In the words of the Bride, “A wedding isn’t perfect because of how pretty or how seamless the details of the day pan out. It’s perfect because you deem it to be and because you are having the time of your life with your best friend.” And to be honest, I couldn’t have said it better myself. The flowers from True Florette and photos by Ashley Kelemen make this love affair one not to be missed.
From The Bride…There are times you know in your deepest of hearts what it is exactly that you hope and long for when it comes to your wedding day. Because Todd and I had a relatively short engagement, we knew we had to jump on wedding planning almost immediately. Initially, there were talks of running off, just the two of us with our immediate families, but seriously who were we kidding?! The both of us love having fun just a bit too much and were not going to pass up having the party of our lives! Thus began the story of the unwavering heart. There was little time for indecisiveness and fortunately I had a few (…or more) convictions from the onset of the planning process. Without question, we both knew we wanted to be married outdoors, surrounded by nature and its insurmountable beauty. We were incredibly surprised to have found our venue on our very first visit. Monteverde at Oldstone had everything we were looking for and more.
After our venue was set, it was time for the fun creative bit. There was so much natural beauty to be embraced, I opted to keep everything simple and clean. Our wedding was to be a reflection of us, our personalities, style and who we are as people. That’s always what I’ve loved most about weddings. It is such an expression and embodiment of the couple themselves. Each unique in its own special way. We wanted ours to be casually elegant with a healthy dose of whimsy & fun. The idea was to keep it classic but relaxed. Determined not to fall victim to “too much pink”, I decided to go with blush, earthy tones of ivory/nudes, coupled with accents of gold.
In tribute to Todd and I’s sweet love story that was borne and largely lived out in New York City, we incorporated a subtle apple theme to our wedding. They made their first appearance as postage stamps affixed to our wedding invitations. For those who took a closer look, apples were embedded in our floral centerpieces and guest tables were aptly named after different apple varietals. Some of my favorite creative details from the day included our custom watercolor floral invitation suite and seating chart painted by the insanely talented Yao Cheng Design and the beautiful peonies perched atop gold candle holders that greeted guests at the escort card table. We were also very fortunate to have had the creative support of my matron of honor, Emma, who lovingly did all the calligraphy for our invitations, escort cards, bridesmaid dress tags, table numbers and more. She added such beauty and grace with these little details.
As for the bridesmaid dresses, I knew I wanted something a little different. I opted for two varying earthy tones and two pinks and had each maid choose their own style dress. Our ring bearer and flower girl were purposefully outfitted to be mini-me versions of Todd and myself. For a smattering of fun and a good time, we had bubble guns, an ice cream cart, whimsical balloons, and a spritz yourself little perfume bar. In lieu of traditional well wishes for the bride and groom, we asked our guests to share their favorite restaurants with us.
In the end, a wedding isn’t perfect because of how pretty you remember it to be or how seamless the details of the day pan out. It’s perfect because you deem it to be and because you are having the time of your life with your best friend and partner in life. We had our share of hiccups earlier in the day when the sunniest of skies turned into mean heavy rain clouds that forced us to shift our ceremony indoors. With an unwavering heart, we pushed through and were determined to have our wedding outdoors, just as we had wanted all along. Together with my dad, I will never forget how the skies parted to give way to the first sweet ray of sun as we made our descent towards the aisle. That afternoon, Todd and I exchanged vows against the most majestic mountain backdrop and walked out to a strings rendition of “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles.
We had our magical fairytale wedding and the time of our lives because we had the privilege of sharing and celebrating our love and commitment to each other with the most loving, gracious and supporting family and friends to whom we owe all our thanks. Thank you for making our day so meaningful and special. We also owe a million thanks to all of our amazing vendors. They really deserve all the credit for making the day possible. Thank you to everyone who was a part of our day and for all the memories for which we are most grateful.
Photography: Ashley Keleman | Videography: Niramon Ross | Florist: True Florette | Cake: Lulu Cake Boutique | Invitations: Yao Cheng Design | Invitations: Smitten on Paper | Brides Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Bridesmaid Dresses: Dessy Collection By Vivian Diamond | Catering: Good-Life Gourmet | Hair & Makeup: JAC Beauty | Calligraphy: Persimmon Design Studio | DJ: Cazz NY Productions | Grooms Suit: Hugo Boss | Officiant: Reverend Jesse Caudill | Venue: Monteverde At Oldstone | Brides Boots: Chloe | Brides Dress: Austin Scarlett | Ceremony Musicians: Dolce Vita Strings | Ceremony Programs & Menus: Wedding Paper Divas | Day Of Coordination: Pimmy Wedding | Film Lab: Indie Film Lab | Grooms Shoes & Accessories: Burberry | Photo Assistant: Abbie Mcfarland Photography