“This day, I marry my best friend, the one I laugh with, live for, dream with, love.”

  -Author Unknown

For Laurie and Andrew, this day, was Saturday, September 17, 2011.

 The couple celebrated at an evening ceremony at the Scottish Rite Cathedral downtown Indianapolis. 

Laurie and her girls had an early start beginning with hair and make up appointments with the incredibly talented staff of Karen Hall and Company.

With the final touches added, the gorgeous bride, Laurie, was ready for her and Andrew’s greatly anticipated early reveal followed by a fun photo shoot with their bridal party.

After their photographs at Military Park, the bridal party headed back to the Scottish Rite Cathedral where Laurie and Andrew met up with their families for formal family photographs.  Soon after, with all the details in place, the candles were lit, the prelude music began,  guests began to arrive, and the countdown began to “I Do!”

First kiss as Mr. & Mrs.!  Take a look at those awesome chandeliers behind them! 

In keeping with the theme, Laurie added a “chandelier” touch to the escort cards!

After their STUNNING ceremony in the Theatre at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, the couple and their families and friends moved to the Cathedral’s Ballroom, complete with a gorgeous chandelier, for dinner and dancing.

Guests enjoyed a cocktail hour on the mezzanine overlooking the ballroom floor. 

The ballroom’s chandelier is a beautiful accent to a gorgeous reception!

Laurie and Andrew shared their first dance and cake cutting while all of their guests were able to look on from the balcony.

Laurie and Andrew offered their guests a full dessert bar along with their wedding cake!  On the menu was lemon bars, mini chocolate chip cookies, chocolate dipped cheesecake lollipops, and a sundae bar with all the yummy toppings!

The band Toy Factory kept the party going with awesome live music during the reception. 

Along with their live band music, Andrew, our groom, brought in DJ equipment and entertained during the band’s breaks.  He kept the party going strong!

Keeping in stride with the fun atmosphere at Laurie and Andrew’s reception, a Late Night Snack of sliders and fries were served.

Laurie, Andrew, and their guests truly knew how to have a good time!  This was certainly a night to remember!

Laurie and Andrew’s day was perfect!  They shared smiles, kisses, and laughs that will be treasured forever as terrific memories.  The Scottish Rite Cathedral will always stand as a monument honoring the day they wed!  Congratulations Laurie and Andrew!  We wish you a lifetime of joy, happiness and love!

It took a lot of talented hands to put together Laurie and Andrew’s perfect day!  Below is a list of the INCREDIBLE vendors that played a part in making everything amazing!

Wedding Gown:  Bridal Superstore By Posie Patch - www.posiepatchbridalsuperstores.com

Bridesmaids Dresses:  Bridal Superstore By Posie Patch – www.posiepatchbridalsuperstores.com

Tuxedos:  Men’s Warehous – www.menswarehouse.com

Hair and Makeup Artists:  Karen Hall and Company – Karen Hall - www.karenhallandco.com

Photographer:  Jamie Sangar Photography – Jamie Sangar – www.jamiesangar.com

Florist:  Bokay Florist -Angie Kenley – www.bokayindy.com

Transportation:  Carey Indiana Limousine – www.careyindiana.com

Ceremony Venue:  Scottish Rite Cathedral Theatre – Ashley Long – www.aasr-indy.org

Lighting/Chandeliers:  Evans Audio Visual – Syanda Miley – www.evansav.com

Reception Venue:  Scottish Rite Cathedral Ballroom – Ashley Long – www.aasr-indy.org

Catering:  Thomas Caterers of Distinction – Dee Haddad – www.thomascaters.com

Band:  Toy Factory (Blonde Entertainment) – Lisa Sauce - www.blondeentertainment.com

Linens:  A Classic Party Rental – www.aclassicpartyrental.com

“…Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.” 

-Excerpt from a quote by Pedro Arrupe.  His full quote was read during Lauren and Casey’s ceremony at the Indiana War Memorial.

Lauren and Casey wed on a crisp Friday November evening at the Indiana War Memorial in downtown Indianapolis.  The rich decor and color of the IWM, blended with the fun and upbeat personalities of our couple, made for a thrilling and gorgeous wedding!

Lauren and her girls began the day with hair appointments at WIP Downtown and then made their way to the Indiana War Memorial to add the finishing touches!

Having stepped into her gown, and with her beautiful bouquet in hand, Lauren was ready to meet her groom for their reveal and photographs around the amazing Indiana War Memorial!

