Small and intimate weddings are now becoming a trend. It may not be for everyone but some couples would really like their wedding to be a family affair. Taking a stand on what their dream wedding was, Amy and Stephen opted to be with closest family and friends. The entire event was as calm and joyous as the couple desired. Congratulations, Amy and Stephen! Cheers to a practical small wedding inspiration!

The Love Story

Stephen and I both grew up in a small town in NW Ohio (Wauseon, Ohio). When I was a sophomore in high school, I would always get a ride home from my older sister who’s locker happened to be right next to Stephen’s. One day, while I was meeting up with my sister at her locker, Stephen finally approached me and asked me on a date. We quickly became high school sweethearts and the rest is history.

-Amy

Details That Made This Wedding Extra Special

The intimate party. Amy and Stephen were to able to keep a maid of honor, a best man and a total number of 55 people on their big day.

The venue. Amy and Stephen were married in the outdoor courtyard of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, TX. Their reception took place at Piatti’s Restaurant at the beautiful Eilan.

Tips From The Bride

Don’t get too caught up in perfection. There are going to be things that don’t go exactly as planned, differences in opinions, and other unexpected events. Embrace these moments, accept that you cannot please everyone and most of all, don’t loose sight of what this celebration is truly all about – the union between the both of you.

-Amy

Money Matters

Wedding Budget:$10,000 – $20,000

♥♥♥

VENDORS

Reception: Eilan Hotel & Spa
Cake Designer: Cakes by Cathy Young
Floral Designer: HEB Blooms
Dress Store: Impression Bridal (San Antonio)

The post Hail To An Intimate Wedding appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

Album Story:

Brennen and I were engaged on December 13, 2014. A friend of mine, Meredeth, is a photographer and Brennen asked her if she would contact me saying she needed to update her portfolio and if Brennen and I would take a few pictures for free. We decided to meet downtown at the Myriad gardens. Brennen took me out that afternoon and bought me a new dress and paid to have my nails done.

I had no clue what was going on. Brennen and I met Meredeth that evening and started taking pictures, but it was FREEZING! I was ready to go after a few pictures, but Brennen insisted we continue and take a few more pictures. Then finally Meredeth asked if there were any other poses we could think of and Brennen said he had one, got down on one knee and asked if I would spend the rest of my life with him. I said yes of course!

Planning the wedding was fun and I was thankful for my Mom who helped out tremendously! I wanted a fall theme, because it’s my favorite season and Brennen I met and started dating in October. Within a week of being engaged, we had the venue scheduled, and I found my dress. Pinterest helped out a lot with finding different ideas and I was glad I had friends and family to help. I used fall colors, leaves, pumpkins, lanterns, candles and lots of fall colored flowers. We used mostly hydrangeas, calla lilies, and roses. The florist was amazing and knew exactly what my vision was!

The wedding day was a big blur, but we had a blast! I can honestly say I wasn’t nervous but more excited than anything to be marrying my best friend. Angela, the wedding planning did an amazing job to make everything go smoothly, and if something went wrong, I would have never noticed. The food and cake were fantastic and our photographer, Jessi was perfect! She made sure to capture every detail of our wedding. I loved that she focused on us and not take a million pictures of other things. After all, it’s about the bride and groom right? The ice cream bar and photo booth were a big hit and kept the party going if people didn’t want to dance. Our DJ did a great job keeping the party going all night long and never skipping a beat. I could have never asked for a perfect wedding!

I would recommend Jessi photography. She did such an amazing job capturing our special day. She made sure to capture every detail of our wedding from the bridal party to the decorations and us. I loved that she focused on us and not take a million pictures of other things. After all, it’s about the bride and groom right? For my bridal portraits, she went above and beyond when the day was rained out, and we weren’t able to use the venue for pictures. She immediately began calling people and places in town, and we were able to take a few pictures at a hotel downtown. She even came to the wedding early to get a few more bridal portraits because she knew I wanted to take pictures at my venue.

