In not so recent news, we’re married!!!  We were married on May 30th and had most wonderful wedding day. We can’t even begin to describe how loved we felt. We couldn’t have asked for anything better (okay, maybe a bit less rain?!) and were so happy to have so many friends and family there to celebrate with us.  We still feel pretty speechless when it comes to how we feel about the wedding day and also being married!

 

It was such a great experience getting to be on the other side of things–being a bride myself, planning a wedding, looking for and booking vendors, etc. I love the perspective it has given me and I feel like I’m able to connect so well with clients having just gone through the same thing they’re going through.  It’s all so exciting, but I remember how planning could be a little, well…less than exciting at some points. It’s hard and I remember always searching for resources to help me and point me in the right direction.  We want to share a lot of this experience with you in hopes that it can help you throughout your planning process as well. We aren’t shy, so if you are wondering anything else, don’t hesitate to ask!

 

We’ll touch on other things–like a pie chart of how we chose to spend the money we had budgeted for the wedding, things we wish we would have known before, and even a few things that we would change!  But for now, we want to share the incredible vendors that worked to make our wedding day so wonderful.

THE FRIENDS & FAMILY

Wow!  The people who were there to celebrate with us were also the people who took care of us throughout the entire wedding planning process and on the wedding day (not to mention have been there for us for our entire lives!).  We had an abundance of people asking if they could do anything for us.  We felt so loved and supported.  We didn’t have to worry about a thing!

THE HAIR & MAKEUP

We had Ashley Neu do the girls’ makeup and Dakota Cloud from Nicole Bryan Salon do our hair.  We had worked with both of them before, so I definitely felt confident in our decision.  It wasn’t hard for us to decide to use these wonderful ladies!  I knew they both did a wonderful job and that all of their other clients were beyond happy with their services, too!  They did such a great job and everyone was so happy with what they did!   

THE DRESS

I knew right away that I didn’t want to go dress shopping.  I’m not sure exactly why, but I wanted to skip that aspect.  I had in mind what type of dress I wanted, but couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for.  I contacted Rachel Avail of Avail Co.  inquiring about a custom-made dress.  She got back to me quickly and had the most beautiful sketches that were exactly what I wanted!  I went up to talk with her more about the design and to be sized (she’s in Chicago).  She then sent different fabrics to me to choose from along with the beads and sample design of the belt. I went up again in December to try it on for the first time!  We made a few adjustments and I went back in March to try it on again.  We made a few more tweaks and we picked the dress up the next day.  It was such a fun experience!  I wore a one-of-a-kind dress and I was comfortable the entire day!  It literally felt like wearing pajamas–the material was so soft!  By the end of the night, the entire bottom was wet and dirty–remember how I mentioned the rain??? Yes, there was tons of rain.  All the dirt didn’t come out after two trips to the dry cleaners, but I don’t care one bit.  To me, the dirt at the bottom of the dress is a sign of all the fun I had dancing the night away with everyone I love.  

 

 

THE VENUE

We had our ceremony and reception at Mustard Seed Gardens. The staff at Mustard Seed is mind-blowing.  From the moment we arrived to tour the venue 2 years ago, to the rehearsal, and well past 11 pm on the 30th, these guys were on point.  When we arrived, the owner, Mark talked with me and simply said “This is your day. It’s all about you guys. Let me know what we can do and we will make it happen.”  And that’s exactly how it was.  And Megan, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  You and your team made everything spectacular for us and for that we are so thankful.  I adore you and am so happy I now consider you much more than the event coordinator from our wedding day but more of a college and friend. The beauty of the venue, the wonderful back-up plan (which was used!), the service, and the hospitality was worth every penny and then some.

THE COORDINATOR

Four words: Jessica Dum Wedding Coordination.  Look no further.  Jessica was perfection!  She took care of everything throughout the day and was sure to make the day everything we hoped for.  If I can give you one piece of advice, it’s to hire Jessica to do your day of coordination.  Without her, I would have been frazzled, worried, and anxious.  With her, the day was a breeze and I felt so calm–and for those of you who know me, you know that’s a huge deal! 😉

THE FLORIST

We chose Autumn Keller of ISIBEAL studio to do our florals.  When I met with Autumn, I explained the kind of feel I was going for, but really, I had no true vision for the colors, I had no idea what we should use as the backdrop for our ceremony, and I wasn’t even sure what type of thing I wanted on the tables.  Autumn and I talked–about everything, not just wedding things, and she created something more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.  She got to know me and helped cultivate my vision for my wedding day.  I was blown away by all of it.  And the number one thing I was asked when we were mingling during cocktail hour and the reception was “Who was your florist???” Everyone noticed her attention to detail, unique tablescapes, and of course, the best part (in my opinion)–the arbor!

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

 We chose to have Austin Gros photograph our engagement and wedding photos.  We had followed Austin’s work for years.  He’s an inspiration to us, so to have him along to photograph our own big day was incredible.  He has the best personality and makes all of his clients feel so comfortable!  He’s super fun and of course we love his work.  It was such a neat experience getting to be on the other side of the camera and receive your own wedding photos as a wedding photographer! You can see how great he is from all of the images in this blog post! 🙂  He’s awesome!  Cheers to Austin! 

THE DJ

Ahhhh the DJ!  A week after James and I got engaged we photographed Julie & John’s wedding in Chicago.  When we arrived at The Westin for the reception, we were immediately greeted by the DJ, Nick from MDM Entertainment.  We chatted with him, he was super cool if I must say so myself, and we went on photographing the reception (entrances, toasts, dinner, cake cutting, etc.).  And then…open dancing.  From the moment open dancing started, James and I were chit chatting behind our cameras talking about how much FUN everyone was having and how awesome Nick was doing.  I was mind-blown by his skills and if you know me, you know that I like listening to music, but I know nothing about it.  However, I knew that what Nick was doing wasn’t your typical wedding DJ mixing and playing. He kept the dance floor going all night and everyone was laughing and dancing the entire time.  We knew that night that we were going to email Nick and ask him to come to Indianapolis for our day.  And the rest is history.  He made our day so, so much fun and we are so thankful for him!  If we have to hire a DJ for anything in the future, Nick will be the one without a doubt.  

THE FOOD & DRINKS

James and I knew from the very beginning that we wanted a “different” way of going about dinner.  We decided on food trucks because a.) they’re delicious b.) it would be a fun experience for our guests and c.) it’s something different that most people wouldn’t expect.  We worked with Citizen Hash and Scratch Truck for dinner.  They were wonderful to work with.  They created custom meals for us based on our preferences and their great culinary skill. Everything was outstanding!  The guests loved the experience of the trucks and the food was delicious–very different than the traditional wedding meal, that’s for sure!  We then had Nicey Treat come for dessert. We aren’t huge cake fans, though we did cut one because for some reason I love that tradition, but we opted for a dessert other than cake.  If you’re from around the Indy area and haven’t had Nicey Treat, you MUST make a visit to their shop or find them when they’re out and about with their truck.  The most yummy popsicles ever!  Crush & Brew provided the cocktails and spirits along with fabulous service!  We loved them all and are glad they all worked so hard to keep our bellies full!

 

Additional Vendors & Resources

Emily’s Earrings & Bracelet – Anthropologie

Emily’s Shoes – Kate Spade

Officiant – Alec Tod

Guy’s Attire – J. Crew

Bridesmaid Dresses – J. Crew

Bridesmaid Bracelets – Alex & Ani

Invitations – Jenny Tod

Terrariums – DIY with succulents from Sanpedrocatus