The set up began early in the week and continued until the first guest arrived on site, this wedding was one to document for several reasons. First, the canal was absolutely breath-taking, secondly Kristen put her heart and soul into this wedding with all her creative ideas, and the exclamation point of the evening was when the bride and groom JUMPED into the canal at the end of the night!!!!!! (I wish I would have had my camera to get a picture of that)! When the tent went up and the rehearsal began, all the guests started to arrive wearing black and white. Then suddenly the bride appeared in a hot, sassy tiffany blue cocktail dress. WOW, now that’s a way to get the party started. The color combination of black, white, and tiffany blue was a perfect color palette for Kristen and Ryan. The canal (Vermont Street) brings many memories to CCP. This is where it all began with my bride and friend, Darcie. 4 years ago, Darcie got married on the canal in the exact same place, after her event she helped me plan her friend’s wedding, and then joined the CCP team! Vermont Street only has approx. 3-4 weddings on the canal a year. It’s a beast, but worth the fight. Between the public, the stairs, and the heat it’s not an easy task. Every single piece has to be brought down two flights of stairs, that doesn’t come cheap. My SUV was packed to the top full of décor and cute little touches that create the WOW factor at any event. Starting at 9 AM on Saturday morning I was on my way to begin the set up. On my way, I punctured my tire. My husband came to the rescue and changed the tire in under 45 minutes. Needless to say, I had staff down there waiting on me to arrive on site with all the décor. Finally behind almost 1.5 hours I made it on site and started to unload. The chiffon and Chinese lanterns along with the lights were hung the night before, but the linens and little (BIG) details needed to be implemented by 1PM on the wedding day. All my busy bees began right away and worked hard as the sweat came pouring down their cheeks. On one side the ceremony took place and then the guests entered the tent on the west side of Vermont street. The wedding was absolutely amazing thanks to this wonderful family and fun bride and groom. After Kristen’s grand entrance (thanks Louise) down the staircase the 200 guests watched her approach Ryan, the groom. During the ceremony the bridal party laid hands on the bride and groom during a moment of prayer. Her sister sang a special song during the water ceremony (similar to the sand ceremony). It was hot, but no one thought of the intense sun during this wonderful moment. After the ceremony, the guests were offered tiffany blue punch and asked to go on the bridge to watch as the couple left on the gondola. Rose petals were thrown as the bride and groom literally sailed away down the canal. You would have never thought you were downtown Indianapolis (see pictures). Finally the guests were asked to greet the bride and groom at the top of the bridge and enter the tent for dinner. Every little detail in the tent truly came to life with Brian Whitis’ tiffany blue uplighting, Julie’s flowers, and MBP food creating a picture perfect event. It was very rewarding to bring Kristen’s vision to life (my favorite part of the job). By 11 the party had to shut down due to the noise ordinance in the city, the bride and groom jumped into the canal, and the crew came back to tear everything down. The next morning, I arrived on the canal to double check the rental company had picked up the tent and other rentals. There I was on the canal with a few pieces of trash, 1 program fan, and an empty water bottle. You would have never known a wedding had just taken place hours before. It was a moment to sit and reflect, truly a transformation from concrete to filet mignon. It can be done, you find the place CCP makes it happen!
A special thanks to my new friend, Kristen Cambridge and her mom Louise Marsh. What a great woman!
Now I’m off to NYC for a weekend. Darcie it’s your turn.
