We seek out what is beautiful and surprising in part to give expression to our own life experiences, to increase and proclaim the joys that fill our hearts. Sadie + Jeff’s Krippendorf Lodge wedding was a woodland dream where forest, garden and house moved seamlessly among each other. Even the animals were present by way of the lively watercolor table settings painted by Sadie. Sadie + Jeff’s love shows itself vividly, vibrantly in every flower’s gift of color, joy and promise.  Beautiful photographs from Robin McKerrell Photography.

Tell us a little about you and Jeff.

Jeff and I are urban dwellers but farming dreamers. We lived in Newport, KY for a while and started a small homestead in our backyard that we named Soulfire Farm. We both live busy lives but love to slow things down by returning to nature and attempting to be peaceful amidst all the hustle and bustle.

What's your style?

I would describe my style as subtle flair. I would never consider myself a trendsetter but I love incorporating little surprising details here and there.

Silver vs. Gold - Silver

Flats vs. Heels - Heels

Silk vs. Lace - Lace

Urban vs. Rustic - Modern woodland

Salty vs. Sweet - Salty

Diamonds vs. Pearls - Diamonds

Flower vs. Fern - Can't they both be at the party? Love mixing the two.

Sand vs. Snow - Dirt :)

Lipstick vs. Lip Gloss - Neither, how about red from wine?

Tell us about the proposal.

We had been dating a little over a year when Jeff proposed to me. I knew I wanted to marry him after the conclusion of our first date, so we had talked about getting engaged for as long as I could remember. The proposal occurred at Ault Park in one of the beautifully landscaped trellis areas. Just as it all began, Jeff wrote me a perfect letter and then got down on one knee.

Tell us about your venues and why you chose them.

We love nature and Krippendorf Lodge is the closest you can come to having a reception in the woods. Their permanent tent on the patio makes it a stress-free planning process because you can be there rain or shine! If the weather is lovely, like it was for our wedding (luckily), they pull back the sides to the tent and the trees are right there. The Nature Center is a wonderful institution to support, too!

What was your favorite detail? Did you DIY anything?

I absolutely LOVED the flowers. They were California style with loose greenery and lots of texture. The only thing we DIYed was our table numbers. I did a watercolor painting of all different woodland animals one might see at the nature center. Each table was an animal instead of a number.

VENDOR PARTNERS

Photography: Robin Mckerrell Photography | Venue: Cincinnati Nature Center, Krippendorf Lodge | Sadie's Dress: European Bridal | Sadie's Shoes: Morrison and Me | Flowers: Robin Wood Flowers | Wedding Planner: I-Do Weddings & Events | Catering: Elegant Fare |Cake and Sweets: Bonbonerie |Lighting and Music: DJ Toad | Hair: Salon DeLagrange | Makeup: BRIDEface | Video: Light Parade Films | Stationery: Poeme

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

Jeff and I met on Match.com. I had never tried online dating and had tired of dating people in my friend circle. I vowed to myself that I would project my truest self out into the interwebs and within days I met Jeff. We wrote incredibly long and detailed emails to each other and started falling in love immediately. He asked me so many questions about myself and I was so interested in all of his stories and dreams for the future.

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

Our vows were my favorite part of the day. Jeff and I started our relationship by writing beautiful and promising words to each other, so it only made sense that we proclaimed our love to all of our friends and family by writing our hearts and souls into our vows. My heart was so full as I listened to Jeff reading his vows. It felt absolutely amazing.

What was your initial vision for your wedding? How did you decide on your color palette?

We both love the outdoors and nature and knew that we wanted to feel connected to that part of ourselves on our wedding day. That being said, we let nature dictate the colors. The greens from the forest and the deep reds, purples, browns and oranges that that were available in the giant dinnerplate dahlias and locally grown lisianthus.

What aspect of wedding planning did you enjoy most?

I enjoyed finding ways to make the whole event be about love. Our love, the people we love and having them there with us and things we love the most.

Were there any wedding planning challenges? Anything you realized in retrospect?

I wish we had gotten started picking vendors as soon as we were engaged. There were a few we had wanted to work with but by the time we had gotten in touch with them, they were already booked. It's never too soon!