Formal Inspirational Real Wedding stories

One Couple's Purple-and-Mauve Wedding at Chabad of Parkland in Florida

It was essential to Faith Niece and Ben Goldberg that their wedding at Chabad of Parkland in Florida both honor their Orthodox Jewish faith without sacrificing style. "We wanted a romantic and moody winter wedding with large floral, velvet and gold accents. We had to balance finding a large enoug...

Dusty Rose and Emerald Wowed at This Meridian House Wedding in Washington, D.C.

Although Lindsay and Patrick were living in London at the time of their wedding, a key priority for them with their nuptials was to bring "bring together our friends and family." As such, the couple settled on hosting a wedding in Washington, D.C., the city where they "both met, went to college, ...

A Classic and Elegant Wedding With Touches of Blue at Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC

Though Cassie and Greg are attorneys, they overlooked securing a noise permit for what ended up being their favorite wedding memory—parading to the after-party with a New Orleans–style second line band. “Two blocks in, we heard sirens,” Greg says, “but the police blocked off an intersection so th...

A Persian and Catholic Celebration at Laguna Gloria in Austin, Texas

After their Catholic mass, Sara and Francis  had a Persian ceremony to honor Sara’s mom’s roots. “It was important to us to have a traditional marriage ceremony, which my uncle led,” Sara says. The service included the sofreh aghd (wedding table), set with items symbolizing their new life togethe...

The Tropics Came to Virginia for This Wedding at Pippin Hill in Charlottesville, Virginia

Ali and Jake "got married in Charlottesville at Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyards, a winery with sweeping views of Blue Ridge Mountains and the Virginia Piedmont." However, the couple brought an out-of-the-box twist to their wedding down south. "Most weddings in Charlottesville are traditionally sou...

A Glamorous Rooftop Wedding at The Terrace on Grand in Kansas City, Missouri

The threat of torrential rain wasn’t enough to prevent Krishelle Ricketts and Brandon Ivory from saying “I do” in a rooftop ceremony high above Kansas City at The Terrace on Grand. “It literally rained all afternoon,” Krishelle says. “Our vendors kept calling to ask if we wanted to move everythin...

A Glamorous "Cloud Nine"-Inspired Wedding at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City

Erika and Rodney found wedding design inspo in New York City. Rodney proposed on a ride around the Big Apple, Erika’s hometown, so it was only natural for the pair to say “I do” in the city too. “I’ve always pictured myself as a New York City bride,” Erika says. For the ceremony, the couple heade...

Romance and Elegance Emanated From This Wedding at the Royal Crest Room in St. Cloud, Florida

Classic elegance and romance punctuated Brianna and Matthew's wedding at The Royal Crest Room in St. Cloud, Florida. From timeless fashion to a reception filled with ample drapery, the entire celebration was the epitome of regal. Keeping the color palette mostly neutral with accents of gold sprin...

A Love of Travel Inspired This Wedding at Cherry Hall in Kansas City, Missouri

Nicole Chow (31 and a travel account manager) and Shannon McCoy (35 and an IT consultant) met while working in a job that, “allowed you to travel all over the globe and it happened to also be the best job in the world,” Nicole says. As such, a contemporary travel-inspired wedding was a no-brainer...

This Couple Decked the Halls for Their Festive Christmas-Themed Wedding in Chicago

McKenna and Patrick decked the halls during the most wonderful time of the year, swapping vows and sealing the deal with a kiss (no mistletoe needed). As for the details, the Christmas aficionados invited 200 guests to join them in celebrating their marriage during the winter solstice on December...

A Regal Navy-and-Gold Military Wedding at Ivory Oak in Texas Hill Country

Though Hebron Kelecha (25 and a medical student) and Nebyou Abera (27 and a US Army Infantry Captain) met as children (“It would be an understatement to say I had a crush on Hebron when we were teens,” Nebyou says), it wasn’t until a chance social media message many years later that the two conne...

