We’ve had a wonderful week on The Little Black Book Blog! And we have saved the best for today … Caroline & Christopher’s super sweet (and emotionally charged) wedding in Cincinnati. With florals by the always amazing Courtenay Lambert and filmed by the awesome Steve Zugelter at Studio Z Films, their spring celebration was as good as it gets!
images courtesy of Stephanie Carson Photography
Grab a tissue … and enjoy!
Caroline & Christopher: The Highlight from Steve Zugelter on Vimeo.
from the beautiful bride …
I have always been the girl who dreamed of her wedding day since playing dress up with my grandmother’s lace and high heels. At the risk of sounding corny, I knew that my wedding day would be just like a fairy tale because I have been lucky enough to live one with my husband. We met when we were just seventeen years old. College and budding careers separated us for a time, but we both knew deep down whatever road we traveled it would eventually lead us back together again.
Nine years later, in the same place we formally met for the first time, Christopher asked me to marry him. I couldn’t have been more thrilled! We started planning immediately, gathering inspiration from one simple word, romance. We wanted everyone who attended our ceremony and reception to experience and feel the love Christopher and I share…and of course we wanted everyone to dance!
The first priority was the venue and we knew when we saw the Hilton Netherland Plaza, Hall of Mirrors there would be no other place in Cincinnati that could compare. Although a traditional ballroom, it‘s art deco details, vintage appeal, and top notch service provided the perfect setting for a celebration. Our next priority was a photographer and I knew long before I was engaged who I wanted it to be, Stephanie Carson. She has the unique ability to capture emotion in the moment, without prearranged staging or posing. Stephanie was able to suggest a number of vendors and that is how we found Steve Zugelter and Studio Z Films. I looked up Studio Z Films online and sat with tears in my eyes watching other couple’s films. I knew his intimate style would complement our vision of telling our love story.
Beauty is in the details, and I wanted this to stand true with our wedding. My approach was: simple but elegant. I also wanted to include small sentimental touches because I am a sucker for nostalgia. Soft sage green, pale pink and ivory was the color palette for our late spring wedding. The flowers were more beautiful than I ever expected, they were full and lush and included fragrant peonies, freesia, garden roses and hydrangeas.
Handmade accessories for the bridesmaids and my hair piece were found on Etsy. We used Christopher’s grandmother’s recipe to make homemade jelly as a favor for each guest. Beading from my mother’s wedding dress was used to wrap my bouquet. Because we love to journal and document all of our adventures, our wedding gifts to one another were handwritten letters.
The day was perfect and went off without a hitch. All the little memories made the day spectacular. Putting on my dress and realizing I was actually getting married was an overwhelming experience. My dress felt perfect, classic, and timeless. Thinking about seeing my dad for the first time and having him walk me down the aisle still tugs at my heart. I knew seeing Christopher would be one of the most special moments of the day and it was a blur, thank goodness for our film and photos! It was important for us to have our ceremony in a church. Saying our vows in front of our closest friends, family, and God was the central part of what the day was about.
The reception was incredible! From the heartfelt speeches given by my sisters and Christopher’s best man, the phenomenal food, and having the dance floor packed from the first dance to the last dance three hours later made it the best day I could have ever asked for. We thank our family, friends, and fabulous vendors for making it possible and sharing in our love story.
Coordinator: Jen Daut / Photography: Stephanie Carson / Floral: Courtenay Lambert / Entertainment: Nemar Maize / Hair: Jennifer Nally / Makeup: Brideface / Stationery: Poeme / Linens: Adora / Cinematography: Studio Z