Rachel + Michael
(April 24, 2021 in Coeur dAlene, ID)
In this blog post, the author shares their experience of planning and executing their wedding vision, which evolved into a nontraditional 1920s speakeasy-style affair. The author discusses how they pieced together their vision over time, with the help of vendors and various sources of inspiration, and how their wedding day ultimately felt like a fairytale. They also offer a key piece of advice to future brides: stay calm and rely on your support system to help you through any unforeseen circumstances.
Our real bride Rachel looked like a dream in our Lucy gown by LAmour. This gown is a stunning sheath fit and features a bold sheet lace reminiscent of the art deco era of the 1920s. It has sequin throughout that creates the perfect subtle sparkle. This dress has a plunging v-neckline with an illusion, dainty straps, a beautiful open back, and a lovely train.
By our real bride, Rachel:
What was the vision for your wedding?
When I first got engaged, I was originally very overwhelmed at what kind of a vision I had for our wedding. I had never thought about my wedding past wanting to feel beautiful in my gown on my wedding day (spoiler: thank you Honest in Ivory!!). As time went by I began picking pieces of my favorite things I saw through wedding research, talking to other brides, Pinterest, and things that I knew would make myself and my husband feel the happiest on that day. Slowly but surely a vision of a nontraditional 1920s, classically decorated, speakeasy-style wedding came together over months of talking with vendors who we felt could project the dream that we had pieced together. Each of our vendors unique styles helped to guide our vision into the beautiful day that we and our loved ones were able to experience
How did it go the day-of?
Before the day of the wedding I always found it funny how calm the bride looked once the day of the wedding came, regardless of how stressed out they may have been during the planning. I promise brides, once your day comes it really will feel like a fairytale regardless of how you may have felt in the months or years of planning leading up to your big day. On the morning of the wedding, I woke up at our beautiful venue, The Blackwell Boutique Hotel, with my best friend and maid of honor. Dressed in our matching PJs we pulled ourselves out of bed giddy to begin getting dolled up for the big day ahead. We began the day chatting about our hopes for the day, eating breakfast, and drinking coffee. The rest of my bridal party soon arrived just in time for hair and makeup and of course the popping of champagne. My day-of coordinator Marissa, the owner of Lets Elope CDA, was on every detail so that I had every stress eliminated from my plate.
Once the time to walk down the aisle came, I was zipped in my dress, with make-up and hair touch-ups and it was time! I couldnt believe how beautiful everything was as I walked down the aisle (thank you McBride Floral!) to see my husband standing in front of all of our friends and family. Details and stress at that moment truly become a blur because it all melts away when you get to look at the whole reason youre walking down the aisle in the first place standing right in front of you. Our untraditional, self-written vows made the ceremony one of the most meaningful portions of our big day. Cocktail hour and first pictures with our amazing couple photography duo, Corey and Kyha Clark, felt like a romantic whirlwind before we headed to our reception venue at Coeur dAlene Cellars.
Before that, we made a pit stop with our photographers at our favorite pub, Crown and Thistle, for some beautiful photographs and a pint of cider. The classic English pub decor made for the perfect speakeasy bride and groom photos. Our reception went off without a hitch, the wine flowed freely, and our buffet-style dinner from our favorite Latin fusion restaurant, Cafe Carambola, was everything we had hoped for and more. Our night ended with countless dances, full-blown group sing-alongs, and our friends and family by our sides. When planning a wedding, you start out with a vision (or in my case begin to build one) and you have an inkling of what you hope your big day may be like. We were fortunate enough to have just that, a day filled with laughter, happy tears, copious amounts of wine, and all the people we loved around us. Keep pushing for your wedding dream!
What is your #1 tip to future brides?
Brides, take a deep breath and try your best to enjoy your day despite anything going on around you. What I mean is that there will always be little things here and there that will be out of our control, but ultimately all we have is how we react to it. Look to your people surrounding you for help, solace, deep breaths, and confidence boosters. My bridesmaids, family, friends, and vendors made sure that if anything went wrong, I was not informed about it. Truth be told, Im still not sure if anything did because my people around me were just that good! You deserve to not only be stress-free but actually FEEL stress-free, lean on your people (within reason, you want your people to also enjoy themselves!) for support. You got this - all the hard work and stress will pay off!
