1. Real Weddings

An Elegant, Glamorous Wedding at the Cincinnati Art Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio

Inside the Great Hall of the Cincinnati Art Museum, this elegant ballroom wedding came to life through glamorous decor and a palette of blush, black,

Inside the Great Hall of the Cincinnati Art Museum, this elegant ballroom wedding came to life through glamorous decor and a palette of blush, black, white and gold accents. Ashley James-Stokes (30 and a category manager) and Denzel Mann (30 and a pharmacist) fell in love with the indoor museum space, where they set up gold chiavari chairs that faced the grand staircase where they got married. Ashley's bridesmaids sparkled and shined with their floor-length pink Badgley Mischka dresses embellished in sequins, and the groomsmen kept it classy with their black Calvin Klein tuxedos and bow ties to match. The hall flipped for the reception, where guests found their names written in gold on floral escort cards. While friends and family members took their seats at blush-covered dining tables set with gold dinnerware, Ashley and Denzel sat in the chairs labeled with "Mr. & Mrs." gold signs on the back. Roselle Photography captured their cake on camera, and it almost looked like part the museum—a three-tier white cake that embodied the black, pink and white palette through different patterns on each layer. Our favorite detail? The pears painted gold with names of guests written on artificial leaves, letting friends and family know of where to sit while embodying gliz and glam. See more of the dazzling details that had us all hooked, below.                 

"I showed Denzel my dream ring when I was younger," Ashley says. "After he proposed in the store, he chose a ring exactly like I’d shown him all those years ago. It was classic, elegant and perfect for me—a signature Tiffany ring with a round-cut diamond."
"I wanted stationery that relayed the museum venue and our palette," Ashley says. "They were black, white and blush and had beautiful painted flowers. The invitations, programs and escort cards all matched."
Ashley picked out a beautiful strapless Vera Wang dress accented with silk to wear for the ceremony, with a mermaid-style silhouette that flared out into ruffles at the bottom.
Most of the bridesmaids wore pink floor-length Badgley Mischka dresses embellished in sequins. The maid of honor stood out wearing a Jovani dress with an open back in the same shade of pink, just without the sequins.
The wedding ceremony took place inside the Cincinnati Art Museum, where peony and rose arrangements lined the aisle. Ashley and Denzel got married surrounded by the grand staircase inside the museum.
Ashley held a romantic bouquet filled with lightly shaded anemones, peonies and a combination of spray roses and garden roses—adding a darker shade through the centers of the anemones.
The flowers played a large part incorporating a romantic vibe in the ceremony, including the hanging flower arrangements filled with roses and peonies.
Ashley and Denzel were surrounded by the staircase inside the Grand Hall of the at the Cincinnati Art Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ashley wore a cathedral-length veil that had two layers, with one draping over her face during the ceremony.
The Grand Hall at the Cincinnati Art Museum had romantic flower arrangements decorating the entire space, which included the peony and rose displays perched on top of a tall gold vase.
Ashley and Denzel stood in the middle of their wedding party, who matched the day's romantic palette. The girls dressed in floor-length Badgley Mischka dresses embellished in sequins, while the groomsmen wore black tuxedos designed by Calvin Klein.
Guests sat at round dining tables dressed in blush linens, with gold votive candles scattered across the surface. The middle had beautiful flower centerpieces that brought a touch of elegance to the glamorous display.
Black, white and pink escort cards had floral designs accenting the front, with each guest's name written in gold. This pattern continued throughout most of the stationery, from the escort cards to the formal invitations and ceremony programs.
Each setting had a pear painted gold that depicted a guest's name on an artificial leaf, leading friends and family members to the appropriate seat for the reception.
Ashley dressed up her classic look with some chunky jewelry designed by Deepa Gurnani. In addition to her bracelet and necklace, Ashley also wore her grandmother's watch.
Ashley and Denzel sat in their chairs, marked with gold "Mr." and "Mrs." signs that hung from black ribbon. An ampersand positioned on top of the sweetheart table connected the two signs into one.
"We did a mixture of both tall and low centerpieces," Ashley says. "For the high centerpieces, they were placed on top of tall glass risers and the low centerpieces were placed in black glass vases. They incorporated peonies, hydrangeas, and roses, since I wanted the centerpieces to mirror my bouquet."
"Our wedding cake looked like a piece of art and it tasted as good as it looked," Ashley says. "I knew I wanted the venue to be incorporated in the look of the cake and wanted the color scheme to be consistent through the cake as well." Covered entirely in fondant icing, the cake had flavors of red velvet, white and strawberry that reflected Ashley and Denzel's good taste.
The glamorous ruffled skirt of Ashley's Vera Wang dress swayed with each movement that Ashley and Denzel made on the dance floor during the reception at the Cincinnati Art Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio.