Ohio Weddings

Rooftop weddings are the ultimate in chic, but this one from Emilie Duncan Event Planning is also romantic, sweet, and pretty as can be. The venue provided for some absolutely stunning images from Benjamin James Photography, but the adorable couple and all their nearest and dearest were the center of some of our favorite images. It’s a gallery you will kick yourself if you miss, so click here!

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From the lovely bride … I met Brad through mutual friends at a concert and two years later he popped the question during a trip to central Europe, a question that proved so surprising I often struggle to remember everything he said. The next year of planning was a continued blur, the amount of planning that goes into one day is truly overwhelming at times. I knew that I wanted the perfect mix of vintage and romantic, urban while not too modern and as intimate as possible even though I knew we’d be expecting a large guest list. That is where Emilie Duncan stepped in and really made our vision a reality.

From the first visit, we knew that we wanted the downtown Columbus rooftop venue, an unrealistic dream for August in the Midwest however we decided it was worth the risk (I think I spent a year with my fingers crossed). Over the next several months I swallowed the reality that we may very well be inside as August tends to be hot, humid and rainy. As the big day approached, I began to realize that when it comes to weddings you really cannot plan for everything, who would have thought that the forecast could be calling for cold weather and high winds? Luckily the weatherman got this one wrong, and the day was absolutely perfect.

We tried to incorporate our passion for travel which was the basis for our table names and guestbook. The venue was scattered with old vintage books, birdcages, picture frames and handmade touches that were either ours or borrowed from close friends, together it helped to bring a little vintage detail to mix with the urban locale for a more intimate feel. We involved friends and family whenever possible, including my aunt sewing my great-great-grandmother’s locket into my dress (as I was dressing!), a family member performing the ceremony, our eighteen person wedding party, and the touching ceremony speeches by two very important people in our lives.

For the wedding party attire I really wanted something that was comfortable and simple while still semi-formal. We selected floor length chiffon dresses and let the girls pick their style and color, while the boys opted for navy suits adding a bit of flair with plaid shirts and Puma sneakers. We spent the time during cocktail hour to take the wedding party on a trolley ride around town and stopping at our favorite local bar. We were really grateful that we made that decision and got to spend some quality time with the group before heading back for the reception.

The entertainment was a top priority for us, we wanted to ensure that everyone simply had a great time, and the Conspiracy Band really delivered on that. From the beginning to the very end, the dance floor was never empty (we even decided to forgo the planned bouquet/garter toss to continue the party). Highlights include an impromptu version of “We Are Family” with all of my bridesmaids and a unique version of “Ice Ice Baby” sung by the best man, which I believe all of downtown Columbus had the pleasure of hearing. The night wrapped up with a late night snack of mini burgers and cookies.

Looking back I know that I could not have done this without Emilie’s help, all of the wonderful work of our vendors, and most importantly the support of our friends and family. We are forever grateful. Every detail pulled together perfectly and really was everything we had envisioned. To top everything off, we had the most amazing photographer who is not only the best at his job but also a wonderful human being and a pleasure to work with, I am so thankful for his ability to capture how great this day really was.

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Photography: Benjamin James Photography | Event Planning and Design: Emilie Duncan Event Planning | Ceremony & Reception Venue: Renaissance Hotel | Floral Design: Flowers on Orchard Lane | Paper Suite: Seedlings | Rentals: Event Source | Ceremony and Reception Entertainment: Conspiracy Band | Wedding Dress Designer: Jenny Lee | Bridal Store: Big Rock Little Rooster | Suits: Banana Republic | Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Catan’s Bridal | Hair + Makeup: Jolie Laide | Lighting: Neff Lighting | Transportation: Urban Express | Photo booth: VIP Photo Booth

This Ohio couple is gorgeous. The bride is a vision in her stunning gown, and the groom looks pretty dapper himself in his black tux. But aside from that, they love they share is so obvious, so deep, so beautiful. Just wait until you see the Wedding Day Preview from Poetic Cinema. All I have to say is grab a tissue. But before we get there, I’ll warm up those tear ducts with the most amazing photos from Inlux Photo – of the bride, the groom, and the love and tears they shared on their wedding day. Click here for more!

