Ali and Patrick started their day prepping at the Westin which had gorgeous views of downtown Indy. After their first look at the Hudnut Commons, we headed to the church for their ceremony. When a speaker was doing prayers, golden sunlight streamed through the windows which gave us happy chills. The reception was held at the iconic Scottish Rite Cathedral where the couple had a live painter capturing the scene.
I loved capturing every minute. Thank you two and families for being such a great group to work with! It was an honor!
Bride and Groom Q+A:
Ali is from Indy and we’ve made Indianapolis our home together, so we knew we wanted to have it downtown. The venues were easy – we are parishioners at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, so we knew we would have our wedding there, and Ali’s grandfather is a Mason, so we knew we had to look at the Scottish Rite. She grew up hearing stories about her grandparents going to social events in the Scottish Rite ballroom and we love that it’s a historic landmark. It was perfect for the look and feel we wanted so as soon as we found a date that worked for those two venues, our priest, and our band, we booked them all at once!
We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding day. The weather was ideal, everyone had a great time, and we truly felt surrounded by love all day. We keep saying how much fun we had – we laughed and smiled all day!
We wanted an elegant, romantic wedding, with classic style. We were big on making timeless choices, so nothing was “trendy”. We went with a neutral palette of ivory, champagne, black and olive tones for that same reason. And, we wanted candlelight – LOTS of candlelight. There’s something about candlelight that can make even a huge room feel intimate. It came together beautifully. Our jaws literally dropped when we saw the room for the first time.
How did you choose your gown? I must have tried on 40 wedding dresses before finding “the one”. I was looking for an Old Hollywood style, something classic and glamorous. The second I put this dress on I knew it was the one. The ladies at Marie Gabriel Couture were a dream to work with, and so knowledgable.
My mom added a special piece to a layer of the dress for my “something blue” – a piece of fabric from her wedding dress with my new monogram sewn into it in blue stitching.
Both of us have the same favorite moment – our first look. It was the perfect experience of joy and excitement and it was special to have it just between the two of us.
Funniest moment? In all the chaos of getting ready and getting out the door on time, Patrick actually forgot to open his wedding gift. I spent all this time making a custom cologne for him, designing a label, creating specific packaging, etc. and he just plain forgot to open it haha! He admitted it when we got back to the hotel after the wedding and it was actually really nice to watch him open it and get to see his reaction in person.
Also, watching everyone’s reaction to the bagpipe player escorting guests down from cocktail hour was great. People were so surprised and had so much fun with it!
First Dance Song? “The Way You Look Tonight” – Frank Sinatra
Vendor team:
- Planner: Blush & Blossom Events
- Photography: Stacy Able Photography
- Venue Scottish Rite Cathedral
- Florist: Fleurish Floral Design
- Caterer + Cake: Kahn’s Catering
- Gown: Marie Gabriel Couture
- Bridesmaids attire: Bella Bridesmaids Indianapolis
- Groom attire: Jos A. Banks
- Rings: Moyer Fine Jewelers
- Car rental: Indy Trolley
- Shoes: Macy’s
- Invitations: Reaves Engraving
- Hair: Allison Rutledge
- Makeup: Andrew Elliot Beauty