A Modern Black-and-White Wedding in Downtown Kansas City at Magnolia Venue and Urban Garden

Hunter and Jonathan's black-tie wedding celebration at Magnolia Venue and Urban Garden was one for the books, but it was actually the couple's second celebration of their marriage. "We actually split our 'big day; into two big days," says Hunter. "We had a small courthouse wedding and barbecue that was just families and closest friends and then a larger celebration a couple of months later. The intimacy of our wedding day was exactly what we both wanted, being surrounded by the people that supported us. For our reception, I am from a large family and a small town and knew that I wanted to have a big celebration. We both pictured an elegant evening in the city under candlelight and our venue helped us pull that off. I originally wanted to go full formal black tie, including guests but realized that may not be realistic. However, we were still able to execute a very decadent night. Our reception was in December so I wanted to take advantage of what would be available during that season. We picked the colors of black, white, hunter green and gold. Our goal was an intimate evening and I think we successfully pulled it off." 

The couple's industrial wedding venue, complete with exposed brick, informed much of the event's design. "Our venue was absolutely gorgeous and I wanted to make sure that our decorations and decor accented it and didn't overpower it," explains Hunter. "We had towering windows, beautiful exposed brick, and insanely beautiful Art Deco chandeliers throughout the space. We chose simple white tablecloths that were lined with winter greenery, gold candlesticks with black tapers and other black-and-gold accents. Our head table was a rustic wood table that featured the same decorations as the other tables. The show stopper was a table-length runner that hung from the ceiling over the head table that was wrapped in greenery and flickering candles." One way the couple ensured that their wedding venue was the day's focal point was to minimize floral decorations that had the potential to compete with the venue's beauty. "I feel like florals can easily be a place where people spend a lot of money if they're not careful, so for us, they weren't a huge focus. We wanted something simple as part of the decor, but again, didn't want to worry about blooms and large pieces taking away from the beauty of the venue. Instead of having bridesmaids carry bouquets, we instead gifted them a hunter green tartan plaid scarf that was able to keep them warm during photos and also help tie their outfits into the overall theme and color palette," explains Hunter. 

In addition to gifting their bridesmaids green scarves, the remainder of the day's fashion choices were also an important part of bringing their elegant vision to life. "We wanted all of the men to look classic, so we went with a simple black tux, white shirt, and black bow tie. There is something about a simple tux that will always look timeless. For the women, Hunter wanted to go add a little more excitement. We asked all of the bridesmaids to look for white jumpsuits. If Hunter wasn't wearing white on the wedding day, he at least wanted the girls to. He told them to find something that they were comfortable in but that also had an elegant feel. Jonathan thought Hunter was slightly crazy but all the girls look so darn good. Hunter's maid of honor wore a white dress in order to set her off slightly and his matron of honor wore a dark navy dress to do the same. We know we are biassed but our wedding party was one of the best looking we have seen," the couple shares. 

"Our favorite part of the entire evening was being able to combine high-class elegance with a truly intimate evening. We drank and danced the night away and we both genuinely think that everyone that attended had an incredible time. Hunter's grandmother told us several weeks later that she had never been to a more elegant wedding and that meant a lot to us. We didn't want just us to feel special, we wanted everyone that attended to feel like they were apart of something beautiful, which they are. They are apart of us as a couple and we wanted to thank them for the support they had given to get us to that point in our relationship." 

Looking back on the wedding, Hunter and Jonathan have this advice to share to current nearly-weds: "Communicate. Communicate before, during, and after the wedding. A lot of times it may feel like one person is taking the lead or that the other may not be interested in something but I bet you have more input than you think. Each of you has a vision of what you want and even if you don't agree, communication will help you at least find a middle ground."