Real Wedding: Amy & Mike

I had the pleasure of doing a wedding at The Ebell with a really wonderful couple. Most of the planning was done with the bride and her mother, they were so sweet to work with.  

 The theme for their wedding was "love". They had the word written everywhere and named each table after a popular love song. You'll even see the word in this custom wire hanger found on etsy. 

 The photos were taken by the lovely husband and wife duo at Palos Studio. 

 I think this next shot of Amy peering out the window is my favorite. It's just so classic and romantic. 

 Amy & Mike opted to do a first look after I talked with them about the benefits of it. Once they heard me say that they would get to spend more time with their guests instead of spending all of cocktail rushing through the photos...they were in!!!

 I've also found that with a First Look, not only do you get all of the formal photos out of the way, and get to spend more time with your friends and family, many of which for this wedding came from oversees, but the Bride and Groom get to relax a little bit more and feel less rushed and really get to enjoy their day, which is my ultimate goal as their wedding planner...I work so they don't have to. 

 The escort card display is a very easy and inexpensive DIY idea. I saw the idea on JL Designs blog and loved it. They purchased frames all in the same color and we laid then in a pattern on a table in a similar arrangement as if they were hanging on a wall, and put the rows of escort cards inside and outside of the frames, creating a wonderful piece of art.

And I always get asked what the difference is between an escort card and a place card. I inform them that escort cards tell guests what table they are assigned to, and a place card tells them which seat is reserved for them. Most people just do escort cards and let the guests figure out which seat at their table is the one for them. 

 As I mentioned earlier, I did most of the planning with the bride and her mother and I'm so glad Palos Studio captured this picture of the bride and her mother smiling at one another. And you can't tell in the photo, but they were peering out the balcony to watch a slideshow that was playing just before the ceremony.

 The Ebell has so much glamor and character to it from the ceiling, to the columns, to the fantastic chandeliers that hung above the aisle of the ceremony. 

 You can also see here a photo of the "love" sign that the bride had created as the backdrop for the ceremony which you'll later see behind the cake table if you scroll down. 

 Lace was a large design element of the day as well as it was wrapped around each cylinder candle holder as well as used as overlays for the tables at the reception. 

 The bride and groom danced gracefully across the dance floor, after taking dance lessons which they loved, to the song: Ain't That A Kick in the Head

 Here you can see those dance lessons paying off. 

We reused the ceremony decor for the cake display. To keep costs down, they had a small two-tier cake for cutting and a large sheet cake in the back for serving. Another way to be budget savvy when it comes to your wedding cake is to have a 3 tier or higher cake with only the top tier being actual cake and the tiers below are Styrofoam. When they're covered in fondant or frosting, no one cake tell a difference. Then you can do a sheet cake in the back or have a dessert buffet. 

You can just see the connection that the bride and her father shown here having their Father/Daughter dance to the song: "I'll Always Be Your Baby".  

 And instead of a traditional toast from the mother & father of the bride, they instead decided to sing a song, which brought a tear to everyones eyes, including mine. There was not a dry eye in the house. 

 And who doesn't love a grand exit. They used streamers found at a local party supply store. 

 Their getaway car was a vintage classic that the bride's father owns, talk about the hook ups. 

Photography: Palos Studio

Videographer: Dream Post

DJ: VIP DJ Entertainment

Florist: McCann Florist

Pianist: Jeremy Weinglass

Cake: Skiff's Cakes