Elegant Wedding at the Delafield Hotel + Rustic Editorials

Q: Let’s talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?

A: Our main decorations were wooden boards we used for signage that I made myself. I cut the wood boards to the size I wanted, stained them, created stencils for all of the wording they included, and painted all of the wording on.

I definitely underestimated this project; it was a lot more work than I anticipated when I first got started. I had to pull an all-nighter and put many, many hours into them but I was extremely happy with the way they turned out and how they looked at the church and reception venue.

I also added pops of gold with the sequin tablecloths and votive candles. Our table numbers were really important to me. I fell in love with free standing script numbers. I bought them unfinished and painted them gold.

For additional wood elements, we used a variety of wooden stands and log slices that held platters of desserts or pillar candles. Our floral arrangements brought in the blush and red pops throughout. We tried to keep the decorations simple but still unique and make a statement.

Q: What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?

A: I was absolutely in love with how our flowers turned out. We used the same types of flowers throughout the bouquets, centerpieces, and accents. I had a very particular idea in my head that I couldn’t find anywhere on Pinterest so I showed the florist a few different inspiration photos and picked certain elements out of each and was blown away with how they turned out.

I wanted the arrangements to be loose and a more gathered look but still look romantic and classic. The flowers are what brought all of the colors into play against all of the wood and neutrals we had.

I loved the variety of centerpieces we did – some were full floral centerpieces and others the flowers adorned log slices and pillar candles to give it that romantic look and carry the color to each table. I think our flower choice really brightened up the style of our wedding.

Q: Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?

A: We personalized our guest table favors, which were little bags of coffee beans stamped with a custom stamp I found on Etsy. Since Mike and I are both obsessed with coffee, we thought it was a great day to share something simple that we love with our guests.

I ordered the cutest little kraft window bags and bought 40 pounds of our favorite coffee and stamped each bag with our names and wedding date. My favorite part of the day was marrying my best friend and feeling so much support and love from our friends and family.

Celebrating a lifelong love was so surreal and every moment and every detail was perfect in our eyes, even if it did storm all morning.

Q: Let’s talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.

A: For me, I ended up with a dress night and day different than what I originally thought I wanted. I went dress shopping thinking I wanted something with straps and a low, illusion style back with a lot of beading detail and I walked out of the store with a very simple, strapless dress with very subtle sparkle.

I can’t pinpoint what made me fall in love with that dress. It was on a mannequin right at the entrance of the dress store and it caught my eye. I tried it on a bunch of times in between all the other dresses that were more of the style I thought I wanted and kept coming back to the one I chose. There was something about the simplicity and elegance of it that I wasn’t feeling in any of the others.

I know this will be a dress I will look back on in photos 25 years from now and still love it. It’s so timeless.

Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

A: Michael and I met at Carroll University. We were small talking one day and realized that we attended rival schools which started a playful friendship. When Mike started showing signs of wanted to be more than friends, I wanted nothing to do with that at first. I never thought he was “my type” until one day I caught myself checking my phone like a crazy person when he didn’t text me back.

So, I realized he was kinda cute and worked up the courage to ask him to be my date to my company Christmas party. He agreed, and we started dating that night. I couldn’t say no after seeing his killer dance moves. The proposal was so dreamy and the last thing I expected that day.

One of my favorite days. As a Christmas/dating anniversary gift, Michael and I got couples photos taken at a cozy, cute park near our hometown. Right at the very end of the hour-long session, the photographer told us we would be wrapping up with a few more shots and Michael requested she gets a few “candid” pictures of us enjoying each other’s company.

This is when Michael started expressing how much I meant to him and wanted to spend his life with me, dropped down to one knee and asked me to marry him. We are so thankful we have one of the most special and memorable moments captured to remember forever.

We stayed at the park a little longer afterward and walked around just the two of us and enjoyed some time together to soak it all in, went home to tell our families the exciting news, and then celebrated with both of our families together over dinner.

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

A: The most anticipated AND special moment was saying our vows and the official “I Do’s” because that was the moment I married my best friend and the reason behind the day. I was so excited to be spending my life with Michael so when he officially became my husband, I was ecstatic.

Another very special moment of the day was when Michael and I got to climb up to the top of the bell tower for some photos and spend a few moments together. With the craziness of a wedding day going on and being pulled in so many directions, it was so nice to have a few moments alone and quiet with my new husband. It was a great way to release some of the stress from the day and catch a breath before hitting the dance floor.

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

A: Don’t be afraid to take your time planning and wait until the last minute to make detailed decisions. It is important to love every teeny tiny detail of the day and sometimes it takes some time to figure out what those little details are. I spent a year and a half wedding planning, day after day after day, and many of my decorations and details were made or purchased as soon as a few days before the big day.

I do not regret any little item and as mentioned earlier, our goal was for our day to represent our love, and to wait until you find that perfect detail is well worth the last minute stress. My advice on marriage would be to enjoy every second of it, even the bad or hard times. All of those hard times turn into something beautiful and are just as important as the good times.

It helps you learn and grow as a couple and it’s important to realize it’s you two against the issue and not you two against each other. I am a strong believer in all the cheesy advice, too – always say “I love you” and kiss each other goodnight and don’t let them fall asleep angry or sad.

Make time for each other, even if it’s just having a coffee break to ask about each others day. Never lose sight of the most important thing in your life even when your life may be crazy with work or whatever else.