Lauren is such a STUNNING bride!  She and Casey continued to take photos around their venue.  It was such an incredible space and their photographs are amazing!

The couple also had photos taken with their bridal party!

With the photographs complete, it was time to prepare for the ceremony.  That moment that had seemed so far away during the planning process was now right before them.  With all the decor up, candles lit, guests taking their seats and music beginning, that moment when best friends become husband and wife had arrived!

Following their picturesque ceremony the Bride and Groom along with their guests, enjoyed a delicious dinner catered by Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering and live music at their reception also at the Indiana War Memorial.

After introductions, a welcome by Mr. and Mrs. Casey Egan, and a prayer by the Maid of Honor, Meredith, the food stations were open and the festivities of the evening reception began!

Lauren and Casey had a photo booth set up for their guests with note cards on each table to spread the word!  The fun pictures made for memorable keepsakes of their big day!

Lauren and Casey’s cake, created by the incredibly talented Paige Hayes of Sweet Seductions, looked beautiful in their reception hall and was topped with a real treasure!  Lauren’s grandmother’s cake topper made another appearance atop Lauren and Casey’s cake!  It was truly a special touch that added a great deal of meaning and sentiment!

The First Impression Band kept the partying going all night long! 

When the song “Save the Last Dance for Me” came to a close, so did the evening for the couple and their guests.  Lauren and Casey shared with those closest to them what will always be remembered as the beginning of their marriage and the first of many smiles, laughs, and memories to come!  Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Egan!

 A special THANKS to all of the vendors that helped bring Lauren and Casey’s dreams to life!

Hair Stylist:  WIP Downton - www.wipdowntown.com

Bridal Gown:  Nancy’s Bridal Boutique – www.nancysbridalboutique.com

Bridesmaid Dresses:  J. Crew Online – www.jcrew.com/wedding.jsp

Alterations:  A Fitting Creation – Dianne Frewer – www.afittingcreation.com

Florist:  Bokay Florist – Angie Kenley - www.bokayindy.com

Photographer:  R. Matthea Photography – Rachel Nelson – rmattheaphoto.com

Ceremony/Reception Venue:  Indiana War Memorial – Barbara Beeker – www.in.gov/iwm

Ceremony/Reception Music:  First Impression Band – Jeff Reed – www.firstimpressionband.com

Caterer:  Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering – Jacquie Michaels – www.jacquies.net

Baker:  Sweet Seductions – Paige Hayes – www.sweetseductions.biz

Linens/Stage, Pipe & Drape:  A-Classic Party Rental – www.aclassicpartyrental.com

Photo Booth:  Casper Enterprises – Katrina – www.shutterbooth.com

Transportation:  Carey Indiana Limousine – www.careyindiana.com

On Saturday January 21^st, 2012, Lindsay and Jason tied the knot at the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library.  The chilly winter weather was no match for the warm memories shared on their special day. 

The day began with hair and make-up appointments for Lindsay and her girls with the incredibly talented staff of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Salon.

After their appointments were complete, the girls were whisked away in a limousine, provided by Aadvanced Limousines, to the Marion County Public Librabry to finish getting ready for the big day.  The ladies were all smiles on thier trip in anticipation of the events soon to come!

Upon arrival at the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library, Lindsay recieved a gift from her husband-to-be accompanied by a sweet hand written letter.  Excited now more than ever, Lindsay and her girls then stepped into their gowns to get ready for their photos!

Lindsay’s Russian Tulle birdcage veil was the perfect finishing touch to her gorgeous bridal ensemble.  With the exception of her amazing wedding ring, of course!

Everyone looks simply amazing!  Lindsay’s stunning gown is from Nancy’s Bridal Boutique, while her bridesmaids dresses are from Alred Angelo.  Angie Kenley from Bokay Florist made their fresh, clean white bouquets that just pop against their black gowns!  The ladies from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Salon did a fabulous job with everyone’s hair and makeup! 

Meanwhile, Jason and his guys donned their Men’s Warehouse tuxedos before boarding their limousine from Aadvanced Limousines to the Library for their photos before the ceremony.

 Lindsay also gave her groom a gift and letter before their ceremony.  Jason’s expression says it all as he opens the box from his bride.

Just after sunset on that Saturday night, with all candles lit, and guests begining to arrive, Lindsay and Jason’s pianist began playing their prelude music, marking the begining of their ceremony in the Library’s Simon Reading Room. 

