It took a fabulous shoot from Arielle Doneson Photography to remind me just how romantic the stars can be. Teaming up with Kirkbrides, Arielle built a team to put together a perfect shoot taking inspiration from the night sky. The navy blue and peach color scheme seem to be the perfect compliment to the fantastic constellations this fab team was able to incorporate, and seriously? I can’t get enough of this gallery.

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From Arielle Doneson Photography … Valarie of Kirkbrides Wedding Planning & Design and I are so excited to share our Bright Star shoot with you! The theme for our shoot came to me while going through my bookshelf. I found myself thumbing though an old copy of John Keats’ poem,”Bright Star.” It got me thinking about the romance of stars, of the night sky in Spring, and there I had it – Bright Star the wedding – An astronomy inspired Wedding!

As I was collecting ideas I was chatting with Valarie and as luck would have it she had also been envisioning an astronomy/celestial wedding theme. Combining our efforts the two of us put together some of Cleveland’s most creative vendors and thus the Bright Star shoot was born. I captured the details of the day in both film and digital.

We were fortunate enough to shoot at the luxurious Walden Inn in Aurora. The greenery of the surrounding grounds was the perfect backdrop for Bright Star. Not only do they have a gorgeous inn, spa and restaurant, but they also have pastures, forests and horses! What could be more serenely Ohio than that! While the theme was connected with the night sky, being at the edge of the Eastern Time Zone in Ohio provides us with dreamily long days and late sunsets in Spring and Summer. With this in mind we came up with our color scheme-rich navy blue for the approaching night sky and peach with gold accents for the sunset that proceeds it.

Baci Designer’s stationery suite was inspired by the age and elegance of the Bright Star Poem. Anchored in navy and light peach tones on luxurious, white felt stock, the suite was accented with a hand embroidered star and constellation in shimmering gold thread. Finishing off the suite was a navy envelope with gold lining and vintage postage. Baci also made a table runner for our guestbook station from vintage book pages-it is a perfect DIY project for a literary couple! Another DIY project was our constellation globe-an old globe spray painted navy and adorned with constellations in gold paint pens. In continuing our theme, A Cookie and a Cupcake gave us a beautiful peach fondant cake encircled with edible metallic “asteroids.”

In interpreting the Bright Star theme, Bouquet Studio’s florals featured reminders of the night sky in organic form; star-shaped succulents, scabiosa pods, and starburst pomp, peach Ilse spray roses, fragrant peach stock, ivory ranunculus, trachelium, peach lizzy miniature peonies, white lisanthus, and to add some sparkle, interspersed vintage brooches in the centerpieces with a handmade a star brooch as the bridal bouquet’s focal point. The boutonnier was made of lamb’s ear decorated with rice flower, ranunculus, starburst pomp, and white hyacinth.

We set the tables on the grounds of Walden where they often hold tented receptions in late Spring, next to lighting and draping from Rock the House. We chose crystal-clear chiavari chairs, peach table linens and clear glass chargers from Event Source topped with beautiful navy and white-patterned vintage plates and mismatched silver settings from Hodge Podge Vintage Rentals. Our favors were a fun DIY project for crafty couples, constellation embroidery hoops (many of which I personally sewed while watching the Jane Campion film about John Keats, BRIGHT STAR).

Our bride, Laura, wore a feminine lace trumpet gown from Amy Kushel, complete with delicate lace cap sleeves and finished off with a jeweled sash and headband from Something White, a Bridal Boutique. In designing her hair and makeup, artist Ramona Dauksa subtly blended our shoot’s color scheme into a romantic look for any Spring bride. Given that “star” was our shoot’s theme we added some sparkle to her look with custom jewelry form Clagett Designs. Our groom, Curtis, wore an impeccable suit from the exquisite bespoke menswear clothiers at Astor & Black. We were lucky enough to have our planner, Valarie’s, baby daughter, Sadie with us that day showing off a gorgeous glittering hyacinth pomander from Bouquet Studio and headband from Something White-perfect for a (very) junior bridesmaid!

Photography: Arielle Doneson Photography / Event Design: Arielle Doneson Photography & Kirkbrides / Event Planning: Kirkbrides / Cinematography: Attention 2 Detail Films / Flowers: Bouquet Studio / Venue: Walden / Vintage Rentals: Hodge Podge Vintage Rentals / Event Rentals: Event Source / Lighting/Draping: Rock the House / Tux: Astor & Black / Invitations: Baci Designer Stationery / Dress: Amy Kuschel Paris, courtesy of Something White / Hair & Makeup: Ramona Dauksa Studio / Jewelry: Clagett Designs / Cake: A Cookie & a Cupcake

Kirkbrides Wedding Planning & Design, Something White and Arielle Doneson Photography are members of our Little Black Book, Love what you see? Take a look at their portfolios.
Kirkbrides Wedding Planning & Design

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Something White

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Arielle Doneson Photography

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