Weddingbee Blog

After all the pre-wedding photos were taken, the guys headed straight to the art gallery to wait for the ceremony to begin while the ladies made a quick stop at the reception venue with our photographers. I added this into the itinerary ’cause I wanted (and wanted our photographers) to get a sneak peek at the reception venue before the actual reception. Our guests would be enjoying cocktails at the venue while we were taking our post-wedding photos, so I knew if we didn’t see the space before, in all its untouched glory, by the time we arrived it would be filled with guests. I wanted photos of both the space itself and the space with the energy of our guests and the only way to get both was to make a quick drive by. Plus, since the art gallery isn’t a typical wedding spot, they didn’t have a real “bridal room.” The ladies were going to be holed up in an office/storage space (glamorous, I know) until the ceremony started, so I figured the less time we had to wait there, the better.

We hopped on our shuttle bus from the hotel and made our way to the reception space. Now, I knew I had amazing vendors, several were even friendors, but I was absolutely floored when I walked in. It was even more amazing than I could have possibly imagined.

I love how the mixture of banquet round tables with more non-traditional lounge furniture turned out. It was exactly the contemporary, wedding-reception-turned-hip-nightclub look I had imagined. Mama Hippo’s pillows fit in the space perfectly too!

Other than giving my two cents about the bouquets, I pretty much left all of the flower decisions to our  florist. She had worked in the event space before and recommended we have some height to the centerpieces since the room had extremely tall ceilings. I trusted her completely, and she hit it out of the park.

In one of the corners of the event space sat this lovely confection.

Buttercream frosting? Yes, please!

I have to tell you, seeing the reception space completely decorated and untouched was awesome. All the months of work and attempts at creating a reception space that was unique and different from all the many receptions I had been to before had finally manifested itself. (Side note: If you have a chance to see your reception space fully decked out before the ceremony, I highly recommend it. You’ve worked hard to make it all come together… take a minute to soak it all in!)

I was giddy as we hopped back on the shuttle to head to the art gallery. It was just about time for the Hippos to get hitched!

All photos by Chavvon & Larissa Photography

Hip, Hip… Hooray! Catch up with the Hippos:

• We finished up our last minute projects and hung out with the family.
• The ladies met up for lunch.
• We rehearsed for the big show.
• We had an amazing rehearsal dinner.
• The girls got their hair did, and I put on my face.
• I get all bridal.
• I take bridal portraits and pictures with the ladies.
• The guys get ready and take photos.