The couple had their photos taken, along with their bridal party and families, directly following the ceremony, then it was on to a dinner reception.  After the fun wedding staples of cake cutting, toasts, and special dances, the dance floor was opened while Mark Beecher with Grapevine Productions DJ and Entertainment kept the party going!

Paige Hayes with Sweet Seductions did an incredible job on their cake!  The wooden base added so much to the winter rustic feel of the wedding, and with flavors like Lemon and Raspberry Swirl, it certainly tasted fantastic too!

Lindsay and Jason’s adorable favors were mason jars filled with hot chocolate mix!  They were a crowd favorite!

CONGRATULATIONS LINDSAY AND JASON!  We’re so glad to have gotten to be a part of your Special Day!  We wish you lots of love, happiness, and laughter today, and every day!

Below is a list of information for all of the TERRIFIC vendors that worked together to make Lindsay and Jason’s wedding dreams come true!

Ceremony and Reception Venue: Indianapolis Marion County Public Library – www.imcpl.org

Bakery (Cake): Sweet Seductions – www.sweetseductions.biz

Florist: Bokay Florist – http://www.bokayindy.com

Entertainment: Grapevine Productions DJ and Entertainment – http://wwww.grapevinedj.com

Hair and Makeup: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Salon – http://www.kkbbsalon.com

Photography: SB Childs Photography – http://www.sbchildsphotography.com

Transportation: Aadvanced Limousines – http://www.317limousines.com

Bridesmaid Dresses: Alfred Angelo – http://www.alfredangelo.com

Bridal Gown: Nancy’sBridal Boutique – http://www.nancysbridalboutique.com

Tuxedos: Men’s Wearhouse – www.menswearhouse.com

Allison Selig & Patrick Hellmuth

Wedding Date:  August 4, 2012

Patrick’s Story ~

When it happened

Saturday, May 14, 2011 

How we got engaged

Unbeknownst to Alli, the plan had been in the works for months. While deflecting hints and questions, I had the perfect proposal in mind (little did I know that it could all be foiled by a Magnum ice cream treat). On the second day of our family vacation to Europe, we were in Prague, Czech Republic. We were taking a Prague by Night tour, and I had decided that the St. Charles Bridge would be the spot where I would ask Alli to marry me.

As we were about to go up on to the bridge, the group stopped to look at a water wheel upriver that ground grain (thrilling). Alli heard the international tune that can only be referred to as the tones of angels – an ice cream cart. Since skipping dinner (catfish), she decided to get one of the largest ice cream bars that I’d ever seen. We soon headed up to the bridge and as the group continued, I persuaded Alli to pose for some photos with the brilliantly lit castles and churches in the background (of course with her ice cream).

Finally my stalling techniques were paying off, she was almost finished, but now worrying that we had lost the group (We could both still hear the droning tour guide through wireless earpieces and we were not far behind). After a little more walking (Alli worrying) I stopped her and asked her a question that would change our lives forever – How was your ice cream? Actually, on one knee, I asked Alli if she would make me the happiest man in the world and marry me. Alli was almost speechless, but managed a “Yes” through her tears of joy. We spent the rest of the night toasting Prosecco and calling family to tell them of our engagement.

