1. Real Weddings

An Eclectic, Small-Town Wedding at Sparta Restaurant & Coffee Shop in Newark, Ohio

Jane Marczewski (24 and a singer-songwriter) and Jeremy Claudio (25 and a musician) fell in love with the small-town charm of Sparta Restaurant & Coff

Jane Marczewski (24 and a singer-songwriter) and Jeremy Claudio (25 and a musician) fell in love with the small-town charm of Sparta Restaurant & Coffee Shop in downtown Newark, Ohio, on their first visit. After convincing the owner to let them explore the rest of the building—which functioned as a candy factory and a speakeasy in the 1920s—they knew the quaint, retro diner would be perfect for their eclectic, laid-back nuptials. Vows were exchanged at the Newark Arcade, an indoor mall that features a vaulted, skylighted ceiling and white-brick walls in the passageway between the shops. Since the space resembled a greenhouse, Jane and Jeremy infused it with potted plants, garden seating and a wood-pallet backdrop covered in lush greenery and wildflowers. "We had a vision for it, and when it was full of chairs and green plants and flowers, it was gorgeous," Jane says. Guests then walked next door to Sparta, where they enjoyed a dinner of chicken and waffles with homemade hot-pepper jelly and home fries—the meal Jane and Jeremy ate on their first visit. The couple incorporated a navy and mustard palette with red accents, and single hydrangeas placed in painted milk bottles graced the diner tabletops. Overall, the offbeat decor—including chalk-art signs, string lights, banners and vintage glassware from the building's basement—was kept to a minimum, letting the building's natural character shine through. —Samantha Meux

With a carnival-poster style in mind, Jane designed the invitations using crowded text and mismatched fonts. Here, one is positioned among vintage glassware that the couple discovered in Sparta's basement and used to decorate the reception space.
"I wanted my hair to be classy and simple," Jane says of her romantic updo. Her headband, which she made herself, featured vintage-inspired white and silver jewels sewn to a pastel purple ribbon.
Jane's friend created her summery bouquet, which featured hydrangeas, garden roses, globe thistle and hypericum berries.
The reception was at Sparta Restaurant & Coffee Shop in Newark, Ohio, which had been a candy factory and a speakeasy in its former life. Today it boasts red dining booths, marble stone floors, local art and mismatched coffee mugs—all the makings of the quaint, small-town setting Jane and Jeremy desired.
Jane stunned in a fitted, strapless gown made of delicate cotton lace, which she paired with an embellished headpiece and red lips for a retro touch. Jeremy's eclectic look featured navy suspenders, a striped mustard bow tie and the same gray messenger cap he wore on the day they met.
The bridesmaids wore short, navy dresses and held bouquets made of garden roses, globe thistle and solidago aster. Both Jane and her bridesmaids donned red lips for a retro look.
The bridal party ventured around the town square in Newark, Ohio, for photo ops.
Jane and Jeremy's friend made their partition ceremony backdrop from old wood pallets. "The day before the wedding, some friends gathered wildflowers from my family’s land, and we used them to cover the pallets with flowers and greenery," Jane says.
" 'Arcade' is an old word that means a bunch of shops in one building—it was the first version of a mall in the United States," Jane says of their ceremony location.
"Jeremy and I ate this the first time we came to Sparta together—the day we decided to get married there," Jane says of their menu selection.
Dancing was in the building's rustic attic, which Jane and Jeremy decorated with string lights, banners and signs.
Instead of a traditional guest book, Jane and Jeremy had their friends and family members sign around a chalk-art display in the parking lot of Sparta Restaurant & Coffee Shop in Newark, Ohio.