Grab the tissues…

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Our wedding day was a long time coming.  Donte and I had a distance relationship for seven and a half years and I couldn’t wait for the day when we would be together in one place.  I was never one of those girls who dreamed of her wedding day and imagined myself being a princess.  I did, however, wonder about the guy that I would marry and I knew early on in our relationship that Donte was the guy that I had always imagined.

The ceremony turned out to be more beautiful than expected, despite the rain earlier in the day.  When I got down to the end of the aisle I realized that Donte was crying, and then when he read his personal vows he bawled!  There wasn’t a dry eye in the house and it made for a heartfelt ceremony.

When it came time to plan, we almost immediately knew that we wanted a formal, sophisticated, black-tie affair.  I know that millions of other brides say that their theme is Old Hollywood Glamour, but after envisioning what we wanted, I immediately understood why other brides choose this theme.  When you think of Old Hollywood you almost always think classic, elegant, romantic…and we realized that this was exactly what we wanted.

We chose black, white, and soft pink since it’s a clean palette and very classically beautiful.  I knew that I wanted full tall and short centerpieces so I chose the simple combination of pink roses and hydrangeas to bring color into the reception room.  We know that black-tie usually equals lots of money, so we figured out a way to have a lot of elegant touches without the big price tag.  That meant a lot of DIY projects!

I taught myself how to use Photoshop by watching YouTube tutorials and designed all of our paper items and uploaded and printed them through Vistaprint.  I designed everything from the invitations, wedding announcement poster, dinner menus, programs, escort cards, the aisle runner, table numbers, etc.  The secret to having successful DIY projects is to start early.  My goal was to have a wedding that only looked expensive and I think we pulled that off successfully.  Our wedding day was truly one of the happiest, heartfelt days of our lives and one that we’ll never forget.

Photography: Inlux Photo / Ceremony & Reception: Heritage Golf Club / Flowers: Flowers on Springtree Lane / Cinematrography: Poetic Cinema / Bride’s Dress: Maggie Sottero / Bridesmaids Dresses: Bari Jay / Makeup: Kelli Ramey of Beautimarkedbykelli / Hair: Michael Matteson of Square One Salon and Spa / Shoes: Me Too / Bride’s Bracelet: Rent The Runway / Cake: The Cake Studio

Thanks to two years of traveling while in a long distance relationship and the creativity of The Finer Things Event Planning, this adorable couple celebrated their special day in style with a travel themed wedding. All twenty three tables were named after cities they had traveled to together and even their save-the-dates and invites were custom made by Oscar and Emma Custom Design to look like boarding passes. Picture the Love captured their day to perfection and lucky for us, there’s an entire gallery full of images just waiting to be adored!

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From Jennifer at The Finer Things Event Planning…Lyndsey and Eric are an amazing couple! Their destiny began with Lyndsey (from Ohio) had flown to California for a friend’s wedding… it was love at first sight when she met her Groom Eric in Cali. Just like a seen from a movie, Lyndsey was smittened by Navy Pilot, Eric. From that night on, Lyndsey and Eric spent nearly two years flying all over the United States to see each other as their love turned a first glance into their wedding. The travel inspired wedding began with custom save the dates and invitations that even look like boarding passes. Throughout the reception, special places where the couple had traveled were brought in. The food stations boasted foods from San Diego, Kansas City, and Virginia where the couple currently resides. Each guest received a wooden airplane from “E & L airlines” to escort them to their destination city. (all 23 guest tables were cities the bride and groom had visited together!) Post Cards from various cities were signed by all of the guest and placed into the couple’s luggage! One of my favorite touches was the special Southwest Airline drink stirs that adored the signature cocktail “The Married Mojito” The custom groom’s cake, an actual replica of the F18 Plane that the Groom proudly flys on many trips to Iraq. The couple was blessed to have many guest travel from several states to help them celebrate in style…

