“I will never, ever get married again,” Jeanne Branthover emphatically told Ted Blount on their first date. Less than two years later, the couple stood hand-in-hand at The Beach Club in Palm Beach, exchanging vows in a glamorous celebration filled with happy tears.
Jeanne, Vice Chairman at DHR Global Executive Search, had been reveling in single life, traveling between New York and Palm Beach, serving on the croquet committee at The Beach Club, and building a full life with a tight-knit circle of girlfriends. She was not looking for a husband.
Then one night, tucked into bed with a visiting girlfriend, scrolling through Hinge “like sorority girls,” a profile appeared. Jeanne swiped left. “Whoa, whoa, whoa — bring him back,” her friend insisted. “He’s perfect for you.”
The profile belonged to Ted Blount, Chairman of Blount Fine Foods, a widower who had been on exactly one date in his entire life — with Judy, his first wife. After losing Judy following a long illness, Ted joined Hinge at the encouragement of his son Todd and found himself drawn to Jeanne’s opening line: The key to my heart is kissing and ice cream. “A lot of people online don’t show enthusiasm,” Ted recalls. “She did.”
Over the next year, Ted proved himself as husband material. He introduced Jeanne to his closest friends, one of whom raised a glass at their first dinner together and told her, “We are so happy you are in Ted’s life, because we thought he’d never smile again.”
“Every time I was with Ted, he showed me another part of him that I loved,” Jeanne says. “He’s kind. He’s smart. He’s adventurous. A Renaissance man! He’d say, ‘All I want to do is make you happy.’ Who says that?”
One year after their first date, Ted got down on one knee to propose during Valentine’s Day dinner at Mastro’s Steakhouse in Scottsdale.
Party Time
Initial thoughts of eloping were quickly discarded for a four-day celebration with 160 loved ones across Palm Beach’s most iconic settings. “Ted said, ‘I want the world to know that I am marrying you,’” Jeanne remembers. Events included a bridal luncheon at Swifty’s at The Colony Hotel, a playful morning at the National Croquet Center, and an intimate family-only rehearsal dinner. The energy ramped up for the welcome party the evening before the wedding, which happened to fall on Halloween.
Jeanne and Ted opted for an Old Hollywood-themed costume party at the Hilton West Palm Beach. They arrived as Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, a choice they paired with last-minute lessons at, naturally, Fred Astaire Dance Studio. Jeanne wore a hot-pink feathered gown; Ted completed the look with a tuxedo, cane, and top hat.
“My friends still say it was the best party they’ve ever been to in their entire life,” Jeanne says. Their wedding planner, Meredith Falk of GLDN Events, wisely enforced a reasonable bedtime. “I would have partied all night,” Jeanne admits. “And so would our friends.”
The Main Event
The wedding day evoked timeless Palm Beach elegance. While Jeanne got ready in the penthouse suite at the White Elephant alongside her granddaughter, daughter-in-law, and closest girlfriends, a woman appeared and asked for her feet. Ted had arranged a surprise massage. “Your husband wanted to make sure you were really relaxed,” she said.
Jeanne wore a champagne-colored Oscar de la Renta gown with a slit — “elegant, but old enough to be appropriate and young enough to be cool,” she says — accessorized with Roman Malakov Diamonds jewelry. Ted wore a custom tuxedo by Carlos Amorim. Jeanne’s sons, Pearce and Ross, walked her down the aisle, while Ted’s son Todd stood as best man. The youngest grandchildren from each side served as flower girls.
Both had written their own vows and, without planning it, opened with the same story of Ted’s marriage question ann Jeanne’s firm no. The room erupted in laughter before dissolving into tears. “I knew when I got to the last line that if there was one more line, I wouldn’t make it,” Ted says.
The Beach Club, selected because “they really treat us like gold,” Jeanne says, was transformed so completely that guests barely recognized it. Different-sized tables with distinct floral arrangements and décor filled the ballroom. Cocktail hour featured shot glasses of clam chowder and other soups, a nod to Ted’s family business, the largest fresh soup manufacturer in the country.
At the reception, each of their children gave speeches. Every one ending the same way, riffing on Jeanne’s lifelong motto: How lucky are we? After dinner, a brass ensemble led guests into Mario’s Lake Ave, which transformed into a speakeasy styled after the Carlyle in New York. Guests enjoyed espresso martinis, ice cream, and live music until 1:00 a.m. “We have to admit,” Jeanne laughs, “that a lot of our crowd were not 22 years old.” They stayed anyway.
Back at the White Elephant, Ted insisted on carrying his bride over the threshold. Instead, in a fit of laughter, they promptly tumbled to the floor together. “It’s the thought that counts,” she told him. The newlyweds honeymooned at Sandy Lane in Barbados, where on their last night, the patio singer closed her set with Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” their first dance song. Ted asked Jeanne to dance — again. “I have waited for him my whole life,” Jeanne says now. “I honestly pinch myself every day.”
On the Itinerary
Every stop on Jeanne and Ted’s wedding weekend was quinesssentially Palm Beach.
- Bridal Luncheon at Swifty’s at The Colony Hotel: A Palm Beach institution, The Colony set an elegant tone for the festivities ahead.
- Bachelor’s Gathering at Sailfish Point: Ted celebrated with friends at his private waterfront enclave outside Stuart.
- Welcome Party at Hilton West Palm Beach: On Halloween night, guests gathered for an Old Hollywoodinspired costume party where Jeanne and Ted danced the night away as Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.
- Ceremony & Reception at The Beach Club: Palm Beach’s storied private club, an institution in the city since 1941, hosted the main event. Décor and florals transformed the space so thoroughly guests barely recognized it.
- Speakeasy-Style Afterparty at Mario’s Lake Ave: A Lake Worth favorite, Mario’s was transformed into a glamorous speakeasy styled after the Carlyle in New York, with espresso martinis, ice cream, and live music.
- Farewell Brunch at The Cove at The Four Seasons: The weekend concluded with waterfront views and a relaxed send-off at The Cove, where Jeanne serves on the board — making it as personal as it was picturesque.
Vendors
Wedding planner: GLDN Events // Venue: The Beach Club // Photographer: Collin Pierson Photography // Makeup: Patricia Margro // Hair: Ivette Gil Beauty Design // Gown: Oscar de la Renta // Stationery: Jeni Ayers Calligraphy // Entertainment: Zanadu Group // Lighting: SEBASS Event Lighting // Officiant: Pastor Steve Bray // Rentals: Gilded Group Decor // Day of details: With Love Inc. // Stylist: Bless the Dress // Draping: CBK Events
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