05 Feb Stefanie + Michael | B&A Warehouse Wedding
You know when you meet someone for the first time and you click, I mean really click, and you just know you are going to have a great time working for them? That’s how it was when I met Stefanie and her mom. Once this wedding was over, I even hesitated removing the recurring conference call notifications on my calendar. There was one call in particular that I really loved… a Skype session to finalize floral and decor details where CeCe placed her phone with Stefanie live on a tripod at the end of the conference table; still makes me laugh thinking about it!
With every wedding feature I try to share some of my most favorite parts and moments of the day. With Stefanie and Michael’s day, I had a really hard time narrowing it down, but here goes…
It was important to this couple to keep their wedding party small and how they went about that was by limiting their peeps to just family. How great is it to have your two brothers as your Men of Honor? Stefanie and Michael spent a lot of time curating very unique and thoughtful gifts for their wedding party and parents. Stefanie even had a watercolor rendering of the family home done prior to renovations. Just about every wedding I do has a bride’s reveal to her bridesmaids and her dad, but I was over the moon giddy about Michael’s plan to do a reveal to the guys, that and his custom suit… gah! The music chosen for the ceremony was simply beautiful and the pianist from the church played a rendition of “Canon in D” that made me fall in love with the song like never before. You are a genius Ken Watson!
Grab your favorite beverage and take a look at their stunning images from Alisha Crossley Photography. Their wedding feature by Kinora Films is at the end and yep, it’s so good. Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Landes… I miss you both!
Planner:Two Hearts Weddings | Bridesmaids: BHLDN | Bride’s Dress: The White Room | Cakes: Barb’s Cakes | Catering: B&A Warehouse | Florals: CeCe Designs | Groom’s Attire: Enzo Custom | Groomsmen Attire: Menguin | Musicians: Big Bling & The Funk Machine | Photography: Alisha Crossley Photography | Photo Booth: The Flash Bar| Stationery: Fine Paperwork | Stylist: Melissa Moore Bogardus| Transportation: Cline Tours ~ Rare Transportation ~ Over The Mountain Sedan | Venue: Mountain Chapel United Methodist Church | Venue: B&A Warehouse | Videography: Kinora Films
The most surprising thing I learned during planning was…
She says… How much time, effort, creativity, and money is poured into each wedding event. I will be a much more appreciative wedding guest now that I’ve had a chance to see behind the scenes.
He says… I underestimated the number of small details we needed to be aware of and make decisions about. So much goes on behind the scenes that I had never considered before.
The most important thing to remember on your wedding day is…
She says… No matter what happens, whether planned or unplanned, you are marrying the love of your life. We were so lucky to have a wonderful planner and team of vendors, so we got to soak in our wedding weekend without any cares in the world. It was a true gift to be able to focus on our relationship and the shared future we see together instead of worrying about details and to do lists.
He says… It’s important to focus on each other, live in the moment and let everything happen and fall into place as the day goes on. Everything will work itself out, and there’s no time to worry about the details at that point.
My most useful day-of beauty trick was…
She says… I didn’t need many tricks after the beautiful hair and makeup Melissa Bogardus did for me, but I did have two things at the reception I was thankful for. #1: A Colgate Wisp to freshen up after we ate and before we greeted our guests. #2: A designated friend to chase me down and reapply lipstick when needed.
He says… Michael refuses to answer this question. 🙂 I guess he’s just a natural beauty…no tricks needed.
If I could have done something differently, I would have…
She says… I really can’t think of much I would have changed. I could have probably done a better job of writing thank you notes as gifts arrived in order to avoid a long list right after the wedding, but I really can’t complain about that much either.
He says… I can’t think of anything I would have liked to do differently. It was a perfect day.
The best gift we received was…
She says… The love and support from our families, especially our parents, during our entire engagement season and planning process. Everyone was patient with us, made compromises and contributed incredible efforts to make sure we had the best engagement and wedding we could have ever imagined.
He says… The most meaningful gift was our friends and family who traveled to be with us for our wedding weekend. Every one of my friends and family members who came traveled to Birmingham from out of town, and that effort really meant a lot to me.
Our favorite memory from married life so far is…
Both: It’s really special to us to finally be “official” members of each other’s families. Right after the ceremony, Stefanie’s niece and nephew ran out of the church excited to call Michael “Uncle Michael” for the first time. It’s moments like these, appreciating that we’ve doubled our loving parents, siblings, nieces/nephews, aunts, uncles and grandparents that we feel especially lucky to be married.
If marriage could be summed up in one word, it’d be…
Teamwork
