Fabulous patterns and design in the detail, including the umbrellas, bow ties & groomsmen's socks are a signature element of your wedding. How did this come about & how did you made it work!

David and I are both pretty detail oriented and as we delved deeper into planning, our ideas would just kind of pop up. We love anything monogramed and preppy. Even though David and I wanted an elegant holiday event, we wanted our guests to see touches of us in everything.

Anyone that knows David knows that he is a bow tie man. He coordinates his bow tie and the perfect pair of “Happy Socks” (The official name) every day at work. We knew we wanted to incorporate his signature throughout our day. So the napkins were tied into bow ties and the stamps on our invitations matched his wedding bow tie.  David selected red and white striped bow ties and polka dot socks for the groomsmen. Thank goodness he was well versed in tying them, because all nine groomsmen lined up for him to tie each one!

The umbrellas were part of our last minute “rain plan.” With less than a week for them to arrive, we turned to Amazon. The pattern was somewhat of a fluke. Initially, we planned to order ten black umbrellas. While scrolling the endless pages of umbrellas we found the infamous red and white umbrella and knew it was perfect!  After confirming our idea with Kortnee Kate, the order was placed.

I doubt anyone at the Haas-Habel wedding had to be prompted to smile for photographs! Playfulness abounds at this spectacular Christmas wedding with reception at Duke Energy Convention Center. The love, fun, and friendship between Sarah + David is unmistakable. We asked Sarah to tell us about planning her December wedding, inclement weather concerns and her and David's fabulous taste in rain attire. Photography by Kortnee Kate Photography.

We have heard your proposal story is pretty hilarious, tell us what happened.

It was a Wednesday afternoon in late April and like always I went to the mailbox to get the mail. As I flipped through the pile of mail I came across a letter from Richter & Phillips that was hand-addressed to David. This was slightly unusual. David had received mail from them before, but nothing was ever hand-addressed! I then proceeded to hold the letter up in the light, tried lifting open the flap and even pressed down on the envelope in a desperate attempt to see what the letter said. Much to my dismay, I was not able to gain any information from my efforts, and set the letter aside. Later that evening, when David got home from work, I "casually" asked him about the mysterious letter. The conversation went something like this:

Sarah: "Since when do you get hand-addressed letters from Richter & Phillips?"

David: "(Stumbling) Oh... That is where I got my watch, so I get mail from them sometimes."

Sarah: "I know you get mail from them, but it is never hand-addressed!"



There was nothing but silence, and David's face went from having a slightly panicked look, to a having a full-on scowl. He then said/screamed:

"I can't believe you! You are ridiculous! Why do you ruin every surprise? I have been planning this for an entire month!"


Seeing that he was clearly annoyed, I stopped jumping up and down and dropped the subject.

A couple days later, David and I were hanging out at my parents’ house in Lebanon with some of their friends and we decided to have a firepit. When it started to get cold my parents and their friends went inside. It was 40 degrees and I had no shoes on, so naturally I wanted to go inside as well. However, David asked if we could stay by the fire a little longer. 

We started talking about life, the future and when we were going to get married. We got up to go inside and when I turned around, David was down on one knee and proposed! Obviously, I said Yes!

Somehow even though I managed to foil his original plan to propose, he was still able to surprise me! Oh, and that mysterious hand-addressed letter from the Jewelry store? It contained two Graeter's Ice Cream coupons for being a valued customer! Nice job, Sarah!

There were other patterns throughout the reception venue that, in hindsight we probably spent too much time on. A bird’s eye of our reception would reveal a pre-planned pattern of black and white tables, each with chairs in the contrasting color. David and I worked closely with Courtenay Lambert (She’s amazing!) and created four different centerpieces.  Each of those centerpieces had a specific place and we selected a specific patterned votive candle to accompany it.  Did I mention we were very detail oriented?!? While I would love to say that every guest noticed the details at that level, I think it is safe to say that they did not. We loved the end result, but we acknowledge that it took a lot of time.

