Catherine + Joel’s Vintage Modern Wedding Celebration

Black, white, and all the variations on gold! Catie + Joel were married in a vintage meets modern wedding celebration at Cincinnati’s Monastery Event Center. Catie’s bridesmaids wore mix and match sparkle gowns and carried gorgeous bouquets of summer florals in pale pastels. We absolutely love their stationery vision which incorporated an elegant envelope liner with a subtle penguin pattern as a nod to Joel’s proposal at the Cincinnati Zoo (read below!). We used a gold foil penguin liner on the main envelope and a black and gold version on the response card enclosure. The same vintage brushed gold was used on the accommodations card, invitation wrap, ceremony program, and seating chart. The newlywed couple’s custom monogram on the invitation wrap was also incorporated into the seating chart. Photos from the wedding day by Bambino International. Stationery photos by Poeme.

Tell us a little about you both and how you met.

Joel is in IT and I am social worker and work for a small nonprofit. Joel is definitely more the introvert and I am the extrovert who plans ALL the things. We both love being friends and family.We met online and our first date turned into four hours of learning all about each other. We then went on several more dates and then pretty much spent were together all the time. I moved in after a year of dating and after two and half years of dating Joel proposed. We will be together 5 years this October. We love to travel, corona has really put a damper on traveling. We have two cats Zoe and Michonne. We just bought a new house in February in Montgomery and are loving it.

Tell us about your wedding stationery vision and how it came together.

I always loved how my mom had her their invitations framed their wedding and they were simple but elegant so that was the starting point of my stationery vision it had to be classy and elegant with a touch of vintage and fun. Working with POEME was amazing because we got to try things out and see first hand how things would look. I explained my vision for needing gold and simple but also incorporating the penguins which is how Joel proposed at the zoo with penguins. I already have invitation framed with a wedding photo. I got so many compliments on invitations it was amazing. The monogram and the details of gold, just so classy. Love!

Tell us about the proposal.

It needed to be unique... And there needed to be animals... And a photographer... And her friends needed to be involved... but still a surprise... The list kept growing. Joel knew it was going to be extremely difficult to incorporate all of Catie's wishes and still surprise Catie. After all, everyone knows she is very nosy and has eyes and ears located everywhere around the city. To pull this one off, he began spinning a web of deception two months away just to keep her guessing.

A fake contest winner certificate, a month full of random 'date nights' in the calendar, and Oscar nominated acting. She was completely fooled and even began to think it might never happen. However she was very excited that on this day (May 5th 2018) we would both get a once in a lifetime Penguin experience at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Photographer? Check! Unique and a surprise? Check Check. Animals? PENGUINS!!! After watching Buddy the penguin paint a masterpiece they both held out the painting for photos. A couple nudges and almost forcefully moving Caties face to look at the back of the painting there it was: WILL YOU MARRY ME?

She of course said yes but Joel wasn't done yet. While she began calling all her friends to tell them, they were already aware and began hiding in the back room of the Cock and Bull. A couple hours later they went to go celebrate the next chapter of their lives at the same place it began. SURPRISE! Catie couldn't believe it. Better than she could have ever asked for. And the crowd goes WILD!!!!

Describe your wedding day.

Fast! The day was absolutely amazing but went so fast. All the hopes and dreams came together into the vision and plan. I got the best surprise present from my husband to be, he saved the receipt from our first date and had it framed!! I got ready with all my favorite people in a beautiful house we rented. Our first look was absolutely perfect! The day was sunny and beautiful! It was perfect! I married my best friend in front of the best people in our lives! We danced the night away!! (This is a hard question because there are so many emotions attached to this one day). Honestly, it was the best day spent with the best people and ending it with my favorite person in the world.

black and white stationery by Poeme — Request: Being Present

Catie + Joel included a note on their ceremony program requesting guests turn off phones and cameras.

How would you describe the overall style of your wedding?

Vintage with a touch of modern. Pretty in gold. I love all things that are gold and antique! My dress was all lace and the bridesmaids were in beaded and sequins gowns in gold and champagne. Very vintage and pretty.

What detail of the wedding did you focus on the most?

I would say we focused on finding brass animals so we could have multiples on each table. Over the year we planned our wedding we traveled all over to different antique malls and good wills and found nearly 80 brass animals that we used at the wedding as part of table decor. I wanted the tables to feel Vintage and pretty including flowers and brass animals and table numbers on marble tiles in gold on gold easels!

What advice would you offer to engaged couples?

Focus on the things that are important to you and not what are important to other people! This is your day and should be spent how you see fit!! Plan together! Go to appointments, it was so fun for me and Joel. Have fun! This should be the most fun thing to plan and experience!!