Wedding Day Outfit Inspiration:

Fall Colors

Favorite Part of The Day:

The couple shared a moment together before the ceremony. Pictures were perfect!

The Highlights of the Ceremony & Reception:

Ice Cream Bar and Slide Show

VENDORS

Photographer: Jessi Marri Photography
Caterer: Bailey Connor Catering
Bakery: Chocolate Fountain Express
Dress Store: Davids Bridal
Bakery: Fiona Bakery
Linens and Coverings: Over The Top Linen
Reception Venue: Tuscan Courtyard

The post Fall For Me, Autumn For Us appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

They have the coolest wedding photos. They went to the city and had a photo sessions at a bridge together with their entourage and even stopped, eat, and played Apples to Apples at a Diner! And at their wedding they had a plate of donuts as centerpieces that got me hungry while looking at. Also one little thing they even had mason jars at the tables where the bridesmaids are seated. It was for their bouquet! Now that is clever. Kudos you two, thank you for making us believe that LDR’s can work if you truly love each other.

What is your story as a couple? {How you met, how you got engaged or anything that is important to you.}

Mike and I met in high school and started dating when we were 16. When we graduated, Mike went to college at the University of Minnesota, and Ellen moved to East Lansing to attend Michigan State University. It was tough to date long distance for those four years, but we emailed and texted each other every day, and made sure we had the chance to talk each night. Which helped us to build a strong foundation in communication and has made our relationship that much stronger. – Ellen (The Bride)

After college, Ellen came home to the University of Minnesota for graduate school, and it was great to be living in the same city again! Mike and Ellen enjoyed spending time with friends and family, making breakfast, and watching baseball together. When they finished graduate school, Ellen was offered a job in Michigan and moved there again while Mike stayed at Minneapolis to continue working. While this was not the ideal situation, Mike and Ellen made it work again with consistent communication, and a lot of driving between Minneapolis and Kalamazoo. Mike and Ellen were engaged in November 2013, and Mike joined Ellen in Kalamazoo in June 2014.

Mike and Ellen dated for 9 1/2 years prior to their engagement, so Mike knew that he wanted to do something special and most importantly try to make the proposal a surprise (After that many years, it gets tricky to plan a surprise of this magnitude). He knew that he wanted it to do it in a place that had special meaning for the both of them, and he knew exactly where he wanted to do it.

When they were in high school, whenever a group of their friends would get together, it was common for everyone to go on a walk. A walk to the park. A walk to get ice cream. They would walk everywhere. So when Mike and Ellen started dating, they would often walk down to a small pond by Ellen’s house that had a dock on it. The dock would serve as a place where the two of them got to know each other from the many, many stories that they told each other while sitting at the end of the dock. Years before Mike proposed, he knew that this was going to be the place that he would ask Ellen to marry him.

When the time came, Mike began to devise the plan of how he was going to propose. He knew that he wanted to use the dock, but knew he needed something special. Luckily, his cousin Jeremy gave him the idea to make some “ice lanterns” using balloons and a deep freezer. He could use them to light the dock up at dusk. The day before the proposal, Mike and Jeremy filled up dozens of balloons and froze them overnight. The next morning, Jeremy drilled a hole in each of the “ice lanterns” and placed a small candle inside.

The plan was set, Ellen was flying into town on Friday for a whole week to celebrate Thanksgiving, and Mike knew that this was the perfect time for the surprise! He enlisted both his family and Ellen’s family to help out. The plan was that on Saturday morning, he and Ellen would go on a run around Lake Calhoun, go bowling with his brother Steve, and then meet up at Ellen’s house where Mike would very casually suggest going for a walk that evening when the sun began to set. While they were out doing all of these activities, Ellen’s mom and brother Adam would be getting all of the lanterns from Jeremy’s freezer and getting them set up down at the dock.

