Michaelyn + Christopher
September 16, 2023 in Spokane, WA
Welcome back to the Ivory Bride Blog, where we share stories of our real brides and their gorgeous weddings!
In today's post, we're thrilled to share the stunning wedding of our real bride, Michaelyn, whose vision of simplicity and elegance came to life in the most beautiful way. From the moment she booked Barrister Winery, everything fell into place, and with the help of amazing vendors like Beacon Hill and Rose & Blossom, her day felt effortlessly chic.
Michaelyn and Chris focused on creating a wedding that allowed them to fully enjoy every moment with their closest loved ones, skipping tradition to keep the day stress-free and personal. From an intimate ceremony to a fun-filled reception, Michaelyn's wedding was exactly what she and Chris had dreamed of!
By our real bride, Michaelyn:
What was the vision for your wedding?
From the very beginning stages of the planning process, our main goal was to keep things simple so we could fully enjoy our day. We weren't completely sure of what we really wanted until we booked Barrister. Once that was booked, everything fell into place. Shelby from Beacon Hill was absolutely incredible, making the entire planning process nearly effortless. We used Rose & Blossom as our florist, and they were incredible. Their florals complemented the character of Barrister and kept things simple, yet elegant-- it was perfect.
How did it go the day-of?
The day-of was flawless. The main goal, as I mentioned previously, was to be able to enjoy the day and soak it all in, even if that meant things would be a bit non-traditional. We stayed at The Davenport Tower the night before, knowing that we would want to start our day together before the craziness began. Chris left to get ready with our dads and a couple of his friends, and I stayed in the room to get ready with our moms and sisters. We chose not to have bridesmaids or groomsmen so we could fully focus on each other and our families and avoid any extra stress along the way!
The wedding ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception were absolutely perfect. Upon arrival, guests were offered greeted with a champagne tower prior to the ceremony. A close friend was our officiant, and he created the most beautiful ceremony that was meaningful and completely unique to our story and relationship. We wrote and read our vows, which was a bit terrifying, but SO worth it! It created such an intimate moment with our loved ones who were in attendance to share our love. The reception was a huge party-- which is exactly what we had hoped for.
Our DJ and close friend, Greg McGuire, was incredible. Our reception truly would not have been the same without him! For the reception, we bought flip flops for people to change into for dancing and light up foam glow sticks-- both were a major hit! We had some marquee letters from Alpha-Lit, which were super fun as well! I had a fun sparkly dress and sneakers that I changed into for the reception once the dancing started, which was super fun to spice things up a little bit (and put on some more comfortable dancing shoes)! Afterward, we went back to the Davenport and grabbed one last drink and some snacks at the Safari Room with some family and friends to continue the celebration. The day was truly perfect and everything we could have ever dreamed of! We left for our honeymoon 4 days later, and it felt SO good to bask in all of the love from our wedding day and to FINALLY not have to think about the wedding to-do's anymore!!
What is your #1 tip to future brides?
This is YOUR wedding! You will hear so much input (and sometimes criticism) from friends, family, and even random people about what you should do and how you should do it. Do what makes you and your partner happy and make sure that feels authentic to you!
