I adore the couple who stands the test of time before they even set one foot down the aisle. It’s just such a testament to the love that they will have as a married couple. Today we’ve got all that and a gorgeous wedding to boot! Both Kortnee Kate Photography and Voila Cinematic were on the scene of this beautiful wedding and we’re kind of obsessed.
When we heard Voila Cinematic had a video to share, we couldn’t say yes quickly enough!
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From the beautiful bride… Gene and I started dating in high school and continued dating long distance all through college. He proposed at the end of his second year of medical school, after I had just finished my Masters finals. We set a date of April 6, 2013, just after he matched to a residency program, giving us a two year engagement. It was so much fun to relax and enjoy being engaged for a whole year before really starting to plan a wedding.
From the start, we wanted a wedding that would honor our love for each other but also celebrate the love we have for our incredible family and friends. We also wanted to incorporate elements of our Cincinnati hometown, New England life, and future life in Durham, North Carolina (he matched to Duke, his #1 choice!). The ceremony, music, and service was the time for us to let the busyness of the day come to an end and officially become husband and wife. The cocktail hour and reception were our way of saying thank you to our guests for being such big parts of our lives.
Since we had been to many events at this country club, the little details made all the difference for us. We chose bright coral bridesmaids dresses (we, because Gene went with us!), white with French blue paper goods, and a really fun, local live band. Our E&E wedding logo, signature Mint Juleps (we got engaged on Derby Day), photo booth, and stunning flowers transformed the space into the perfect night for our guests to have a great time.
Were a very traditional couple, so a few family traditions were especially special to us. We used a cake knife from Genes family that matched the set of sterling left to us by his late grandmother. My bouquet was covered in the same ribbon as my cousins was five years before, wrapped in my grandmothers lace handkerchief, and decorated with some of my late Papa’s pins. When I picked up the bouquet for the first time, I felt surrounded by so much family love.
Though very traditional, we did decide to do a first look… one of our most favorite moments of the day. At first we were worried it would take away from the ceremony, but instead it gave us the time to enjoy a very emotional moment to ourselves, one that was perfectly captured by Voila Cinematic and Kortnee of Kortnee Kate Photography. They are both such incredible vendors, I cant rave enough about how they kept us laughing the whole day! My bridesmaids and cousin Jocelyn (our volunteer weekend-of coordinator) kept the whole day running smoothly behind the scenes – something I’m incredibly grateful for, since we planned the whole day ourselves.
Even given the two year notice about the date, we were astounded by how many of our guests took time to travel to Ohio for our wedding – 242 out of 250 invited guests from all over the world. Walking down the aisle with my Dad towards my soon-to-be husband, in room full of everyone we’ve both grown up with and love, was a really incredible (and emotional!) feeling. Dancing the night away to Jack Garrett’s music was such a blast, and kept guests of all ages out on the dance floor all night long. We were certainly blessed on that day and are so grateful that is how we started our married life together.
Photography: Kortnee Kate Photography | Cinematography: Voila Cinematic | Floral Design: Del Apgar Florist | Reception Venue: Cincinnati Country Club | Hair: Cura Bella Salon | Entertainment: Jack Garrett and The Syndicate | Rentals: Goodwin Lighting Services