A tropical night on a restored 1930s yacht proves rehearsal dinners need not be predictable.

Last year, Frank and Linda Lynch purchased a 1930s Trumpy yacht with a colorful past: Innisfail has hosted presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, and Clinton, along with other luminaries. And also last year, the Lynches’ daughter Franca was engaged. Those two big events collided when Franca’s proud parents surprised their daughter with a rehearsal dinner aboard the boat this past spring. Uncharacteristically tight-lipped, they hadn’t even told Franca they owned Innisfail until she arrived for the party. That night, Heather Barrie of gathering: floral + event design unveiled a floating tropical paradise. Steel drums played reggae tunes as 70 guests mingled among tropical flowers and sampled items from a Jamaican menu. Franca was thrilled to say the least.
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