1. Real Weddings

A Traditional Wedding in Kansas City, MO

Jamie and Jeff first became friends during college, but it wasn’t until a few years after graduation that they decided to try something more. After da

Jamie and Jeff first became friends during college, but it wasn’t until a few years after graduation that they decided to try something more. After dating for two years, Jamie and Jeff were in Arizona for a friend’s wedding. On their last night at the resort, the two returned to their room to find it filled with candles and flowers. Jamie was completely shocked but of course, it was all part of Jeff’s plan. The Bride Jamie Simpson, 27, a hairstylist The Groom Jeff Boschee, 30, a basketball coach The Date August 15 He dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him. “Jeff is usually terrible at surprises, but he really pulled this one off!” remembers Jamie. Ten months later, the couple married with an elegant celebration in Kansas City.

Jamie wanted her flowers to “pop without being too bright.” Her bouquet included roses, berries, and cockscomb in muted pinks and corals.
Jamie and Jeff held an early afternoon ceremony, opting for traditional Catholic vows. Music was provided by a string quartet.
To create dramatic décor, Jamie and Jeff chose three styles of centerpieces for their tables. This trio of glass cylinders filled with floating candles and surrounded by flowers was one version; there were also tall arrangements and shorter tightly packed floral arrangements as well.
Jamie walked down the aisle in a pair of peep-toe heels she had spotted online. The pear-shaped rhinestone accents on her toes turned out to perfectly echo the diamond pendant necklace that Jeff surprised her with on their wedding day.
Jamie and Jeff went for classic styles with their wedding party. The bridesmaids wore strapless, black cocktail dresses by BCBG (Jamie liked them so much that she even bought one for herself!). The groom and guys wore black Calvin Klein suits with ivory shirts.
The couple accented their ceremony space with two tall, dramatic arrangements on either side of the altar filled with soft yellow mums and coral lilies, roses, and snapdragons.
Jamie and Jeff’s five-tiered, square wedding cake was frosted with buttercream in a white-on-white paisley design. Fresh roses, hydrangeas, and hypericum berries accented the tiers.
Menus printed with the couple’s married monogram introduced guests to the evening’s meal -- filet mignon and fontina chicken with wild mushrooms. The classic menus in black and ivory were accented with a hint of pink.
Jamie and Jeff chose book-style programs with metallic ivory cardstock covers and linen pages inside. The programs were displayed in a black tray just outside the sanctuary.