A Romantic, Classic Wedding at Planterra Conservatory in Detroit, Michigan

For their wedding venue, Lulu and Kevin wanted, "a floral and green space. Planterra Conservatory in Detroit has been voted one of the best wedding venues in America. Close to Lulu's childhood home, it was the obvious choice. As a greenhouse, Planterra is designed to allocate maximum lighting, so...

A Classic Blue-and-Silver Wedding at the Historic Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington, DC

For Sarah and Alexander's wedding in the nation's capitol, there were two main focuses: "family and DC. I have a big extended family, and it was important to me to have a big party that included everyone in our two families. We so seldom get everyone together, and a wedding is a great excuse! I a...

This Black-and-Silver-Hued Wedding at the Georgia Freight Depot in Atlanta, Was Pure Glam

Hillaby (a teacher) and Ron (a finance manager) wanted their wedding at the Georgia Freight Depot, "to be very romantic and feel intimate" so they settled on a white-and-silver palette and filled the wedding with an abundance of candle light for added ambience. The couple kept their floral arrang...

The Legend of Zelda Inspired This Ballantyne Country Club Wedding in North Carolina

Sheila and Will took a hybrid approach when it came to wedding planning—tackling some DIY projects while leaving others to the pros. "We did a mix of DIY and had a day-of coordinator. I pulled a lot of samples from Pinterest and tweaked them to fit our style and timeline. I’m super into organizat...

The St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum Set the Scene for One Couple's Modern Wedding

As a celebration on their shared love for art, Fay and Nick exchanged vows at The St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum in Missouri. Fay and Nick, "knew we wanted a modern wedding that reflected our modern love story. From our first date to the actual wedding day itself four years later, things just...

A Classic and Romantic Garden Wedding in Hartford, Connecticut

For their romantic garden wedding in Hartford, Connecticut, Mary Kate, dressed in a custom suit from Bindle and Keep, "was my 'something blue,'" Elena shares. Next-level fashion played an instrumental role in bringing the couple's "timeless garden party" to life. Mary Kate's suit was, "created wi...

Bold Colors Brought A Taste of Miami to This Wedding at North Carolina's Merrimon-Wynne House

Ali's family is from Miami, with Cuban roots, whereas Logan hails from North Carolina. To celebrate their backgrounds, the couple tied the knot at The Merrimon-Wynne House, a historic, quintessentially-Southern venue in North Carolina, but brought in festive nods to Miami, resulting in a celebrat...

Sweet Peas and Roses Packed on the Romance at This Detroit Institute of Arts Wedding

For their Leap Day wedding, it was crucial to Marybeth Miles and Ben Weatherhead that they highlight, "the resurgence of Detroit for our big day! Since we wanted to show off the city's comeback to those who travelled near and far to join the celebration, our out of town guests (which included lov...

Jewel Tones Brought This Regal Estate Wedding in Western Michigan to Life

After dating Andrew Chen (29 and a physician) for 10 years, Ashley Betke (28 and a preschool teacher) had a clear vision in mind for their big day. “We knew what type of feeling we wanted, so I pulled together all of the details,” Ashley says. The end result? An enchanting and romantic garden par...

An Intimate and Classic Wedding at The Grosse Pointe War Memorial in Michigan

Anthony Hughes’s (27 and a business developer) wedding to William Hamilton (29 and a nonprofit fundraiser) was his 32nd to plan. He used to design weddings in Arkansas. For their own celebration at Grosse Pointe War Memorial overlooking Lake St. Clair, a nautical theme took shape. “Our style is k...

A Classic Navy-and-White Military Wedding at Belle Mer in Newport, Rhode Island

It was important to Nikki Anderson and Karthik Venkatraman, "to have the wedding be a representation of who we are as a couple." As such, they planned a wedding in Newport, Rhode Island, that melded watercolor details, traditional Indian elements and tributes to the Navy. While those components w...

Greenery Filled Every Part of This Sophisticated Boston Wedding at the Museum of Fine Arts

The city of Boston was the starting point for Laura Renfro (27 and an investor) and Andrew Veroneau’s (28 and a VP of corporate development) luxe urban wedding at the Museum of Fine Arts. “Having a Boston-centric wedding was essential to us,” Laura says. “We absolutely love the city since it’s wh...