After Meeting in the Peace Corps, Adventurous Couple Dance Night Away at Houston Station Wedding
Friday, June 27, 2014
Caitlin and Dominic met in the Philippines while serving as volunteers for the U.S. Peace Corps. Seriously, how amazing is that?! This adventurous pair dreamed of a ceremony and reception at Houston Station that reflected their laid-back, traditional style. A romantic feel was also important to them, and they achieved just that with the help of billowy draping, elegant glass chandeliers and gorgeous flower arrangements that featured varying sizes of winter-inspired blooms and willow branches.
While décor was important to the bride and groom, the most crucial factor was that they and their guests had a great time. Getting all of the essentials out of the way first (cake-cutting, special dances, etc…) allowed Caitlin and Dominic to truly enjoy the reception with their friends and family and dance the night away!
Caitlin fills us in on even more stunning details from her big day with a full recap below:
Caitlin & Dominic
Wedding Date: December 21, 2013
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Houston Station
Guests: 200
Budget $20,000 – 30,000
Wedding Team
Venue | Houston Station
Planner | Amy Longshore, Shay Brown Events
Photographer | Laura Grier, Beautiful Day Photography
Gown | Arzelle’s
Jewelry | J. Crew
Veil & Hair Piece | Tatyana Merryman
Shoes | Badgley Mischka
Bridesmaids’ Attire | They all chose their own black, floor length, chiffon dresses.
Hair & Makeup | Katie Russo
Stationery | The Write Impression
Caterer | 5 Senses, Mitchel Murphy
Cake Artist | Dulce Desserts
Floral Designer | Fresh by Carryann
Ceremony Musicians | Jay Vern
Reception DJ | Kyle Stephens
Rentals | Southern Events
Lighting | Bright Event Productions
Transportation | Grand Avenue
Draping | Visual Elements
Wedding Details
How would you describe your style as a couple?
We are very laid back. We met as U.S Peace Corps Volunteers serving in the Philippines, so I guess I would also call us adventurous. We like going out and hanging out with our friends, or entertaining at our house, but we are also very content staying in, making dinner together and laying low.
How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?
The most important thing for us was to have a good time, and for our guests to have a good time. We wanted a ceremony and reception that reflected us, and we definitely achieved that. We chose our venue and our date based around my grad school schedule and because I am a teacher. (We were able to take our honeymoon right after- yay!)
We wanted to play up the first day of winter and use a lot of sticks and candles in our centerpieces. As we started planning we realized that we are more traditional than we thought. I wanted to use a lot of neutral colors; black, white, gold, and champagne were our colors, and we used a lot of sparkle throughout. We wanted a very romantic feel, which we achieved through the draping, chandeliers and candelabras. We used old pictures of us as little kids on the bathrooms, and had pictures of our families displayed. We had our guests “sign” in with a thumb print tree which is now hanging up in our house. It is a nice reminder of our beautiful wedding day.
What was your (or your guests’) favorite aspect of your wedding?
We shared letters we had written to each other during our ceremony. Neither of us had heard the letters until that day so that was very special. We talked about the beginning of our relationship –which most people had not been there for because we were living in the Philippines when we first started dating. I think it gave our guests a view into the start of our relationship. We also had a friend from the Peace Corps marry us, which was wonderful. Ryan did such a nice job, and the ceremony felt so personable. I am so glad we asked him!
Another favorite part of our wedding was really enjoying the day/night with our guests. We got some of the traditional things done right away such as first dances, and immediately started eating. We cut the cake, and then danced the night away! We actually enjoyed our wedding and felt like we were able to dance and be a part of it.
We also LOVED our venue! Elizabeth Gilbreath of Houston Station is AMAZING and so helpful. Houston Station is such a neat space and we had so much fun planning there. Our photographer and all of our guests complimented the venue over and over again. We loved everything about Houston Station.
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
We were so lucky to work with the photographer we did! That was a splurge of ours. We could not say more wonderful things about Laura Grier - she is so talented. We are so thrilled with how our pictures turned out. We are so happy!
We also splurged on our food and drinks. We really wanted our guests to have a good time and have a nice meal.
As for DIY- I am not much of a DIY'er, but I did try to add some personal details to our wedding such as putting together our family photos and our seating chart. Our wedding guests rang bells the moment we become husband and wife, which was really sweet. We also had a great florist who reused some of our ceremony flowers for our reception. Carryann was great!
Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
I planned everything from DC where we live. That was hard to do at times, but it was nice in a way because I was able to come back to TN, do planning, and leave feeling I got a lot accomplished. I actually really enjoyed the planning piece and had so much fun working on the wedding with my mom. It was such a fun and special time, and a time that I look back on fondly. Of course at the end it is a little nuts trying to finish everything, but overall we had so much fun planning!
In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Enjoy every minute! Planning (and then especially the day) goes by so fast. It is such a happy time in your lives, and when you get stressed out, just remember, the most important thing at the end of the day is that you are marrying the love of your life.
About the Author:
Newlywed Heather
Heather is a Pittsburgh, PA native who now proudly calls Nashville home. As a newlywed herself, Heather is excited to talk about the latest wedding trends and share everything she learned in planning her very own Nashville wedding (psst: don't stress...At the end of the day, you'll be married to your best friend!) with Ashley's Bride Guide's readers.
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Posted on June 27, 2014 |
Filed under: Real Nashville Weddings, Wedding Venues and Locations,
