We hope you are enjoying this pretty installment of mini-weddings. This just might be our favorite way to celebrate the ensuing weekend. Up next is a gorgeous Kentucky wedding held at a very unconventional place; the Newport Aquarium to be exact. It is a fun mix of bright florals and underwater seascapes and some completely drool-worthy sandals. Captured by Mike Bresnen Photography, there is even more pretty to be found in the gallery.
see the full wedding in the gallery!
And as an extra special bonus, we have the cutest film from one of our favorites, red Bicycle Media who always manages to create a bit of magic with each and every film they make. This is definitely no exception. Enjoy!
From the Bride…
Tim and I both wanted a wedding that reflected our quirky sense of fun as well as our love for each other. We chose the Newport Aquarium in Newport Kentucky because it offered something different and fun for our family and friends to experience. Tim is from northern Kentucky and I am from Columbus OH, but all of my family have moved away so the NKY area ended up being the best choice as a middle ground for all our guests. His whole family is there as well as a lot of our friends, and we also had people coming in from all over the country.
I took on a lot of DIY projects myself for 2 reasons: A. I wanted a very personal feel that truly reflected my own design sense and aesthetic and B. It could potentially save us money…. although if it really did or not is still up in the air LOL!! As a fashion designer I have a natural gravity towards beautiful graphic design so the first place to begin was my invitations and stationery suite. Designing it myself, I knew I wanted something quirky, fun, pretty, and that reflected the light-hearted spirit of our wedding. With a mix of fonts and fun colors I think I achieved that. My good friend at work did us the HUGE favor of doing all the gorgeous calligraphy! This was something I desperately wanted but it just wasn’t within the budget so I am so thankful to her for offering her talent! I bound the invitation materials with gold string and tied on a tag listing the guests names in lieu of an inner envelope. I got so many compliments and heard from many people that they didn’t want to take the invitations apart because they were so pretty! That’s when I knew all my hard work was worth it. I designed and made all the paper products: the invitations, escort cards, programs, bar menus, candy buffet labels and signs, etc. On the front of our programs was a custom portrait by Nan Lawson on Etsy. Our dog, Little Jerry, is very important to us but also very bad (lol!) so we couldn’t have him actually be in the wedding like we would have loved to do. (Who doesn’t love a doggie ring bearer??) So we represented him in the program portrait as well as the cake topper :) I also made all the jewelry for my bridesmaids as well as personalized simple clutch bags for them by adding fabric flowers I made in various shades of pink, coral, and gold.
Our photographer, Mike Bresnen, and his assistant were amazing!! They really did a fantastic job at not only taking gorgeous photos but capturing the personalities of us, our family, and our friends. He has also done a few of our friends weddings so I have seen his work many times and had him picked out years ago! As soon as we knew our date he was the first vendor I called and luckily he was available. We decided to do all the formal photos before the ceremony which was an excellent idea. Tim and I had a very sweet First Look at his parents house, where the girls and I met up with the boys to head off to a local park for photos. We had a trolley to take us around town instead of a limo and it was great! It added a fun and nostalgic touch to the afternoon. All in all the wedding had the exact vibe we wanted: it was filled with family, friends, beauty, happiness, and celebration. I want to do it all over again!
Our cinematographers, James Pizarro and crew at red Bicycle Media, were incredible and I am SO glad we made the decision to hire them!! It was sort of a last minute thing, something I thought wasn’t in the budget, but a few months before the wedding I saw my friend’s wedding video and I knew I had to have one too! She used another company who was already booked on our date, but I found RBM on the Little Black Book and I was thrilled to find they were available at such relatively short notice. These guys go above and beyond, and their work shows it 100%.All in all the wedding had the exact vibe we wanted: it was filled with family, friends, beauty, happiness, and celebration. I want to do it all over again!
Photography: Mike Bresnen Photography / Cinematography: red Bicycle Media / Flowers: Janet Dennie – family friend / Candy: Peter Minges & Son, Cincinnati OH / Event Design and Planning: the bride / Ceremony and Reception Location: The Newport Aquarium / Invitations: the bride / Program cover: Nan Lawson, Etsy / Dress: Augusta Jones, from Fabulous Bridal in Covington KY / Veil: Romona Keveza / Bridesmaids Dresses: J.Crew / Event Rentals: Prime Time Party Rentals / Caterer: Chef’s Choice Catering / Cake: Bonbonerie, Cincinnati OH / Cake Topper: Red Light Studio, Etsy / Transportation: Harvey’s TLC Trolley