Event Planning: Jennifer Kontomerkos of The Finer Things Event Planning / Photography: Picture the Love / Ceremony: King Avenue United Methodist Church / Reception: North Bank Park / Transportation: Columbus Trolley / Floral Design: Elegant Touch Events / Caterer: Sandman Gourmet Catering / Musicians: Alex White & Friends / DJ: Platinum Music Productions / Cake: Anita Kline Cakes (614-766-8288), Jan Kish La Petite Fleur / Stationery: Oscar and Emma Custom Design

We ache for gorgeously elegant ballroom weddings over here at SMP Headquarters, and we know so many of you out there do too. So when a classically chic celebration pops up in our submissions like this one from Ely Bros. Photography, there is a collective squeal from each and everyone of us. And maybe even a jump up and down. Ok, we definitely jump up and down. It’s timeless, yet personal and there is a pair of fab shoes thrown in to keep you ballroom wedding lovers jumping up and down throughout the rest of the feature. Of course, you can see what all the squealing is about (and join us) in the full gallery of images!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…Dana and I met at Ohio University when his fraternity was paired with my sorority for a Greek fundraising event. We dated while I went to graduate school, but once I graduated, I was offered a great opportunity to work in Washington DC.  I knew Dana was special when he encouraged me to take the job and announced that he would move.  I followed my professional dreams to DC where we both now live and work, but once we were engaged, we knew we wanted to have our wedding with family and friends in Ohio.

The goal for the wedding was to add details and memorable touches but to not have anything too over the top.  I wanted it to look like we threw a fabulous dinner party with full flowers in a variety of shades of pink flowing over their vases.  We chose slate grey for the bridesmaid dresses and settled on classic tuxedos for the men.  We had a catholic ceremony at St. Joseph cathedral in downtown Columbus followed by a reception at the Westin hotel.  The Westin has a beautiful marble ballroom with stain glass windows and gold trim, which required minimal decorations.  The table numbers were displayed in corks, we added labels to Godiva chocolates for the favors, had personalized drink stirrers made, and my cousin designed invitations that matched our décor perfectly.  The escort cards were accented with pink cotton flower pins that guests then wore as the evening went on, and we displayed photos of our parents and grandparents at their weddings on either side of our guest book, which was filled with pictures of us as children and with family and friends through the years.

Moving away made it clear how important the relationships with our friends and family are to us.  Our wedding came together exactly as we had planned but was amazing because of the people.  I looked around at the end of the night and was surrounded by my friends and family, and standing next to my husband.

Wedding Photography: Ely Bros. Photography / Wedding Videography: Columbus Wedding Videos / Ceremony Location: St. Joseph Cathedral / Reception Location: The Westin Columbus / Wedding Dress: Lea Ann Belter Bridal Boutique via Le Jeune Mariee / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Hair Flowers: Twigs and Honey / Tuxedo: Calvin Klein / Bridesmaid Dresses: Priscilla of Boston / Flowers: Flowers on Springtree Lane / Escort Card Flowers: Emerson Made / Wedding Cake: Piece of Cake / Band: Greg Lee and the Chuck Taylors

Not only are you about to lay your eyes on some gorgeous photography by Annie Sturgis but the images entail some lovely, lovely Ohio nuptials designed and coordinated by Bliss Wedding and Events AND (yes there’s more) an ever so fabulous film by Studio Z Films. We can’t think of a nicer way to end this day of wedding bliss. Pop on over to the gallery for more, more, more!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

And now make a little time for the perfect-in-every-way same day edit shot by Studio Z Films. It’s four minutes of total perfection