Well like most great plans, this one did not go off without a few hitches. The morning of the proposal, the temperature was a balmy 5 degrees with 20 mph wind gusts. Not the best running weather around a lake, but Mike talked it up like it was a great idea. They finished the frozen run and got some hot cocoa afterward before going bowling with Mike’s brother. While this was taking place, Ellen’s mom and brother had picked up the lanterns and brought them to the house. Ellen and Mike went bowling and grabbed some lunch at the restaurant where they had their first date, then the plan was to go back to Ellen’s house for a little while before the big moment.

They got to Mike’s car and just before they left, Mike felt another alarm go off in his head. Usually when Ellen is in town, Saturday nights are spent with her dad at his house, so going back to her mom’s was a little unusual for her. Luckily Mike had reached out to Ellen’s dad beforehand and they made up a plan to trick Ellen into thinking that her Dad was going to be at work until later that night so we couldn’t come over yet. Fool proof! What could go wrong?

Ellen called her dad and asked if they could come over, he said that he was at work so they should come over later that night. Perfect! Mike thought he was home free. Until Ellen scared him by saying, “Well, we’ll just come over and wait for you to come home.” Mike almost jumped through the roof of his car. Luckily Mr. Hystead, without missing a beat, told Ellen that all of the windows in his house were being replaced and that it would be freezing if we went there. And thankfully, she bought it.

They went back to Ellen’s mom’s house where Mike waited until dusk. At that time, Ellen’s mom and brother said that they were going to go to the store for groceries, but they were going to go down to the dock and get the lanterns lit. When they were ready, they texted Ellen about needing anything from the store, which was code for Mike to let him know that it’s go time.

After dinner, with the temperatures still in the single digits, Mike convinced Ellen that his legs were a little stiff from the run that morning and that they should go for a walk to loosen them up. Luckily, Ellen agreed, so they made their way down to the pond. They got to the trail where the dock was visible and Ellen at first didn’t know what all those lights were. They kept making their way down to the end of the dock, and that is when Ellen said that she finally realized what was happening.

Mike got down on one knee and popped the question, and she said yes!

What made you chose your venue{s}?

Mike and Ellen regularly attended church services at Mount Olivet with Ellen’s dad, and could not imagine any other place in which to be married. After getting engaged, the first call they made was to the church to pick the date, and everything else was planned around it :) Mount Olivet is such a beautiful church, and provided a sense of community for the two of them.

The Minneapolis Golf Club provided such a beautiful location for the reception as well, and the staff there were great to work with! It was so fun to have a location close to the city, but also somewhere that felt very private, where we could focus on celebrating with our friends and family.

Mike and Ellen are not big fans of wedding cake, so they knew they wanted to feature something unique as their wedding dessert. They ended up selecting the most delicious donuts from Angel Food Bakery. Katy (the baker) was absolutely great to work with, and ended up making twelve (!) different flavors of donuts for the wedding, including maple bacon, pumpkin, and a strawberry filled donut with strawberry filling made in-house. The donuts served as the centerpieces for the night, and guests had such a great time having donuts as appetizers, bites in between courses, and some bites left over for dessert – they were a huge hit!

What inspired your wedding day outfits? What inspired your wedding decor? Why did you choose the things that you did?

The words we used over and over to try to describe our intent for the day were simple, and classic, with some unique features. Because they both now live in Michigan, Ellen and Mike wanted the focus of the day to be the chance to catch up with family and friends, which are so important for both of them. They hoped that selecting relatively simple and affordable outfits and decorations would eliminate as much stress for the wedding party and the guests as possible, and allow everyone to focus on celebrating!

What was your favorite part of the day?

Everything! Every visit home to Minnesota is such a treat, and this time was an extra special treat of course! We had such a blast getting ready in the morning, taking pictures with family ahead of the ceremony, participating in the ceremony itself – Pastor Kalland was so fun, and such a blessing on our day!-time with the wedding party in between the ceremony and the reception was such a treat; again, just a great time to catch up with our close friends we do not see very often.

