Prioritizing Your Wedding "Must Haves" for a Timeless Soiree
It can be difficult to plan a wedding in the age of social media. There are so many voices telling you how to host the perfect wedding, and new “must haves” emerge - what feels like- daily. However, Anne and JC were able to plan the wedding of their dreams by focusing on their wedding priorities, and hiring a team of skilled vendors. The result- as you will see- is a timeless and elegant affair filled with romance and joy!
To counteract the chaos of wedding planning, the first thing that Anne and JC did as a newly betrothed couple was to make a list of their wedding day priorities.
JC and I made a list of the four most important things to us and we prioritized those and then made decisions from there.
The first decision I made was my wedding dress which was elegant and simple and everything kind of went from there.
Anne’s dress helped set the tone and style of her wedding day.
Anne and JC decided on a classic wedding style with white wedding flowers and a traditional church ceremony.
The couple’s second biggest priority was getting married by their priest. Since neither of them lived in Saint Louis, they knew that they would have to work around their priest’s availability.
He only had a few Saturdays he could make it to St. Louis, so that is how we picked our date.
Anne and JC did not want to add a lot of decoration to their ceremony, so they selected St. Anthony of Padua because of the beautiful architecture and majestic embellishments already present in the church.
One of Anne’s favorite floral elements was her timeless white wedding bouquet. She added a modern-touch to this classic look by choosing to keep the stems of the bouquet slightly longer than a traditional bridal bouquet. As a full service event florist, we made sure to adjust the length of the stems when we arrived on-site to ensure that the bridal look was proportionately flawless.
For their third major priority, the couple wanted to accommodate the needs of their out-of-town guests. As a result, they chose to host their reception at Hotel Saint Louis.
We knew that the majority of our guests were coming from out of town so I liked the idea of a hotel venue where people could just go straight to their rooms at the end of the night.
Anne and JC worked with the Belli Fiori Team and their planner, Signed, Sealed and Delivered to craft a romantic reception. Anne’s favorite floral element was the cake flowers. They were a personal favorite of ours, as well!
The Belli Fiori team constructed a floral wreath to fit around the base of Anne and JC’s four-tier cake. Small floral embellishments were placed along the upper tiers to ensure a cohesive and impactful wedding look.
The music was Anne and JC’s final priority. They had people of all ages, so they hired bands that could cater to several genres of music and would ensure their guests had an enjoyable experience. For their cocktail hour, the couple hired the Saint Louis Boogie Brass Band.
[The Saint Louis Boogie Brass Band] played during the cocktail hour and then led JC and I into our first dance. People still tell me [the brass band] was one of their favorite parts of the day!
During the reception, The Patrick Lentz Band kept the party going strong. According to Anne,
Our dance floor was packed the entire night.
Anne and JC had a short engagement, only six months, but Anne loved having all her loved ones in a single place.
I daydream about our wedding all the time. I wasn’t really sure how it was going to all come together but it was perfect!
Anne had this to say for anyone currently planning a wedding,
Planning a wedding in a time where there is so much social media and content to compare your wedding to can be stressful. Just keep reminding yourself what is important, and it is all worth it!
Vendor Love
Photo & Video: The Youngs Photo + Film | Planning & Design: Signed, Sealed, Delivered Events | Venue: Hotel Saint Louis | Ceremony: St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church | Floral & Wedding Design: Belli Fiori Floral & Event Design | Cake Shop: Sarah’s Cake Shop | Rentals: Millennium Productions , Styled + Staged STL, Premier Rentals | Cocktail Band: Saint Louis Boogie Brass Band | Reception Band: Patrick Lentz Band | Hair & Makeup: Jennifer Lynch Makeup + Hair | Gown: Sarah Nouri | Wedding Dress Shop: Mimi's Bridal at Town & Country | Formal Wear: The Black Tux