From the Bride…The moment I realized our wedding reception completely came alive is the moment Matt and I waltzed into our reception to a roaring crowd of amazing friends and family. I couldn’t get over the details, especially the perfectly chosen three dimensional flower linens in a beautiful royal blue, the petite and very modern silverware, the lighting, the flowers, and what I had always dreamed… a clear tent for dancing with a rocking live band to complete the space! I felt like a movie star, but most importantly I’ve never felt so much love, passion, and genuine happiness in one place. Our chandeliers over the green grass gave the tent a a very romantic and rustic feel. I’m a bride that wanted elements from every aspect of my life – A little city, a bit of tradition, a spark of modern flare, of course some country, and topped with rustic Tuscany flair! Who would have thought we could combine all these elements, make it work and have a BLAST?!  Advise for any bride — pick a planner you can spill all your dreams and thoughts to, have someone to follow you and capture every moment live, and YES- that absolutely goes together on your wedding day!!

From Studio Z Films…Lesley and Matt’s incredibly stunning wedding took place in Marion, Ohio, just north of Columbus.  The insanely talented Kasey Conyers with Bliss Weddings and Events was at the helm with her eye for design and second to none coordination skills.  After their beautiful ceremony, the party began at the home of Lesley’s parents.  A massive multi-tent reception greeted the guests as did Kasey’s designs.  This wedding could only be described as an elegant rock concert.  It was very classy but also equally fun and full of life.  Lesley’s brother even wrote and performed their first dance song that was full of their story.  Lesley and Matt asked us to create a Same Day Edit to play for their guests that night.  This is the film that played during dinner.

Design + Coordination: Bliss Wedding and Events / Floral Design: Flowers on Orchard Lane / Wedding Photography: Annie Sturgis Photography / Entertainment: Grand Avenue Band / Wedding Cinematography: Studio Z Films

Fluffy peonies, darling details and gorgeous gowns are all high on our list of favorite things here at SMP, but the number one thing we love most over here – the SMP bride. And this sweetheart of a SMP bride goes to show days spent gawking over wedding after wedding does not go to waste (not that there was ever a question about that). Shannon Sano was there to capture all the pretty this couple produced, and there is even more in gorgeous gallery of images!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…When Ben and I got engaged we knew right away that we would be having the wedding back in my hometown of Granville, Ohio. It’s such a quaint, little college town, one that I have always loved, and one that Ben soon loved after his first visit back with me a few years ago!

After becoming a religious wedding blog follower of Style Me Pretty, I fell in love with the idea of having a vintage/romantic theme, and the collecting began. Milkglass (the Midwest is a GOLD MINE for milkglass!), mason jars, doilies and vintage books, my mom & I hit the jackpot at every thrift store, and made out like bandits at the local auctions. It really was so much fun, and to be honest, I think we are both having withdrawals from our collection mission! The color scheme fell into place immediately once we knew our theme – gray, cream, white, and pale pink. I lucked out with having found the most perfect bridesmaid dresses, shoes, and jewelry at J.Crew about two months after we got engaged, and knew with no questions asked that the J.Crew Sasha dress would be mine (sensing a slight obsession here?).

I was all for some DIY projects, and got to work having created the programs and our favor packaging (the most delicious silhouette shaped cookies!). My sister and I put a lot of love into our wedding invitation suite, incorporating doily envelope liners and twine accents, while my mom made the table numbers using brass house numbers from good ole’ Wal-Mart and some of our vintage book finds! Planning a wedding from out of state was no easy feat, and my mom was HUGE in helping me get so many things done….I can’t image having done this without her!

Despite waking up to gray skies and rain, the weather did a complete 180 around noon and sunshine filled up the rest of our wedding day! My favorite part was driving away from the church with my new husband in a 1950’s vintage Triumph.  Taking that drive with Ben allowed us those few precious moments alone with one another throughout the day, and it was truly perfect.

