These two lovebirds said their "I Do's" with us July 20th, 2019 at the Firestone Baars Chapel in downtown Columbia, MO.
Right from the start of working with these two, I knew 2 things:
1) we were going to get along great, and
2) that her wedding was going to be absolutely amazing.
Our blushing bride was the type of client planners dream of - highly organized and with a gorgeous vision. I shared our planning forms and checklists with her after she booked, and to my surprise, she sent me detailed spreadsheets and photos of what she wanted each station to look like at her wedding! She really was just the sweetest and easiest bride to work with throughout the entire process.
"My (now) fiance and I met briefly at work close to two years ago. We both knew after that day we liked one another and he asked me out to a few morning coffee dates before we went on our social "real" first dinner date. We dated for a little over a year and a half and the rest is history, as they say. He proposed on October 19, 2018 and I blissfully said yes!" - The Bride
How adorable is their story?! Listening to them talk about their beginnings, how they met and grew close as a couple was truly heartwarming.
Rehearsal Day is often the first time I get to meet our couple's friends and family. Our soon-to-be-newlyweds held their rehearsal at the Firestone Baars Chapel on Stephens College Campus. We ran through their ceremony headings, arranging everyone in order, and practiced the processional and recessional with their ceremony musicians The January Lanterns.
After the rehearsal ceremony was over, we all headed over to The Country Club of Missouri for their Pre-Wedding Fiesta Rehearsal Dinner.
Their intimate dinner party consisted of their wedding party, parents, and a few close friends. Guests were greeted with Mexican-inspired tapas, sangria, and drinks. Dinner consisted of a beautifully laid out taco bar by the Country Club, complete with Mexican-inspired cupcakes with flavors like Churro & Hot Chocolate for dessert.
We set-up a slideshow with photos from their childhood up through the beginning of their relationship, listened to speeches full of stories of their family's history and from their parents, exchanged gifts, ate, drank, and just enjoyed each other's company. It was the perfect relaxing evening before their big day. Oh and I was sure to pass out their personalized Wedding Party Timelines too so everyone would know where to be and when to arrive the following day!
Our day always begins extra early for our Coordinating Team on wedding days. We typically arrive in the morning around 8 or 9 am to begin setting up the floor plan (arranging tables & chairs) and decor items. This wedding we were able to decorate much of the space the day before, which was really a treat because it allowed us extra time to document our morning's work with talented florist Emily Hansum of Sugarberry Blooms:
On top of our Day-of Coordination package, our couple also booked our Modern Diamond Photo Booth + Faux Lemon Leaf Greenery Wall. Since she ordered a custom Neon Sign for the greenery wall (which we used as a backdrop for their photo booth) we just had to document setting it up as well! Seriously how perfectly does our larger version (10' wide by 7' tall) faux lemon leaf greenery wall fit into this wall space??
Lastly, they also booked our Elite DJ Starter Reception Package, and Decor Uplighting Package that gave their already amazing venue the perfect atmosphere for their wedding reception throughout cocktail hour, dinner, special dances and into the dance party portion of the night.
Their DJ for the evening was one of our owners and lead Bilingual DJ/MC (and yes he's also my amazing husband!) Jonathan. He came out earlier in the day as well to set up all of our audio and lighting equipment. We work so well together I don't even need to ask how things are going with set-up because he always takes a few photos when he was done for me to "approve" (LOL).
Once we finished setting up most of the reception decor, I headed over to pick up the ladies lunch from Nourish Cafe downtown, and conveniently across from Stephens College Parlor Rooms where the bride and her tribe were getting ready.
Just outside the doors to the Parlor Rooms out on the gorgeous quad is where we gave the groom a handwritten letter and gift from his bride, and the couple shared their First Look accompanied by our team and Photographer Justine Wright:
Let me just say, if you haven't taken a look at Justine Wright Photography's portfolio ...
You. Are. Missing. Out.
Here's a few more of the many amazing photos that her team took at the Parlor Rooms that afternoon:
Guests arrived that afternoon to the Firestone Baars Chapel and were seated by their groomsmen to modern day love songs performed by Kristen & Andrew Camp of The January Lanterns. Their set list consisted of "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver, Ed Sheeren's "Thinking Out Loud," “Here Comes the Sun,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Kina Grannis, and The Beatles classic song “I Saw Her Standing There.”
Here's a few photos from their ceremony by Justine Wright:
Our bride chose a neutral color palate of white, cream, champagne, and soft gray for a monochromatic look to enhance her minimalist, timeless & clean decor scheme.
She worked with florist Emily Hansum, owner of Sugarberry Blooms, to create her dreamy modern-gardenesque arrangements that consisted of white and cream florals and greenery accents. For those of you who haven't heard of Sugarberry Blooms, they are a favorite local florist that specializes in creating "bespoke arrangements inspired by nature."
Following the ceremony the couple and their wedding party boarded their party bus and headed downtown for photos.
DJ Jonathan lead the guests through the rest of the evening while our team of coordinators handled everything behind the scenes. He played the couple's cocktail hour playlist consisting of a relaxed but upbeat mix of classic and current love songs by Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Ed Sheeran, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong and the like.
The newlyweds went off for a private photo session while their wedding party mingled and took some photos with the rest of their guests for cocktail hour. We added an extra hour to their photo booth package so we could have it open during cocktail hour, and still have a solid 3 hours during the dance party portion of the night so guests could take as many photos as possible.
After they finished their intimate portrait session on the country club golf course, banquet manager Tina Patel and I coordinated with Jonathan to introduce the couple for their Grand Entrance as Mr. & Mrs.!
Jonathan played “Good Life” by OneRepublic as they entered and immediate cut their cake before dinner was served.
Dinner was followed by speeches, drinks, tons of photo booth fun, and dancing. Jonathan had the dance floor packed until the end of the night with everyone's favorite music!
Having the honor of watching these two begin their journey together as husband and wife was such a treat! Everyone we met was so gracious and fun to be around. To our couple: we wish you both a lifetime of love, health, and happiness together. Congratulations again!!!
I woke up the morning after their wedding to a text from our bride ...
Let me just tell you this is EXACTLY why we do what we do! It fills our hearts with so much joy to hear that our couples had the wedding of their dreams.
Here's the official review they left about our services on Google:
We could not have done our job without the help of their all star vendor team. Special thanks to Justine Wright for sharing her photos and all of the amazing vendors that helped make their special day oh-so-perfect!
Ceremony Venue Firestone Baars Chapel
Reception Venue Country Club of Missouri
Wedding Coordinator Blue Diamond Events
Photo Booth
Greenery Wall
Florist Sugarberry Blooms
Hair Stylist The Strand
Alterations French Laundry
Suits Joseph A. Bank
Catering Company Country Club of Missouri
Cake Company Whitney Vair | Meriweather Cafe
Desserts Harold's Doughnuts
Photographer Justine Wright Photography
Rentals A-1 Party Rental
Transportation White Knight Coaches & Limos
Room Blocking The Broadway Hotel