Adrianne and Rodney

Wedding Date: August 18, 2012

Coordinator: Erin and Jim

I know that I say this every time, but this blog entry is seriously one of my favorites.  Not because of it’s amazing beach theme and beautiful decorations.  Not because of the amazing food served by Weiland’s Gourmet Market.  It’s because this wedding was for one of the family!

Adrianne is one of our very own.  She was part of the event coordinator team here at the Ohio Historical Society for over six years and planned plenty of weddings while she worked with us.  It was so great to have her come back and use our spaces for her own celebration!

Adrianne and Rodney were married on the beach in Florida on June 17, 2012 surrounded by their closest friends and family.  It was an intimate and beautiful ceremony.  They wanted to celebrate with the rest of their loved ones, as well, so on August 18, 2012, they did just that.  With the tables clothed in a sandy-brown, starfish seat markers, and sandy centerpieces, the party was stunning.  Two-hundred and ten people joined Jim and I to shower Adrianne and Rodney with congratulations.

Adrianne chose the Red Carpet Area of the museum for her celebration.  This space is right in the center of our museum floor and surrounded by the exhibits.  Adrianne explained, “I am very familiar with all of the wedding spaces at OHS, but I chose the Red Carpet Area because it is so unique.   When I worked here, weddings in that space were my favorite.  The Red Carpet is very dramatic and guests have a unique opportunity to tour the museum with a cocktail in hand.  This is perfect for the cocktail hour while they wait for the bride and groom to arrive.”  Their guests took full advantage of this amenity as they enjoyed the open-bar, compliments of the groom’s parents.

It is so nice when a bride knows the space so well and knows exactly how she wants it to look.  She can basically plan the wedding herself!  Rodney, however, was still on the fence about the event space.  He couldn’t see how we could bring the feel of their beach wedding into the reception but we told him that he would just have to trust us.  Jim says: “For me, the highlight of their reception was when Rodney came to me right before it started and said, ‘I had my doubts, but you pulled it off!  It looks perfect!'”

When the cocktail hour was over the guests made their way to the tables and took their seats.  Weiland’s Gourmet Market catered the event and prepared an amazing buffet with food grilled fresh at our venue.

Honey Soy Glazed Grilled Boneless Pork Chops
Teriyaki Marinated Chicken & Veggie Kebobs
Herb Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes
Fresh Green Beans Almondine
Cranberry, Mandarin Spinach Salad with Crumbled Goat Cheese Served with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Assorted Rolls & Homemade Fresh Herbed Foccacia Breads with Butter
Vegetarian Option – Eggplant stuffed with Quinoa

Steve, from Weiland’s, catered many events for Adrianne while she worked here, so it was no surprise to us that she would choose him to cater her own reception.  He and his whole team did an incredible job.

As dinner wrapped up, Adrianne and Rodney thanked all of their guests for coming and invited them to view their wedding video.  The Red Carpet Area was perfect for this part of the evening, as well.  Guests could stay in their seats and see the video, projected onto the museum’s presentation screen.  “This was my favorite part of the reception,” says Adrianne.  “Having all of our friends and family watch the projection screen and see our beach wedding was wonderful.  They were able to see the highlights of our wedding day, witness our sand ceremony and hear us exchange vows.”  The background music to the video was the couple’s wedding song: Free by Zac Brown Band.

I have to agree with Adrianne that this was the most special part of the evening.  I certainly recommend this to anyone who has a destination wedding.  Come back home and share those special memories with the rest of your loved ones who couldn’t make the trip.

When the video ended, the DJ (Fiesta Sounds) invited the couple onto the dance floor where they danced to their song together.  After one more song for all of the married couples (the Anniversary Dance), the rest of the guests joined them on the dance floor for an energetic evening.   With an open bar adjacent to the dance floor and the museum open for their browsing, this was a great celebration.

