The Big Day: DJ + Renee

Venue: Grange Insurance Audubon Center

Music: George Brazil

Dress: Nordstrom

Suit: Pursuit

Food: Bosc & Brie, Destination Donuts, Sugar Lush Confection House

Booze: BYOB

Rings: Anne Holman, The Smithery

Flowers/decor: Hilliard Floral Design

Wedding planner: Sarah Gagnon

DJ and Renee put the “day” in Big Day.

Partly as a strategy to take the pressure off the ceremony itself, and also just to have some good old-school fun, the local couple zipped all over the city with their friends and family before finally making it official.

The party started the day sipping on bubbles at Buckeye Bourbon House, where the couple got their first look, and some quiet time alone. From there, it was off to PINS, where the mother of the bride was waiting with a bag of quarters for pinball.

By the time they made it to the Grange Insurance Audubon Center for their ceremony, they’d already put in a full day of fun, including more games at 16-Bit and Mikey’s Late Night Slice for the whole crew.

That doesn’t mean they saved all the fun for the pre-game.

Married by friends of the couple Leslie Hoerig and Erik Tait, a local magician, the ring presentation came with a surprise twist: a magical puff of smoke.

Give us a range of your budget. Did you go over? Or stay under? $20K to $25K. We were able to stay within our budget.

Tell us one thing that didn’t go as planned and how you handled it: Our florist forgot to deliver the bridal party’s bouquets to the hotel. I wanted to at least have my bouquet all day so I could include it in the photos. Our fabulous day-of coordinator zipped out to pick them up before the first look (I didn’t know this was happening until after the wedding, so I really didn’t handle anything).

Was there anything that you wanted to avoid when you envisioned your wedding? We wanted to have the day to not only reflect us as a couple, but to also function smoothly. We didn’t want to include traditions that felt random, or a little gross, and we didn’t want our guests to go hungry or thirsty. Our relationship and marriage was nurtured by all of our guests in some way, and we wanted them all to feel special, included, and taken care of.

Tell us the story of how you got engaged/the proposal. We were in Olympia, Washington on vacation. DJ suggested an overnight trip to Hope Island State Park, which required a kayak trip of three miles across a small channel. We packed our bags, rented kayaks, and headed out. Once we landed on the island, we set up our tent, grabbed some snacks, and went to the rocky beach to watch the sunset. I was really excited about dessert (peanut butter M&Ms), but DJ had other after-dinner plans. Upon finishing our snacks, DJ faced me and got down on one knee. He said some lovely things (none of which I can recall because I was so shocked), but he finished with, “I want to have these adventures with you for the rest of my life.”

Where did you honeymoon? Montreal, then Quebec City, Quebec.

One thing that made your Big Day unique: The pre-gaming time together. Being able to spend that time with each other and our family and closest friends helped calm our nerves, and set the tone for the rest of the event.

What was the ultimate highlight of your Big Day? The sounds of cheers from our friends as we kissed for the first time as husband and wife. I was nervous about Erik announcing us as man and wife because I wasn’t changing my name, so I thought “Ms. Kinkopf and Mr. White” would sound super clumsy. However, we couldn’t even hear the words because everyone cheered so loudly. Thinking about it still gives me goosebumps. •

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