Oh we've got such a gorgeous wedding to share with you guys today. Mixed metals, a Museum of Art, and an impossibly glamorous Vera Wang wedding dress…
Who said modern can't be romantic too?
Alli & Marques' Cleveland wedding was cool, yet warm, fun, yet meaningful, and effortless, yet so utterly stylish.
It was photographed beautifully by Chris & Julie First of Z Media, and styled creatively by Gina of Shi Shi Events.
Following a romantic outdoor reception overlooking Severance Pond, with cool jazz tunes, the groom's stepfather officiating (and a lucky spell of weather!), Alli and Marques' reception was held in the Atrium at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
A glorious indoor space, with an outdoor feel, and epic proportions, the venue was warmed up by neutral tones, mixed metal hues, and thoughtful touches (the meat/poultry/veggie escort card holders are too cool!).
We love unexpected colour combinations, and the gold and silver, mixed with browns, greys and greens makes the most gorgeous palette.
But our favourite part of this entire wedding has to be Alli and Marques. A beautiful couple, with incredible style, from their first look to their last dance, we just adore how they couldn't take their eyes off eachother all day!
Wedding Day Snapshot
Our Love Story
We first met in high school, although we didn’t date until years later.
But while dating, we were often long distance and have lived in as many as seven different cities.
Our Wedding
We didn’t have a traditional “theme.”
But in terms of colors, our wedding was full of neutral, nude colors with mixed metal accents. We also wanted to incorporate lots of texture and dimension.
The Dresses
I wore a Vera Wang gown with a textured and dramatic skirt. Given that our wedding was at an art museum, I wanted my dress to complement the venue.
My bridesmaids wore neutral colored floor length gowns.
The Flowers
I wanted an untraditional bouquet with lots of greens, neutrals, and earthy colors, and full of texture and dimension.
My bouquet was a cluster bouquet of hydrangea, green hypericum berries, green trick dianthus, white lisianthus, white roses, white tricillium, white stock, white dendrobium blooms, ivory satin band on stems.
My bridesmaids carried smaller versions of my bouquet but with more green blooms, brown lotus pods, taupe scabiosa pods, and looped aspidistra.
The boutonnieres were white dendrobium orchis or scabiosa pods and seeded eucalyptus berries.
I really loved our flowers. We did a combination of low arrangements and tall arrangements, resembling trees and complimenting the indoor foliage already in place in the venue.
The Music
We had fun with our music. I processed in with both of my parents to the instrumental of “Golden” by Chrisette Michele.
The recessional was an instrumental version of “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.
All of the ceremony music had a nice twist because they were modern songs played by a jazz band, The Joshua Trio.
The Ceremony
We wanted to incorporate our siblings into our wedding—during the ceremony, my brothers stood up with me (and my girls) and we asked two of Marques’ sisters to do readings.
The Photography
The moment we met our photographers, Julie and Chris, we hit it off.
They were patient, creative, and had a unique approach to their photography. We really loved their photojournalistic style.
The Decor & Details
Instead of a traditional photo booth, we opted to have a caricaturist during cocktail hour and dinner so our guests could take home a fun sketch.
In terms of the venue, our wedding coordinator Gina, of Shi Shi events, turned what was already a gorgeous venue into something I couldn’t have imagined.
She used amber lighting to uplight some of the indoor foliage and the stone façade of one of the walls. She also painted hundreds of miniature animals (cows; chickens; and apples) which were used as indicators for people’s entrée selections.
She also designed the Garrett’s popcorn buffet, as part of the dessert display, where people could make favor bags to take home as a sweet treat for later.
We splurged on catering, flowers, and our band. People were dancing until 1 am in the morning.
The Refreshments
After passed hors d’oeuvres, we served a formal sit down meal.
We both used to live in Chicago, and as an ode to our former city, we served Garrett’s popcorn as part of our dessert display.
Favourite Moments
My favorite part was walking down the aisle with both of my parents to meet my beaux. Also, what was forcast to be a rainy and uncomfotably hot day, could not have been any different. The weather was absolutely perfect.
It was just magical.
Our advice for other couples? Have fun and let go. It will be the best day of your life.
Isn't it gorgeous? I'm obsessed with Alli's gown (and her fab earrings!), and their choice of venue was so epic!
Thanks so much to Gina from Shi Shi Events, Chris & Julie First of Z Media and of course the wonderful Alli & Marques for sharing their gorgeous art museum wedding with us.
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