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FALL/WINTER 2011 $5.95

M O D E R N L U X U RY. C O M

BIG-DAY DESIRES: LUXE GOWNS, HOT ROCKS, SUBLIME SWEETS AND MORE!

Lanvin’s New Bridal Line Lands on Oak StreetWANDERLUST: HONEYMOON BLISS IN ST. BARTH

and 66 of Chicago’s Hautest Weddings!

ELEGANCEAge ofAge of

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s a m a n t h a s a r c i n e l l a & k y l e b u s c h D e c e m b e r 3 1 , 2 0 1 0

“I didn’t want anything traditional,” says Samantha Sarcinella, 25, of her wedding. “I wanted something really funky and really different.” With everything from golden candelabra-bedecked tables to feathers and croc skin-covered bar tops, her nuptials to NASCAR bad boy Kyle Busch, 26, were anything but conventional, culminating New Year’s Eve at the Chicago Cultural Center. The party, and their fast-track love story, is still the talk of the town.

While Sarcinella was a senior psychology major at Purdue University, a mutual friend introduced the pair, who started chatting on the phone—soon followed by flights and weekend visits until Sarcinella graduated in 2008. After that, it wasn’t long before she was traveling with Busch, who kick-started his racing career at the tender age of 13. That year he won the 2009 Nationwide Series title in his signature No. 18 Z-Line Toyota. But love wasn’t lost on the road, despite

Love in the Fast LaneNASCAR star Kyle Busch and his bride Samantha Sarcinella put their luxe Chicago wedding into high gear!

| By Amber Bell || Photography by Robyn Rachel Photography |

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Far left: The bride’s beaded gown by Dubai designer Michael Cinco boasted three types of ostrich feathers and an eight-foot train.

“how much time the team spends at the race shops preparing and all the details that go into making the cars,” says Sarcinella. “It’s crazy!” On February 4, 2010, during their first overnight in a new motor home—“We travel 36 weeks a year,” she says. “It was our first home!”—Busch popped the question with a princess-cut diamond from Sinks Jewelers in North Carolina. The 320-guest, seven-and-a-half hour wedding took place on December 31 in downtown Chicago, due to the bride’s large family base here. For such a big event, Sarcinella teamed up with a big planner—Big City Bride’s Susan Cordogan and Chrissy Magliano. “Samantha said, ‘My favorite outfit is a Chanel knit with skinny jeans.’ This told me she wanted classic elegance with a modern edge,” says Cordogan. “And that’s exactly what we delivered.” The Chicago Cultural Center was chosen for its architectural grandeur and multi-room layout. During cocktails, rocker violin group Cover Girls played Beyoncé tunes, and the bar served custom sips like the “Honeymooner” (made with coconut rum, pineapple juice and a maraschino cherry). Drink menus by DG Invites were garnished with gold paper and peacock feathers, an element that also graced the seating cards, which were cleverly circulated by a Redmoon Theater performer. Sarcinella and Busch f lew in their NASCAR team for the nuptials and welcomed guests like Kurt Busch (the groom’s brother), the Mars candy family, Interstate Batteries owners Norm and Anne Miller, and Jim and Monica Sexton of Z-Line Designs. The bride worked with Dubai designer

Michael Cinco—whom she discovered on Google by searching for “over-the-top wedding dress”—on both her gown and cocktail dress. “I needed something unique,” she shares of the formal frock, complete with cutouts, a feather skirt and loads of intricate beading. “The best moment of the day was when the doors to the church opened and I got to see Samantha for the first time,” says Busch. “It made me feel emotions I’ve never felt before.” Guests dined on seared sea scallops, bruschetta and champagne sorbet courtesy of Blue Plate Catering at tables swathed in gold and appointed with vibrant red roses and white feathers by Heffernan Morgan Event Design. A nine-foot-tall wedding cake by Amy Beck Cake Design held its own spotlight, and partygoers bagged sweets from the Mars candy station as favors. Si lenced on ly by a New Yea r’s countdown, Larry King Orchestra kept the dance floor packed with energy. “After the last song, everyone was cheering ‘Hell no, we won’t go!’” says Sarcinella. “It was the best party ever! Kyle and I danced the entire night. We even got to eat all our food.” The Busch wedding also earned a one-hour feature, Fast & Fabulous: A NASCAR Wedding, on Style Network. Sarcinella is thrilled with the results. “At the end of the day, it’s no one else’s day but you and your husband’s,” she says. “I went with what I liked and it was awesome.”

“after the last song, everyone was cheering ‘Hell no, we won’t go! ’” says Sarcinella. “it was the best party ever!”

Ceremony: Holy Name CathedralReception: Chicago Cultural CenterCoordination: Big City Bride Caterer: Blue Plate CateringWedding Cake: Amy Beck Cake Design Floral/Décor: Heffernan Morgan Event DesignBride’s Dress: Michael Cinco Haute CoutureInvitations: Kustom KreationsEntertainment: Cover Girls & Larry King Orchestra Transportation: Flying Lady Livery & Windy City Limousine Linens/Rentals: Carousel Linens, BBJ Linens, Tablescapes, Halls Rental & Classic Party Rentals

Center: Samantha and Kyle’s 1937 Rolls-Royce for the day sported a peacock feather-accented “Just Married” sign. Below, clockwise from top left: Heffernan Morgan Event Design decked out the tables with vintage candlesticks and feathers. Amy Beck Cake Design created the couple’s towering dessert. The pair’s gilded invitation by Kustom Kreations.