To Have and To Hold
Danielle and Bobby Myers
Photos by Shane Wynn Photography
“I Dos”: Sept. 21, 2013. The wedding ceremony took place at St. John St. Paul, and the reception was at Portage Country Club.
Highlight of the day: The pastor had just pronounced us as man and wife. We walked down the aisle and escaped for a few minutes into a secluded hallway. We were able to just smile, relax and let what had just happened wash over us. We laughed and took a few “selfies” to post to Instagram.
Biggest hit: We hired a barista to make custom lattes and espresso drinks, and we had lounge areas set up with couches where our guests could congregate. Outside, we set up a fire pit and a s’mores bar. People are still telling us how much they enjoyed it.
The dress: The first time I saw it, I was immediately drawn to it, and once I tried it on, I actually felt like a bride. It was ivory taffeta with a draped bodice, natural waist and ball gown skirt with hand-pleated floral detail.
Then there was the price tag …ouch. But there were members of both our families that knew the importance of loving your wedding dress. With their help, I was able to get the dress of my dreams.
If the shoe fits: I love sandals, so obviously I had to wear sandals on my wedding day. They were a light beige color with a rhinestone bow. I even had a sixpence coin from England fastened onto my left sandal for good luck.
First dance: We chose “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” for our first dance. We both love all things Disney, and it was just one of those songs that jumped out at us.
Kids at the wedding (cute or chaos?): Both! We did have kids at our wedding, and although they were cute to begin with, as the night wore on the cuteness melted into chaos. It helps to have activities that will keep them occupied. So many people that are important in both of our lives have kids, and many of the kids are also very special to us. We wanted to share our day with them too.
The cake: I work at a bakery and love all things sweet so naturally, I couldn’t decide on just one flavor or design. In the end we had five cakes: chocolate with peanut butter, white with raspberry, carrot with cream cheese, almond with amaretto and banana with ganache, and all were frosted in various shades of ivory buttercream. The designs included ruffles, spackling, sprinkles, silver leaf and fondant flowers.
Bridezilla moment: [The hardest part in planning the wedding was] time management. There are so many small tasks that we convinced ourselves would only take a short while to accomplish, but we couldn’t have been more wrong. Even the smallest tasks wound up taking much longer than we had anticipated.
Words of advice: Don’t try to do too much. It’s okay to save a few bucks by doing some things yourself. Don’t underestimate the importance of great pictures. Also, it’s so important in the days leading up to your wedding to stop and reflect on why you’re marrying the person you are marrying. It’s so easy to get bogged down with tasks that you might begin to forget what’s most important. Looking back, our wedding was special but it was just a day. What’s most important to us is our commitment to one another and our lives together.
Nicole and Aaron Pose
Photos by Nathan Migal, Imagen Photography
“I Dos”: Sept. 21, 2013. The wedding ceremony took place at Church of the Savior in Canton, and the reception was at the Canton Cultural Center for the Arts.
Highlight of the day: It rained all morning long but during the ceremony, the clouds parted, and by the time we walked up the aisle together and out of the church, it was the perfect, sunny day.
Bridezilla moment: Planning from a distance. We both grew up in Canton, but live in Houston, Texas. We were very lucky to have supportive family members who did all of the work that had to be done in Ohio.
Biggest hit: Aaron made the decision early on that he wanted to have a band at the reception, and it was the best thing we could have done. We hired the Grand Avenue Band, and they were incredibly talented!
The dress: My dress was from Kenneth Winston. I found it in Houston but purchased it at Henri’s Cloud Nine in Minerva. I tried on tons of dresses in every style, but when I put this one on, I really felt like a bride. It had a sweetheart neckline and lace all along the bottom.
If the shoe fits: I loved my wedding shoes and never wanted to take them off.
First dance: Our first dance was to Michael Bublé’s “Hold On.” We’re both fans of his songs and just felt that it fit our personality as a couple.
Kids at the wedding (cute or chaos?): There was never a question about having kids at the wedding. We love our family and wanted everyone to be involved. They all had a lot of fun dancing!
The cake: Our cake had many tiers with multiple flavors, but all had a buttercream icing. Half of the tiers were decorated with rosettes [Roses were our wedding theme] and the other half were sprinkled sugar. The cake was made by “& Eat It Too” from Canton.
The favors: Our favors were chocolate roses. Aaron’s mother Melissa made all of them and did a fabulous job! They were wrapped in ribbon with our names and the wedding date on them.
Words of advice: Do not be afraid of DIY, if you have the time. You can save a lot of money and come out of the experience with a brand new set of skills. Also, details matter: People remember the little extra things that you do.
What made your day unique: There were many details that added to the day. At the ceremony, Aaron’s talented cousins sang beautifully. At cocktail hour, we had a special drink created by Aaron’s sister, Adrianne Rose. At the reception, our cookie table was four tables long, and our friends and family members all contributed to make it special. My sister and maid of honor Beth Little and father Dana Little both gave lovely toasts that made me cry. The entire day was very special.
Emily and John McGroarty
Photos by Shane Wynn Photography
“I Dos”: Sept. 14, 2013. The wedding ceremony took place at St. Barnabas Church, and the reception was at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens.
Highlight of the day: Simply having the people we love most together with us to celebrate our big day.
Bridezilla moment: [The hardest part], I think, was figuring out the vendors. Once that was set, it was pretty smooth.
Biggest hit: One thing that was unique about our wedding was that one of my bridesmaids, Katie Wojno, gave a hula-hoop interpretative dance performance at the reception. It was beautiful, and the guests really enjoyed the entertainment.
The dress: I wore a vintage lace, sweetheart-cut dress.
If the shoe fits: My bridesmaids and I all wore Tom’s (shoes) for the occasion; we wanted happy feet.
The vows: We used traditional vows that the church provided.
First dance: We danced to a Grateful Dead song, “They Love Each Other.”
Kids at the wedding (cute or chaos?): The kids were very cute. We had a ringbearer and flower girl so they were excited to be there and got the other kids on board.
The cake: We did something a little different than the traditional wedding cake. We
decided to have petit fours on a tier like a cake.
As a child I always loved petit fours, and since I was little, my mom wanted to do that for my wedding cake.
The favors: One of my best friends died a couple years back, and a foundation was set up in her name. In lieu of a wedding favor, we decided to donate money to her foundation.
What made your day unique: Our big day was unique because it was simply a celebration. It was very laid back, comfortable and fun for me, John and our guests. The fact that we didn’t get held up on all the silly details of a wedding — and just made the day a true celebration — made our big day extra special.
/ Writer Caitlyn Callahan is a senior at KSU working on her bachelor’s in magazine journalism.
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