A sunny day, a perfect mix of sparkle and pastels, and this gorgeous couple come together in today’s Real Love feature. Lauren and Chris’s June wedding was inspired by their color palette of silver and shades of purple. And those two colors come together so nicely. From the lavender bridesmaids’ dresses and the gray tuxedos to the rhinestone and metallic floral containers and the soft, purple uplighting, this look is soft, summery, and romantic. Lauren also worked her favorite accessory (bows!) into the day in lots of subtle, cute ways. Ann Louise Photography captured all of the perfectly planned details, such as:
- Tiffany meets Kate Spade for “something blue” – the bride’s sweet bow-inspired heels and clutch
- A cake that is decorated with the prettiest, most realistic sugar flowers I’ve ever seen. It’s almost too pretty to eat! Almost.
- Table “names” that coincided with significant numbers for the couple. For example, table 7 = the month that Chris and Lauren started dating.
- “Meet the girls” and “Meet the guys” photo displays that allowed everyone to get to know the bridal party a bit better
- A groom’s cake that pays homage to one of his favorite past times…golf!
I absolutely love this wedding and isn’t Lauren’s getting-ready robe the most adorable thing you’ve ever laid eyes on? Oh, and I want her hair. Congrats, you two!
From the bride…
When and how did you two meet?
Chris and I have known each other virtually our entire lives. We went to school together at St. Elizabeth Elementary and Thomas Jefferson High School. We began dating our senior year of high school and have been together ever since!
Juicy details on the proposal, please! Where, when, how?
Chris proposed at Niagara Falls on November 9, 2012. We walked along the U.S. side of the falls after fireworks and then Chris got down on one knee and proposed next to the falls! It was very romantic and it was just the two of us.
Describe the wedding. The look, theme, style, colors, etc.
For the wedding, we wanted to have purple and silver colors mixed throughout. The flowers really brought out all the colors that were incorporated, along with the bridesmaids’ light purple dresses. One of my favorite pieces was the purple uplighting in the country club, which gave the whole reception a more romantic feel. Our guests wore formal attire. We didn’t have a “theme” necessarily but incorporated small parts of golf (Chris’s groom’s cake and the venue choice), as well as bows (my favorite accessory).
What inspired your vision?
I spent a lot of time researching different elements of what we wanted in the wedding on The Knot, Style Me Pretty, and Pinterest. Purple was always the color that we thought we wanted and the combination of the girls’ light dresses with the guys’ dark ties, as well as the flowers, tied everything together perfectly.
Bride to Bride
What advice would you give to other Burgh Brides planning their big day?
I would tell future brides to definitely talk with their fiance and get a clear idea of what they both want for the wedding and reception. Find a few things that are important to both people and focus on those first. I would also tell brides to not let the opinions of other people influence how the wedding day will be. This is your and your fiance’s day and you should plan it together.
Any must haves, must dos, or can’t live withouts? Anything you would do differently?
A couple musts for me were the dress, shoes, flowers, and uplighting. The dress and shoes are important because you will always look back on this day; it was very important for me to find something that I would always love and be happy to look back on for the rest of my life. Flowers and uplighting were also important to me because I really feel that they set the tone of the reception and made everything look so much prettier! I honestly wouldn’t do anything differently. I didn’t get everything that I wanted but I focused on the important things and researched different vendors and was completely happy with the result!
Vendors
Bride’s Dress: Monique Lhuillier at Anne Gregory for the Bride | Bride’s Accessories: Belt: Watters at Anne Gregory for the Bride; Bracelets: Kate Spade and Bauble Bar; Earrings: Givenchy at Macy’s; Purse: Kate Spade; Robe: Love Ophelia | Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew | Cake: Prantl’s Bakery | Cake Knives & Toasting Glasses: Kate Spade | Cake Topper & Mr. & Mrs. Sign: Etsy | Ceremony Location: St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish | DJ and Lighting: Rockin’ Bob’s DJs | Favors: Sarris Candies | Flowers: Bolsinger’s Flowers | Hair: Maureen Bianchi | Linens: Exceptional Essentials Plus | Makeup: Susie Katilius of Sephora | Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse | Photo Booth: ShutterBooth | Photographer: Ann Louise Photography | Reception Venue & Caterer: South Hills Country Club | Stationery: More than Words | Transportation: Amore Limousine | Videography: Nathan Hamblin Productions