Your wedding was just days before Christmas, tell us about this decision, including weather concerns and how you prepared.

Choosing a date for our wedding was fairly easy, as Christmas is our favorite time of year. We had previously discussed having a Winter wedding and when the idea came up again in our initial planning stages, we both loved it. We chose December 21st simply because of our schedules. I finished all of my final exams the week before the wedding and drove right into the final stages of planning.

I think everyone was nervous about inclement weather except for David and I. I absolutely LOVE snow. Yes, it is cold. Yes, it's a pain to travel in. However, snow is beautiful. We were well aware that there could be a snowstorm and our parents might be the only ones attending our wedding. Yet, when people asked me about that situation, all I would say was, “…But my pictures will be fantastic!”  We rented the parking lot across the street from Duke Energy Center to ensure parking for our guests and made sure that both the ceremony and receptionvenue would have the snow removed should it decide to fall.

One week before the wedding I was checking my weather app every hour. I finally came to terms with the fact that my perfect snowy wedding dreams were going to be replaced with a rainy, 65 degree day. We immediately ordered ten large golf umbrellas, my rain boots and contacted Kortnee Kate to come up with our “rain plan.” The day went off without a hitch and I can officially say, you can still have fun on your wedding day even if it rains all day long!

Did you include any family traditions into your wedding day?

We didn’t have any real family traditions incorporated into our wedding… but I am going to use this spot to talk about one of my favorite parts of our wedding. One of David’s cousins enlisted in the Marines a few years ago. Unfortunately, it turned out that Kevin was deployed to Afghanistan and was unable to attend our wedding. On Kevin’s last trip home before his deployment, David and Kevin talked about surprising everyone by Skype-ing with Kevin at the wedding.

The week before the wedding, David and Kevin started planning out the details. We told Kevin’s fiancé, Christina, about our grand plan and she was in. DJ Toad figured out how to show the ipad on his screen and we were golden. After the speeches, we got up to say a few words and Christina snuck onstage. It was an awesome surprise to everyone including Kevin’s parents, siblings, and the entire Habel family. Many of our guests told us it was the coolest thing they’ve ever seen at a wedding and we were so happy that we could pull it off.

The food at your reception looked incredible...and did we see a donut bar!? What was the biggest hit with your guests?

In our mind, Duke Energy Convention Center and their catering partner, Ovations, is one of the best event spaces in the city.  While you don’t see many wedding receptions at DECC, they host many black tie events and fundraisers including the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Celestial Ball that David and I have attended for the last 5 years.

Their staff is accustomed to catering to large groups and our 300 guests were no problem for them. Our catering manager, Steve, from Ovations was great to work with and did a great job of figuring out what we liked and then coming up with a menu that exceeded all of our expectations. Their team was fantastic to work with, the food was phenomenal, and their presentation was beautiful.

We wanted our evening to go from very elegant to a big party.  When that switch took place, we had surprises planned for our guests. The first was a donut bar! I love donuts and what’s better than donuts from Cincinnati’s favorite bakery, Busken. The team at Busken created the perfect mix for our celebration and was extremely easy to work with. We also planned a popcorn bar using the delicious creations of Patty’s Old Fashioned Popcorn (located right across the street from Poeme of course). We ordered clear Chinese take out boxes so our guests could take some home for later.

Although the food choices went over well, the overall biggest hit with our guests was the Glow Bar. I collected hundreds of glow necklaces, bracelets and flashing rings. They were a huge hit and we loved looking back at our pictures to see our guests wearing them.

