Intimate Wedding At The Bride’s Family Home With Heartfelt Details

Melissa Hammam
April 30, 2024
Categories: Real Weddings, Romantic, Seasonal Wedding Trend, Summer, The Blog

[section title=”The Planning”]

[field title=”Wedding Colors”]

The wedding colors were ivory, clay, and pale yellows with touches of ochre and dusty blues.

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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

The vision was a coastal, vintage, and delft-inspired backyard wedding. MK didn’t want a specific color scheme. Rather, shades of blue! A feeling of home in the design was essential to MK and Brendan. However, all of this was not the original wedding plan. A 250-person wedding in Notre Dame, Indiana, was canceled due to COVID. So, a 50-person backyard wedding was planned in less than a month. The little time to plan did not stand in the way, and every detail was planned to perfection. The reception took place at Mary Katherine’s family home, nestled in a quiet and forested suburb east of Cleveland, Ohio. The family home was designed by the bride’s father and was home to MK during much of her childhood. The dance floor was under a crisp white tent and next to a winding creek. Guests were welcomed by a cozy fire, intimate furniture, and scattered cocktail tables. It was early June, and the weather was perfectly mild. Welcoming guests into the bride’s home gave guests a warm sense of home and satisfied MK and Brendan’s vision perfectly.

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]

It was on a hot September day on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, where MK & Brendan met. It was a highly anticipated day as the Irish were about to play against the University of Michigan in college football. Brendan was given one rule: the proposal had to be private, just the two of them. With their faith at the center of their relationship, Brendan chose the “Stations of the Cross” by the lake. Once she said yes, they headed back to the Grotto to celebrate with their families.

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]

[field title=”Wedding Gown”]

A layered silk gown with a lace jacket. At the reception, a silky sweetheart neckline was revealed. MK’s one dress requirement was to be able to move on the dance floor, and the strapless sweetheart neckline was just right for the dance floor. The dress was purchased from Something White Bridal Boutique. The veil from Miranda’s Vintage Bridal. The shoes, filled with floral, were Loeffler Randall.

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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]

The bridesmaid’s dresses were Joanna August in navy blue.

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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]

The groomsman attire was from The Black Tux.

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]

[field title=”Food & Drink”]

Guests were greeted at the reception by passed hor’s devours. Mixed drinks were served at the bookcase bar (a nod to MK and Brendan, both teachers, as well as Brendan’s love for reading) inside MK’s parent’s dining room. Moscow mule and mint mojito were the specialty drinks and two of MK and Brendan’s favorites. Everyone raised a glass during toasts out of the most beautifully iridescent flutes from Anthropologie. At the end of the night, as an ode to a childhood tradition, the caterers crafted a custom “kitchen sink” style milkshake bar (with almond milk for the bride). These delicious milkshakes were in celebration yet again of home, family, and fond memories.

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]

Guests found their names listed by table on antique silver trays. This display offered a warm invitation to take a seat and be welcomed into the family home. The delft pottery used to serve dinner was a favorite antique find as it was the exact set used at Adele’s wedding. The bar, inside the family dining room, was a nod to Brendan and MK’s careers in teaching. The reception included two cozy lounges, which provided guests with more space to relax and connect. One lounge faced the dance floor with access to the guest book (a special Bible for the Hallinans), and the other was nestled by a firepit where guests enjoyed s’mores and could look at heirloom photos of weddings from both their families. Details such as rattan light fixtures, bamboo chairs, and interchanged gold and soft blue elements filled the reception space. Evergreen Flower Company’s luscious blooms and artfully placed greenery completed the delicate eastern, breezy energy. Fifty table settings were complete with delft plates, individual menus, a stem of lavender, and a smooth stone with each guest’s name. Stones as name cards were perfect for their wedding day as a creek runs through her parents’ backyard— just feet beyond the reception tent at this backyard wedding. They also live within a 20-minute drive of Lake Erie.

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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

The cake was elegantly understated, with just enough for the intimate gathering. Again, it reflected a sense of homeyness. An antique cabinet served as the cake table and later coffee and dessert display.

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]

MK and Brendan brought a rose to The Blessed Mother statue at the end of the ceremony, as Ave Maria was sung so poetically by a childhood friend of MK’s. A string duet played as guests arrived at the reception. MK and Brendan danced to Clear by Need to Breath – a song they both especially enjoyed listening to during their two-year engagement. The DJ kept everyone on the dance floor until the end and through midnight. When we say everyone danced, we mean EVERYONE DANCED.

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]

MK got ready in her childhood bedroom and walked down the stairs of her family home for a first look with her father. Tears welled up in both their eyes at this moment. The wedding day held much significance as it was the mother and father of the bride’s anniversary. MK wore her mother’s garter, the ring bearer carried the same pillow used in 1987, and her parents shared a special dance to their wedding song in the evening.

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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]

MK and Brendan made their way from the church to the reception and to the hotel in a 1966 Impala convertible. After the ceremony, guests cheered as they tossed rose petals and hopped into the convertible. The bride and groom took photos nearby as guests hurried to the reception to continue the celebration. At the end of the night, MK and Brendan swayed to their final dance, “Love You For a Long Time” by their favorite, Maggie Rogers. Guests sent them off with sparklers and more cheers as they drove off in the convertible and under blankets.

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[field title=”Special Detail #3″]

Before heading to the ceremony, Brendan and MK had a moment to themselves to open gifts from one another. Brendan gifted MK something blue – sapphire earrings. MK’s gift to Brendan was a tall tower of books. She had snuck a peak at his book wish list before collecting each of them to gift.

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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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