Elise and Dan were all smiles every moment of their colorful wedding planned by K.Hart Events with design and florals by An Affair To Remember. And it’s no surprise why: their goal was to make the whole day feel “as though it was exploding with our electric, vibrant love for each other”. The result? A rainbow springtime palette bursting with joy from start to finish… as evidenced in the images by Ashley Pieper Photography below!
The Invitation Suite
Colorful wedding invitations by Cheree Berry Paper & Design set the tone for the colorful wedding celebration to come. Details included a deep green inner envelope, hot pink insert featuring the St. Louis skyline, and subtle pops of blue, marigold yellow, and orange.
The Wedding Dress
Elise’s dress was the perfect canvas for her technicolor imagination, a moment of elegance and simplicity amid otherworldly colors, breathtaking floral designs, and monumental architecture. Her dress, designed by Marchesa Notte and named the Fernanda, was inspired by Spain, notably Seville, and of its beauty and femininity. An Andalusian princess dress with floral embroideries, big volumes balanced out by light materials.
Elise made the look her own, adorned in special, gold accessories channeling a timeless elegance; most especially her beloved, late grandmother’s 18k Yellow Gold Eterna watch. Adding one more unique touch, Elise wore eclectic jeweled beetle hair pins serving as a cheeky ode to the June Bugs that would get stuck in her hair while playing in the New Hampshire meadow outside of her grandparents’ house as a child.
What a beautiful first look with their parents to witness!
The Ceremony
They held their ceremony at Graham Memorial Chapel at Washington University in St. Louis, where Dan had earned his Master’s degree. They wanted all of their florals, from the ceremony arrangements to the bouquets, to match the magnificence of the stained-glass chapel.
Their focus was an inclusive, welcoming ceremony. They chose a poem by Tyler Knott Gregson called “If Life Is A Question Mark,” for the first reading—which represented the journey they took to find each other. Their second reading, an excerpt from “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho (a book they read together throughout their relationship), to serve as a spiritual moment and a recognition of the different paths they’d taken to get where they are.
This book also served as major inspiration behind their whole wedding theme: The main character, Santiago, stumbles upon a lush oasis while traveling in the harsh desert. There, he finds momentary peace and comfort while learning lessons of love and courage. We really wanted our wedding to feel like a dreamy, colorful oasis; a sanctuary for all of the incredible people in our life to gather and celebrate.
At the end of the night, guests each walked away with their own copy of “The Alchemist”.
The Ceremony Music
Accompanied by The Diamond Empire Band string quartet performing hand chosen music. We chose “The Jurassic Park Theme” to be the groom’s processional. On its surface a strange choice, but a perfect embodiment of Dan and our “classic but eclectic” ethos. Elise was escorted by her father to “Chasing Cars”, one of the couple’s favorite college era songs. “Storybook Love” from the Princess Bride served as the backdrop to the unity candle lighting. Finally, we wanted to end the ceremony with the classic, “Wedding March” from a Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Elise and Dan were then escorted away from the Chapel in a 1950’s Rolls Royce Silver Cloud.
Colorful Wedding Flowers and Design
Elise dubbed her vision for the day “moody spring” as a nod to the elegance of the arrival of springtime. They landed on emerald green as the backdrop to a bursting array of bold florals including warm, eclectic pops of color and saturated oranges and neon pinks, and even striking blues and purples.
At The Dogwood in the Grove for their reception, they welcomed guests with a sweeping staircase adorned with every size, color, and species of flowers they could gather—just the lush oasis they had imagined.
Reception Details
Butterflies served as another beautiful through-line at the reception, beginning with a handmade specimen box seating chart with a butterfly for each guest to guide them to their table. Butterfly chargers welcomed them as they sat down to dinner.
The Wedding Cake
Our vibrantly overgrown theme (and meal) concluded with our equally beautiful and delicious wedding cake from “Made. by Lia” an almost perfect homage to the staircase behind it. It was adorned with floral elements and sugar butterflies, as if it was split open and our moody spring theme was emanating from it. Even the flavor was meaningful, almond cake with raspberry filling, the same flavors as the Swedish prinsesstårta which Daniel makes for Elise every year for her birthday.
Film by Ashley Pieper.
Photography: Ashley Pieper Photography | Planning & Coordination: K.Hart Events | Ceremony Venue: Graham Memorial Chapel in St. Louis | Reception Venue: The Dogwood STL | Catering: The Social Affair | Stationery: Cheree Berry Paper & Design | Florals + Design: An Affair To Remember | Cake + Desserts: Made by Lia | Bridal Designer: Marchesa | Bridesmaids Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Men’s Formalwear: Stallone’s Formalwear | Officiant: Mark Larson | Ceremony & Reception Entertainment: Diamond Empire Band | Hair + Makeup: Thirteen & Washington and Eye Do STL | Signage: STL Neons | Rentals: Styled & Staged STL & Weinhardt Party Rentals | Transportation: Champagne Limos & Best Transportation