02/16/2024
Real Bride Interview
"Always kind, always helpful" is in the Something White IG profile and it's true. For most brides, this is their first time on a wedding journey and you don't know what you don't know- right?! There are lots of questions and looking online can yield different results based on location, price point, year you got married etc. To help answer some of these real life questions, I recently sent a survey to some of my past brides asking them questions in hopes that their answers would help the next generation of brides. I plan to share one story each week and if you're a and want to participate here is the link (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1oBxV409IaZ1He95I8LlRV3X9Qy46XwbI_-iwjwWxswI/edit) ! I'm excited about this feature and hope you are too!
What is your name? Feel free to include maiden and married: Kristina Gulotta
Wedding date: 4/9/2022
Ceremony location: Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Cleveland
Reception location: The Regency Hyatt Arcade in Cleveland
How long was your engagement?: Unintentionally four years - we got engaged in 2018 while I was still in residency and we wanted a June 2020 wedding but COVID-19 had other plans. We still did a very small civil ceremony on our original date of June 20, 2020 (because what a perfect date!) which was actually very sweet. We got married with a judge under a gazebo with our photographer Jenny Haas documenting the occasion and had a very small and casual (three close family members) outdoor reception at a winery afterwards. Our religious ceremony and reception with all family and friends was April 9 2022.
What did you love most about your wedding/wedding planning process?: "I really loved every bit of it - even when we got dealt a tough hand with the pandemic delay, I looked at the silver lining of it (eventually) to get to plan even more details, add more music, more flowers, and to really go big or go home.
The early days of planning right when we got engaged were fun too because they were so full of possibility and so creative. It was incredibly fun to go through quizzes and discover my “wedding style” and to run through lists of venues and see what lined up with what we envisioned for our celebration! I also really enjoyed and HIGHLY recommend the light blue Martha Stewart WEDDINGS book. Leave it to Martha to be right about everything but she truly had the most amazing suggestions for flowers and music. (Ennio Morricone for entrance processional anyone?)
I also really loved planning what I would be wearing for the wedding. Trying on wedding dresses is my Roman Empire. Just kidding (or am I?) I went to two other dress shops in Ohio before finding my technicolor Oz at Something White. I loved my experience there and found that Rebecca chose such a perfect selection of gowns to try - I loved so many but had the classic “THE DRESS” moment with a beautiful long sleeved lace Pronovias design which I knew was perfect for the ceremony. Sunshine was literally streaming in through the window onto the soft ivory lace and it all felt so magical. I knew I wanted two looks (one for ceremony and one for reception) so I planned an NYC trip back to my old stomping grounds to get my friends there in on the wedding planning fun. It was an enjoyable experience for sure - we went to Kleinfeld’s, Mark Ingram, and Wedding Atelier, and they had some gorgeous gowns but I realized that some of the gowns I had seen at Something White spoke to me more. I ended up choosing a beautiful second look gown there (and then eventually added a third look because like I said - go big or go home)!
Apart from searching for the looks for the big day (including shoes and jewelry - shoutout to Verstolo), I also loved meeting with my wedding planners, headed by Kelly O’Connor of A Charming Fête, to review decor ideas, lighting concepts, menu ideas etc. I just loved the idea of creating a perfect fun day to celebrate not only our love, but our gratitude for our family and friends who had supported us on this journey. I especially loved planning the flowers because I am at baseline flower OBSESSED. We worked with Heather Thomas of HeatherLily and her team to create a vibrant colorful display that my guests still mention fondly TO THIS DAY! Words don’t do justice to the beauty HeatherLily created."
What did you like least about your wedding/wedding planning process?: It was stressful to deal with the realities of cost that come with wedding planning. However, I think that as long as you plan carefully, are open with your partner and family (if they’re contributing) about cost and priorities, it all works out in the end.
Is there anything you would change about your wedding/wedding planning process?: Nope! We lucked out and I think because I had listened to magazines/other brides about their regrets/suggestions, I knew to really prioritize photography and videography. I found a great photographer in Jenny Haas who was with us from so early on in the process and had really gotten to know us as a couple. She made us feel so comfortable and captured the day so beautifully. Our videographers - Chris and Julie from Wedding Stories in Motion - were soooo perfect too and captured our beautiful ceremony and meaningful moments so well.
What advice would you give a bride based on your experience? Could be anything wedding related/shower related/registry related etc: I would encourage all brides to (within reason) go for their dreams! This is a (hopefully) once in a lifetime day and usually it’s one that you may end up fantasizing about for a long time - maybe even from the time you were a little girl! Life is hard enough as it is, and the world seems to be getting crazier - so it’s truly a blessing to be able to look back upon a fabulously perfect day and reflect on the gratitude you feel for that. I love my memories of my wedding day and I often look back at my photos and videos fondly.
Did I miss anything? Use this to write anything you want!: A brief note on music - my husband and I really love music and we knew early on we wanted several different types of live music. What I didn’t realize is the degree to which the live music elevated the energy and atmosphere of the day. If you are considering live music, I would highly recommend it! Even in our ceremony, we worked on creating a mini-orchestra and choir from some groups located in Cleveland, headed by Opus 216 and including members of the Cleveland Orchestra! It brought tears to my eyes to hear such beautiful music and created such a sacred magical atmosphere! Our cocktail hour had a “big band” Glenn Miller type theme which was created by an amazing jazz trio. Then, for our full reception, we had a 12 piece band that played classic old standards of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald and later transitioned to high energy modern hits. It kept our guests on the dance floor all the way to the end of the night!
_________________
(https://www.instagram.com/acharmingfete/)
(https://www.instagram.com/heatherlily/)
(https://www.instagram.com/lindsaylondonbeautycle/)
(https://www.instagram.com/opus216/)
(https://www.instagram.com/clechamberchoir/)
(https://www.instagram.com/ledtransportation/)
(https://www.instagram.com/weddingstoriesinmotion/)
(https://www.instagram.com/jennyhaas/)
(https://www.instagram.com/mirandasvintagebridal/)
(https://www.instagram.com/verstolo/)
(https://www.instagram.com/adinareyter/)
(https://www.instagram.com/theorchestra_cmg/)
(https://www.instagram.com/clemusicgrp/)
(https://www.instagram.com/innerglowspraytans/)
(https://www.instagram.com/pronovias/)
(https://www.instagram.com/macduggal/)
(https://www.instagram.com/somethingwhitebridal/) for bridal concierge :)
(https://www.instagram.com/minted/)
(https://www.instagram.com/bluenilediamond/)
Do you have a question you want answered? Ask it here (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceJK_QxAFRtc4b8EO2_F-EaUtjMxF4wD36gOSdZmh1MPG8Yw/viewform?usp=sf_link) and I'll include it in the next round of questions!
Click here for an update from Something White, A Bridal Boutique!