1. Real Weddings

Staci & Joe: An Outdoor Wedding in Washington, MO

It was instant attraction when Joe and Staci spotted each other at a downtown restaurant in Chicago one afternoon. Staci was waitressing, and Joe had

It was instant attraction when Joe and Staci spotted each other at a downtown restaurant in Chicago one afternoon. Staci was waitressing, and Joe had come in with his friends after a Cubs game. Before he left, Joe asked Staci for her number. Although Staci says that she normally wouldn’t have given out her real number, she did for Joe. “I guess he just had an innocent face!” she says. The Bride Staci Bolander, 30, medical sales The Groom Joe Doolin, 32, real estate agent The Date September 2 Three years later, while the couple was living together in St. Louis, Staci came home to find a candlelit dinner and a surprise proposal. The happy couple left the next day on a trip to Napa Valley with their friends to celebrate.

The couple wed outdoors atop a cliff that overlooked the Missouri River. The altar was simply decorated with a white arch covered in greenery and white flowers.
In honor of their Napa Valley engagement celebration, Staci and Joe gave their guests personalized wine charms that Staci handmade out of wire rings and beads. She packaged them in tiny boxes and printed thank-yous on green card stock to go inside.
Joe donned a white rose boutonniere for the day, which complemented Staci’s white and green bouquet.
Staci walked down the aisle holding a white textured bouquet surrounded by greenery and tied off with a white ribbon.
The centerpieces varied from table to table -- some were round glass vases filled with coffee beans and a candle, and others were tall vases filled with greenery and branches.
Staci’s bridesmaids wore chocolate brown, satin dresses with champagne-colored sashes. They held bouquets made of cymbidium orchids and orange accent flowers.
For her hairstyle, Staci wanted to keep the look as natural as possible. Her simple veil cascaded from beneath her updo, and her stylist slipped white stephanotis blooms into her hair for a pretty accent.
A candy bar, made up of chocolate brown and green sweets, charmed guests at the reception.
The tall, five-tiered, square cake was frosted with buttercream and made up of five different flavors. Each tier was tied with a chocolate brown ribbon, and cymbidium orchids graced the top two tiers as a final touch.
Staci’s two junior bridesmaids carried simple green and orange pomanders made up of dahlias and roses.
One of the hardest parts of putting together her look was finding the right heels. She finally found her strappy, low-heeled sandals the week of the wedding.