Surprise Wedding Update!

I wrote about our friends David and Kelly in a previous post--see “Ever Heard of a Gift Wedding?”

Their wedding is now fast approaching – just a few days away! Everyone who's participating in making this happen is full of excitement. There's so much to do to make a wedding happen right! So... the girls took Kelly dress shopping a couple of weeks ago--I thought I'd share photos.



Of course, we couldn't go straight there and shop immediately; we had to start with margaritas and nachos! Que divertido!



This is Kelly holding the custom-designed invitation that went out to the 38 invited guests (we changed the design from the original invitation presented to them, as Kelly wanted autumn colors featured in her wedding. What's that saying? "What a bride wants, a bride gets"? That will always be true, if I have anything to do with it! This was the first time Kelly saw the official invitation--she was delighted!


Kelly with her maid of honor, her sister Erin.







We had less than a month to buy a dress and get it altered, so... it had to be off the shelf. For what it's worth, you can get great dresses pre-made, and they're nothing to sneeze at. I know there can be a certain style cache to having custom-made dresses (and if there's room in your budget, great!), but what we did with Kelly is proof positive that if you're willing to look (and try on several maybes), you can find something affordable that still looks glamourous and fantastic.





I would just like to state here, for the record, that you definitely should NOT take photos of the "Please Don't Take Photos" sign. It's just... not right.














Here we are being silly with tiaras. I'd try on a tiara every day if I could get away with it!

David Russell, you had better not be looking at this post!! Top secret until you see her on September 5th!

Jaclynn + Joey

Wow, I've had a busy several weeks (more on what's been occupying my time later, but I'll give you a hint... just 2 letters... P&G [events]).

I wanted to share a special event with everybody: it was a lot of fun for me, and a real joy to see two people so in love be united in marriage. On August 9th, I had the great pleasure of being a part of (beautiful!) Jaclynn and (sweet!) Joey's wedding (sorry, Joey, I just can't call you Joe!).

One of my favorite moments of the day was seeing how excited Jaclynn was to give her wedding gift to Joey. She sent it with one of her bridesmaids before the wedding. (J+J chose not to see each other before the wedding - it's a romantic tradition, I think! We can all be a bit dismissive of traditions these days, but if you want to do this, please don't let your photographer talk you about of it! It can be a fun anticipation-builder). She gave him tickets to see the Indianapolis Colts vs. the New England Patriots. How great is that? (Go Indy!)

He gave her diamond earrings (!), which she put on immediately and wore for the wedding. Very nice move, Joey.

Below are pictures of their beautiful day (the weather was amazing!) courtesy of Laura Leppert, a fantastic photographer (defined by me as not only a great shooter with an artistic eye, but also someone very easy to work with)!!


I loved the detail in Jaclynn's dress!

I also thought their cake was so refined and classic-looking, while still feeling modern.

Below are pictures of the beautiful and classic table settings with garden style flowers, ivory specialty linens and gold chiavari chairs.

Aren't they great-looking? Imagine getting to be part of beautiful events like this every week, and you get some idea of what it's like for me and my team. How great is this job?


Here is an amazing note I received from Jaclynn when she returned from her honeymoon:

"Thank you so much for everything. The wedding was perfect and even the hours before seemed effortless because you were there to take care of everything. Joey and I decided that you were the best wedding decision we made (other than to marry each other of course). Thank you, thank you, thank you!"


Wow, I must say that hearing things like that make this job even more gratifying... It's so amazing to be able to have an impact in this way on such an important day in people's life! I love it!

Another Great Getaway

I've posted about how getting away is important for me and Stevie, and have gotten great feedback from my earlier recommendations. Which is great with me, because I love to tout great retreat spots.

Burlington's Willis Graves Bed and Breakfast Inn is one of my favorites: the decor says 1830s Federal charm (Log cabins! 4-Poster beds! Victorian appointments!), but the amenities are all modern and tasteful (Steam showers! 2-Person spa tubs! Wi-Fi everywhere!). I'm not a fan of mildewed doilies and tattered curtains, which can often be the case in B&Bs. We know--we've seen them! Graves has all the conveniences of a great hotel room with all the personality of a guest house.

Nancy (the one you'll see more of) and Bob Swartzel are barely-transplanted Cincinnatians (Burlington is just a 20-minute hop down I-75), and very friendly and accommodating. Nancy is also a terrific cook, and her Stuffed French Toast is my absolute favorite!

Basically, I'm telling you it's super-close to Cincinnati, super-luxurious when you get there, and super-lovely (Can I say "super-lovely"?) country. Stevie and I have not only had several romantic visits to Willis Grave B&B, but we've given nights as gifts to friends several times. We've never heard a complaint!

Ever Heard of a Gift Wedding?

I am so excited to share with you one of the neatest wedding stories I’ve ever heard. And I get to be a part of it! Seriously, a movie should be made out of this…

Stevie and I have some good friends, Kelly and David Russell. When we first met them, they told us the story of their courtship and that, when they intended to marry, their parents gave them no support or encouragement. You see, Kelly and David are an interracial couple (like me and Stevie! I’m proudly Mexican in my heritage!) and their relationship simply wasn’t accepted by their families. So, with maybe five people in attendence, they eloped. They didn't get to experience all the fun and hoopla surrounding a wedding (this makes me sad!). Can you imagine? No wedding gown (that all little girls dream of wearing one day), no tuxedo, no photographer, no registry gifts, no flowers, no music, and no cake. And the worst thing, to me, is that their families and close friends were not there to celebrate THEM—their relationship with each other. Terrible, right?

