Charlottes Weddings

Jenn & Zach planned a wedding that focused on all of their favorite things! They made sure that every detail from their big day corresponded with who they are as a couple. From donuts to karaoke their wedding had it all! We asked Jenn to share more about their love story and their wedding day details.

How did you and your partner meet?

It's pretty crazy that it took so long for us to meet. We have friends in common across three states and have been invited to the same events dating back years, but in every case whenever Zach attended one, I wouldn’t, and vice versa. Finally, in November of 2017, I visited Zach's home turf, Seattle, to be a test model for her esthetician friend Jen (same name, different person). I was accompanied by their mutual friend Ashley, which at long last put them in each other's orbit. Not immediately, but close to it (with the help of some gentle matchmaking by Zach's friend Lily), Zach & I hit it off, discovering we had more things in common with one another than we even knew was possible. I ended up spending the rest of my trip with Zach and have been inseparable ever since.

Proposal story?

From the beginning we were both very upfront about discussing the possibility of marriage. By early February, they knew for sure that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. I always joked that I "knew where I wanted to get married, but just needed the groom," so, on February 10th, 2017, we went to my dream wedding venue just to look around. The venue's event planner informed us that there were three open Saturdays left in 2018, and in that moment, we just looked into each other's eyes and knew exactly what we wanted. We booked the venue on the spot and shared the happy news with our families that evening. That only left the business of an engagement ring, which we picked out together the very next day. Since the ring had to be sent off for sizing and Instagram was calling, Zach and I purchased an assortment of Ring-Pops and staged an impromptu sunset photoshoot at the scenic Vista House lookout to formally announce our engagement.

How was the wedding planning process? What was your favorite part of wedding planning?

Zach has a background in design, and I am very crafty, so we spent a lot of time (almost 1000 man-hours) planning, designing and constructing all the wedding decorations and favors. Our guests each received a personalized, laser cut, wooden gift box containing custom designed playing cards with the wedding party as the face cards, custom branded beanies, custom branded hot sauce, wedding coloring books & closed customized pencils. We created the table centerpieces, and Zach’s father built a custom geometric backdrop. While we enjoyed the process, our favorite part of planning was when it was all done! The wedding was a blast. The weather was prefect (especially for the middle of November) sunny and about 50 degrees. From the beginning, we had envisioned our wedding as a brunch affair. Our guests started arriving in their finest around 11 AM and were greeted by the Pip’s Doughnuts mobile doughnut truck serving up fresh piping hot mini doughnuts. For an hour while we ran around taking photos with Grupp and Rose Photographers, our guests were treated to an hour of mimosa’s, coffee, and mini doughnuts. The wedding began with a processional featuring a piano rendition of Radiohead’s Fake Plastic Trees, and the Ceremony was officiated by Zach’s father. With the business of getting married out of the way, the real party could begin. The bar opened, serving signature cocktails, renamed for the bride, groom, and members of the bridal party. After we were introduced by Rich Ellis, or ProDj’s who MC’ed the wedding, brunch was served. Eggs Benedict, Biscuits and Gravy, and heaping trays of bacon. After Brunch, the floor opened up for karaoke, and the competition was fierce, as both of our friend groups love to karaoke. Karaoke, fun and socializing went on for a while, and as the sun set, and our wedding drew to a close, the wedding party all gathered at the front of the hall, and lead everyone in attendance in a rousing rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing.” Then we thanked our guests, and our wedding ended, and happily ever after began. The party didn’t stop there though, just an hour or so later, we met up with 50 or so of our closest friends at Lucky Staehly’s pool hall, in the basement of the Edgefield Hotel, where we were greeted with a riotous round of applause.

What was your favorite part of your wedding day?

Our wedding was amazing, it’s hard to pick just one moment out of the many, but the first look on the veranda at Edgefeild was an amazing moment that neither of us will ever forget. We both also loved our sunset photo shoot, since it was a moment that we got to go off by ourselves during the hustle and bustle of the wedding ceremony.

What did you like about working with Charlotte's?

One of my close friends is a very talented dressmaker, and was actually all set to custom make my wedding dress. Since the bridesmaids still needed dresses, and to not deny my mother the chance to go wedding dress shopping with her youngest daughter, myself, my mother and my bridesmaids visited Charlotte’s. The entire staff was extremely welcoming, and took an interest in the wedding party, they were promptly taken to the back by Jennifer, who poured them all champagne and discussed my vision for my dress and the bridal party. I tried on a few dresses, more just for the experience of it, and five dresses in, I fell in love, and the rest is history.