This traditional wedding in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was classic, elegant and timeless – despite some unexpected surprises… A mix-up with the centerpiece arrangements; a WHITE wedding cake that was supposed to be chocolate and a record breaking rainy day in April could not deter the bride, groom and wedding guests from a beautiful celebration. The one and only photograph taken of Katie + Borko outdoors is so romantic and beautifully poetic: ‘Come rain or come shine‘ happy they will be together…Enjoy!
Katie + Borko | April 16, 2011 | St. Andrews in the Valley Episcopal Church, Colonial Golf & Tennis Club, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
The Ceremony
We had a traditional church ceremony on what turned out to be an unseasonably cold and record-breaking-rainy day! We picked a relatively small, simple Episcopal Church for the ceremony, both for it’s proximity to the reception site and it’s classic, intimate appearance with wood paneling in the front and floor-to ceiling windows overlooking a lush lawn. The service was officiated by my youth pastor and friend who, when I was 16, had volunteered to perform my wedding ceremony in case I would ever want him to do so someday. I began crying as soon as I faced him with my husband-to-be at the altar and continued to alternate crying with laughing throughout the message! It was so touching and meaningful to be united to the love of my life by someone who had such an impact on my earlier years. The ceremony was intentionally brief but personal. The prelude and processional music were played on cello and piano by childhood friends of Borko’s and a reading was done by his sister. We included my niece as the flower girl and all five of our nephews as our troupe of ring bearers rather than choosing one of them! We chose minimalist but purposeful decorations: one large flower arrangement on the altar beside the unity candle, purple and white kissing balls on each pew down the center aisle, and flower-wreaths on the door to the sanctuary.
The Reception
The reception was also held in a very traditional venue; a country club in Harrisburg, near to my family and many childhood friends and also close to the town where we lived for four years in medical school, which is where we met (and fell in love!). We picked the venue the April prior to our wedding, when the golf course was lush and green and the trees were in full glorious blossom of pink and white. Little did we know that April of 2011 would be dramatically colder and that the trees would still be barren! It ended up not mattering due to the torrential downpours that persisted the entire day of the wedding (no break for outside pictures!). Cocktail hour was held in a wood-paneled room with ample windows directly overlooking the golf course. Dinner and dancing took place in a classic ballroom with chandeliers, wall sconces, and candlelight.
There were many little details that threatened to bring out the “Bride-zilla” in me. An unexpectedly large number of our friends and family couldn’t come due to travel constraints - all of Borko’s extended family still lives in Croatia and I went to college in Missouri, meaning many of my friends were over 1000 miles away or work schedules (most of our mutual friends were interns in various residency programs, like we were, and therefore couldn’t easily get off work for a weekend of travel back to PA); my centerpiece arrangements looked nothing like the pictures I sent my florist, the chocolate cake with chocolate icing that I had ordered arrived to me as a cake with WHITE icing, and, of course, THE WEATHER…but the food was delicious, the DJs fantastic, and our photographer braved the rain to photograph us under an umbrella and produced a stunning photo as a finale to the night. Overall, we were so blessed to have our guests travel from literally all over the world (two of our groomsmen came from out of the US, and the other six came from six different states!) to celebrate our love and our lives. In the end, it wasn’t what I imagined, but it was a perfect day!
How Katie Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Classy, fashionable and feminine.
Why Katie Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
As many other brides have said, I don’t want to waste the beauty of my dream dress in a box in my parents’ house! As much as I felt the dress was perfect for me – unique, a little glamorous, and just a little bit ostentatious – I want to pass it along to someone else while it’s still in style rather than waiting to see “If” I’ll ever have use for it again personally. It is a truly gorgeous dress and was the one detail in my wedding that worked out just the way I envisioned!
