k & g | cleveland winter wedding

k & g | december 10, 2010
venue: glidden house
officiant: our wedding officiant
caterer: spice of life catering
florist: blooms by plantscaping
stationery: pastore studio
rentals: lasting impressions
linens: l’nique
photographer: steven mastroianni
harpist: cecilia ilg mckay
jazz trio: jt3 of jerry bruno productions
bakery: white flower cake shoppe
cupcakes: la bella cupcakes
truffles: lilly handmade chocolates
getaway car: a1 mr. limo
make up artist: jason kelly face art

heidzillas services:
heidzillas provided our full planning package for k&g. because k lives and works in california, she needed local professional wedding assistance to plan her intimate winter wedding.

communication:
quite a bit of our dialogue was over email with the bride on the west coast and the groom in cleveland. k and i were able to schedule in person meetings with nearly all of their vendors when she was able to visit cleveland.

priorities:
in addition to wanting to make all guests feel welcomed and loved by the couple, one of k and g’s main priorities was to have a healthy, low-sodium, low fat content meal. we chose spice of life catering for their sustainable food sourcing practices and their outstanding willingness to help us customize the menu and “cater” to the heart-conscious meal needs.

aura:
k wanted to utilize the wedding anniversary metals with winter whites and evergreen. we chose a range of gold, silver and copper for the accents.

results:
albeit a short timeline, maria from pastore studio designed and produced hand cut wedding invitations on fine italian paper. the “n” monogram was used throughout the wedding planning design, at the bride’s request.

the ceremony was held in the glidden house loggia for 40 close friends and family. the space had been decorated with garland and red ribbon for the holidays, so we complemented the existing décor with chair ties and flowers. programs were placed at each seat and included a thank you note on a flap that folded open. as guests arrived, harpist cecilia played a soothing medley of holiday and wedding compositions.

a large credenza sits alongside the entrance wall of the loggia. blooms decked it out with birch tree logs, candles and red roses and berries which complemented the red chair ties.

the bride processed to “ode to joy” as she made her way down the aisle to her tuxed groom. blooms by plantscaping designed a six foot altar piece for the loggia room. It included amaryllis, a favorite of the bride’s, as well as subtle sparkling hanging jewels. it was just getting dark as the ceremony started and the amber uplighting created a very warm glow.

as soon as the ceremony was over, guests were invited into the glidden house dining room for a champagne toast and hors d’oeuvres. spice of life provided a lovely evergreen and berry iced bucket and a six foot crudité display. i also found the most perfect “n” monogram coasters. guests enjoyed each others’ company and the warm fire place.

before going to dinner, the bride and groom cut their beautiful wedding cake by white flower cake shoppe, also complete with “n” monogram. the cake shared the space with the guest books on the grandiose table beneath a beautiful antique chandelier. i had seen the groom use a moleskin file folder and suggested a trio of moleskin journals as their guest books. each had its own tag reading: “best wishes for k,” “congratulations for g” and “wisdom for the n’s”

the bride loved lanterns and candle light so we warmed the china cabinet and empty fire place up, making metallic cake plateau and cake décor twinkle.

after the formal cake cutting, guests were invited into the magnolia room where dinner would be served.

each element of table décor was hand selected by heidzillas sans the centerpiece design and stationery.

the glassware was a perfect choice for the classic holiday feel as it sparkled by candlelight which reflected off of the gold centerpiece boxes and gold chargers.

each guest setting included a custom designed menu by pastore studio with springs of rosemary and evergreen – all wrapped in a silver satin napkin topped with a place card tied gold satin wrapped favor box.

wondering what was in the 3” x 3” boxes? NINJAS! yes micro plush ninjas, a favorite of the groom. before we had chosen a venue, k and g knew ninjas would need to be the favor. we also had the ninja town manufactures create custom bride and groom ninjas for the big day. guests – young and old – loved opening up the boxes to see which of 12 ninjas they got.

heidzillas loooooves details! pastore studio created a goregeous seating chart which i framed in an ornate gold frame, blooms added some copper and evergreen charm to the room’s sconces and we completed our monogram look with engraved toasting flutes and “n” monogramed bathroom hand towels.

after dinner, guests headed back into the dining room and loggia space which we transformed into a seating area. jt3 played some jazzy holiday tunes and guests got one more chance to sign the guest books.

more treats awaited the guests after dinner as well, but they were health conscious as well: gluten free, sugar free and cassata cupcakes by la bella cupcake as well as a variety of truffles from lilly’s handmade chocolates and jordan almonds were set out for enjoying that evening, or taking a box home.

guests staying the night also received super-stocked welcome bag with the bride and groom’s monogram. welcome tags were made out to each overnight guest and hand delivered. the bags included sweet, trinkets, hotel amenities and a plethora of brochures for cleveland attractions.

i was assisting guests so i wasn’t able to get any great photos, but the special night ended with the bride and groom dashing to the getaway car through a sparkler parade. it was a festive way to end an intimate evening of love.

best wishes k&g! we loved helping our west coast bride marry her cleveland love! and everyone, watch out for ninjas!

special thanks to pastore studio for providing all photos shown with gold and taupe backdrops.