Sarah and Dan

Wedding Date: 02.14.14

Event Coordinator: Jim
Event Captain Bailey and Katie

It is always a special treat to have a wedding on Valentine’s Day but this one seemed even more special especially with a fresh covering of snow to add a special touch.  Sarah and Dan were married this past Valentine’s Day in an intimate, family-oriented ceremony that was special to Ohio Village in many ways.  I had a meeting with Sarah and her mom in December to look at the church.  When Sarah walked in she said “this is perfect!  Exactly how I had imagined it”.  Since I had taken over the coordination of this wedding from another of our coordinators, I hadn’t realized that Sarah actually chose the Ohio Village Church based off of this very blog and this was the first time she had been in the church! It was a very special moment which carried throughout the entire event.

For Sarah, there were two special moments that stuck out to her, the first was actually before the ceremony, she said:

“The time at the Ohio Village decorating the church with my Mom and Dad before the wedding meant a lot to me. The church is so beautiful on its own. My mom and I had planned the decorations for months before the wedding. We used curly willow branches out of my mom’s own backyard for the aisle decorations, so putting it all together on our wedding day was so much fun. ”

Planning can be stressful but Sarah did not let it take away from her enjoying the day and really soaked up the special moments. “My favorite moment of the day was walking down the aisle with my Dad towards my soon to be husband. That was the moment all the time and effort of planning became worthwhile. The church was breathtakingly beautiful. Everything was prettier and came together better than I could have ever imagined. Holding my Dad’s arm down the aisle, lined with tulle, curly willow branches, and the dimmed lights, our friends and loved ones gathered together on a cold Valentine’s night …a time I will always remember. ”

We could tell immediately that family is very important to Sarah and Dan, and I loved that they brought mementos from home to decorate the church to showcase that. Another special moment during the ceremony was the presentation of the family bible to Dan and Sarah.  It brought a tear to everyone in the audience.

Sarah and Dan were also one of our first couples to incorporate the bridal couple ringing the “unity bell” in the balcony of the church.   Their first act as bride and groom was to ring the church bell together. It was so meaningful that we’ve been recommending it to other couples looking for that unique touch to their ceremony.

We wish both Sarah and Dan the best in their new life together and are so happy we got to be a part of their big day!