jacqui & erik | chagrin falls wedding

jacqui & erik | july 10, 2010
ceremony & reception: club hillbrook
photographer: rad photography
dj: the dj crew
florist & stationery: bride
bakery: cmykakes (aka the bride)
photo booth: the rad booth

the hiring:
jacqui and i have been in contact for over a year and a half with her being an awesome cake baker. i was honored she asked me to day of coordinate for her wedding – especially because i know she’s precise about her planning as she explained here :D

the planning:
jacqui is miss planner extraordinaire. i told her i hadn’t seen a bride more organized since… myself! every box of decor was clearly marked and labeled. she had running lists of to-do’s and need dones. i was happy to help with the timeline and flow of the day, but otherwise, this girl had it handled!

the results:
rehearsal
the rehearsal was fun and casual. we went through the line up and processional and recessional once. afterwards, everyone just enjoyed each other’s company and related the excitement! as i stood in for their pastor, i wasn’t able to get many rehearsal photos until afterwards.

i’m pretty excited eh?

jacqui’s nephew decides no more bottle, he’s ready for the rehearsal dinner!

ceremony
my day started very early with jacqui and her maids. i got there before they did and went to the set up along with the excellent staff at hillbrook. it was a fun relaxed morning with every lady checking out the 1,000 cranes that were hung in the pavilion area. i loved that they had all morning with their stylist to get ready and enjoy themselves. later in the afternoon, erik and his men arrived, also marveled at the cranes and got ready for the “first look” and pre-ceremony formals with the bridal party. the rest of the day was free to enjoy!

reaction shot! :D eeeeeeeeeee!

the teahouse

fan programs hung on chairs

first look time

oh hey rob, told you i’d blog you ;)

after a break in waiting, it was ceremony time!

reception

paper crane place cards

table decor

each place setting got its own lucky bamboo shoot favor.

jacqui made the centerpieces and they had beta fishies in them!

and they were prepared for their guests to take them home with “care instructions”, a little bag of fish food and press and seal for the top of the vase.

head table

bar menu

and the best detail for last… the cake!

we all loved to see the baker cut her cake!

toasts followed the cake: first best man and brother of the groom:

then maid of honor and bestie of the bride.

after dinner, john and andrew from the dj crew filled the dance floor…

…while guests also could enjoy the rad booth photobooth with the fullest prop box i’ve ever seen!

on my way out i caught a photo of the super cute big balloon jacqui and erik used in their pre-ceremony photo shoot that was re-purposed as a sign marker.

the notables:
favorite planning moment: the excitement of the morning was so fun. it was so rewarding to see jacqui pleased with the execution of her plans and how well everything came together as we set up. even though i really didn’t have to rush, i wanted to set things up quickly so jacqui and erik could see all the loveliness! these two are so in love with each other and the two of them came out in every plan they made. it was really a great day to be a part of.
unique detail: an ancient japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane. jacqui hand-folded each and every crane herself and she and her bridal party strung them to hang all over the pavilion. they were coupled with dozens of paper lanterns that were also hung around the pavilion.
biggest challenge: jacqui had these gorgeous cherry blossom branches that were to go on hillbrook’s teahouse. it was a little tricky to keep them up there without showing any string/supplies.
sources: jacqui did all of her own flowers since she wanted cherry blossoms and they’re not in season and are quite delicate when they are.
fun fact: jacqui made the cakes for three of my previous brides and grooms: tara & cj, maureen & adam, and lauren & mike.
bucking tradition: in order to see the cherry blossoms bloom, j&e went on their honeymoon to japan at the end of march. you can read all about their amazing trip on their travel blog “cherry blossoms are awesomes.”

jacqui & erik… one thousand congratulations. i’m sad to finish this blog! it’s an end of an era for your wedding to be done. it was beautiful!

previous posts:
heidzillas introduces cmykakes
viva la rock (and roll hall of fame)

be SURE to check out the oh-so-jacqui & erik-pro photos by rad productions