Real Wedding Part II: Stephanie + Ben - The Reception

Ben & Stephanie had such an amazing wedding full of classic details and captivating moments. When choosing which pictures to share, I found myself struggling as each and every one was amazing. Morgan Lynn Photography is very talented in capturing the moments that matter with so much life and vividness to her pictures.

After the full Catholic mass wedding ceremony, the couple and their bridal party boarded the trolley with much festiveness to shoot more post ceremony pictures. The couple choose to return to Hotel Derek for its contemporary decor and modern settings. This also allowed them to include their precious 4-legged family member.

For couples who may have a little time lapse between the ceremony and reception, this is an ideal opportunity. During this time, a couple is most relaxed, happy and solely focused on each other. This sometimes can replace a "day after" session.

As the couple finished pictures, the guests enjoyed the cocktail hour at The Courtyard on St. James as the DJ spun jazz tunes in the background. In my experience, I find that many brides choose to have seating arrangements for their guests. Many do not think about the display to which it will be communicated to the guests. I love that Stephanie chose to make the table assignments a design focal point in the cocktail hour space. To maintain an affordable option, we utilized the alter arrangements and restyled them into one main arrangement for the table.

Stephanie and Ben share a love for wine. As a unique touch, we used wine bottles as their table numbers. To remember the evening, the guests were encouraged to write messages on the bottles with a silver pen. Ben & Stephanie will enjoy the memories for years to come each time they open one of the bottles from their wedding.

The guests were treated to a 4 course sit-down dinner at the Courtyard on St. James. One of the highlights of the meal was the champagne intermezzo. This is served prior to the main course to cleanse the palette to fully enjoy the flavors of the next course. When it came to toasts, the Best Man and Maid of Honor opted to pre-record the most entertaining excerpt to play as part of their toast. Truly one of the most entertaining I've seen thus far.

Congratulations to Ben & Stephanie! May the next 50 years be just as memorable and enjoyable as their wedding day.