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Real Weddings:

Danielle and Sam’s wedding at Biltwell Event Center

featuring

Romantic details like lace, a palette of pink and mauve and voluminous gathered bouquets shine in Danielle and Sam’s hometown Indianapolis wedding. They couple were married at Roberts Park United Methodist Church followed by a reception at Biltwell Event Center—a venue they had stumbled upon years prior and joked “we should get married there.” Well, they did, and it’s lovely. Wedding planning by Emily Ventura Designs  with floral design by Grounded Weddings , invitations by Jen Simpson Design, cake by Cake Bake Shop and beautiful images by Chloe Luka Photography.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

Our wedding was so special to us because it brought all of our favorite people together! We are so grateful to all of our friends and family who traveled from near and far to celebrate with us. It was the day that we were able to stand in front of the most important people in our lives and share a lifelong commitment to each other. We had our reception at an event space that we accidentally stumbled upon years before we were engaged, and jokingly mentioned that we should get married there, so it was special that we were able to make that happen! We also had our two golden retrievers come for a few pictures, and that was also really special for us!

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

I had an idea of what I wanted when we went shopping for a gown, but was open to trying other styles. However, when I put this one on, I knew it was the one! It was what I always imagined myself in. It was the first one I tried on and I instantly fell in love. It is a Pronovias gown from Marie Gabriel Couture in Indianapolis.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

All of our guest place cards were in little succulents that they could take home to remember the day! We also did a floral tie for the guys which was fun!

What was the most memorable part of the day?

The whole day was a dream and so memorable! The part that sticks out to us most is the first look, because we were finally seeing each other on our big day after all of the anticipation leading up to the wedding. At that point, everything felt so real and hit us that this was finally happening!

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We met in school at Purdue University, and began dating after graduation after years of friendship. Two years later we were engaged on our first camping trip!

Photography: Chloe Luka Photography // Wedding Planner: Emily Ventura Designs // Floral Design: Grounded Weddings // Invitation Design: Jen Simpson Design // Ceremony Venue: Roberts Park United Methodist Church // Reception Venue: Biltwell Event Center // Videographer: Blushing Films // Wedding Gown: Pronovias from Marie Gabriel Couture // Hair: Salon Honey // Makeup: Kate Shaw // Cake: Cake Bake Shop // Catering: Hoaglin // Bridesmaids Gowns: Azazie // Groomsmen Attire: The Black Tux // Ring Box: The Mrs. Box // Entertainment Services: DJ Sound Solution

 

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Real Weddings:

Zanny and Noah’s wedding at Skokomish Park at Lake Cushman

photography by Benj Haisch

Zanny and Noah’s “Glampin” wedding is a vibrant, rainbow-hued celebration of love and life, nature and art. The Washington state celebration planned by Simply by Tamara Nicole took place at the breathtaking Skokomish Park at Lake Cushman. From the waterfront ceremony, to the “hike-to-reception” in the forest, no detail was left unimagined. The art-loving couple hand-made almost all of the decor with textured papers, screen printing and fabrics. Paisley Petals created the glorious cutting-garden summer floral arrangements, arbor, spectacular bridal bouquet and a delightful “DIY bouquet” table for the bridal party while they were getting ready. There’s just so much summer-goodness to love about Zanny and Noah’s big day and Benj Haisch was on hand to capture it all in these beautiful images.

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from the planners: Noah and Zanny’s wedding was one full of love, and they had the most close knit tribe I have seen at a wedding. You can tell they are loved, and also love on their people hard! I don’t think you can find a more picturesque place to say I do than where they did, on the beach below the trees at Lake Cushman for their “Glampin” wedding.

They had SO many personal touches for their wedding, which doesn’t surprise me as they love art, and Noah is an artist in CA. They made almost all of the decor for their wedding. From all of the fun signs made with patterned paper and wood, to the table numbers, and pretty much everything. They were married by their close friend, and each had 11 bridespeople and groomspeople standing on each side (half of which were barefoot as well). Noah is known as “No Shoes Noah” so it only made sense that others joined in to the shoes optional wedding! As they were getting ready, Paisley Petals created a “DIY bouquet” station at the cabin where Zanny and her party were getting ready.

For the ceremony, we laid down some blue patterned fabric as the aisle runner, and flanking the aisle were wood benches from Seattle Farm Tables and bamboo chairs, and greenery placed by Paisley Petals. At the front of the aisle stood a birch arch adorned in colorful wild blooms, with the lake behind. They had their friends play a song with guitar and vocals, and of course had their pup there with them as well!

After the ceremony, the guests followed the party through the trails up the hill to an area surrounded in tall trees, with string lights strung above them, and craft cocktails made by Ravishing Radish for cocktail hour. They created their own escort cards and had them all strung like a clothesline from a ladder and it was so colorful!

