A Seaside Soirée Wrapped in Florals, Soft Blush, and Effortless Luxury

[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”][/field]
[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

The color palette was an elegant and timeless mix of whites, ivories, and neutrals with hints of very pale blush and an abundance of greenery. This palette was light, airy, and luxurious, and created the feeling of being in a summer garden, even while indoors for the reception.

The couple wanted a romantic garden wedding, so their guests should feel as if they had been transported to a vacation and dinner at a luxury hotel. This vision was executed by using a soft, elegant color palette, an absolute profusion of florals and greenery everywhere from tabletops to hanging from the ceilings, and focusing on every detail along the way to transform the space and create that feeling of being somewhere special. From matching the invitation suite to the lace on the bride’s gown, to custom wraps on the water bottles for the shuttle ride back to guest hotels, no detail was overlooked or too small.

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]

Chris proposed to Maggie on a trip to Napa Valley at the beautiful Auberge du Soleil resort, with a photographer hiding nearby to capture the special moment. Fun fact: their wedding videographer also shot all the content for the resort where they got engaged, and neither the planner nor the couple knew this until after he had been hired for the wedding!

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]The bride wore a timelessly elegant a-line strapless lace gown by Monique L’Huillier, from La Jeune Mariee in Columbus, Ohio. The lace pattern on the gown provided inspiration for details throughout the wedding. The invitation suite included handmade cotton paper with imprints of the lace from Maggie’s gown, and the same lace pattern was repeated on the bar fronts and dance floor.[/field]
[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]

The bridesmaids wore ivory satin cowl neck dresses from Shona Joy.

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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]The groom’s and groomsmen’s apparel is from Kilgore Trout, a longtime staple of luxury menswear in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. [/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]

After Maggie said “yes” at their engagement in Napa Valley, the happy couple popped a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and toasted to their future happiness. At their wedding, the newly married couple served Veuve Clicquot to guests to allow them to share in the same special toast.

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]

The goal was for the wedding to feel like a light and airy romantic garden, which necessitated that every detail be considered in the transformation of the space. The Club at Hillbrook is a 50-acre, 40-room Tudor mansion in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, built in 1919. The space is full of dark walnut woodwork and original leaded glass windows that give it a timeless and traditional, yet somewhat dark and rustic look. To completely convert the historic home into a light, garden-like indoor space required a total transformation. With the generous use of draping, lighting, and florals, the planning team was able to conceal everything, even ceiling fans! To execute the transformation of the space, florals and greenery covered nearly every surface of the reception space, from tabletops to the ceiling. The stunning reception florals were meant to invoke the feeling of being transported to an indoor garden. White, ivory, and pale pink flowers on the tabletops, cake, and bridal bouquet were light and romantic touches. Guests ate and danced beneath of canopy of greenery that nearly completely disguised the ceiling, making it feel as if they were outdoors beneath flowering trees. The planning team brought in every single element, even down to the bread baskets, so that every piece of decor would perfectly coordinate. Lounge areas, dining chairs, shelving, flatware, tabletop glassware, plates, bar glassware, linens, vintage cut crystal coupe glasses for the Veuve Clicquot toast, even guest towels in the restrooms — no detail was left unconsidered.

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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

The wedding cake was a statement piece created by Cenza. The cake was surrounded by sugar flowers and real florals seamlessly combined into each other. Even up close, you couldn’t tell where the sugar flowers stopped and the real ones began!

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]

Music played a special part in this wedding. During the ceremony, a string quartet from Opus16 played “XO” by John Mayer for the bridal party processional and “Canon in D” for the bride’s walk down the aisle. The string quartet then played “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves for the recessional. At the reception, the newly married couple were announced and entered the room to a performance of Calvin Harris’s “By Your Side” by the band, The Headliners. The romantic first dance was accompanied by the song “From the Ground Up” by Dan + Shay, also performed live by The Headliners. A truly special moment took place when Maggie and her dad danced with choreography to a custom mashup that the band had learned just for them!

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]

The Kirkbrides Wedding Planning team planned the entire weekend. This included a rehearsal dinner and welcome party at Cru Uncorked, the wedding day at The Club at Hillbrook, and Sunday brunch at The Last Page. Each event was designed to be memorable and special for the bride and groom and their guests.

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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]

As is so often the case in the Midwest, a thunderstorm decided to be an uninvited wedding guest. All of the weather apps were calling for rain to stop right at what would be the end of the ceremony. The couple desperately wanted to get married outside and decided they were ok with pushing the ceremony back a bit to do so. The only problem was that guests were arriving at the same time as always planned, with a torrential downpour happening outside, and several ceremony items that could NOT get wet. However, if everyone waited to set the outdoor decor until it stopped raining, the ceremony would have been on a several-hour delay instead of just 30 minutes. Every single vendor worked as a team to pull off magic. The planning team from Kirkbrides worked with staff at Hillbrook to adjust the entire timeline with the kitchen, and to have staff ready to do a mini “cocktail hour” as guests arrived while we waited for the rain to let up. White Glove Rentals had all hands on deck to set the (not weatherproof) ceremony chairs. In order to have them set in time for the ceremony, they had one team member set a chair and another follow with a tarp to protect the chairs. It was truly a sight to see, and right when the rain stopped and we were comfortable letting guests head to the ceremony, the planning team removed a bunch of wet tarps and hid them in the woods! The photographers, Anya and Caleb, never broke a sweat while scouting new covered locations for photos in the rain and shifting the timeline to shoot all of the details in order to be able to capture the untouched ceremony in about two seconds flat as guests were approaching behind them — so talented! Anya, our LA girl, is still baffled by the intensity around shifting plans for a Midwest thunderstorm!! The florals team from HeatherLily set up an 8-foot floral arch and floral aisle pieces for hours in the pouring rain. The string quartet from Opus216 brought throw rugs from their own homes to protect the sound system from the wet grass, while team members from Hillbrook and Kirkbrides pulled umbrellas from the pool area to protect the sound equipment and instruments from the rain. AND since the umbrellas didn’t match the event aesthetic, the video team even edited out the umbrella in overhead shots of the ceremony! While all of this was happening, the wedding planner from Kirkbrides was back and forth, reassuring the loveliest, most patient couple that everything would be perfect, and we would get them married outside. She even did her best to conceal that she was soaking wet with shoes filled with mud to not freak anyone out! Of course, everything came together, due entirely to the hard work and teamwork of a large group of dedicated vendors, a patient couple, and a supportive bridal party.

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[field title=”Special Detail #3″][/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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