Raquel & Gerard

March 17

Charleston, South Carolina

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Q & A with the Bride:

1. What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

My husband, then fiance, loved it!  We had looked at dozens of venues, but his face absolutely lit up as we pulled onto the property.  I know that the wedding day is supposed to be about the bride, but I wanted to be sure his voice was heard in some of the details as well.

2. Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

1.  Before the guests arrived, I had the opportunity to see the ceremony space, and I was blown away.  The ceremony was outside on a small, wooded island.  While it was naturally beautiful, I wanted to soften the space.  My planner, Kala, not only met my expectations, she exceeded them!  White details, delicate floral accents, a wooden altar draped with sheer fabric – etheral, simple, elegant!  It was a beautiful and powerful reminder that although our wedding was not in a church, it was, no less, a spiritual occasion.

2.  The music!  Music can make or break any event, especially a wedding.  But, being an intercultural union (I’m from southern Virginia, and he’s from Trinidad and Tobago), we were both concerned that the music would not translate well between our two sides.  Fortunately, my husband called in a favor from a DJ friend and his knowledge of Caribbean and American music was mixed to perfection.  Everyone danced the evening away!

3.  The dinner tables were another one of those details where I had this vision in my head.  I wanted the linens and place settings to be formal since it was wedding, yet the flowers to have a more natural, deconstructed feel.  And while I wanted eveything to flow, I didn’t want identical floral reproductions, or overly matchy-matchy.  As a greeted my guests at their seats, I was delighted that each centerpiece was unique!

3. Give us the one moment from your wedding that you can’t stop thinking about.

Walking down the aisle towards my husband was the BEST MOMENT of my life.  Knowing how much I loved and was loved.  Feeling so blessed that the most important decision of my life had also been the easiest.  Knowing this was only the beginning our journey.  I experienced so many strong emotions in such a short span, I am constantly reflecting upon them. 

Ashley & Ty

February 2

Atlanta, Georgia

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Q & A with the Bride:

What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

I am an interior designer and architecture played a large role in finding the right church and reception venues.  I knew The Cathedral of Christ the King was the one because of the gothic-revival inspired interior with its vaulted arches, stone columns, stained glass windows and marble accents.  It is one of the most stunning churches I’ve ever been in.  I was lucky enough to not have to add any extra decorations to the Cathedral, which took one less thing off of my to-do list before the wedding!  I knew the Trolley Barn was perfect for the reception venue because of its beautiful exposed wooden beams and high ceilings.

Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

I am fortunate to have an amazing family that helped me execute all of the design elements I wanted to have at the reception.  Some details that were my favorite included all of the signage elements we made, the delicious s’mores bar, and my wedding accessories.

We made signs that included our sign-in canvas, photo booth, gifts table, bar drinks, and time frame specifics.  My dad framed each sign and also made amazing easels to display them on by using reclaimed wood from an old fence.

The s’mores bar was a huge hit as it was a dessert everyone could access whenever they wanted during the night.  My dad made the s’mores trough from the same reclaimed wood and lava rocks. 

I did not want to spend a fortune on bridal accessories.  Luckily, I was able to borrow Ty’s grandmother’s diamond necklace; it was the same one I also wore for my high school homecoming court so it meant a lot to me to be able to wear it again.  My amazing mom made my veil, hairpiece and diamond sash—she actually hand-sewed all of it! 

Give us the one moment in your wedding day you can’t stop thinking about.

There are two things that keep sticking out in my mind from that night.  During the ceremony when Ty and I were reciting our vows, I forgot a word and had to ask the priest to repeat it; all I could do was laugh about it.  I knew I was going to mess something up because that was what I was most nervous about.  I had actually asked the priest right before the ceremony to help me not mess up.  But during the reception, I just remember everyone dancing the night away—even our 4 wedding crashers! (Yes, we had wedding crashers).

Lauren & Marc

September 1

Haleiwa, Hawaii

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1. What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

Just looking at pictures of our venue, Sunset Ranch, I knew it was the right place for us. It had beautiful views, and a perfect outdoor area where we knew we wanted to hold the ceremony. We booked immediately, then made a site visit. After visiting, we knew we made the right choice, it was just as we hoped it would be.

2. Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

First, our venue was secluded and private. This created an intimate setting, which we envisioned for our wedding day. Second, we loved that our venue was exclusive to us. All areas of the ranch were ours for the day. The areas seemed limitless, including a rain forest, open grassy fields with views of the ocean and sunset in the evening, a pond and even a rustic barn, which we used for our reception. The exclusiveness of the venue gave us creative freedom to create our own unique wedding. Third, the ice cream truck that was driven into the barn to serve our guests dessert. We received many complements and had many fun pictures of guests eating colorful ice cream bars. Our wedding had a casual feel, and with the ice cream truck, the guests were able to have some fun on the warm, balmy, Hawaiian night.

3. Give us the one moment from your wedding that you can’t stop thinking about.

The moment I can’t stop thinking about is when I walked out during our ceremony to meet my husband. I had a slightly far walk to get to the altar, there wasn’t a traditional aisle. I had my brother escort me around the ranch house, and out along a grassy field where I was finally able to see all of our friends and family. I heard our musician singing the song I wanted, The Beatles’ “In My Life” and as I got close enough to see everyone, I started to get really emotional. It hit me all of a sudden, after all the years spent together, we were finally going to be married. I started to tear up and was so happy. Since many events during our wedding came and went too quickly, this is a moment that I vividly remember and will never forget.

Julie & Andrew

July 28

Bristol, Vermont

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Q & A with the Bride:

1. What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

The red barn. Andrew and I always knew we would get married in Vermont — we met in Vermont while at school. The Inn at Baldwin Creek is known for their food so it was at the top of our list when we started looking for venues. As soon as we walked on the property, we saw the barn and knew this was the place.

2. Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

1. The ceremony. We planned to have the wedding ceremony in the flower garden, but due to a sudden rain shower, it was moved to the barn. Listening to the rain hit the roof while saying our vows was magical. As soon as we said our I dos, the rain stopped!

2. The best man and maid of honor speeches. They were both so funny and touching.

3. The food was outstanding.

3. Give us the one moment from your wedding you can’t stop thinking about.

Dancing with our friends and family.

Stacie & Mike

July 7

Minneapolis, Minnesota 

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Q & A with the Bride:

1. What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

We wanted a unique space for both our ceremony and reception. The Depot Minneapolis is actually part of the original Milwaukee Railroad Depot that was built in 1899. It was historic and classy and fit our formal wedding perfectly.

The space is so beautiful that it really didn’t require much transformation. We were able to have our guests escorted out of the ceremony space after the ceremony with butler-passed champagne, and 15 minutes later, cocktail hour began in the flipped space. An hour later, our guests walked through the three sets of double doors that led to the Great Hall where we had our reception. The fact that the reception space opened up to our ceremony space sealed the deal for us, as we knew it would be a seamless transition for all of our guests (especially convenient for all of our out-of-town guests, staying at the adjoining hotels).

Oh, and The Depot staff allowed our boxer (and my maid of honor), Mali, to be a part of our ceremony. We weren’t saying “I do” without our fur baby there!

2. Which three details from your wedding were your favorite?

1. Food-It’s a passion we share, so we wanted to incorporate that theme throughout our day.

2. Wine ceremony-We placed notes to each other in a box, alongside a bottle of wine to be opened on our first anniversary.

3. Father-daughter dance to “Hang on Sloopy,” a true, Buckeye tradition, that is sung at all Ohio State sporting events. My parents are alumni.

3. Give us the one moment from your wedding you can’t stop thinking about. 

Because of the way we timed the reception, our entire band had not yet arrived in time for our first dance, so we couldn’t dance to the live version of “You Are The Best Thing,” by Ray LaMontagne. I was fine with that, as we wanted to get everyone on the dance floor as soon as dinner and the speeches were over. Much to our surprise, toward the end of the night, our band asked all of our guests to make a giant circle around us. They began playing our first dance song. We were overwhelmed by being surrounded by all of the people that brought us to that day. We felt so incredibly loved at that moment (even though be broke into the sprinkler during the song to make everyone laugh). It was such a special moment, and we have no pictures of it, so the memory is all we’ve got!