Well, that was eleven years ago, now. David and Kelly have a beautiful, loving family, with two boys, Mac and Bodie. We’d always said to other friends of theirs, “Someday, we’re throwing those Russells a proper wedding. There was just too much robbed from them in not getting to celebrate each other via a wedding. This has to happen someday…”

Well, it’s happening. Nine of the Russells closest friends have conspired, strategized, chipped in, and are making this thing happen! Yes! And guess who gets to plan it? Why, viva bella, of course! We are sooooo excited for them. I get giddy thinking about it!

I’ll be telling you more about this amazing story, but I’ll include some photos and a video from Tuesday night, when we presented a custom-designed invitation to them at dinner. Do you think they were surprised? Ya think?

A Man Among Ministers

Today I'm writing about a very special man in my marriage. (It's not my husband, though he helped to make my husband who he is.)

His name was Allen Stickney and not only did he mentor Stevie for several years while we lived in Dallas, he also performed our wedding ceremony.

I've mentioned my & Stevie's pre-marriage relational woes (see post on How I Got Engaged). Allen and his wife, Alice, were some of the few who always believed in our relationship, despite our constant efforts to mess it up!

I know that, whenever it's left up to me, I always try to secure the best possible minister for my brides and grooms. I want a presiding minister who can truly offer a significant blessing. Marriages are "holy unions", as the saying goes, and having the right minister matters.

Well, I believe we had the right minister. Allen loved on the lowly, duplicated his passion in many, many men, and lived a life devoted to God. Sadly, Allen passed away on July 6. He leaves behind his wife Alice (who still is a mentor for me!). Stevie and I will be heading to Dallas this week for Allen's memorial service.

So today I'm celebrating the life of a great man who blessed our life and marriage immeasurably! Here's to Allen Stickney!

Above is a photo of Stevie & me with Alice & Allen Stickney on our wedding day 6 years ago.

Chic new site!

I've always loved how fashion informs style for events.  Many people think that one has nothing to do with the other, but where do you think patterns for cakes come from?  Or table linens?  Or color palettes that communicate "contemporary, edgy, and stylish"?  I'll tell you:  fashion.

So I've always got my eye open, looking for what's hot in the world of fashion, or what's just around the bend. It helps me stay on top of the game, so that my designs and ideas don't become passe, like plastic shoes and twist-a-beads.

And that's why I felt like a champ when I uncovered Chick Downtown (cleverly, both chicdowntown.com and chicKdowntown.com will get you there).  It's an all-comers party of the best designers: everybody's at one spot!  And they don't just do dresses, they've got shoes, accessories, and bags, too!  If you're too into fashion, this site might not help your illness, but if you just like to keep abreast of the fashion world, this will help.  

I've added Chic Downtown to my 'beautiful sites' list to the right.  Okay, everybody!  Back to work!  Have a beautiful life!

Serious Romance!

I wish everybody could see and hear what I’m exposed to every week.  I just heard a CRAZY story from Angie, one of my brides, that included this turn of events:

“Right after he told me he was engaged he said, “But if you want to stop this wedding, you’ll go out with me next week”!

What?  Her fiancée (Michael) was engaged when he first asked her out!  Now that’s being smitten! Wow.

---

I'm always interested not only in the weddings of my clients, but in their marriages.  However glorious, the wedding is just a short-term event; the marriage, however, lasts a lifetime.  Pre-marital counseling is always a good idea, as an aide for dealing with all the intricacies of two separate people becoming one entity.  I also like this piece of advice for newlyweds:  make getting away together, alone, a priority for your first year. Allen Stickney, a mentor of Stevie's from Dallas (and the man who married us), instructed us to get away once a month for our first year.  Seems like a lot of trouble (and money), but it's worth it.

If you're anywhere in Cincinnati's tri-state area, you might be interested in some of our favorite getaway spots.  We still like to retreat from the city whenever we can, and we've found some gems over the years.  I'm just going to mention one at a time, and I'd like to start with Glenlaurel Inn in Hocking Hills.  If you've never been to 'the hills', they're just about 2 hours northeast of Cincinnati (maybe 45 min. southeast of Columbus) and include 9 State Parks and Forests.  It's a scenic, remote-feeling place to spend time with the most important person in your life.  

We love Glenlaurel (which I first heard about from my friend Mary) because, in addition to the main inn (which houses 5 private suites), they have a series of private cottages on their property.  The cottages have private hot tubs that face the forest (yeah!), and are completely self-contained.  They also have an amazing chef named Shawn who makes incredible 5-course dinners (7 on the weekends!), and indulgent breakfasts.  Glenlaurel has also added a spa recently; on our last visit in May, Stevie and I both got fantastic full-body massages.  (I'm a little more comfortable getting them than he is, but he enjoyed it, too.)  

So listen up, people who want your marriage to last!  Get some time away together!  Do so regularly!  And may all our marriages stay as romantic as Angie's.  Or did you not think Michael was completely taken with her when he offered to stop his wedding on her account?  Okay, how about this:

Their first date (he picked her up in the morning, and told her to bring a passport) was to... the Bahamas.