What was your wedding inspiration for your theme and colors?

My grandmother absolutely loved Frank Sinatra. I find his songs to be so romantic and timeless and I wanted that feel for my wedding. To start, my bridesmaids walked down the aisle to “The Way You Look Tonight” and I walked in to “Fools in Love.” For the cocktail hour and reception, I wanted the space to feel like a party from the 1940s or 1950s. I had the pianist play songs from that era.

For my colors, I stuck with neutrals and champagne. My bridesmaids wore champagne and we had gold lace overlays on the tables. We had all neutral flowers with lots of greens and a pop of dark, dark raisin in calla lilies. I think the mix of neutrals with the sparkles of champagne and gold with the pops of dark really created a romantic and elegant space.

What was your favorite wedding splurges?

I feel like everything was a splurge! I was able to pick all of the details to create the perfect “dream” space for my wedding. There were a lot of little touches that were not necessarily expensive that I felt really added a lot of Matt and me to the wedding. For example, I have a lot of fun or inspirational quotes around our house and so we knew it wouldn’t be right without quotes at the wedding. I was able to find really inexpensive black and gold frames and wrote in some love quotes – from Dave Matthews Band to Shakespeare to Maya Angelou to Finding Nemo. My dad also makes his own wine and created all of the table wine and champagne for the evening. These little touches really made the day personal.

I do think that every girl splurges on the dress! I went into the bridal salon with a very clear vision of the dress I thought I wanted…and walked out with a completely different dress! From the moment I put on the dress (originally as a joke…), I felt like a bride. That moment with my mom was so special and I know I’ll always cherish that memory.

What was your favorite wedding day moment?

I don’t know if I can pick just one! Matt and I chose not to do a first look, because we both felt that the moment he saw me walking down the aisle would be a really special memory – and it was. I had always joked with Matt that he’d be a crier, and he didn’t let me down. His reaction when I walked down the aisle was so perfect. His expression was joyful and full of love and I couldn’t get down the aisle fast enough to be next to him.

There was also a moment during our first dance where we were looking around at all of our family and friends who came from near and far to spend the day with us. It’s an unbelievable feeling to know how much love was in the room all at once.

What was your favorite photo form the day?

There is one photo of Matt and me and our bridal party. The week before the wedding, the forecast started showing rain. While I tend to be a control-freak, I knew that the weather was just one thing that I couldn’t control. So, instead of panicking, I impulse-bought 4 big black umbrellas from Amazon. The photo that resulted is a black and white photo of the groomsmen and Matt holding the umbrellas with the bridesmaids and me underneath. I must have said something something silly and everyone was laughing. The picture really looks like it should be out of a magazine with how the sophistication of the tuxes and gowns matched with the black umbrellas.

There are so many photos from the day that really just captured Matt and my relationship and our love and respect for each other.

Words of wisdom for future brides and grooms?

Use Hilary as your photographer! Seriously! The wedding day itself flies by and having these beautiful photos to relive the day is so wonderful. Also, have fun. Some people think I’m crazy, but I really loved my engagement and wedding planning. It’s too special of a day to stress out!

I would personally like to thank Jenny and Matthew for trusting me with their incredible wedding day and letting me share in all the joy of memory making with their lovely friends and family! Cheers to all your happiness ahead!

Dress: Silk Bridal
Flowers: Kittlebergers
Cake: Upper Crust Cakery
Invitations: invitations etc.
Rings: Glen Moscow Jewelers
Chairs/tableclothes: Hank Parker’s

With so many new engagements and welcoming 2015 I thought I would share an amazing wedding and some great advice from one of my awesome brides, Jackie!

What was your wedding inspiration for your theme and colors?
I have always known I wanted an elegant wedding. I was going back and forth with different color schemes. When I came across a Mori Lee black, lace bridesmaid dress, I knew that was the one the girls needed to wear! I then made my theme black, white, and pale pink. I loved creating my theme around those colors because they made my vision of elegance come to life!

What was your favorite wedding splurges?
My favorite wedding splurge was the uplighting and monogram light on the dance floor provided by Encore Entertainment. The lighting really set the mood for our wedding, and created a fabulous ambiance! When I walked into Shadow Lake, I saw that my reception was everything I dreamed of!

What was your favorite wedding day moment?
My favorite wedding moment was when Chase and I said our vows. Even though we have been together for seven years, promising to be together forever was the best feeling in the world, and a start of a whole new chapter.

What was your favorite photo form the day?
I love EVERY photo from our wedding day, but two really stick out to me. The first being a candid moment that Hilary captured of Chase and I in the church. We aren’t looking at the camera but you can tell how happy we are, and how much we are enjoying our day. The second being a romantic shot she took by the fountain of Chase and I sharing a kiss. The background and lighting is just amazing. Also, our bridal party played a huge role in our wedding to make it so special, and Hilary did a wonderful job capturing our personalities and friendships in the pictures. We will cherish this photos and memories forever.

Words of wisdom for future brides and grooms?
The biggest piece of advice I have for future brides and grooms is to enjoy every second of being engaged. It is such an exciting time in your life. Have fun planning your wedding and take your time. Most girls dream of your wedding for so long, enjoy the time making all of your dreams and vision of your special day a reality! We could not have asked for anything more for our wedding. It will certainly be a day we will never forget!

Photography – Hilary Argentieri Photography
Reception – Shadow Lake Golf Club
Cake – Premier Pastry
DJ – Encore Entertainment
Flowers – Bouquets by Bonnie
Chair Covers – Champagne and Roses

This wedding was sweet beyond words – I thought it best to let Sarah and Jim share a bit of their lovely experience with you.

What was your wedding inspiration for your theme and colors?
Jim and I love to travel! We had each table for seating named after a placed that we have traveled to. I also made an Adventure Book that had pictures, ticket subs, etc from things since we started dating to show all the great memories of our adventures. And yes and I am that girl that is sentimental and saves everything!
I am also a girl that loves pink but didn’t want to have a wedding that was overwhelming with pink ( and neither did Jim!). The Inn on Broadway is so beautiful we didn’t want to over do it with too many details. The bridesmaid dresses, bridal party flowers and my shoes were just enough! Also have touches of green including maid of honor dress looked great with the pink!

What were your favorite splurges?
It was really important for us to make sure our family and friends had a good time. We wanted to have good food, open bar and DJ that had people dancing all night. I think we achieved that! It was also really important to me to have great pictures from the day. There were so many great moments captured! (inset shameless plug for Hilary here!) We also had a photo booth people really enjoyed. (having it set up next to open bar didn’t hurt either!)

What was your favorite wedding day moment?
I was calm all day! When the ceremony started and all the girls had walked out I alone with my dad for a few moments and the tears started all of sudden. And soon as we walked out and I saw Jim with a big smile on his face everything felt perfect. And the bonus is that this is Jim’s favorite moment too!

What was your favorite photo of the day?
It was so hard to pick just one! So it is narrowed down to two if that’s allowed! There is a picture of us walking out after the ceremony, we were both laughing and just looked at each other and were like “We can’t believe we just got married!” I’m so happy you caught it.

The other favorite was from the formals (pull back of couple at church). It had so many details and just a really pretty picture!

Words of wisdom for the future brides and grooms?
I will pass along the best advice someone gave us for our wedding. Make your best effort to spend as much of the day as you can together. It sounds crazy but there will be so many people pulling you in different directions for different reasons. Sticking together will help make sure you have the same memories for the day!

Vendors:
Photography
Hilary Argentieri Photography

Reception Venue:
Inn on Braodway

DJ:
Encore Entertainment

Florist:
Hopper Hills Floral and Gifts

Stationary:
Peacock Printing