When it comes to classic weddings, visions of full-length dressed ‘maids, bunches of white blooms and a glowing reception come to mind. But when that vision has the touch of elegance that this one does, it’s taken to a whole other level of awe-inspiring beauty. Jeffrey Sampson sits behind every lovely moment, ones that will add an extra twinkle to your eye today. Have a look for yourself right here.
From the beautiful Bride… One of the most important things to us was music – first the ceremony music – both the songs and the vocalist – and then the band. I wanted the music in the ceremony to make everyone, including Thom and I, get that same feeling you do when you watch a really deep TV show or movie, haha. The ones that give you that lump in your throat, shake your core and make you feel alive. I by no means want to put church music down, but there songs that make me feel more spiritual than those in the Gather Hymnals if you will and it was important to get to use those songs in the ceremony
We spent countless hours thinking up our favorite songs about love and life and good. I compiled so many word documents with lyrics and looked up videos of acoustic versions in female voices. After we condensed our Spotify playlist down (for the 100th time) to our top 10 or so, it was time to decide where to put each song – it was a lot like choreographing the ceremony. In my opinion, the timing and placement of the music in the ceremony can make such a big difference. Looking back, the ceremony music – both the songs AND Tara’s voice – is one of my favorite parts of our entire day.
My dress. What I had in mind was nothing like the dress I ended up getting. I never thought I would wear a strapless, poofy gown however the second I tried this dress on, I knew it was it. I absolutely loved all the custom details we added to the dress – these details made it mine and made me feel like the bride I had always dreamed of being. We added a big champagne bow to the back that had detachable tails, a designer crystal belt, and most of all, the longer train! My favorite thing about the dress had to have been the train. Since the church was so massive and gothic, the long train and Chantilly lace really seemed fitting. Another one of my very favorite parts of my dress was my veil. My veil was also my “something borrowed”. My cousin, Leigh was one of my Matron of Honors and she wore it in her wedding. It was her mom’s (my aunt’s) and so not only was it super gorgeous, but it had a lot of meaning behind it and it was such an honor for her to lend it to me. My “something old” was the jewelry my nana let me wear – the vintage diamond necklace, diamond bracelet and pearl ring were perfect with my dress and made me feel like a Queen. My “something new” was a pair of earrings my friend picked up for me last minute and my “something blue” was a new pair of light blue hanky panky’s . One thing I underestimated was how much the dress would set the entire “theme” and “tone” of the wedding. Immediately after we found the dress – I knew exactly what I wanted the wedding to be like and was able to start making more decisions and acting on them. I never thought that the dress would have such an effect and be what kicked everything else to start falling into place.
Paper. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted the invitation to look like and Allie was very helpful in working with me. We hopped on a Skype call a few times and did the whole thing over the phone and web – pretty cool! I wanted classic and ethereal with a touch of whimsical. I love paper like I said – so paper was important. I wanted to incorporate the outlines of California (for Thom) and Nebraska (for me) and I wanted our names to be in Allie’s whimsical calligraphy so we could use it as a logo and incorporate it in other elements of our wedding. Lastly, I definitely knew I wanted to use vintage postal stamps to again incorporate California and Nebraska and because I thought it made the invite more personalized to Thom and I, helped set the eclectic tone of the wedding and added a pop of color (which in turn also made it stand out in your pile of mail).
Flowers. My bouquet was amazing. Peonies are my all time favorite flower and they were in season! The hand tied bouquet Mullhalls made for me was beyond perfect – even better than I imagined. I was blown away when they gave it to me right before I went outside to meet Thom for our “first look”. It was huge!!! We wrapped it with the fabric from my mom’s veil from when she got married. Her veil would not have matched my wedding dress so rather than scratch the whole thing, she offered taking some of the fabric off and wrapping my bouquet with it for good luck and to have a piece of her with me. I loved that. It was super special. I loved the bridesmaid’s bouquets so much. I loved that the girls had to let the white and blush pink astilbe rest in their arm instead hold it of with their hands and loved the way the champagne ribbon from the bow fell. It was elegant and natural and ethereal and unique all at the same time. At the church, we lined the pews with ivory tulle, a champagne satin ribbon to match my dress, a vendella rose, champagne feather and maidenhair fern.
Decor. One of my very favorite things was all of the vintage wedding photographs Thom and I gathered from our families and dispersed through out the front entry room. We labeled each with who they were, their wedding date and how we were related. It set a very romantic tone and inspired fun conversations as people arrived. We used different types of eclectic and vintage frames that we had from home or bought at Ross and Hobby Lobby. I loved the natural and garden and ethereal feel of the reception décor. The up lighting, candlelight, and hanging soft yellow bulbs from the ceiling created such a beautiful ambience. There were different centerpiece styles dispersed throughout the tables in the ballrooms. All of the tables had mercury vases of all different sizes with monochromatic garden roses, peonies and blush ranunculus. The head table was centered with silk ivy and giant mercury candelabras, column candles and glass bubble balls. Other tables had a giant gold artsy sculpture on them that twisted and turned up and had ivy plants intertwined and moss balls and stacked candles on each “branch”. Other tables had big round bowls with curly willow sticks sticking out of the center, filled with moss balls, white blooming begonia plants, succulents and other textural elements. We used greenery to hang off the ends of all of the fireplace mantles. The flowers were beyond amazing and really set the scene. It was beautiful.
Photography: Jeffrey Sampson Photography | Videography: Complete Music | Event Design: Textiles | Florist: Mulhall's | Wedding Dress: Bridal Image | Invitations: Allie Ruth Designs | Church: St. Johns Creighton University | Reception: Omaha Country Club | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Ready Or Knot | Hair & Makeup: Blush Makeup Artistry | Groom's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Transportation: Ollie The Trolly