Our Wedding

It's true what they say about weddings. It's over before you know it, but more importantly it's the best day of your life.

Bryant and I knew of each other for a while before we officially met in 2009 at Ohio University where we both went to college. I remember sitting on my dorm room floor talking to him on Facebook messages - how old-school is that? Lol. After hanging out for a few months, he asked me to be his girlfriend by burning a CD and changing the song title of our favorite song to "be my girlfriend?" and that flashed across the screen while we were driving in his car. DEAD. Honestly, even though it's been a literal decade, I still feel the same way about him as I did back then and I'm so happy to share the story of our wedding day with all of you!

| may 31st 2019

Bryant and I always wanted to get married in the fall, but we ended up choosing spring instead because he proposed in May and we didn't want to wait longer than a year. Spring in Cleveland is a little scary since the weather is literally winter one day and then summer the next so that's why we landed on the very last day of May.

The venues we looked at and their availability also played a big role in selecting a wedding date. After seeing The Barn at Mapleside Farms and realizing that there was a date available during our desired time frame, it was pretty much a done deal.

We had a short, twenty minute ceremony outside of the barn under the pergola with 200 of our family members and closest friends. Bryant's cousin Steven who has been close to us since we met in college was our officiate and he absolutely killed it. It was so much more fun to have someone up there with us that we love compared to a certified stranger. And of course, my younger brother Luke walked our dog Basil down the aisle after the wedding party procession.

As far as food goes, the Mapleside Barn venue only permits the option to work with A Taste of Excellence Catering company. They were super cool about customizing our menu because obviously, that was VERY important and a make-or-break factor. For cocktail hour, we had a dumpling bar and then we also had huge cheese and charcuterie boards laid out for everyone to graze on.

For dinner, we did pre-set salads and then had a pasta bar (buffet style with on-site chefs to toss and serve) with four different kinds of pasta. Some guests got all four pastas in their bowl which I think is amazing and others stuck to one or two options. It was so fun to be surrounded by all of our loved ones shoving their faces with carbs at our wedding.

Hair and Makeup
Stella & Shay Beauty Bar

I met Becca, the owner of Stella & Shay, a little over a year ago and we instantly became friends. She’s just an all-around good person who has a huge heart and great style when it comes to all things hair/beauty products and services. I really admire the way she runs her business and the relationship amongst the whole Stella & Shay community that she built.

Not only were her team members fun to be around, but they also made everyone look seriously amazing. They took the time to listen to what we wanted done, helped us fix anything we were unsure about, and made us all feel super comfortable. My hair was done by Bridget, she’s incredible. My makeup was done by Daniel who is also incredible!

Florals
Blossom Cleveland - Megan Robinson

I found out about Megan from Blossom Cleveland because she delivers flowers to Brewnuts in Gordon Square every couple of weeks and I loved the table arrangements so much that I asked about where they were from! I found out that in addition to home and business floral deliveries, Blossom Cleveland also takes on wedding projects and has a flower bar that's open on the weekends in Lakewood, a west-side Cleveland neighborhood.

Megan and I talked on the phone for a little while at first and then the next time I saw her she had sample images organized on a handout that literally matched up to exactly what I was thinking I wanted. Nailed it. Throughout the entire time we planned together she handled everything like a boss and did an amazing job. She’s also super down to earth and friendly, so I really enjoyed working with her! I really appreciated her ability to work with me on the price point and suggest ideas to save money too. I’ll never forget the feeling I had when I walked on site at the barn on May 31st and saw everything we had talked about come to life. Also, I loved my bouquet so much that it made it all the way back to my kitchen the next day and I *almost* brought it on our honeymoon. Lol.

Our Photographer
Fleeting Fox Photography - Courtney Burns

Where do I even begin with Courtney. Not only is she insanely talented in terms of producing great photos, but she’s also a great human. And super affordable.

She was by my side all day and went above and beyond her role as a photographer because she was comforting, real and fun. I honestly cannot believe how great the photos turned out and they are something that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. She was a boss when she needed to be in order to get shots done in a timely manner and she also made us feel super comfortable on camera. I loved every single picture and that never happens!

Thanks for reading! After typing all of this out I remembered just how stressful planning a wedding can be. Looking back now I can say that it was totally worth it, but if you have questions or need an opinion, I'm here for you! Drop a comment below or send me an email and I'd be happy to help!

Post Tags: FOJ Lifestyle, Our Wedding, Mapleside Farms