“I liked him as much as I loved him. He made me laugh – especially at myself.” That’s how Valette knew that Jeff was the man she wanted to marry.
Their October 3, 2008 at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio was a warm and relaxed evening shared with friends and family.
Here’s what Valette has to say about her wedding day:
The Ceremony:
The ceremony was not at all traditional. Because I’m older, instead of having bridesmaids and groomsmen, we had our friend’s young, teen girls be our attendants. They were so excited to be my bridesmaids. I enjoyed my wedding in a whole new way through them.
It was a sunset wedding. The girls walked down the aisle to Louie Armstrong’s “Wonderful World” and I walked down to a very unique, modern version of Pachabel’s Cannon done by a group named Bond called “Lullaby”; you can hear the song at this link . (I just LOVED this song).
Two of the girls stood on my side and two on Jeff’s side. We wrote our own vows and had a very simple ceremony. Then Jeff and I used Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” for our recessional. I wore a LeaAnn Belter wedding dress.
The Reception:
We had cocktails outside surrounded by the conservatory gardens. As the guests walked out, they were served champagne in fluted glasses with pink sugared rims. (very pretty) after cocktails we returned to the conservatory atrium for a sit down dinner and dancing.
Valette’s favorite detail about the wedding:
I loved having all the young teenage girls at the reception. No one loves a wedding more than young girls who are already imagining their own big day.
I also loved that my friends made my centerpieces. It was a simple and very inexpensive way to decorate the tables and no amount of money could have produced a prettier centerpiece. My friends simply wrapped and stacked boxes, tied them with tulle and topped it with a white hydrangea.
Her Advice for Other Brides:
It’s very important to love the man you marry; it’s more important to like him. That wonderful loving feeling can come and go during a marriage, but if you like him, you’ll always like him.
