If I could pick one single word to sum up Susan and Jason’s wedding it would be classic. From the gorgeous white bouquet, to the beautiful bride and her lace dress, the beautiful monogrammed cake, and the elegant gold and white reception decor, everything about it seems timeless and romantic. Susan says she had always dreamed of getting married, playing dress up, and planning her special day. Fortunately for her her older brother introduced her to Jason, and the rest is history. A big thank you to Susan for sharing all the amazing details of the day!
Who, What, Where ~ Ceremony: Salem in Ladue United Methodist Church. Reception: Greenbriar Hills Country Club. Photography: Timothy Pastor, Artisan Photography. Floral Design: Bloomin’ Buckets. Wedding Invitations and all Printed Materials: Courtney Callahan Paper. Day of Coordinator: Mary Lou Willbrand. Makeup: D’Shannon Llewellyn. Hair: Minerva O’Toole. Chair and Charger Rentals: Weinhardt Party Rental. Linen Rental: BBJ Linen. Wedding Cake: McArthur’s Bakery. Wedding Gown: Lazaro from Maiden Voyage Bridal. Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade. Bridesmaid Dresses and Necklaces: J.Crew. Groom’s Bow Tie: Brooks Brothers.
Even more loveliness…
From the bride, Susan…
A formal yet fun tone was set for our wedding starting with our engagement. Jason enlisted the help of our dear friend and incredibly talented stationer, Courtney Callahan of Courtney Callahan Paper. She designed a heartfelt invitation that I found in our mailbox from Jason inviting me to a “celebration of our love…past, present and future”. After an amazing engagement weekend last July, the wedding planning began!
We both grew up in Missouri and knew the wedding would be in my hometown of St. Louis. My parents joined Greenbriar Hills Country Club the year I was born, it is such a special place to us and there was never a question that it would be our reception site.
To add to the magic of the ceremony, my oldest and closest friend Shannon and her husband Garrett sang a duet of One Hand, One Heart as we lit the Unity Candle. It was the most beautiful and breathtaking thing I have ever heard, I get teary eyed just thinking about how amazing they sounded (they have both sung professionally). We chose the song because our wedding date was my aunt and uncle’s 40th wedding anniversary and they had One Hand, One Heart at their wedding. It was a meaningful and special moment in so many ways!
With an April wedding date we had an array of gorgeous spring flowers to choose from. My vision was for a very romantic, elegant yet warm candlelit reception. I wanted lots of white flowers but left the rest of the creative decisions up to genius floral designer Barb Wehking of Bloomin’ Buckets. My bouquet was filled with fragrant peonies, gardenias, English garden roses and stephanotis.
Both of my grandmother’s are no longer with us, but it was important that they be a part of our wedding. Both had impeccable class and style so it was easy to incorporate their chic vintage pieces. I wore one grandmother’s broach as a hair piece and carried her hand beaded pearl clutch. And due to the unusually cool April temps, I wore my other grandma’s silver fox stole to keep me warm! Additionally, my mom and her sister’s all wore the same veil of handmade Belgium lace at their weddings. It had become too fragile for me to wear so we used it as an overlay on the cake table. It stood out beautifully against the federal blue linen and provided a focal point as guests entered the dining room. Another touch of family sentiment came with Jason’s mom and her siblings surprised him by singing an incredible a cappella prayer before dinner.
Since Courtney Callahan Paper did such a fabulous job on the engagement piece, we hired her to design our custom save the date and invitation suite. She completely understood our vision and helped bring a modern twist to our traditional wedding. The paper details on our wedding day matched our invitation perfectly. She created a custom monogram and flourish that were used throughout from the programs to the menus to the signage around the reception. Other touches included monogrammed cocktail napkins and guest towels, Mr. and Mrs. signs tied to our chairs, place cards, a Thank You banner, Sparkler Sendoff and Guest Book signs and kitschy late night food labels.
Looking back now, the day brings a huge smile to my face and will continue to do so for a lifetime. It was filled with love, elegance, unimaginable joy and most of all FUN! It was an amazing celebration that represented Jason and me perfectly.
