Urban Ohio Wedding By The Ely Brothers

Holly & Andy wanted a wedding that was simple and classy but overly polishedééò a little rough around the edges I guess you could say! They wanted to be thoughtful with their decisions without overdoing it, and I’m pretty sure you’ll agree they’ve achieved just that. Whilst in the planning process they kept reminding each other that it was less about the details than it was about the meaning of it all.

Thanks so much to the Ely Brothers for their lovely photography.

How did you meet? We met through mutual friends at our church. Apparently we had quite a few friends thinking that we would be great together. However, it took us quite a bit longer to figure that out. We remained friends for quite sometime. He eventually asked me to be a part of his band, which looking back I think that may have been a part of his strategy. And that’s where we grew closer. Music was and I suppose still is a vulnerable thing for me, so it was a perfect path to my heart.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: The dress didn’t come easy. I ordered several online to try on and returned all of them. They were beautiful but not quite right. I think all of my bridesmaids even had their dresses before I did. I finally buckled and went to a couple wedding dress boutiques – still nothing. Then, about a month before the wedding – yes, a month – one of my bridesmaids connected me with a friend of hers who had a few wedding dresses that she wasn’t going to use. I tried them on and then WOO-HOO! One of them was it. It was simple and elegant with a timeless feel.

Describe your wedding flowers: I loved my flowers. They were a combination of white roses, coral roses, white lisianthus, white freesia, succulents, seeded eucalyptus, and asparagus fern wrapped in muslin. Our florist was a breeze to work with.

Any DIY/Budget elements? Lots! We are creative people who know lots of other creative people, so we utilized our resources and had lots of help. I am a graphic designer, so I made all of our invitations. We went to antique stores to pick up decorations such as candleholders and wooden boxes. I made a simple flower backdrop for the ceremony. We used bunches of greenery and draped muslin on top of the larger tables. The venue was beautiful, so luckily we didn’t have to do too much. We also had a ‘Stock the Bar’ couples party instead of a traditional bridal shower to help stock the reception bar. We had recommended beverages to help unify things. We tried to do as much as we could ourselves, but it did get overwhelming at times.

What advise would you give out to a couple planning their wedding? Keep your main focus on one another. Prepare your hearts as best you can so that you can be fully present that day you say, “I do.” Don’t be afraid to ask for help, be intentional and thoughtful about your decisions, and embrace the imperfections – there’s beauty in those too. And lastly, you will most likely disappoint people, but it’s okay. I can confidently say that it is impossible to make everyone happy, especially on your wedding day. But hopefully everyone will find a way to enjoy that sweet day.