Sarah's Dress: Vera Wang, Cincinnati Bridal + Formal | Sarah's Accessories: Haute Bride + La Gartier Custom Garters at Hyde Park Bridal | Sarah's Shoes: Jimmy Choo + Hunter Rain Boots | Alterations: Tony King | Bridesmaid Dresses: Cincinnati Bridal + Formal | Groom + Groomsmen Attire: Joseph A Bank + Collared Greens (Bowties) + Happy Socks | Wedding planner: Sarah + David did most of the planning with help from Tres Chic Event Planning | Flowers: Courtenay Lambert | Hair: Jen Nally |  Makeup: Brideface (Mollie) | Ceremony Venue: The Summit Country Day School, Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel | Reception Venue: Duke Energy Convention Center Grand Ballroom | Ceremony Music: Cincinnati BoyChoir Director, Chris Eanes + Organist, Bonnie Spain | Reception Music: DJ Toad | Cocktail/Dinner Musicians: Pat Kelly and the Psychoacoustic Orchestra | Catering: Ovations | Photography + Videography: Kortnee Kate Photography | Cake: Spoon Fulla Sugar | Donut Bar: Busken | Popcorn: Patty's Old Fashioned Popcorn | Stationery: Poeme

Advice to future brides?

Choose vendors that you love and trust them. David and I did most of the planning ourselves and, knowing our own attention to details, wouldn’t have done it any other way. Our ability to do that was largely in part to our vendor selection. Take the time to look into a couple of options in order to ensure you are making the right decision… or you can just cheat off of our vendor list. We truly hit the jackpot with our vendors. After you have decided on your vendors, tell them what you want and trust that they know what they are doing!

Delegate. Another thing we like to tell engaged couples is that the last 10% of the planning takes about as much time as the first 90%. The last few weeks before the wedding are busy. Delegate tasks to friends and family that are willing to help out. This will make your life so much easier.

Stop Pinning! Pinterest, websites, blogs, etc. are great for ideas, but a few months before the wedding, stop pinning!  New ideas mean changes or more money. This is stressful to both you and your vendors.

How did you ask your bridesmaids to be your bridesmaids?

As we get older, a lot of my friends have scattered themselves in different areas of the country, which makes it hard to ask them in person. I had one in Miami, another in San Diego and two in Cincinnati.  Meanwhile, I was stuck in Columbus! For those girls, there was no cutesy way of asking. They knew I loved them and how much it would mean to me to have them stand beside me and graciously accepted. Initially, David and I settled on a smaller bridal party of five bridesmaids and five groomsmen.  We realized that we forgot a few very important people in our lives and knew we needed to expand those numbers. So I asked four other ladies to be a part of our big day.  I purchased red and green sequin stockings that each held a poem and a cutout of a wedding dress. When they turned the dress over it asked if they would be our bridesmaid.

Tell us about finding the perfect dress & of course the perfect red rainboots!

When I was a little girl, I remember my dad would let me pick out a wedding magazine when we went to the grocery store. I would bring it home and scan every single page in pure delight. I fell in love with each ivory and rhinestone filled picture.  When it was time to go dress shopping, I found that I was really open to anything but I knew I loved sparkle.

I found the perfect dress at my first and only dress appointment at Cincinnati Bridal and Formal. I brought along my mom and dad, my best friend Joely and ...David. Yes, I brought my fiancé. He had been a part of every big decision that I had made and I wanted to know he loved the dress as much as I did. He was not a fan of the idea! I tried on the first dress and walked out to show him. Even though he was able to muster up a smile, you could see in his face how disappointed he was that he was seeing the dress before our wedding day. I could tell the moment I saw him. He wanted to have that “moment” just like every other groom when they see their bride for the first time. (Ladies, they DO care!) I walked over, handed him the keys and told him he could go. I thought he was going to cry. I still smile when I think about that day. He is always sowonderful to me and was willing to give up having that moment, just so I had his support in my decision. What a guy!

Once he left, the dress extravaganza continued. I tried on a lot of different dresses. Traditional, sherbet colored, rhinestoned, contemporary, etc. etc. etc. I found a lot that I liked but nothing that I had fallen in love with. The sales ladies, Shelley and Staci, had pulled a dress and brought it to me. I looked at it hanging in front of me with skepticism. They responded by saying, “just try it on! Trust us!” When I got the dress on and looked in the mirror, I started to cry. It was perfect. Georgina by Vera Wang: An ivory trumpet gown that combined elegant lace, tulle and a skirt trimmed in horsehair. It was very classic in the front and had loops of horsehair and tulle in the back. I felt like a real bride.

