see all the details here!

After over 8 years of dating and 15 months of planning, to say we were looking forward to our wedding day would be an understatement. Being Cincinnati natives, it was important to us to have our wedding in our hometown and we wanted to show our out of town guests why we had been raving about our city for so many years. From welcome baskets at the hotel that were filled with locally made treats to a late night snack of Skyline Cheese Coneys and Graeter’s Ice Cream, our love for our city definitely showed. We got ready at a downtown hotel and then spent the afternoon riding around a trolley to capture the spirit of Cincinnati. We wanted our portraits to be different from the lush garden of our venue.

My favorite moment of the day was doing our first look. Our videographer and photographer arranged for us to meet on the stairwell of the hotel. Walking down the hall and then up the stairs to meet my soon to be husband was one of the most surreal moments. Our team perfectly captured the moment for us in pictures. We really wanted a different venue for our wedding, while still being convenient for our guests and we found that at the Taft Museum of Art. A museum that was converted from the old Taft residence, our guests were able to view all the artwork on display throughout the evening while also enjoying the gorgeous garden space. We were married outdoors in the garden and really did not want to compete with the natural beauty of garden. Inspired by my bridal gown, all our design elements sought to capture a light, airy, and romantic feel. We used an abundance of baby’s breath, lush flowers for the bridal bouquet, and over 300 candles throughout the garden to achieve this vision.

Guests were greeted by the Bride and Groom’s favorite drinks before the start of the ceremony: Root Beer for the Bride and Sweet Tea for the Groom. A specialty cocktail of gin gimlets were adorned with “Love is Sweet” stirrers for guests to enjoy during the cocktail hour. Guests found an envelope at their seats that read “Smiles Go Here” to be used to carry their photobooth strips home at the end of the evening. In a nod to my career as a lawyer, we included a quote from the California “In Re Marriages” case on our program. We tried to include subtle, little touches that reflected our journey together as a couple. While I loved planning all the details during our engagement, at the end of the day there is nothing quite like seeing your friends and family kicking off their shoes to dance the night away. We ended up not even doing a special send off because we didn’t want to leave our reception a minute early.

Photography: TM Photography / Cinematography: Poetic Cinema / Flowers: Katie Elfers of Inspired Floral Designs / Make-Up: Nancy Dawson / Hair: Jennifer Nally / Event Planning: Cincy Event Planning / Ceremony and Reception Location: Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio / Invitations: Giddy Ink / Dress: Melissa Sweet, style: Sidney from Priscilla of Boston / Bridesmaid Dress: Melissa Sweet / Band: Airwaves

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Airwaves, cincinnati, Cincy Event Planning, Giddy Ink, Inspired Floral Designs, Jennifer Nally, Melissa Sweet, Nancy Dawson, Ohio, Poetic Cinema, Priscilla of Boston, Taft Museum of Art, TM Photography
Post categories: Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance

more from Dora at Viva Bella Events …

The reception featured both round and square tables with alternating red velvet and black/white patterned linens and 3 types of floral arrangements. We rented black chiavari chairs for all tables to keep something consistent at each table. The lighting designer saturated the walls with a “red fabric” pattern and the ceiling with a red mosaic design. A black and white dance floor completed the look …

The flowers were black magic roses, black callas and fern curls complemented by black feathers for Lauren’s bouquet and white feathers for the bridesmaids bouquets.

When guests were seated for dinner, they found a chocolate dipped strawberry awaiting them at their place setting. The strawberry contained a message from the bride and groom , “Life is Unpredictable. Eat Dessert First.”

As we mentioned in the first post, Lauren (the beautiful bride) is a graphic designer and created terrific invitations and all of the paper pieces that go along with a wedding! Her website is Giddy Ink and shows just how creative she is! Really, you should take a look!

And again, from Dora …

Before the party got underway, Lauren and Jordan shared a memorable … choreographed … first dance!

The total look was fierce and intricate. Uncompromising and memorable. Just like Lauren and Jordan.

A huge thanks to Dora at Viva Bella Events and Neysa Ruhl Photography for sharing Lauren & Jordan’s amazing wedding! And to Lauren, your designs {Giddy Ink} are fantastic!!  Best of luck from all of us here at Style Me Pretty.

Other Wedding Vendors
Make up Brideface – Little Black Book Member
Video: Iconography Video Services http://www.iconographystudios.com
Hair design Sam Hills www.highfivesalon.com
Band: Soul Pocket http://www.soulpocket.com
Rentals: Camargo www.camargo-rental.com
Rentals: All Occasions www.aorents.com
Venue for both ceremony and reception: Phoenix www.thephx.com
Florist: Sprouts www.sproutsfloraldesign.com
Cake: Bonbonerie www.bonbonerie.com
Ceremony music: String Celebrations www.stringcelebrationsusa.com
Lighting: Goodwin www.goodwinlighting.com
Bridesmaid’s dresses were each different chiffon designs from Belsoie.
Jordan’s Tux: designer: Calvin Klein purchased at: Romualdo’s Formal Wear
Lauren’s Dress: designer: Tara Keely; purchased at Bridal and Formal
Feather Hair Pin: Custom Design from K Autumn.
Flower Girls: Custom Designs from Pegeen
Dance Instruction: Best of Ballroom

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cincinnati, Feathers, Giddy Ink, Hairpiece, Hollywood Glam, K. Autumn, Mojito, Ohio, Roses, Strawberries, Table Settings, The Phoenix, Viva Bella Events
Post categories: Bouquets, Centerpieces, Contemporary, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Wedding Decor, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Planners & Designers, Wedding Style, Whimsical

Lauren and Jordan joke about how different they each are. She’s an artist. He’s a dentist. She’s Catholic. He’s Jewish. She’s a smalltown girl. He’s from the city. To meet them though is to gain an understanding of the complimentary nature of true love—theirs is a story of yin meets yang.

Lauren’s moment of inspiration for the wedding happened when she found her feather hair pin online… This hair pin became the design inspiration for the entire wedding… feathers, gems, red, black and white.

Lauren and Jordan’s relationship is built on a willingness to break the rules, and their wedding was to be no exception. Held at an old gentlemen’s club built in 1826 (The Phoenix), they had visions of a hip, retro Hollywood affair with bold strokes of black and red and a touch of glitz.

The “chuppah,” custom built by Viva Bella Events, was the centerpiece for the ceremony. It was draped in white fabric and accented with black and white patterned ties. We asked the lighting designer to uplight the inside of the fabric on the four corners and the background drape was uplit with red lighting. Because Lauren is Catholic and Jordan is Jewish, we made it an open canopy chuppah to blend their backgrounds. A Rabbi performed the ceremony, but the ceremony contained both Jewish and Christian traditions such as the Unity Candle (Christian) and the breaking of the glass (Jewish).

All of the stationery played a large role in creating final touches for the wedding. Lauren, a graphic artist at her company, Giddy Ink, designed each piece with care. Creating an intricate one-of-a-kind design (reminiscent of a 1940’s-style playbill), she blended vintage-inspired text with unique materials like feathers and gems. And the details kept coming, from programs, to escort cards envelopes tucked with feathers to drink signs, direction signs, chair signs and much more!

The stunning photography is courtesy of Neysa Ruhl.

More from Lauren and Jordan’s dramatic reception … in a bit …

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 26 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cincinnati, Color Palette Black White Red, Feathers, Giddy Ink, Hair Pin, Hairpiece, Hollywood Glam, Jewish, K. Autumn, Neysa Ruhl, Roses, Veil, Viva Bella Events
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Vintage Chic, Wedding Fashion, Wedding Planners & Designers, Wedding Style, Whimsical