This week marks one year since Halley and Mark’s wedding ceremony in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio. The couple grew up in the same neighborhood of Cleveland, and attended the same highschool. That's where Mark and Halley's story began. When their mutual friends began “talking,” Halley and Mark were often dragged along to “hangout.” While nothing happened between their friends, Mark and Halley discovered a summer love to last a lifetime.
All photos by Kailey Marie Photography
Almost 10 years later, Mark proposed to Halley on a vacation in Jamaica. Resting in the hotel room, days after the proposal, Halley began scrolling through instagram, as one bride-to-be does. She came across an article from Loeffler Randall which featured their shoes and a dress worn by a certain bride in New Orleans, LA. “I saw the post, and I loved the dress, so I went down the rabbit hole to find where you were listed as the designer.” Halley says that from then on, I was in the back of her head.
When they got back home and started planning, Halley recalls, “the part I thought would be the most fun, the dress, I don't know… I was going to stores, and not loving what I was putting on. I just didn't feel like myself. When I was trying on these dresses, and nothing felt quite right, that's when I reached out to you on Instagram.”
When I got Halley’s message, I was beyond excited because this would be the first client I had ever worked with who had no connection to a friend or even friend of a friend. We were complete strangers, and in a way, this presented a new challenge for me as a designer. I had to get to know Halley, and interpret how she envisioned herself on her wedding day without ever meeting in person.
Halley describes going through the early process with me, “You were so nice to work with,” she says, “When I reached out initially, I had no idea what to expect. I didn't even think of this as an option. I never figured a custom dress would be something I’d look into.”
“You went right to town after our initial chat. I’d sent some photos. You sent back a couple sketches, and there were elements I liked from a couple different ones, but none of them seemed just right. Then you said you'd take another look, and the next sketch that you sent, I saw and just immediately thought it was so cool! I really connected to it.”
original sketches (see final sketch below)
“I loved it on paper. My only hesitation at that point was that it was just so nerve racking to not know what it is going to ultimately actually look like, to just trust in the sketch. But, I think I felt okay to trust you after seeing some of the other dresses you had done to date. Anna’s obviously, but another one that was 60s and 70s inspired…seeing what you had done was enough to trust you to move forward. Then, I was just excited.”
“I'm not a very big risk taker at all. Not in my personality. So, for me, and this probably wouldn't be for everyone, but for me, it was a big risk…but obviously it worked out great! So I’m very happy we worked together.”
Mark and Halley share a love for old music and old things. Their vintage affinity is reflected in their home and personal styles. It was something that Halley wished to incorporate into their wedding day, and it became one her favorite details. Over the course of their engagement, Halley visited multiple thrift shops around town, and curated all of their centerpieces. Crystal cut bowls and vases which she would personally arrange with Japanese inspired florals. It was a thrill to find these little treasures from all over the city. After their trip to Japan years before, these centerpieces became Halley's way to share her and Mark’s love story with all of their guests. “I had a blast putting them together,” she adds. “I loved having a special touch, something that I was able to do for the day.”
An outdoor wedding in the middle of summer. Halley knew there was a chance of rain, but she never expected the “torrential downpour that hit just as guests were arriving.”
“It was pretty chaotic,” Halley tells me, “but we shifted plans. We moved the ceremony in a barn instead of outdoors… It ended up being one of my favorite parts. It was really intimate, everyone tucked in close together…Walking down the path from where I was getting ready with my bridal party and dad, coming through the doors to see everyone there, it was such a nice moment.”
Their reception venue had flooded as well. Halley expressed feeling so thankful for all their friends and family that still made it the best time. Everyone came together to make it work, and her dress ended up being more perfect than she even planned. With its short hem, there was not a speck of mud on it. “It was perfectly suited to the elements,” she says. “I felt so special, and so myself in it.”
Good friends of the couple played at their reception, and Mark, a musician himself, joined in for a few songs. Something Mark played just for Halley, the final song from School of Rock, a movie that they watched all the time growing up. Mark’s rendition had everyone dancing and singing along.
Halley’s advice to future brides:
- 'Know that unexpected things are going to come up. Just roll with it. Know that the important part of the day is being with all of your family.'
- 'I'd recommend anyone to work with you, encourage them to trust you, and trust that you know what's going on with the process. You nudged me along, and I feel like I needed that. You made me feel so great. So myself. I would wear that dress all over again.'
After the wedding, Mark reached out to me to ask if he could get the original sketch as a gift for his new bride. Most thoughtful husband award? Halley agrees, “I love it so much.” she tells me. “I’ve told him that it's in the top 3 gifts I've ever gotten.” The sketch now hangs in their kitchen. “It's so perfect. I’ve said so much ‘I love the dress so much and I wish I could wear it every day,’ so this is a great compromise. I can at least see your sketch every day.”
Here's to Halley and Mark, wishing them a happy One Year Anniversary, and many blissful years ahead.
Photography @kailey_marie_photo
Live band @yellowdelicious
Catering @forno_wood_fired_catering