Congratulations to Kelly + John who after nine years of being together and having planned their wedding on their first date tied the knot! Yes, that’s right. Perhaps the two knew they were meant to be when the idea of a glow in the dark wedding was a great idea. Read on to hear how Kelly + John created their dream wedding with such terrific violet lighting. The two married at the {Radisson Fort McDowell Resort}. The hotel ballroom was decorated with flower arrangements by {Designs by Designs}. Kelly + John treated guests to the delicious food by {Robert’s Catering}. Through out the night, Kelly looked fabulous in her wedding dress by {Demetrios Bride} and jewelry by {Lani}. The wedding was planned by {Signature Events} and capturing it all was {Marriott Photography}. Thanks to the team over at Marriott Photography for submitting another fabulous wedding to us.
How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. John and I met in 1999 during our freshman year at Paradise Valley Community College when we were registering for American Sign Language (ASL) as our foreign language prerequisite. I immediately noticed John’s infectious smile and knew there was something special about him. John later told me he’d had a crush on me from the first day of class but didn’t think he had a chance because in his mind I was “out of his league.” As the semester progressed, we would exchange smiles from across the room and the occasional “Hello,” but I could never get John to take the next step. The following semester John and I were once again placed in the same ASL class. This time, however, I was not about to let another semester go by without getting to know him, so I approached John and asked him if he would like to join my study group. John gladly accepted the invitation and walked me to my car but he still would not ask me out. As a result, after our first study group at Lucky’s Pizza, I decided that it was time to take matters into my own hands and ask him out if I wanted this relationship to go any further. I truly did not realize how much John liked me until I received a phone call that he could not wait until our first date and that he wanted to go out earlier in the week. Now, fast forward nine years later and here we are as husband and wife.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? When I was 10 years old, I decided that I never wanted to have a normal wedding after being in my dad and stepmom’s Viking wedding. I mean who can forget a Viking wedding? I didn’t want anyone to ever forget the joy that I was going to feel on my wedding day. In fact, it was while I was in their wedding that I decided my wedding would have a glow-in-the-dark theme. Over the years, no one ever really understood the vision I had of my fantasy wedding until John and I started talking about marriage on our first date. In fact, not only did John understand and love the idea but he also knew from a technical standpoint exactly what I would need to make it happen. It was at that point that I knew I found the guy I was going to marry. Since John is a magician and we both have a love for magic the theme for our wedding naturally transitioned into a glow-in-the-dark and magic wedding.
Favorite design element of your big day: Our favorite design element had to be the tables and centerpieces that we chose for the ballroom where the reception was being held. The ballroom was dimly lit with 72” round purple-lighted acrylic dining tables surrounding a dance floor. Each table had a centerpiece that consisted of a clear, bubble-filled riser that was lit in bright white light. The base of the riser was wrapped in silver lamé fabric and the top of the riser had white calla lilies and white orchids accented with silver bear grass. The chairs were all wrapped in white fabric with silver bows and the matching white napkins were lit by glow bracelets that we used as napkin rings which were later worn by our guests. The ballroom also featured a deejay, intelligent lighting, and video projection that were used throughout the night.
Describe your wedding flowers: Bridal Bouquet – Round bouquet with Picasso cala lilies, purple cala lilies, sterling and white roses, purple lisanthius, accented with silver wire tubing looped in bouquet. Full-length ribbon-wrap stems with white satin ribbon. Bridesmaids – Round bouquet with sterling and white roses, and a touch of purple lisanthius accented with looped purple wire tubing. Full-length ribbon-wrap stems with Victorian lilac satin ribbon. Groom – Picasso calla lily accented with curled silver wire. Groomsmen – Sterling rose boutonnieres with curled purple wire. Flower Girls – Sterling and white rose petals
Describe your wedding cake: We had a four-tier; retro designed geometric wedding cake with turquoise, lilac, deep purple and lime fondant cutouts. On the top of the cake stood a square and circle with all of the fondant colors that symbolized John and I.
Our favorite details of the wedding were: There were several details of the wedding day that were our favorite; however, there are three specific one’s that come to mind. The first detail being the fact that the wedding ceremony was presided over by a wizard/magician named Kenton Knepper. Kenton was the first magician that I ever saw perform live as a child and has been John’s role model in magic for over a decade. John and I always knew we wanted Kenton to preside over our wedding since Kenton first knew us as individuals then as a couple. Plus, since Kenton is a wizard, it was natural for him to incorporate magic and light into the ceremony. His magic included a book that mysteriously created flames, producing bowls filled with water, pulling a light from his heart to symbolize our love and adding an extra spark when we lit the unity candle. The second detail was that during the cocktail hour, our guests were entertained by ten of our closest magician friends who took turns performing their own unique style of magic. Last but definitely not least, our third favorite detail was the fact that we surprised everyone with a beautiful fireworks show performed by Fireworks Productions of Arizona that illuminated the night sky. Fireworks are very special to us as a couple since John and I have been on a pyro crew together for several years and shooting fireworks is our favorite way to bring in a holiday. Therefore, we could not think of a better way to celebrate with our guests than to bring a firework show to them. To many of our guests, the fireworks show was the highlight of the celebration.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Magical, entertaining and unique.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Have fun and make sure the wedding reflects your personality as a couple even if other people do not understand your vision. After all, it is your wedding and it should be about you.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? After nine years as a couple, John and I are very excited to be in the process of purchasing our first home together and are looking forward to starting a family in the very near future.
Any DIY items? John and I custom designed our wedding invitations at Mad Scrappers. The invitations were Victorian lilac and silver. The front of the invitation had an image of a crystal ball with our names inscribed inside of it to set the tone for a magical evening. We also designed our Save the Date cards to be custom made concert tickets to highlight our love of music, magic and Vegas shows. We also custom designed our altar out of concert truss. The truss had greenery woven in and out of it and there were lights hidden inside the truss to make the altar glow our favorite color, which is purple.
Congratulations to Kelly + John. We wish you a lifetime of love!
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