More than half of Brittany and Jack’s guest list were traveling from Texas– and the couple “wanted a wedding that was classic and sophisticated, but brought some San Francisco flare.” Old St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral and James Leary Flood Mansion gave them just that. Every Elegant Detail designed and planned the day that included classic details like the custom crest and stationery by Aerialist Press and towering white and green reception florals by Amy Burke Designs. Photographer Melanie Duerkopp was on hand to capture all the lovely details in these beautiful images.
How did you meet and get engaged?
Mutual friends introduced us/ “set us up”. The first time we ever met was going to a USC – Stanford game at Stanford with said friends. Brittany went to USC for undergrad and Jack went to Stanford for undergrad. Despite the college rivalry, and the fact that USC beat Stanford, they liked each other and the rest is history.
Jack had the ring for a few months. He was waiting for the right opportunity to propose. He decided he wanted to do it up in the Oakland Hills overlooking the San Francisco bay – the area where their relationship had strengthened. But, he wanted it to be a surprise and needed to find a way to keep it from Brittany. She is very plan oriented and hard to surprise! The day of, Jack told Brittany he needed to buy a new camera for work. Which made sense, because he had just started a new job as a Public Relations Manager, and he did need a camera to take good pictures for the company website. So they went to Target and bought Jack his new camera. Later that night, Jack had fully charged up the camera and suggested they go to the top of the Oakland Hills to see the skyline and take some pictures with the new camera. Brittany went along with no hesitation – it made sense to her that he would want to test out his new toy. At the top of the hill, they took some pictures of the beautiful skyline – it was a perfectly clear night in the bay – and then Jack popped the question! Brittany was completely surprised and caught off guard, but elated and obviously said yes!!
What did you like about your venue?
More than half the guest list was coming from out of town – mostly from Texas – and we wanted a wedding that was classic and sophisticated, but brought some San Francisco flare. When we first walked into Flood Mansion, the fact that our guest (and that WE!) could see such an amazing, sweeping view of the bay just took our breath away – who wouldn’t want to see such a picturesque view of the San Francisco bay on their wedding night, in the city that brought them together and nurtured their love for one another!? That was a huge selling point. The other was simply how gorgeous the venue was. The cocktail hour was stunning in the brick courtyard, the formal sit down dinner with long tables instead of round in the dining hall, and the set aside dance room where people could go crazy dancing! Flood Mansion is really just perfect, we were so excited it was available for us, and we are over the moon that we had such a fantastic wedding reception there!
What did you like about your wedding planner?
It wasn’t hard to find a wedding planner, since Brittany’s mom had been a wedding planner with Every Elegant Detail for 6 years by the time Brittany’s engagement came around. Even though it wasn’t really a choice, Every Elegant Detail was the perfect wedding planner to work with. Janece and Lori stay true to the name – they care about every detail and they will make your wedding the most elegant event you have ever attended! We were blown away by how organized and on top of things they were throughout the entire process. Additionally, when there were tough choices that had to be made, they were there to advise us and guide us through it all. Fast forward to the wedding night, we had a spare moment before we joined the party, we walked into our reception and Brittany just cried. They saw her vision, they added the Every Elegant Detail flare, and they made our reception venue the most perfect place in the world that night. We have never seen a room prettier than Flood Mansion on our wedding night, and we highly doubt we will ever see one better! Janece was cool, calm, and collected the entire day and got us all from point A and point B seamlessly – she even carried my phone and chapstick the whole night! I owe her and my mom nothing but gratitude for bringing to life the night of our dreams!
What was your favorite part of the day?
Jack – “ I actually can’t decide. Every moment of our wedding day was perfect! From seeing Brittany walk down the aisle for the first time, to cutting the cake with my new wife, to dancing the night away with my friends and my new family. It was all my favorite!”
