Trent and Whittney had an eclectic and elegant wedding, inspired by the bride’s obsession with Walt Disney. The bride wore a stunning black gown and her bridesmaids were all in different coloured dresses. Trent and his attendants all wore smart grey. This juxtaposition made for some stunning photographs! They were married at Lemp Grand Hall in St. Louis, Missouri.
“The number one most important thing to us was that people had fun”, began the bride. “We started with that premise and worked from there. Once we designed a ceremony and reception timeline that we thought accomplished that goal (key: 6 hour open bar), we moved on to aesthetics.”
“My uncle makes signage for a living, so there were personalized touches throughout the wedding venue. My mom really helped with the styling of everything. She took my personal style and ran with it, putting beautiful mix and match details throughout the wedding venue, and weaving in nods to my obsession with Disney.”
“She put together all of the flower arrangements herself, and found every table decoration at an estate sale or flea market. She gathered TONS of antique and vintage silver pieces to decorate the tables and use throughout the venue. The backdrop for the ceremony was built by my father and was hung with mirrors, including the central mirror which belonged to my maternal grandparents.”
“The guestbook table was actually a piece of heirloom furniture from my family – an antique post office which came from the closing of an old lumber yard. My mom personified the DIY in our wedding!”
Whittney’s dress was not a typical wedding dress, it was a black polka dot gown by Teri Jon. “I knew I absolutely did not want a wedding gown for a number of reasons”, she continued. “White is not a flattering color on me with my build and skin tone, wedding dresses almost always end up all looking the same and the history of why the bride wears a white dress makes me want to yack. I didn’t know what I would end up with and was open to almost anything as long as it felt right. Black is my favorite color and polka dots are my favorite print so when I tried this dress on it was just fate.”
“I also knew I didn’t want to carry a flower bouquet” she continued, “I don’t really like flowers! I have always been in love with brooch bouquets, but was frightened away by their high price tag. So when my mom volunteered to find the brooches and assemble five bouquets for me and my bridesmaids, it was like a dream come true.”
“My favorite part of the wedding was all the personal touches, time, and effort that my mom put into creating the perfect day for us. All of the decorations were hand picked or hand made by my family.”
“The fact that we made it a celebration of our already existing commitment for one another, as opposed to a ceremony to memorialize it, my my highlight”, took over the groom. “We didn’t submit to the traditions of a typical wedding. It was all about creating the lasting memory of a perfect party with friends and family.”
“Do WHATEVER you want!” they concluded in agreement. “We think the bouquet toss and garter toss are at best stupid, at worst skeevy and offensive, so we didn’t do it. We hate wedding cake, so we served pie. Whittney hates wedding dresses, so she didn’t wear one. Trent loves cigars, so we chose a location with a patio and served cigars – second hand smoke be damned! We hate neckties, so Trent and his groomsmen didn’t wear them. We love hip-hop and hate when it’s edited, so we played the songs as written, every f-bomb intact for Grandma to hear. We could go on and on. Remember, this is YOUR day. If you are having the time of your life, anyone who loves you will see that and not once judge you for your decisions. So do it your way.”
The Gallery
Suppliers
- Photography: Hawes Photography
- Venue: Lemp Grand Hall
- Bride's Dress: Teri Jon
- Bride's Shoes: Jimmy Choo
- Make Up: Studio Branca
- Groom's Attire: Tommy Hilfiger
- Pie Bar: Eliza Mary Bakes
- Flowers: DIY
- Stationery: Sarah Zero
- DJ: Complete Music DJ Service