We love this timeless wedding – antique rings, subtle grays and greens, a fresh blanket of snow (not to mention a bold, peacock-blue to make everything else pop). No theme’s more fitting for these high school sweethearts, whose story spans years, states and life stages, their hometown ceremony and reception truly as beautiful as they are. Check out these images from Asya Photography, you can find the full gallery here.
In May 2013, Nickolas told Julia that he was taking her on a surprise trip to celebrate her birthday. He drove her to Chestnut Hill and the two spent the day in search of little love notes hidden inside scallop shells that Nick had concealed around the town as part of an elaborate scavenger hunt. After they had found the last note, Nickolas suggested that they go by the Tyler Arboretum to see the gardens. There—when Julia thought all of the surprises for the day had been discovered—he proposed. Needless to say, she said yes! The pair then returned to Julia’s parents’ home to celebrate with her family, who—to her astonishment—had known of the plan all along.
Nickolas and Julia were married on January 4, 2014 at All Saints’ Church in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. It had snowed the day before so the church was covered in a stunning fresh blanket of snow. The ceremony was particularly moving to them as they made their commitment before God, their family, their friends, and their congregation. During the service, Julia’s sister and maid of honor, Laurel McLaughlin, sang Schubert’s Ave Maria and her brother and groomsman, Mark McLaughlin, played Bach’s Lute Suite No. 1 during communion. After the ceremony, the bridal party and guests made their way to the Racquet Club of Philadelphia for the reception. Many guests had braved the wintery weather, and Nickolas and Julia were so grateful that their family members and friends had traveled all the way from Canada, the Midwest, and Alabama to celebrate with them. Throughout the toasts, dances, and constant laughter, Nickolas and Julia reveled in the joy and love of the day. It was truly a precious one, and they look forward to many more of those days together.
From the Bride… I tried on many dresses at several different shops in the area before hearing about Elizabeth Johns in Suburban Square. Elizabeth Johns is—bar none—the best wedding boutique in the area. The consultants made so much time for me and were also incredibly genuine in their desire to help me find just the right dress. When I tried on this dress, I loved the lace sleeves, the fitted-to-full shape, and the cathedral train, but I knew it was the right dress when my Mom started crying. My sister and I then started crying—and before we knew it the consultant even started crying! It was a very special moment, and I was amazed that I had found a dress more beautiful than I could have imagined.
Heather Potter from Cottage Flowers in Malvern did our flowers. She is truly a fantastic artist and captured my vision of a wintery wedding exquisitely. She met with me and my Mom several times, wanting to make sure her plans were just right (and, of course, they were gorgeous!). She also worked very closely with my Mom to help design the table settings and decorate the mantelpiece in the Racquet Club. I would recommend her to any future brides and grooms in a heartbeat.
We had CTO’s Fifth Avenue as our band and they were amazing. We requested that they play a mixture of old and new so that all of our guests could enjoy the dance floor. Fifth Avenue certainly delivered! We loved their mixture of Motown, Classics, and Top-40 songs, and our guests did too! We also appreciated that they learned the songs we wanted for our first dance and dances with our parents.
We are both pretty traditional and all along we described our vision for the day as “uniquely elegant” and “timeless”. We wanted to retain beautiful traditions but add some artistry and personal touches as well. The colors were a wintery peacock blue but we added juniper, grays, whites and greens to create a wintery look, particularly with the flowers. We also used a lot of candles (and I mean a LOT) at the reception to create a glowing, warm atmosphere. And last but not least, we loved our photographers! Especially, Asya—who even took a fall on a slippery patch of ice to get a beautiful shot of us running away from the church!
Photographer: Asya Photography | Floral Design: Cottage Flowers | Wedding Dress: Elizabeth Johns | Cake: Jeffrey Miller Catering | Ceremony Venue: All Saints' Church Wynnewood | Reception Venue: The Racquet Club Of Philadelphia | Bridesmaids Dresses: David's Bridal | Wedding Band: CTO Dance Bands