Do you have advice for engaged couples still in the planning process?

We ended up making a lot of our arrangements long distance (from Kalamazoo, MI for our Minneapolis wedding), and scheduling a trip home about every 6-8 weeks to take care of some items in person (menu tasting, hair and makeup trial, etc.) as needed. Although this felt stressful at the beginning, we worked to plan as much as possible as far ahead of the day as possible, and near the end, we were happy to have a lot of things crossed off our list.

Classic advice as well – we set a budget first, then wrote our guest list, then very, very conservatively estimated the cost of our reception, and worked backward from there in terms of how much of our budget we had left for other items. We worked very hard to be realistic with each other on what we could and could not afford, and what items were the most important to us. For example, we wanted to keep photography as an important item, so we secured a vendor for that before looking at desserts, and programs were the least important to us, so we made them ourselves and had them printed at a copy shop for about thirty dollars. The good news was, we truly stayed in our budget!

Did you have any Do it Yourself {DIY} projects? If so, can you describe them in detail?

Our biggest DIY project was definitely our flowers. We worked with Market flowers at the Minneapolis Farmer’s Matket and found that they offered a diverse selection of flowers at a pricepoint that allowed us to have a ‘trial run’ at a bridesmaid’s bouquet, in addition to arranging all of the flowers for the wedding day (five bridesmaid’s bouquets, 18 boutinnieres, and two arrangements for the front of the sanctuary) for nearly one tenth of the cost of some of the local florists. We kept the flowers really simple and elegant, and used pre-arranged boquets for the front of the sanctuary, and everything turned out beautifully. The quality of the flowers from Market Flowers was great too! Our flowers still looked great when we got home from our honeymoon a week later.

We also made our programs ourselves. Ellen found some program designs she liked online, and worked to recreate them using Microsoft Publisher. They were very simple, and text only, but by playing with different fonts, Ellen was able to develop a very contemporary but classic design. Once she was finished, Ellen and Mike had the design printed on cardstock at a local copy shop, punched a hole in one corner, and tied a coordinating ribbon to each. They were so simple, but many of our guests commented on how impressive they were.

Our final DIY item was our centerpieces. We knew we didn’t want to assign anyone from our family the duty of picking up all of our centerpieces at the end of the night, and, because we lived far away from home, we didn’t want to drive home with 20 centerpieces we would never use again. Instead, we set our donuts, which also served as our dessert for our guests on disposable plastic trays at the center of each table. Again, this was very simple, but our guests commented several times on how fun it was to share donuts with other people at their table, and how much they liked having donuts instead of cake.

VENDORS

Photographer:  Erin Johnson Photography
Jewelry: Aldo
Bakery: Angel Food Bakery
Hair Stylist: Blast Blow Dry Bar
Shoes: Cole Haan
Dress Store: David’s Bridal
DJ: Instant Request DJ
Invitation Designer: Invitations by David’s Bridal
Tuxedo and Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse
Reception Venue: Minneapolis Golf Club
Ceremony Location: Mount Olivet Lutheran Church
Transportation: Valley Limo & Coach

The post Love Grew Fonder appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

What is your story as a couple, how did you meet & fall in love?

Kevin and I met at UMASS Amherst 2 weeks before I graduated college, very unexpected! He bought me a slice of pizza at 1AM at Antonios and I was in love. What makes the two of you a perfect match? I (Sarah) am very serious at times and Kevin has made me a much easier going person, and vice versa, I have kept Kevin out of trouble :)

How did he (or you) propose?

He took me to dinner on Newbury Street where we had our first anniversary. I knew it was coming since he drunkenly confessed a week earlier when we were on a family trip to Ireland that my ring “wasn’t ready yet.” But he surprised me after the engagement with a huge party of all of my family in friends!

How long was the planning process? Did you think it was enough time?

