There is nothing better than working with a couple when they are both totally invested in the wedding plans. Harrison shared the same, if not more, interest in the design of the wedding invitations as Jessica. And the way they worked together was so enjoyable. It’s really nice to sit back and see a couple have fun together.

Jessica’s focus was on the color - something soft, and airy, but not too girly. She did like the idea of an accent of rose gold foil. Still in keeping with a really clean look, but just a little something to elevate the design. This simple element can really take the design to the next level.

Harrison was really focused on the venue. The wedding was destination, the mountains in Utah. Without being too kitschy, Harrison wanted to add a nod to their wedding destination. His style was much more linear, clean, architectural - so we added a simple line drawing that mirrored their backdrop. 

In order to blend theses elements, a soft, blush watercolor liner was added. It also hinted at the mountains without being a literal painting. Really delicate, very soft, and a really nice transition from the linear accents, mixture of masculine and feminine type, and the gold foil. Add a soft grey mailing envelope, and the entire ensemble just melted together as one concise package.

Photography by Pier 23 Photography unless otherwise noted.

Tell us a little about you and Harrison.

Our story begins in very exotic Bloomington, Indiana. Based on the paths we've traveled it's fun to think that our love story begins in the middle of nowhere (no offense, Bloomington!). Harrison grew up across the pond in Cambridge, England. A dual-citizen (his mother is a New Yorker by birth and has the accent to prove it), Harrison moved to San Francisco after university working in tech sales. I was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After attending college just outside of Chicago (go you, NU!) I moved back to Minneapolis to work for the Minnesota Twins Baseball Club. 

In 2015 Harrison and I both quit our jobs, packed up our belongings and headed to 'the crossroads of America' to attend business school at Indiana University. We met early in the program, quickly became friends and soon thereafter began dating (the accent really plays - I couldn't resist). Since then we haven't looked back, and have been on quite an adventure together for the past 4 1/2 years: graduating business school, traveling around Europe and across the US, moving to Cincinnati together to begin our post-MBA careers at Procter & Gamble, adopting 2 amazing dogs, getting engaged, running multiple marathons together and now embarking on our life as husband and wife. And we're about to begin our next adventure: we're moving to Minneapolis this summer as part of a relocation / promotions for work. Polar vortexes, here we come! 

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

Our wedding was all us, through and through. From the flowers to the venue, the decor to our bridal attire, everything truly felt us.  We also wanted our choices to reflect our beautiful, outdoor mountain setting.  But it wasn't just a mountain wedding - it was our mountain wedding.  We couldn't have more pleased at the way it all came to life for us and our guests. 

Tell us about the proposal.

Harrison proposed in Eden Park (just a few blocks from our apartment), on the steps just east of the fountain, and he completely took me by surprise.  I had two of my best friends in town who were in on it, and the three of us were planning on going for a walk that Saturday morning with my and Harrison's dog, Benjamin Franklin (yes, we have a dog named Benjamin Franklin). Looking back there were several small signs that someone else may have picked up on (Harrison left our apartment that morning to 'go to the gym' but when we walked by it on our way out he wasn't there...when we started walking my friend Carla insisted that she walk Benjamin Franklin...when we got to the fountain my friend Laura called out the steps and asked to deviate from our path to check them out...when we got to the steps there was a note with my name on it....Harrison then appears out of nowhere and starts walking over...yep, I was clueless).  Needless to say it literally took Harrison getting down on one knee for me to figure out what was going on.  The rest is just a wonderful blur. And it was perfect.  

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

When we walked into Poeme, we had no idea what to expect or really what we wanted.  There was of course the usual 'I like this, I don't like that,' but nothing concrete - we were true novices and completely open to possibilities.  Once we sat down with Kristen she immediately put us at ease and asked questions to get to know us, our relationship and what we wanted our wedding to be.  As she began learning more about us and our aesthetic, she started working mock-ups in real time, and the discussion quickly became a collaborative design session.  It felt like such a partnership and that we were able to create something together that was unique and represented us.  We loved how Kristen was able to subtly incorporated the mountain vista and our color scheme into the design while also maintaining a clean and minimalist invite.  Even the small details like the gold foil and seating chart were thoughtful and executed to perfection. Of all the wedding planning activities we did together this was definitely one of the most fun (it certainly didn't hurt that Kristen's husband, Phil, is also a UK native so he and Harrison could talk about the English Premiere League every time we came in :) 

What detail of the wedding did you focus on the most?

The biggest question for our wedding - and the most important detail to us - was where it was going to take place.  Because our family and friends live all over the globe we knew whatever location we chose it would be a destination for the majority of our guests.  So we decided to lean in and make it a destination for (nearly) everyone, and pick a place that was special to us.  We landed on Utah (where we spent our first holiday as a couple) and a beautiful mountain wedding in the Wasatch Range.  Being born and raised in flat places the mountains take our breathe away, and we knew the locale would be a first for many of our guests.  We also fell in love with Snowbird.  The backdrop was gorgeous, the staff was incredible and we really liked the idea of everything - and everyone - at the resort.  All the wedding activities took place there, and it was great to have all our guests in one place.  Running into family and friends in the hallway or at the pool really turned the wedding into a whole weekend affair. Plus, it helped to have my parents in Salt Lake City.  They had moved there about 4 years ago and it was great to have boots on the ground throughout the planning. 

Describe your wedding day.

Our wedding day was truly magical.  To marry the love of your life, and to do it in front of the people who mean the most to you, is something you treasure forever.  Harrison and I were completely overwhelmed to see all of our family and friends, people who flew from all over the world, people from all these different parts of our lives, come together to celebrate us as a couple. It was better than any wedding either of us could have dreamed. It was simply perfect.    

CREATIVE PARTNERS

Venue: Snowbird Resort (located just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, in the Wasatch Mount Range) | Photographer: Pier23 | Florist: Artisan Bloom | Wedding Dress - Carrie Karibo Bridal Boutique | Shameless plug for Arthur Murray of Cincinnati! We are not the best dancers (that's putting it lightly) so we decided to go to an entry level class just to check it out. We ended up buying a 10 class package and it was so fun. And it gave us confidence (and some pretty neat moves) for our first dance. 

What advice would you offer to engaged couples?

First and foremost, be organized.  But just as importantly, make it fun!  We made a promise to each other to not let the planing stress us out, or let the wedding become bigger than us.  We planned a remote wedding in 9 months, and we always made it enjoyable, every step of the way.  Tasks became 'activities' and planning became 'bonding.'  There is a special kind of delight in crossing something off a checklist :) At the end of the day, we viewed our wedding as a party with our closest family and friends, and who wants to stress about a party?