In addition to their wedding cake by Corina Bakery, they had friends and family bake so many fun goodies to add to the dessert table (on a killer wagon from Vintage Ambiance!). They made the sign for this too, like all of the signs at the wedding. “Treat Yourself” in fun patterned colorful paper. They even made their own signs for the restrooms “Gender Neutral Restroom.” Also, as it was a wedding in the woods (bugs!) we created a cute little corner with bug spray and a fun sign they made “Be Smitten, Not Bitten!” For after the wedding, they had a campground after-party (because most people were camping at the site!) for which their sign read “Let the wild rumpus start! After Party”.

As guests entered the tent, they took their seats at the long farm tables and benches from Seattle Farm Tables, adorned with various bud vases and candles that Zanny and her family collected themselves. SO many candles and vases, and full of fun bright flowers from Paisley Petals :) Each guest had their name hand-stamped on fun patterned and colored paper by the couple themselves!

Instead of going right into dinner, they had a dance set first and EVERYONE was on the dance floor, it was packed! You could just feel the love and closeness as we had like 8 speeches scattered throughout the dinner (amazing food by Ravishing Radish!). Then they danced the night away under the stars, light and RAIN (outside the tent) to the rad music by Side One Band. They even had some friends that are musicians perform their music and it was SO GOOD. At the end of the night, guests stood in the rain with sparklers for the send off, and were sent with adorable smore’s kits made by the couple.

Photography: Benj Haisch // Planning: Simply by Tamara Nicole // Flowers: Paisley Petals // Venue: Skokomish Park at Lake Cushman // Cake: Corina Bakery // Hair and Makeup, Décor, Signs etc. Bride and Groom // Catering/Bar: Ravishing Radish // Rentals: Vintage Ambiance // Rentals: CORT Party Rental // Rentals: Seattle Farm Tables // Band: Side One Band

 

Real Weddings:

Kenica and Bryon’s wedding at Keswick Vineyards

featuring J&D Photo

Arizona transplants, Kenica and Bryon, recently moved to Virginia and wanted to plan an epic destination wedding for all their west coast friends and family. The couple decided on the gorgeous Keswick Vineyards with blue skies, a fabulous courtyard and vineyard views. The location was the perfect backdrop to the couples vibrant wedding style which included details in every shade of blue and raspberry pinks. Planning and coordination was by  Kate Phillips Events with florals by Tourterelle Floral Design and it’s all captured in these lovely images by J&D Photo.

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Photography: J&D Photo // Planning + coordination: Kate Phillips Events // Florals: Tourterelle Floral Design // Venue: Keswick Vineyards // Wedding Dress Boutique: Urban Set Bride // Wedding Dress Designer: Maggie Sottero // Hair: Emerald DC // Makeup: Janasee Estep // Cake + Desserts: Kathy’s Favorite Cakes // Catering: Harvest Moon // Tent: Skyline Tent Company // Ceremony Musicians: Forest Hill Trio via East Coast Entertainment // Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka // DJ: TD Layman // Eclectic Rentals: Paisley & Jade // Additional Rentals: MS Events

 

Real Weddings:

Annmarie and Taylor’s Nashville Wedding

Annmarie and Taylor’s friends and family travelled from both coasts—and everywhere in between—to celebrate the couple’s Nashville nuptials. With personalized details abound, the celebration at The Hermitage was planned and designed (including florals!) by Honeybee Events and included custom stationery design by Authentic by Frank, a stunning cake by Nashville Sweets, Bar Magnolia‘s retro mobile bar and a gorgeous vintage teal getaway car. The details made for some pretty gorgeous images, but as you can see in these gorgeous images from Sarah Nichole Photography, it’s the couple’s joy that really shines.

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What made your wedding special & unique?

It was so amazing to have our friends and family travel from all over the country to celebrate our big day with us. We had guests from the west coast, east coast, and everywhere in between! It was so special to have all of our people in one place.

 

Tell us about the gown and where / how you found it!

I found my gown at The Dress Theory in Nashville. I wanted something unique, modest, and most importantly – I could dance in it! I decided on Julia by Flora. I really fell in love with the lace cap sleeves, and the long train and deep-v back were the icing on the cake and it was perfect for the dance floor!

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

I come from a Filipino family, so we opted to include the Filipino veil, cord, and coin traditions after our vows. The cord and veil were the same ones my parents used in their wedding 31 years ago, and my mom bought the coin set for us when she last visited the Philippines. I think it was a really special moment for everyone. Another favorite part of our wedding was choosing the vendors we admired the most. It was such an honor to share their work with our guests. We were part of every step and all the details felt very true to our personalities.