Nikki Hill & Marlin Jackson

Wedding Date:  July 21, 2012

Nikki’s Story ~

MONDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2011…. Valentine’s Day

I work night shift, (7pm-730am) any three given days of the week. I had just worked Sunday night and luckily had Monday, Valentines Day off! After getting off work and coming home where Marlin was I decided I would take a quick nap and then get up to get our day started! On my days off Marlin will tell you I want to run around and be productive, I don’t want to sleep the day away, especially Valentines Day, the one day that should be all about us Marlin and I (really I) had decided that he would just plan the day as a surprise for me! My only request to get a manicure and pedicure, I’m a feeen for manis/pedis!!!! After waking up from my “nap” I immediately go find Marlin and tell him I’m ready to get our day started, lets go! Marlin tells me to pack a bag to be ready to leave the house by 3pm. We go and get our mani/pedis and then come home to get our overnight bags. We drove downtown and pulled into the Conrad. Upon walking into the room there were chocolate covered strawberries on the bed…delicious! We walked over to the mall and shopped around for a bit before coming back to the room to get ready for dinner. Marlin had made reservations for us at Capital Grill. We had a fun, romantic, delicious dinner and laughed a lot. After dinner Marlin said lets go back upstairs to get our coats (around 10pm)….yes winter jackets, it was freezing out that night! After grabbing our coats and Marlin making a few phone calls, we walked downstairs where my chariot, I mean horse and carriage were waiting. As long as I have lived in Indy I have never done a carriage ride around the city. We took a 30 min carriage ride around the canal and Capital building, it was a lot of fun, although FREEZING! During the ride Marlin was acting kinda funny, he’ll say he wasn’t. He was talking a lot about our future together and so on. Upon arriving back in front of the Conrad I asked the driver to take a picture of us. I leaned against Marlin and unbeknown to me, as I’m leaning in to him and smiling he has the ring out for the picture in his free hand. Marlin tells me when he did this the driver made a “OMG” face and Marlin gave her the “relax, I got this under control!” After taking the picture Marlin immediately snatched the camera out of her hand and looked at me and said “you  never show me the pictures after taking them so I’m not showing you this one” umm okay! Marlin stepped out of the carriage first and turned around to grab my hand. As he grabbed my hand and I made my first step down the stair off the carriage Marlin said something along the lines of, ” Are you ready to take your first step into our future together?” He then got down on one knee and asked if I would marry him. I wish I could go back to this moment and hit the slow motion button as it was all happening so fast, I really didn’t have time to answer before I hear Marlin saying, “well will you?” I managed to get a “yes!” out. As Marlin is placing the ring on my finger I then let him know “it goes on the other hand!”….. we then went into the wine bar and ordered a bottle of champagne to toast our engagement. We called my parents and some of marlin’s family members. I then called my brother, who was in Belgium, to let him know the exciting news! While trying to calm down from all the excitement we went to our room to text other family members before calling it a night! The next morning I woke up and immediately looked to my left hand, just to make sure it wasn’t a dream, and there “she” was!   From then on I truly felt like a new women!

Click on the link below to view Cassie’s Baby Shower captured by the tremendously talented Jet & Danielle Kaiser!

http://jetkaiser.com/blog/2011/09/25/damore-indianapolis-event-baby-shower/

Lauren Book & Constantine Linos

Wedding Date:   June 2, 2012

Lauren’s Story ~

Throughout the fall of 2010 I brought up the topic of marriage with Constantine quite often. We were finishing our 5th and last year at Purdue and I was anxious to start our lives together. I started to get excited when a special occasion came up thinking that maybe he would propose! Little did I know, he had been saving up for an engagement ring for the past 3 years. On Christmas Eve we had the whole family over as we always have, and my mom and I were busy all day cooking. I was so busy that I really hadn’t considered that he might propose. Right before dinner the whole family was sitting in the living room and Constantine turned to me and said that he had a surprise. His sister’s boyfriend Hayden suddenly appeared behind me playing the guitar and Constantine started to sing “Marry Me” by Train. Even as the melody (that I knew so well by then) began I still couldn’t guess what was about to happen. I could hear my aunt crying. He was trembling and trying really hard not to cry. He had almost made it to the chorus when he stopped, got down on his knees and pulled out a gorgeous diamond! The music stopped, and it was silent. Everyone was looking at me with a shocked look on my face. I really really could not believe that it was happening. I finally said “of course” once I heard someone shout “say yes!” I took a little while for the shock to ware off. I was and of course still am extremely happy and excited. Here’s to our future together!

Check out Jason & Lindsay’s AMAZING wedding captured by the FABULOUS SB Childs Photography!

http://sbchildsphotographyblog.com/?p=23884

Jennifer Stewart & Bryan Davis

Wedding Date:  April 28, 2012

Bryan’s Story ~

Shine On, You Crazy Diamond… 

What follows is a story of loss; a story of a precious metal, and

precious stone, lost.  What follows is not a story of love lost.  What

follows is a story of an opportunity for love to grow, in spite of an

unfortunate and frustrating circumstance.

 

On the third of June, two-thousand eleven, I proposed to the lovely

Jennifer Ann.  It was one of the best days of my life, and certainly

the best birthday I have ever had.  On that day, I gave her a ring.

The ring symbolized a seal over her heart; I made a promise to love

her with a jealousy unyielding as the grave.

 

Song of Solomon 8:6

6 Place me like a seal over your heart,

  like a seal on your arm;

for love is as strong as death,

  its jealousy unyielding as the grave.

It burns like blazing fire,

  like a mighty flame.

 

The ring and its radiance symbolized all that we are, and all of the

love that we share.  It symbolized my promise to be hers and hers

alone.  It symbolized the seal over my heart.  I will love no one the

way I love her, for all of my remaining days.