A little less than a year. I feel like I could have used more time but maybe would have made myself crazy if I was still wedding planning. What was the best advice you received when you were planning your wedding? Take in every moment on the day because it goes by in an instant.

What tips & tricks (can we use “hacks”?) can you share future brides that you yourself have learned during and after your wedding?

You can’t do everything so far in advance. The two weeks before the wedding are crazy no matter how much you’ve done ahead, so be prepared to clear your schedule (if possible), the two weeks before.

What were some challenges you faced while planning your wedding & what did you do to address them?

I took a lot of my emotions out on my mom and mother in law. They are both the sweetest, most amazing, and helpful people and I think since they were most involved with the planning I would direct my frustrations at them, which was awful of me! It is the biggest regret of my wedding. I don’t think I was as bad as some but I really just let my “seriousness” get the best of me! I appreciate all that they did and now that it’s all over they know how much stress I was under. Although we joke about my “bridezilla” moments now, I really wish I directed the anger at the treadmill or something else productive.

What inspired your wedding décor? Why did you choose the things that you did?

Romantic and elegant.

What was the wedding budget?

We went over for sure, we budgeted for 50K, probably spent more like 60K.

Where did you save the most money?

Surprisingly our photographer who turned out to be the most amazing person of our wedding day. Sarah Ellis was just starting her business so we got her at a great time, and she is incredible!

What was the biggest expense?

The food and open bar.

How many guests were invited to your wedding and what was the final guest count?

We invited about 270 and 249 was our final count.

How did you narrow down your list?

We had to cut some of our parents’ requests. (People Kevin and I didn’t know).

What songs did you use during the ceremony?

Seating of the Mothers (organ): “Ave Maria”

Schubert Procession of the Bridal Party: “Cannon in D” Pachelbel

Procession of the Bride: “Trumpet Voluntary” Clarke

Recessional: “Wedding March” Mendelssohn

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

Mini moon to Puerto Rico for 5 days. We are going to Greece this spring!

What are you most excited about for the future?

Babies :)

Do you have advice for couples still in the planning process?

Take a deep breath when you get stressed. Although it’s the most important day of your life it really is only half a day so try to relax and have fun!

What is the overall story for this album?

If we could sum it up in a few words we’d have to say it was just a big dance party with all of the people we love, it was the best night of our lives.

What inspired the wedding day outfits?

Classic, simple, fall new in England.

What was your favorite part of the day?

Getting ready with my girlfriends at the salon, our first look at it all started, and the dance floor.

Was there any Do it Yourself (DIY) projects? If so, can you describe them in detail?

Yes. My sister did so much, she is incredible and extremely crafty and creative! She made over 500 chocolate covered bride and groom pretzels as our favors. She got over 200 small white pumpkins to use as our seating place cards, and she dipped pins in glitter to attach the name cards to each pumpkin. My mother and family friend, Debbie, made our table numbers – they dipped them all in glitter. They did such an amazing job with them the Black Swan actually asked to keep them for future weddings.

What were the highlights of the ceremony & reception?

The church looked absolutely beautiful and seeing the photos of Kev and I looking so happy, there’s nothing better than those memories. The reception the highs were hands down the band and the dance floor! Kevin and I also did a first look due to rain expected in the afternoon and thank god we did – the pictures outside are my favourite and it down poured as soon as our ceremony started the rest of the night! I didn’t want to do a first look initially but seeing him before really made me extremely calm.

VENDORS

Photographer: Sarah Jayne Photography
Dress Store: Allegria Bridal
Dress Designer: Anna Maier – Ulla-Maija Couture
Reception Venue: Black Swan Country Club
Cake Designer: Cakes for Occasions
Apparel: Cristina’s Bridal
Ceremony Location: Phillips Academy
Invitation Designer: Yours Truly

The post Little Pumpkins Of Love appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

We’re so used to “trash the dress” features done by bodies of water that having a different variety like this is a nice change. Looking at this album made me think of the word “ethereal“. Maybe it’s the orange and yellow of the leaves, the bride’s outfit matched by the pretty headpiece, or maybe it’s just the way this couple lovingly looks at each other. Whatever the reason is, it made the photos look more alive and (as I’ve said earlier) ethereal. Such a beautiful couple. Late congratulations Kaitlyn and Justin!

