landlocked bride | midwest wedding inspiration

Courtesy of i am blessed

No words needed for this one.

Image courtesy of bobbi + mike

We can’t forget about the dress. Sara was able to really customize this part of her wedding, and follow it up with a fun (semi) Trash the Dress at the City Museum.

From Sara
I bought my veil for $20 on eBay; I was appalled by the prices of these things in the bridal shop. My friend’s mother (as a wedding gift) made my hairpiece – It was stunning.

Images courtesy of Kevin Martini-Fuller Photography and Danny Reise Photography

After the wedding, I still wasn’t quite ready to give up the dress. Katie Roberds and I spent an unseasonably warm winter day at the City Museum after the wedding. It was a blast and I have some really beautiful photos to boot!

All trash the dress images courtesy of Katie Roberds Photography

I think I tried on 100 dresses. I was getting discouraged… until one fateful day at Clarice’s Bridal on Hampton. The staff was incredibly nice and described to me how the dresses can be customized. Which only makes sense… if you are ordering a dress so it can be “custom made for you,” why not get it EXACTLY how you want it? My Casablanca gown had a full order page of changes (no beading or buttons, different neckline, different type of pleats on the skirt, corset back, etc.) and I was as happy as a clam with the results.  And, I happen to be selling it for one lucky girl on Bravo Bride.

Image courtesy of Kevin Martini-Fuller Photography

In addition to the entire wedding being a fun event for their guests, Sara and Dustin had some great hook-ups for their photography, the paper goods and wedding website.

From Sara
We are so lucky to have friends with unbelievable talent.

I have a degree in photography, so obviously having a great photographer was super important. My old Professor from university, Kevin Martini-Fuller, came from Elco, Nevada for the weekend. I also hired Danny Reise for the photojournalistic shots. And our friend and fellow college classmate, Katie Roberds, shared her amazing talent as well. (My advice would be to reserve more time than you would ever think would be necessary for photographs and if you are choosing one place to splurge, the photography would be it.)

John Vogl of the Bungaloo created and hand printed our save the date band posters and Tori Mathis of Paperkeet did all other papery wonderfulness (invites, signs, table names, escort cards, programs, etc.).

To keep guests up-to-date on the wedding plans, Dustin, who is a web designer, created a great little website for all the guests. A good chunk or our guests were coming from out of town or out of the country and we wanted a way for them to get a feel for our city and the people in the wedding before they even got here.

And, for all the readers wondering where all of their details came from and who their vendors were, here are the deets (with comments from the Bride):

Bridesmaid Dresses: JS Boutique, Nordstrom
Bride’s Dress: Custom Casablanca, Clarice’s Bridal
Groom and Groomsmen’s tux: Calvin Klein, Men’s Warehouse
Bride’s Shoes: Nine West and Rocket Dog (flats for dancing, of course!)
Rings: Summit Jewelers (highly recommended!!!)
Ceremony and Reception: Rialto Ballroom in the Centene Center for the Arts
Hotel for the Guests and Wedding Party: Moonrise Hotel
Rehearsal Dinner: Eclipse at the Moonrise Hotel
Photobooth: Photobooth STL
Shuttle Bus (for to and from the hotel to the venue): Best Transportation

All Images courtesy of: Kevin Martini-Fuller, Danny Reise and Katie Roberds

**Stay tuned tomorrow for details on Sara’s dress, accessories and Trash the Dress session.**

The first ever Landlocked Bride Real Wedding feature comes straight from a St. Louis bride herself.  Sara contacted me expressing interest in sharing her Midwest soiree, and I couldn’t not share it with you all.  Instead of me trying to tell the story, I will be letting the brides tell you the stories.

From Sara
Getting ready was a really great and special time with my mom and sisters. I was calm and relaxed. We all did our own makeup. My friend and hairstylist came to do our hair. As soon as my mom laced up my corset, it hit me. I was so freaking excited to see Dustin and felt so beautiful I started jumping on the bed. So. Much. Fun.

Our ceremony and reception took place at The Rialto Ballroom, which is on the top floor of the Centene Center for the Arts and Education in Grand Center. The over-sized patio was a perfect fit to have our ceremony for 150, and guests could file straight into the ballroom for the reception. We didn’t fully realize till we got the photos back how great the city skyline looked from up there. Very Urban Chic.

We rented a photobooth for the evening and asked each guest to leave one for us for our guestbook and take one home (which also doubled as their favor). The images were priceless. Something about closing that curtain while the flashes are firing off really makes even the most reserved of guests come out of their shell. And, we made little buttons to go on each place setting. Each one was unique with the same phrase “I love you more than…” I love you more than Family Guy. I love you more than cotton candy. I love you more than Fredbird. I love you more than Vespa Scooters. I love you more than full moons…

All Images courtesy of: Kevin Martini-Fuller, Danny Reise and Katie Roberds

Image courtesy of clark + walker studio

You know the drill – if you know the designer, be sure to share!

I’m a huge fan of tree lots around the holidays. Like huge.

