Anne & Andy

June 30

Indianapolis, Indiana

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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 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.

Katie & Sterling

July 7

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

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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?

Morris Arboretum has an amazing area called “Out on a Limb.” It is a series of walkways built through a canopy of trees 50 feet off the ground that can be used for the cocktail hour. It was so unique, and we didn’t see anything else like it at any other venue. We looked at a lot of places, but we kept on coming back to Morris.

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

1. First Look – we did a first look, and I can’t recommend it enough! It was so wonderful to get to see each other and have a minute to laugh, cry and talk. By the time we got to the ceremony, we felt calm and ready!

2. Ceremony Songs – we spent a long time picking out the music for the ceremony. Because we were getting married at the arboretum, we didn’t want music that was too “churchy.” We ended up using “Sea of Love” by Cat Power for the processional, “I Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Ingrid Michaelson for the entrance of the bride, and “Bright Side of the Road” by Van Morrison for the recessional. We loved having songs that showed our personality and felt special to us!

3. The Cakes – instead of doing one big wedding cake, we decided to have five smaller cakes and other bite-sized desserts. We put the cakes on tree stumps we cut ourselves and decorated them with flowers. I loved how it looked. I think it was the most successful DIY aspect of the wedding.

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

For the last song, our DJ played “Wagon Wheel,” which is a special song for me and my college friends, many of whom had traveled from far away to be at our wedding. Everybody spontaneously formed a big circle around the dance floor, and Sterling and I had one last dance together. It was so amazing to look around and see everyone we loved there together for us. I’ll never forget it!

Rachel & Adam

July 14

Washington, DC

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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?

We knew we wanted to have a city wedding but didn’t want a traditional, formal hotel.  The Hotel Monaco in downtown DC was exactly what we were looking for in a reception venue:  fun, colorful, and modern yet full of history as the former General Post Office of DC.  The hotel maintains so many original details like marble columns and stairways, and the ballroom is in the old  library.

We were lucky to find the historic Sixth & I synagogue right down the street for the ceremony.  More than 100 years old, it was absolutely stunning with a beautiful domed ceiling and an intimate atmosphere.  It was perfect.

Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

Green Flowers: I wanted bright lime and green flowers to contrast with the teal bridesmaids’ dresses and teal ties for the groomsmen.  My florist used green roses, hydrangeas, orchids, berries, and more.  I loved how it all came together, and it matched my lime green peep-toe heels.

Our Cocktail: Adam and I love spicy cocktails, so we opted for a special drink to kick off the evening.  Chili and horseradish vodka, grapefruit, fresh basil, and seltzer.  Did everyone love it?  Probably not – but we did – and that’s all that matters!

Mom’s Toffee Favors: My mom’s homemade chocolate toffee candy is a favorite treat, and we wanted to share it as parting gift to all of our friends and family.  We gave Adam’s mom and aunt the recipe, and they starting baking and packaging it up weeks in advance.

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

Outsource!  Hire a planner and enjoy the ride.  The last thing you and your family want to do on wedding day is worry about details. 

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

Strolling through the streets of DC, our photographer in tow, following the big reveal.  Even though there were crowds of people around, it felt like we had the city to ourselves.  I couldn’t take my eyes off of Adam, and I couldn’t stop smiling.  

Eileen & Sammy

June 9

Virginia Beach, Virginia

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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?

I grew up a mile from that venue, and it had my favorite view in all of Virginia Beach.

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

1. The Ceremony – our parents participated in the ceremony, and each one gave us their own blessing in turn. 
2. The Chinese Lion Dancers – it’s traditionally for a New Year’s celebration, but it just was a fun nod to my heritage. And what better way to start a new life!
3. Sammy’s Song – Sammy sang a song to me during our first dance. He picked my favorite ballad from the late, great Michael Jackson: “Ben.” But he changed the words so it was Eileen instead of Ben. It was so sweet and sentimental.

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

Celebrate! Over a hundred people are there to celebrate with you; you can do no less than oblige them by having fun on your big day.

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

It would have to be Sammy’s song. He’s not a good singer, but he belted out MJ’s song like a pro.

Tracy & Ryan

August 17

Riverhead, New York

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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?

We love all of the charm that the North Fork of Long Island has to offer – the old barns, farmland, and of course the wineries! So we knew we wanted our wedding guests to experience all of that.  We looked at a few different wineries on the North Fork, but what made Martha Clara so perfect and unique was their big old barn where we had our reception.

Which details from your wedding were your favorites?

We had our ceremony and cocktail hour outdoors at Martha Clara, and since it was a beautiful day, the horses were hanging out in the field.  One of them actually came right up to the fence looking for food! It was so cool to have them as part of our “backdrop.”

Our florist, Becky Jens from Moments in Time Floral Design hung these really cool paper lanterns inside the barn above the dance floor.  When the sun went down, it really helped to get the party started!

Instead of handing out wedding programs, we made a large chalkboard with the details of the wedding party written on it, and propped it against a fence so guests can read it as they entered the ceremony space.  Not only did we save paper, but I think it added a unique touch and a rustic feel to our event.

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

We had about 20 months to plan and organize our wedding, and we felt that this gave us an opportunity to just enjoy being engaged and take our time with planning the wedding.  We were able to focus on all the little details that we felt made our event unique.