 

Real Weddings:

Maggie and Eli’s Lake Michigan Wedding

featuring Kati Mallory Photo & Design

Maggie and Eli live in North Carolina, but celebrated their nuptials at at Eli’s family lake house in Michigan. 1928 Planning Co. designed the event which included details in a palette inspired by the scenery—berry-hues reflective of the vineyards and light blues that mirrored the serene colors of Lake Michigan. Invitations are by Sable and Gray, florals by Fresh Flowers by Anna and a cake by Sweet Mandy B. The couple loves the Danish concept of hygge (or coziness) and set out to incorporate the feeling into their day and we love that Kati Mallory Photo & Design captures it all so beautifully.

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What made the wedding special and unique? 

Eli and I live in North Carolina but had our wedding in Michigan, which was very stressful at times. Even though our wedding had almost 200 people, I wanted everyone to feel like it was an intimate party, so that’s where the planning began. I was really inspired by the lush greenery in southwestern Michigan and my color palette closely mirrored the surroundings: the vineyard (berry, burgundy) and Lake Michigan (light blues). There is something so peaceful in this region of the country – slightly chilly in September but surrounded by farms, vineyards, and the clear blue water.

We said our vows at Eli’s family lake house – a place that is always open to friends and family and is very special to us. Eli’s dad and aunt made the chuppah themselves. The covering was made from a piece of fabric from both families – a hand-quilted blanket made my my great-grandmother and Eli’s tallit (prayer shawl), which was a gift his late grandfather brought Eli from Israel. It represented the two families joining as one, and also as a reminder of the love and presence of the special people who are no longer with us. We exchanged our handwritten vows while overlooking Lake Michigan, and to look out during our ceremony and see all of our favorite people sitting on our front lawn was very special and emotional for us.

My dog Humphrey, whom I rescued 7 years ago and has moved across the county several times with us, was our ring bearer and walked down the aisle in his tux. He was also featured on the invitations, menus, signature cocktail, and on goodie bags – he was like our own wedding crest!

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

I wore a dress by Vera Wang. I tried on what felt like a million gowns and nothing felt quite right! I came across a gown on Instagram and knew immediately it was meant for me!  I had already been to Vera Wang but went back to try it on and the staff was so helpful. I wanted to customize the dress to my exact vision, and their seamstress executed it perfectly.  The dress was classic, yet modern, and the beading and ornate belt gave it an extra “wow” factor.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal? 

For the reception, I wanted it to be lit mostly by candlelight and filled with florals to give the night a cozy feel. We love the Danish concept of hygge (or coziness), and wanted to incorporate that feeling for our guests. I sourced almost every detail from incredible designers on Etsy and really enjoyed customizing several items.  One of my absolute favorite items were our place cards – each hand painted by Newly Scripted, and embedded in moss. Because I absolutely LOVE dessert, and I knew I wanted an entire dessert table with a non-traditional cake from my favorite bakery in Chicago, Sweet Mandy B’s. Eli & I lived in, met, and fell in love in Chicago, our pre-military home, and the dessert table was the perfect nod to our time there. Our cake was a banana cake with chocolate buttercream filling and vanilla buttercream frosting, and we also served cookies, cupcakes, and Sweet Mandy B’s famous rice crispy treats. They were to-die for! Another favorite unique touch for the reception were our koozies. Each side gave a nod to where we come from, with Eli’s side showing Illinois with “Congrats You Guys” and my side representing Arkansas (my home state) with “Congrats Y’all”.

Eli is an Army JAG Officer and we have many friends serving our country. Though we were sad some very close friends were deployed at the time, we were honored to have every branch of the military represented at our wedding.  Eli’s and my first dance was to “I Just Called to Say I Love You” by Stevie Wonder, a song he sang to me when he joined the military and we lived apart.

What was the most memorable part of the day? 

It’s impossible to pick a favorite moment from the wedding day, but walking into the reception tent and seeing all of the details I had worked hard on come together was so special. Not just because of the design elements with plenty of warm candlelight, tons of flowers, and heat lamps keeping it warm, but because it was a room full of all our favorite people filling it.  Best feeling ever!

Photography: Kati Mallory Photo & Design // Event Planning: 1928 Planning Co. // Invitations: Sable and Gray // Floral Design: Fresh Flowers by Anna // Wedding Dress: Vera Wang // Hair & Makeup: Reva Salon & Spa // Bride’s Shoes: Louboutin // Cake: Sweet Mandy B // Bridesmaid Dresses: Shona Joy // Groomsmen Attire: Generation Tux // Custom Signature Cocktail Signs: Rubi And Lib // Engraved Wine Barrel Head (Guest Book): Midwest Barrel Company // Calligraphy: Newly Scripted // Custom Signage: Rich Design Co. // Vow Books: The Ambrosia Rabbit // Catering: CK Catering // Band: String Theory // DJ: Style Matters DJs