I’ve fallen for today’s multi-cultural vintage wedding captured by Chelsea Proulx Photography from Kadeema. Their wedding was actually on Halloween, but the couple kept it very stylish with subtle nods to the holiday, while still being true to their style. My favorite detail is the cake display, showcasing some of the cakes in cloches for a chic and unique look.
We wanted a venue that was large enough for both of our big Lebanese and German/Polish families and one that could include the New England fall environment. While Larz Anderson may have been the quickest decision in our planning process, we wanted all the other vendors chosen and details specified to support the local area, to have a distinct romantic style, and to bring together two very different cultures into one vintage fusion museum wedding. Each vendor chosen needed to support these criteria and be able to put the special touch on their particular detail as part of the bigger picture of our beautiful fall wedding day.
I had searched for dresses online in blogs, through specific designers I liked, and even in a few magazines. All the ones I liked had a certain whimsical, romantic style and almost always had lace long sleeves with vintage flair. The day I walked in a boutique Nebraska bridal shop, I had no expectations of finding the dress I wanted. There is a typical “in” style (You know the type: white, strapless, and like every other boring bride might want) and boy, was I not looking for a dress like that. Rhylan Lang had the most gorgeous dresses and after speaking a bit with a lovely employee there, she pulled some of the dresses she thought were the closest match to what I wanted. By the third dress, I had found “the One”. It was a gorgeous Lusan Mandongus gown. The gown only came in cap sleeves, so we ordered extra material and had the lace sleeves I dreamed of added to the dress.
Did I forget to mention we had our wedding on Halloween? I may have on purpose, mostly because the one thing I didn’t want it to be was one of those black and orange “Halloween” weddings. You know the kind. Our wedding was even in New England…the land of the witches. But, aside from trying to avoid the holiday, it actually happens to be one of my favorites. I didn’t want to completely ignore the fact we were having our wedding on one of my favorite days of the year so we sprinkled it into some of our details and Hive certainly helped us with this interesting detail. We had pumpkin cocktails with cinnamon twist accents (for Halloween of course) and a fun whiskey bourbon cocktail for the Groom and family’s love of whiskey. On top of all of this, we had a whiskey hour with a full whiskey cart and cigars.
Another true friend who I couldn’t have planned the wedding without was my good friend from Martha’s Vineyard, Quinn Savard. Quinn was there for me in the ways that a stylist should be: she had design meetings with me, went on shopping trips, and also had the patience for my many, multiple styling questions day and night. Because I did not have a wedding planner, our wedding day could have been a complete event meltdown but instead, she was there to answer any question or divert any crisis. She also had the most beautiful styling details any bride could have asked for. One place Quinn and I repeatedly got stuck on was furniture rentals. We were looking for those unique pieces that were vintage, or modern, or glam and could find them nowhere. Everything was either too commercial, looking like it was for a Miami nightclub, or was outrageously overpriced from the rental conglomerates in the Boston area. So, I started doing a little research on my own and began gathering table props and furniture pieces from antique shows, vintage stores, and even through Goodwill online and Etsy. Through this search for my own wedding, I decided to start Kadeema Rentals. Kadeema means antique, vintage, or old in Arabic. Kadeema is the exact word to use when describing both what I wanted in my wedding and what I now want my new business to be. Kadeema provides furniture and table rental sat a reasonable price but has that unique, vintage flair that you cannot find anywhere else in Boston. I would have never been able to start this new venture without the help of Quinn beside me finding those perfect pieces for my big day.
As brides probably will always tell you, for all of the planning that happens, the big day is always such a blur. Although it feels long when you’re in the middle of it, there’s so many things that you miss because you are so busy talking to the people, doing your first dance, or even cutting the cake. We ended up forgetting to do the garter and bouquet toss, but in the end, we couldn’t have asked for a more special evening with our large and not completely fused families. For me, as a designer, as a bride, as a new business owner, it is so important to focus on not every small nuance of wedding planning but of the details you find most important. These for me were the design details, big and small. I kept to my goals and came away with a wedding that was the perfect blend of two people, two families, and two cultures.
Photography | Chelsea Proulx Photography | Venue | Larz Anderson Auto Museum and Park | Décor, Lighting & Furniture Rentals | Kadeema | Stylist | Quinn Savard | Bridal Party Florals | Studio Shop & Kenworthy | Reception & Ceremony Flowers | 1956 Blooms | Catering | Boston Catering & Events | Desserts | Pepper’s Fine Catering | Linen & Tableware Rentals | Peterson Party Center | Lighting, Chair & Tent Rentals | James Garvey for Apex Tent | Invitation | Rachel Marvin Creative | Videography | Stop Go Love | Dress | Lusan Mandongus from Rhylan Lange | Accessories | BHLDN | Hair | 1604 Salon & Spa | Makeup | Jessi Larson for Pretty Much | DJ | Gabriel Massih | Bar | Hive Events | Transportation | Boston Limousine | Belly Dancer | Nina Torres
