Real Weddings: Phil and Cristina, Glendale, Ohio

Phil and Cristina have one of those classic love stories you might see in a romantic comedy these days. Girl meets boy, girl likes boy, they date for awhile, then boy disappears. They re-connect, as friends mind you, and then girl has an epiphany, she loves the boy, and the rest turns out to be history. Something else that really struck me about these two is just how important their faith and presence of God in their relationship is. Here at Middle of the Map I see all kinds of weddings, but for Phil and Cristina their ceremony was super personal, and in all ways an expression of their relationship not only with each other, but also with their faith. They kept things super traditional, Cristina wore a blusher veil, and they didn’t see each other before the ceremony. The bride, an artist herself, says she saw their day as a blank canvas, and wanted to fill it with lots of special details. They chose their venue, the Glendale Lyceum because it felt incredibly romantic, which is exactly the look and feel that Phil and Cristina wanted for their day. A big thank you to Cristina for sharing all the details from their day, and to Jenna Davis for her lovely images.

Who, What, Where ~ Ceremony/Reception: Glendale Lyseum. Photography: Jenna Davis Photography. Flowers: Kroger. Catering: Vonderhaar’s Catering. Cake: Sandy Maffey. Dress: Wendy’s Bridal. Tuxes: President Tuxedo.

From the bride…

Phil and I first started talking online summer of 2007. We attended the same church and he couldn’t help but comment on an opinion I had posted about the nintendo game Mario Cart, which he played avidly in college. Our “everday conversations” through email lasted a little over two months before I asked to meet Phil in person. We went out to dinner on a double date, and we hung out a couple times after that, and then Phil went MIA for 3 weeks! I heard from Phil again in spring of 2008 when he was going through a really rough time with his health, and we hung out strictly as friends. I was working on a bachelor’s degree for Art Education and I would be student teaching at the beginning of the school year. I remember the day my Advisor told me I would be student teaching at Bridgetown Middle School; the same school Phil teaches 8th grade History!! A pivotal moment in our realtionship was the night I went with him to be baptized at the church we attend. It was a really special bonding experience. Almost exactly two years later, Philip asked me to be his wife.

I was especially happy with how the “do it yourself” projects turned out!! Of course, I would have never accomplished it all without the help of my amazing family! The biggest and most rewarding project we tackled was making the wedding invitations I am so glad I decided to take on the challenge. Other projects included: putting glitter on over 100 white pumpkins to use as ‘escort cards’ and decoration throughout the hall; my dad used my grandma’s homemade caramel corn recipe to make one of our two favors (we would make it as a family when we were kids; the best part was shaking the bag of popcorn to coat it with caramel); I made the programs and programs “sleeves”. The beautiful purple pockets that hung from every other chair holding two programs and bubbles to be used at our exit; I was so excited to see that project evolve.

My favorite part of the day was seeing Philip’s reaction as I came down the aisle as he saw me for the first time. I could see the emotion on his face as he processed and took in what was happening. I knew he was extremely nervous but all I saw was joy! The entire night was so much fun, from our bubble exit, to pictures, speeches, our first dance (and lots more dancing).

[Show as slideshow]