From the bride:

One might ask, how do you write a short story about the best day of your life? I’m still pondering…

My vision was clear – A modern vintage vibe with flair. My wedding dress was the source, a Coffee Tulle Tea Length dress by Justin Alexander. Our favorite colors, red and purple made the vision perfectly pop. A lover of all things crafty, DIY projects were seen throughout the day. I crocheted scarves for the entire wedding party, made yarn pom pom cake topper and centerpieces, created a candy table display for the sweet tooth, wrapped ribbon head table chairs, and cupcake liner garland to show off of cupcake table display.

My favorite part of the day was the first dances, one with my husband and one with my dad. My husband, Jack, is well known for his pink jacket. It’s been around since college and makes an appearance at all major events, our wedding was no different.  Right before our first dance, I surprised him with a matching pink jacket for his wife!

Neither of us wanted to leave the dance floor, our world felt perfectly in place. On the other side, my dad, Rory, and I have spent the past few years bonding on the swing dance floor. It was only fitting that our father-daughter dance would be a swing dance. What a blast we had showing off our moves to our friends and family!

For those future brides, my advice is to slow down, relax, breathe, let it go, and enjoy….

From the Bride:

Our aim during wedding planning was to keep it strictly us; to be sure that our personalities shown through in as many aspects of it as we could. We started the process by finding our incredible venue, the Indiana Historical Society in downtown Indianapolis, and a “vintage” theme just sort of fell into place from there. My mom (and matron of honor) and I did the bulk of the planning. We’re not terribly crafty, so we got ideas from friends who are and scoured Etsy on a regular basis.

We were dead set on an outdoor ceremony from the start, which the venue provided in its scenic patio on the canal that runs through the heart of the city. Our weather was perfect, despite the freak September hailstorm that hit our outdoor rehearsal dinner the night before. A priest and dear family friend served as our officiant and she did perfectly in upholding our wishes to make it strictly personal. We each wrote our own vows and picked one of the two readings. Paul read Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 when he proposed to me, so it was the obvious choice. A friend provided piano accompaniment for the ceremony and I walked down the stairs “aisle” to an instrumental In My Life by The Beatles.

We had a cocktail hour in the cafe of the museum section of the venue immediately following the ceremony and then proceeded upstairs to the main hall for the reception. The centerpieces were a labor of love, the one thing I’d really insisted upon DIY-ing since seeing an idea online early in the planning stages. We assembled a collection of vases (some vintage, some not) from family and friends and filled them with various items like flowers, beans, birdseed, and candies to give it a natural feel. Our caterers provided an amazing dinner of fall-themed foods like carrot souffle and cous cous with butternut squash.

I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine by Dj-ing my own wedding. I, with help from Paul, painstakingly created a playlist of Motown classics, 70′s funk, and 80′s one hit wonders for the reception and our coordinator plugged my iPod into the sound system. We had a ball! The icing on an already incredible day came when we played the last song of the evening, “With a Little Help From My Friends” by Joe Cocker, and all of our guests formed a circle around us as they all wailed the lyrics and we guitar solo-ed.

1. The Inn at Irwin Gardens (Columbus, Ind.)
This 1910 Edwardian mansion offers guests a rare opportunity to experience early 20th century luxury and culture. This Italianate-style home offers breathtakingly beautiful gardens to explore as well.

2. Hotel Blackhawk (Davenport, Iowa)
This historic hotel got a major facelift and is now part of Marriott’s exclusive Autograph Collection. How often can you put hip together with historic? Rooms have an Art Deco vibe, and amenities include a pool, sundeck and even a basement bowling alley.

3. The Castle Inn Riverside (Wichita, Kan.)
True to its name, the Castle Inn is built to model a real Scottish castle in 1888. It’s soaring ceilings, Grecian fireplace, rich architecture and gorgeous stained glass make it a perfect honeymoon locale.

4. French Lick Resort (French Lick, Ind.)
Don’t be fooled by its off-beat name, this resort offers a variety of luxurious amenities and a breathtaking 600-foot glass dome. Direct from Europe, The Spa at West Baden is perfect also perfect for a romantic couples massage. For the outdoor lovers, enjoy your time poolside, golfing or at the stables.