Helping Adrianne with her wedding was so exciting and extremely rewarding.  The tables had turned and one of our own was celebrating her marriage.  We knew we had to make it special, and I think we did just that.

True to her event planning past, Adrianne’s advice to future brides is simple and sweet:

“Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

Congratulations Adrianne and Rodney!  We are so happy for you both!

Kara and Rob

Wedding Date: June 16, 2012

Coordinator: Erin and Jim

We really didn’t want to make things confusing with two brides named Kara side by side on our blog’s homepage, but I cannot wait any longer to share these pictures with you.  Plus, I have faith that you readers will keep up.  So here you go: another beautiful bride named Kara marries her handsome groom, Robert…

This couple was amazing to work with.  They were looking for a church that would allow them to marry without attaching a particular denomination to the ceremony.  Kara did a lot of research and we are so happy that she finally found the Ohio Village Church.  Our space here is interpretive and looks exactly like a traditional, formal place of worship, but there are actually no religious symbols in the building.  We welcome any faith and tradition into the church… and you may certainly bring the officiant of your choice!  These things make our church perfect for any couple.

Kara’s words about her wedding are beautiful:  “Our wedding weekend was the most magical of my life, and it would not have been nearly as special without the help of Jim Riley and his team at the Ohio Village  The grounds are beautiful and the church itself is a special place to get married. It is cozy and intimate, and as you can see from the photos, the location is gorgeous! Our photographer was in heaven on the Ohio Village grounds with all of the beautiful colors and settings.”  Stephanie Lehnert from Novia Photography did an amazing job.  It takes a lot of talent to get a “first look” shot as great as this one.   How beautiful is this couple?

When I asked Kara about her favorite part of the day, she answered, “Besides marrying my best friend, I think my favorite part of the day was walking around the village grounds prior to the ceremony and taking photos in front of the gazebo and all of the fun buildings.”

Stephanie also took great shots of Kara dressing in the American House Hotel.  It was actually Rob’s idea for Kara and her bridesmaids to use that space for staging and dressing.  What a great man!  “I would highly recommend this to any bride planning her wedding at the Ohio Village ” Kara said.  “It was so nice to have that extra room to spread out, relax, and stay cool before our June nuptials.”  It’s also great for pictures!

Not only did the bride use this area for getting ready, the couple also rented the hotel for their rehearsal dinner the night before.   Kara explained, “It was so nice to be able to walk from the rehearsal at the church to the dinner steps away. The garden area is a beautiful spot to talk and enjoy a cocktail hour, and the room was intimate and perfect for our 42 guest dinner. Ohio Village handles the alcohol; we worked with one of the Ohio Village preferred caterers and had an amazing meal.”

Their caterer, Kimberly from Made from Scratch, did an amazing job coordinating an appetizer hour followed by a beautiful plated meal.  Rob chose a selection of our Ohio wine and domestic beer for guests to enjoy in the gardens of the Ohio Village with their appetizers and in the Victorian Dining Room with their dinner.  Jim and I are in complete agreement: this is our favorite memory from this wedding.  The family and friends who gathered at this dinner were so energetic and had a great time.  It was wonderful to watch them celebrate through laughter, tell great stories, and exchange heartfelt gifts.

Kara’s advice to couples planning now:

“Take a deep breath and relax and do not sweat the small stuff. Picking great venues, such as Ohio Village  with staff that help out a lot in advance of your event and the weekend of the event also helps tremendously. I did not use a wedding planner and honestly didn’t feel as if I needed one because the staff at Ohio Village had everything under control. There is a lot of work to be done upfront when you first set your date, and about a month or two before the wedding, but spend the time in between enjoying your fiancé and not worrying about every little thing that could go wrong.”

Processional:  Bridal Chorus

Recessional: Wedding March, then “In the Mood” by Glenn Miller

First Dance:  “Never My Love” – Pete Yorn

Cheers Kara and Rob!  Thank you for sharing your special day with us!