Katie’s Dress | Pronovias Frenesi
Photography | Dan Graybill Photography
When asked what three words best describe how today’s featured bride felt in her wedding dress, Lauren said: Special, beautiful and sophisticated…and I couldn’t agree more! In true ‘Ocean State’ fashion Lauren and Mike’s Rhode Island wedding is a delightful display of New England charm and classic elegance. I LOVE this couple’s tented reception over looking the harbor complete with chandeliers and twinkle lights; the tasteful wardrobe choices for the bridesmaids and groomsmen; and the brides beautiful and unique Pronovias wedding gown. Enjoy!
Lauren + Mike | May 21, 2011 | Newport, Rhode Island
The Ceremony
We had a Catholic wedding ceremony at Our Lady of Mercy Chapel at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. Our Lady of Mercy is a small chapel; recently built on the college campus a year ago. At first we thought it was too small as it only holds 240 guests and we had 210 attending. The wedding was very intimate and all of our guests loved it because they said they felt like they were part of the ceremony. The ceremony took place in the middle of the chapel with the pews in a circular form around the altar so everyone was able to see and hear everything. Many of our guests told us it was the best wedding ceremony they had ever attended.
The Reception
We love Rhode Island. I grew up in Rhode Island and Mike lived there for many years. When we got engaged we knew we were getting married in Newport. We regularly vacation in Newport and have a special fondness for Southern Rhode Island.
Our wedding was held at the Newport Yachting Center, an outside tented venue on a wharf overlooking the Newport harbor. The location was quintessential Newport with views of boats sitting in the harbor and the Newport Bridge in the background. The tent was white with a draped ceiling and hanging chandeliers; we added twinkle lights throughout the tent for sparkle. The wedding colors were blue and purple with grey and silver accents. The flowers were blue and purple. The table lines were lavender with a silver napkin and silver chairs. The centerpieces were tall and short, some tables had a tall vase and some had short. The tall vases were 20-inch cylinder vases with purple and blue hydrangeas with other purple accents and a blue silk ribbon Lauren’s aunt made tied around the top of the vase. The short centerpieces were square vases with mostly hydrangeas, dark blue and purple and deep purple lisianthus.
How Lauren Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Special, beautiful and sophisticated
Why Lauren Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
My dress was a unique style that at first my mom and sister did not like. Mom and sister told me when I purchased it that it was one of their least favorites I had tried on. But I loved it. On my wedding day I received a ton of compliments on it. And my mom and sister said they could not imagine me in any other gown. So after the wedding I decided to sell it because I want another bride to feel special and get the opportunity to wear a gown that is not like all the others. The dress makes a statement and it is memorable because it is so different.
Lauren’s Wedding Dress | Pronovias
Photography | Black Thumb Studio
Natasha + Jeremy | July 18, 2010 | Grayling, Michigan
A magical outdoor “chapel” in the forest was the amazing setting for Natasha and Jeremy’s wedding. This beautiful couple mixed it up a bit by beginning their celebration with brunch. Next, guests travelled by horse drawn wagon to the ceremony. At the end of the day, the bride and groom left the party in what else? A Go-Cart! Love their fun and funky style!
The location
The thing I love most about my wedding was the setting, Camp AuSable. I always knew I wanted to be outside in the beauty of nature. I also knew I wanted everything to be relaxed and for everyone to easily enjoy the event, including myself! I love that my wedding wasn’t stressful in the least! We had so much help from friends and family to help make it the most most wonderful day of our lives!
The ceremony & reception
My husband and I decided to take a slightly different approach to our wedding. Instead of having the meal after our wedding, we started everything out with a bang: brunch! Under a lovely white tent, beside a gorgeous, quiet lake, we commenced the 11:00 am brunch, which was prepared by Jeremy’s three aunts, who are all professional chefs. For the brunch I wore a casual white summer dress. After the brunch, family and friends were invited to ride to the ceremony site in the horse-pulled wagon, drawn by two beautiful draft horses.
