Woo hoo! It's the weekend! I was just thinking today that a year ago Alex and I were on the beaches of Punta Cana relaxing and enjoying the sun! So today I plan on heading to our backyard "beach" and enjoying some (sunscreen protected) rays! I'm reading a fabulous book, and I can't wait to tell ya'll about it when I'm done!
So today is our last wedding themed post! Woo hoo...I'm even getting a little tired of all of the details, but I know I will happy I did this! One of the big reasons I wanted to do this blog, was to have a way to journal our lives and remember all of the fun details while I do!
So yesterday you heard all about our wedding venue, and today I've got lots of fun pictures of how the reception went down!
I wanted to start off with our a shout out to all of our vendors! We had the most perfect and relaxed day because we had vendors we trusted! They were ALL fabulous, and I would trust them again without hesitation!
Venue/Catering- The Bell Event Center
Photography- Amanda Mera of Sunny Studios
Videography- Matt Pine and his Studs of Lifetime Video
Florist- Katie Elfers of Inspired Floral Design
Dresses (Bride, Bridesmaids, Mothers)- Fabulous Bridal
Entertainment/Lighting- Daniel Blevins of CSC Special Events
Cake- Tracy Bellman of Tre Belle Cakes
Invitations, Programs, Escort cards, Menu Cards- M. Hopple & Company
Linens (We bought our linens because renting was double the price!)- Tablecloths Factory
So now...back to the reception. We started out with a cocktail hour in the courtyard! We didn't partake in this, because we were taking family pictures and relaxing a bit before we danced the night away!
This is the courtyard...it really reminded us of our studying abroad in Europe, so we fell in love! There were lots of munchies during this time and wine and beer (of course!)
Alex absolutely LOVES Celtic music, so we had a bagpiper play for a little bit during the cocktail hour.
We didn't really see the need in a guest book, so we did a little tree for people to write well wishes on! People answered the following sentence..." Alex and Lelia, Always Remember..."
We got some...interesting answers and some really sweet answers!
The tree! Love me some Katie Elfers from Inspired Floral Design
Some of the yummies were passed around too! Delicious!
We also had a caricature artist do caricatures for our guests! It was so fun to see people getting theirs done!
We also wanted to honor Alex's family business, National Band and Tag (where Alex's is their technology guy now!) They make identification tags (probably your dog's tag) so we had tags made with our monogram on it to be used as wine tags! Again, trying to make our wedding as personal as possible.
As people entered the reception, they got their escort card which was in these cute little envelopes. How precious are those little babies? We wanted our reception to feel formal because our venue was pretty formal and we were having a plated dinner. I personally feel that doing this helps your guests feel more comfortable. It shows them that we took the time to think about who they would want to have dinner with, and take the time to work it all out (and let me tell you...it look quite a while to get that all worked out!) Do I feel this necessary for every wedding? No. But even if we were having a backyard wedding, I would probably do the same. I just feel that it makes the whole event run smoothly.
Now for all of the little details!
Our beautiful cake! Every layer was a different flavor, and we even had sheet cakes in the back because we had so many people (around 270 I think)
Candle light was the main event here, so we didn't want to spend tons of florals. I loved the simplicity of these, and think that the spot lights on them made them pop!
Our menu cards...Looking back, I probably would have done black napkins so the menu cards popped more...but oh well!
The bridesmaid bouquets were put on the head tables after the ceremony. We did a "Mickey Mouse" style table where we had a sweetheart table and two big tables all together. That way we could actually talk with our family!
My bouquet!
Like I said yesterday, The Bell is in fact a bell and clock museum. So instead of them being eye sores, our lighting guy pin spotted them and BAM...they're works of art!
We decided to display our family wedding dresses! This is my sister's wedding dress (look at those sleeves!) and my flower girl dress from her wedding!
Alex's mom and grandmother's dress.
My mom's wedding dress.
We also decided to do a Meet The Men/Meet The Maids table. It just just a fun way to honor our bridal party and give something for our non-dancing guests to do.
Look at those candles! Amazing!
Now on to pictures of the actual reception!
Yes, he does have a Mohawk...and sunglasses! I'm telling you...they stole the show!
We did something that our DJ suggested, that made a lot of sense! When we all entered the reception, the bridal party stood up there for a moment so everyone could get a good picture of everyone. Took about 1 minute, and everyone got their picture! Thanks Daniel!
Toasts...
Mmmm....cake...
And our first dance! We danced to "Everything" by Michael Buble and actually took dance lessons! Loved it that Wendel would do that for me!
This picture makes us laugh! I have no clue why or how I made that face!
Instead of a typical Father/Daughter dance, I did a "Man of my life" dance because I have so many men in my life that matter!
And the Mother/Son dance.
Let the party begin!
Such a sweet, precious picture!
I love this shot of everyone from the balcony of the church. Our DJ said that "if people are dancing not just on the dance floor but all over the church, I've done by job!" Mission accomplished.
I just think this is hilarious because I'm blind folding him...he's already facing backwards! It seemed like the right thing at the time!
Alex's cousin is a pretty legit magician, so he stole us away for a moment to do something special for us! He's the best!
And it's time to go! We were supposed to do sparklers, but there was lightning. So we decided to not electrocute our guests and they just took TONS of the lights from inside and put them all over the court yard! Amazing!
Our get away car and that stunning Cincinnati backdrop! We adore our city!
And we're off to Punta Cana!
Okay, so I only have a few tips when it comes to your reception...they are short and sweet!
1. Like I've said a million times...make it your own! Add details that show your guests who you truly are!
2. Have a blast and soak it up! Don't stress about everything...but enjoy your dreams finally coming true!
I hope I haven't completely bored you with all of our wedding details! Stay tuned to next week for lots of DIY home projects were working on and some of our dreams for this house of ours!
For more from our wedding, check out the following links:
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