Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Congratulations Jonathan and April



This couple was so in love it almost brought tears to my eyes.  They wanted their wedding day to be elegant yet fun, and they accomplished it perfectly.  Their gorgeous outdoor ceremony featured two ministers: one speaking in English, one in Spanish.  In lieu of a traditional wedding party, this couple had a processional that reflected the joining of two families.  First their mothers walked down the aisle together, then the fathers, then the sisters, and then their nieces.  Instead of April being escorted/given away by her father, April and Jonathan walked down the aisle together.  The ceremony was touching and beautiful. 

With the theme of fall colors, the décor for the day matched perfectly.  April’s bouquet was made of fall colored flowers including hydrangea, roses and wheat.  It was gorgeous!  The tables all had ivory damask floor-length linens and centerpieces of fall colored flowers, leaves and wheat.  The cakes matched the colors also, as April’s three tiered, stacked white cake had smooth white frosting with an accent of a few fall colored roses.  Jonathan’s cake was a surprise for the guests, as it was peanut butter flavored.  It was a big hit!  

There was a unique guest book at this wedding that I really liked.  The couple had a small photo album with places to slide in photos.  The guests took selfies with a Polaroid camera that printed out wallet sized photos.  The guests slid their photos in the album and signed the page next to them.  As a nod to the fall colors, there were to pumpkins on the sign in table, one with a veil, and one with a painted-on tuxedo.  They were cute!   For a fun exit, there were small bottles of bubbles, large wands of bubbles, and even a bubble machine. 

Although dancing was a fun aspect of this wedding, the focus was on family and friends.  April and Jonathan had plenty of time to visit and talk with their guests, which was nice.  The elegant afternoon wedding came to a close with the last dance.  The couple then ran through bubbles before driving away to their new life together.  Congratulations Jonathan and April and enjoy your European honeymoon!

Vendors:
Venue: Garten Verein
Catering, Cakes, Linens, Flowers, Ceremony Décor: Carriage Caterers
Photography: Costas Stergiou Photography

Monday, October 30, 2017

Congratulations Chuck and Francesca



This couple was so fun!  To start with, during the beautiful outdoor ceremony, there was a reading in which the word “zombie” came up.  We’ve never heard that before!  Francesca and Chuck wrote their own vows to each other, and there were some funny moments there as well.  We knew right then that we’d have a fantastic time with this couple and their guests. 

To match their colors of navy, blush, burgundy and gold, the bridal party wore navy dresses and carried beautiful bouquets of blush and burgundy flowers.  The guys were handsome in their grey suits, burgundy ties and vests.  The ballroom also matched the colors, as the tables had navy linens topped with centerpieces of burgundy and blush flowers.  Their pretty four-tiered cake was covered in pink ruffles and accented with burgundy and blush flowers.  The gold topper said, “To the moon & back.”  So cute!

I loved this couple’s guest book.  Instead of a traditional book, they had a hand-drawn tree on a canvas.  Guests placed their thumbprints on the tree and signed their names next to them.  For another special touch, there was also a cute jar for “Date ideas.”  The guests wrote ideas on colored slips of paper and dropped them into the jar.  What a great idea!

We always know there will be a lot of dancing when the first dance song of the night packs the dance floor, and that’s what happened at this reception.  The floor was jumping all night long and everyone had a great time!   After dinner, Francesca changed into a pretty white Marilyn Monroe style dress that allowed her to spend plenty of time on the dance floor, and that’s what she did.  After the last dance, the guests lined up and blew bubbles as the newlyweds headed off in a limo.  Congratulations Chuck and Francesca!




Vendors:
Venue: Ashton Villa
 Catering: Shrimp and Stuff
Cake: Cakes by Jula
Flowers: Knapp Flower Shop
Photography: JW Studio
Margarita Machine: Fantastic Events

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Congratulations Richard and Jessica



This couple was so much fun!  Combine that with their laid back attitude and smaller, intimate style wedding, and it added up to a perfect day.  Despite the threat of rain, the outdoor ceremony went off without a hitch.  The couple married in a gazebo under a chandelier after dressing in a historic home.  Jessica wore an amazing tea-length blush dress with a lace overlay while the guys looked handsome in their grey vests and slacks.  Following the ceremony, the guests moved indoors for the reception. 

With the colors of dark blue, grey and orange, the ballroom was beautiful.  The tables had floor-length ivory damask tablecloths, with each place setting featuring a gold charger topped by a blue napkin in a gold napkin ring.  The centerpieces were all tall vases filled with ivory hydrangea, greenery and feathers.  To match the feathers, the couple used paper feathers for their guest book.  The guests wrote notes to the Newlyweds on the feathers.  To tie in with the wedding colors, the favors were small boxes of macarons, tied with grey and orange ribbons.

In lieu of a traditional cake, this couple had cupcakes stacked on a stand.  The guests got a choice of flavors, which ran from red velvet to traditional vanilla.  On the top tier of cupcakes, there was the most adorable cake topper: two little birds.  One wore a bow tie while the other wore a veil.  They were so cute!

This wedding was a perfect example of how you can have fun dancing at a smaller wedding.  The dance floor was jumping all night long and it was hilarious!   They were singing along to songs, jumping up and down, waving their hands in the air, playing air guitar, you name it.  They had a blast!

When the night came to a close, the couple joined their guests in a last dance before leaving under a tunnel of waving glow sticks.  They then climbed into an antique car and headed off to their new life.  Congratulations Richard and Jessica!

Vendors:
Venue: Menard House and Menard Hall
Catering, Linens, Flowers, Cupcakes: Carriage Caterers
Photography: Second Shots Photography