Classic Rustic Wedding in Hills of Ohio

Q1: Tell us about your wedding

“When we started brain storming the ‘vision’ we had for our day, the one thing that we knew was that we wanted people to come and have fun! We wanted it to be a unique, laid back, enjoyable celebration  surrounded by our friends and family, with some traditional touches included.

“We really enjoy participating in outdoor activities together so we knew we wanted an outdoor ceremony.

“We also wanted it full of our favorite things! Tacos are Emily’s favorite food so that was what we decided to do for the meal. M&M’s are Michaels favorite candy so we included those with our favors.

“With it being summer, we wanted some brighter colors that were complimentary of each other but could also be classic, we decided to go with oranges, blues, and grays.

“Emily’s great-uncle is a Reverend who officiated wedding ceremonies for her grandparents,  parents, and an aunt and uncle, there was no question when it came to who we wanted to officiate our ceremony. We also loved how our parents were included in our ceremony while we prayed.”

Q2: Let’s talk wedding decor

“We wanted the decor to be pretty minimal and simple as the venue was gorgeous by itself. Included with our venue were string lights  and chandeliers hung from the high ceiling that already gave it a magical feel.

“When it came to table shapes and arrangements, we just wanted to do what was going to have the best flow. We used one half of the barn for dinner and the other half for dancing!

“For table cloths, we decided to go with a sandy color that accented the natural colors of the wood in the barn and we used navy blue napkins. For the center pieces, I honestly gave our florist the creative freedom to do what she thought would look good (she did NOT disappoint!) She went with orange bud vases filled with a variety of orange flowers complimentary to the bouquets. She also lined the tables with babys breath and on several tables we included lanterns.

“Our party favors were the biggest part that was DIY.  We filled little glass jars with blue, gray, and white M&M’s and on the tag wrote, ‘Thanks for Celebrating with us! -Love Em and M’”

Q3: What were the florals like in your wedding?

“Our florals were incredible! Nikki did an amazing job creating everything I could have ever imagined! The first time I cried on our wedding day was when I saw my bouquet. I’m not sure what it was in that moment but seeing the flowers and how they matched my vision exactly, made it all so real.  Dahlias are my favorite flower so  those were included in the bouquets and center pieces with other orange flowers and some blue accents. We also included a bouquet complimentary to the bridal bouquets tied to each side of the arbor during our ceremony. I do think that they played a pretty big part into the overall style of our wedding. We wanted our main colors to be Navy Blue and Orange and the flowers really brought the orange piece into the day.”

Q4: Did you personalize the day in any way?

“Yes! We definitely personalized. We chose our wedding date after realizing that out 9 year dating anniversary happened to fall on a Saturday! For our caterer, we used BOMBA Tacos and Rum ( Tacos are a favorite).

“We also used Sweet Water Caravan as our mobil bar who served Margaritas (another fav) and Mojitos along with an assortment of beer, wine, and other beverages.

“Our DJ, DJ Wolf, was a friend from high school who has very successfully started up his own DJ business. Emily’s great-uncle officiate for us which was so special to have that family connection.

“We chose to have our ceremony on the hilltop overlooking a beautiful scenery, which is perfect because we enjoy the outdoors! Some of our favorite parts were the getting ready periods where we got to spend time with some of our closest friends and family in anticipation of whats to come.

“We also really enjoyed the ceremony and how meaningful it was to have our parents involved in the prayer. The moments we were able to take away from the crowd just the two of us to take a breather together and soak it all in was great.

“And, of course, the first dance was amazing, it felt like it was just the two of us and that is a moment I don’t ever want to forget.”

Q5: Let’s talk fashion

“After we decided we wanted to get married outside in the middle of August, we wanted traditional but comfortable.

“For the guys, we decided to do gray pants, a white shirt and gray vests with navy ties and an orange boutonnière to compliment the bouquets. Michael wore a white tie. We decided not to use the jackets with the exception of photos because of it being a very hot, sunny day! The guys ended up rolling up there sleeves which went well with our more relaxed vision.

“Taking into account the weather, I decided I didn’t want a super heavy dress and I knew I wanted lace. After looking at a couple of different shops, Abbotts Bridal had the perfect Casablanca gown and the perfect cathedral veil to go with it! It was an all lace,  white gown with a sweetheart neck.

“My bridesmaids wore a navy blue flowy dress with a high neckline and a cinch around the waist, they carried orange flowers similar to mine.”

Q6: How did you meet?

“We actually met when I was 13 and he was 15. I was starting my freshman year of high-school and he was starting his sophomore year. We had a couple of mutual friends and after meeting at a pool, we hit it off and the rest was history.

“Somehow, we made it through high school, college and everything in between. We planned a ski trip with some friends to Jay Peak, Vermont in February of 2017. Michael knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to “pop the question.”

“He secretly worked really hard with a wedding planner at the resort to schedule the perfect proposal. He scheduled a private tram ride for our group on the Saturday that we were there. He then created an email to make it seem like because he was a returning customer he won a complimentary tram ride.

“He even went as far as scheduling a phone call with the wedding planner while he was with me to ask about the legitimacy of the email. She of course went along with it!

“He almost wasn’t able to go through with his plan, as it was super windy while we were there and the tram was going to stop running! But, the resort made it work and about half way up the tram, he got down on one knee and asked the question! It was perfect!

“After we were done skiing that day, we went out to celebrate. While we were down the mountain getting dinner, a snow storm had come through and we ended up getting stranded on an icy road in the middle of nowhere with no cell reception. So, we spent the night we got engaged, pushing the car a couple of miles up a mountain in a snow storm with some of our closest friends. Its funny to look back on now.

Q7: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

“The most anticipated moment was definitely waiting for the doors to open and seeing my soon to be hubby standing at the other end of the isle. It was so special for us not to see each other until that moment.

“The first dance was also such a wonderful moment. As soon as the music started, it really felt like there was no one else in the room. Every time Michael would start to sing our song (Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls), he would get teared up.

“One other special moment for me was to use the time of the first look with my dad. It was a special moment that we will be able to treasure forever. When we met Michael at the end of the isle, my dad whispered in my ear, ‘You’ll always be my little girl’, which was also sewn on the tie he wore that day. The whole day was incredible but those are a couple of moments that stood out to be the most meaningful.”

Q8: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?

“Try to stress as little as possible about the little details. Trust that the professionals you are hiring know what they are doing and that they will give you the best for your day- that is the reason you hired them after all! Don’t focus too much on little things going wrong. You are the only one who is going to know that it didn’t work the way you had hoped. Your guests most likely wont notice the things that aren’t there- they will be interested in what is.

“Also, make a written list of ALL of the details you want to remember the day of. No matter how good of a memory you think you have, there is so much going on that day, it is SO easy to forget things, no matter how small or large the detail is.

“And lastly, delegate tasks or things to remember to your bridal party. Let everyone else stress for you, you enjoy the day you have been waiting so long for! For the marriage part, its always a work in progress but compromise is key!”