Shi Shi Couple Jamie & Ethan Featured in The Knot Ohio

Congratulations to Shi Shi Events' couple Jamie & Ethan!  Their July 10, 2010 wedding is featured in the Fall/Winter 2011 issue of The Knot Ohio (out now on newsstands)!  I can't express how much I loved planning Jamie & Ethan's wedding.  It was one of those times, where I really felt a part of the couple's family, and I enjoyed every minute of it!  Jamie & Ethan were married on a brilliant day in July at St. Paul's Shrine in Cleveland, OH.  Their ceremony was beautiful; officiated by a priest who was a long time family friend.  Some of the ceremony highlights?  The flower girls, twin daughters of close friends, were over the top sweet dressed in little pink tutus.  Ethan created a program for the ceremony that looked exactly like a Google search page (Jamie & Ethan met while working together at Google).  And the best part, Jamie surprised Ethan with The Euclid Beach Rocket Car as their transportation from the ceremony around town before the reception.  Ethan was thrilled as he loves all things science!  


For their reception design, Jamie and I centered on an Anthropologie-esque, found objects aesthetic pretty quickly.  All that was left was to find a venue that truly lent itself to our design.  Because Jamie lived in San Francisco, mother of the bride, Gayle, and I did all of the venue go sees and research together.  It was such fun for me to get to know a mother of the bride so well; we instantly clicked and really just had a great time throughout the planning process.  We both knew that The Glidden House would be in the top 3 of the venues we'd seen for Jamie, and I was thrilled when Jamie & Ethan chose it for their reception venue!  The Glidden House is one of my favorite venues in Cleveland, not only for its beauty and history, but for the cozy vibe that's evident as soon as you step through their gorgeous midnight blue front door.  


With the venue selected, Jamie, Gayle and I visited Arne at Blooms by Plantscaping to chat about flowers and the decor for the day.  He loved our direction with the found objects, and the vintage inspired, whimsical feel we were hoping to create.  We all decided he would be the best person to bring our ideas to life, and were absolutely over the moon with what he created for the wedding day!  Gayle spent months collecting vintage items; card catalog drawers, silver serving pieces, lanterns, and egg cups were all part of the mix.  


It was important to Jamie & Ethan that we also showcased their love of travel, all things board game, and working crossword puzzles into the day.  So, when guests arrived at the reception they were asked to select a vintage postcard and "mail" their wishes for Jamie & Ethan to them in a vintage mailbox.  Cocktails were had both outdoors on the Glidden House lawn and inside the Glidden's Study, Dining Room, and Loggia.  Guests found their seating assignments in the Loggia inside an old library card catalog drawer.  Seating assignments were written on library book cards and stamped with the wedding date in the color of the guest's meal choice.  Next to the card catalog drawer was a wonderfully designed crossword puzzle, created especially for Jamie & Ethan by a friend of theirs.  Guests could take the puzzle with them, or work on it during the reception with the Google pencils provided.  As guests made their way to the dinner and dancing tent, they passed beautiful vintage lanterns hung from ribbon streamers in the Crabapple tree next to the path.  Under the tent, it was a feast for the eyes and the stomach with intricately designed centerpieces from Arne at Blooms, and amazing food from Sergio's Restaurant.  Arne had taken all of the objects Gayle found and created the most spectacular groupings, filling them with succulents, orchids, champagne grapes, and poppy pods, amongst others.  A very sweet touch; Jamie's dad hand made each of the table numbers.  And, each guest had a card with the evening's grace so they could participate.  Jamie & Ethan opted to forego a traditional wedding cake, so for dessert, Sergio's served their legendary (for good reason) Coconut Butter Cake.  Completely delicious!  For guests who chose not to dance, the couple had some favorite board games on hand to play.  A very serious game of Bas-ket ensued!  And to cap off the evening, we served Jeni's Homemade Ice Cream, a favorite of the bride's family, as a late night snack.  It was the perfect way to end a wonderfully perfect day.  

How can you get an experience like Jamie & Ethan's?  Here's a rundown on our experience essential partners:
Photography: Hunter Photographic
Flowers: Blooms by Plantscaping
Ceremony Location: St. Paul's Shrine
Reception Location: The Glidden House
Catering: Sergio's Restaurant
Late Night Snack: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams 

Entertainment: TKO Entertainment 
Transportation: The Euclid Beach Rocket Car
Rentals: Event Source 
Invitations: Volta Press
Shoes: J. Crew
Dress: Amy Kuschel, All Brides Beautiful
Makeup: Lisa Adams 

The Knot's editorial spread: 

And here are a few of my personal favorite images the Knot did not feature, but I love so much I wanted to share with you!

The Big 6!

In the whirlwind that is every wedding season, I'm constantly surrounded by the anticipation, last minute nerves, swells of emotion, and joy that are what makes a wedding day.  It really is such a beautiful feeling I'm blessed to share with all of our Shi Shi couples, and it's hard to believe that my own day as a bride happened 6 years ago today.  It seems as though I've only blinked, but yet here we are 6 years later.  So I'm taking some time this morning to remember all that was July 1, 2005; all of the fun with my girls the night before, our relaxing afternoon getting ready, the excitement of getting into the dress, the moments with my dad before those doors to the aisle opened, and the whoosh of the guests as they stood for me that nearly took my breath away until I saw Joe.  The moment I saw him there at the end of the aisle I knew everything was just as it should be, and for me there was nothing but joy and the two of us there in that atrium.

What followed was a raucous celebration that lasted until 2 AM the following morning and continued all weekend with additional events we had planned.  I always tell our Shi Shi brides to be sure to enjoy every moment of the day because you will never again have so much love and joy being thrown at you from so many people all at once all in one room - take it all in, because it's over as quickly as it begins.  I've never published photos of our wedding online, but since I'm in quite the bride state of mind today, here are some of my favorites from the wonderfully talented Steven Mastroianni.

Happy 4th of July everyone!  And happy anniversary to my one and only Schigs.  I love you baby with everything I am, eternally.