Did you watch last night’s Thanksgiving special episode of “Four Weddings” on TLC? Here is a recap of the episode:

Special Thanksgiving episode of TLC’s “Four Weddings”

Who are the Brides?: 

• Judy’s daughter is Jessica who is a princess bride who marry’s her Prince Charming. Jessica had a fairytale wedding which took place  at a magnificent castle.  The ceremony took place outside the gorgeous castle overlooking the ocean. Jessica wore a princess style dress, fitted on the top and flowed wide on the bottom. The couple shared personal vows with each other.  Following the cocktail hour, guests headed inside the castle for the reception. The reception featured a dinner buffet, cigar station, and each guest took home a key styled bottle opener.
• Beth’s daughter is Brianna who is a laid back and relaxed bride. Brianna had a very unique wedding  that took place at the aquarium. As guests walked in, they passed by  the stingray display, and had a chance to touch them! Her ceremony took place under a beautiful gazebo featuring traditional Irish bagpipes and ancient Celtic ritual of hand-fasting. The reception took place inside and had some wonderful features. It had beautiful tall flower centerpieces, penguin ice sculptures, and a very cute sweetheart table.
• Karma’s daughter is Kassondra is a party loving bride who loves to have a good time. The ceremony took place inside with the bridesmaids in dark blue dresses and groomsmen in grey suits. The ceremony was very touching and ended with the jumping of the broom. The ceremony space flipped to a gorgoues reception space with touches of pink. The night was not dull or boring, actually the opposite. Karma danced all night long at her daughter’s wedding along with all the other guests. A total party vibe for all the guests to enjoy.
• Gisella daughter is Concetta who is an Italian bride who loves everything Italian. Her ceremony was at a gorgeous church featuring stunning stained glass windows and beautiful murals. The ceremony was traditional yet had humor which the minister shared with everyone. Gisella’s dress was long, with a beaded top, and a lovely long veil which she wore all night. Gisella insisted that her daughter needed to wear it all day long. So she did! The cocktail hour had a large spread of various foods offered for all the guests to enjoy. There was barbecue ribs, a seafood bar, a pasta station, fruit, chicken, lobsters and more.  Yes, lobsters at the cocktail hour. The reception took place inside a lovely banquet hall which was decorated very elegantly. Hanging chandeliers, beautiful branches with twinkle lights on them, and lighted tables. A very whimsical feel. Concetta and her gests danced to the music of a live band.

Cool factor:  There was one detail from each wedding that stood out for me. Jessica shared wishing lanterns with all her guests.Wishing lanterns are airborne lanterns that are sent up in to the air. At nightfall, each guest lit a lantern, made a wish, and sent off the beautiful lanterns into the night sky. I thought this was something very special that each guest was able to take part of and very memorable. It also made for a beautiful night scene.  Brianna’s  venue was very unique and offered features which you normally would not see at a wedding. I absolutely loved the idea of having the cocktail hour surrounded by all the exhibits. From crabs, to an assortment of fish, octopus, and even sharks. It was neat to be able to dine with the sharks! I think that it was something pretty cool.  Kassondra’s wedding reception did not have the traditional flower or candle centerpieces. Instead, each table had a cake for a centerpiece! I thought this was a pretty unique idea and was very cute. Once it was dessert time, the cake was replaced by a plate of chocolate covered strawberries.How great is that? What I loved at Concetta’s wedding was the four course dinner menu. Guests could choose from seven entrees. Normally, if it is a sit down dinner, you have two maybe three choices to choose from, however at this wedding, you can choose from seven! I think that food is one of the most important elements of a wedding. If your guests have options, good options and it tastes good, then they will have a better time. Otherwise, you will just have a bad taste in your mouth, and nobody wants that. Having such a large amount of food and choices worked perfectly for an Italian style wedding.

Who’s daughter won? Congrats to Gisella for winning her daughter a honeymoon!  Her daughter and groom won an all expenses paid honeymoon to the countryside of France.  I was not surprised about Concetta winning at all, she seemed to deserve it! While I can not account for the food since I wasn’t actually there, all the other details – venue, dress, and originality – were owned by Concetta’s wedding, easily exceeding the rest. I thought that every detail of her wedding reflected her Italian theme. The expansive spread of food, the gorgeous church, and whimsical decor all came together perfectly. It looked like a joyful, fun, and elegant wedding to be at, and I’m sure viewers (like me) could tell how in love the couple was. Great job Gisella and Concetta! Concetta’s mom help plan this amazing wedding for her daughter, and she did it all right.  So how did the other three brides score? Judy’s daughter Jessica came in second, Beth’s daughter Brianna in third, and Karma’s daughter Kassondra in fourth place. Were you surprised by the results?