What happens when you have a bride who is a history nerd and a groom in the Marine Corps who both love America? You get one of the coolest themes yet- an American history inspired wedding! Katy and Chris’s wedding took place at The Richard Nixon Library and was beautifully outfitted with purple accents and history-inspired details, and Kaysha Weiner was there to capture it all!
From the bride, Katy:
What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?
The answer to this is easy. Besides my husband (who helped keep me sane and weighed in on nearly every decision), Ashley Powell and Lauren B. of Agape Planning helped the most with planning, as well as the day of logistics. They create helpful timelines that help a stressed out bride get through the initial planning, last minute details, as well as day of order of events. It was amazing to have them as an integral part of our wedding day. Not only because they are professional, timely, and fun to be around, mostly because once the day began I was completely confident that they would handle everything. I also used Agape to create my seating chart, menu cards and programs. The design process was easy and Lauren sent over samples and mock-ups each time we discussed a new idea.
What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?
Personality. In interview various vendors, my husband and I would leave and talk about our gut feelings and if we would want to spend the day with them. For example, there were several photographers we interviewed prior to making our decision. Most of them were pretentious or only talked about themselves and all of the high profile shoots they had participated in. When we met Kaysha Weiner, the first thing she wanted to know was how we met. We spent the first 30 minutes of the meeting talking about our lives and our vision for the wedding. We laughed together. Then we were thoroughly impressed by her skill and photographic style. After leaving that meeting, Chris and I knew she was our photographer. She was someone that we enjoyed spending time with, and we knew she would be a fantastic addition to our friends and family.
What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?
I am a huge history nerd. My husband is in the United States Marine Corps. We love America. I was afraid at first to have such a patriotic theme. I thought that it would be too campy or cheesy. After a few months of toying with the idea, we just decided to commit and to make it a 1776 Revolutionary Era theme. It definitely helped that the Nixon Library’s ballroom is a replica of the East Ballroom in the White House.
What was your favorite thing about your wedding?
My husband’s vows. He is an amazing writer and has a wonderful way with language that I, unfortunately, do not have. We both wrote our own vows and kept them a secret from one another. I knew I would be surprised, but it was more than that. Hearing his delicately crafted promises spoken in front of our friends and family was a surreal experience.
What is your best piece of advice for other brides?
Hire a day of coordinator. It is worth it. Even if you like to plan and organize things, the day of you should only have to worry about waking up on time and saying your vows in front of an audience. The rest should be taken care of behind the scenes and away from your worry.
I love all of Katy’s insight and advice- especially her last recommendation to hire a day-of coordinator! But I just can’t get over how amazing and personal their American history wedding theme is- so perfect!
Are any of you going to be having a wedding theme inspired by a common interest? I’d love to hear what your theme is!
Vendors who made it all happen…
Lauren
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Gorgeous shade of purple! Love the bouquet and the fun red shoes.
What a gorgeous wedding and such attentive and thoughtful photography!
What an awesome theme for a wedding!
Thank you for the beautiful feature! Katy and Chris were a dream to work with, and their wedding was nothing short of perfection!
Thank you for featuring Katy & Chris’ wedding! It was a perfect day and we are so excited to be able to share their day!