Kira Davad & Gregory Vaughn Ferris, July 3, 2011
How it all began…
Greg proposed to me on a family vacation in Prague on the Charles Bridge. We said we wouldn't tell my parents or my brother and his wife until they saw the ring.
My brother's wife spotted the ring while we were on a subway train and the whole family started screaming and cheering. However, all the Czech passengers looked at us like we were terrorists shouting on the train. We quickly departed at the next stop.
The ring is from Distinctive Diamonds in Indianapolis, IN—we went to 22 jewelry stores to find it. It was actually the first ring I wanted at the first store: a large stone in the middle with an eternity band of diamonds plus an eternity band for the wedding ring.
Location: Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, NY
Mohonk has this ethereal feel. It is not a typical wedding location. Unlike a country club or catering hall, Mohonk is a Victorian castle steeped in history and lore. When you walk around the grounds you are transported back to the 1800s.
I wanted to give my husband and I—and our guests—an enchanting, breathtaking experience that they will never forget.
We could not have been happier with choosing Mohonk Mountain House as our venue. The grounds and house offered amazing opportunities for photographs. The wedding staff and grounds staff were completely helpful and cordial.
Even though my plans for a garden wedding were rained out, the beautiful inside venue was equally fantastic and further enhanced the Victorian feel of the wedding.
Officiant Drama
My husband walked into the hall after taking several pictures. Outside of the room that our ceremonywas supposed to take place in (after being moved inside because of the rain) stood a man in minister robes. My husband asked "Who is Friar Tuck?" (this is his generic name for ministers not because he looked like Tuck). My brother replied with a laugh "Don't panic, that's your minister."
Apparently the color disappeared from my husband's face. It was the replacement minister since our minister couldn't make it for unknown reasons. In a matter of five minutes, this minister learned the whole service and spent time learning about Greg and I.
I was in the bridal room getting ready, and the little flower girl said to me "Your mother is running towards the room." I thought odd, she should be sitting down.
My mom said "Don't panic--there's a replacement minister." I was so shocked and amazed that words didn't even come out.
Afew minutes later when I was walking down the aisle I realized I had no clue what this minister's name was. In all my panic, we never asked.
We still don't know the the name of our generous replacement, so since then we've been calling him Friar Tuck. :)
Dresses
I would describe myself as a savvy bride. So I began my dress search early on. I looked in New York, Indiana, and even Ireland. After looking in several stores, I finally found both of my dresses at a bridal blowout in Indianapolis, IN at the Bridal Superstore.
Dress 1 is from the 2009 Allure Couture Collection. The dress is two tones, pink and ivory with 1,000s of beads and silver appliqués.
Dress 2 was my fun, dancing dress, but still with an antique feel. A 2007 design by Allure Exclusive Bridals, it was made of ivory lace with beads and had a gold sash. The bolero was from Alfredo Angelo bridals, which gave the dress a more Victorian feel.
Shoes
Woodbury Commons!!! Both pairs of shoes for my wedding were bought at Woodbury Commons during Midnight Madness over Thanksgiving.
The shoes for Dress 1 are silver beaded Manolo Blanhiks purchased at Off Saks Fifth Avenue. The shoes for Dress 2 were gold Gucci heals with crystals purchased from Gucci.
Jewelry
The jewelry for Dress 1 was purchased at Nordstrom from the Nadri Collection. The jewelry had this touch of antique elegance that fit well with Dress 1.
Dress 2 jewelry came from Tejani Jewerly in NYC. The bridal jeweler offered a relaxed, private experience for choosing jewelry—in which there was so much to choose from. I decided on several pearl and crystal pieces that accented the vintage feel of the second dress.
Headpiece
Both the headpiece and the veil were purchased at the Bridal Superstore. The veil had champagne-colored crystals that matched the crystal in the first dress. Additionally, the dark crystals helped to let the lace on the veil really standout.
