Scores of couples have exchanged vows inside the historic Dayton Art Institute (DAI) which will celebrate its centennial anniversary next year. The gorgeous building was completed in the 1930's and was constructed with the same 16th century Renaissance architectural design elements as two particular Italian villas built at that time. Lindsay + Joe were married at the DAI last year in a dreamy ceremony with hints of sparkle, and lots of creamy orchid and pale rose softening the cool gray stone walls. The Carrs Photography captured the day.

How was your personal style reflected in your wedding day?

I have always been all about anything that sparkles and thankfully we found tasteful ways to incorporate that into our day. Our sweetheart table had a sparkle overlay to it and our cake was on a stand that looked like it was covered in diamonds! My dress had a sparkle belt on it and although I wasn’t able to convince the guys to wear any sparkle, my bridesmaids had some sparkle on their dresses.

How did you and Joe meet? What was your first impression of him? What was his first impression of you?

Joe and I first met in kindergarten! I must have had a great feeling about him since we found a valentine that I gave him back then. I ended up moving away for a few years but once I moved back to Ohio we ended up attending the same high school and started dating junior year!

Tell us about the proposal.

Joe proposed to me during a weekend trip to Chicago. We had been dating almost six years at that point so I was SO overwhelmingly happy when he proposed! I had always told him that I preferred a more private setting since I knew I would cry - and I was right! He proposed in our hotel suite that overlooked the city on our last day. After telling our friends and family the good news we immediately celebrated with some margaritas (our favorite!)

How did you decide on your venue? Why was it the perfect choice?

The Dayton Art Institute was perfect because it was a really elegant venue in our hometown. We toured countless other venues and once we toured the Art Institute we immediately knew it was the one! We fell in love with the outdoor courtyard where we would hold our cocktail hour that had a water fountain and the area where we had our reception had a beautiful glass ceiling!

Describe your wedding day. Is there a particular moment that remains in your memory most vividly?

Our first look is one of my (many) favorite memories of the day. It was so emotional to see Joe all dressed up and ready to marry me! We did a first look in a private courtyard outside and I still remember walking up to him while he was waiting for me with so many emotions flowing through me. Our wedding day that we had waited so long for was finally here! We both cried happy tears when we saw each other and watching that moment in our wedding video still makes me cry all over again!

What was your favorite detail?

Our favorite detail was our florals. We included lots of soft pink and white roses just about anywhere we could! We also incorporated Hawaiian orchids into our florals to symbolize our honeymoon in Maui. Our florist created huge, beautiful arrangements of eucalyptus, roses and orchids for the front of the ceremony that created the look of a flower wall! The flowers created a really romantic vibe that we wanted on our wedding day.

Tell us about finding your dress.

Trying on dresses was so much fun - who wouldn’t love drinking champagne and trying on gorgeous dresses?! I was nervous I wouldn’t find “the one” because I really liked a lot of the dresses I tried on. I’m so glad that I made sure (with the help of my mom!) to try on lots of different kinds of dress styles so I would have no regrets once we found the one. Once I tried on my dress, I immediately knew it was meant for me!

Which best describes you?

Casual or Formal: A mix of both

Vintage or Modern: Modern

Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate!

Roses or Peonies: Roses

Pie or Cake: Cake

Lipstick or Gloss: Lipstick

Diamonds or Pearls: Both!

Rustic or Urban: Urban

Where did you honeymoon?

We honeymooned in Maui and loved every second of it! We were lucky enough to stay for 2 weeks and enjoyed snorkeling with turtles, seeing the sunrise on Mt. Haleakala and biking down the mountain after, and having mai tais by the pool. Most of all we loved celebrating our first days as a married couple!

Did you read any wedding blogs before getting engaged or while you were planning? If so which ones and what do you like about them/ find them helpful?

I read some wedding blogs when we were first engaged to get an idea of what kind of style we liked for our wedding. We loved to see how other couples incorporated their love story into their day.

Thank you so much Lindsay and Joe for sharing your gorgeous wedding day with us! All the best you in the years ahead!

VENDOR PARTNERS:

Lindsay's Dress: Hyde Park Bridal, dress designed by Hayley Paige | Flowers: Sherwood Florist | Cake and other Sweets: The BonBonerie | Venues: The Dayton Art Institute | Photography: The Carrs Photography | Other Stationery: Maria Gossard Designs