Planning a Wedding in Rome? You’ll LOVE This Radiant Wedding at Norwegian Embassy in Rome
BLUSH PINK BARN WEDDING
“I knew I wanted our wedding to be something no one had seen before with so many thought out details, gorgeous flowers, and simple decor.” Jessica began
“Our colour palette was burgundy and dusty rose with gold. Brushstroke seemed to be the common theme amongst the cake and paper goods.”
“We wanted our parents and family to be the centre around our special day and I think we did a great job with that. We had family wedding photos and passed loved ones there with us. My mom’s lace from her wedding dress made a memorable gift for hers, my grandma’s, and my hankie. I can’t wait to pass that down! I also used her lace and my great aunt’s pearls on my bouquet. Our day was just perfect in every way, and I wouldn’t have changed a single thing. The details are what set it apart and they made our wedding so special.” She told us.
“The venue we had was gorgeous! I had known Colleen and Baylee for many years. The venue was built with pieces of wood from my family farm which was neat to see. It was like a part of my family was there. They also had a hutch made that that had my great grandpa’s initials burned into the wood, and Kara was amazing enough to capture that for me. I wanted to keep the space simple with photos, greenery, and signs that I made with the mother in law- she can make anything!”
“Everything that was personalized we made by hand. The signs as we walked down the aisle were just perfect including our unity cross. Oh, the memories that were made trying to get it just right! We also made the backdrop as well which was neat with the lights and tied everything together with the head table. Don’t underestimate how much time it takes to DIY for a wedding.” Jessica added.
“When it came to designing the flowers, I knew burgundy and blush was the trendy colour palette, but of course I had to change that up a bit. I wanted another colour thrown in the bouquets that would pop, and photograph beautifully. That’s when I thought of magenta. It was such a gorgeous pop of colour, and blended so well with the dusty rose, and deep burgundy flowers we had already chosen. I also knew that I didn’t want my bouquet to match the bridesmaids, so I started brainstorming again. I know Kara had talked about investing in your bridal bouquet. I knew it would be the centre of our photos, so it had to be out of the box. I looked at bouquets that incorporated pampas grass. It almost looked like feathers and made the bouquet so grand and glam and I loved it!”
“For the rest of the florals, I knew I wanted to keep it simple. It was important to repurpose everything from both ceremony to reception. We used the greenery garland to trim the beautiful beams and curtains for our ceremony and down the aisle, and then move them to reception to decorate the tables. The garland looked so beautiful on the farmhouse wood tables all linked together. We repurposed the floral sprays in-between the beams for the ceremony to the centre of the head table to pull the colours out. It all looked so pretty with our burgundy and gold backdrop. Flowers were my favourite part of the wedding, and I feel like they made the space and photos come to life!”
“Ashton and I both wanted to make our wedding day centered around the people who made us who we are today, our parents. Lucas understood the importance and he told us about voice overs. Ashton did a voice over for his mom and it was played during their dance. She was so in the moment; she didn’t even realize Ashton was the one talking through the song. But luckily it was recorded for her to hear afterwards. I also did a voice over for my dad, and it was so memorable to share laughs and some tears throughout our dance. I brought it full circle back to when I was maybe 4, and we used to dance in the living room with me standing on his feet. And here we were 20 years later, sharing that moment again. I also surprised Ashton for our first dance with a voice over. He had no idea. I remember him being so different when we danced, and he heard my words. All he could say was he was happy he married his best friend. To top off the night with our parents we played the shoe game. I had seen it done with the bride and groom, but not with the parents. I am so happy we got to make that memory with them. Ashton’s parents have been married for 39 years, my parents for 25 years, and us newlyweds. It was neat to see the variations of years together, and the many laughs that followed.”
“When it came down to wedding dress shopping, I was excited! It didn’t take long to find the one. My mother in law and I went looking at a local dress shop. We looked at a few, but it felt like I had seen the dresses before. I knew I wanted a mermaid, with some drama! We later went to Orland Park to Evas International. I went there looking for a dress that I had seen, and they had it. It had the same ruffles on the bottom with gorgeous lace on top. I loved it, but it was missing some sparkle! Out came my consultant with a dress that hadn’t even been taken out of the box yet that had crystals, lace appliqués, and the ruffles! It was just perfect! I came back the following weekend with my mom and Grandma and it was the one! It was glam, unique, and me! I’m still trying to figure out how I can wear it again! I also knew a cathedral veil was important. The thick lace that trimmed my veil made everything so much more romantic, and so happy I didn’t let anyone change my mind. Although Ashton is partial to grey, we both liked the navy tux. It was clean, different, and went so well with our colours. He opted for a bow tie which was shocking, but I’m glad he did. I chose to have him match my dress for his vest colour, and the guys pull out the burgundy in the flowers and the bridesmaid dresses. I’m happy that he didn’t match the men and he stood out a bit more with the champagne colour. Shopping with the girls was so fun. I knew I wanted them to have different dresses because every girl is different in every way. We had two burgundy dresses with different neck lines and two sequin dresses with different necklines. They were all different but cohesive and I would do it the same way if I had to do it again. Every girl stood out for a different reason.”
“I think the most anticipated moment for me was the vows. I knew how important they were, and what they meant, and just how perfect they were. Our whole relationship had never been easy in every way possible. We moved in together after 3 months of dating. Ashton started working 70 hours a week away from home and it was hard. We went back home on weekends to see our families and it was just exhausting. We were then hit with his brother getting in a motorcycle accident. It was devastating to everyone and we didn’t know what to expect. The following year we both made career changes which changed us in the spring of 2017. That led us to our decision to move back home. With new jobs and helping his brother, a few months later we closed on our house. I had seen how great God had been for us, regardless of all of the downfalls. There was always a door waiting for us. Everything happened for a reason. With everything we had been through, I knew my vows would capture our story. They captured our future, our humour, and how our relationship was. I knew God had many more amazing doors waiting for us to open, and I knew it was important to say that to Ashton. But when he said his vows first, it surprised me how similar they were to mine, but yet how perfect they were showing just how perfect he was for me.”
Event Venue: Town & Country Events I Favors and Gifts: Sip Hip Hooray I Invitation Designer: Good Heart Design I Caterer: The Longbranch I Cinema and Video: Reel Life Cinema I Equipment Rentals: Morton Rentals I Cake Designer: Pollen and Pastry I DJ: Sound Express Entertainment I Floral Designer: Fancy Florals By Nancy I Jewelry: Rogers & Hollands I Hair Stylist: SJK II: The Beauty Parlor I Groomsman Attire: Seno Formal Wear I Bridesmaid Dresses: Brideside I Bridesmaid Dresses: Sorella VitaD I ress Store: Eva’s Bridal International Orland Park I Dress Designer: Allure Bridals I Pre Ceremony Location: Imagine I Photographer: Kara Evans Photographer I Submitted via Two Bright Lights I
The brides’ bouquet looks amazing!