5. Spearfish Canyon Lodge (Lead, South Dakota)
This upscale resort is located in the heart of a beautiful canyon. Couples can enjoy picturesque views of lofty pines and cliffs at almost every turn. In the summer, you can even hike to waterfalls and enjoy numerous groomed trails.

From the Bride:

It all began April 17, 2010 at Hacienda restaurant. The Cardinals played the Mets in a 7 hour 20 inning game that did not end well for them. It sure ended well for us because that is the night we met. A year and a half later, we just cannot seem to remember what life was like without each other. We now know what it means to have found “The One” and most importantly, we share the kind of love that only comes once in a lifetime!

From the Photographer:

I am excited to share this wedding with you! A beautiful couple for sure. Kelly and Ryan’s wedding was beautifully coordinated by Simply Elegant Events, Sommer Barry. Kelly’s beautiful shawl was her grandmother’s who had passed away two years earlier that day. David Kodner Jeweler coordinated Kelly’s embellishments for her day. The earrings were particularly breathtaking! The AMAZING smash band was tremendous. The Quinn wedding was fantastic down to every last detail!

From the Bride

Keith and I met in our first week at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2003 (almost ten years ago!) through mutual friends on our way to a football rally. We ourselves were friends until we started dating during our senior year. We had a lot of common interests–such as the same music tastes, listening to and collecting records, hanging out at coffee shops, being outdoors, and our love of reading–but I think our relationship was firmly cemented in our love to travel. Our relationship started with a road trip to go camping in Missouri and in 2007 Keith and I took our first international trip together to Rome, Italy. It’s safe to say that we fell in love not only with the city, but we also fell in love with each other there. That’s why in 2010 on our third trip to Rome, Keith proposed on my favorite bridge, Ponte Sant’Angelo, while we were putting a lock on the bridge. We celebrated the occasion with an established tradition of Limoncello and Guinness in an “Irish Pub.” [He almost proposed in Munich on New Year's Eve, but he held off in better judgement]. It was a great reflection of our relationship (and why our wedding had hints of our travels and Italy throughout) and it gave us a few days to enjoy being engaged before we told the masses!

Aaron Shintaku Photography via JL Designs

Jen Fariello Photography via Elizabeth Anne Designs

Mark Brooke Photography via Green Wedding Shoes

T Law Photography via Wedding Obsession

Concept Photography via Occasions Online

Jagger Photography via Green Wedding Shoes

Allison & Chris Britton Photography via United With Love

The men should have just as much fun as the women do when picking out their day-of attire, don’t you agree?

From the Bride – Monique

How we met: Amber and I went to the same high school for a couple of months, when Amber was a junior and I was a sophomore. We only had a few friends in common, and knew of each other, but we weren’t friends at that time. A couple of years after graduation, I hosted a birthday party for a friend of ours and a mutual friend of ours asked if she could bring Amber as a guest. Having remembered her from high school, I said yes and she came out to celebrate with us. We hit it off immediately and we have been inseparable since that day, May 29, 2005.

Our Engagement: A few months after we celebrated our 3rd anniversary together, Amber told me that she wanted to spend a special weekend in Salt Lake City together. I was excited because this is something that we enjoy doing, but never seem to get enough of. When we got to Salt Lake City, Amber handed me an envelope with a clue directing me to the Farmer’s Market, which is one of our favorite places to go in SLC. After we spent some time there, she gave me several more clues directing me to different dog parks around town. I also got clues to my favorite store, our favorite restaurant, and this funky dog-friendly hotel downtown. We spent the entire day in this clue scavenger hunt, visiting our favorite places and spending time with our dogs. When we got to the Hotel Monaco there was a giant sign welcoming our 2 dogs, Joey and Bella.  It was pretty special. After dessert and an in-room massage, Amber surprised me with the sweetest moment of my life when she asked me to marry her. A couple of weeks later, I chose a ring for her and started planning a proposal on a trip we were planning later in the month to the Mexican Riviera. A few days before we left for our cruise, I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep. I absolutely couldn’t stand it anymore so I woke her up really early in the morning and asked her to marry me too.

Hellotenfold

Firstsnowfall

Blondevents

Invitations by Dawn

oh so beautiful paper

azulturquesa

studio202designs

KimberlyFitzSimons

Would you use foil stamping or printing in your wedding papergoods or decorations? Are you for the more traditional gold or would you try to use other colors?