 

 

 

Jennifer’s job is demanding.  It is difficult, physical work.  I am a

desk jockey.  At most, I need to be concerned about carpal tunnel, and

maintaining an ergonomically correct position so as to keep from

getting poor posture.  Jennifer has to avoid numerous dangers as well as

wrangle/handle/control livestock on a daily basis.  She must be

concerned about 1,300 pounds of equine mass running her over, jumping

on her, kicking her, or giving her a black eye…I admire her work

ethic, and her ability to remain calm around large animals.  I know

for certain that I am the wuss in this relationship…

 

Anyway, Jennifer’s job is demanding.  She must often put on rubber

gloves, and frequently must wash her hands to rid them of all the fun

stuff she encounters. As such, her ring must often be removed

throughout the day.  Sure, she could wear the ring on a necklace while

at work – but what fun is that?  It needs to be on display, for the

whole world to see!

 

For the first six months of our engagement, Jennifer wore her ring to

work every day.  Aside from a couple of scares when she forgot that

she had put the ring in her pocket, it seemed that it would be okay to

wear at work without the risk of losing it.  For the first six

months…

 

Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 4:22 PM I received a text from

Jennifer.  It was not good news…The conversation played out as

follows:

 

 

As you can see, she took it pretty hard.  How was I to react?  Yeah,

the ring was expensive.  Yes, it would be a hassle to replace.  There

were so many things I could have gotten frustrated about. I will

admit that at first I was a little frustrated by the news, but I took

a minute to think about it from her perspective.  I imagined that her

mind was going a mile a minute.  I knew she was upset, so what good

would it have done to come down on her and make her feel worse?

Nothing in this world is worth more to me than her trust in me, and I

was not about to berate her and make her feel as if she could not come

to me with problems and trust me to react with compassion.  I did my

best to comfort her, but she remained fairly distraught.

 

 

Thank God for insurance!  Not to out shine Aaron Rodgers and his

discount double check commercial, but let me tell you…State Farm was

absolutely amazing!  Big shout out to Susie Ricke and her staff for

helping us out and giving us such great service!  State Farm certainly

has us for life…

 

Within a matter of days, we were able to replace the symbol.  The

wonderful people at Shane Co. were kind enough to bring in diamonds from

their other locations for us to examine.  Granted we had no idea what

we were looking at through that jeweler’s loop, but they made us feel

pretty good about everything.  Sure, the commercials are annoying, but

I really do feel like we have a friend in the diamond business…

 

 

I meant every word of what I said.  The ring was nothing compared to

what it symbolized; sure, the ring was lost, but our love was not.  My

heart is still sealed off from others, and I will still love no one

the way I love her.  No one will ever know me the way she knows me,

and I do not need a ring on her finger to know that.  She will always

be captivating.  I will always be drawn to her, and love her with a

jealous fervor.

 

Song of Solomon 4:9-11

9 You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;

  you have stolen my heart

with one glance of your eyes,

  with one jewel of your necklace.

10 How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!

  How much more pleasing is your love than wine,

and the fragrance of your perfume

  more than any spice!

11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;

  milk and honey are under your tongue.

 

Jennifer: No matter what happens to the material items in our lives,

nothing in this world means more to me than you, your love, and your

trust in me.  I will never do anything to compromise our love.  I want

you to know that you have stolen my heart; I want you to know that my

heart is sealed off from all others.  Our love will shine on, like

that crazy diamond.

 

 

Jennifer Millikan & Ryan Worley

Wedding Date:  April 21, 2012

Jennifer’s Story ~

I was working on my thesis project in my apartment in Portland one night in May. Ryan had just called to say hi, but I was a little disappointed that he seemed to cut the conversation short. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. I looked through the peep hole and could see that it was a man in a red shirt, but I couldn’t tell who it was. I had no idea who would be knocking on my door out of the blue at 10pm. Since I wasn’t expecting anyone, I thought he must have the wrong apartment. The guy knocked again and again, and I started to worry that he wouldn’t go away!

All of a sudden I received a text message from Ryan that said “Just open the door!” I was so confused, but I ran over and opened the door. Ryan was on one knee and asked, “Will you marry me?” Flustered and still confused, I responded, “How are you here?” We laughed, and Ryan came in the apartment. Then he asked again, and I said, “Of course! Yes!”

Ryan and I enjoyed about a day and a half in Portland together relaxing and sharing the news with friends and family. Then he returned to Detroit for work, and I got back to my thesis project.