Their original wedding plans may have changed because of COVID, but this couple was still able to have their dream wedding. Captured by Renee Lemaire Photography, this lavender and pink estate wedding is oh so romantic and a must see!
I had been planning my Pinterest perfect wedding for quite sometime before we got engaged. What always inspired me were the personal touches that can be incorporated into the wedding day as well as beautiful flowers! I kept getting drawn to the mauve toned bridesmaid dresses, gold accents and beautiful pink bouquets. I wanted our day to be elegant and timeless but also organic in nature.
When I went wedding dress shopping I had thought I would fall in love with a mermaid style dress, it was all I was imagining to wear on my wedding day. But after a few form fitted dresses I started to pull towards the ball gowns. I thought “when will I ever be able to wear another dress like this?” As my consultant kept pulling more ball gowns and A line dresses the more I fell in love with the way it made me feel. When I first tried on the dress I ultimately chose it took my breath away. I could feel myself start to tear up and in my head I knew it was the one. I stepped out from behind the curtain revealing the dress to my mom, sister, future mother in law and sister in law not letting them know I had just found my dress. I wanted to hear their opinions without my bias. Everyone agreed on loving the dress but they wanted to see more. I knew I wouldn’t love another dress the way I loved this one so I was fine trying on a couple more dresses. Finally, it was time to put my dress back on! Looking in the mirror I saw myself getting married to Joe in this dress. I said “I didn’t think I was going to cry” while covering my mouth and letting out some tears. Finding my dress was one memory of the wedding planning process I’ll never forget!
When we decided to cancel our original reception and move to a tented reception in the backyard of my now in laws, my mother took on the challenge of creating all the centerpieces. My mother had bought seeds months before the wedding and tended to her garden relentlessly and it paid off with such beautiful and organic centerpieces for the reception. From the beginning of the planning process I loved the idea of having a large boxwood wall with the script of our last name we now share as a backdrop for photos for ourselves, friends and family. My mother so graciously decorated the top of the wall and with flowers from her own garden as well. These thoughtful elements and personal touches on our wedding day made it feel so special and we were so lucky to have such wonderful help in creating our perfect day.
After our ceremony we had our first dance on the West Terrace at Stan Hywet. Spending those couple minutes just the two of us dancing in front of all our guests was really special. Towards the end of the reception a handful of the bridal party and some of our wedding guests jumped in the pool with all their clothes on! The DJ turned on some Beach Boys songs and it quickly turned into a pool party! In the end marrying each other and being able to share our wedding day with everyone we love and care about is the best memory of all.
There were many stressful times with planning a wedding during a pandemic. What helped us was setting aside a night every couple weeks to decompress and see where our heads were with the planning process. Splitting up responsibilities helped tremendously, if you can have your fiancé plan certain aspects of the wedding I say go for it. I leaned on Joe to help with contacting vendors when we decided to cancel our original reception. Also be open minded, we knew our plans would change and we were okay with that. We knew there were so many couples in the same boat as us trying to plan and replan a wedding. Ultimately, we knew whatever ended up happening on the day was meant to be and our day would be perfect nonetheless. Despite all the changes, we were still getting married to each other and having our family and friends by our sides was the most important thing to us.
Photography: Renee Lemaire Photography | Venue: Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens | Floral: Nikki’s Perfect Petals | Stationery: Minted | Videography: Wedding Stories in Motion | Cake: The West Side Bakery | Rentals: Sully’s Party and Tool Rental | Linens: L’nique | Hair: Good Co Hair Salon | Makeup: Ohio Makeup Artists | Catering: City BBQ | DJ: Rock the House Entertainment | Ceremony Musicians: Opus 216 | Bar: Corkscrew Johnny’s | Transportation: TL Worldwide | Dress: Martina Liana from The Dress Bridal Boutique | Groom’s Attire: Men’s Warehouse | Bridesmaid Dresses: Show Me Your Mumu | Submitted via Matchology
