French Wedding Vibes in the Midwest

With a big dream of getting married in the south of France, Danielle + Kennedy had come up with an AMAZING and BOLD color pallet and inspirational collage to start creating their dream wedding. One of the most important people in Danielle’s life was not able to travel, so coming home to make sure Danielle’s closest friends and family could celebrate was very important to these two.

To utilize the space of the venue in the best way, the couple put together a seating arrangement and Hitch designed the chart. We designed their table numbers to coordinate with their other stationery and it looked SO good with their style and theme. The table numbers were all labeled as different cities the couple had visited.

The couple’s sweetheart table was labeled New York City, where they currently live together! How cute!!

The couple wanted to incorporate their passion for traveling into their wedding in multiple ways – the globes that lined the entry-way, the table numbers turned into locations, and the custom door mat that said “VIP Check In”.

The couple requested that fruit be displayed on every table for people to eat or take home with them. It also added the perfect decorative element in each centerpiece! This is becoming a new trend and is totally fitting of the French vibe of this wedding.

The formality of the design with real dishes, real flatware, floor-length table linens in a custom color, multiple wine glasses, and gold Chiavari chairs really gave guests the up-scale vibe that the couple was going for. It was truly a French dream in a quiet, Midwest town.

The owner of The Gathering Place, made sure to add the couple’s names on the message board outside of the church. What a fun touch to this super personalized wedding!

Fresh florals were an absolute statement piece from the amazing Jaime, owner of Thistle & Dot Floral in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They were later donated to the local nursing home by the couple for all the residents to enjoy! What a generous way to use your leftover flowers after the wedding!

White calla lilies were the statement piece in Danielle’s bouquet, which were a tribute from her mother’s wedding bouquet from years prior. They found a subtle way to incorporate her parents into the day. Queue the tears!!

The Big Red and Juicy Fruit gum packs are a tribute Danielle’s dad who used to always carry a pack around and hand it out to his friends and family. It was so touching watching guests share this with each other – and most of them knew exactly who it reminded them of. Everyone was carrying on this small tradition throughout such a special day.

Bright colors were a total eye-catcher in this venue, especially since they were paired with the incredible stained-glass windows that lined the wall of the restored church. The colors from the glass poured through the window in the afternoon, and it was absolutely stunning.

Paris was one of the first trips the couple ever took together (oh, the romance!), so it was totally fitting that they requested a custom, rose gold Eiffel Tower cake topper for their beautiful cake! Shoutout to the very talented Chef April for this beautiful and delicious wedding cake!

The Whitman’s chocolates represent a gift from Kennedy on their first date. How thoughtful it that? It was a complete representation of the care and love that he shows Danielle every day. They set them out on a coffee table for everyone to enjoy!

Danielle’s mom was a super special guest at this wedding, and of course had to have a custom flower garland adorn her walker for the ceremony. Thistle & Dot was the perfect florist for the job. Check out how perfect this garland fit!

This church also had an original bell in the steeple, and of course, we had to seize the opportunity to ring it 12 times to represent their 12 years of dating. A trusted friend oversaw ringing the bell before Danielle walked down the aisle. It took a few pulls of the rope to hear the loud DING outside of the church, but it was so fun to signify to not only the church, but the bride’s entire hometown, of the significant moment that was about to happen.

Following the ceremony, and while the couple was taking some photos, pastry platters brought by Chef Jeni were served to the guests. Since all of the guests sat at their tables for the ceremony, it was so easy to bring out the pastry appetizers and let them talk and socialize as though they were sitting at a real French café! How fitting!

The actual brunch was stocked with quiches, grazing table, dessert assortment, fruit, and shrimp cocktail were prepared during this short social time and it was an absolute HIT! This entire spread is just what you would expect from this incredibly talented catering team. Chef Jeni and her team are exactly who you should call if you want your food to taste as unbelievable as it looks.

Bloody Marys, wine, sodas, sparkling water, and bottomless mimosas were such a wonderful addition to the meal. Even the kids got involved with their custom disco cups and name tags for their kiddy cocktails.

Speaking of drinks, we didn’t even mention the most important part yet – the made-to-order coffee bar served by The Coffee Corner right out of Hendricks! The cups even had custom stickers that matched the couple’s stationery design! It’s the small details that made the biggest impact on the guest experience this day!

The couple had their own original Hendricks coffee mugs that they drank out of during brunch – cheers to the BEST DAY EVER!

The equal and passionate involvement from both Danielle + Kennedy throughout the whole planning process filled our heart. Kennedy joined almost every meeting and gave such great suggestions and advice as we all planned out the day. We love when grooms are involved, supportive, and as excited as the bride for the big day. We love you, Kennedy!!