Kristia + Brian's Hotel Covington wedding was a stunning combination of casual meets urban luxe. From vivid florals to candlelit reception dinner, Kristia thoughtfully considered each detail to bring her event vision to life.

Coppins, where the wedding ceremony and reception took place, is Hotel Covington's restaurant named after the building's original incarnation as high-end department store. The courtyard patio is truly an urban retreat. An outdoor living space where worn, exposed brick joins the sharp geometry of glass and metal. Couches, tables, and the privacy of four inner walls extend up to an ever changing ceiling of cloud, bird, and plane.

Kristia + Brian's family and friends mingled, danced, and raised their glasses under the glow of strung lights as the slow summer night crept in revealing a sky pinned with constellations. 

Tell us a little about you and Brian.

We're both almost 50. No kids/no pets. Brian loves biking, his cars, his lawn and fixing things around the house. I love Pilates, reading, cooking and “girl time” with my girlfriends. Brian and I love being and doing things together, but we are also both fiercely independent and like to do our own things sometimes too.

How was your personal style reflected in your wedding day?

Everything about my wedding day reflected my personal style. Our invitations and Save the Dates were simple, but elegant (thanks to Kristen) and those really set the stage for everything else. I was going for casual elegance and I think I achieved every bit of that from the rustic yet modern venue dotted with pops of color from my BEAUTIFUL flowers to the open bar before the wedding, so people felt like they were at home sitting in their living room watching our ceremony.

The cake was very simple, but elegant (and delicious at the same time). The band was another personal touch that made the entire day so very special. They played our favorite songs and added in a few of their own from our era, which kept everyone happy and dancing the whole night. It was so fun walking down the aisle and seeing all of the people I love the most in one room. It gave me chills! I wasn’t nervous, I was so happy!

Tell us about the proposal.

Was on New Years Eve – we were getting ready to meet friends for dinner, he came to my house to pick me up and ended up proposing. We went and met our friends and everyone in the restaurant joined in our celebration, whether they knew us or not. We actually made it to midnight that night!

Which best describes you?

Casual or Formal - Formal

Vintage or Modern - Vintage

Chocolate or Vanilla - Vanilla

Roses or Peonies - Peonies

Pie or Cake - Cake

Lipstick or Gloss - Gloss

Diamonds or Pearls - Diamonds

Rustic or Urban - Urban

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

We met on a blind date 12 years ago. We were set up by our realtors, believe it or not. I wasn’t expecting much, and was completely shocked when he showed up at my front door. He was tall, dark and handsome and very funny. Our first date lasted long into the night, starting at Palomino downtown and ending a the Blind Lemon up in Mt Adams. Needless to say, there were many more dates after that...

How did you decide on your venue, Hotel Covington? Why was it the perfect choice?

We had been talking about getting married for over a year, but I wanted our venue/wedding to be very different from any other wedding I had been to in Cincinnati. We looked at tons of venues and nothing was fitting the bill – I was actually very frustrated.

One weekend when I was supposed to be on a girls trip in Charleston, SC and a hurricane hit, our trip ended up getting cancelled and friends of ours asked us to go to dinner. I went out to Open Table to see what was available and Coppin’s (the restaurant in the Hotel Covington) popped up. The week before I had overheard someone in my hair salon talking about this new bar/restaurant that had just opened in the Hotel Covington, so we decided to try it out. I literally walked through the front door of The Hotel Covington and fell in love with the space.

EVERYTHING about it was me and Brian to a tee. Brian knew right then and there that this was the place and he went to find the manager, who graciously walked us around and showed us the space. Little did we know, it had only opened 9 days before...the stars were completely aligned (call it Karma). We had our choice of dates because the venue was brand new (the outside patio was not finished at all, but I knew it was going to be something special, and it was)!

What was your favorite detail?

The flowers from Robin Wood Florist were just breathtaking! Worth every penny! I met with her and her daughter, Sadie, a few different times, I showed her a few of my inspiration pictures, told her I wanted sunset colors and lots of texture and she worked her magic on the rest. I don’t think I have EVER seen such beautiful flowers anywhere.

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

I remember my dad asking me before we walked down the aisle if I was nervous and I remember saying I’m not nervous, I am just so happy. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment! It was so fun walking down the aisle and seeing all of the people I love the most in one room. It gave me chills! I couldn’t stop smiling!

Another moment was looking out over the outside courtyard of the Hotel Covington from my room (all dressed) and watching a year of planning come together – the wedding planner (my Sister In Law who I love like a Sister), the band setting up and doing sound checks, the florist, the caterers, Maribelle Cakery, the Hotel Covington staff, etc. – everyone was hustling around to make everything perfect for my special day (including holding off the rain, I might add)! Was an awesome feeling to see all that hard work pay off!

Tell us about finding your dress.

I went to four different bridal shops in Virginia with my mom and sister and law and we had the best time trying on every dress imaginable. My sister-in-law took pics and video from every angle possible, which actually ended up being very helpful in the end. What a special thing to see the look on my mom’s face every time I walked out in a new dress. I had narrowed it down to four dresses and decided to come back to Cincinnati and think about it before I placed my order.

Hyde Park Bridal is right around the corner from my house, so I made a last minute decision to go in just to see what they had and there was my dress. It was the very first one I saw/tried on. I had my three best girlfriends with me (drinking champagne, of course) and it was magical! The dress ended up being a rare combination of two or three of the dresses that I had found in Virginia that I loved and it was right here in Cincinnati. It was perfectly me!

Did you read any wedding blogs before getting engaged or while you were planning? 

I actually didn’t. I wanted my wedding to be completely unique (100% thought up by me), so I purposely did not read any blogs, attend any bridal shows or read any bridal magazines.

Where did you honeymoon?

Asheville, NC (in a little cottage in the woods)

VENDOR PARTNERS

Bride's Dress: Hyde Park Bridal Dress Designer : PRONOVIAS Barcelona/Belt: Haute Bride | Flowers: Robin Wood Florist | Wedding Planner: My Sister in Law (Amanda Fertile) | Cake and Sweets: Maribelle’s Cakery | Venues: Hotel Covington | Photography: Burning Chair Studios - Tabitha Brennenstuhl | Stationery: Poeme | Catering: Hotel Covington | Band: The Touchables (can’t say enough good things, they made our whole wedding)! | Matron of Honor & Best Man: Rain & Corey Buck