I don’t think there could have been a more perfect wedding to end my 2016 wedding season with! Sarah and Andrew sure do know how to throw a party – especially a Gatsby themed one! Sarah is the definition of classic and when she told me earlier this year when I met with her that she was planning a Gatsby themed wedding, I could hardly wait! I had been patiently counting down the days until their November wedding and I was so excited to head to Grand Rapids the day after Thanksgiving and photograph it! The ceremony took place at Basilica of Saint Adalbert, a gorgeous Catholic church (just wait until you see the photos of it) and the party continued over at The Cheney Place, which is a vintage meets modern event space in Grand Rapids. Upstairs they had a ton of little vignettes set up decked out in vintage wallpaper, art, chandeliers and couches that all matched the 1920’s theme perfectly! Even Sarah’s engagement ring matched her Gatsby theme! Andrew proposed to her with a gorgeous art deco engagement ring and she had a matching wedding band. She wore jeweled art deco heels down the aisle under her lace wedding dress and a gorgeous jeweled headpiece straight from that era! Her bridesmaids knocked it out of the park too with their attire: dark red lipstick, feather hairpieces and beaded, 1920’s inspired bridesmaid dresses! The reception details were amazing as well! There were F. Scott Fitzgerald quotes on the bar, each table was named after a different slang word or saying from the 1920’s, and the decor was all black, white and gold, with tall, flowery centerpieces adorned with pearls and candles everywhere. Every detail was perfect and it looked just like a party Jay Gatsby would have thrown! But besides how amazing Sarah and Andrew’s wedding day looked, what matters more was how amazing it felt! There was so much love at their wedding, between them and between their families. There were no shortage of tears during the day, from both Sarah and Andrew, and it was so clear just how much these two cherish and value each other. The speeches at the reception were where the waterworks really started as Andrew’s Best Man and Sarah’s Maid of Honor, her sister, both gave such beautiful, heartfelt speeches. There were tears all around the room! One of my favorite moments of the day was when Sarah’s dad saw her for the first time right before she walked down the aisle. It was one of those moments on a wedding day that was quick but often times ends up being one of the most special ones! Sarah and Andrew, thank you for including me in your day and welcoming me in! I hope you absolutely love your photos!!! xx, Jen
