A “Flowerina” Was Just One of the Showstopping Elements of This Wedding at The Lucy

Alvin Adams, in a tuxedo from The Black Tux, and Allison Best, who wore an ethereal organza and tulle gown by Lana Marinenko, shared a moment during their portraits. / Photography by Sheronda Seawright Photography

When Allison Best and Alvin Adams went to high school together in New Jersey, they knew each other as students who go to a small school do: peripherally, bumping into each other here and there. They eventually connected years later, and their first date wound up lasting nine hours. “We both knew we had something special,” says Allison.

Nearly five years later, on August 8, 2024, the two got engaged — and exactly one year after that, they were married before 205 guests at The Lucy, Cescaphe’s chic venue on the Avenue of the Arts. That they were wed on the same date as their engagement wasn’t an accident: “It was a beautiful way to honor my parents, who are no longer with us, since it was their anniversary day also,” Alvin says.

Big Day sparkles included Jimmy Choo heels.

The couple, who live in Essex County, New Jersey, wanted their wedding to have a quietly luxurious feel, one that evoked the moody vibe of a speakeasy, with romantic lighting, bold flowers, and glam gilt touches. Beautiful Blooms, Cescaphe’s NoLibs-based full-service event design company, was up to the task.

Tables were topped with a mix of high and low centerpieces of soft roses and wine-colored hydrangeas. Their most striking creation was suspended over the dance floor, a monumental double arbor of flowers like berry-hued scabiosas and roses in shades of burgundy, mauve, blush, and deep red.

After Allison’s two flower-girl nieces, “flowerina” Kennedy Kinsler danced down the aisle.

The other showstopper was perhaps less expected but equally beautiful: a ballet dancer (or “flowerina”) who performed a choreographed routine at the ceremony, gracefully pirouetting down the aisle to “Just My Imagination” by the Temptations — and setting the stage for a night of joyous celebration.

THE DETAILS
Photography: Sheronda Seawright Photography | Venue: The Lucy | Event Coordination: Kingdom Cakes and Creations | Event Design & Florals: Beautiful Blooms | Catering & Cake: Cescaphe | Gown: Lana Marinenko from Liza Ray New York | Tux: The Black Tux | Hair: Tyra’s Hair Experience | Makeup: Sarah Linns | Entertainment: TSG Productions | Officiant: Elder Yetta N. Armstrong (Allison’s aunt) | Videographer: Luxor Wedding Films | Violinist: Kareem Headley | Ballerina: Kennedy Kinsler of My Ballerina Ken Doll | Content Creator: Plan With Laur

Published as “Allison & Alvin” in the Summer/Fall 2026 issue of Philadelphia Wedding.

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