Nina and Ross

Tux: The Black Tux
Dress: Luxe Bridal
Officiant: Damian King 
Flowers: Griffins Floral Designs
Budget range: $30,000-$35,000

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Who says you can’t turn it out and up at the same time? Between the regal Athenaeum ballroom and the bride and groom’s flawless, classic attire, Nina and Ross’s Big Day was a spectacle to be sure—but one filled equally with fun and fanfare. At first glance, you can pick the highlight straight out of a fairytale wedding—the 18-person bridal party and the couple’s grand balcony entrance setting the tone for an affair not many will match. But, look a little deeper and find a couple who also managed to slip in their own personal touches of pop culture and cute comfort—from Obi Wan Kenobi to late-night dancefloor flip-flops.

Who was someone that made your big day run smoothly or stand out?My groom and I both agreed that all of our vendors were so fantastic and professional. We must give a huge thank you to our photographer, Robb McCormick. He captured so many beautiful moments that we didn’t even think of in the moment, such as a picture of our memorial table, amazing action shots of our first dance, and all the Art Deco details we worked so hard to include in our wedding. We feel like we have a keepsake of every part of our wedding thanks to him and we could place all our focus on the wedding!

Any standout stories from that day, or something that you’d do over every time if given the chance?Every one of our guests loved when all the Sigma Chi brothers sang “The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi” to the bride. We had three  generations of Sigma Chi fraternity brothers at our wedding including the groom, the bride’s uncles, bride’s grandfather, and several guests. They sang it center stage, with the bride on the groom’s knee. It was a tremendous show and a heartwarming moment.

Did anything go comically wrong, or was there anything you wish you had skipped?The ceremony candle would not light! It took my husband and I almost five minutes and several helpers to get the candles to burn. We built up the importance of the candle ceremony so much in our wedding, that for a moment, I thought that if the candles never lit, that meant we couldn’t get married! That and our mothers almost tried to light the ceremony candle before we did. They were unsure of how it all worked. We also had a ring bearer that would not come down the aisle unless bribed by small pieces of candy. He would need a piece of candy with every step.

Was there anything you did or had that made the
big day easier?I delivered a “You Had One Job” sheet to my bridesmaids. A cheeky way to give all my attendants something to feel included, but easy enough to focus on enjoying the day. Since we had nine attendants each (our lucky number), everyone helped with something small but important like packing a reception purse for me, being a designating “hand-holder” for when I became nervous, and someone to grab me Chardonnays (or water, depending) whenever I ran out so I could enjoy dancing. We also always recommend handing out flip-flops for the dance floor—no matter how fancy the occasion.

Anything that you want to add that made your day stand out? My great uncle passed a month before our wedding. I was heartbroken because I had given a picture of him to my photographer and told him not to forget to take a lot of pictures of him at the wedding. After his passing, we placed that same photo on a memorial table at our wedding. It was heartbreaking not to have him there with us physically, but having his smile on the table before we walked down the aisle made me feel so much better. Our wedding stood out because of our memorial table. We had so many guardian angels with us that day. Some other notable mentions: while the wedding was an art-deco “midsummer night” theme, we incorporated some of our nerdy qualities. We had several “star” themes in honor of my husband’s love of Star Wars. This included our Star Chart guest book, midnight blue tuxes, star themed bridal dresses, and star themes in our first dance. Our wedding hashtag was “ObeyWonHerHeart” just to fit in Obi-Wan, of course. We also had classical Beatles music for our ceremony in honor of the groom. The bride walked down to a classical version of “here comes the sun.”

Your Big day, in six words: Filled with stars and summer magic.

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