The dress was very me, but it needed some extra sparkle before I could call it my own. I selected a rhinestone sash to jazz it up. I had also been head over heels for Haute Bride bridal jewelry. When I found out that Amanda’s Hyde Park Bridal carried their stuff, I made an appointment immediately. She helped me select some beautiful rhinestone and pearl earrings, a custom bracelet and a matching headband! She was so kind and helpful and those accessories truly brought my dress to life. After the wedding was over, Amanda helped me change the ivory ribbon on my headband to black, so now I can wear it to black tie events!

The red rain boots were a last minute addition. While it wasn’t the type of precipitation that we wanted on our wedding day, I wasn’t going to let it ruin the day and wanted to make the most of it. I loved the idea of showing off rubber rain boots underneath my dress. I had so much fun with those boots!

How much of a role did David play in the planning process?

I tell everyone that for the 4-5 months before the wedding, David became the bride… and in many ways that was true. If there was an email to be sent or a phone call to make, he took care of it.  I went to as many vendor meetings as I could, but when I was unable to make it he would ask me what ideas I had and what I wanted, and then he met with them alone. A week before the wedding, I took nine final exams and drove home from school to get married. The next day we walked into our final meeting at Duke Energy. There sat the caterers, the lighting company, our wedding coordinators and the Duke Energy staff. I remember sitting down and everyone looked at me andstarted asking questions. All I could do was look at David. He kissed me on the cheek, stood up and handed every person at the table a packet. Seriously? Everyone has a packet?

That packet contained a schedule of the evening, when food and the late night snack bars were to be served and a layout of the entire room (that was to scale) that detailed where everything should be placed.  I know many husbands sit back and let the bride plan it all but without David we would have probably had to delay our wedding just because I didn’t have the time. School took over my life that semester and David took over the planning. I will never forget how relieved I was that he had the answers to everyone’s questions and how proud I was of him. It might be safe to say that he was a better bride than I was. I don’t think I would have a packet for everyone ha ha!

What aspect of planning was the most challenging? The most fun?

Without a doubt, the most difficult aspect of the planning was the fact that I was in the middle of my 2nd year of Dental School at Ohio State when we had our wedding. I knew 2nd year is known to be the hardest year. In my mind, the wedding planning would be the fun stuff I could do when I needed a break from all things dentistry related. The reality is that I never had the opportunity to take a break and do the fun things. It was challenging because I wanted to be more involved, but I needed to focus on school.

As Kristen and Phil found out first hand, David stepped up to the challenge and basically took over the planning. While I attended our first consultation, David attended every other consultation by himself. Kristen said it was her first ever groom-only consultation and nicknamed him “Johnny on the Spot” groom. David can’t hide the fact that he loves hearing that!

Even though it was challenging, I think the experience overall was so fun. David and I learned how well we were able work together and I had to learn to give up control and rely on him. I loved that we each came up with our own ideas and then we would mesh them into an idea we both loved. The other great part of planning our wedding was the friendships we made along the way. Many vendors turned into friends that we will have forever. I think that is so cool.

Tell us about entertaining your guests at the reception.

One of the most important things to David and I was our music selections. We decided on the Cincinnati Boychoir for the ceremony and they were perfection. They sang Christmas carols as our guests arrived and even sang Ave Maria, a favorite of ours. If you want to know how amazing they are, download this song on itunes or attend one of their concerts. Those kids are amazing.

We hired Pat Kelley and the Psychoacoustic Orchestra to play for cocktail hour and the first half of the reception. The 13 piece Jazz orchestra was exactly what we were looking for to start off the evening. David and I are old souls and love the likes of Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra and many more. The jazz orchestra was a way we were able to showcase that. We wanted the second half of the evening to be a Miami-style dance party. DJ Toad was the best! We still have our guests talking about how awesome our DJ was. We couldn’t agree more! “Club Habel” as it was nicknamed was exactly like we envisioned.