’s International Realty in Old Naples, often teams up on deals with her husband, Michael, a fellow sales associate. The Kalbs moved to Naples more than two years ago after stints in Park City, Utah, and Los Cabos, Mexico, where Michael worked in sales at high-end resorts. Kalb and her husband grew up in military families and are accustomed to moving around, but now that their daughters are settled in The Community School, they plan to stay put. “I was surprised at how many younger families…

Located on Fifth Avenue South, Arabesque of Naples is a fine stationer and gift shop celebrating its twenty-first year in Naples. From parties to weddings, the company specializes in exquisite invitations, working with local brides as well as those from around the world. They have built long-standing relationships in the foil and letterpress industry and are the preferred vendor for The Ritz-Carlton, Naples. With COVID restrictions loosening, Arabesque owner Sheryl Sashin says she’s receiving invitation requests for more than standard Saturday weddings. As venues open up, couples are scrambling to rebook delayed events, which means more weekday ceremonies—and more invitations to send out. “Mostly we are doing classic with a modern twist,” says Sashin, who adds that young brides are loving letterpress. She notes a trend in combinations of letterpress and…

RUFINO HERNANDEZ, GARDEN DISTRICT At the beginning of COVID-19, Hernandez says it felt like 300 bridal parties were competing to reschedule dates. In response, couples became more flexible in considering Friday night rather than Saturday weddings. Hernandez has noticed that younger brides have gravitated toward earthy green elements, whereas more mature brides are interested in large flower arrangements. Hernandez likes to add details like custom monogram napkins, charger plates, and glassware to tie in with the florals. While future weddings are trending toward ornate, early 2021 weddings have felt intimate, like a gorgeous dinner party ripe with close friends and relatives. “We’re not doing the big numbers, but we’re still doing beautiful productions,” Hernandez says. (gardendistrictnaples.com) MICHAEL LONGO, NAPLES FLORAL DESIGN This company normally decorates 100 weddings a year, but with the pandemic…