1. Real Weddings

A Glamorous Ballroom Wedding at Bakersfield Country Club in Bakersfield, California

Sydnie Hawks (23 and a brand activation manager) and Jarrod Lumpkins (25 and a fitness manager) met at a bar one night in downtown Bakersfield, Califo

Sydnie Hawks (23 and a brand activation manager) and Jarrod Lumpkins (25 and a fitness manager) met at a bar one night in downtown Bakersfield, California. Sydnie offered to buy Jarrod and his friends a drink as a flirtatious act of kindness, and apparently it worked! To celebrate their one-year anniversary, the couple traveled to Coronado Island and took a gondola ride around the area. “In the middle of the ride, Jarrod got down on one knee and told me how he never thought he would be married. As soon as he met me, he knew I was different and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me,” says Sydnie. The couple decided to get married at Bakersfield Country Club, with an outdoor ceremony and an indoor reception. The day’s d?cor went along with the color palette of black and white with accents of cranberry red, inspired by old-fashioned Hollywood glamour. Sydnie wore an altered wedding dress with a lace overlay and thin straps, with a sweetheart cut and a mermaid style train. Complementing the black and white palette, the bridesmaids wore black dresses and an ivory belt with a bow. A unique detail at the wedding was the wedding pamphlet on each seat during the ceremony, which had a seating chart laid out that had every guests name on it.

Round Cut Diamond Engagement Ring
“To make the guests feel special, I included a seating chart with each guest’s name on it, which was printed inside the pamphlet on seats at the ceremony,” says Sydnie. “It was the first time anyone has ever seen that at a wedding.”
Ivory Open-Toed Shoes with Bow
“For the bridesmaids, I wanted something I have never seen in a wedding before and I wanted it to match the theme I was going for,” says Sydnie. “The black v-neck dresses I ended up picking went perfectly. I had the bottom taken in to make it more fitted and I added the ivory belt with the bow to break up the solid black.”
“I always saw myself wearing a sweetheart cut, thin strapped dress with a mermaid style and lace,” says Sydnie. “To find that exact combination, the original dress was completely butchered. I fell in love with the lace but it originally had sleeves and was not backless. I cut off all the extra material and sewed the lace to the slip of the dress, and then I added the straps.”
Ivory Rose Boutonnieres, White Wrap
At Bakersfield Country Club, gold chiavari chairs were organized in rows to face the front of the ceremony space. A grand, elegant fountain decorated with ivory hydrangeas was where the couple got married.
Gold Fountain, Ivory Hydrangea Arrangements
Couple During Ceremony, Falling Rose Petals
Sydnie and Jarrod, Recessional Kiss
Sydnie and Jarrod stood in the middle of their wedding party, who were dressed in black long dresses and black tuxedos for the formal occasion.
Sydnie and Jarrod, Natural Backdrop
The glamorous ballroom reception was held inside Bakersfield Country Club, with black chiavari chairs, white dining tables and lush flower centerpieces. “I am a huge fan of old school Hollywood glamour, so I always envisioned a black and white wedding. The cranberry was added to have an accent color,” says Sydnie.
Dining tables were decorated with tall ivory and red flower centerpieces of roses, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and orchids, arranged inside a black vase.
A mall ivory and red flower centerpiece filled with chrysanthemums, roses and hydrangeas was arranged in a black vase. The table number was in gold ink printed on white stationary with a black border.
In additional to the traditional white wedding cake, macaroons personalized with the couple's first names were served at the reception.
Six-Tiered Elegant Ivory Wedding Cake