Our Moment
Pop-up weddings cut stress and put the focus back on the couple.
photos by Drzazga Photo // Haus of Cool pop-up wedding // Meagan and Tom Wheeler // Cuyahoga Valley National Park Happy Days Lodge
Jim and Crystal planned a blowout wedding with a huge ceremony and reception — but then 2020 happened.
Like many betrothed couples, they canceled, erasing all of the effort they put toward planning. But they were hoping to start a family and just wanted to be married. As a last-ditch option, they booked a small, preplanned ceremony with Haus of Cool, Ohio’s first pop-up wedding company, and intended to have a large party later. Following the brief ceremony at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in July, their minds changed.
“After, they canceled their 2021 wedding. Crystal and Jim said, This is what we wanted and never knew it’s what we needed,” says owner and founder Kattie Cool. “They had their intimate family, a crazy gorgeous wedding, got married and called it a day.”
Pop-up weddings have been around, but with many couples scrambling in the coronavirus era, they have become a socially distanced way to get married in front of loved ones while still having the flowers, dress and other elements of traditional nuptials. Following a busy 2020, Cool is hosting pop-up weddings this May through December at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Gather at the Lakes in Portage Lakes, and the Madison, Gordon Green and the rooftop Bar 32 at the Hilton, all in Cleveland.
She chats with us about how to determine if a pop-up wedding is right for you, how it works and how you can make it your own.
No Drama
Small pop-up weddings seem built for the pandemic, but Cool says the need for an alternative has always been there. She launched the company in 2018 after struggling to meet her family’s big expectations while planning her wedding.
“I was done. I was tired of everyone dictating my wedding and how it should be,” Cool says. She got a $60 dress, signed up for a day of weddings performed by the justice of the peace on a snowy Valentine’s in Sand Run Metro Park and said I do. “We surprised 12 of our closest family members and friends, and the support was overwhelming,” she says.
She started Haus of Cool to help other couples reclaim their weddings. Too often weddings become about throwing a huge party for appearances, taking months to plan and running up a large bill. Pop-ups allow couples to leave the work to coordinators, shed expectations and just enjoy their big days.
“The focus is 100 percent on the couple — that’s the main purpose of any wedding,” Cool says. “You don’t have to worry and fight.”
A preplanned wedding doesn’t mean sacrificing your vision. Haus of Cool secures the big components: venues, dates and vendors, but couples can add customizations from the songs played to the vows.
“You’re not going to get bored over picking out colored napkins or those small details,” she says. “But you still have control over the most intimate part, which is the ceremony.”
Impact of Small
Having a tiny wedding can be a big adjustment. Haus of Cool weddings have 10 to 45 guests and account for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s coronavirus guidelines. Cutting the list is doable once you factor in only those you are closest to and let go of the need to include every acquaintance.
“The beautiful thing is the people they invite are the people that they talk to on a daily basis or see weekly,” Cool says. Those who still want to be a part of it might be able to view a Zoom of the wedding.
Having a pop-up wedding also means committing to a tight time frame. Couples choose from time slots and affordable packages that start with one-hour ceremonies. That encompasses getting ready on-site, seating guests, doing the ceremony and taking photos, but how you divide the time is up to you. Cool’s staffers run logistics, sanitize everything and enforce social distancing and mask guidelines.
Each venue is pre-decorated, and Cool teases the look with a mood board. Her style leans toward boho. For example, past park ceremonies were performed in front of blush and tulle streamers hanging from a leafy tree, a rustic tree branch arch decorated with flowers and a cream tent with geometric wooden columns and greenery. She also provides bouquets and boutonnieres to match.
“Our weddings are share-worthy photos,” Cool says. “You’re not going to miss that.”
Most couples host a small reception at someone’s house or a private room at a restaurant. But for those who don’t want to plan that, Cool also does micro weddings that are two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours and include a mini reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, a cake and music.
With unknowns looming, pop-ups are a stress-free way to have a beautiful wedding.
“People worry about being judged for doing something nontraditional. But once you let go, it’s smooth sailing,” Cool says. “That’s the best thing you could ask for any couple who’s engaged — having time to focus on you two.”
For more info, visit hausofcool.us.
Love finds a Way: Spontaneous nuptials save the day.
Adrianne + Carlos Johnson
photographer: Rosemarie Tylicki // Darling Rose Photography darlingrosephoto.com
Having a wedding is possible despite today’s obstacles. From a brewery to a park lodge, these couples opted for creative pop-up ceremonies.
Adrianne Johnson and Carlos Johnson saying I do was more than a decade coming. In 2010, they were both freshmen at Miami University, and Adrianne’s family was helping her move into her dorm. Carlos knew Adrianne’s roommate, so he stopped by to say hi. It was then that he knew she was the one.
“I saw her and I was like, Wow,” he says. “She probably didn’t know it at that point, but I do.”
The Solon residents began seriously dating three years later, and they’ve been together since. The day after Christmas in 2019, Carlos proposed to an ecstatic Adrianne during a family photo shoot. “You just get comfortable with someone every day and you’re just like, I can do this forever,” she says.
Surrounded by 16 loved ones on Nov. 7, they tied the knot in a Haus of Cool pop-up ceremony at Happy Days Lodge in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and celebrated with a small reception at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse in Beachwood.
From the Bride
- Seasonal Affair: We got lucky because it was Nov. 7, and it was 70 degrees and sunny, so we were able to have our wedding outside. … Fall is my favorite season. The leaves were turning, and you could see that coming through in the pictures. It matched my bouquet perfectly.
