Elegant New Year’s Eve Wedding Celebration
We love the festive vibe of a New Year’s Eve celebration paired with the elegance of a winter wedding. Alex + Alex were faced with the familiar challenges of planning a wedding during the pandemic. After many conversations they decided to stay true to their original wedding date by paring down their guest list and making other changes needed to move forward. It was a beautiful winter day along the banks of the Ohio River. The nuptial mass took place at Saint John the Evangelist church which was filled with hundreds of red poinsettias for a stunning burst of color! The reception, for an intimate guest list, took place at the River Center Marriott in Covington.
Alex wore an elegant lace gown with a veil handsewn by her mom and carried a stunning bouquet of anemone and roses. Her bridesmaids wore rich, deep burgundy velvet dresses with luxe stoles. The day was photographed by Leanne Hunley Photography.
Tell us about the proposal.
This is a fun one! Alex and I went to Boston for a weekend in the summer just for fun, or so I thought! Ha! It was a city I had always wanted to visit, just never did. We had spent a couple of days exploring the city, doing walking tours and trying new restaurants that I had researched for months before! On day 3, we were walking somewhat along the Freedom Trail, climbing to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument *It was my idea to climb to the top but it must have been the hottest day ever. Alex wore jeans to keep the ring secured in his pocket and I couldn't understand why he wouldn't just wear shorts!
Seeing various things and we took a ferry ride across the harbor to the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park. We were walking around, and Alex "stumbled upon" (There was no stumbling-he had the day planned down to the MINUTE!!!! And I was still oblivious). The Rose Kennedy Rose Garden. Roses are my favorite flower, so as I was taking in all the Roses, I turned around and found Alex on his knee! Although a lot of what was said is a blur, I finally said YES after asking if he was serious about 30 times. You would think that would be the end of the story, BUT it gets even better!
After he asked I said "Ok now what do we do" and he suggested we go get drinks and then we could call our families and tell them. I happily agreed! We went to a bar called The Black Rose. We went upstairs and I turned the corner to find both of our parents there waiting for us! It was so special to have them there, and then we got to celebrate with them all weekend long!!
How would you describe the style of your wedding?
We knew we wanted our wedding to be traditional, FUN, and most of all fit "us". While our day was definitely different than we had originally planned, it ended up being so perfect for us. My mom instilled in me a love of flowers as she used to be a florist. I had dreamed forever of having a bouquet and flower arrangements full of bright pinks, reds, and burgundy roses, peonies, and ranunculus.
I know it is not traditional, but I truly planned around that! With it being New Year's Eve, I wanted to incorporate all of the Black, Gold, and Silver and the fun that naturally comes with the day, but I also wanted it to be our wedding, not just another sparkly NYE Party. I wanted it to be elegant, but still fun and comfortable!
Tell us about your wedding stationery vision and how it came together.
My sister in law, Stephanie Ammerman, was the mastermind behind it all! While looking for inspiration, I gravitated to black, but I loved the gold foil to help balance it out and still give it a touch of simple elegance. She was able to take my vision and make it everything I had hoped for and more! They truly set the stage for the entire day!
What part of the wedding planning process was the most fun or interesting?
This one is simple. COVID WEDDING! Of course, we had so many changes, restrictions implemented and taken away almost every day it seemed until our wedding day! We both promised each other in March when the entire pandemic started that we wanted to stay true to our date and finally get married after 18 months of being engaged and 3 years of dating before that! So he and I knew in our heart we would celebrate our marriage that day no matter what, and although we went from 225 to 24, we were surrounded by the most incredible team of vendors, loving family, and supportive friends that made it uniquely our day!
Tell us about your dress!
I had always envisioned wearing a giant poofy A-Line dress with so many layers of fabric I could hardly walk. And with it being a NYE wedding, I wanted all of the beads and jewels. But, during my first day shopping, I knew that wasn't for me! I ended up with a simple crepe and lace dress by Madison James at LACE. I went shopping with just my mom and his mom, and was just planning to "get ideas" but I bought my dress at the second store we went to. I knew it was "the one" when the first thing I wanted to do was see my groom while wearing it! Another fun tidbit of things "meant to be". And, my mom hand sewed my veil for me.
My dad passed away when I was 9, so many parts of the wedding planning process were hard as you think about your dad and all the memories leading up to it! But when I got my dress, I was signing the papers and there was just a sudden quiet in the store, and like clockwork, the song that him and I used to always dance to came on in the bridal store! Amazing!
Favorite wedding movies?
My Best Friend's Wedding is mine, and Alex's is Hitch.
Take us through your wedding day.
This brings back so many emotions! It was a whirlwind to get there, because like all pandemic weddings, things were changing daily and even by the minute. By the time the day got here, we were just SO excited (and relieved) to be getting married that day, and be able to at least have some family and friends (wedding party) attending! I woke up with my Mom and Maid of Honor in the Presidential Suite at the Marriott, where we had coffee, breakfast and the bridesmaids all came to get ready!
We had a wonderful time getting ready and since the wedding was at 3:00 we headed straight to the ceremony. Our "First Look" was me walking down the aisle, a moment I will never forget! I think I ran down the aisle because I was so excited. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, the worst part was that it went by so fast! We exchanged vows in front of our closest family and friends at St. John the Evangelist Church in Covington.
After the ceremony and photos we went to the George Rogers Clark Park in Covington for photos and then we had a small reception of 24 people at the Marriott! It was absolutely perfect, and although we missed extended family and friends, the day was very "US". We heard speeches from the best man, maid of honor, and both of our parents, did our first dance, cut the cake, and . It was a lovely gathering and uniting of our families and friends.
What detail of the wedding was most important for you and for your husband?
FLOWERS! As I said earlier. I truly centered EVERYTHING around my flowers! Colors, style, etc. For Alex, that we could celebrate with our family and closest friends.... and the Open Bar didn't hurt 😅
Who was the person or resource you most leaned on during the planning process?
Luckily for me, my husband is a triplet, so my sister-in-laws were LIFE SAVERS! They both got married in 2019 and 2020, and so with us in 2021 they made it easy for me! They had so much knowledge to share and tried and true ideas.
We are just so thankful and happy that we decided to go ahead with our day exactly how it was! Even though it was much different than we had imagined, we wouldn't change it and are so happy to be married!!
Creative Partners and Vendors
Ceremony: St. John Catholic Church | Reception and Catering: The Marriott RiverCenter (Really cannot recommend them enough! They were AMAZING to work with through it all! | Photographer - Leanne Hunley | Florist - Secret Garden | Hair & Makeup - RefEYEance | Wedding Dress: Lace Bridal | Dress Designer Madison James | Stationery design: Stephanie Ammerman | Photography: Leanne Hunley Photography