midwest wedding, Middle of the Map Weddings

It all started with a surprise New Year’s Eve proposal in Chicago with a vintage diamond.  Andy proposed to Heidi with his grandmother’s diamond and a custom made band ten minutes before they were throwing a big New Year’s Eve party.  This particular night and family heirloom helped shape their entire wedding.  From the moment she received the ring, Heidi says she knew she wanted a “vintage romance” themed wedding.

Who, What, Where: Ceremony: St. Helen Church.  Reception: Club at Hillbrook.  Photography: the rad photographer.  Flowers: Burton Floral and Garden.  Cakes: West Side Bakery.  Brides Dress: Monique Lhullier.  Paper Products: Little Miss Press. Etsy vendors: Dandelionland (cake topper), Lo Boheme (bridal hair piece), Embroidery by Linda (hankies), Ao3 Designs (hand bags), Funkyshique (Love banner), Shadowboxer Inc. (Save the Date postcards).

Heidi and Andy wanted their wedding to be green – everything was reduced, reused or recycled in some way.  This was reflected in many purchases Heidi made throughout the year, including the Monique Lhuillier dress she bought from another bride in Minnesota.  Her shoes were Badgley Mischkas, and she had hand bags made for her and her bridesmaids by an Etsy vendor AO3 Designs.

Heidi and Andy searched for reception venues outside Cleveland, Ohio, and the moment they stepped into The Club at Hillbrook, in Chagrin Falls, Heidi says “we were smitten”.  They wanted a winter wonderland wedding, and when visiting Hillbrook, the smell of the wood burning stove and fireplaces made it feel quaint and cozy.

They went with a purple and gold theme, accented by peacock feathers.  Heidi loved the idea that peacocks represent fidelity, immortality and royalty, and wanted these characteristics to be part of their wedding day.

Heidi took on many DIY projects including: stamping hotel bags, candy bar bags, coffee staining and stamping hang tags for labels and escort cards, and browsing antique stores in Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio many weekends throughout the summer for the perfect vintage accessories.  Her mom also made all the cake stands for each individual centerpiece cake, and painted all the table numbers.  Heidi used lots of Etsy vendors products to fill out all the details, and give their reception that hand made touch.

One of Heidi’s favorite details of the day was their wedding stationary:

We also had amazing help from Andy’s friend Lis Moran, a graphic designer in Portland, Oregon, who designed our invitations, menus and programs with a Tudor Rose theme.  Lis led us to Little Miss Press who did the letterpress and calligraphy.  Just stunning invitations and calligraphy!

Heidi also has a few words of advice for brides planning their big day

I read a lot of blogs throughout the planning process and kept hearing each bride say to PLAN AHEAD!  I thought I had done a good job of that until the week of the wedding.  We still had so many little projects to do!  My advice is to plan ahead and make sure you have a vision of the day.  The details are worth it and we received many compliments.  Get your future husband involved in many different ways.  Andy was amazing throughout this entire planning process and really wanted to be involved.  He knew my vision and helped me carry it out.  Engage your family and friends, they will be there for you in the end when you cannot take it all on yourself.  The week of the wedding, my mother, Andy and I finalized each project I had taken on throughout the year.  It was stressful, but so worth it in the end.  It was the wedding of our dreams!

A big thank you to Heidi and Andy for submitting their wedding, and sharing all the lovely details of their day!

Friday, September 9th, 2011, 9:34 am   |   Real Weddings  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback