First of all, let me start by saying, I love this wedding in a big way no matter the venue, but when I found out it was in a parking garage, I literally almost fell out of my chair. It is the PERFECT example of how just a bit of creativity can transform the most unlikely sites into someone’s dream. Lacey shares more below as to how the location came to be, but first let’s just revel in the glorious details caught in action by the too talented for words, Hannah Bergman, of Steve Steinhardt Photography. –xoxo, Beth Helmstetter
{click here to see the full wedding}
More from the bride, Lacey…
When Jared and I met over three years ago I just knew we were a match made in heaven. Especially after hearing he was in school to become a multimedia developer, the perfect compliment to a photographer and graphic designer. He got my father’s blessing and surprised me with a 4th of July proposal. We were at the park on a sunny afternoon sitting on our special bench. The same bench where he first spoke those three little words “I love you”. We stood up to start a game of crochet with our friends when I noticed he was down on one knee and had pulled a little box from his pocket. After he popped the question, a few moments of shock and a few tearful “YESSES!” our crazy planning began.
We wanted to be married in the fall and even though that didn’t give us a lot of time, we had a huge support team including both our families and great friends. Being a wedding photographer myself I’ve picked up ideas and have made priority lists in my head for years. Number one on the list, of course, was our photographer. I booked the very talented Hannah Bergman only a few days after I was engaged. It was a wonderful decision. Not only did I feel that she just “got us”, she was a pleasure to work with. The images still move me to tears and we simply love them.
Next on the list was location. I wanted to have a rooftop wedding but options were limited here in Spokane. After seeing a huge three story parking garage newly constructed behind my workplace, inspiration struck, this would be perfect for my “roof top wedding”. I shared my vision with Jared and he totally loved it! When I got brave enough to ask the owner about using the garage, he looked at me like I was crazy, and said it was the “darndest thing” he’s ever been asked but that I could use it for free! The garage set the stage for a modern wedding look so I made sure to add a lot of vintage and warm touches so it wouldn’t feel too cold or stark.
I’ve always pictured myself in something very feminine and sweet. With that in mind I started looking for a dress the very next week. I found a few I liked that ranged from $800.00 to $1200.00. But leaving the bridal boutique, a dress on the sale rack caught my eye. It was being discontinued and was on sale for $199.99. I was able to see past the reasons I knew it was on the sale rack and saw what it could be. I bought it! I had it altered to fit me, removed the train and the horrible floral/butterfly beading around the waist. I found a western rhinestone belt, at Audrey’s a Boutique here in Spokane, removed the black leather buckle and used the gorgeous rhinestone belting to replace the beading around the waistband. After checking several fabric stores for a pretty sheer material to soften the look, I ended up using a pair of old sheer curtains that my mom had on hand to create the bodice and ruffle cap sleeves. The bodice was put together by my seamstress but my mom was the one who really put the finishing touches on it including attaching it to the dress. I got my shoes at Piperlime.com and my earrings are vintage.
Our flowers were designed by Loretta Etchison of Retro Blooms. So many of the flowers I originally wanted were not available in October but she achieved the feel I was going for by using what she could find. I loved my flowers!
Jared and I designed and made our own invites, programs and developed our very own wedding website. We used Photoshop to design both and made every one of those little blue envelopes by hand. I downloaded free fonts from www.dafont.com including, “Spranq Eco Sans” for some of the text inside the invite and “The King and Queen” to address the envelopes. We borrowed the idea for custom coffee jacket sleeves for the cups we served the hot cider, cocoa and Russian tea in, from Utterly Engaged E-zine. We followed our chandelier theme by printing different styles of chandeliers along with neckties, necklaces, shades and deer antlers to make it fun. Our ceremony aisle was lined with glass cylinders filled with orange berries, from a gracious neighbor’s yard. We hollowed enough room for three cream, taper candles tied with twine. We borrowed three large stage panels from our church to define the front of the ceremony that we covered in vintage sheet music and hung poster frames with chandelier decals to continue the theme. The orange paper balls were purchased at the local party store. We cut them in half to make half spheres and added them to the panel for a pop of color.
The DIY project I’m proudest of was our bubble chandeliers that hung above the reception tables. Buying glass globes at $1 each we used craft store wired to circle the lip and hung them at different heights to achieve a grape cluster effect. We tied them off on a simple ‘s’ hook. Each globe had a cream votive candle. They were simply stunning all lit up and were worth the hard work. For our favors, I ordered custom pins from Etsy and was able to use my own designs. We pinned pretty ribbons to brown paper lunch bags filled with chocolate truffles and signed them with a special hand written thank you.
Jared and I wrote letters to each other the night before the wedding and gave them to each other the morning of the big day. His letter to me was the most precious thing I’ve ever received and I will treasure it forever. All of our nieces and nephews rang bells to announce the bride instead of the traditional flower petals. It added lots of jolly noise and was one of my favorite parts. Our ceremony was so beautiful, we each wrote our vows and it was very moving seeing my husband tear up, he’s definitely not the crying type. Everything that could go wrong went wrong, but if you ask Jared or I about our wedding day we’ll both say “it was perfect”. It truly was the most wonderful day of our lives. We were so happy to start our story together that nothing else mattered.
Photography: Hannah Bergman of Steve Steinhardt Photography / Florals: Loretta of Retro Blooms 509.624.3457 / Paper Goods: Paper and Thread / Bride’s Hair: Laura Warren / Bride’s Makeup: Julie Farley of The Makeup Studio/ Cake: Sweet Dreams Gourmet Bakery 509.747.6900/ Day of Coordinator: Zach Bailey / Pianist: Lamont Miles / Catering: Tomato Street