Cake
The cake was provided by the pastry department of Mohonk Mountain House. Our wedding theme was peacock and the cake that I envisioned was a pale green birdcage with two peacocks piped on the front. The cake was above and beyond what I imagined—the pastry chef truly brought my design to life.
Invitations
The wedding invitations were from Wilton, but I added the peacock feather myself to give it a splash of our theme. I couldn't find the perfect peacock invitation, so I made it!
Flowers: Meadowscent Florist, Gardiner, NY
They were able to incorporate the peacock colors—blue, purple, and green—without going overboard and being tacky.
Entertainment
For the ceremony and cocktail hour, a string quartet provided classical music. The Devonshire Players from Scarsdale, NY were amazing to work with—professional and truly gifted musicians.
Manhattan City Music from Manhattan, NY provided 4 members of their band for the reception entertainment. The band was able to sing anything from Frank Sinatra to Billy Joel. They truly brought the party to life.
Additionally, entertainment was provided by a family friend, Jimmy Hickey from Ireland, who showcased a traditional Irish Jig.
Photographer: Click. Photography
Click was phenomenal. I went to school with Jackie Pfeffer. Her bubbly, effervescent personality shows through her photographs and she really knows how to capture a moment. The second photographer, Matt Versweyveld, was truly talented and fun to work with.
Our engagement photos were done at Mohonk over Thanksgiving. Fall at Mohonk is STUNING. Check those photos out here.
Hair and makeup: Tress-Olay Salon, New Paltz, NY
The stylists were very flexible and friendly with us—they opened the salon for us on a Sunday over a holiday weekend at 6 am! The hairstyles were beautiful.
Inspiration
The theme for the wedding was peacock with the colors green, blue and purple. I didn’t just want colors for my wedding; I wanted something that would bring the flowers, dresses, and décor together.
Having a theme like peacocks really helped me to focus my ideas. It helped to limit me from incorporating too many ideas and really brought everything from the dinner rehearsal to the wedding together.
The dinner rehearsal was at Gilded Otter Brewing Company. The upstairs level offered spectacular views of the mountains. The service and food were amazing, plus the beer selections really kept everyone entertained and interested in the event throughout the evening.
I wouldn’t do anything differently! I was truly happy with my dress choices, theme, and venue! This time was truly about family for me, and I got the wonderful opportunity to be with all of my family in one day.
Special Touches
We met at Purdue University in Indiana during a football game, so our entrance song into the wedding reception was the Purdue fight song. Everyone was cheering and clapping along. It wasn't a typical entrance so a lot of people (especially the men) thought it was really neat.
At the dinner rehearsal, the groom's cake was a giant Purdue "P" symbol and everyone left with P-shaped chocolates.
My wedding website was another special touch. I've had several people copy it. I’ve been told it’s one of the most thorough wedding sites people have seen.
Kira’s advice for future brides
Plan and look early. I never settled for just anything. I looked for a very long time for my shoes and got exactly what I wanted. I must have gone through dozens of invitations before settling on mine.
And revisit—I went back to Nordstrom several times to see new inventory come in and then bought my earrings. What you want is out there, you just have to be patient.
Honeymoon
We spent a week in Costa Rica at the all-inclusive Hilton Papagayo and then a few weeks later we went camping for a week in Germany in the Rhine Valley. Two totally different, opposite experiences—but we still can't decided which was more fun!
This picture is of a coati in Costa Rica who was quite thirsty apparently.
Photos courtesy of Click Photography (except for the cute little coati, which is courtesy of the bride!)
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|99.108.101.xxx |2011-09-14 21:10:47 Cynthia Johnson - The most amazing wedding!!!!
By far, this was the most amazing wedding my husband & I ever attended.
Everything was exquisite. The rain & fog only added to the ethereal beauty of this magnificent venue.
Every detail was perfect. The ceremony, the orchestra, the band, the reception and dining room, the amazing food, the beautiful decorations and the gorgeous bride, groom and wedding party. First class and fabulous!