This traditional wedding in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was classic, elegant and timeless – despite some unexpected surprises… A mix-up with the centerpiece arrangements; a WHITE wedding cake that was supposed to be chocolate and a record breaking rainy day in April could not deter the bride, groom and wedding guests from a beautiful celebration. The one and only photograph taken of Katie + Borko outdoors is so romantic and beautifully poetic: ‘Come rain or come shine‘ happy they will be together…Enjoy!
Katie + Borko | April 16, 2011 | St. Andrews in the Valley Episcopal Church, Colonial Golf & Tennis Club, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
The Ceremony
We had a traditional church ceremony on what turned out to be an unseasonably cold and record-breaking-rainy day! We picked a relatively small, simple Episcopal Church for the ceremony, both for it’s proximity to the reception site and it’s classic, intimate appearance with wood paneling in the front and floor-to ceiling windows overlooking a lush lawn. The service was officiated by my youth pastor and friend who, when I was 16, had volunteered to perform my wedding ceremony in case I would ever want him to do so someday. I began crying as soon as I faced him with my husband-to-be at the altar and continued to alternate crying with laughing throughout the message! It was so touching and meaningful to be united to the love of my life by someone who had such an impact on my earlier years. The ceremony was intentionally brief but personal. The prelude and processional music were played on cello and piano by childhood friends of Borko’s and a reading was done by his sister. We included my niece as the flower girl and all five of our nephews as our troupe of ring bearers rather than choosing one of them! We chose minimalist but purposeful decorations: one large flower arrangement on the altar beside the unity candle, purple and white kissing balls on each pew down the center aisle, and flower-wreaths on the door to the sanctuary.
The Reception
The reception was also held in a very traditional venue; a country club in Harrisburg, near to my family and many childhood friends and also close to the town where we lived for four years in medical school, which is where we met (and fell in love!). We picked the venue the April prior to our wedding, when the golf course was lush and green and the trees were in full glorious blossom of pink and white. Little did we know that April of 2011 would be dramatically colder and that the trees would still be barren! It ended up not mattering due to the torrential downpours that persisted the entire day of the wedding (no break for outside pictures!). Cocktail hour was held in a wood-paneled room with ample windows directly overlooking the golf course. Dinner and dancing took place in a classic ballroom with chandeliers, wall sconces, and candlelight.
There were many little details that threatened to bring out the “Bride-zilla” in me. An unexpectedly large number of our friends and family couldn’t come due to travel constraints – all of Borko’s extended family still lives in Croatia and I went to college in Missouri, meaning many of my friends were over 1000 miles away or work schedules (most of our mutual friends were interns in various residency programs, like we were, and therefore couldn’t easily get off work for a weekend of travel back to PA); my centerpiece arrangements looked nothing like the pictures I sent my florist, the chocolate cake with chocolate icing that I had ordered arrived to me as a cake with WHITE icing, and, of course, THE WEATHER…but the food was delicious, the DJs fantastic, and our photographer braved the rain to photograph us under an umbrella and produced a stunning photo as a finale to the night. Overall, we were so blessed to have our guests travel from literally all over the world (two of our groomsmen came from out of the US, and the other six came from six different states!) to celebrate our love and our lives. In the end, it wasn’t what I imagined, but it was a perfect day!
How Katie Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Classy, fashionable and feminine.
Why Katie Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
As many other brides have said, I don’t want to waste the beauty of my dream dress in a box in my parents’ house! As much as I felt the dress was perfect for me – unique, a little glamorous, and just a little bit ostentatious – I want to pass it along to someone else while it’s still in style rather than waiting to see “If” I’ll ever have use for it again personally. It is a truly gorgeous dress and was the one detail in my wedding that worked out just the way I envisioned!
