I could easily build a hundred image boards for this post. Easily. Because there are just so many pretty details designed by the Bride and SO many gorgeous images by Paper Antler, it was hard to restrain myself from not sharing every.single.image. So trust me when I say that this gallery is a beauty, and one you need to spends some serious QT with this evening…
From the Bride… My husband, Paul, and I met in college when he auditioned for a small singing group that I was in. That day, Paul sang the song “Starry Night” for me. Six years later, while star gazing together on the shores of lake Michigan, Paul proposed. So stars and the heavens kind of became our inspiration for the wedding. I am a graphic designer, so planning our wedding was an absolute thrill! To be my own client and weave all the design aspects into one continuous but variable theme was a dream come true. My husband was so encouraging and supportive at every step. Although in medical school, he is extremely musically talented (he sings in the Saint Louis Symphony chorus) and had very particular thoughts about the music at the ceremony and reception. So we divided tasks — I would work on how everything would look, and he would work on how everything would sound. It made the daunting task of planning our wedding seem more manageable, and as we kept bouncing ideas off one another, we got more and more fun out of seeing how each element would reinforce the idea behind another. We started by talking through what we saw as our overall vision for the day. We are both very sentimental (we love old jazz classics from the ’30s and ’40s) and wanted our wedding to have that same romantic, classic feel. I chose a color palette that I thought would lend itself to that idea: one of blush and navy with tan, white, and metallic accents. I also added some simple patterns like polka dots and stripes. My first design steps were working on our save-the-date card and invitation. Paul’s first step was to choose the ceremony music and begin arranging the songs for a string quartet. Those two steps helped set the tone for the rest of the day.
A few days before the wedding, my grandmothers each gave me a button from their wedding gowns, and I sewed them into my dress. After finishing up the program, my bridesmaids and I punched holes in the covers so that when guests opened them up at the ceremony the light would shine through and create little “stars” on the page. On the day of the wedding, I walked down the aisle to a Gustav Holst’s “The Planets,” which my husband arranged for string quartet and organ. After a lovely ceremony, we exited the church to a bubble send off and took off in a white, 1960s Bentley. The reception was held at the St Louis Artists’ Guild. Guests were welcomed with a chalkboard sign that I had hand-lettered to match our invitation typography, and then they entered the Artists’ Guild to the music of our swing band. Dinner was held outside under a tent on the grounds. We used my grandmother’s candlesticks to adorn the head table, and I had collected vintage pink swirl wine glasses to use as additional candle holders and add a bit more blush color to the reception tables. I had also created small chalkboard table numbers to match our chalkboard welcome sign. I was hoping all these details would make for a vintage setting at the reception tables. In place of a guest book, we adapted my old holga camera with an instant film back and invited guests to take a photo of themselves. I made some personalized props to go with the photo booth and my sisters helped me with a ribbon garland for the backdrop.
Towards the end of the reception, my husband surprised me with a song. He and his groomsmen are all singers, and they sang a barbershop quartet arrangement of Elvis Presley’s “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.” This was by far my favorite part of the whole night! At the end of the night, guests were invited to take favors — little cloth bags that I had stamped with our monogram and filled with 19 glow-in-the-dark stars — and they sent us off with sparklers as we drove away. Although there were many stressful moments during the planning process, on the day of the wedding, Paul and I had an absolutely wonderful time! We were both just so happy and excited. If a few details didn’t go exactly as planned, we hardly noticed. It was so much fun to see all the pieces pull together on the wedding day. All of our vendors were a joy to work with, particularly our photographers Jonny and Michelle Hoffner of Paper Antler. We wish we could live it all over again!
Wedding Photography: Paper Antler / Ceremony: Central Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri / Reception: St. Louis Artists’ Guild in St. Louis, Missouri / Floral Design: Artistry Florist and Event Design / Wedding Day Coordination: Flourish Events & Concierge / Catering: Catering St. Louis / Wedding Cake: Sugaree / Cake Pom Topper: Potter + Butler / Wooden Cake Topper Design: Mary Rosamond (The Bride) / Wedding Paper Goods + Invitation Design: Mary Rosamond (The Bride) / Invitation Printing: All Along Press / Personalized Wedding Website: www.rosamond-kunnath.com / Website Design: Simon Lam / Website Programing: Devon Hirth / Ceremony Music: Friends / Reception Band: Trilogy Band / Transportation: BEST Transportation / Wedding Dress: Allure Couture / Bride’s Veil: Sibo Designs / Bride’s Ring: Rust / Hair: Elizabeth Jackson / Makeup: D’Shannon Llewellyn / Bridesmaid Dresses: Various / Groom’s Suit: J.Crew