Photographer:

Kaitlyn and Justin are childhood sweethearts who married on the 4th anniversary of their first date, in the same town they had their date! Neighbors at first, they went through all of their high school and college years with other significant others, but when they finally got together, it was an unmistakable connection. Kaitlyn kept the menu from the diner they went to on their first date and she kept it in a scrap book along with other mementos she collected throughout their four-year relationship. Kaitlyn and Justin are by far the most gorgeous people I’ve ever met, both inside and out. They are gracious, kind, and humble. As their photographer, I let out a shriek of excitement each time I released the shutter.

Vendor

Photographer:  CW Photography by Marie

The post Trash the Dress – Autumn Leaves appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

Vendors

Photographer:  Carolina MediaStar
Event Designer: Fresh Affairs
Reception Venue: Prestonwood Country Club

The post Danielle & Daniel – Class & Elegance appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

The Water

There are various ways to deliver hot water so your guests can create their own hot chocolate. Coffee pots that are filled with water and left to stay hot, carafes, electric tea kettles, etc. are all great ideas.  You can also use the ingenious suggestion of creating your own hot chocolate mix and putting it in a crockpot for guests to ladle out like punch.

Mix-Ins

Add a variety of syrups so guests can flavor their hot chocolate however they’d like. Peppermint, caramel, hazelnut, crème brulee and vanilla are all great ideas. You can also leave out dishes of marshmallows with pretty little scoops.

Mixer Spoons

If you want to make it special, create mixer spoons for guests to take back to their tables. Simply melt some chocolate in a double boiler, dip plastic spoons in the chocolate and then dip in various other items – crushed peppermint candies, sprinkles, white chocolate, etc.

These are just a few ideas for a fantastic DIY hot chocolate bar that your guests are sure to love. You can add hot tea and coffee as alternatives as well for a great (and very popular) reception station.

The post DIY Hot Chocolate Bar appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

Red

Of course, you can go with the traditional roses, but many brides want to venture off the beaten path and go with flowers that are a little more unique. Here are some great choices for red flowers:

Anemone

Carnation

Mini Calla Lily

Amaryllis

Tulip

Mini Gerbera Daisy

Chrysanthemum

Orange

Orange is such a beautiful, summery color but it can also be fantastic for autumn or spring weddings. There are a variety of beautiful orange flowers, including:

Ranunculus

Rose

Gerbera Daisy

Dahlia

Tulip

Asiatic Lily

Yellow

Yellow is another bright, fresh color that looks fantastic in a bouquet. A few fantastic choices include:

Iris

Gerbera Daisy

Daffodil

Sunflower

Snapdragon

Freesia

Orchid

Tulip

Green

If you want your bouquet to have beautiful green elements, there are some great flowers to go with:

Hydrangea

Rose

Tulip

Viburnum

Bells of Ireland

Purple

There are some gorgeous and sweet-smelling choices for purple bouquet flowers. A few include:

Hydrangea

Sweet Pea

Vanda Orchid

Iris

Hyacinth

Anemone

Pink

If you want to go with pink, you can choose from:

Waxflower

Zinnia

Cosmos

Peony

Cherry Blossom

Delphinium

Lisianthus

White

And finally, for beautiful white elements in your bouquet, choose from:

Daisy

Chrysanthemum

Gardenia

Anemone

Lily of the Valley

Chamomile

Baby’s Breath

Paperwhites

Calla Lily

The post Great Flower Choices by Color: The Wedding Bouquet appeared first on Elegant Wedding.