Wedding Photography: Shannon Sano Photography / Flowers: Laurie Kreager & Penny Martin / Ceremony Location: St. Edwards the Confessor / Reception Location: The Granville Inn / Bride’s Dress: J.Crew / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Necklace + Broach: J.Crew / Blusher Veil: Preson & Olivia / Groom’s Suits: Jos A. Bank / Groomsmen’s Ties: The Tie Bar / Groomsmen’s Shoes: Sperry Topsider / Bakery: McClain Creations / DJ: Platinum Music– Justin Markle

Rise and Shine weddingistas. You know how we spend all day Wednesdays devouring wedding after wedding after gorgeous wedding? Well TODAY is the new Wednesday – at least this week. We have done a little switch-a-roo and now have 7 lovely weddings coming at ya all day long and for those weddings that you’re dying to see more of, simply click on the gallery for the whole enchilada.

Columbus is capturing our hearts first with this classic number shot by Stacy Able Photography. The gold shoes are what grabbed my attention, but the yummy pink florals by Claudia’s Flora Bunda are what stole the show, or maybe it’s the bag piper, no the head-over-heels in love couple. Tell you what – head over to the gallery for the FULL day and may you be the judge of show-stopperness because clearly I can’t make a decision.

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From Stacy Able Photography…Blair and Ryan’s story is as beautiful as their wedding day. It is a fairytale of two wonderfully strong individuals, brought together by the artful city they have grown to love, Columbus, IN. On their most special day, Blair and Ryan wanted to include the art of all senses, with a touch of personal class.

Once the trumpets were silenced, a traditional Scottish bagpiper lead the way for the bride through the wooden church doors, decorated with fluffy white carnation wreaths. Her gorgeous La Sposa lace and tulle gown floated down the aisle as she met her eager groom. Blair’s bouquet was created using sweet smelling spring ivory peonies, pink anemones, and dark pink ranunculus flowers all hand tied with a delicate lace. Her bridesmaids looked tres chic wearing all black, floor length gowns designed by Jim Hjelm Occasions, accented with amazing vintage inspired necklaces that Blair carefully selected from Ann Taylor.  After the nuptials were said, the couple left the ceremony in a vintage 1968 cherry red Chevy Impala.

Guests arrived for cocktail hour at the brand new Commons building in the heart of downtown Columbus. Massive art sculptures and floor-to-ceiling windows emphasized the modern, open space.  Two signature cocktails were served, the bride’s Lemon Drop Peach Martini and the groom’s Bombay Sapphire Gin Martini, along with passed hors d’oeuvres, as they waited for the live 12 piece swing band to begin. Guests took their ‘golden’ seats at tables adorned with fresh flowers, ivory silk linens, regal gold flatware and flickering candle light. The evenings favor of vibrantly colored delicate French macaroons, baked by the bride herself, were tucked into golden crush napkins. A crystal sheer overlay table cloth accented the escort card table, head table and cake table. The couple cut into the elegant tiered wedding cake that took a spotlight of its own with smooth ivory buttercream icing and fresh pink peonies.

Personal touches were seen and heard throughout the couple’s reception, hand painted table numbers and escort cards, golden custom monograms, personalized match books and of course what brought our loving couple together, the local art and architecture of their city.

Catering: Bistro 310 / Wedding Photography: Stacy Able Photography / Floral Design: Claudia’s Flora Bunda / Bride’s Makeup: Kat Sterrett / Ceremony: First Presbyterian ChurchWedding / Wedding Planning: Morgan Banks of Ashley Weddings and Events / Wedding Videographer: Blake Brenneman Productions / Wedding Cake: Heavenly Sweets / Macaroons: Stacy Able + The Bride / Rentals: Creative Coverings / Bride’s Hair: Katrina Tovey / Groom and Groomsmen Attire: Dell Brothers / Bridesmaids Dresses: Jim Hjelm Occasions / Reception Venue: The Commons Columbus Indiana / Wedding Gown: La Sposa