Wedding Inspiration:
“We envisioned a day where all our family and friends could come together to celebrate our love; a ”very West Chester Wedding”, centered around the town that we call our home. We love everything about this town and we wanted to share that with our favorite people. We wanted a day that represented us as individuals and as a couple. Effortless elegance was the feel we were striving for. A silk wedding gown, the navy shawl collar tux, the history of the old courthouse, and the ambiance of Faunbrook all fell perfectly into place.
Favorite Memory:
“Of course our top favorite moment was when I started walking down the aisle in West Chester’s Historic courthouse. Surrounded by dark stained wood, huge stained glass windows, and our closest family and friends. Its a feeling that is never forgotten.
But, there were so many moments that were so special to us! Every time we hear Garth Brooks “Friends in Low Places” Cody reminds me that his favorite part of the entire wedding, was both of our families, joined in a circle, arms around each other, belting out every word. For us, it was absolutely the epitome of our families coming together.”
“I’ll admit, my gown was also one of my favorite parts of the day. A Nicole Miller gown, pure ivory silk, simple and elegant, with a large bow at the lower back. Who needs a train when you have a bow?! I absolutely loved my dress and would wear it every day if it was socially acceptable.”
“Our color palette was navy, black and blush. Classic but soft and inviting. We wanted our guests to walk into our wedding and feel surrounded by beautiful touches. From the gold flatware to the sprigs of soft pink florals, the style of our wedding was found in the details. We loved all the little things. We have always found joy in the little things throughout our relationship, and our wedding was no different.”
“Also, we love to dress up. Who doesn’t love to put on fancy clothes and pretend like you own the town?? We took full advantage of this on our wedding day. From pretty shoes to one of a kind vignettes from Modern Relics, we dressed up every aspect of our day.”
For DIYs and Special Pieces:
“Our number one favorite DIY of our wedding day was the drawings that served as table names. We picked 8 locations that helped shape Cody and I’s relationship. And, Cody is lucky enough to have an amazingly talented mother, who made charcoal drawings of each place. For example, Cody and I’s sweetheart table was named “City Hall”. City Hall in Philadelphia is where Cody proposed. These charcoals now hang in our home and are such a special reminder of our favorite day.
Personally, I also loved our menu cards. Each menu card had a navy ribbon held together with a gold wax seal, with the letter J. Again, we loved dressing up every detail. It took many hours with a hot glue gun and a stamp to make those happen, but it was far worth the feeling of being king and queen for a day.
All of our special pieces from Modern Relics, were also an absolute favorite. The black tufted leather bar that we had placed out on the patio for our cigar bar, was one of the most popular spots throughout the evening. Angela from Modern Relics did such an amazing job bringing our vision, and the beauty of Faunbrook, to life.
“We tried our best to keep things simple and classic, but with an understated elegance. We also tried our best to use as many local vendors as possible. My flowers were from a small family owned greenhouse in Avondale, PA. The large white calla lilies the brides maids held, we simply unbelievable. The bright white flower and long green stems were perfect against the blush dresses.”
“Our cake was from Yori’s bakery. It was funfetti (per the groom’s request!) and cream cheese icing (per the bride’s favorite!). We both got a little of what we wanted. It was a “naked cake”, just enough icing between the layers, and was beautifully adorned with the same flowers that scattered our dining tables.”
Wedding Advice:
“Make every aspect of your wedding day about you. The day goes fast, but every detail and every minute of planning is worth it. Surround yourself with caterers, photographers and stylists that you enjoy being around. Every vendor we worked with, by the end, turned into our friends. Things will go wrong. There will be hiccups. But if you work with the right people, you’ll be able to laugh it off and focus on all the things that worked out beautifully. It’s your wedding day. No matter what, when you look back, it will be perfectly yours.
A message from the groom- it is important to take immediate family into consideration on this day, but in the grand scheme of things, this is about you. Do nothing you don’t want to, be selfish, and don’t sacrifice a single thing. You’ve got the rest of your life to make up for not using your mother-in-law’s favorite flowers as the center piece, but you (hopefully) only get to do this once.”
Vendors | Photography: Alexandra Whitney Living | Ceremony Venue: West Chester Historic Courthouse | Reception Venue: Faunbrook Bed & Breakfast | Floral/Decor: Rosazza’s Greenhouses | Dress Shop/Dress Designer: Nicole Miller | Catering: Limoncello | Cake/Bakery: Yori’s Bakery | DJ/Band: Adam J Weiner | Rentals/Stylist: Modern Relics