Grace + Josh's Summer Hall of Mirrors Wedding
A late summer wedding with a gorgeous reception downtown Cincinnati at the historic Hall of Mirrors was all elegance and classic style. From Grace's lush, hand-tied bouquet of white orchids, roses and ranunculus to her fabulous opera length gloves to the jaw-dropping reception filled with florals by Courtenay Lambert Florals - all the little details came together for a truly beautiful evening.
Grace used a simple color palette of whites and creams with hints of blush which created a romantic, soft ambiance under the domed ceilings and gold decor. The day was captured by Jonathan Gibson Photography.
Jonathan Gibson Photography
How did you and Josh meet? What was your first impression of him? What was his first impression of you?
Our parents have been lifelong family friends, but I didn't actually really get to know Josh until I interned one summer break during college at his family business. My first impression was definitely that Josh had a magnetic personality and captured my attention in an seemingly effortless way. He made me laugh that day and has continued to do so almost every day since. Josh says he knew he was going to marry me from day one. He had to continuously calm himself down so he could act normal around me, but we both really wanted to get to know each other more ever since the first day we met.
How did you decide on your venue? Why was it the perfect choice?
I have always loved the Hall of Mirrors and we fell in love with it after touring a couple venues in the city. I was too scared to have an outdoor wedding for fear of rain on our day and after seeing how spectacular the naked Hall of Mirrors room was without any florals or anything in it, I knew it was the perfect choice.
What was your favorite detail?
This one is hard to say because I have so many favorites, but I think my top two favorites were my opera length gloves that I wore with my dress and our head wedding party floral runner. Courtenay Lambert made my insane floral dreams come true with the most incredible floral runner that ran the length of our head table. I also loved Josh's white feather bow tie!
Tell us about finding your dress.
One of my maids of honor, Olivia, lives in Dallas so my mom and I and Olivia's mom went to visit her and spent the weekend dress hunting. When I first tried it on, I didn't fall immediately in love with it but after trying a million other dresses on, I couldn't get it out of my mind. On the second try, I knew it was the one and could not part ways with it.
Which best describes you?
Casual or Formal - Casual
Vintage or Modern - Modern
Chocolate or Vanilla - Chocolate
Roses or Peonies - Roses
Pie or Cake - Cake
Lipstick or Gloss - Gloss
Diamonds or Pearls - Diamonds
Rustic or Urban - Urban
Jonathan Gibson Photography
How was your personal style reflected in your wedding day?
I think I would describe my personal style as fairly simple and traditional in most ways. I love monochromatic designs and sticking with neutral color schemes. I tried to incorporate this and get all of our wedding day details to really reflect that. I chose white bridesmaid's dresses and I loved how it turned out with all of us in the same color.
Tell us about the proposal.
Josh threw (what I thought was) a huge Memorial Day party at his family's farm. We had all of our mutual friends and family there. He pulled me aside and I actually thought something was wrong at first because his face was so serious. After he got down on one knee, I lost it. My best friends from Dallas, D.C., and New York all came into town and surprised me after the proposal. It was perfect and so memorable.
Describe your wedding day. Is there a particular moment that remains in your memory most vividly?
It sounds cheesy and I often heard brides say the same thing before me, but the feeling of having so many people you cherish and love in one room is truly remarkable. It is so rare that you are able to see so many family/friends from all over the country in one room together. Whenever I think of our wedding day that feeling of spending time with family and friends comes back to me and it's like magic.
Where did you honeymoon?
We waited a week after our wedding before taking our honeymoon (which I strongly advise for any brides out there planning a big wedding) before traveling to France. We traveled from Paris to the French countryside and back to Paris. THE most romantic and enchanting city I've ever been too.
Thank you so much Grace + Josh for sharing your wedding day! We wish you all the best in the years to come and many more trips to France!
VENDOR PARTNERS:
Grace's Dress: Vera Wang, The Neiman Marcus Bridal Salon in Dallas, TX | Flowers: Courtenay Lambert Floral and Event Design| Wedding Planner: Karen Montgomery at I-do Boutique -- just want to note that this wedding could not have happened without her. Without a doubt, she is the best in Cincinnati and a dream to work with. I would recommend every single bride in Cincinnati to Karen | Cake and other Sweets: Ileana at SugarRealm | Venues: Hilton Netherland, Taylor Heusmann | Photography: Jonathan Gibson