Soult Studios beautifully captured this endearing day of love, that celebrated one very lovely couple! Lauren and Greg are seemingly fit for one another, you can simply tell by the heartfelt emotion that they display throughout the entire day.
Cescaphe Event Group helped this couple achieve their ‘Great Gatsby’ theme, and the
Cescaphe Ballroom was the perfect backdrop for all of the chic details illustrated throughout their ceremony and reception. Sparkles, feathers, and furs were just a few components that illuminated this wonderful wedding, and all of the elegant details await below!
From the Photographer, Soult Studios: “A beautiful crisp and cold winter day. Pre-bridal and first look photos were done at The Sonesta Philadelphia Downtown hotel. From the moment they saw each other for the first time on the stairway of the hotel Greg could not hold it together. We chose to do photos at the beautiful first national bank in old city Philadelphia. The old cobblestones and beautiful stone made for a wonderful backdrop for the couple and their bridal party. The sun kissed the bride and groom for the last shots of the shoot while they walked hand in hand back to their trolley. When we reached the Cescaphe Ballroom the window light from the cocktail hour room made me want to silhouette them in the gorgeous window. The ceremony was another moment when Greg showed emotion and the two of them couldn’t keep their eyes off each other.”
How They Met:
“Lauren and Gregory met in their first year of law school at Widener University Delaware School of Law.
As luck would have it, Gregory and Lauren were put into the same section of classes, sitting just one seat from one another, three to four nights per week. Between working and going to school at night, it was all business! It wasn’t until Lauren looked to her left during class one night, that she first took notice of Gregory. Come to find out, he had been very aware of Lauren.
One night after class, a group of classmates went out to a local bar (Scrimmages). There, Lauren and Gregory were able to get to know each other better. It was quite obvious to both of them that they had found something special and before long they decided to make their relationship official while overlooking the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia behind the famous Art Museum!”
“Greg could not have planned a more thoughtful proposal on a beautiful day in Long Beach Island.
On our way to dinner on May 30, 2015, Greg said he wanted to make a quick stop to see the new gazebos being built on the beach. Lauren, hair done and high heels on, was reluctant to bare the sand and salty wind! As usual, Greg insisted, and so we made a pit stop. As we walked out onto the gazebo, a red rose, a laptop, and a sign reading “Lauren” sitting on a bench caught our attention.
A note instructed Lauren to open the laptop and press “Play.” As we watched a video, it became clear that Greg had been proposing to Lauren every day for the previous 84 days, by filming himself holding a “Will you marry me?” sign on each day. He compiled the 84 clips, along with some of our favorite memories together. The last slide of the video asked Lauren to turn around where Greg was down on one knee with a beautiful diamond ring! Greg even had a photographer there to capture the special moments!
When we finally did make it to dinner, we were greeted by our closest family and friends to celebrate the first step toward becoming “The Houghs”!”
Wedding Planning Experience:
“A snap shot of our life during the year and a half engagement: Greg and I were both in law school at night and working during the day. I was finishing up my last year and studying for and taking the bar exam in NJ and PA. I was also interviewing and then starting with a new law firm. Our lives were pretty hectic, but planning the wedding for me was a bit of an escape, something fun to break up the seriousness that was our lives at the time. It was difficult at times to plan vendor meetings, but I tried to do as much as I could early on. As mentioned below, I am so grateful to our vendors for not only working with our crazy schedules, but for their patience, support and excitement. It truly made all the difference!”
Wedding Inspiration:
“Since it was NYE weekend in the city we went with a Great Gatsby inspired theme. Black, gold and shades of champagne color scheme with pearls, feathers and sequins wherever possible! The Cescaphe Ballroom was the perfect setting for the Old Glam feeling with beautiful modern touches.”
Best Wedding Memory:
“Both our first look and our ceremony were the most beautiful moments of our wedding day. Seeing each other for the first time before the ceremony gave us the opportunity to spend most of our wedding day together. Our ceremony included a reflection period where we listened to the qualities that each of us admired the most about the other. It was a perfect way to personalize our ceremony without trying to write our own vows, which I am sure we would have sobbed through!”
Wedding Planning Advice:
“Choose your vendors carefully, and trust their judgment! Taking the suggestions, and recommendations of our vendors (and my mother) was a saving grace for me. It can be very overwhelming trying to coordinate so many different pieces so why not leave it to the experts! Also, keep your hubby- to-be involved as much as possible too! Greg enjoyed the planning process, and I was relieved to have him involved when things felt stressful or overwhelming.”
Wedding Vendor Experience:
“All of our vendors were top notch and I would highly recommend any of them! All assisted with decision making while keeping in mind the overall theme and vibe we wanted for our wedding day, in addition to sticking with our budget. All the vendors we chose had a lot of experience in the industry and offered thoughtful advice and suggestions. I am very grateful for the assistance of all our wedding vendors.
We chose Cescaphe Event Group. Greg and I were both so busy that we were attracted to the “one stop shop” that Cescaphe offered. They took care of our ceremony and reception spaces, catering, tables, linens, menu cards, cake, music during cocktail hour and a half, plus we used many of their recommended vendors including Beautiful Blooms, and the Cescaphe Trolley. We knew that Cescaphe is second to none in the city and were so happy with the outcome!”