Next, in a lovely open-wooded chapel, filled with flowers and natural elements, we had our wedding ceremony. Live piano and guitar music accompanied the vocalists as I walked down to Michael Buble’s, Everything. Both of our fathers were pastors, and they each took turns conducting parts of the service. Halfway through the service it started raining, not too heavily thankfully, but it actually added a nice element and everyone had a great time with it! People ran up with umbrellas and we finished the service. Afterwards we all went back to where the brunch had been held under the tent and had the reception.
After all the events of the ceremony, which will always be filled with so many fond memories for us, Jeremy and I left our wedding…..in a go-cart! It was so fun and hilarious, it was probably the best exit I could have asked for! All in all, I loved my wedding and being with all my fabulous friends and family! It was relaxing, and beautiful, and I got to marry the man I love!
How Natasha felt in her wedding dress
Slender, elegant, and unique.
Why Natasha decided to sell her wedding dress
I honestly love it so much! I think it’s unique, comfortable and versatile. I want someone else to be able to enjoy it! It wasn’t meant to sit in a closet for the rest of its years.
Natasha’s dress: Pronovias
Photography: Kara Purtell
What happens when you combine Romanesque architecture with a mandate for fun, celebration, and two serious Foodies? Answer: Mariko and John’s beautiful wedding. In two words this wedding was grand and golden. And exactly the celebration this happy couple envisioned. Read on and enjoy!
Mariko + John | October 16, 2010 | San Francisco, California
The Ceremony
John and I thought a lot about where to get married — John’s family was in Oklahoma and New Jersey, mine in Connecticut, England and Japan, and we were living in Los Angeles. Not to mention our friends were spread out all over the country, though a lot of them were in the San Francisco Bay area, where we went to school. We realized we could get married anywhere in the country, since our wedding would probably end up being a destination wedding for most people anyway. In the end, California seemed to make the most sense since it was where we were living (made planning a little easier) and we wouldn’t have to worry about planning for rain! When we found out that Memorial Church, at our alma mater Stanford University, was available on the dates that we were considering for the wedding, we knew it was perfect. We were so excited to go back to Stanford, where we met as freshman dorm-mates, and tie the knot! Right after the ceremony, we drove out to the Arastradero Preserve, only a few minutes away from campus, with our photographer to take some shots as the sun was setting … those turned out to be some of our favorites from the whole day!
The Reception
We really wanted our reception to be a fun time for all of our friends and family. We had to make sure that the food was delicious, the music was fun, and the drinks were free-flowing! Both of us are serious food-lovers, so the menu was really important to us. We had a cocktail hour before dinner, with a few different passed hors d’oeuvres, like prosciutto chips with manchego cheese and curried chicken purses. Dinner was an appetizer trio of white corn soup with shrimp, duck confit in lettuce cups, and smoked tenderloin on arugula, followed by goat cheese and warm spiced apple salad, then halibut.
At dinner, we had our two best men and two maids of honor each give toasts, which were funny, adorable, and touching. Our first dance was a samba to “Say Hey” by Michael Franti and Spearhead … which must have provided some serious entertainment for our guests since neither of us are any good at all at dancing, despite attempting to take proper lessons!
After dinner, everyone excitedly started dancing right away. In fact, a few of our guests forgot to eat the shortcake with fresh strawberries because the dancing started before dessert was served … luckily, John and I both remembered! After the DJ packed up, we were all having such a good time that we carried on at an after party through the night and early morning!
The reception was such a fantastic time. I can’t imagine anything more fun than having a giant party with all your friends and family, celebrating the best decision you’ve ever made!
How Mariko Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Elegant, happy and (surprisingly) comfortable!
Why Mariko Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
When I was looking for wedding dresses, I couldn’t believe how expensive they were! I looked and looked for a pre-owned dress that matched my style, but I couldn’t find anything that worked. I’m 6’1″ with (small) heels, so every pre-owned dress that I could find was already hemmed for someone much shorted than me! I figured my dress would work for someone my height, or someone shorter.
Mariko’s Wedding Dress | Pronovias Medea
Photographer | Noah Hawthorne