written by Dolly Marshall
Just like a watercolor painting was the sweet pastel garden wedding of Christie and Arik. Accents of pink and blue gorgeously complemented the grounds of this amazing outdoor venue while the bride’s ruffled blush wedding gown enhanced her beauty and seemed to give an almost ethereal quality!
From the photographer, Tami & Ryan Photography: “Christie & Arik’s Loft at Sweet Water County Club Wedding was so perfect! When I first saw Christie’s dress, I gasped at how beautiful it was! All her little details were the perfect additions to complete her look! Right before we left the house to head to the venue, I got some photos of Christie at her piano. She looked so radiant and beautiful. Once we arrived at Sweet Water Country Club, Christie & Arik were SO ready to see each other! She practically ran to him! Sweet Water Country Club has such beautiful grounds! From the beautiful trees to the bridge to the lake… we could have photographed there all day and found new spots over and over!”
How They Met
Arik was working with both of my parents while I was attending college in Pittsburgh. Arik was going to Pittsburgh pretty frequently on business trips, and my mom decided to give him my phone number in case he got too bored out there by himself! It took him a few trips to actually call me, convinced that I wouldn’t really want to and would only hang out with him to be nice but we really hit it off once we got to know each other.
The Proposal
Arik proposed while we were in Universal Studios in Orlando, in front of the Hogwarts castle – our favorite vacation place! He had quite the nerve-wracking time getting the ring through security without me noticing it, but he managed it and pulled it out at the perfect moment.
Wedding Planning
I had the easiest time planning my wedding! My entire family was a massive help, and made everything perfect for me (thanks especiallymom!). Besides a few hiccups my day went perfectly. I only had about 9 months to get everything together, so I definitely had my stressed moments, but it all came together.I had the easiest time planning my wedding! My entire family was a massive help, and made everything perfect for me (thanks especially
The Loft at Sweet Water Country Club
I chose The Loft at Sweetwater Country Club for a few reasons. The outside and inside were both beautiful and I knew I would get amazing pictures. It was also the right size for the number of guests that I was planning on (60). A lot of the venues I was looking at were too big, and I knew that they would feel too empty without 200 people in them. Sweetwater was the perfect size for everyone to be comfortable while still feeling more intimate.
Wedding Inspiration
fun and light-hearted state of mind. I didn’t have any specific inspirations, so I wasn’t set on a specific theme or have a lot concrete ideas. I just kind of pulled together things that I liked. A lot of people told me that I was the easiest bride they ever worked with, as I was very open to my vendor’s ideas and opinions – after all, they are the professionals!
Best Moment
My favorite part of our wedding was dancing with Arik! Arik doesn’t really like to dance, so we took lessons and practiced our routine for about two weeks before the wedding. We got such a great reaction from our guests after the dance that it gave Arik the confidence to dance with me all night, even surprising me with some of his moves! It was wonderful and so much fun, without a doubt the best night of my life.
Wedding Planning Advice
Do what you want! Its your day. People will give you lots of opinions and tell you what you should do, but if its not your vision, a polite “no thank you, I’m actually doing this” is all it takes. At the same time, the day of the wedding you’re not going to even notice little things so don’t worry too much about making everything perfect!
Vendors
“All my vendors were amazing – they all were extremely helpful and reliable. I put my trust in them to help me pick out the best options for my wedding and they came through! A few that I would like to especially thank are Alice at Always Beautiful Floral Design Studio, Tami & Ryan Photography, and Cathy at the Conservatory of Music and Dance. Alice was wonderful, from helping me pick my flowers to working inside my budget so I could have everything I wanted. Tami & Ryan were super reliable and our pictures came out breathtaking. We couldn’t be happier! And Cathy choreographed our whole first dance and taught it to us in just 2 lessons. It was the perfect dance for us and she was so supportive and fun.”
Photography: Tami & Ryan Photography | Venue: The Loft at Sweet Water Country Club | Hair Stylist: Up Your Do | Makeup Artist: Cheekadee Makeup | Bride’s Gown: Stella York | Bridesmaids Attire: Morilee | Groom & Groomsmen Attire/Rentals from: The Country Bride & Gent | Florals: Always Beautiful Floral Design Studio | DJ: VIP DJ Entertainment | Cake: Amy’s Creative Cakes | Invitations: Minted | Transportation: Lazer Limousine | Officiant: Kimberly’s Blessings