- Lucky Pick: I didn’t go trying on dresses, because I had two months to find a dress. I wanted something white, off the shoulder [and] fitted. I was just searching online. I took a gamble and ordered a dress. … I loved it when I put it on. I added the belt and veil to make it a little more formal and give the whole “here comes the bride” kind of thing.
- Perfect Playlist: I walked down the aisle to John Legend’s “So High,” and then after the officiant announced us husband and wife, we played Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time.” ... We thought “Remember the Time” kind of fit, ‘cause we’ve known each other for so long.
- No More Waiting: It’s really uncertain about what the future is gonna look like. It was either do this smaller wedding or wait another year or two. … Bigger wasn’t our thing. We wanted to get married and just celebrate. … The most memorable part was having everybody together to see us get married, ‘cause we’ve been together for a long time. So to have our closest friends and family there to celebrate with us was great.
From the Groom
- Favorites Game: We chose the music, the cake flavor … how you want to do the ceremony. But we kept it traditional. ... [Did we] put the cake in each other’s face? No. [laughs] We didn’t do that tradition, I guess.
- First Glance: It was a good memory. She came out, down the aisle, and she was looking really, really stunning.
Mindy + Scott Miller
photographer: Brittaney Huff // Britt Huff Photography britthuffphotography.com
A picture of alpacas set Mindy Hiner and Scott Miller’s wedding date in stone before there was even a ring on her finger. A family friend sent them a link to pop-up wedding company Haus of Cool with event photos featuring the fuzzy animals — Mindy’s favorite — and it was everything the Massillon couple envisioned. “We talked about a wedding but never put anything into motion,” Scott says. “I’m like, Go ahead and book it. I should probably get a ring, huh? We do everything backward.”
That laid-back approach fits the duo who met on Bumble, quickly felt a love connection and have a 10-year-old son, Kayden. After booking the wedding in May, Scott proposed to Mindy — with a ring — on a low-key June afternoon hanging out with their dogs, Skyy and Soujella, in their backyard. On Halloween 2020, the pair of beer connoisseurs made it official in front of 40 close friends and family members with a ceremony at R. Shea Brewing in Canal Place and a reception at 797 Residence & Suites in Akron featuring appetizers, dancing and drinks.
From the Groom
- Into the Woods: You walked through the spooky forest in the basement of R. Shea, fog machine running. She had a live orchestra duo playing eerie music. It was dark and spooky — the opposite of the big church in bright light. [It] wasn’t a cookie-cutter wedding.
- What’s This? We wanted vows that are nontraditional. The first thing that came to mind was the “Corpse Bride,” which is [a counterpart] to “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Because it was a Halloween wedding, it fit. A couple of friends caught on to it. Most of our older relatives, it was over their heads.
- The Walk: It was breathtaking. They had her way back from where we were. She went underneath string lights, all of that before she got to the aisle. There was a ton of suspense and anticipation because of how long the walk was.
From the Bride
- Through Her Eyes: My son walked me down the aisle to “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. They played the violin and cello. It was beautiful. [I was] pregnant as well, so I was very emotional. That experience, with him walking me down the aisle, I’ll never forget.
- Finally: One of my dreams [was] to get married with alpacas. I had a serious obsession with them. After the ceremony, we took our son and our flower girl out. We got to feed them, got some pictures. It was pretty cool. That was my first experience around them.
- No Planning is the Plan: I’m kind of a perfectionist. I would have been very stressed out, honestly. Walking in and seeing everything Kattie put together … and knowing it’s your wedding day, it’s an amazing feeling. You didn’t have to worry. I wouldn’t change anything.
Nichelle + Keith Lewis
photographer: Nikki Moore // J+N Photography jplusnphotography.com
College sweethearts Nichelle Travis and Keith Lewis dreamt of a destination wedding that would bring their long-distance relatives to one place. But after Keith proposed on Thanksgiving 2019 in front of family and friends, travel became out of the question with the coronavirus. So they set their sights on another wish: They wanted to be married on July 18 or July 21, the days before and after their parents were married. Nichelle happened to see a TV ad for Haus of Cool pop-up weddings, and when she found an opening for July 18, it felt meant to be.
Nichelle and Keith were married in a traditional outdoor ceremony at Happy Days Lodge in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, officiated by Nichelle’s cousin, before their parents, siblings, close friends and their 12-year-old daughter, Kaylin. They celebrated with an intimate reception at Second Stage Events in Woodmere.
From the Bride
- Faith First: The must-have for us was we wanted [the ceremony] to be very Christ-centered because that is important in both of our lives. That’s been something that’s been a constant in our relationship. So, saying the traditional vows before God was one of the things that we both required in our ceremony. It was traditional, but then it had a couple of unique angles.
- Family Values: When my husband and I bought our wedding bands, he decided that he wanted to get a ring for our daughter. After we exchanged our vows, my cousin had my daughter come up and we, in a sense, exchanged vows with our daughter and said, With this ring, we thee parent, [and] we made a commitment to parent to the best of our ability.
- Here She Comes: My husband is not a very emotional person. He did cry. It let me know that he was excited about the day. Just seeing the reaction on his face let me know that he was happy.
- Outfit Change: My mom picked out my dress. When I put it on, I wasn’t like 100 percent sold, and then we added the bling to it. ... I had a moment where I got teary-eyed, and I was like, OK, yeah, maybe this is my dress.
- Heartfelt Lyrics: The song that we left to after we were married was something both of us liked. … [It’s] called “The Matrimony” by Wale. It speaks to the challenges that you have in a relationship, and then you get to this point where you’re getting married and starting a new challenge because you’re starting a whole new walk of life. It is a song both my husband and I really enjoy. The words resonate with both of us.