A black & white wedding is always elegant, but this one takes it to a whole new level. Mallory and Mark love hosting and planning parties, so they pulled out all of the stops when it came time for their big day. They knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime event, so they wanted to make it memorable! That’s why they put some modern spins on old traditions. One of the area’s newest spaces – Noah’s Event Venue – hosted the party after a traditional ceremony at St. Paul Cathedral. Guests were treated to entertainment and new experiences, thanks to four signature drinks, a cigar bar, selfie station, frozen yogurt station, and 10-piece band. With open seating and various lounge areas, family and friends were encouraged to mix and mingle, while light draping, twinkle lights, dripping crystals, and lots of floating candles provided glamour no matter where they turned. My favorite detail of this wedding though had to be Mallory’s dress. Her mom and aunts are the talented ladies of Clarissa Boutique and they put their design and sewing skills to work, making her detachable skirt, belt, lace jacket, AND veil! With just a few adjustments, the bride was able to have a different look for each part of the day. So unique! Combining a chic and timeless look with fun spins on the status quo, this wedding – captured by Studio Bash – is sure to inspire you!
Be sure to check out Mallory and Mark’s film from Light Motion Studios!
From the bride…
Tell me about yourselves! When and how did you meet? How long have you been together? How did you get engaged? All the juicy details!
Mark and I met when I accepted a position at Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc. (BPMI) in June of 2011. One day, I decided to attend the BPMI pickup soccer game after work. When it was time to pick teams, the first co-worker to jump on the opportunity to join my team was Mark. He also coincidentally came out of the game every time I did for a water break. As soon as we sat next to each other, there was an instant connection. I was intrigued by Mark and the many commonalities we shared. After setting up a night out in the Southside with our friends, the rest is history.
After five years of dating, Mark planned a trip to Delray Beach, Florida in March 2016. Growing up, Delray Beach was the annual vacation my family and I would take together. On Thursday, March 24th, we decided to take an early morning walk on the beach. During this walk, Mark pulled a ring out of his swim trunks, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. After my immediate responses of “Shut up!” and “Are you serious?”, I said YES!!!!
Describe the wedding and what inspired it. What was unique about it?
Mark and I really enjoy planning, from parties with friends to dinners with our family. We enjoy hosting events and seeing our loved ones happy and having a good time. With that in mind, we wanted our wedding guests to have a great time! We knew that this would be the one and only time that all of our loved ones would be in one location and we wanted to make sure all the traveling/money/time they put into being a part of our wedding was worth it! That inspired us to make the ceremony special, the reception location different, and reception details more of a party atmosphere with experiences.
I am beyond blessed to have an extremely talented and creative family. My mom and two aunts made my wedding dress and it could not have been more perfect. The whole experience of creating the looks, having many fittings, and being able to spend quality time with my family made it that much more special. We all fell in love with and bought Lyon lace together on a trip to New York City, which was the inspiration for my vision. I purchased the shell of the dress and they designed a detachable skirt, belt, long English net jacket with lace appliques, and an extra long cathedral length veil! It was a one of a kind, custom wedding dress that allowed me to have three different looks throughout the night! To try and keep up with my custom attire, Mark wore a custom tuxedo shirt and pants with a white jacket for the ceremony and changed into a navy jacket for the reception.
We wanted to make our Catholic ceremony special for us and our guests. I put a lot of time and detail into the ceremony program, which I feel really made our ceremony unique and special. I had a dedication to my father, which really meant a lot to me. It included a poem to him, and various other special and meaningful details of how he was a part of our day. I also explained my Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue, which otherwise would not have been obvious/explained to all our guests. It took a lot of time to prepare the program but was something I was really passionate about and very happy I decided to do it.
We wanted our reception to be a party! We wanted people up and moving, mingling, eating, and dancing the night away! To accomplish this, we had open seating, besides the bridal party king table and a few reserved family tables. We had various food stations throughout the venue with high tops, round tables, long farm tables, and lounge areas for people to sit/stand by. We also had various dessert stations and, of course, a Pittsburgh Cookie Table, with over 2,000 cookies made by Mark’s family. The four signature cocktails had fun and meaningful names to match the actual ingredients. To add to the experiences of the night, we had a cigar station, a smile station (guests took pictures in front of a homemade background), flip flops, an old dictionary requesting everyone to circle a word and explain why they chose it for us in lieu of a traditional guest book, and a 10-piece band to encourage dancing all night.
We received so many complements from friends and family on how much they enjoyed the night from the food to the band. We were so thrilled to have been able to plan a night that everyone enjoyed!
What was your favorite moment of the day?
My favorite moment of the day was right after walking down the aisle and standing with Mark at the altar. All of the nerves disappeared and a calm came over me. The many hours of planning, all of the time and effort, came down to that day, and it was finally here.
Is there any advice you would give to other couples planning their big day?
You have to embrace the planning with your future husband and family, but understand that it will be a lot of work. My advice would be to know your personality, your time frame, what you and your future husband want out of the process, and go from there! Make sure you put personal touches into every aspect of the day! I love hearing and seeing all of my friends and families wedding plans come together and how very different each event becomes because of the personal and meaningful details. It makes your wedding day even more special!
Vendors
Band: Marquise Band | Bride’s Dress: Augusta Jones from Stephanie Leigh Bridal | Bride’s Lace Jacket & Detachable Skirt: Custom from Clarissa Boutique | Bride’s Accessories: Clarissa Boutique | Bride’s Shoes: Sophia Webster | Bridesmaids Dresses: Tops: Adrianna Papell from Nordstrom; Skirts: Custom from Clarissa Boutique | Cake: Opening Night Catering | Caterer: Opening Night Catering | Ceremony Location: St. Paul Cathedral | Ceremony Programs: DIY | Flowers: Posy Floral & Event Styling | Frozen Yogurt Station: Piccadilly Artisan Yogurt | Hair: Wanderlust Beauty | Makeup: Wanderlust Beauty | Menswear: Groom: Surmesur; Groomsmen: The Black Tux | Photography: Studio Bash Photography | Reception Venue: Noah’s Event Venue | Stationery: More than Words | Transportation: Bridal Party: Broadway Limousine; Wedding Guests: Urso Bus, LLC. | Videography: Light Motion Studios
Bride’s Lace Jacket & Detachable Skirt: Custom from Clarissa Boutique | Bride’s Accessories: Clarissa Boutique | Bridesmaids Skirts: Custom from Clarissa Boutique |
