Kendall + Matt were married in a gorgeous floral filled ceremony at Cincinnati’s Netherland Hotel in the historic Hall of Mirrors. Architectural white florals and large palms flanked the ceremony pulling in the Art Deco detailing of the room.

The invitation was Art Deco inspired with a classic color palette of black, white, and gold. Black pocket invitation edged with thin lines and capped in decorative flourishes. The main invite was framed in a lustrous gold border. The envelope liner featured a bold gold pattern reminiscent of the Gatsby era to which it nods.

Photos by Brianna Bird Photography. Invitation photos by Poeme.

How did you and Matt meet?

Our story began roughly about ten years ago. We met casually in passing through one of our great friends, Chaney. That’s when Matt went over and whispered to Chaney, “I’m going to marry that girl”. After that we went our separate ways since Kendall went to the University of Louisville at the time and Matt was at the University of Kentucky. There were a few interactions here and there but distance kept us at bay. Fast forward seven years and that’s when the story begins to unfold.

Chaney and I decided to go to Bunbury Music Festival in Cincinnati and the rest is history. From there you could say was our first “date” seeing Florence and the Machine as the closing act of the festival. Later on that year, Matt asked me on a spur of the moment trip to Las Vegas for New Years and we finally became “high rollers” when we were officially a couple.

Tell us about the proposal.

Downtown Cincinnati has always been a staple and “go to place” for dates. Our favorite moment together was when we went up to the 49th floor of the Carew Tower on a beautiful day in March. It made us feel like we were on top of the world and that is where Matt knew he wanted to propose to me later on. The Carew Tower and the Netherland Plaza has always been one of our favorite lunch spots at the Palms Court because it gives you a sense of stepping back in time. The beautiful French Art Deco allows you to still hear the hustle and bustle along with beauty from its era. Matt covertly gathered family and made and official date of March 24 in 2018 to get down on one knee.

During this time I had been working night shift as a Registered Nurse and Matt sprung into action after I got off to go have lunch downtown. Matt prepared multiple signs with quotes from The Great Gatsby, one of our favorite movies, and planned out different family members along the way to the top of the tower. But then a small cold front came in and it began to snow. Now we weren’t mad about it snowing in late March because the snow was beautiful; big flakes like a winter wonderland. But of course during this time Matt had to come up with an alternative plan.

Before I got home Matt contacted the Netherland Plaza and they jumped into action. Matt aligned the family members up the main steps leading to the Continental but following a path that led to the large chandelier over the main front entrance steps. Under the platform is where Matt got on one knee and asked me to marry him along with giving her daughter, Evelyn, a small ring for herself. Evelyn being three years old at the time helped Matt pick out the ring and kept the big secret for months and was bursting with excitement when the big day finally came!

Describe your wedding day.

Our wedding day was everything we dreamed that it would be. The Hilton really did go above and beyond to ensure that every detail was perfectly executed. The vision for this wedding was created on the basis of ensuring that our guests had fun.

While making our rounds at the reception our question was always, “are you having a good time?”. In doing so, we were told countless times that, “this is the best time we’ve ever had at a wedding!”...Success. Both the first look and ceremony were intimate between us, the bride and groom, those moments were also filled with raw emotion, which were perfectly captured on video and in photos.

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

Our wedding stationery vision was simple yet elegant. We shopped around and fell onto the little shop of Poeme in Hyde Park. From here we saw samples in the outside window and knew this is exactly where we wanted our stationery to come from. We met with Kirsten and Molly and the vast ideas that we had put in place that seemed jumbled in our heads they put straight into action.

Every little detail we could possibly imagine came out PERFECTLY! We ordered our invitations and made customized stamps and they were a miracle in the works. Their attention to detail, lettering, phrasing, and just overall character were what we wanted to show off. They made the whole process go so smoothly we didn’t have to worry about one thing.

How was your everyday style reflected in your wedding day or was it a departure from your usual style?

In many ways our day to day styles were reflected in our wedding. Such as the classic simplicity of the my and my bridesmaids gowns. However, the Matt’s and groomsmens attire was quite a departure from our normal style. Tails were chosen to be worn on the big day, as they mirrored our 1930s era style.

What advice would you offer to engaged couples?

Do. Your. Planning. Ahead!! We began planning as soon as the bride said yes. Which was about two years. If you want to achieve a seamless and stress free day planning is key. This extensive planning also allowed us to live in the moment more, as we weren’t scrambling to pull things together last minute. Another tidbit of advice would be to realize that some things will deviate from your perfect vision, and that’s okay too. The most important thing to remember is that your wedding day is about you and your partner, so, take time to stop and share special moments with each other.

Also, many couples teeter on the decision on whether or not to hire a videographer. I know that we were definitely on the fence about this choice. However, there really is nothing quite like watching the special moments of your day from an outside viewer perspective. As we watched our video for the first time we were once again enraptured by reminiscent feelings from the day, and definitely shed a few tears. With that being said, go for the videographer, you won’t regret it.

CREATIVE PARTNERS

Venue: Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Hall of Mirrors | Planner: Roger Swonger & Katie Scalf (Netherland Plaza Hotel Catering Managers) | Photographer: Brianna Bird Photography (Brianna Pack & Tyler Pack) | Florist: A Little Bit of Green by Lisa | Videographer: Hoke Media | Photo booth: Iconic Image Photo booth | Invitations: Poeme | Musicians: Andrew Haug & Megan Hoffman | Dance Lessons: Cincinnati Dance Company with Eleanor Lachman | Dresses: White Wisteria Bridal Boutique | Esthetician: Karla Cazarez of KCG Beauty