You see, my sorority happens to have its very own philanthropic center in town, and each year to raise money for the foundation, they run the Shining Light Tree Lot.  And, each year I spend a few of my Saturdays (and Sundays) volunteering my time, selling trees and soaking in the fantastic smell that is Christmas Trees.

When I stumbled upon this engagement session by Jenna Walker Photography, I was a bit jealous.  Why hadn’t I thought of this? Le sigh.  Nonetheless, the couple, Julia and Jacob look like they had a fantastic time.  And, I bet they enjoyed their time together (and the smell of the trees) oh so much.

Images courtesy of Jenna Walker Photography

I super big puffy heart breakfast. I *must* eat it every morning or I am one crabby lady (just ask the Mr.). I especially love breakfast for dinner. There is something so backwardsly delicious about bacon, eggs and hash browns at 7 p.m.

Plus, I seriously like puff pastries (see: croquembouche), particularly for breakfast. So, it’s no surprise that I fell in love with the idea of a Donut Truck the second I saw this:

Image courtesy of Jen Fariello via Classic Bride

Deli trucks and taco trucks are making appearances at weddings, too (just ask Miss Stripes). But, I cannot help but have a hankering for a delicious donut. Especially at midnight, after a night of partying and celebrating your marriage.

Now the problem is finding a Donut Truck in St. Louis…

Was there anything you stumbled up on in your planning that you *wanted* to make work, but just didnt?

One year ago today, the Pilot proposed to me.

Which reminds me – I’ve never actually told you how he proposed, so here it goes! And, of course, photos are included!!

Last January, we had planned a trip to Colorado for some skiing and to visit some friends of ours. We were both pining for a visit to the Rockies, but the Pilot had a hidden agenda for this trip – a proposal! His initial plan was to propose on the first night while we were out snow tubing. Our flight arrived a bit late, so after driving from DEN to Keystone, a delicious Mexican dinner and countless hours of catching up, we never made it out to go snow tubing.

The Mr. had to come up with “Plan B” – to propose on Saturday while we were on the slopes. Unfortunately, I took a pretty big spill mid-day and was not feeling up to par (Side Note: Always wear a helmet on the slopes – it’s what saved me from getting a concussion).

To an improvised Plan C he went. On Sunday, I decided to take a half-day snowboarding refresher course in the morning. It had been nearly four years since I had last been on the slopes, so I was not game for hurting myself again on Day 2. After dropping me off, the Pilot shared the news with our friends that he was going to propose. They spent the first half of the day skiing/snowboarding and scoping out the perfect spot for him to pop the question.

Mid-afternoon, we all took the Keystone Gondola up to the summit to enjoy some lunch. On the way up, my mom had called to “check in.” Really, she was calling to see what was up. The Pilot had told my parents he was going to propose on Friday, so she was getting antsy as to why I had not called her yet with the news.

This photo was taken just moments before the proposal!

Anyway, after lunch, we all headed back out for our last run of the day. My friend A (who also happens to be a bridesmaid) managed to get my camera from me by offering to get some action shots of me snowboarding down the mountain. By this point, I was still completely clueless, so I offered her my camera so she could snap some photos (all of the photos I had taken up to this point did not have me in them).

Our friends plopped down at the top of run to strap on their snowboards, but I opted to set up on a more flat spot so my snowboard wouldn’t take off down the mountain. Oddly enough, a few weeks prior, I had purchased new snowboard bindings, which had been giving me trouble all weekend, requiring someone to help me strap my boots into my bindings. The Pilot had begun to take off his skis “to help” (or so I thought).

The Pilot about to pop the question!

He sat down next to me (instead of helping me with my bindings) and pulled the ring out of his coat. While all of this is happening, our friends are behind us snapping photos of the proposal, and I’m extremely focused on trying to get my bindings locked. He managed to get my attention and went into a spiel about starting our lives together, most of which I don’t remember (sorry honey!). I started crying and shaking a bit, but of course said “YES!” The sun was setting over Keystone, and my best friend asked me to marry him while we were at the top of the Frenchman ski run. It is definitely a day I will never forget and only strengthened our love for the State of Colorado.

Ring on the finger action.

A snowboard shot of the ring.

The happy couple!

Sunset at Keystone.

Ring shot from the car ride back to our condo.

**All images are personal and taken by a friend.**

To the Pilot – Happy Engage-aversary! And, a big THANKS for picking such a beautiful location to start a new chapter in our lives!

Not only has it been cold in the Midwest, but I haven’t seen the sun in I cannot tell you how long (literally).  I used to wear my sunglasses on my drive to work every morning (thanks to sunshine slowdown, for those of you not familiar with morning commutes here in town), but they have been on the table for a couple of weeks now.

I don’t know where I was when this picture was taken, but our fabulous wedding photographer (who I cannot rave enough about – love her) managed to capture the sun on a Winter afternoon.  Lucky her.  It may have been cold outside at the Citygarden, but the sun graced her presence (and that of that cute couple).

I digress.

I hope you are staying warm on this cold Saturday, Winter day.

Image courtesy of Lisa Hessel Photography