Nicole & Fred

July 14

Lyons, Colorado

~~~~~~~~

Q & A with the Bride:

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

Planet Bluegrass is the location of one of our first dates (Folks Fest 2008), and it’s where we got engaged (Folks Fest 2011). We both felt strongly about giving our hard-earned money to a place that we loved and believed in, and where we knew we’d return year after year to partake in the annual festivals with our festi-family/friends.

We are proud that our wedding helped support Planet Bluegrass, which brings amazing music to Colorado and helps nurture talented artists–big and small. Moreover, we introduced 175 guests from around the world and a handful of new vendors to the venue, which we hope will encourage a new generation of festival-goers.

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

1. The bridal party bouquets were wrapped in the vintage French Alsace lace as well as incorporated in the neckline of the flower girls’ dresses, hand-sewn into the bride’s wristlet, and used to decorate the dessert table.
2. DIY hula hoops! Our friend Sarah Gagne and her son, Rye Gray, helped us make all the hula hoops. We bought the tubing at Home Depot and using a YouTube tutorial, we cut the tubes into different sizes, filled them with water, marbles and beans; sealed them with a hairdryer; and wrapped them in colorful electric and duct tape with wild colors and patterns. At the end of the wedding, we happily gave the hula hoops away to our nieces/nephews and other children to enjoy. They were a big hit during the wedding.
3. My family made vintage signs using lumber from an old school house that paired nicely with the rustic ranch details, and complemented our western footwear.

3. If you could offer one piece of advice to other couples planning their wedding, what would it be?

Exercise! Maintaining a regular schedule at the gym helped keep my stress level under control and allowed me to sleep more soundly. My brain was going in a million different directions during the planning phase, and exercise helped me stay focused and organized and get things done without short circuiting or becoming totally overwhelmed. Exercise does as much good for mental and emotional health as it does for physical health, which will truly make you look your best on the big day—both inside and out.

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

Our maid of honor, Liza Hines, delivered a lively and interactive toast that required audience participation. With a 16 year age difference between Fred and I, it’s become old hat for our friends and family (on both sides) to crack jokes, especially early on in our relationship. When Liza said: “Stand up if you have ever made a joke about Fred and Nicole’s age,” the entire room sprung to their feet; everyone had quite the laugh, including us. It was a funny, yet touching moment and I knew that as a couple, we’d proven to everyone that age is only a number. Further, that if you have good friends, family, music and LOVE in your life, you will always be young at heart.

Emmie & Dave

August 31

Nashville, Tennessee

~~~~~~~~

Q & A with the Bride:

Which details from your wedding were your favorites?

Our favorite detail was probably the wine box ceremony. We had a custom dark wood wine box made for us engraved with our names and wedding date in a special symbol that was designed for our wedding. Inside the box, we had a bottle of La Crema Pinot Noir 9 Barrel (our favorite wine) and love letters we had written to each other. During the ceremony we nailed the box shut, and we will open it on our fifth wedding anniversary.

Our ceremony itself was completely us. We decided to have Dave’s dad marry us. He was nervous because he had never performed a wedding ceremony and this was the marriage of his first-born child. But, it was so touching and personal and meant so much more than having someone who barely knew us perform such an important ceremony. Together with Dave’s dad we wrote every word in our ceremony to be completely and uniquely us. We are really into wine, so we had 2 ceremonies within our wedding ceremony that showed that passion. We did a wine ceremony where we combined a white and a red wine to make a rose and drank from the same cup as a symbol of our unity, and a wine box ceremony. We wrote our own vows and read them to each other while we fought back tears. My dog is really one of my best friends, so he was a “bridesdog” in the wedding. Our guests were all standing around us in the barn during the whole ceremony making it super intimate and personal. And, at the end of the ceremony, Dave’s little sis and her boyfriend (who proposed to her a few days later) performed a song called “I Do” that they had written just for us. Everything about the ceremony was so personal and special.

 The rest of our wedding also had so many personal touches. Here are a few that we love: 1. Dave and I spent the 4 years leading up to our marriage on the road as part of our work in the sales training industry. We literally lived in 12 different cities in four years. Our wedding invitation was a map that showed this journey around the country with us ending in Nashville, our new home. On a card that sat on each table we had written one of our favorite stories from our time together in one of those cities. We had maps that traced this journey and vintage suitcases to complete the theme. 2. Our wedding happened to be on the night of a blue moon with the next blue moon happening 3 years later. So to celebrate this, we served moon pies and had an image of a giant blue moon on the ceiling.

Melissa & Chad

September 7

Redmond, Washington

~~~~~~~~

Q & A with the Bride

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

We had a clear vision for our day – romantic elegance, and I knew that I wanted very soft neutral colors.  DeLille Cellars in Redmond, Washington was perfect for our vision and it was just the right size for our small guest count of 58. 

Which details from your wedding were your favorites?

Driftwood Arbor – In March, Chad and I drove out to Oak Harbor, WA and we spent the day collecting driftwood on the beach.  We constructed our wedding arbor out of the driftwood that we collected and we had our florist decorate it with flowers on our wedding day.  As an added personal touch, we carved our initials and our wedding date in a heart onto our arbor.

Moss Letters – I love the look of Moss Letters and so I created my own for our wedding day and we hung them on the barn on our wedding day.

Bride and groom signs – I created signs for the back of our chairs that said Bride and Groom.

Welcome boxes for our out of town guests – We have quite a few guests coming in from out of town.  I wanted to do something for them to welcome them when they arrived so I created welcome boxes and arranged to have them placed in each guests hotel room before they arrived.  In each welcome box there was a map and some information of the city, along with some goodies and a mini first aid kit just in case.

Chalkboard Sign – I bought a frame from the craft store and spray painted it ivory and then glued in a chalkboard I found at the hardware store.  I then created a sign outlining the day’s events for our guests.  It also acted as a directional sign, so that our guests could find their way around.

Marsha & Michael

August 18

Newburgh, New York

~~~~~~~~

Q & A with the Bride:

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

We wanted an outdoor wedding ceremony to capture our “love bird” theme and we thought The Powelton Club would be the perfect place. Also, the place is extra special to us because my in-laws had their wedding reception there in 1975.

Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

1. Cake: This is where it all started. I saw a picture of a cake online that had a “love birds” topper and that gave me the idea of having a “love bird” theme. I wanted a replica of the cake and I sure got it!

2. Floral arrangements and decor: Our florist did an amazing job incorporating all the elements and transforming our venue into a magical place.

3. Wedding dress: I exchanged my dress not once, but twice. It is true, the third time’s a charm! I fell in love with the third dress instantly. It felt like my dress was the piece to pull off our “love bird” theme.

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

The outdoor ceremony. It was picture perfect! We saw some tears from our families and friends (not to mention my own) when we recited our vows to each other, and we know those were tears of joy.

Anne & Andy

June 30

Indianapolis, Indiana

~~~~~~~~

Q & A with the Bride:

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

The 360 degree views from the highest point in the city was so breathtaking! We knew it would be a special place for us and our guests.

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

I love how we used mason jars we discovered in my grandmother’s basement for our floral arrangements. Andy’s vest, pocket square and bow tie were made from his mother’s wedding dress. The black and white striped linens on rectangular guest tables was such a fun detail too!

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

Belting out the lyrics to “Don’t Stop Believing” with everyone gathered around us.  As cheesy as it sounds, it’s my husband’s favorite song. I remember telling myself to take a mental snapshot. I felt so loved by all these people, who were there to support us on our first day of our marriage.