Brittany – “My favorite party of the day was after the ceremony, we did some family pictures inside the church, and while we were doing that we asked everyone to stay on the front steps of the church to wait for us so we could take a group photo. When Jack and I walked out to the top of the steps and we saw all our friends and family that were there because they love us, that were so happy for us for just getting married, that were so excited to celebrate the rest of the night with us, and that were just outpouring love to us, it made me cry and it made me feel all the feels and it was my favorite part of the whole day. Feeling everyone support us and love us – I will never forget it, and I will keep that with me throughout our whole marriage – we have a team that is cheering for us and wants us to succeed.”
What was the most memorable moment of your reception?
Brittany and her Dad’s choreographed Father Daughter dance to Hot in Here and Bye Bye Bye was such a surprise to Jack he will never forget it, and so much fun to do that Brittany will never forget it.
What did you learn from it all?
Forget about all the planning, and just have the time of your life!! It is your day, your love, your friends and family. You are a little celebrity for one day. Embrace it and just enjoy it! It won’t happen again! Also, drink water – major dehydration can occur when you are trying not to pee in a huge wedding dress.
A wedding is a really momentous occasion – it literally moves mountains and changes lives, and it is a huge life decision. It brings two families together and makes them one, and with that brings a lot of emotions, both as a couple and with your respective families. But you know you are with the right person when throughout the whole process you have someone that supports you and just loves you. And you know your families are going to be okay when you see them having the best night ever on your wedding night. Engagement and the wedding was the best time of our lives and the most emotional time of our lives. People don’t talk about how emotional it all really is.
From Janece at Every Elegant Detail:
Brittany and Jack are one of those couples that exude elegance and fun all at the same time. These two wanted to have a chic, San Francisco wedding that also felt intimate for their closest family and friends. Jack grew up in the South and Brittany in California so having a wedding that brought all of their traditions together was a dream. The wedding party arrived at Old St. Mary’s Church in cable cars as friends and family arrived from across the country. Brittany had chosen a timeless wedding gown from Anna Maier and Jack was equally well-dressed in a black tuxedo. The reception venue was an elegant mansion with stunning architecture that allowed guests to enjoy a cocktail hour with lounge furniture to encourage mingling with pops of French blue linens to accent the stone courtyard. Bringing together a color palette of neutrals, greens and blue worked well with the natural beauty of the Flood Mansion. Working with Amy Burke Designs to bring together the floral accents with tall arrangements filled with ample greenery and candles while guests dined at long tables. A sweet surprise was placed at each guest’s plate, a duo of French macarons from Pretty Please Bakeshop to end the meal. Brittany and Jack gave a heartfelt toast to guests prior to the cake cutting followed by some high energy dancing for the rest of the evening.
Wedding Planner: Every Elegant Detail // Photographer: Melanie Duerkopp // Florals: Amy Burke Designs // Invitations, Menu, Seating Chart And Personalized Crest: Aerialist Press // Wedding Venue: Old St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral // Reception Venue: James Leary Flood Mansion // Video: Andrew Hsu MSV Studios // Bride’s Gown: Anna Meier / Marina Morrison // Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka // Earrings: Designer Nadri // Necklace: Tiffany // Bride’s Hair and Makeup: Sarah Dean of Liner and Lace Beauty // Groom’s Tux: Hart Schaffner Marx // Grooms shoes: Florsheim // Grooms watch: Rolex // Rings: Padis Jewelry // Ring Box: The Mrs. Box // Bridesmaid Dresses: Dessy / Bella Bridesmaids // Groomsmen attire: The Black Tux // Flower Girl Dress: Bella Bridesmaids // Catering: Melons // Bar: Smith’s Beverages // Cake & Favors: Pretty Please Bakery // Officiant: Fr. Tom Tavella // Rentals: Bright Party Rentals // Linens: La Tavola // Lighting: Got Light // DJ: Big Fun DJ // Wedding day tailor: The WeddingdeTailor // Honeymoon Planner: Katie Lee Travel Co.