1. Real Weddings

Peggy & Jeff: A Colorful Wedding in Kansas City, MO

Though Peggy and Jeff are a Texas twosome (they live in Austin, TX), they celebrated their nuptials surrounded by vibrant color in Peggy’s hometown of

Though Peggy and Jeff are a Texas twosome (they live in Austin, TX), they celebrated their nuptials surrounded by vibrant color in Peggy’s hometown of Kansas City. The Bride Peggy Khoury, 26, designer at an architectural firm The Groom Jeff Bennett, 35, project development manager for a large construction company The Date May 8 Sand castles have long been a symbol of childlike wonder and easily washed away dreams. But despite this, Peggy and Jeff have come to associate the ephemeral structures with lifelong love and commitment: They met while literally building castles out of the sand at a competition organized for people in the architectural industry. She was absolutely gorgeous…sand, sweat, and all, he says. After moving in together, a cozy proposal in their Austin, Texas kitchen followed, but not until after Jeff had sought Peggy's dad's blessing.

Determined to keep things consistent, Peggy kept close track of every shade of her colors -- what she calls the cheerful yet elegant combination of coral and her favorite color, tangerine -- by traveling around with swatches of the fabric she'd chosen in those shades for the tablecloths, the bridesmaid dresses, etc. Even the lining of the invitation envelopes matched the bridesmaid outfits.
When it came time to choose her flowers, the florist knew exactly which shade of calla lily and rose she was going to want. It was as if he'd looked inside my head, Peggy says.
Peggy's eight bridesmaids wore a coral-color, silk shantung, A-line, empire-waist dress with spaghetti straps that tied at the shoulder. Aria was extremely easy to work with, she says.
In keeping with her warm colors, Peggy ended up with a satin, strapless Michelle Roth gown in a blush color, which surprised her. I'd always wanted to wear white on my wedding day, but once I tried on the blush-color gown, I saw how it made my skin glow, and I knew I had to have it in that color!
The main aisle of the church was lined with large silver candlestick holders overflowing with orchids, roses, tiger lilies, and calla lilies. This drew attention to the altar, which was decorated with beautiful large stone urns filled with cascading flowers that seemed to be exploding from them. Trapp & Company
Peggy paired her Swarovski-crystal-studded gown with a tiara and a crystal- and pearl-trimmed veil.
The four-tier vanilla cake had a raspberry-mousse filling and was iced in a blush color to match Peggy's dress. Decorating it were gum-paste roses and poppies and berries in oranges, yellows, pinks, and reds. All the guests were commenting on how real the flowers looked, Peggy says.
For Peggy and Jeff's reception, they chose The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which can accommodate dancing in its Kirkwood Hall, complete with a 40-foot-high ceiling, a skylight, tapestries, and marble columns—not to mention access to the galleries of paintings by the likes of Rembrandt and Van Gogh.