1. Real Weddings

Carrie & Josh: A Purple Wedding in Toledo, OH

Soon after Josh Schulze proposed to Carrie Carlisle, he was accepted to a business school in another state. This gave the Ohio natives two things to c

Soon after Josh Schulze proposed to Carrie Carlisle, he was accepted to a business school in another state. This gave the Ohio natives two things to celebrate but only six months to pull off a modern art gallery gala. The Bride Carrie Carlisle, 30, graphic designer The Groom Josh Schulze, 27, student, Harvard Business School The Date July 9 A mutual friend introduced Carrie and Josh at a charity disco party fundraiser. After Christmas Eve midnight mass, Carrie came home to find rose petals leading her to a large bouquet of roses. The card attached to the blooms simply said, Turn around. When she did, she saw Josh on his knees waiting to pop the question. Soon after the engagement, Josh was accepted to the MBA program at Harvard Business School, which meant the pair would be moving to Boston in August. We decided we would rather get married before we moved, so we somehow managed to do all the planning in less than six months, Carrie says

We love martinis, declares Carrie. So our bar was a martini bar which offered our favorite kinds of martinis which we named Something Old, which was a cosmo; Something New, an apple martini; Something Borrowed, a Bikini Tini from the Cheesecake Factory; and Something Blue, a blue moon.
The Couple
The Couple
Carrie and Josh had to talk the owners of a downtown Toledo art gallery into renting them the space. It was the first wedding reception they had ever had there, says Carrie. The walls were exposed brick with large arched windows and original art was displayed throughout.
The Couple
Carrie and Josh wrote their own vows for the ceremony at an historic country chapel.
The Flower Girl Details
Carrie and Josh had their first dance to Faith Hill and Tim McGraw's It's Your Love.
Carrie describes her gown as a simple, sexy off-white deep V-neck sleeveless sheath. I didn't wear a veil, just orchids in my hair, she says.
The flowers reflected the color scheme -- all different shades of purple.