VUE

For Kendall Valentin and her family, the choice of an event planner was not only simple but one that had been sparked when Kendall was still an infant. Anna Maria Mannarino, the owner of Mannarino Designs, was the obvious person to put their trust into. Since Anna Maria first entered the Valentins' lives to plan a Halloween party, Marie and John Valentin and their children, Kendall and Justin, have time and time again turned to her talents in interior design and event planning to help bring joy to them, their friends, family, and to their homes. "Every project I have started with her is better than the next. Anna Maria is wonderful. Her professionalism and creativity are outstanding, and once I got to know her, becoming friends was inevitable," Marie says. Over the years, Anna Maria has become part of the Valentin family and there was no question who would design every aspect of the wedding. For Anna Maria, putting together Kendall's wedding was coming full circle on the many life experiences she has shared with the family. Call it coincidence, fate, or just plain love of the game, but Kendall marrying San Francisco Giants baseball player Sam, while also being the daughter of baseball legend John, who played for both the Red Sox and the Mets before he turned to coaching the Dodgers, seemed the perfect catch. Perhaps as much for her father as for her. But despite the influence of the sport, baseball was decidedly not going to be part of the wedding theme. With Kendall and Sam living in Arizona, much of the planning was le to the mother of the bride. Marie Valentin invited Anna Maria to dinner back in the spring of 2022 to ask if she'd consider putting their daughter's dream event together. However, there was one caveat; on the day of the event, Anna Maria had to put aside her planning role and be a true guest. Other than that mandate, the guidelines surrounding a New Year's Eve date, and the location of Nanina's In the Park in Belleville, NJ, Marie's only other request was that there should be an abundance of candlelight and flowers. Anna Maria did not hesitate to take on the work. "I've known Kendall since she was in a high chair and this was like doing a wedding for my own niece. I was honored to be asked," she says. e first event was the bridal shower that was held in October. Marie had found a collection of mini white eyelet umbrellas that she showed to Anna Maria, and that was enough to launch a Parisian theme for the day. e shower was held at Oyster Point in Red Bank. A key feature was the transformation of a portion of the space into a ladies' dressing room, offering a collection of fascinator hats for each guest to try on and wear. e space held a decorative mirror and rug, and was anchored by the very chair that is used in the Miss Universe pageant. "I knew I wanted a chair and it was pure luck that I happened to see this one. I loved it and asked if it was something the shop would rent and sure enough they said yes," Anna Maria says. e white tued and gold framed chair served as the ideal location to set up vignettes for photos. Further into the room, Anna Maria created a café filled with sweets and complete with pink bakery boxes that each guest could fill to take back to their table or even to take home. VUE ON | DESIGN VUENJ.COM 65

• Cover